faux as f*ck

sono in italia

2010-06-04T06:51:00.003-04:00

Ciao ciao! Okay, so I'm in Italy for the next month, and I promised people that I would blog while I was here... but I'm kind of over this blog and don't want to spend hours at a time taking photos of what I'm wearing. Way too much cooler stuff to see for that. Soooo anyway, if it so pleases you, go check out my blog on the Italy trip... hopefully will try to update once a day, definitely will be a semi travel diary. For some odd reason my english on the blog is a lot simpler... I think for the fact that Italians and I have to speak to each other as simply as possible (their inglese is generally MUCH better than my italiano, though, don't get me wrong), so don't mind that. There will be lotsssss of photos of famous crap (already have one of the Trevi Fountain up) and some lesser-known but still ridiculously awesome stuff as well.

blog italia link:

Mi Dispiace, Sono Americana

Oh, and I got my hair cut.

outtake (eh-zzzz)

2010-04-11T23:49:00.004-04:00

One of the non-posted pics from the last post. Looks like I'm trying to get in.... but really I'm trying to get out.

I've made practically an entire group of friends in Dallas in the past week. And I kind of love it.

New photos to come soon. Maybe of the actual bands these people are in (thoughts?) and perhaps some new outfit-ty things. Like how I shredded the tee (I got your back Arushi). xoxo

cuffed up

2010-04-01T01:43:00.006-04:00

J Brand slouchy Ginza jeans, Nordies leather belt, AA tee with DIY shredding, Sam Edelman sandals, Pyrrha pendant, RayBan Special Series subway-map Wayfarer

Taking pics in a mirrored doll-case thats randomly sitting in the garage. Image through a pane of glass, hits mirror, back through pane of glass, to my sensor. Hence the blurry-ness and weird ghostly reflections. Also that random strip of wood in the middle of all the shots. I'm going to get so good at shooting photos using mirrors.

And I know, its shocking. I'm not wearing a singular black item (except for the usual nail enamel and my camera... but last I checked they don't make it in other colors. OMIGOD like, pink DSLRs!! Not.) White denim and a heathered lavender deep V? Yup. I shredded the tee over a year ago, you know, when it was cool... I'm, uh, bringing it back? I dunno. Don't really care. I just liked the bit of shredding on the front of the jeans... then surPRISE I turn around and its a whole bunch of shredding in the back. Double surprise, I have a tattoo that hasn't ever seen the light of day before today. Ever. Thinking about it, I even got it done at night. Hah. Welcome to the world, teeth tattoo.

I bought these slouchy, destroyed Ginza skinnies with the intent to cuff them up like this (can you even see it?)... they make me feel so "summer in New England". I was only slightly terrified I'd get them completely disgusting within minutes outside of my bedroom, but they stayed nice and clean and white all day. How did I accomplish such a feat? I basically just washed my hands every ten to twelve minutes, denied the iced americano cravings, and avoided rolling around in sandboxes and freshly cut grass. Easier said than done.

will she ever get someone to take photos for her?

2010-03-30T19:38:00.005-04:00

Splendid striped tee, J Brand skinnies, Christian Dior sunnies, L.A.M.B. pumps

Probably not.

Oh yeah, I made a tumblr. I'm addicted.

Yet another thing to waste time on my MacBook with.

taggin ya

2010-03-30T17:22:00.010-04:00

Got tagged by duckalicious (thank you dollface)... I've been tagged before but never actually did the re-tagging bit. So! First attempt.

The pic I was supposed to copy and paste was very sweet and pink (and can be seen on ducky's link above). I like this one better. (I'm a creep.)

The rules:

- Copy the image (or whatever image you want if you follow my rules) to your blog.

- List 10 things that make you happy and try to do one today.

- Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

Okay so got the image and rules in. Now ten things that make me happy:

1. Talking to la smith (especially when she's yelling out her car window)

2. Lunch & dinner dates with D, Michy, and/or Miles

3. Reading Richard Lawson's articles on Gawker

4. Doing things for people and feeling appreciated (i.e. editing papers, random tasks at work like "getting ice" and "laundry")

5. Having intelligent conversations with non-pretentious, witty people

6. Fall/Winter collections; adding really nice, lasting things to my wardrobe (Parisian and Italian shoe swoons!!)

7. Taking photos, painting, drawing, writing, making things... & hearing people ask if my work is professional or where I "got" it

8. Teaching myself Italian; becoming better at French

9. Speaking in ridiculous accents with my silly boyf

10. Various weather: (the obvious) sunny and 70+, dark thunderstorms during the day, warm breezy nights

Did 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 10 today. So far.

Ten bloggers who make me happy! I had a terrible time coming up with the ten things that made me happy; I had a terrible time choosing ONLY ten bloggers. If you've been tagged try and find yourself on the first try ;) Even though lots fit into number 9.

1. The One I Know In Real Life

2. The One I Plan To Meet Someday

3. The One Who I Feel I'd Get Along With Swimmingly

4. The One I'd Like To Discuss Tattoos With

5. The One With The Great Headers And Writing

6. The One Who I'd Like To Model For

7. The One Who Told Me She Would Do Bad Things To Me For My Runway Pair Mesh Emma Cooks

8. The One Who Is Still Somehow Anonymous

9. The One Who Always Leaves Me Sweet Comments

10. The One I Have Mutual Friends With But Haven't Met In Real Life (Yet)

they don't believe in pens here

2010-03-15T18:22:00.005-04:00

Target maxi dress, Nordstrom cashmere scarf, Theory waist belt, vintage bag, Ray Ban clubmaster sunnies, Yochi gold cocktail ring

So last summer on this blog I wore a belted scarf... with nothing underneath it. On top, at least. You may or may not remember it, depending on how long you've read back on the blog. Link if interested: a bit less wearable. Risky-looking, but trust me, totally weather appropriate in 102 degree heat. I've lately been trying to take advantage of the perfect weather here before it gets to feel like a sauna outside, and this dress was incredibly boring on its own, so I figured I'd do a more wearable version of the scarf-as-top thing. I think it adds a lot of movement and depth that a long dress tends to naturally lack; not to mention another color layer, less weirdness of having a random belt on, etc. I had to be slightly more careful with my cabernet, but that seemed the only drawback.

Also there were tons of belted scarves on the FW10 runways, I was kind of surprised slash delighted... it was one of those things where you think you're being clever, then you see it on the runway and you have to furiously check past seasons to see if was really something you came up with on your own. I'm sure that I'm not the first person to belt a scarf, but I did recall it being the result of an experimental day in front of the mirror with a giant pile of clothes around me.

p.s. It. Is. Impossible. For a remotely tall person to find a maxi dress long enough. Go figure I'd find the one in the world at Target. I can't wear more than a flat shoe with it but that's fine. Wore silver gladiators today and it worked perfectly.

In case you were wondering about the odd title... well, even if you weren't, I'm still going to tell the story. I had a ridiculous run-in today with an uppity manager, who may have also been on uppers, at a restaurant where I requested a job application. First she sarcastically declared that she was impressed with my excitement (what was I supposed to do? There were like three tables in there, it was QUIET... run in and say "I'D LIKE A JOB PLEASE!!!!!!), but so awkwardly I didn't really know what to say... it was kind of like: Me: "I was wondering if you were taking applications for serving or hostessing?" Her: "Wow-I'm-really-impressed-with-your-excitement-in-getting-a-job-just-kidding" Me, confused: "What?" Her: "I-was-just-saying-you-seem-really-enthusiastic-about-this-job-just-kidding". So that was weird. THEN. When I asked if she had a pen so I could fill the application out, she told me NO and manically stated that "this-is-a-job!!... application." Not only did she have the inability to speak properly, she was acting like she did three lines of blow in the bathroom right before I came in. Plus she was a bitch. So my sister and I decided to stay and have a late lunch. I tipped our server Laurena (who was not a bitch, was very nice actually) thirty-two percent and wrote on the ticket "That rude woman should not be wearing unflattering denim at work. Its unprofessional." Hopefully Laurena will agree with me, have a laugh, and enjoy the big tip.

circling around

2010-03-09T16:52:00.002-05:00

I think I've decided on my quarter sleeve. I want one of these prints by Aya Kato (Alice the first, Thumbelina the second). The original plan was for the feel of the entire sleeve to be dark... i.e., eventually I also want to get part of The Raven in Poe's handwriting, and the memento mori All Is Vanity by Charles Allan Gilbert.

Alice fits the darker-feel bill, but I like Thumbelina better... I'm thinking I might just make her have black ropes and black daisies, a bit different interpretation of the character. Luckily for me this quarter/half sleeve will cost about a bajillion dollars, which I don't have at the moment, so I have plenty of time to think about it.

twisting beside myself

2010-03-01T17:47:00.000-05:00

AA mesh & thrifted dresses, weird hair color placement courtesy of Toni&Guy, Kimberly Baker 'Tiny Bang' necklace

I've been in San Francisco for a few days, I decided to extend my Seattle trip down the coast... its been gorgeous here as well (save for today). I got bored so I tried (again) to snap some photos of myself in another piece of jewelry that I got while in Seattle.

So... back in Seattle (duh) I discovered some really great stuff from local artist Kimberly Baker. I got her Tiny Bang necklace of a 18K gold 1/2" hand grenade & ordered the Liv necklace of a tiny gothic dagger through a heart, SO COOL (shown below, although its actually really small). The grenade necklace was just so random, I had to have it. Then when I went on her website I fell in love with like... everything... but who could resist a gothic dagger/heart necklace? Definitely not a creep like me.

Not all her stuff is weird and gothic like this, she has a great line and almost everything can be ordered in either sterling silver or 18K gold. Not bad prices either. I definitely already have an extensive wish list of her stuff.

kimberlybaker.com

HOLY FUCK its March. I literally just felt the impact of this realization. Oh man.

pandora's daughter

2010-02-22T16:57:00.009-05:00

Rodarte for Target dress, Gorilla Glass cobalt 2g plugs, rings [random dragon ring, Robert Lee Morris for E&J knuckle ring, claddagh from Ireland, rest .925 toe rings from Pike Place Market], Pyrrha birdcage pendant

So yet another post where I'm my own photographer, without a tripod, remote, and with a fixed focal lens (read: SO HARD TO DO) in a mirror. And since I'm at my best guy friend's apartment, the only mirror in the whole damn apartment is in the bathroom (read again: shitty lighting to be seen in first photo). Whatevs. I'll just pretend I'm being "artistic". Hah.

Joining Team Ten Thousand Rings... I find it fun and feel like I could fuck someone up by a mere backhand. If attacked, of course. I'm not a violent person, promise. I never wore rings on my ring finger (the wedding one) until I realized I probably wouldn't ever actually wear an official ring there, so I felt liberated to capitalize away on that finger.

So being in Seattle I've found a lot of really cool shops that have local artists' jewelry... The duo of Pyrrha, Wade Papin and Danielle Wilmore, actually hail from Vancouver. They use antique 19th century wax seals cast in silver and gold to make their talisman jewelry. They also make initials cast from wax seals and intaglios cast in bronze from plaster representations of mythological scenes. If this kind of stuff interests you at all you should definitely check out their website... they have their full bio, have really gorgeous photography just of their layouts, and you can actually buy some of their stuff on there.

The particular necklace (that I found at this really cute shop called Watson Kennedy in downtown Seattle, actually going back today to get some gifts) reads "Qui me neglige, me perde" which means "He who neglects me, loses me", with a birdcage and a tiny escaped bird. Its pretty self explanatory but I guess each seal has a really cool history taken from family heraldry, which I have yet to research.

Fashion side-note, and being the worst vegan EVER, J. Mendel stole my heart. Get it. Stole. Must do an animal-cruelty-ridden post soon just for the sheer beauty of his stuff. I CAN'T HELP IT. Thank god I'll never be able to afford his stuff. But honestly if Gilles Mendel wanted to use my skin to make something that beautiful I guess it would be a good way to go. Its like the bear who dreamt of being a poet's coat. Oh digress.

Football Season Is Over

2010-02-21T15:40:00.003-05:00

No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun - for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax - This won't hurt.

pike place market

2010-02-18T13:35:00.004-05:00

So I still have a lot of stuff to post about NYFW before the other ones begin (namely OOC SHOES AT PROENZA SCHOULER and some other fun images scattered around my desktop) but I thought I'd take a quick break in it and post some of the photos I snapped yesterday at Pike Place Market in Seattle. I'm pretty sure its super touristy but everything is so beautiful, the colors are so vibrant and the vendors have this infectious energy; plus its a fantastic place to get sterling silver toe rings (some of my fingers are too thin for conventionally sized rings lol) for $5 a pop.

The weather has been ridiculously beautiful since I got here... sunny and in the 50s is perfect for me. I didn't even need to bring my wellies or an umbrella (I do have a raincoat just in case hah). Forecast good. Off to check out the art museum and see if I can find some vintage gems around Capitol Hill and pick up some gifts for the fam back in Dallas (god knows there's nothing remotely unique in the land of corporate hell that city is).

xxxx!

hate to love/love to love

2010-02-16T01:34:00.005-05:00

Hate To Love: Erin Fetherston

Erin, you can sew pants?!?!?! Okay, I'm no Fetherston girl; I can appreciate a dreamer but generally her stuff is way to sickly sweet for my taste. (And she opens her eyes really wide when she talks and it totally freaks me out). The show started off badly for me when I saw how grossly fake all the fringe on the models was (distracting, no??). But I took a breath, stopped staring at the hair, and slowly came around when I saw these little gems (to my utter surprise).

The pantsuits, to me, are fantastic. I probably wouldn't wear all white... ever... but a little mix and match and those two are perfection. The metallics were awesome, and I LOVE that blazer over the first metallic dress. I would wear that on ANYthing, slim pants, silk dresses, cashmere sweaters, or even just an AA zip hoodie. The last two remind me more of classic Fetherston, but cooler... not so saccharine, but cool and dark and floaty. I don't do strapless unless there's a built in corset (me in a strapless dress = guaranteed nip slips throughout the night. Unless I tape the dress on which is just annoying). But I'd wear that second one nooooo prob. Show off my beloved bony chest that I like to piss off my family with by wearing deep necklines. Hah. But anyway. The dress looks like it moves beautifully and I kinda want it baaad.

Love To Love: Altuzarra

Altuzarra, you make me oh so happy. If you've read this blog at all you know that I:

1. Secretly want to be a vampire (but none of this Tw*light bullshit I have no desire to sparkle in sunlight) and

2. am a big huge giant fan of black, white, anything that isn't considered a "color", which in the past three seasons that Altuzarra has had, there hasn't been much of a color in the mix. Well... except for this time, but I can enjoy a blood red dress once in a while.

With the high collared coats, long goat hair details that reminds me of (and I almost wish that it was) actual human hair, Edward Scissorhands-seams, leather, straps, buckles, one-piece sort of pantsuits fit for high fashion horror convention, and whatever it is thats laced up the plunging necklines, kind of makes me want to die. In a good way.

images via style.com

pondering birds and tattoos and tattoos of birds

2010-02-13T18:36:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking about well... many... tattoos that I want to get, but I think next I want one that wraps my left wrist a bit, maybe goes up the inside of my arm. I was thinking of some sort of bird since I have a phoenix on my right wrist, and incorporating bare branches into it. My cousin took this gorgeous photo of these birds (of course I don't remember what they are called) that come through Dallas once a year. Apparently they are quite skittish so this was actually a great shot that he got. AND on the one day so far this year that there was actually snow... Kind of an enthralling photograph, I think. Especially since he shot it with his 5DII so in the full photo you can zoom in to get the tiniest detail on them. For the tattoo I think I'd get just black & white but definitely something based on this photo.

photo property of D.Straton

birthdays deathdays

2010-02-11T18:43:00.010-05:00

haze.

Its my birthday, its your deathday.

You can have it.

Your artistry, genius, and theatricality will be missed, not only in the fashion world but in your place in the art world in general. You were a source of inspiration in all senses of the word. Just last night I set you amongst Rauschenberg and Faulkner as someone whose creations and innovations made me feel real and alive, and excited to be so at that. I just hope you found whatever peace you were seeking.

RIP Lee Alexander McQueen.

rainy days

2010-02-01T18:21:00.003-05:00

Officially going to Seattle this month for my birthday! But not actually on my bday so I'm free to be with my amazing supportive fam. But anyway I was just thinking about what I might need for the rain, while maintaining some sense of style. Came up with just a few things:

+lovely double breasted trench in red

+black umbrella with a wooden U handle

+Hunter wellies (does anyone else think wellies are secretly cute? lol)

+"rain hat" (these things actually exist!) Though I'd probably want a black one

+Kérastase hair stuff. Magically fights against frizz due to rain and also static-head from all the water-resistant clothing and accessories.

