September 29, 2013

Chilly Weather

 ZARA Mustard Coat | GOWIGASA White Dual Pocket Sleeveless Shirt (as Inner) | ZARA 'Merci Bien' Top | GOWIGASA Emerald Green Skirt | Forever21 Heels

Fall has arrived in some parts of the world, but not in Indonesia; it's pretty much Summer all year long here. Anyway, it's the season when the leaves fall from the trees and it creates chilly weather. So, today for a Fall-themed outfit, I wore a three-layer outfit: White buttoned-up shirt under a grey shirt and a mustard wool coat over it. :)
Well, since I cannot stand cold weather, I'm pretty sure I'd add black tights to this outfit if I were actually in a country that experiences Fall/Autumn season. And maybe a scarf around my neck. And mittens. But, if I wore all of them in Jakarta, even if it's just for a half hour or so, I'd die.

Found this pretty wall on my way to the photoshoot location, so I just had to make a stop and took some pics there, hehe
So much love for this top, the material is very soft and cozy, and it's really flattering to my body!
Bumped into this cutie, Jean Tania while shooting :)

X O X O,
Elle Yamada

September 19, 2013

White Dungarees


I was browsing through my laptop yesterday and I found these old photos of mine wearing white dungarees that were supposed to be posted on my blog like months ago! Wah! (...and I just realized today is Thursday hahahha, so here's something for #throwbackthursday)

ZARA White Dungarees | New Look Striped Turtleneck Top | GOWIGASA Postman Sling Bag (Black) | Nine West Heels | ZARA Necklace

X O X O,
Elle Yamada

September 17, 2013

Sporty Chic

Holding on to the wire fence, looking awkward.

H&M Pineapple Bralette | GOWIGASA Black Leather Skirt | Romwe Varsity Jacket | H&M Socks | Converse Sneakers | GOWIGASA Dope Snapback

Today I wanted to go for a sporty look that also gives a girly vibe. So, what I did was I paired my varsity jacket with a leather skirt (A-line) and this super cute pineapple bralette from H&M! :) I really love how the vibrant colours of the bralette create a pop of colour to my outfit.

To top it off, I wore a snapback to give an edgy touch, stripe knee-high socks that scream sports, and an extremely comfortable pair of sneakers! :D

By the way, I was very relieved when I found out this tennis court was empty so I could do the shoot without kids staring at me like I'm a circus act.

Oh, if you have time, kindly visit our web store, GOWIGASA as we just uploaded a bunch of new stuff! What's more, we also released our first basic collection that are designed and manufactured by us! At very affordable prices, of course. Basics are very essential to everyone's closet as they are timeless and come in very handy when you want to mix and match your look. So, we hope you can find something that you like! ;)

X O X O,
Elle Yamada

September 15, 2013

Elle and Jess Back to Black

So..? What do you think? ^^

Okay, first of all, yes, those are wigs. Few days ago, when we posted our pictures wearing them for the first time (see it here and here), some people thought they're for real lol. Well, they do look and feel pretty real to us, too. AND as you might know already that changing your hairstyle could really change the way you look, our dear brother was dead stunned when he saw Elle walking out of the elevator. Jess' bf didn't even dare to greet her when he picked her up at our apartment lobby. Both of them thought they saw someone who look completely similar with us, only with different hair lololol.

Viparo Dress | June and Julia Shoes

On Jess: GOWIGASA Black Floral Dress and Sheer Black Stocking
Swaychic Heels

Well to be honest, it felt like a looooong time since the first time we coloured our hair (circa 2011), so maybe because of that, when @nonataliashop offered to sponsor us, we both picked these black ones in a blink, without even telling each other beforehand! Talk about telepathy.

Both our wigs have the same color: Jet Black. Even our natural hair color is not as black as this lol. Maybe because we did a lot of outdoor sports back then.. But THIS jet black color totally gave us a shock when we first tried it on. "So this is how we'd look like with @bellevalencia's* hair..." we thought.
*our cousin whom shiny-healthy-always-perfect hair should really be insured

We think black gives you this cool-mysterious-girl look, which is why we paired it with these outfits. But you know what, after this sudden Back to Black sessioneven though some people convincingly said that we look better in black, we actually got ourselves *even* reassured that we look better in our colored hair.

Ah well, it's all simply a matter of taste, right? ;)

X O X O,
Elle and Jess
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And e way, to all of you GOWIGASA fans, we're launching our New Collection TOMORROW - Monday, Sept 16 2013 at www.gowigasa.com . Stay tuned on our Instagram & Twitter anddd see ya there! ;D

August 27, 2013

Again with the 90s + GOWIGASA Giveaway Winners #2

What I Wore: GOWIGASA American Flag Midriff Top, Commes des Fuckdown Beanie, Rayray Sunglasses, Spiked Bracelet | ZARA Ripped Jeans and Heels | Topshop Lipstick in Rio-Rio

I've been re-watching FRIENDS for God-knows-how-many-times, and I really love the style they wore back then, which was the 90s.

