Aaaaand we’ve got another style challenge in the books! This week, I participated in the #StyleByFood Instagram challenge by Amy (@littlealotamy) and Gretchen (@spagrettystylejournal) where we had to create five different outfits inspired by your favorite foods. Needless to say, this challenge was uniquely difficult and really pushed me to be creative!

Below is a summary of the outfits that I created.

Style By Food Challenge Watermelon Salad

Day 1: Watermelon Mozzarella Salad

Watermelon mozzarella salad with slivers of basil and a drizzle balsamic vinaigrette is one of my go-to summertime snacks. The combination of rich, savory, mozzarella cheese and light, refreshing watermelon make for a satisfying dish for something that’s substantial but won’t weigh you down when it’s hot and humid outside.

I recreated this dish in my outfit by layering mom’s magenta blouse on top of a white dress.

White dress, Old Fast Fashion, 2017⁣
Red/pink Blouse, #raidedmomscloset

Style By Food Challenge Braised Pork Rice.jpg

Day 2: 滷肉飯 (Lou Rou Fan) or Braised Pork Rice

This is the first of many Asian dishes that I featured in the challenge. 😋

While I’m not really a huge meat eater, this dish reminds me of my childhood and therefore, is one of those comfort foods that I have a hard time saying no to. Created with a combination of pork belly, mushrooms, soy sauce, rock sugar, and Chinese spices, this hearty dish is something that immediately connects me to my culture.

I recreated this meal in my outfit by layering my brown, floral, skirt over a flared, white, dress to mimic the saucy pork resting on a bed of freshly steamed rice.

White dress, #ThriftedThis, 2019⁣
Floral skirt, Thrifted @goodwillboston 2014⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Day 3: Shin Ramyun

Keeping with the Asian carbs theme, the next look was inspired by my all-time favorite instant noodles. Shin Ramyun with cheese, veg, and egg is one of those go-to easy meals for when I feel like indulging and being unhealthy.

I recreated this spicy look by pairing all the warm colors together. A red cardigan and orange scarf (styled as a skirt) mimic the spicy broth and my yellow, floral, wrap dress represents the creamy slice of cheese that pulls everything together.

Day 4: Corn Pasta

Okay, if you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you’ll know that I specifically googled a dish that would match my outfit for this day. I was running out of ideas at that point and needed to source inspiration from elsewhere. That being said, I did actually take the time to cook this dish. While it was a little too sweet to pass for a main dish, I can see it being a nice side-dish at a picnic or a barbecue.

I layered this shimmery, beige dress on top of my yellow turtleneck tee to recreate the summery palette of this light pasta dish.

Shimmery beige dress, Old Fast Fashion 2015 (this was my graduation dress!)⁣
Yellow turtleneck tee, #RaidedMomsCloset

Day 5: Matcha

We made it!! For my last outfit, I decided to go with matcha. This green tea is one of my all-time favorite beverages and more than that I really enjoy it in a variety of desserts as well (ice cream, cake, mochi...you name it).

I had a hard time finding clothes that were in the exact same shade as this powdered green tea, so instead, I opted for an olive button-down top and my favorite emerald skirt.

Olive green top, Old Fast Fashion, 2015⁣
Green emerald skirt, Old Fast Fashion, 2016

What I Learned/Challenge Takeaways

This challenge was so much fun! It was exciting to see how everyone else interpreted the prompts and retrospectively, I definitely could’ve been more creative with my outfits. If I were given the opportunity to try this challenge out again, I think it would’ve been interesting to explore textures as well as colors when it came to recreating these dishes.