+Nars waterproof mascara. This stuff doesn't budge, man.

so sorry about the rolllll-your-eyes wah wah post from last night. I appreciate the comments though soo much :)

they turn around smiling but there's no recognition in their eyes

2010-01-31T23:04:00.005-05:00

vintage silk dolmain sleeve embellished top

I found these looking through my mac's Photo Booth photos. I know they are from spring '09 back in my apartment sunroom at school... I just can't help but notice how much more alive and happy I look in the eyes than I do now. I might photograph well now at my current low weight, (which I did today, yowza, with the lighting, even I was approving of my own photos, I usually hate my own), but I dunno... I sure look happy in these photos.

The cause is most likely that I hadn't graduated yet, hadn't suffered the immense frustration that is looking for a job (...any fucking job...), mental strain of a 6-week intensive review of essentially the first two years of college, feeling like a total low-life for living in my parents house (but eternally grateful for them and their support), not having a job or school or volunteering work for the first time really since I was 15, and living in a place where I have no friends and am finding it insanely difficult to find any.

I know I can smile for a photograph but I don't know how convincing the eyes would really be.

I'd love A Wang

2010-01-31T00:13:00.005-05:00

Alexander Wang sunnies, Nars velvet matte lip in Damned

Sorry I have the humor of a twelve year old boy. Plus someone said "you'd love a wang" to me when I was freaking about missing him at Opening Ceremony LA. I laughed. Couldn't help it. No disrespect to Mr. Wang. I really do love him.

Soooo anyway I actually got these like almost a week ago and can't believe I still haven't posted them. So a quick self-shoot in the bathroom quickly took place and here they are. I took a note from Krystal Simpson's BlackBook interview and wore it with my favorite red lip. The perfect silvery-copper color (bathroom lighting not the best), crazy perfect pointed tips, the name is printed at the very end of the arm as opposed to right by the temple (love that)*, and they are actually quite heavy and sturdy. I was a little nervous they were just going to be like... not worth their price tag. Like... when you only pay for the-name-printed-on-them kinda thing. If that makes sense at all. But Alex delivered, as always, and I got, actually, I think the most well-made sunnies I've ever owned. Plus they make me feel kiiiind of like a superhero. Perf.

Don't mind the mid-process hair. Doing a shoot tomorrow with my new loves Dawn and Veronica, sat at the salon all day while they got inspired. Its going to be some crazy geometric hair thing going on. Veronica already cut a step-fringe into one of the sides of my hair and its going to be all asymmetrical and sick with the shine bands and color blocking for the shoot (I remember way back when I did that post about stuff I hated; I think asymmetry was first on the list hah). Anyway I don't even know why I'm talking about this, I'm soooo exhausted. Late call time though, tg, I can sleep in.

*Yes I know I wear Ray Bans constantly which has the name on both temples AND on the freaking lens itself AND etched into the other lens... but for some reason that particular branding doesn't bother me. I know it makes no sense. Don't worry abaaaaat it. Not that you were.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

I want to join your tiny waist brigade

2010-01-29T14:41:00.012-05:00

Oh hi Anna I think your eyes might be blue.

Michaela Kocianova & Anna Selezneva.

Backstage at Dior SS10.

When Portia got married, I thought I'd never love again. But alas I have found my new future girlfriends. Now I just have to get signed to Elite and I'll be all set. Nooo prob.

Actually walking in the show. I'm obsessed with Michaela's layered lingerie dress. I'd wear it out in a second. With the red lip.

And that smirk!! I have the biggest crush.

Getting geared up for Fall '10 collectionssssss. I LOVE FALL. <--Pretend I screamed that in your ear.

NYFW starts on my birthday. Happy birthday to me.

images from tfs & style.com

got this ego mechanic she's always trying to give me vitamins

2010-01-27T14:57:00.008-05:00

Zara vest, AA jersey dress, Ray Ban Clubmaster sunnies, L.A.M.B. wallet, Fiorentini & Baker lace-up boots

Day out with middle sis in the mangey-dog vest. Worn over a dress, as expected. She (middle sis) quit her job as opposed to getting fired and getting unemployment, which I don't totally understand, but its whatevs. Now she's available like, twentyfourseven to take piccys and ride around Dallas with me. Tuesday was an interesting day.

After:

-sleeping 14 hours straight

-having no idea what happened to my alarms, yes that's plural, alarmS

-waking up at 1:30pm on a Tuesday after going to bed at 11pm the night before

-thus feeling like a complete waste of life loser

-looking in the mirror and finding myself shockingly pale,

I decided immediately that I was anemic and needed to go to Central Market and buy overpriced B12 and iron (but Daaaad, its metabolically actiiiive). I picked up a calcium supplement because no one will shut up about how "I don't drink milk, I'm going to get osteoporosis!!" LIES the dairy industry tells you (they have a lot of money and power over politicians its quite interesting) but ANYWAY that's a whole other topic I probably shouldn't get into. But I figured a little extra Ca²⁺ in the brain could help with the whole neuron transmission thing and help activate my T cells. Ya know.

Also juggling my vits and looking through the "Tuesday $1 roses" for one for my mother, who I don't even think saw it but oh well. It was pretty and pricked my thumb.

Then we took some jumping pictures. My sister loves jumping pictures. Must get a small trampoline. These weird me out because it looks like I'm hovering. Well maybe that's a cool thing. I can float.

oh yeah and I got my A Wang sunnies in the mail yesterday afternoon. Veryyyy excited about them. Featuring asap, but I'm being a stand-in nanny this week so most likely not very many photo ops. But I'll find a way :D

why I hate fashion. oh wait no. why I'm a nerd.

2010-01-24T18:33:00.013-05:00

Spring&Clifton bat-sleeve (??) knit tunic, J Brand skinnies.

studying-slash-working-on-my computer outfit. Booooring. But I really love the sleeves on this top. Even though I can't think of anything to call them but bat-sleeves. What are they really called? My brain is fried.

I (like everyone else) came across the Tanya Gold article entitled "Why I Hate Fashion." Instead of going into it, I'd like to direct you to an incredible blog response, in which I agree with every point she makes, and she says it much more eloquently than I have the energy to think of even doing right now: Fab Blab's "Why I Hate People Who Ostracize Fashion". Then check out the rest of her blog if you haven't yet. Really insightful and definitely has a point of view. And that Givenchy header is so sick. Check it out.

My full autobiography of a comment on her post:

LOVE THIS POST. Don't tell her (lol) but I honestly think you have a better defense against Gold than Tavi (crazy compliment, I adore that girl's writing). You're a really wonderful writer and all your points are completely dead on. I smiled when you mentioned your physics-friends because I graduated with a degree in Molecular Genetics and am going on to get my Masters in Neurobiology & Physiology, then hopefully an M.D. after that. (I did also minor in History of Art just for fun).

There is nothing that will keep me from my love of art and fashion. Most days I'm too busy to go out to take photographs or draw or paint or "do art" in some form, so I creatively and artistically express myself by how I dress and put myself together. It's not materialistic, its not vain, its not dangerous (I do take my shoes off to drive if they are over 5 inches hah), its not commercially-driven, its not driven to impress men or women (any designer item I own has NO outer logos, I'm very particular about that). And you know what, when someone compliments my $3 ring from F21 as opposed to my $600 boots, I'm equally as flattered. (I actually hate when people compliment me for something JUST because they know its "designer"). People don't understand that fashion is an ART FORM, not always a ploy to mark up a jacket or a bag to a ridiculous price and convince you you'll die without it.

My mother and I were at Barneys a couple of weeks ago, and she somewhat-disdainfully picks up the sleeve of this gorgeous Rodarte knit cardigan and is like "They want $3000 for this? Thats ridiculous" all the while my heart is pounding, for one, its ethereal loose-knit, and the fact that the hand-knit was something directly from the Mulleavy sisters. Just as people can feel emotions from looking at a painting in a museum or gallery, people who understand fashion beyond its aesthetic can feel the same way. They had a gorgeous, asymmetrically layered tulle Lanvin dress on display in the most unbelievable light champagne color and I just stared at it [contemplating] for like five minutes. My mother totally didn't get it. Yet she can go to any Impressionist section of any museum and marvel for hours at the paintings. Its frustrating to have to defend a love for fashion, I guess, in essence. And this is like the longest comment I've ever written in my life. Just loved your post.

So I guess that's my bit of input on the subject. Not that we needed any more on the blogosphere. So in addition I figured I'd post some photos of why I'm a self-proclaimed nerd. And in no way do I mean "nerd" as a demeaning term, I'm not the least bit self-conscious of my academic background, and I'm not trying to sound smarter than anyone else. But beyond loving fashion (no matter what Tanya Gold says), I love a lot of other things. Which I don't think she took into account in her ramblings (blaming a girl's shoes on why she slipped and died? Ridiculous. Oh and that what "saved her from fashion" was that "she got fat". What??). People don't usually have a one-track mind, like her article insinuates. Really, the title of the article should have been "Why I Hate Commercialism And The Sheep That Follow Every Trend" with the subtitle: "In This Case, Regarding Some Aspects of the Clothing Industry".

Anyway. Here's some shots: a weird habit I picked up from all the schoolin', another subject I'm rather keen on, and silly old nerdy notebooks.

+I'm an incessant list-maker. Coming from a practically obsessive need to know what was doing every day in college. I hate making lists on the computer or on my phone, I literally have to write it down on paper. This one is deciding between Master's degree programs and what is required for each. I'm leaning toward the Neurobiology & Physiology program.

+Chipps Smith textbook from my History of Art minor. Bosch and the like just kill me. I can't remember the name of it at the moment but there's this one painting where all these people are dying, skeletons all over, and these demons are just laughing and laughing. Its so disturbing, its awesome. And I love the Northern Renaissance especially. That Lochner painting on the side of the book (Virgin of the Rosebower) is so angelic and gilded and like, magical (kind of literally, I'm surprised he didn't throw a unicorn in there or something). I looove Jan van Eyck. The Arnolfini Wedding was my first favorite piece ever. (I know these pieces have slightly different names depending on who you're talking to, but they were the ones I learned from my professors.)

Sorry DC, I only read your note to me in the front and the first short story in the Grace Paley 1st ed. collection. Still love you anyway.

The White Dress is totally fashion related. Its actually about the history of fashion of wedding dresses (go figure).

+ My old Mol Gen lab notebooks. Gel electrophoresis image taped in. Cell lines versus normal tissue, comparing gene microarrays to find differentially expressed genes, doing functional tests of genes found. Mine was gene CG3635. Its molecular function has triacylglycerol glycerol activity. Fatality observed but no odd phenotypic results were found. The nerdy part is I think this stuff is fascinating. It gets my heart beating just as if I was looking at a new Elbaz collection.

Take that, people who "hate fashion"! People who "love fashion" aren't always mindless idiots.

ETA: Holy J Brand. I need to stop wearing these skinny fuckers. Or at least take photos of outfits when I'm wearing something different... I don't wear them every day like it looks, I swear...

not so sorry skinny

2010-01-23T01:57:00.010-05:00

free people knit dolmain tunic, C&C tank, J Brand skinnier-skinnies, Report Signature slingbacks

I've gotten a lot of shit these past few weeks from ma famille for being "too skinny". The funny thing about this minor weight loss of mine has nothing to do with my purported desire to be the thinnest girl in the world, but actually a side-effect of a prescription (that was actually prescribed to ME, that I'm taking exactly as directed. omg. not a big fucking deal.). I do not believe that I look like I belong in a concentration camp (father's ridiculous overestimation) or that I look like a bobble-head (mother's rude observation). I don't understand the big deal. You're fat, you need to work out more. You're skinny, you need to eat more. How about we all just shut the fuck up about each other's weight and let that be our own problem? I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I enjoy being naturally thin and I'd have it no other way, but why is it that you lose 5 or 10 pounds and everyone is on your shit about it? If I were fat no one would even notice, and if they did, they'd be oh-so-proud. Just venting... sick of people who hardly eat themselves (not naming anyone ahem mother) telling me constantly that I need to eat more.

Sorry my mirrors are not super clean. Hence the smudgy-ness in the first photo right around my arse-area. Embarrassing. Need to Windex. Yah.

prince charming is a frog

2010-01-20T16:35:00.005-05:00

in background (mirror) wearing J Brand skinnies and a men's H&M sweater. Zara vest.

Picked up this perfectly-hideous faux fur vest today at Zara on sale for peanuts. It reminds me of super-cozy long luxurious shearling and a mangey old dog at the same time. Its dress-length, so I'm planning on wearing it over dresses in lieu of a coat when its "should-I-wear-a-coat-or-not" weather. Intense texture added to the closet, accomplished. Next up: some damn fingerless motorcycle gloves (I've been talking about this for months).

Yes, that is an aged bronze frog with a gold crown on my nightstand. I think he was in and/or intended for a garden but I love him right where he is.

antique inspiration

2010-01-18T22:50:00.003-05:00

Took these while searching for the perfect shot to print out for my mother for xmas (ended up picking a great one of the antique chandelier draped in keys, from a different angle/lighting). I would use all these pieces in my room, for sure... and I'm trying to incorporate more of this into my personal style. That of which has evolved quite a bit since the creation of this blog, but sometimes I feel its a bit one-note (ah hem, black). In an effort to bring some kind of non-black, sort-of-antique-color-palette into my wardrobe, I ordered the silvery-copper sunnies from the post below instead of the black.

Baby steps.

close to dying for Katie F #16

2010-01-13T14:20:00.006-05:00

Um, so, I really fucking want these. My little cousin wears kind of similar "Batman" sunnies:

(removed photo per request of my mother of all people)

which are obviously SO cute on him, and his mom and I have been looking for the top ones since the Alexander Wang Spring '10 show. I sweartogod, the day they come out on the Opening Ceremony website, and yes I've been checking every day (I'm praying to Elbaz that they even come out online), I'm getting them. I don't even know which color yet. I know they are really weird, but that's kiiiiind of the point. I'm still dying inside for them, quite possibly because of their weirdness factor. Plus, they are called the "Katie F #16" style, so since the style name has MY name in it, I basically think that means that they were made for me. Yup. I'm going with it.

Of COURSE Gagaloo has already been spotted in them. Her here wearing the sunnies, also wearing Marc Jacobs Spring '10 outfit and Alexander Wang Spring '10 shoes.

Freja in A.Wang's show, just to prove you don't have to be fully Gaga-ed out to pull them off... they look great with fringe!! (and wrist tattoos hah)

And in case you were wondering or worried about my level of commitment to Lady Gaga, I don't peruse gagadaily.com. Not daily, not ever. It just led me to the images I wanted :) but obviously:

images from gagadaily.com/fashion

this should be three posts but whatevs man

2010-01-05T02:20:00.004-05:00

Post to display: a bit of the holidays (no good outfits though wtf??) and some giftys, just a little teaser of my room, and what the f*ck I've been doing (its obviously not been blogging since I've left only like 2 microns of love on your blogs in the past month :( sorry.)

+ a nifty gifted necklace

+ my mother's hilarious horror and disgust at my sister gifting me 2-gauge Gorilla Glass for my ears, pairs in black and cobalt, I LOVE THEM

+ my sister got a secret partial shot of my xmas gift to myself :) Its on my back don't be gross

+momma got a DSLR for xmas! Canon, of COURSE

+ an Ugly Doll sort-of-accidentally came into my possession, but I love him! (Its Chuckanucka! hah!) and a great gifted book The Family That Couldn't Sleep by D.T. Max

+ gifted Fiorentini + Baker lace-up boots

+ a funny pic of the boots and a tiny bit of my room... antique chests anyone?

+ and finally, what I've been up to for the past few weeks... major MCAT prep! Like 9 hours a day, no joke. Kaplan is a great course but the six-week version is incredibly crammed. Good thing I don't even have a job to distract me. Hah.

Will do a full post with quality photos of my room, I'm pretty proud of it... and I know at least one person cough,Christian wants to see more of it ;)

I hope everyone had great holidays and a great new years!!

another rodarte for t piece

2009-12-24T01:26:00.004-05:00

Rodarte for Target dress, Theory patent waist belt, vintage pearls

I used to think these pearls were fake, but I'm beginning to think they are real... which is cool for me but not so cool for the pearls since I've been throwing them around (literally) for the past few years. Anywhoo.

One of my favorite bloggers Krystal Simpson featured this dress earlier this week, but I wanted to show the back of it because its SOO COOL. My sister shot the candid of it, pardon the nerd book I'm holding (Organic Chem, such a blast). The back of this dress was why I bought it in the first place; I lovvvvvve the big bows. Its essentially impossible to put on by yourself, but whatever. Get a friend to help out. Its worth it.

I watched Elf last night and I keep wanting to eat the cotton balls in my bathroom. Weird.

understated for me that is

2009-12-21T16:13:00.003-05:00

Rodarte for Target lace cardigan, AA super-sheer tee & black mesh bra, J Brand skinnies, vintage rosary, UO architectural and two-finger rings, Ray Ban Clubmaster sunnies, YSL pumps

My "understated" outfit... not understated by normal standards, given the six-inch heels and completely see-through shirt... but lacking in giant rings, dark red lips, and/or a vintage hat with netting makes it feel understated by my standards. Ya know.

