Grey Tunic–PPP No. 5

Whenever I get a parcel from either Anna or Samantha, I get the thrill of receiving a gift. I never know what will be inside for the upcoming Ping Pong Post. The three of us are on our fifth round of styling a shared item, and unfortunately the thrill for me was lost on this one. I can remember being shockingly disappointed by this piece. I don’t say this to offend Anna who bought it for all of us to style in a charity shop; it was just a piece that I would never in a million years wear. I had no idea what to do with this grey tunic: it was rather sheer and very stiff. It was way too long for my frame and in a cut that would do nothing for my figure. To top all this off, it was in a color reminiscent of my grey days in Beijing–a color I have avoided since living there from 2209-2012. And, it had a Mandarin collar–another style that I have always avoided while living in Asia unless I’m wearing the traditional qípáo also known as a chenongsam.

I let this piece sit for a bit. It sat and sat, and then I created a story for myself–a style story. An often weekend event in Hong Kong is a junk boat trip. A group of people head out on these old teak wooden boats for a day of fun and sun on the water. I imagined I was heading out on a junk trip with my tote in hand and my coveted jean shorts on. I took this grey tunic and turned it into a piece of fabric. Once I imagined it was a scarf and started tying it around me like a cover-up, I felt like I was onto something I would actually wear. It was tricky, but I folded the collar under at my chest, and I tied the sleeves at the back. This first tie covered up my bandeau to my bikini top. Then I tucked the back, long tail into the front. I still had the wings of the front of the tunic, so I tied those at my lower back. Basically, I made myself a tube top: now this would be something I would wear. I added my flower tie belt that that matched the black lined flowers on my grey scarf–presto, no longer was it a grey tunic. Because I’d be on a boat, I went for my Teva sandals. I was ready for a day out on the water; too bad it was all made up!

Let’s see what the other ladies did….

Anna from Anna’s Island Style

Anna really got each of us on this piece–intentionally. She managed to make the tunic look dressy yet summer casual. I love how she played up the color as metalic rather than plain old grey. Look how the top actually shimmers in the sun along with her sparkly necklace. Her silver pumps paired with the cropped, fresh, white jeans is perfect–too bad she forgot the matching silver clutch beside the tripod. I’ve done that before too Anna!

Samantha of Fake Fabulous

Samantha is known for her vibrancy with color. I love how she added both lilac and blue to turn this dull grey tunic into something colorful. And with legs for days, adding those black skinny jeans proves she’s got an enviable figure. I love how Samantha looks in skinny jeans; she can seriously rock this style! Of course the other thing Sam is known for is a little quirk–which I love, so her fun sandals and interesting accessories are the perfect compliment to this styling.

Phew! We all did it!! Next month I promise to be more conventional! We have a piece from Samantha to style…

Aside from following Anna and Samantha on their blogs, make sure you are also following along their Instagram handles: @annaislandstyle and @fakefabulous. And don’t forget about me @krembdelakremb.

What would have you done with this grey tunic? Please share–I’m curious!

*This post has been linked up to Sheela Writes.