So for today's outfit, I opted to channel my inner 90s kid... A cropped top or the belly shirt, ripped jeans that make it appear like you've been through a fight, and a pair of red lips :)

Is there a certain trend from the 90s that you really love?
I know one trend that I hope won't make a comeback, that is Biker Shorts.
Oh, and butterfly clips.


Anyway, in case you didn't know, we were hosting the second Gowigasa Giveaway on our blog, and today we are so happy to announce our giveaway WINNERS!!
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Patricia Hidayat, Ceilla Aj, and Nerissa Tan

YAYYYYY!!!

To claim your prize, please email us at heyellejess@gmail.com

Thank you very much to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for our next giveaway!! :D

X O X O,
Elle Yamada

August 20, 2013

Teliti Sebelum Charity

Not so long ago, I tweeted about this...
Some people responded to my tweet:
The reason I highlighted the comment above is because THAT'S my point exactly. But before we rush to conclusions, please read on (mostly Indonesian language from now on, since this is Indonesian issue anyway haha): 
16 Agustus. Saya sedang makan siang sendirian di restoran Sushi Hana, Mal Puri Indah. Tiba-tiba datang dua orang, satu laki-laki dan satu perempuan. Keduanya memperkenalkan diri dengan sopan, minta izin duduk di hadapan saya, bercerita singkat tentang anak-anak yang terkena sakit leukimia dan bagaimana sebuah yayasan bernama YAI membantu anak-anak malang tersebut.   
      Di saat yang sama, makanan saya datang dan hp saya berdering. Karena sudah lapar dan telepon itu penting, dan saya sudah tahu niat kedua orang ini adalah untuk keperluan donasi, maka langsung* saja tanpa basa-basi saya tanya berapa** yang harus saya sumbang?  
      The guy said, "Seratus ribu, kak. Tapi cuma sekali*** lho. Dan itu sudah bisa membantu anak-anak leukimia tadi." Saya keluarkan dompet, ambil uang, dan ternyata cuma ada Rp. 90.000,- (maklum jarang pakai cash), tapi mereka bilang tidak apa-apa, kemudian mereka mengambil uang tersebut, menyobek halaman belakang sebuah buku kecil (which later on became THE book), meminta saya mengisi beberapa data pribadi, baru kemudian mereka berterima kasih dan pergi keluar restoran meninggalkan saya buku tersebut.
     Sambil lanjut makan, saya buka-buka buku tersebut, isinya berbagai voucher yang (mungkin menarik bagi orang lain tapi) tidak menarik untuk saya. But well, I thought, it's just a bonus anyway. SAMPAI tiba-tiba saya sadar ada tulisan kecil di bagian bawah cover buku itu bahwa "Rp. 10.000,- dari hasil penjualan Voucher ini akan disumbangkan untuk YAI". BOOM! Totally dumbfounded.  
Jadi, saudara-saudara sekalian, saya itu barusan BELI VOUCHER, bukannya nyumbang (ya... adalah 10%. Etapi karena saya tadi cuma ada Rp. 90.000, berarti saya melek-melek beli voucher nya doang dong ya? *pats myself on the back*).
*Here's my silly move. Because I didn't bother to learn more about it,  saya jadi tidak tahu bagaimana bentuk donasi itu sesungguhnya (in this case, dari uang sejumlah Rp.100.000 yang diminta, hanya Rp.10.000 yang disumbangkan ke YAI, sedangkan niat saya adalah menyumbangkan Rp.100.000 tersebut sepenuhnya).
**Beberapa yayasan punya standar rata-rata yang dibutuhkan, contohnya Pesat Future Center yang memberitahu saya bahwa dengan Rp.100.000 per bulan, saya sudah bisa mensponsori seorang anak desa.
***Some of these guys come in daily basis to my bf's place in Pantai Indah Kapuk and it's getting on his nerves. Pas ditegur, "Dari kemarin kan saya udah bilang, saya udah pernah nyumbang ke salah satu orang kamu. Kenapa sih balik lagi, balik lagi?" mereka jawab, "Yah.. Siapa tahu kan hari ini mau nyumbang. Lagian kan kakak bisnisnya lancar, masak sih nyumbang seratus ribu aja gak mau?"  so much for good manners, eh?