Loving the Rodarte for Target stuff I picked up this week. I've heard that the ribcage dress is going for $250 on eBay, which is funny because the fifteen Targets in a three mile radius from me (not even kidding) has it in stock in every size. I didn't really like it though, to be honest. I did however, LOVE the black neglige-looking dress with tulle overlay (I'm planning on wearing it for Xmas Eve yay) and this here cardigan. Anyway, I've still been thinking about the mustard-leopard print dress, its not a great color on me but the giant bows on the back are KILLING it for me. I'm definitely going back later today to pick up a few more things. I can't wait till they release more stuff, I'm hearing about faux furs and everything... fucking awesome.

I got these new YSL pumps this week too at Neiman's ... I would like to sincerely thank my old boyfriends for buying me all that Tiffany jewelry. It got very good use in high school and college, and now that I don't wear it anymore, its getting very good use in the form of amazing, beautiful shoes. (Also, thanks eBay buyers for um, buying it). I'm so glad I found these in this color, almost all the shoes I kept after the big closet purge are black, and I was looking for a neutral brown. In my size, it seemed like fate. And thank god my mother has a Neiman's charge card, because I don't have an AmEx (also thank god, or I'd be in a bajillion dollars of debt).

I hope any Jewish readers had a great Hanukkah (I plan to join you someday somehow), and everyone else has a great Xmas!!

lily having fun

2009-12-13T00:42:00.003-05:00

tfs

Isn't she adorable? Not only do I love her style (that last dress is gooooorgeous), but she clearly is a fun and silly girl. Let's be best friends.

dreamboat

2009-12-12T02:08:00.004-05:00

f*ck you, Alexa Chung.

Okay not really. I just would like a non-famous-but-just-as-talented clone of Alex Turner to be my boyfriend for life. Please and thanks.

Oh, and you're unbelievably gorgeous and wearing a clear waist belt over that blazer dress? Double f*ck you. :)

images from tfs

dee eye eee

2009-12-10T01:20:00.002-05:00

Saw these literally-to-die-for Rodarte pumps at Barneys today shopping around with my mother. They also had the runway thigh-high boot version as well, although since these babies cost $1400 I didn't even want to know how much the boots were. I was sadly too ashamed to ask to try them on, but I did get to touch them... and it was a little bit magical. My mother's reaction: "They look like too much work". Phsha. I would wear them in black with my new emerald silk dress (which I can't wait to show by the way. Its too pretty).

While in heaven aka Barneys I picked up a pair of lace-up Fiorentini + Baker boots that ACTUALLY FIT the sticks I like to call my calves. They are the start of my new lifestyle-wardrobe that consists of quality and not quantity. What better way to start that a pair of Italian-made boots? Italy is the way to go, I hear.

Going along with my new quality over quantity mantra, I sold a good portion of my wardrobe to the local Buffalo Exchange and Plato's Closet (and donated the rest of it). I consigned some of my (ugly) designer stuff, and have even more things sitting around on eBay. I still feel overwhelmed by all the things I have, though. I wish someone would come and take it all away!

Again, not sure who to credit for this photo, but it looks suspiciously jak+jill to me... let me know if you know differently!

am I awake?

2009-12-09T05:17:00.002-05:00

I don't know who to credit for this, but I really love this photo/drawing/whatever it is.

Insomnia.

survey

2009-12-05T23:07:00.007-05:00

Got tagged by the ever-favorite duckalicious, and I just realized that these are supposed to be one-word answers... so I'm changing them now. Okay so I just realized one-word answers are really difficult. But I tried.

1. Where is your phone? Thigh.

2. Your hair? Dark.

3. Your Mom? Protective.

4. Your Dad? Empathetic.

5. Your favorite meal? Vegan.

6. Your last dream? Fucked.

7. What do you like to drink? Cabernet.

8. Your dream? Higher education.

9. In what room are you? My-own-living.

10. Your hobby? Buying shit.

11. What are you afraid of? Not succeeding.

12. Last travel? San Francisco.

13. Where were you last night? Couch.

14. Something you are not? Weak.

15. Muffins? Never.

16. Wishlist? Long. (And this.)

17. Where did you grow up? States.

18. Last thing you did? Drank.

19. What are you wearing? Warmth.

20. Your television? Sony Bravia.

21. Your pet(s)? Bichons.

22. Your friends? Old.

23. Your life? Transitional.

24. Your temper? Hardly existent.

25. Do you miss someone? Yes.

26. Your car? Non-existent. (I drive an Infiniti G35 but its not mine.)

27. Something you don't bring with you? Negativity.

28. Your favorite shop? Barneys.

29. Your favorite color? Black (I know its not a "color", shutup)

30. Last time you laughed? Five minutes ago.

31. Last time you cried? Ten minutes ago.

32. Your best friend? DB.

33. A place where you can go again and again? San Francisco.

34. Facebook? Deactivated.

35. Favorite place to eat? San Francisco.

I'm really bad at tagging. But I'll start with Christian since I always want to see what he answers to things.

my favorite accessory

2009-12-04T20:38:00.006-05:00

Nordstrom cashmere scarf & leather gloves, Ray Ban glasses, H&M jacket, Target bowler hat, vintage bag, Canon Rebel T1i

Okay so I did sort of an outfit post. But more like an accessory post. But in case you were dying to know, I was (am) also wearing black J Brand skinnies, a black/silver studded belt, and five-inch Mary Jane wedges.

If you haven't figured it out by now, my favorite accessory is my little baby Canon (no really, its like a full pound lighter than K's Mark II). And um, its really f*cking hard to be your own photographer, especially without a remote... so I used a mirror and let the camera be an accessory. It kind of is, since I almost always carry it around with me as my "second bag".

I wore the gloves today, inspired by Gagaloo. Since the Bad Romance video and the Fame Monster, I'm probably hooked for life. Its odd because I don't listen to pop music for the most part (I absolutely LOATH pop radio stations, par example)... I really think it was the collab with Alexander McQueen that did me in. Its the fashion-as-art shit. I can't get over it. I'm almost literally dying for the January 2010 Elle to come in the mail.

Oh I almost forgot! I cut bangs/fringe. Obviously. (You know, "fringe" is a much cuter word for this hairstyle than "bangs". Man, I wish was from somewhere else and had a cool accent). I get bored of my hair really quickly and I'm growing it out a bit... so I figured the easiest way to change it (since I just dyed it) was to chop some bangs-fringe. It makes me feel kind of French for some reason. Its probably more of all the black clothes I wear, but whatevssss.

early december love

2009-12-04T00:33:00.004-05:00

I'm officially bored of posting outfits. I've been having urges to update with completely un-fashion-related posts, and then I remembered its a blog. I can put whatever I want on it. Cool.

I've been making lots of Christmas gifts lately and perusing Etsy for things that I don't have the tools or skills to make (like casting hummingbird skulls in sterling silver). Here are some things that I'm dreaming of at the moment.

Hummingbird Skull Necklace

My amazing cousin Michelle sent me this link a few weeks ago... and I'm basically in love. She always knows how to link me.

Twig Ring

I've been really inspired by bare branches and twigs, especially in jewelry form, for about a year now. I've always loved bare trees in the winter... if you're from anywhere cold, you'll know about what I like to call "glass trees"... ice storms that coat bare tree branches in, well, ice. These trees, glinting in sunlight, look like glass. So beautiful.

Sideways Cross Necklace

yep, just like Taylor's gold one... but silver, and not $600-some for the ones from Roseark, where she got hers. I could actually make this, but I haven't yet, so why not put a photo up.

I guess it wasn't totally un-fashion-related.

black and not blue

2009-11-21T23:28:00.003-05:00

thrifted silk dress, AA mesh dress, stripper store thigh highs, UO legwarmers, Frye boots, Movado watch, special series Ray Ban Metro Wayfarer

Sorry again about the overexposed pictures... I should probably photoshop them but I'm way too lazy.

So here are a few of my favorite things in my wardrobe:

This dress, which is soo gorgeous and I got for like $15 (worth so much more than that!!). I love it's pieced diamond racerback and flowy feel, I often wear it with a waist belt to give it more definition. I'm kind of obsessed with racerback looks. The last photo is not even close to cute but I wanted to include a detail of the back.

Thigh highs instead of full tights (see second photo)... when I walk the dress sways really beautifully and the thigh highs are visible. I just think it gives any dress a little something extra, and its like a fun surprise (or secret, if the dress is long enough). Plus, I haven't been able to afford a gorgeous pair of thigh-high boots (especially now with holidays coming up), so I'm just wearing anything thigh-high to make up for it.

These new special series wayfarers... a New York subway map is printed on the inside of them. So cute! I've been wearing them every single day.

And of course my dad's watch and car.

I was in a kind of mood last night where I was totally over my whole appearance and self, which eventually boiled down to being sick of having bleached/blue hair... so I dyed the blue bits black. I also made the rest of my hair a bit darker so its hard to see it in these photos, its obviously a lot more subtle than bright blue! But I'm digging it for now.

I'm headed back out to California for Thanksgiving this week to spend it with one of my favorite people and her big Italian family. Looking forward to playing bocce for the first time and just generally being highly entertained. I love huge family get-togethers for the holidays, and since we've moved to Dallas, the family holidays have kind of disbanded. So I'm being adopted for the day. Actually like, the week, since that's how long I'm staying. Yay!

oh p.s. Thanks to Maria at Chicisimo for the feature on her blog today :)

its halloween and I'm dead

2009-10-31T23:18:00.006-04:00

vintage hat with netting, Crypt victorian corset, F21 skirt, VS garter belt, random back-seam thigh-highs, vintage rosary, Makeup Forever makeup & MAC eyelashes

Happy Halloween! Just doing a quick post while waiting around for Jason to wake up from his disco nap so we can go out... being as obsessed with dressing up as I am, I got ready earlier today (including doing a full face of pale pale makeup and fake eyelashes at Sephora... they really will let you do your makeup with those testers, haha). Currently sipping on sweet tea vodka + lemonade and enjoying the surprisingly warm Denver weather after the three-day snowstorm.

I got this corset yesterday... after searching practically the country for a 20" corset that wasn't ridiculously expensive, I found this beauty (with steel boning!) for well within my price range. Since inexpensive corset sizing starts at about 32", you can imagine my joy when I found it. Its not even laced as tight as it can go (in these photos), when I tried it on in the store yesterday I had like a the smallest waist ever. Even the doll who laced it up for me in the store said "dammmmn girl" haha. It was love at first cinch, and out came the Visa.

Also I have to talk about this hat... I think I might hear the stirrings of J... so I'll just say its one of my most favorite vintage hats I've ever found... and I have a lot.

I hope everyone else is having a wickedly fun Halloween!

p.s. I promise to return all the love soon! The internet we have here sucks big time and after uploading photos and trying to get them on here, I kind of want to kill Safari. But love will come :)

snow leopard

2009-10-29T20:40:00.006-04:00

H&M funnel neck coat & leopard gloves, Zara chunky knit scarf, F21 knit hat, Banana Republic cardigan, AA layered tees, UO "pash" scarf, J Brand skinnies, Frye boots

Looking at this blog, its kind of ridiculous how much stuff I've done in the past two months and how little I've documented it. It makes me kind of sad... I guess there's the factor that a lot of the photos we've taken have nothing to do with fashion or the like, and I just don't think they'd be that interesting to other people. And as one person put it, "the first amendment doesn't apply to whorish fashion blogs." Anyway. I'm going home next week, which makes these particular set of photos even more fun (snow!!!)

If you couldn't tell, I'm currently in Denver. I can't believe how much its snowing (and its not even Halloween yet!) but its the perfect excuse to wear lots of knits and my new coats. Since I don't have my actual warm coats (down filled puffy jackets with faux fur lined hoods! toasty! Remember I'm from Ohio. Freeeezing there in the winter), layering is a must. You can't really tell, but I'm wearing like four layers under that coat. The coat is a new purchase from H&M... while on the west coast, I kind of went bananas at H&M since I know that it will be completely unavailable once I go home to Dallas. I got a really pretty faux fur coat that I'm really pumped to finally take photos of and post :) Its soo "inherited from grandmother", and I like wearing it with big chunky sparkly jewelry for such a dress-up feel.

I definitely plan on changing the buttons up on this red jacket... I want to find some cool vintage style buttons, or black ones with skulls or something. There's an eBay search waiting to happen.

So Halloween is in a couple days and I currently have no costume. I think I'm just going to be "dead" haha. Like with intense makeup, essentially... I just wish I had some white-out contacts! What is everyone else planning on?

not quite fashion related

2009-10-19T22:29:00.005-04:00

So I know there's really no fashion in this post, but I just wanted to post some of the photos Keith and I shot while on our road trip up through Oregon and Washington. The Pacific Northwest is a really beautiful place, and Portland and Seattle have quickly become my new favorite cities.

At the top of the water tower in Volunteer Park in Seattle. Made from really gorgeous stone and cool iron gates, its the highest point in the city and you can see everything from the top. We found out about the spot from some really cool guys working at Three Girls Bakery in Pike Place Market downtown. People in Seattle are so nice.

The fiery trees up north reminded me how much I love and miss fall weather and changing leaves. I'm pretty sure this was from where we camped someplace in Oregon. It wasn't a total legitimate camping experience since we got to the site at like 2 in the morning, but we got to sleep in Keith's tent, which was something he wouldn't shut up about the whole trip. I love this picture especially because it kind of reminds me of a scene in The Ring for some reason (and I majorly love that movie).

I love bridges, and there's a lot of them in Washington it seems. I was telling Keith that I don't like taking shots out of moving vehicles, that if I see something I want to photograph, I will stop the car and get out and get the right angle and everything in the frame how I want it (side note, I think digital cameras are like cheating with all the editing you can do. If I take a shot, I leave it exactly how it is). So just as I was telling him this, I took a couple of shots out of the sunroof of his car, and this is one of my most favorite shots I've ever taken. Go figure.

Taken riding across the ferry to Seattle. Keith actually took this one, I love it with the boat and the wake. The first couple days we were in Seattle it was super sunny and nice out, which was weird because I heard it always rained there. The last day we were there, it got overcast and "typical" Seattle weather. I still loved it. While we were there, I got to hang out with one of my most favorite people in the world, DB. We went to this bar called the Alibi Room that was kind of under Pike Place... downtown has some weird levels that has something to do with the city burning down in the 1800s or something... Anyway we walked in and the upstairs is this really chill bar that I loved immediately because they were playing the entire Turn On the Bright Lights album by Interpol (my favorite currently-performing-making-music band), and the downstairs is this crazy dance club. It was pretty awesome. DB and his friend John successfully convinced me to move to the city after I go back home and get my stuff together. Besides the 9.6% sales tax, I'm all in.

The cove in Seaside, OR. Its this cute little surf town on the coast of Oregon with the most amazing sand ever. Its like velvet. This shot was obviously not of the beach (I didn't want surfers and tourists in my photos, although see if you can spy little Keithy on the rocks). The beaches are huge though, as in, from the walkway to the water its like a quarter of a mile.

Silhouettes of trees in Portland at sunset. I love Portland. Its so bike-friendly, people are the nicest people I've ever met, the city is beautiful... Keith and I were both so tired and we hung out at this coffee place on the comfiest couch ever for hours. We went to Voodoo Doughnuts, where they have a huge assortment of vegan doughnuts, as well as non-vegan doughnuts with bacon on top (idk). I was instructed to go to Vita Cafe, but I was so sick the day we went back through that we didn't really do much of anything.

We're back in San Francisco now, we went to Treasure Island music festival yesterday. I did like my outfit, wish I got some photos of it (besides the ten photo booth sessions I took)... big faux fur coat and a huge crazy sparkly Otazu necklace. I kind of felt like I was dressing up in my grandma's clothes. Someone also told me that I look exactly like Greta Garbo and that I should take some photos "as her". I was pretty flattered. I guess I'll have to try it :)

Just to add something fashion-y, I reeeeeeeeally want this coat:

Please, momma? Its so cute on! I wasn't convinced that I liked animal print until I put it on, and now I'm obsessed, thank you very much.

image from UO.com

monterey

2009-10-06T04:07:00.003-04:00

Keithy. Wearing some boys clothes and a really cute "balancing act" shirt from Global Inheritance where he worked :)

f21 faux leather jacket, Ben Sherman men's cardigan, AA tank dress, Frye boots

K and I took a scenic drive to Monterey today to check out the beaches. The weather was absolutely perfect, I finally found out where "Cannery Row" was, I got to dip my feet into the Pacific Ocean which I always find exciting, ate one of the best (at least top three) red curries I've ever had at this Thai place in Pacific Grove, broke in my new Frye boots (totally impermeable to sand and water... awesome), and took photos of odd sea animals that were practically posing for us:

Funny. He was cute. Totally cheered me up... I was having kind of an annoying day when I was told (essentially) that I need to censor myself on this blog because "people can see it". I understand the concept behind this, especially because this advice tends to come from adults who didn't grow up with every networking website on the planet, cell phones, etc etc, but I think its ridiculous that I need to censor myself on a website that I created for my own personal self-expression. I mean, because I blog about fashion, and have a potty mouth on occasion, that apparently means medical school admissions and potential employers are going to reject me immediately. I hate that people basically tell me to hide who I really am and pretend to be something that I'm not... just because people "can see" stuff I write or say or post on the internet. I would honestly rather be myself, and if that costs me a job or two in my life, then whatever. I don't feel like I should have to compromise who I am for people I don't know. Its not like I'm saying derogatory or dangerous things, I'm not hurting anyone, leave me alone. If you don't want to hire me because my fashion blog (which CLEARLY has nothing to do with molecular genetics, medicine, laboratory work, or anything even remotely similar) has something that looks like the "f-word" in the title, then thats your prerogative. Sorry for being myself.

Sorry for the rant.

It really was a good day... just have to look up at that little seal dude to be reminded.

Loving the California coast.

sacramento

2009-09-30T02:30:00.003-04:00

thrifted sweater dress, Wolford tights, Acne wedges, Zara bag

Today's adventures consisted of driving up to Sacramento to visit a friend of Keith's and fix some bikes, as usual. The first photo is what my life consists of eighty percent of the time while I'm around Keith. Deep Vs and Phil Wood hubs, anyone? The other twenty percent consists of an '81 S-class (lol) diesel Mercedes converted to run on used chinese food oil and smelling like crispy wontons. Its a pretty glamourous life around here.

We met up with Jason, a bike-friend of Keith's, and hung out at Bicycle Chef. They then went on a 20-mile bike ride while I went shopping (I would have gone but we only had one fixie). Picked up a pair of 12R harness Frye boots that I'm pretty stoked on. They are soooooo comfortable and pretty short so the fact that my calves are the size of twigs doesn't matter that much. Look for them in future posts, I'm probably going to wear them like errrday.

Drove around Old Sacramento a bit... its kind of like being in an old western town haha. I guess thats the point. I had a total idiot moment when I said "Is Sacramento the capital?" while staring directly at the capitol building. Wanted to buy some salt water taffy until I remembered that I hate salt water taffy. Gross.

Ended the night at Hot Italian where we got some pretty "bomb" (Jason's favorite word of the day) vegan pizzas and focaccia. If you're in Sacramento you should check it out. They have lots of gourmet pizza (for carnivores and vegetarians alike) and the wine list is really legit (and not expensive). To top it off, they have a really cool vintage espresso machine from the 60s that they rebuilt to actually work, and apparently the espresso is amazing. Get Chloe as your server and tip her well ;)

Tomorrow's adventures may or may not include driving up to Portland. We shall seeeeee!

texture

2009-09-28T01:58:00.005-04:00

f21 faux leather jacket (w/hood removed), self-"made" bike-chain bracelet

So I haven't updated in for-fucking-ever, its been kind of a whirlwind past two weeks. I'm in San Francisco now, the first three photos are some texture shots I took... I'm loving things that criss-cross complicatedly and I want a dress or some item of clothing that has this aesthetic effect. Will let you know how the hunt goes. I also have seen a lot of jewelry around here that is inspired by twisted trees like these ones I found in Golden Gate Park... I'm thinking I want to find an oversized ring (of course). There's also a lot of great art on the walls all around the city, like the one behind me... we took a lot of other photos but I dunno, the rest of the outfit wasn't that amazing (black pleated skirt and mesh Emma Cooks), and I just liked this one photo.

I know I owe blogger like fifty thousand outfits right now... I vow to start forcing Keith to take photos of me every day. I would post the photos from today but 1) we were at the Folsom Street Fair so the photos are nothing less than X-rated (yeah, google that shit) and I know my little sister reads this blog, and 2) the awesomely-outfitted girl Rachel I was with, in a creamy ruffled dress and short black Frye boots, put my black James Perse racerback dress and grey Converses to shame.

I've been loving my bike-chain bracelet... I put it together while I was at the Bike Kitchen in the Mission (which is a pretty amazing bike co-op type thing) for hours and hours. Basically I got really bored of watching Keith fix bikes, so I cleaned a couple links on a pink bike chain and put it on my wrist. The funny thing about a bike chain is that you need a special bike-chain tool to link and unlink them... so the bracelet is stuck on me until I find another bike-chain tool to take it off. My cheap-ass version of the Cartier Love bracelet... except there's no one I want to wear a bike-chain tool around their neck. Hah. (If anyone knows what this tool looks like you know it would make a hideous necklace). The bracelet is pink and sparkly. Kind of like this diary I had when I was seven. Cool.

I love all of the comments, seriously... I will absolutely respond to each and every one, it might take me a sec since I've been gone so long!! But I promise to return the love :)

xxxxxxx!

parking lot photography lesson

2009-09-13T22:05:00.008-04:00

F21 faux leather jacket, AA tee, J Brand skinnies, bebe ankle boots

I can't believe I haven't put up a new post in almost a week, again. As if I had tons of stuff to do (I didn't). But (as some observant ones have pointed out) I have had a positive shift in my mood and outlook... venting via blogger really did help. So, I've decided to stop whining and get off my ass and DO something... since job-hunting isn't really working out, I've decided to take the Balenciaga-bag-worth of money in my bank account, skip the Giant City for now, and go traveling with it. My friends from college are now spread out all over the country, so I'm hitting a bunch of cities in the next two months or so. Starting in San Francisco, I'll be on the west coast for at least a month... trips to San Diego and LA are in order, as well as heading up to Seattle and Portland/Seaside. Then its off to the midwest/east coast. I'm super pumped. Plus I think it will be fun to document the trip on the blog. Since I'll only have like a suitcase of stuff, it'll be a challenge in creativity getting dressed. And I promise to actually update :)

Random, I have found that Southwest is such a legit airline now! I used to haaaaate it... but with all the perks you get now (free checked bags, the AMAZING ability to change your flight at ANY time with no fee whatsoever), I don't think I'm ever going to book any other airline again.

In case you were wondering, the panther ring (I know its a weird shot haha, its actually pretty cute) is up for auction on eBay now... :D

Oh and I HAVE to talk about the boots. I'm obsessed with these because not only are they almost 6 sexual inches tall, they are SUCH a good knockoff of these amazing Guccis. But like, $800 less. bebe is so weird because they're stuff is either pretty sick (floaty feathered mini skit, I like it in dove grey) or really horrific (a top that was actually sluttier that whatever the chainmail-fuck this is). The "horrific" factor (and the crystal logo tees haha) is what always keeps me out of that store. I saw the shoes in the window. Thank god for window displays.

I must give props to my baby sister (hiii Emma) for taking these photos for me (minus the first, the boring one is mine)... she's been my diligent photographer for the past couple of posts as I've been teaching her way around my camera... love you crazyface. Get off my blog while you're in class ;)

crop it

2009-09-07T21:55:00.003-04:00

Moda cropped sweater, C&C white tunic, 7fam denim shorts, Acne wedges, eBay red crystal ring, Dogeared karma bracelet

Just to start, I want to thank everyone for your really amazing, supportive comments on my post yesterday... I never thought I'd find a support system in my blog readers. You guys are really really incredible, beautiful people. I basically have no words. Kisses!!

Took my lovely puppies to the dog park today to celebrate their fifth birthday, where we took these photos. Okay, they are obviously not puppies, I just can't help but call them that. And I really can't be in a bad mood when I'm around like fifty million dogs. Lovvvve.

I'm loving crop tops lately. With either a really high or really low waist line... covered up obviously. I don't love the 90s that I want to see midriffs all over the place. Gross.

Ignore the product placement. I don't even like Starbeezys. It was just a water. Venti ice. You know.

Really short post right now since I'm trying to write it while watching the Rachel Zoe Proj and I'm clearly distracted. Longer post laterrrrr! (And in depth personal thank you responses to each comment from yesterday of course!!)

Speaking of RZ, super jealous of Taylor's cropped leather jacket with the zips up the back... grrr!

the great depression

2009-09-06T23:12:00.008-04:00

Norma Kamali for Walmart trench, Wolford tights, Michael Kors suede boots

Can you believe this trench is from fucking Walmart? I certainly cannot, and I bought the damn thing. You can't even really see the top details because of my weird posing, its actually super cute AND flattering AND functional. And it was on sale for $13. Talk about recession chic. And can you believe I put blue streaks in my hair? I think it was a desperate cry for attention. My parents think it looks stupid, but my baby sister Emma likes it. She also likes my tattoos and my gauges, in fact, she thinks I should get tunnels in a 2g (I'm a 4g at the mo). aka she's fucking awesome.

The first photo is of one of those crazy Texas storms that comes out of nowhere... its too bad I couldn't get a shot of the lightning... it was only a few miles away, insanely loud thunder, pretty sweet. At least I got a good silhouette and a shot that perfectly describes my mood for the past week and a half *sob*

*Disclaimer: you might want to just skip the rest of the commentary as I'm being a little emo child in this post. Or, if you enjoy the idiotic misery of others, read on!*

I know I've been probably the worst blogger ever for the past week or so... I think its because I'm becoming supremely depressed about my life. Besides feeling really ridiculous and self-obsessed about checking my own blog every day for comments (thus the absence, I had to cut myself off), I've basically been crying at the drop of a hat (today, after having an anxiety attack which prevented me from going into a grocery store because there were "too many people in there", I cried during a Miley Cyrus song that was on the radio. WTF?). This was probably the worst time to graduate from college since the Great Depression (no pun intended), I can't find a fucking job to save my life, and I've been living in Stepfordville at my parents house for the past three months. I've basically only met gold digging wives, married men who hit on me (I find this perverse and utterly disgusting), anti-environmental-type people who want to tell me "oil is the answer", and to top it off there's not a gay man in sight. I need my gay boyfriends. It is essential to life. So basically you can just kill me now.

I'm moving far, far away as soon as my stupid boyfriend-I-don't-really-know-if-he's-my-boyfriend-since-I-had-another-boyfriend-this-summer-(but since I'm going to medical school he'll probably want to latch on either way since he's a 28-year-old child plus he's not that nice to me but gets away with it bc I don't really give a shit)-boyfriend gets back from Burning Man in a couple days and tells me to either move in with him or not. If not, I'm going to Portland or Seaside OR (kind of a long story), or Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I'm a little scared of NY bc I'm pretty sure that city will swallow me whole, but one of my favorite people on the planet lives there and I've felt kind of lost without him for the past year. He's kind of like the male version of me (but better, as he's musically gifted AND graduated with an honors physics degree, which I feel trumps my honors molecular genetics degree from the same school). But anyone who shares an intense love of James Mercer, Ethiopian food, Bret Easton Ellis, one-night-stand stories, and imported dark beer on draft, I'd like to hang out with just about every waking moment.

a rollicking Pynchonesque oddity

2009-08-28T15:16:00.008-04:00

Theory dress, Emma Cook boots, F21 bracelets, Zara bucket bag, House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

Sad day. My parents took my precious baby dslr Canon to Alaska with them for a wholeeee weeeeek. My Canon-obsessed friend Daniel and I talked about this to extent last night. Because obviously I don't mind that they took it since it was a gift from them (read: willing and able to replace it if they drop it off the ship or a polar bear eats it), but I just want to carry it around with me. I swear, I see the best photo opportunities when I don't have it as my second bag. Right? Does this happen to anyone else? So anyway, my point-and-shoot will have to do (still a Canon of course haha)... although I'm quite impressed with its performance in these photos. Just as long as the flash is off and you find some naturally good lighting, it can be okay. I didn't even put a filter on or boost the color or anything. Well played, Powershot.

And I know this isn't a literary blog or anything, and I certainly wasn't an English major, but I just wanted to share one of my favorite books. It was only an accident that the title matches my dress. This book is ~~probably~~ the most creative book I've ever read. And I read a lot. Its legit too, don't worry, a friend of an old friend, who was an English major, and now teaches English if I'm not mistaken, recommended it to me. Its a 700+ page book, but is so entrancing you literally cannot stop reading it. I read it every waking second after I got it, thought about it when I wasn't reading it, and had dreams about it when I was sleeping. I finished it within 72 hours (and this was during school and work and everything). It will happen to you too, whether you like reading or hate it. Oh, and you will think all the walls in your house are moving. Read it and see what I mean.

On the book note, since I'm ALWAYS looking for new books to read, tell me your favorite book, so I can... read it. Seriously I would be so happy if I had a big new list of books :)

Oh and I didn't write the title of this post. I don't think I've ever even used the word rollicking. Its from the San Francisco Examiner and Chronical review of the book. Which is on the back cover. Haha. I'm really creative. But speaking of Pynchon-esque, The Crying of Lot 49 was also a cool book. And Thomas Pynchon's middle name is Ruggles. Giggle.

I want something un-ignorable

2009-08-25T19:20:00.006-04:00

UO scarf + Target belt + F21 skirt worn as a pseudo-halter-dress, Acne atacoma wedges

So this really isn't an appropriate daytime outfit (it looks much more suitable at a bar with a patio for some reason), but I thought I'd use the 98 degree heat to my advantage and try and get away with it. Not sure if it worked, since I look pretty much topless from the back lol. I find it difficult to care about proving myself (fashion-wise) to the Stepford wives and Bible ~~frea~~ lovers that make up a good portion of the suburb I currently reside in...

The Ting Tings lyric I chose for this title was accidentally perfect for this outfit haha

And I was a really bad girl. I made these (I'll call them my baby lovers hahaha I'm such a loser) my fall shoe splurge without really giving it a second thought. They are so much better than those stupid Zoe boots, and only uhhhhlittle bit moremoneysortof. I'm seriously obsessed with the black+brown color combination, they are a lot more subtle than the black+metal ones, which can be good and bad, but I'm gonna go with good, and say the subtlety will make them wearable on a day-to-day basis. Just go with it ;)

Now that I think about it I should post some photos of my bedroom to prove my black/brown/white obsession... the walls are a really dark, almost aged bronze kind of brown, with antique furniture painted solid black, white bedding, and these amaaaaazing vintage trunks. Complete with black and blue-grey floral arrangements, drippy black tapers in silver mercury glass candlesticks, b&w prints hung gallery-style, and vintage lamps. Can you tell already that I'm possessed obsessed? Thats it. Not really that into home decor save for my little spaces (I have a very specific style and rarely deviate from it), but I'm gonna do a decor post soon. K cool.

brad do you die I die

2009-08-22T18:40:00.004-04:00

lux ruffled shirt, thrifted high-waisted shorts, maxstudio pumps

I took this photo like a while ago, heels sinking into the grass, hence awkward leg pose haha, I'm not really wearing this outfit at the moment, but its okay. Just pretend ;) No, I'm wearing a full black ensemble including some JBrand skinnies, a backless shirt by Wren, and of course my huge E&J ring. No shoes yet because I'm just sitting in Josh's apartment watching the first season of the Rachel Zoe Project on my macbook (guilty pleasure HELLO). I'm kind of obsessed with Taylor's leather jackets and bleached to death hair. I will be watching (or attempting to remember at least) the premier of season 2 on Monday. Its funny bc I literally only ever watch OnDemand, so its about an 87% chance that I will forget to watch the show when its actually on. I'm assuming there will be reruns.

Um, YEAH, can I have this girl's entire wardrobe please? Holy fuck almighty. I want to throw up those boots are so amazing. And jacket. And bag. She can keep the sunnies, I already have those. lol.

p.s. I seriously inexplicably love every single one of Rachel Zoe's catch phrases. "I die" is one of the most addicting things to say, sweartogod.

love for lily and travis taddeo

2009-08-19T17:34:00.007-04:00

tfs

Travis Taddeo lycra, jersey, and PVC dress. image from chiccane.com

I'm bored but alas no photog handy. I really want to get a wireless remote and a tripod soon. I need a jobbbbb. Anyway. I love that photo of Lily. I honestly hope heaven is half as beautiful as that photo. I die a little every time I look at it. I wouldn't consider myself celeb-obsessed by any account, but if Lily Donaldson wore a plastic garbage bag I'd probably be in my kitchen attempting a DIY within minutes. Its really depressing that she is almost a year younger than me. But at least we are the same height :) Loove her.

Also I think this dress is sweet. I don't really do ruffle-y, layered things like this EVER but the PVC just got me. You know how I like ~~stripper~~ bondage and s&m materials lol. Travis Taddeo is a designer out of Canada (and is seriously hot by the way), of course... I've found over the past couple of months that I've liked almost everything out of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Especially any new designers from down under (you have permission to assassinate me for actually saying that lol). My cousin goes all the time (not really but thats a major long trip, a few times a year is "all the time" to me), I have to convince him to take me one of these times. Australia/NZ is the shit.