Malamnya, walaupun sempat tidak habis pikir seharian, saya sudah hampir lupa dengan kejadian tersebut, sampai tiba-tiba ada yang LINE saya jam 23:57, and guess who, twas THAT guy!! My curiosities came back, and here's our heated conversation:
Do note bahwa kemarahan saya ditujukan kepada perusahaan tempat orang ini bekerja, dikarenakan cara mereka bekerja, bukan kepada orang ini semata-mata (if I wanted to attack him personally, I wouldn't bother to blur his name anyway). Kecuali di poin 19-22, where he subjectively judged ZARA in his *not even valid* argument wtf. -_-


Sampai sekarang, saya masih tidak habis pikir dengan pola kerja orang-orang ini. Yang jadi pikiran saya:
1. Kenapa mereka tidak up-front saja bilang, "Kami jual buku voucher, menarik lho, isinya banyak dan value nya bisa sampai dengan sekian. Selain itu, 10% dari hasil penjualan buku voucher ini akan disumbangkan ke yayasan anu." Bukannya malah 'menyamarkan' Penjualan Buku Voucher dengan Kesempatan Beramal (yang notabene hanya 10% nya saja dari jumlah uang yang diminta).
2. Kalau memang mereka itu sukarelawan yang bergerak demi alasan kemanusiaan, dari gerak-gerik saya yang langsung menyerahkan uang sejumlah yang diminta saja harusnya mereka sudah bisa melihat bahwa saya memang niat menyumbang. Dan karena saya sudah jelas-jelas menunjukkan gestur tersebut sebelum / tanpa mereka beritahu tentang keberadaan buku voucher itu, maka sudah sepantasnya (sebagai sukarelawan) mereka sadar bahwa uang tersebut adalah 100% hak YAI. Karena bukankah dari awal yang ditekankan adalah 'Charity'? Buat apa mereka susah-susah jualan voucher lagi kalau memang ada orang yang niat menyumbang 100% untuk YAI?
3. Apabila mereka sudah sadar namun tetap berniat memakai uang tersebut untuk penjualan si buku voucher (bukannya untuk langsung disumbangkan sepenuhnya kepada YAI), ada baiknya mereka menerapkan kewajiban untuk memberi penjelasan terlebih dahulu kepada setiap donatur mengenai aturan mainnya. Apa susahnya sih bilang, "Oh ya kak, tapi ini Rp. 10.000.- nya saja ya yang kita sumbangkan, sisanya itu jadi buku voucher yang kakak pegang sekarang"Unless they lack common sense ATAU mereka memang dapat komisi dari penjualan buku voucher tersebut, yang menjadikan mereka sekumpulan sales, BUKAN sukarelawan.

Karena penasaran, saya googled dan ternyata sudah banyak sekali komplain mengenai hal serupa yang dialami oleh saya, maupun hal lainnya seperti bidang ketenagakerjaan yang *lagi-lagi* penuh kedok / penyamaran yang ditujukan ke pihak GRANTON MARKETING; the creator and distributor of those voucher books. Dan ternyata, kalau memang yang tertulis di link ini http://mitamelati.blogspot.com/2008/07/hati-hati-mencari-kerja-di-pt-granton.html benar adanya, then those people I met weren't volunteers, they're merely sales. Para penjual yang mencari keuntungan pribadi dengan mengatasnamakan amal.


#SelfNote  #LessonLearned
Kalau mau menyumbang, lebih baik ke panti atau yayasan-nya saja langsung, tidak perlu melalui orang lain dan kalau bisa, pastikan dana tersebut memang sampai di tangan orang yang benar sehingga tidak akan disalahgunakan pihak-pihak yang tidak berwenang. Kalau bisa bantu tenaga, waktu atau barang-barang kebutuhan (contoh: susu formula untuk panti asuhan, dsb), mungkin malah lebih bagus lagi.

Some life lessons are supposed to be expensive. Untuk kasus ini, boleh dibilang saya masih cukup beruntung karena 'membeli' pelajaran ini seharga Rp 90.000 saja. Imagine if this involved bigger catch... How much would my own ignorance cost me? *smh*

Must learn to learn the details before making any decisions.

Coming to the end of this post... If any of you guys are curious or even interested to make a donation for YAI, here are their bank account number:
Mandiri 164000582421 / BCA 0845244010
Or you can click here for more information about YAI and other possible ways to donate.

While we're on this topic, here's a complete list of Charity and Non Profit Organizations in Indonesia http://www.charity-charities.org/Indonesia-charities/Indonesia.html
Thought it might come handy in the future. :)

Alright then, hope this post helps. See you guys on my next post. Meanwhile, take care and good luck! :D

Jessica Yamada