One more thingy, I totally forgot that I had a blog shop until today someone actually emailed me and bought something! Haha so yeah. I put some more stuff up, better stuff than before... click here to see Marc by Marc Jacobs, Betsey Johnson, Sergio Rossi, Dolce & Gabbana, and some more stuff at really low prices. Like, 10% of retail low. Whee!

some new swag some lace and some tattoos

2009-08-17T21:22:00.009-04:00

aa lace bodysuit, aa deep U dress worn backward, Levi's cutoffs, Elizabeth&James snake and knuckle rings

Whee! My rings came in the post today, really excited about it. I've been doing my fall list shopping, and when I was buying the snake ring (the one in my fall polyvore set from a couple posts ago), I found the knuckle ring and HAD to have it. Ever since I saw The Royal Tenenbaums, I thought Margot Tenenbaum's "wooden finger" (remember she taps it on the side of the bath? Love that scene) would make the coolest ring... this E&J ring is about as close as I'm going to come I think. Its so enormous and amazing. I'm never taking it off. I actually ended up liking it better than the snake ring! Yay for polyvore inadvertently introducing me :)

I'm obsessed with this lace bodysuit from AA. I've been wearing it pretty consistently since I got it... I want them to make a dress version of it pretty bad. Like their mesh dress, only in lace. I would buy it (obviously).

Sorry no shoes in this set, but I got you covered... I expect another majorly swoon-worthy pair to be arriving next week from overseas. I ordered them today and I'm fucking pumped.

(I think I need to go to shoe rehab...)

Oh and the tattoo part... my phoenix (wrist) and "peace" (kind of visible, on the back of my neck) wanted to come out to play :) I'm actually working on a new one, I'm going down to Austin in a couple weeks to get it... Its Duchamp's "Bride" and its going to be sick. I cannot wait. If there's anything I like getting more than new shoes, its new tattoos.

and thanks so much for all the amazing comments... I seriously get really excited every time I see a new one! If I haven't commented back, just wait, I promise I will!! kisses!

nerds are sexy and I wannabe

2009-08-15T20:03:00.006-04:00

Gap silk&cotton dress, RayBan wayfarers, Bordello pumps, Zara bag, F21/UO/own rings

Public debut of the stripper shoes. Seriously, really comfortable and totally walkable, despite the 5.75" boost. Pretty cheap AND animal-friendly (read: PU and velvet), so if I'm ever feeling like a guilty vegan I'll know just which shoes to don. I wanted to tone down the sex a bit, so I added socks and my supernerd new RayBans with clear lenses (which are unnecessary btw. I have perfect vision). My actual quoted reasoning for getting them: "I just love RayBans so much... I want to be able to wear them indoors and not look like a douche" and the second I got them: "*shriek* Now I can be wearing wayfarers ALL THE TIME!". I have issues.

oOOh and I got my new TitTees dress in the mail this week... its so hot, I can't wait to style it up and post some photos! I would have today but its very bodycon and I'm feeling kind of like a beached whale. Must go running soon. I'm going to wear tights with it. I don't care that its hot as balz out. You shall see.

I'm so excited to be back blogging outfits. This alone was totally worth the $60 for a new LCD plus the hour it took me to take my entire computer apart to replace it. And to think Apple wanted like $700 to fix it. Psh!!

all for fall

2009-08-09T03:38:00.006-04:00

I really want to post photos. I've gotten loads of shoe deliveries and I want to wear them in front of a camera asap! But alas, I am procrastinating on even ordering my new LCD. I'm so lazy. But not lazy enough to not want to post, hence the polyvore action. You know.

First, personal shoe story. So I got the Zoe boots... you know, those Balenciaga knockoffs? I'm sorry to say that I'm UBER-disappointed. The kids at Sam Edelman must obviously know that they are in high demand, so they are selling them for $345 (although being the tightwad that I am I got them for a bit less lol), and to be frank they are really poorly made. One of them is a full half-size bigger than the other, and the fabric is totally coming away from the wedge on the inside of both of them, like they obviously weren't glued properly. Its just really stupid. So anyway I debated returning them or putting them up on eBay... since they are going for like almost $400 over there I guess I'll make some money off my disappointment... although not from anyone reading this post ;) I figure I'll use the extra money to get the really cute docs-with-a-heel-REAL-Balenciaga booties that I found on eBay the other day. They must be from like fifty seasons ago bc they're selling for peanuts. Whatevs.

So above here is some of the stuff I'm pining for for fall. Definitely going to try to snag that leather jacket (for under $300 on the Topshop website I think... sweeeet) once I get my Zoe money back, and I have no idea how I'm going to get that faux fur vest from H&M, but its going to happen. There is not ONE H&M in the entirety of Texas, which is the dumbest thing EVER. And of course I can't shop online, being in the states. Maybe F21 will have one...

I digress.

A floaty cream dress, a perforated leather motorcycle jacket, a chunky brass snake ring, new colors for my nails, a metal cage clutch, red lips, tights with everything, a leather skirt with a faux fur topper, killer strapped and laced ankle boots, and netting in and about my hair.

I love fall.

you sing songs into my lips

2009-08-01T02:09:00.012-04:00

W editorial of Bruce and Emma Willis. Images from wmagazine.com. Nina Ricci boots Paul Seville masks and leather galore. I obviously loved it. Who wouldn't?

So being the fantastic idiot that I am, and through a series of odd events that set my computer up for an EPIC FAIL, my poor baby MacBook's LCD has become completely destroyed. (Waiting for a new LCD so I can replace it myself... we'll see how that turns out lol) That combined with the fact that I've been back in Columbus (gag) to pack up all my shit and move out, I haven't blogged for one second. I think I have about ten million posts and comments to catch up on. Also being the insomniac that I am, I'm borrowing my lovely brother's enormous Dell to try to blog. I am kind of enjoying the huge screen, but have no idea how to use Vista and keep trying to run two fingers on the trackpad to scroll down (obviously to no avail). Mac users know what I'm talking about ;)

Anyway, the fabulous Wendy tagged me for this questionnaire thingy, which of COURSE I love her for. Filling things out is just fun. If you haven't checked her out, you must immediately. Her blog is filled with gorgeous photos and great outfits... simple and chic and totally dead on with color combos. (I'm a sucker for mixing black, white, and brown). Anyway, here goes...

What is your current obsession?

Mid-calf and thigh-high boots (a few inches higher than their ankle and knee-high cousins. They just look so much fresher to me). And oh god. The new YSL wedge/heel shoes are haunting my dreams. Currently trying to figure out a way to get $895 to pre-order them. Holy shit. Non-shoe-related, tapered pants in fun fabrics like leather, bondage-inspired pieces, and finding the perfect motorcycle jacket.

What is your horoscope & do you relate to it?

I'm an Aquarius. I think I always just liked the concept of Aquarius more than following actual horoscopes. I think I relate to it, being intellectual, original/creative/free-spirited, and fiercely independent. I also can get really unemotional and detached, which is a trait of Aquarius. I kind of think that you could find yourself a little bit in all of the signs, but I just always liked the water bearer (and I think just the word "Aquarius" lol).

What are you wearing today?

Oh man. Really crappy clothes bc I was packing stuff up. But the last actual outfit I wore was ripped Levi's cutoffs, a black deep V tee, my H&M faux jacket, those chunks of Mary Jane wedges, and enormous men's Mosley Tribes sunglasses. To the airport.

What is the last thing you bought?

These Bordello by Pleaser velvet pumps. Remember when I said I hated velvet? Well, I found somewhere I actually love velvet... my feet :) Apparently Bordello is Pleaser's line for "burlesque" dancers, and their shoes are actually really awesome, especially for fellow major-heels-with-HUGE-platform-lovers. They have a great L.A.M.B. knockoff bootie, and the ones I bought were super cute too. I tried them on at a stripper store to get my size right, and the foot bed was SO comfy!! I can't wait to get them in the mail and feature them!

What do you think about the person who tagged you?

Hmm... you can read a little bit in that above paragraph. I think she has a great style and a wonderful eye for editorials. Her blog is really beautiful.

That question about a fully furnished, paid for, that everyone answers with 'Paris' or 'New York':

I don't like how this question is worded. It confuses me haha. Umm probably somewhere in Europe. Somewhere really beautiful in Rome maybe. Wherever Zina from lookbook lives/takes her photos, thats where I want to live haha. But I honestly would live almost anywhere as long as I was with people that I loved. You can be a very lonely girl (or boy) in a fully furnished, paid for pad in NY, or Paris, or anywhere without people you love and who love you.

What's for dinner?

I had a chickpea-chili burrito with vegan cheese and guac. And a fantastic margarita, rocks, salt. My first actual meal in about three days!

What's your favorite decade, fashion wise?

Oh wow. Well my tastes are so eclectic, its hard to pick one. I guess I would have to say like the 20s and 30s. I love that everything was so beautiful and well-made back then (because you only had like three things haha). Plus the late 1800s with Monmartre and those burlesque dancers, its so gorgeous and sensual. I'm in love with corsets especially. I've been wanting a really gorgeous, hand-made (thus expensive and unattainable) corset for SUCH a long time.

What are your must haves for summer?

Vintage hats galore, floaty black dresses, anything black mesh or lace. Wayfarers. And 80 SPF, of course.

What would you love to be able to afford?

Every YSL shoe that I want. Those new OTK boots I just twittered/cried about, all the Tributes, the new wedge/heels with the ankle straps in black that they have on neimanmarcus.com for preorder. HOly fuck. Also an YSL Muse bag in black. And several Balenciaga City bags. Basically a lot of shit.

What is your favorite piece of clothing from your own wardrobe?

Clothing? I don't really know. There is this one beautiful silk dress I thrifted that has the coolest pieced racerback (but like, classy not sporty) shape detail. I wear it constantly. Now SHOES, we know the answer to that. Mesh Emma Cooks, DUH. And I just bought the re-release of the Sam Edelman Zoe boot, which I haven't received yet, but am pretty sure when I do, 98% of the time I'll be wearing a Cook on one foot and a Zoe on the other ;)

What is your dream job?

Plastic surgeon with my own practice and being successful enough to be able to do pro-bono work for burn victims, domestic violence victims, all sorts of people that can use my help for free :)

What's your favorite magazine?

Since practically birth its been Harper's Bazaar. I think Nylon is really entertaining too. I prefer editorials from European and Australian mags though, because they're so much racier and awesome-er and use a lot more ugly-beautiful models, which I love. W has pretty sick editorials too.

What do you consider a fashion faux pas?

Affliction and Ed Hardy tee shirts. And wearing clothes that are a size (or several) too small. Any body type can dress it to look flawless, but not if you're trying to pack yourself into a 4 when you're really an 8. Also, shoes that are too small bother me, like if toes are falling out over the edge. It freaks me out.

Describe your personal style:

This is the most difficult question as I feel like its been pretty eclectic for the past few years. I think I've just been trying to find myself style-wise. I've always liked mixing high-low, new-vintage, etc. I think my style is evolving into sort of a tough-girly mix, as I've been really attracted to all that leather and bondage-inspired stuff, but paired with silk dresses and pretty girl makeup and pinup-style hair. I also love wearing boys clothes (with skirts or skinny pants of course). I don't think that will ever change.

Which Beatle is your favorite?

I don't like this question as my answer makes me sound like an uneducated fool. My favorite Libertine is Pete Doherty. My favorite Interpol-er is Paul Banks. There ;)

What are you proud of?

Overcoming ridiculous/treacherous obstacles in my life and learning about myself from them. I'm also really proud of finally liking the person that I am.

I have to get back to you on the tagging part. I haven't been on here in ages and don't know who hasn't been tagged yet!

x.katie

all leather and mesh and I can die happy

2009-07-26T20:48:00.003-04:00

Soo I know people probably won't be as excited about this as I am, but I got (about a year and a half late) a pair of Emma Cook boots. It took me so long because I was attempting to procure these bad boys... you know, the ones from the show... from ONLY the show...

H&M boys striped sweater, F21 high-waisted skirt, Zara bag, leather and mesh Emma Cook boots

I'd like to introduce you to my "lovers". I haven't taken these off since I got them yesterday morning, but to sleep (even though I accidentally took a nap in them, too). I loved the Emma Cook boots in the show, but then when they came out at Topshop EVERYONE and their imaginary friend had them in black. And khaki. Then white. Then peach. Since I kind of like stuff that other people don't tend to have (which isn't that apparent in this blog yet since all I've posted are AA and H&M outfits so far, just trust me), I didn't really want to spend an exorbitant amount of money on something that a bajillion people already had. But THEN... I found these babies, and in my size no less. Fate? Worn only by the actual model in the actual Emma Cook FW08 show, and never produced for sale, these are like one of um... like six, seven pairs. In the world. THIS is why I'm so excited. Plus anyone who has any pair of Emma Cooks knows, they are fucking AWESOME. Even my dad, who could care less about such things, said they were cool. I'm going to wear them in every post from this day on (probably not but maybe... lol).

They aren't the Balenciaga boots, but man... I still think I could die a happy woman ;)

these hazards of love never more will trouble us

2009-07-25T22:59:00.005-04:00

H&M faux-leather jacket, H&M mini-floral silk dress, MAXSTUDIO gladiator heels with black footie socks, Urban Outfitters architectural ring (right middle finger)

I have some stuff up at my store! Only a few things so far, but definitely stuff with major potential. And I think almost everything is under $20! Yay for deals! Click here to shop, or follow the link on the sidebar under the "GO HERE" heading.

I love this faux-leather jacket. I wear it with almost everything. I bought it when I was trying to be a fashion-vegan (since I'm a food-vegan and all). That didn't last long, and I'm really excited about the leather motorcycle jackets I saw in the Topshop AW09 lookbook... but still, I love this jacket.

I FINALLY got my new lovers (in fashion form) in the mail from England... I want to wait until I get some good photos of them to reveal this source of my excitement. But I AM incredibly excited. I haven't taken the "lovers" off since I got them at 11 this morning.

EDIT because it sounded like I was talking about the same pair of boots in both these (above and below) paragraphs. Though I did give in and shell out the dough for the Zoe boots, which is fun, I got a MUCH more exciting pair which I'm referring to as my "lovers" until I get some photos up. Then I will share them with all the (blog) world. :)

I also would like to let the world know that they have re-released the Sam Edelman Zoe boot (you know, the ones that are the total Balenciaga knockoff?) and you can buy them on several websites for around $300. Steep, I know, but man are they awesome. As seen on many bloggers, my favorite being Erika from fashion chalet.

And perhaps even more exciting (okay who am I kidding, SO MUCH MORE EXCITING) for a shoe size 38 with a thousand dollars to spare, THE Balenciaga boots (the ones the Olsens wouldn't stop wearing) are going on eBay AS WE SPEAK. I'm not a 38, and I certainly don't have $999 to drop, but if I was/did... I could die a happy woman.

p.s. The Hazards of Love is an amazing album. If you like The Decemberists/Portland music/fucking, MUSIC, you should listen to it. Its a narrative from start to finish, its like an entire play based around four characters. Colin Meloy wrote the entire thing (even though he has like 6 people in his band) and is honestly a genius. I've listened to it probably like a million times so far since it came out. The Drowned makes me cry every time I listen to it. Can't wait to see them in 2 months (gah) at the Austin City Limits festival!!

I never really liked that resort

2009-07-21T15:33:00.006-04:00

Resort is probably my least favorite group of collections during the year, because it always reminds me of... a cruise ship or like... a resort. Uhhhhduh. Its just generally devoid of black, leather jackets, boots, etc... all the things you don't wear on resort, and all the things that I love. But I don't waaaant to wear pastels and white pants and thong sandals... I want to wear black silk and chiffon with large black hats and chunky wedges! So I dutifully sifted through a great number of the collections for these items on my style.com iPhone app (which is amazing, by the way. If you don't already have it on your iPhone or iPod touch, download it immediately. Its free.) I found a few collections that I actually really liked, particularly Moschino Cheap & Chic (not lacking in black there). Plus I thought the model they picked, Ernesta Petkeviciute, was perfect for the line. She was channelling Twiggy in pretty serious ways and it was so right. Loved this simple little shift with the bow detail:

Note to self: must get a top hat. And how cute are those shoes?

I liked most of the 3.1 Phillip Lim line too. Remember when I said I wanted to pair those epic thigh high lace up leather boots with a demure cream lace dress? Well, I found one:

I wouldn't necessarily want to wear patent leather with this dress, but definitely just a smooth black leather would make my life. And I love everything about this dress either way.

I'm borderline obsessed the cream wedge booties from Chloé, and smiled to see an unlaced, Doc Marten-like boot on the boardwalk (yes) at Chanel. I think the Chanel boots look updated and cool, half-unlaced like that and paired with freakin' silk Chanel dresses.

Yes yes these boots are delicious. Also, loved the hair and makeup at Chanel. 30s waves and dark eyeliner oh my :)

And Gucci brought it for me in the form of a leather jacket:

Hello lover. And their cobalt swimsuit was pretty radtastic, too.

I would like to add one more thing that is really stupid but I got really excited about it anyway: they featured me on weardrobe, like first feature, for about seven hours now. Its still up. Okay okay, they probably feature every outfit posted (I wouldn't know I've only been on it for one day) but I was like super surprised when I saw myself walking away in those silence & noise leggings at top of the featured page. And then I told my mom about it. Okay I'm done having my self-obsessed moment ;)

images from style.com

take me back to san francisco

2009-07-21T03:47:00.005-04:00

...so I can be with the hipsters.

Riding the bart with this idiot. Both wearing all his clothes, of course. Me in some gangster-hipster hoodie, and him in gangster-hipster hat. This makes total fashion sense in SF.

why we met... ohhh the BioTour bus. Shouts to um, all of them.

Keith on his sick bike wearing Levi's (that I love to wear), Converses, and a Rebel8 hoodie. And the RAD messenger bag I got him and he customized from Rickshaw Bagworks. Need a messenger bag? Theirs are awesome. And isn't it cool how skinny he is? It totally doubles my wardrobe. His pants fit me so perfectly in that perfectly baggy "boyfriend" way that I perfectly didn't even need to buy any (although I really loved the Current/Elliot ones...)

I loved this guy on the left. I forget his name though. I'm terrible with names. But he was hot. The guy on the right did not need to pull his pants down that far. Come on. The Hello Kitty tattoos aren't real (duh), but all the other ones are. The ones on his fingers (camera finger, light-turning-on finger) are fucking hilarious. Plus I like the feather shot ;) And I think he's wearing some kind of weird bike-tire belt, which is pretty sweet.

Yours truly, in my hipster headband.

AA hoodie dress, really really old Hollister (lol) faux fur lined coat, AA lamé headband

I knew I was gonna get some faux in here sometime.

So I had a terrible photographer today (sorry mom), thus none of my pictures came out at all. I guess I'll just have to re-wear the outfit I'm wearing another time. I still wanted to post, so I found some old piccys from spring break when I went to San Francisco. I fucking love San Francisco. Which makes me all the more unhappy that I'm moving to Los Angeles in less than a month. As much as I love SF, I hate LA. Yuckyuckyuck. Luckily I'm moving to Long Beach, so it won't be nearly as horrific as living IN in LA. There are actually some cool people in the LBC, like most of my future roommates (there's 11)... just trying to avoid the bros and the bro hoes. Bro hoes and wannabe-vamps tend not to mesh well. Double-luckily one of my future roomies is this awesome, incredibly sweet pin-up beauty from Portland. I say, pin-ups and wannabe-vamps toootally mesh well.

I AM, however, incredibly stoked on the vintage opportunities California as a state presents. No joke, they beat out New York City in their vintage. I know, I'm just as shocked as you that I just typed that, but in my professional opinion, its true.

Do you like how I do one post about California and I'm using words like "rad", "stoked", and "the LBC"? I do. I suspect "The PCH", "Laguna", "The 5", and "Melrose" will also soon be part of my vocabulary.

Any California livers/lovers out there? Any suggestions on where the cool kids reside in Los Angeles?

I want to be a vampire

2009-07-20T02:02:00.003-04:00

Louis Vuitton.

Jean Paul Gaultier.

Pleaser Adore.

I've been really inspired by dark things lately, whether it be clothes or makeup or songs, even. I've been feeling very Gareth Pugh, I would say. I dyed my hair darker, I've been wearing greater and greater amounts of winged black eyeliner, and have been hunting on eBay for the perfect finger armor and claw rings. I even considered (and am still considering) a pair of wedge Demonia boots (not those weird, flat platforms though... those are too much for me). I feel like I'm going through some kind of gothic phase that never hit me in high school.

The first boots, the Vuittons, are just nuts. I can't say I care for the cone heel (which you can't see in this particular photo), but ohhhh the over-the-knee, laced with a beautifully chunky ribbon? Consider me dead. The second look is exactly what I want to be wearing 98% of the time (except for the fact that its like 103 degrees in Dallas every day). A black leather, dominatrix-esque, fit for a very sexy vampire, knee length coat WITH boots high enough to be hidden? Double death on that one.

The Pleaser boots may be the ones I pick up (since I can't likely afford $2000 designer boots)... they are sooooo stripper ho but I think that's half the fun. I imagine pairing these with a demure cream lace dress. Or a flowy chiffon floral skirt. Or a ball gag and a whip.

images from style.com, pleaser image from amazon.com

flying up

2009-07-19T00:57:00.003-04:00

C&C tank, schoolgirl dress from Japan, Converse shoes, Nordstrom black & gold ring, gold and black Ray Ban Wayfarers

Just thought with the nature of this outfit (schoolgirl and whatnot), it deserved a decidedly fun pair of photos to go with it. We actually took quite a few "jumping" pictures, many of which I look like I'm flying in, which were pretty hilarious. And if you ever wanted your legs to look as sinewy as possible (or in my case, as Holocaust-ish :/ ), get someone to take a photo as you land on the ground after jumping. Yikes.

x.katie

thanks for all the comments guys :):):):):):):) they seriously make my day/week/life!!!!!!

Edited because I decided I hated that one picture and couldn't do a thing until it was deleted. Haha.

wet look

2009-07-16T16:50:00.002-04:00

white oxford from daddy's closet, random black ribbon as belt, silence & noise wet-look leggings, Aldo pumps

So last night I spent, um, all night putting random crap on eBay. eBay, I've decided, kind of sucks unless you're selling electronics or crazy designer stuff. I do have these sick vintage Ray Ban aviators for sale, and some other designer sunglasses (Jee Vice, Gucci), if anyone is interested... some shoes too... just search sellers for "ktdowling43" and you'll find me and my measly 12 items that took me hours to list ;)

I've been pining for thigh high boots. I don't know why... probably seeing all those Gucci campaigns and spreads with those gorgeous boots makes me want to swoon. Obviously not being able to afford such things, I've been scouring stripper stores (of all places) for a pair. Of course, they look like stripper boots, but that might be cool too. I actually love stripper shoes, bc they have the highest heels and highest platforms... I can't get too crazy though because I'm already 5'10" and even in my lowly five-inchers I'm taller than most people. But what's another inch, I guess, right? I can be 6'4", toooooottally normal!

under the sun

2009-07-14T23:06:00.005-04:00

American Apparel floppy hat and mesh bodysuit, VS bra, F21 high waisted skirt, Nordstrom black crystal knuckle ring

So I have absolutely no idea why I haven't posted in like two weeks or whatever, since I've had nothing but time on my hands... I guess its harder to catch my sister-photog than I thought. Being the incredibly hot and sunny place Dallas is, I try to wear large hats such as this outside as much as possible (no sun on my face! none!) and lots of 70 SPF. I accidentally got a tan on one of my legs while I was in California, and I'm impatiently waiting for it to fade into the lovely whiteness I have grown to not only accept but admire.

There's a section at the Nordstrom at Northpark Center that has all this local artist type stuff, where I found this awesome black crystal ring. I've been looking for a kind of over-the-knuckle ring for a while, and the bit of bling totally sold me. Now I don't want to take it off.

I've been adding some major stuff to my inspiration board; I'm thinking about working on a collage-type post. I've been obsessed with broken-in motorcycle boots, strong black eye makeup, leather bodysuits, and rocker laced-up... anything. The July W magazine spread of Bruce and Emma Willis pretty much sums up what I'm craving for fall. Now only if I could get out of this hot weather I could start wearing some of that sick leather, like the ridiculously amazing A Wang leather vest I tried on today at Barneys...

bianco dolce

2009-06-30T00:04:00.005-04:00

BB Dakota dress, Target patent kids belt, DV Dolce Vita mary janes

Wore this to a family function... my dear mother brought me this dress that day (I love it when she surprises me with fun things haha). Its an A-line, which makes it decidedly comfortable... I threw this belt on to add some body con to it. My waist is oddly small, so waist belts in women's sections rarely fit me... wandering around Target one day, I had the brilliant idea of trying on little kids (normal) belts around my waist, and no surprise, they fit! And were like $3, so, I won the belt battle that day. Just a tip for any other small waisted girls out there ;)

And I know this is, like... um really pathetic but I would love to be able to use/access lookbook.nu and TFS, but both are by invite only, and of course no one I actually know uses either of these sites. If you think I might be worth an invite, (and if this isn't disgustingly forward) let me know... I'd be so grateful! Who knew it would be so difficult to peruse fashion sites :/

looking out

2009-06-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

Deena & Ozzy scarf chain belt worn as a harness, AA tri-blend racerback tank

So I guess I didn't realize that my boyfriend wouldn't have wireless in his house either... So basically I haven't been online save for my iPhone in the last ten days. So naturally I couldn't post, and its gonna take me forever to catch up on everyone's blogs now that I'm finally at home in Dallas and can use my MacBook to its fullest potential of web surfing.

I finally got my hands on the blazer I bought from Rumi of fashion- and shoptoast (it came like a day after I bought it, I just haven't been home!), and its super adorable of course, I can't wait to feature it (haha I feel like a creep kind of.)

Anyway, here's my "creative" take on a chain belt, and a small intro to florals... I normally don't ever do florals, but one of my rules for myself is to wear things that I don't particularly love, to force me to push my own envelope and step outside my comfortable bubble of black skinny jeans and striped boys tees. More florals to come, I just bought a mini floral print dress from H&M... exciting stuff, I know. And I swear I'll do some DIY soon... I'm just so tired from flying, it totally wears me out!

xxxx

silver wall

2009-06-18T14:46:00.004-04:00

F21 belted vest, F21 red high waisted skirt, Sam Edelman sandals, Gucci aviators

I've been visiting with family for the past week-ish, and for some odd reason nobody but my middle sister understands my "fashion" sense. I came downstairs this morning with wet-look leggings on and my father's teasing reaction was "oh cool, are we going scuba diving today?" Love the fam, but I can't wait for LA. The weather here in Rochester, NY has been a huge suck too... I can't wait for some Long Beach weather perfection.

Speaking of middle sister, she's been my diligent photographer for the past week. We've gotten some pretty good shots so far... we definitely should have taken more against the silver wall since my face looks borderline disgusting in it, but that day she wanted to take "paparazzi candids" and that was the only place I got her to stop walking in front of me for two seconds. She definitely has the makings of being a pretty decent fashion blog photog, now I just have to work on my modeling skills. :)

pomp and circumstance

2009-06-15T01:17:00.006-04:00

Could I have come up with a more cliche title for this blog post? Certainly not. Durrr... I'll just call it "traditional".

Theory dress with black patent belt, Report Signature satin heels, incredibly hot polyester cap & gown courtesy of Campus Bookstore haha

I'm officially a 2009 college grad! Graduation was today, erm, well, Sunday... John Glenn was our commencement speaker, kind of sweet. You can't really see it in the pics, but I decorated the top of my cap with black rhinestones, which was pretty demure compared to what some people did to their caps. It was balls hot in the stadium, of course, so pretty much everyone took off their robe in the stands. Luckily I was wearing a James Perse tank dress underneath mine during the ceremony; if I had that Theory dress on the whole time it would have been soaked. I'm not gonna lie, when I got up to get some water sans robe, those pumps + skimpy black tank dress + cap and tassel + honors braids = me looking like a pretty slutty version of a graduate. That blue Theory dress is one of my absolute favorite dresses though, so I threw it on for pictures and dinner. It worked out.

My parents also surprised me with a new camera this weekend... I didn't pick it out myself so I didn't end up with the 5D, but they got me the Canon Rebel T1i, which is super fun. And actually weighs a lot less than K's 5D, which is a detail that I actually like a lot (and was the reason why my dad picked that version... he thought the next step up would be too heavy for me lol). Actually, he was kind of right; I feel like I can barely lift K's camera with one hand. I think having the 5D and the Rebel is a good start to our little Canon family (he's hatching some plan to get the Mark II... I think he even wants the 1D haha. Nuts.).

I'm actually going out to LA at the end of the week to visit K for awhile... packing for the trip turned out to be most challenging. I have no idea what the weather is like/what I can get away with/etc... I threw some fun stuff in there so hopefully we'll get some good pictures out of it, although I packed a lot of black. Typical East-Coast-fanatic, no?

p.s. Thanks for the suggestions on the photo dilemma, I'm definitely looking into the easiest method for me (which I haven't figured out yet bc I'm being lazy haha).

prep school

2009-06-09T22:50:00.006-04:00

vintage Brooks Brothers schoolgirl skirt, Gap lace-edged tank, Aldo pumps, Burberry sunglasses, random black armband you can barely see in the first photo

I got this skirt at Maiden Hong Kong, this great vintage place in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I think it was a couple of sisters that owned it, unfortunately they are closed now :( But it was a really cute little shop, one of those vintage places where there isn't a ton of stuff but everything is so awesome.

DIY project posts to come soon, I'm kind of waiting on my new camera... I've been trying to take pics using my point-and-shoot but I suck at taking them myself. My family is coming up this week for commencement so I might have my little-sister-photog handy.

I also started sketching out some fun ideas for all my old T&Co jewelry that ex-boyfriends have gotten me. I was going to sell them on eBay or whatever, but there's nothing I love more than an expensive piece re-worked to suit my current taste. I need a few tools that I don't have on hand right now, but when I get a jewelry saw and a small blow torch I think the stuff will turn out pretty awesome.

Dumb new blogger question... why do my photos look so washed out when I try to post them on here? Is there a way to fix this besides saturating the pics to the max before posting?

sorry for partying

2009-06-08T15:33:00.014-04:00

This post is essentially for me and my fellow partiers, so bear with me through these million pics haha (I posted what I was wearing, ish, but its not really a "fashion" post. Fair warning. It might be funny though). I thought I'd be nostalgic and post some of my party pics through the ages lol... meaning, from the past four years... and okay after looking at my pics it also turned into how many different hair colors I've had since freshman year...

Freshman year, black hair. Wearing: bedsheets.

Sophomore year, short brown hair. Pink panty dropper night = idiots. Wearing: Lux dress, the same one I wore this past Saturday, weird! I'm bending over bc that particular friend is like 5'1" and I'm 5'10" lol

Junior year, blonde hair. Wearing: Halloween costume a la Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange.

Junior year, still blonde... New Years Eve. Wearing: Brian's clothes because I jumped in their hot tub with all mine on.

Junior year, red hair. This one was really for the hair, pre-party, I'm wearing a hoodie.

Junior year, "dressed up" for a "dance" haha. Wearing: Lux skirt as a dress, Coach slingbacks, Target head scarf.

End of junior year, iPhone pic. Wearing: RL Blue Label sweater, J. Crew headband... wow that might have been the preppiest thing I ever wore partying ;)

Talk about classy. Senior year, drinking Natural Light like a straight-up 16-year old. Wearing: J Brand skinnies, Michael Kors purple suede heels, BDG jacket and AA tee.

Senior year, showing some OSU love. Wearing: OSU jersey, black bodysuit, my Neiman Marcus-exclusive studded black Uggs bc it was freezing!!!! (Can you tell I'm trying to redeem myself for the Uggs? lol) I think this was for the Penn State game, and I think we lost haha

Most recent party pic. Senior year, chopped my hair off, wearing a random cobalt tank and I don't remember what else. This pic is in lieu of the pics from this past weekend, because I look like such a hot mess they aren't worth the embarrassment of posting... continue reading to find out why...

I'm finding it seriously difficult to study for my last set of finals in my undergraduate career. Especially since I just bought my cap and gown and find them both utterly hysterical... my gown could fit a small family of whales underneath it, and I don't understand the cap thing... its so weird looking. Like, a flat square topped hat? Where did this come from? I'm half-tempted to research the origins of the graduation cap. I put on the disgusting polyester gown and belted it... it actually kind of looks like a dress, and I think it would be hilarious if I actually belted it during commencement... I'm graduating with like 20,000 people or something so its not like they would even notice, but it would make me laugh.

Making it further difficult to study, I've been partying like a freshman this past weekend (hence the old party pics)... I know its only four years, but I feel like an old lady at 22 compared to 18. I hung out with a few fellow 22-year-olds on Saturday...

Love and mentions to Ashley, Derek & his lion, Kristi & the cat she tried to "rescue", Brent & his fake boner he convinced everyone was real until we started grabbing it (it wasn't real), Sachin, that other guy that jumped in the lake with us, Ian for the free vodka, Sarah and other Derek, Teresa, Team Brick Two Windows, that one dude for teaching me how to knock a man out with one hit, and like 15 other people.

...most of whom are so awesomely willing to do anything. I started out at a free-Bacardi Party on a near-empty stomach (bad decision #1) and ended up passing out on my couch at 5 am with pop music blaring out of my headphones for the next four straight hours. In between there was: baseball and the cheers game, a "sexy" photo shoot on a scooter, fucking up said scooter with a "pretend like you're in the arctic!" direction from the photog, practically-an-orgy-rolling-around dance party quite literally down on a living room floor, microwaved cinnamon cake and half-Oreos, dancing to "back that ass up" (yeah, that song from like 7th grade) onstage at a bar, skinny-dipping in Mirror Lake and linking up to sing Carmen Ohio with nips exposed, and finally proclaiming my undying love to like eight different people in drunk and nostalgic text messages. Walking home, I saw the sun start to rise. Senior (bar) crawl is this Thursday after finals, and I'm expecting an equally ridiculous/immature/amazing night. I find it appropriate to go out the way I came in... besides graduating with honors in Molecular Genetics and History of Art, OSU is a professional party school, after all ;)

check this hand

2009-06-04T12:33:00.006-04:00

currently unknown ring designer, random black hoodie, C&C tank, VS striped satin cheekies

So I haven't been able to find out the name of the designer who did this ring... if anyone knows, let me know! What I know is that the ring is awesome. I have gotten sooo many compliments each time I've worn it, everyone loves it (and almost all of the compliment-ers asked me if I made it, haha). Its gold wire-wrapped crystals and gold beading detail, and feels like it weighs about three pounds. It would be a good piece to be wearing if I needed to defend myself. It also definitely deserves to be showcased on its own, hence the rando hoodie and lack of pants (channeling GaGa, maybe?)

I've made several fun things in the last few days. Think I'm procrastinating on studying for finals? You're right. Anyway, I threw together:

- a pair of indian-princess-like armbands (made from interior design drop beading, like for pillows and stuff)

- currently working on a black lace caftan, inspired by an Elizabeth & James creation that I didn't feel like spending $200 on (yes that was the sale price)

- glued black crystal rhinestones to the heels of a Chanel-esque pair of Report Signature pumps

- whipped up my own version of American Apparel's Le Sac dress (I spent the $36 or whatever on my first one, then realized it was two sheets sewn in four places. Idiot.)

- sketching out a bolero to make out of this gorgeous mustard fabric my mom sent me. Going to fully line it in plaid.

Soo there will be some DIY project posts in my near future. I'm particularly excited about the bolero. The fabric is pretty heavy so its going to be one of my first really constructed pieces. I don't have a dress form (gah) so I'm forced to make patterns and drape using my actual body. I'm not sure how its going to work out, but I'm gonna try... wish me luck :)

taking flight

2009-06-01T18:58:00.005-04:00

Norma Kamali for Walmart tee (haha), J Brand black denim skinnies, random studded belt, Michael Kors sandals, Mosely Tribes mens sunglasses, Botkier bag

So around the time of my last blog post I was on the verge of a mental breakdown because of school, being stressed out, insomnia, etc. So I hopped on a plane and spent the past week at my parents house with my family in Dallas (skipping four days of school and work, oops), but I seriously needed it. I don't always like Dallas, but the weather was incredible... meaning it didn't get up over 100 degrees haha. You can see from my parent's grass that it often does. I got to see my two dogs which always makes me happy, pictures on Twitter :) they are both fluffy white bichons, and pretty cute if I say so myself.

I also spent the week in retail therapy with my mom. Dallas' saving grace has always been its incredible shopping. It's become a little too commercial/corporate for my taste, since I've been on a vintage/secondhand/make it myself kick, but its still awesome. Hint: everyone says the Galleria is where its at, but its so not. Northpark Center is one of the best malls I've been to (liking a mall is a big deal for me: I hate malls with a passion). I spent my time cruising the sale at Nordstrom (almost bought a See by Chloe crossbody bag, but alas, was a good girl and did not), perusing the racks at Barneys COOP (one of my favorite retail places to shop), pretending like I could afford anything in Intermix, cleaning out Zara (oh wait that's at the Galleria), and wandering around the enormity of Neimans. My favorite purchase was this great wire-wrapped crystal ring and for the life of me I can't remember who made it, but will feature on the blog once I figure it out.

I hate the look of point-and-shoot pictures now that my mind has been fixated on SLRs. I do love my Canon PowerShot for like, going out, but its just not the same when trying to model. Whatever, only a few more weeks and that baby will be mine...

prized possessions

2009-05-20T18:36:00.013-04:00

Soo I'm sitting here in my gigantic-for-one-person apartment (I bet you can't tell I miss my roommate-slash-boyfriend living here), writing a personal reflection paper on fucking santosha and yoga sutra and what it means to my personal contentment and soul or whatever (namaste, anyone?), and some idiot decides to blast (no really, BLAST... it sounds like I'm listening to it in my headphones, with all the windows closed) some stupid rap song out of their car (parked directly in front of my apartment, in front of the barber shop) over and over. Like, they couldn't play some music actually IN the barber shop? Isn't there some kind of noise rule they have to abide by? So anyhoo, I gave up on the sutra and decided to blog around instead. And believe me, I needed a break. I had a paper due yesterday, a midterm today, this paper due tonight, and two long-ass term papers due Friday. Plus I got, count-em, two hours of sleep last night. I'm making myself sick, I swear to god.

But! Drumroll, d-d-d-d-d-dah! I have good news (for me and probably not anyone else). My parentals agreed to get me an ACTUAL camera for graduation. Its most certainly going to be a Canon, and highly certain its going to be this body:

So I'm pretty fucking stoked on that. Plus, even cooler, my cousin just got the Mark II version (with the whopping 3G price tag for the body alone), and I can say for certain that I'm going to play with it more than he does when I go to Texas for the summer. And to tell the truth, I'll probably handle it with more delicacy and care than I do his actual child:

Cute as hell, right? He is obsessed with shoes and sunglasses... sometimes I wonder if he's really not my child... except that he looks nothing like me and exactly like his momma.

So, fashion-ishy related... I thought I'd do a quick post on prized-possession type things in light of my future prized possession (pictured above. The camera, not the child.) I have just a few accessories on my list, of course, since I don't own anything worth sneezing at. (I might have said that wrong...) No Balenciaga, just a Botkier; I rock Otazu as opposed to Tom Binns, and no YSLs have ever graced my shoe closet... but I'm only 22. First up, my favorite piece of hand jewelry ever:

What I find extra-cool about this ring is that I have no idea where it came from. It just literally showed up in my bathroom with no explanation. It had been previously loved; I had to hammer it back into a ring shape because it kind of looked like it had been stepped on. I call it my water dragon, and its purpose is to balance out my phoenix on my other wrist. Its like one of those yin and yang kind of things. This might be my most prized, actually, simply due to its absolutely irreplaceable factor. I don't even know where it came from, so how could I possibly replace it? Exactly.

Next up, my red string hamsa charm bracelet. Actually the second one I've had, since the first got lost in a half-remembered night in Athens, OH. (side note: if you think you can party, you haven't seen a thing until you've been to Athens. Sounds retarded but I swear to god. Those people are fucking nuts). Yes, if you must know, I originally bought the bracelet (long ago) because of Nicole Richie. It was Nicole Richie, super-fucking-skinny-budding-fashionista-extraordinaire, not Nicole Richie, kind-of-boring-mother-of-Harlow. And oKAY, I bought the same brand she had, from Kitson, and yes, it was like $40. There's just some things you do that can't be explained. Supposedly the hamsa protects you from evil, and I can't say that its done the best job, but there's something really comforting about having it on all the time. I totally freak out when its not on my wrist. Moving on!

Finally my heart in thorns necklace. I found this (actually two of them) at a tiny shop in the West Village last August. The shop was closing its doors, and the artist was selling her stuff for "super clearance" even though they were still like $100 each... but its NYC right? Duh. So anyway, I got one for me, and one for my lovely mother, so we are like necklace twins! Cool! But really, I wear this necklace constantly. My mom is kind of my best and wearing it makes me feel kind of connected to her, even though we are 1800 miles apart. Aw *tear

And here are just some random shots of me... I thought maybe I'd put a face to the blog, although I'm pretty sure I get like three hits a month. :)

H&M gray denim vest, C&C tank, F21 high-waisted skirt, Aldo pumps

Sorry one, about the lack of fab outfit and makeup (school is kicking my ass and I can't think about anything but basics) and two, about the retardedness of the photos... I'm not good at the whole "myspace pic" thing (although that one from the top could be a contender!). I took these myself because my life is completely devoid of a proper photog, but they kind of suck because my arm is only so long. If roommate-slash-boyfriend were here the blog would be bursting with sick photos... he's kind of awesome, and so is his camera. And lenses. And flash.

Canon image from PixPros. Child image property of his parents.

dislikes in likable form

2009-05-13T12:21:00.024-04:00

Realizing that I haven't posted in about three weeks, I'm sitting here wondering what I could be inspired enough to write about. Due to some personal "issues" that are making me feel a great deal of anxiety and negative feelings, I thought maybe it would be a good time to do a post about things I hate. However. To put an optimistic twist on it, to hopefully help me out of my funk, it's a post about things I hate, done right.

1. Asymmetry

Its not difficult to figure out the potential for being wrong that asymmetry has. The best example I can think of for this particular dislike is the "unfinished" factor, as in, "that dress looks as though whoever was sewing it ran out of time and sent it out missing an arm." House of Holland case in point:

wrong

Missing an entire arm, no? I honestly find it pretty difficult to come across an asymmetrical piece that I actually do like, but A Wang did it for me with this number:

right

I realize that the asymmetry is much more subtle in this dress, but I think thats why I like it. Understated and on a pretty damn classic silhouette... as a bonus, I think the richness of the color of the dress is completely to die for.

2. Chloe Sevigny

This is completely a matter of personal opinion, but I don't like Chloe Sevigny. I mean, I don't know her or anything, but I have a feeling that if I did, she might just ooze superiority. I'm all for wearing what you want, but looking like you blindly choose outfits by picking random things up off your floor maybe makes you a little eccentric, but definitely doesn't make you a style icon in my book. Thus, I find it kind of annoying that she has a clothing line, especially because said clothing line looks like a hideous, cheap version of the vintage-inspired looks from Charlotte Ronson (whose lines I find adorable). Here's just one example of a Sevigny wrongdoing:

wrong

Those pants are awful. The print is fit for a child's flannel pajamas and the shape of the pants are so incredibly unflattering. The crotch is wrong, the thighs look ENORMOUS, as do the knees and calves, and I don't even want to think about what the butt looks like. Why would anyone want to wear pants that make the MODEL look like she has piano legs?? The color palette is a huge no, and to top it off I hate hate hate the hair and makeup. In fact, the only thing I actually like about this entire ensemble is the belt (but only if taken out of this horrifying context). Sigh... now for my shocking change of opinion:

right

Chloe herself. Aside from the evil stare that looks exactly like a face that my friend "creepy Brian" makes, I think she looks pretty cute. I'm kind of in love with the shoes, I think the shorts are great and hit the waist perfectly (although I'd do them in something other than leather), and I don't hate the subtly pink shirt. Even her hair color is doing her justice. I'm pleasantly surprised.

3. Polka Dots

Its probably not a surprise that I don't like polka dots; I'm not sure that a lot of people do. It just recalls images of small children's clothing, or ladybug costumes, or, I don't know... chicken pox? I just don't find it appealing in any way. I hate to pick on House of Holland again, but the spring line was lousy with polka dots that I just was not digging:

wrong

I like Ms. Deyn a lot. I think she can pull a lot of different stuff off. This, unfortunately, is not one of them. The top totally overpowers her entire being, you see it coming about twelve minutes before the rest of her. I even think the sheer floral pants are kind of unique and awesome, but not with those crazy dots. The more I look at the image, the more I get dizzy. And I just had to include this... uh... insanity:

double, uber-, ridiculously, just... wrong

The first time I saw this look I just had a WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!? moment. And looking at it again, I'm having another one.

right

Whew! Finally to the right. Cortezar of Emanuel Ungaro did the dots in a way that I actually of enjoy. I think it might be the dots-within-patterns of the whole garment. The different colors combined with a lack of symmetry in pattern creates a kind of controlled chaos that I find to be reminiscent of an abstract expressionist painting (which happens to be one of my favorite things). I also love the colored tights; I have about fifty colors of tights and am glad to find they'll be wearable into the fall (even though I'd probably still wear them anyway).

4. Big Shoulders

Yes, I'm using the most obvious example of big shoulders: Balmain. I think Decarnin got a lot of hits with this look, annnnnnd some misses. I know most people loved this line, and some not so much (I absolutely LOVE Tavi from Style Rookie's description of Balmain as "so look"). But I, for one, am torn. I like a lot of it, and I could leave a lot of it... especially this look:

wrong

No no no. I (firmly) do not believe in microminis with huge shoulders. Especially not microminis with huge shoulders in an intense, bright, sparkly cobalt. Its just too much for me. I personally see shoulder pads as one of the most vomit-inducing trend of the 80s, and I had hoped it would never see the light of day again. This look is why. On the other hand, I am curiously drawn to this Balmain look:

right

I think this jacket is awesome. Like, fucking fantastic insanity bananas awesome. I think the sleeve length is perfectly proportioned, the shoulders are fierce and not too exaggerated, and I love every single piece of the rest of the outfit. Its simple but its so so chic, so so great. I want this.

5. Velvet

I don't like velvet. I would (almost) never wear it. I think velvet is disgusting. And I have absolutely no idea why. I must have had a bad experience with it as a child. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to pick on Lanvin for this one. I know, gasp omg blasphemy, but I'm not saying for one nanosecond that I didn't like the fall collection, because I did... in a way that I could only like it from a distance, because it was so utterly classy and ladylike and perfect and Parisian, I couldn't really relate and found it (personally) unattainable. But it was still obviously so, so beautiful. I just didn't like the final look:

wrong

Even though I'm not completely convinced this dress is velvet, it looks enough like it for it to count. This look didn't do it for me. I hate the shoulder silhouette, and I'm forced to assume that the images don't do the gown justice, because it looks a little (god help me) cheap to me. Okay, even I feel like I'm breaking some sort of law by shit-talking Lanvin. I'm done. Forgive me, Elbaz, for I have sinned.

right

I can say with absolute conviction that I would wear this look. Jill Stuart is usually a little too girlish for me but I thought this line was SO COOL (minus the pastel floral-esque dresses). I loved loved LOVED the lace, the leather, the boots (!!!!!!), I even liked that girly-girl white ruffled dress. I'm not saying she made tremendous strides for the art, but as far as wearability goes, I want it, I want it all.

All images from style.com

three of four

2009-04-16T00:45:00.005-04:00

So I got some of my shoes, woo! I haven't gotten my lace-up beauties, but I found out today that if they don't arrive by Friday, they are just gonna send me a new pair. So, I'll get them eventuallyyyyyyyy... Anyway, here are the ones I got today...

The Seychelles motorcycle boots. They are kinda cute, but I could fit about three of my calves in the boot shaft. I honestly don't understand why companies make calf circumferences so enormous. Anyway, I was thinking of having them adjusted, but the feet are enormous too (I should have gotten like, an entire size smaller), so I'm kind of over it. They're going back.

The DV buckle boots. These babies just aren't doing it for me either... the color is super-blah and they need some adjustments to fit (although its a much easier, hole-punching project). But even adjusted tight (they aren't in the photo), they really don't get me excited in the least bit. And new shoes are like, what gives me thrills, like drugs. I find drugs a HUGE snooze (I get higher from running than doing lines), so I spend my money on shoes instead of eight balls and have way more fun doing it. These buckle boots are just about as exciting as smoking a bowl and falling asleep. Surprise surprise, they're also going back.

The Velvet Angels ankle boots. These are way more exciting, probably just because I LOVE five-inch heels, and these clock in at a slightly higher five-and-a-quarter inches. The toe is a kind of squared shape, which I enjoy since I don't think I own a single pair of shoes with a detail like that. They need a gel insert because the sides dig in under my ankle bone in a big way; I can just imagine the atrocities (cuts, bruises, general pain) that walking more than twelve steps could cause. But, thats easily fixed. AND, I love being taller than all the boys at the bar (that way they're intimidated and don't hit on me... I HATE getting hit on at bars, its SO awkward... plus if they're all intimidated I get to choose who to hit on based on who I want to take home. girl power.), which I certainly would be wearing these kicks. I'm keeping them. Woo! We have a winner.

zara light denim skinny jeans, obey boys screen print baseball tee (my "cleaning the apartment" outfit)

Me messing around... I tried to show what I was listening to but it obviously didn't come out... Fluorescent Adolescent/Arctic Monkeys :).... Sorry again about the awful pictures, I'm still using photobooth on my macbook. But I decided to buy a camera to use for the time being while Keith is fixing mine. So I'll have one tomorrowwww so I'll actually be able to take pictures with 10 mp instead of like, 2 mp haha.

I'm kind of addicted to Twitter for some reason. Its really odd because I'm pretty sure that no one wants to know what I'm doing on a minute-by-minute basis, so its almost like I'm posting them for myself but I still think its fun haha. It could be helpful in, say, creating alibis in case you needed one... Exhibit A: Katie's Twitter account has her napping from 6-10, so there's no way she could have committed the crime... I'll keep twittering just in case ;)

artist spotlight

2009-04-14T13:07:00.008-04:00

So I was planning on having "artist spotlight" posts with artists that I would be learning about in my final history of art class in undergrad, ones that would be totally heart-stopping and inspirational. Much to my chagrin, its the most boring class in the history of... art (har). So, I figure I'll just post about artists that I had the jaw-dropping, heart-pounding experience learning about last spring in my contemporary art class. Since this blog seems to be fashion (or at least, shoe) themed, I thought I'd ease into it and start with Yves Saint Laurent. My boyfriend and I went to the YSL exhibit at the de Young museum in GG Park in SF a few weeks ago when I was there on spring break. Most of the images came from the exhibit; I couldn't get great ones because I technically wasn't allowed to take pictures... I'm probably breaking some copyright rule... but if I am I'll just take the pictures down. Can't I just credit St. Laurent as being his intellectual property? Who owns intellectual property once someone dies, anyway? Moving on.

I thought this was a great example of St. Laurent's use of bright color... this piece didn't have as much reds or pinks as he normally used, which is why I kind of liked it. It was a little bit of a divergence. The collection had maybe five or six more pieces of bright color, and they all had the same effect: not only can I see the piece, but I can hear it, feel it, taste it, and envision scenes and far off places in it... and just from the color alone. Maybe thats just me, but I wasn't tripping, I swear.

A piece inspired by Georges Braque. There was another, more literal piece that had a Braque-style violin and some oiseaux (oh I'm so cultured) that I didn't get a picture of. I really liked this gown better, though, because it didn't look like a painting attached to the front of a dress the way the other piece did. I think the drapery is hold-your-breath worthy, and even the color to me is incredible, which is really saying something considering I don't own a stitch of pink clothing. And even though the cuff wasn't by St. Laurent and I can't remember who it was by, it was pretty awesome. If I can ever find an enormous crystal stone like that, it will be at the top of my diy list.

Mother and children's costumes inspired by Pablo Picasso. This is a pretty disgustingly blurry picture but you can still see my favorite part (the mother's gown). The top was sheer with the quite obvious diamond-patterned skirt... kind of all court jester to me, but like, if a court jester grown up and dignified and elegant. I really love the print and would like to make something inspired by this for myself... me inspired by St. Laurent inspired by Picasso. Cool.

This was a wedding dress by St. Laurent that proclaimed "LOVE ME FOREVER," on the front, "OR NEVER" on the back. I thought this piece was really kind of charming for some reason. I think maybe to take something like a wedding dress, which has always been really traditional (whether "Sunday's best" black from the early 1900s to virginal white that is, well, now), and create something like this, which isn't the fabric, cut, color, really anything of traditional wedding garb, and to push it even further by wrapping it in that bold statement; well, its why I love St. Laurent. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of any of the menswear-inspired pieces, but this kind of reminds me of that (this is a lot more whimsical and quirky than the incredible cultural impact of the menswear, of course). And the dress in the background was one of a couple inspired by Tom Wesselmann... which is kind of an obvious reference but my weird attraction to pop art allowed me to love them anyway.

Pieces inspired by Piet Mondrian. Although these were the most obvious of the inspiration collection, you really have to see them in person to get the feel for how luxurious and carefully made and tailored they were. These (and all his pieces) just emanate dedication and work and beauty; you can honestly feel the care that St. Laurent put into designing and constructing each and every piece. Even in simple pieces like these, every seam, cut, and stitch seems like it was individually thought out and placed. I loved these dresses for that.

This was in the evening gown collection (where all the museum staff were, so it was wicked difficult to take a picture without getting reprimanded). Anyway, this dress was worth the trouble. Out of all the evening looks, this was definitely the one that I wanted to take off the mannequin and wear (of all the crazy haute couture stuff, I wanted to wear... everything. Maybe not the white crocheted wedding dress because it looked pretty hot in that cocoon thing.) Anyway, I think the dress pretty much speaks for itself. St. Laurent's original sketches were included for this dress too, which was pretty fucking bombtastic if you ask me (swear words and made-up adjectives means I'm really excited about something). It was really awesome to see, especially because I sketch a lot, so it was something that I could kind of relate to. Like, I know the motions of that process, so its easy to imagine St. Laurent sitting in a studio or a loft or wherever, sketching his next inspired look. Its cool.

"Nostalgia is like dreaming awake. I am definitely a dreamer." -Yves Saint Laurent

boot crazy

2009-04-13T21:04:00.004-04:00

Okay, so, last week and over the weekend, I had a total boot-buying attack. I only own two pairs of boots (besides many pairs of Uggs and some Henri Bendel rainboots, but those obviously don't count); some beloved Michael Kors suede boots, and a fur-covered pair that I got from my mom that I lovingly refer to as my "dead animals". They freak me out. Anyway, so I searched for cute boots at super-fantastic deals, which of course, I found on amazon.com... does anyone besides me use this for shoe-buying purposes? Because they have pretty good brands, and their stuff ALWAYS goes on sale. I've gotten several pairs of Report Signature heels that were originally in the $200 range for less than $50. And they have free shipping and awesome return policies. Anyway, the first pair I did not buy from amazon, I actually got them on the DSW website because they were on clearance with an additional 30% off thing I got in an email (I'm f.ing thrifty, I'm telling you. The less money I spend on individual shoes, the more shoes I can buy!) So I'm NOT HAPPY about these boots because the POST OFFICE LOST THEM. So they are not currently in my possession, and I just want themmmmmmm wahhh. Whatever, so these may or may not show up on my doorstep any time soon. But I do know that the United States Postal Service will be reimbursing me for these if they can't find them.

The lost-in-the-mail boots. Seychelles "About Face" leather boots, if I actually ever get them I will be very happy.

Next three were bought from amazon.com for ridiculously low prices. Woo!

DV by Dolce Vita buckle boot. They are supposedly "grey leather", but to be honest this picture doesn't look grey to me at all. We'll see how they turn out, but I'm thinking of putting studs on all the straps, sized according to the actual straps... but I'll have to see them first. I love how the DV heels look a little ombre to me! That's probably not a good way to describe them but oh well.

Seychelles "Hyperspace" boot. I've been looking for a flat motorcycle-type boot that I actually liked for awhile in all my thrift/vintage shops but to no avail. So I got these at nearly-thrift prices! I'm not sure how huge the calf will be since my calves are like retardedly small, so these might be a hit or miss. I'll let you know.

Now for the ones I'm most excited to receive:

Velvet Angels "Tootsie" ankle boot. As my last post stated, I was on a hunt for several pairs of shoes that Lady GaGa wears in that one video. Okay, so I lied, I'm not going to stop talking about her. Actually, upon further investigation of her music videos, I need like, everything she wears in the Beautiful Dirty Rich video, especially the entire ensemble in the striped elevator:

The lips are great, and I'm finding at a vintage hat like that as soon as it stops raining (I hate leaving my apartment when the weather is shitty). Apparently the video was shot on the set of "Dirty Sexy Money"... appropriate. I looove that video/song, it reminds me of partying with my best/boozy SJF (our hair is perfect while we're all getting shit-wrecked... its automatic honey but we got no money) So what I was saying, I looked for some patent ankle boots and found these sexy kicks, I'm sooo excited about the monstrous heel with equally monstrous platform (for easy walking/dancing!) And I guess Velvet Angels is the solo proj of Joe Ponce, formerly of L.A.M.B and Harajuku Lovers shoe lines, which explains my uber-attraction to every single shoe in the line.

So, in conclusion, I shall take beaucoup de pics when all my shoes arrive (probably with my damn iPhone since my camera is still being a bitch). I honestly might buy a camera just for the time while mine is getting fixed... I cannot live without one! Especially since we're going to Ladies Eighties on Thursday and I always wear ridiculous (but amazing, if you ask me lol) outfits, wigs, crazy makeup, etc. Things that don't get seen a lot around Cbus (trust me it doesn't take a lot haha). And I'm thinking of channelling the one GaGa since I've been talking about her so much lately... you know what that means... no paaaants.

pics from amazon.com, interscope.com

makeshift camera

2009-04-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, so today's outfit was honestly picked up off my floor (I had a few too many on Thursday night and thus about ten outfits ended up on the floor of my bedroom). However, a girl in my Saturday genetics class complimented me more than once, so I thought I'd finally try to post some pictures of myself in my clothes. Now, my camera is STILL broken (my brilliant engineer boyfriend is fixing it... but its not done yet.) so bear with me, the only method of photo-taking that I have is Photo Booth on my macbook. And mac users, you know that it give you a THREE second countdown before it takes a picture, explaining my ridiculous posture/awkwardness/facial expressions. I swear, I've modeled before, I know how to not look like a total amateur in pictures, but not when I have to click "take picture" then move back and get into frame in the right pose before the computer takes the picture three seconds later. Okay, enough being self-conscious. I would call this one of my really basic outfits, kind of stand-by when I don't feel like picking an outfit out... I mean you really can't go wrong with skinny jeans and a basic black turtleneck, right?

habitual grey skinny jeans, american apparel black stretch turtleneck dress tucked under and worn as a shirt, bdg plaid jacket, maxstudio brown pumps, rayban clear and black wayfarers

Don't mind that I have absolutely no makeup on... I had to go to class at 9 this morning, which isn't that early, but come on, its Saturday. Moving on.

I'm having a half-psychotic sick hypnotic (god I'm funny) crush on the shoes that Lady GaGa wears in her "Just Dance" video... I just saw the video for the first time the other day (I so do not pay attention to music...) and what really captured my attention were the first ten seconds of the video, in which she rolls up in a car with said shoes sticking out of it, then walks over a passed-out person in again, said shoes. I'm not sure where her shoes are from, but I wouldn't be surprised if they came from a stripper shop, which is exactly where I'm searching for some look-alikes. I really like any shoe with an acrylic heel element (just as long as it doesn't cross over into "hey baby I'm Candi, wanna have some fun?" territory), and the shoes in the video have a sparkly acrylic heel while the platform is covered by patent leather... in my book, that is still in the hot/cute category and has not yet gone over to the dark side. I know that's probably what Lady GaGa was going for, but whatever. I'm kind of torn on her actual style, because yeah, whatever, its in your face but I'm kind of over that part of it. To be honest, I really like the disco-ball bra/white tee/suspender skirt ensemble, and I'm feeling a kind of attraction to the motorcycle gloves she wears throughout. I dunno about her music... I think I'm just gonna chalk it up to being intoxicating dance music but not much else... she kind of reminds me of the Spice Girls from way back in the day, especially Geri Halliwell's Ginger Spice, with the hooker heels and rampant pantslessness. Just my thought.

I'm not gonna lie, I like this outfit... also, I saw these 80s Versace sunglasses on eBay for $10,000. Yeah, that's TEN thousand. Puh-lease... they aren't that cool.

A pretty bad shot of the gloves I'm digging...

ANyway, after thorough searching for some kind of heels that resemble hers, (although look-alikes of the patent platform booties she's wearing in the same video took like, two seconds to find) I have given up for now. If anyone knows of any shoes that look like her sparkle-acrylic-patent pair, I will A. stop talking about Lady GaGa and B. be really happy! Yeah.

obsess

2009-04-07T18:57:00.001-04:00

Some things I cannot and never will stop thinking about... Figure I'd do a post like this so I could avoid mentioning YSL pumps in every post I write.

So this isn't the order that I wanted these "obsessions" to be in, but what can I do. I would have put this one after the later Sunner entry, like, "on a related note, Alice + Olivia". Whatever. So, I know Alice + Olivia is always pretty basic but even so, all of their stuff is always so beautiful in its simplicity. Also, I have a slight fascination with Stacy Bendet... I find her really kind of odd from what I've read/seen/heard, but still would love to meet her to figure it out for myself. Anyway, so Stacypants did it for me with these dresses in particular (and as much as I hate drapey harem pants, some of hers are actually kind of cute). I love this first dress mostly because I got a (now beloved) vintage dress that looks a lot like it. The second is just straight up goddess, and I want... no, I NEED to feel that kind of grandeur (while actually being really casual... how does she do it). The third is a crochet number that I don't think I'd normally go for, but for some reason I'm dying to wear it with a big, vintage navy velvet hat (I have a thing for vintage hats... this vintage store Flower Child right by my campus is lousy with uber-fantastic versions... including the one I'm describing, which I am going to go and dig out of the depths of their basement and purchase tomorrow, yay!) and bracelets galore. I'm moving to San Francisco sometime after I graduate and I am now pretty much dying to wear this very outfit sitting around Delores Park (its my boyfriend's favorite park, no idea why).

Okay so on a completely unrelated note, WHY does the top of the shopbop website say "Juicy Couture, Marc Jacobs, True Religion Jeans"? That's so... ew. Juicy Couture and True Religion is so... high school... and personally, I do struggle with the fact that I end up thrifting/consigning/getting Marc shit on clearance like, CONSTANTLY... I mean I guess that means that his stuff IS cute, but still its so... everywhere. For example, I admit, I did fall for the skull watch for about twelve minutes until I saw it on about seven sorority girls wearing it around campus. No offense to sorority girls, but I NEVER want to emulate the style of a "Visa Visa Mastercard" sister. Gross. So anywhoo, I've had to make a pact with myself to not buy anything remotely Marc because I feel like its taking over my life sometimes. Just two weeks ago, I got a slouchy little bag for $40... I mean come on, it was $40... but I tore off all "MARC JACOBS" labels because they were so obnoxious. So. NO MORE MARC. Moving on.

Okay, so, Tom Binns. I honestly love him because first of all, he cites Marcel Duchamp as an inspiration (who happens to be my favorite person quite possibly of all time). Just, as a person, Binns is pretty high on my list of people that I wish I could meet. I just can't get over the Dumont collection, or the Tough Chic collection for that matter. I couldn't find a good picture, but the necklaces he does where he has giant crystals juxtaposed with safety pins, I could just die for. I want to wear these necklaces with black cocktail dresses to galas, and I want to wear them with wifebeaters and my boyfriend's Levi's to go out to lunch. I just love when people push the envelope, in any form of art... and this honestly has the potential to look like you just put on every expensive piece of jewelry you own to be annoying. But I get a much more whimsical feel from it, like a kid who is playing around with her mom's jewelry and this is what she came up with. I think this is a definite DIY... I have billions of strands of fake pearls, now I just need beaucoup de sparkly necklaces to layer with. And maybe I'll throw some safety pins in there.

Not something that I've been obsessed with for very long, but I LOVE the back of the first dress (and they have rompers and tops like this too!) They have it in black, too, that I would totally rock for a slightly fancier affair than, say, a coffee date. I'm really itching to make a dress back like this, but I feel like it might require a dress form, which I don't currently own. I usually just drape things on my actual body and do a few measurements before sewing... As a result, I haven't made anything remotely structured for myself. I feel as though this needs to change, as soon as humanly possible. So, new hunt, cheap dress form with a really flat chest... So back to Sunner, everything they have on shopbop.com right now is really tickling my fancy. I'm not into florals in the least bit but I love the yellow "Park" dress, its screaming "Wear me around campus when its approximately 76 degrees outside! With those sick Dolce Vita booties you keep threatening your bank account to buy and that black armband you wear constantly!" I also just bought the exact replica of the "Peter Pan" shirtdress from H&M for like, $24.90 or something. Go figure.

Obviously this post was going nowhere without a mention of my complete obsession with YSL shoes. First, I really love the cage stuff, but there is no way in hell that my tiny ankles would ever fit in those boots, they would be absolutely swimming and it would look ridiculous. So I figure these sandals would be a totally perfect "meet half-way" type deal. I honestly kind of prefer those Chanel cage boot flats from like a couple years ago (that I can't think of without thinking of the Olsens for some reason), but the heels on these YSL bad boys remind me of scaffolding, or a glass building, and I like it. Then of course, the typical pump... but oooh I just look at this shoe and I imagine how gorgeously my foot and ankle would be lengthened in them, and how tall and straight I would stand, and just how ecstatic my heart and mind would be every moment they were gracing my tootsies. I just think this is maybe the most beautiful (basic pump) shoe I have ever seen. Now I just need someone to do a knockoff version, since there is no way I can afford an $800 shoe... let's get real, I'm a college student for fuck's sake. My rent is less than this shoe per month ($780... so If I just didn't pay rent for one month and didn't buy groceries one time... yeahh okay, keep dreaming). If I ever get a job (great time to graduate and try to find one, huh?), you can bet that I'm going to have an Yves Saint Laurent piggy bank in the back of my closet. I used to do that for things like Coach purses when I was in high school... oh to be young.

Images from shopbop.com, tombinnsdesign.com, ysl.com

crave

2009-04-05T16:49:00.002-04:00

I'm completely craving a jumpsuit right now. To fulfill this intense feeling, I dug out my old AA jumpsuit from like two years ago... I never have actually worn it in public due to its extreme butt exposure factor. I have just discovered that putting it on with tights (chose a hot pink version for the moment) adds enough modesty (for me, at least). I would take pictures of myself to post but 1. my camera broke like two days ago and 2. my boyfriend and his lovely Canon are out in San Francisco. Anyway, so here's the next best thing... this is the casual bad boy that I'm currently wearing, from the AA website:

Mind you, this is NOT the kind of jumpsuit the pleasure center in my brain is pining for, but this is all the shorts-attached-to-top I can manage at the moment. What I'm REALLY dreaming of is a satiny-silky halter number... maybe in dove grey... with a slightly dropped waist (to avoid any "mom butt" effect) with a capri-length pant, tight at the bottom. Hmm... now all I need to do is go hunt for some gorgeous fabric and whip one of these up between my human genetics class and yoga tomorrow...