Okay, I'll admit it.

I'm quite possibly the least consistent blogger ever. So just imagine me making a face of mock horror and presenting to you, with a little bow, my new shoes.



Aren't they pretty? They're Aerosoles "Romance" in gray patent leather. The insides are all covered with suede...it's so nice on my feet. I'm in love.

What time is it? Survey time!

I got this from the lovely Fashions Fade, Style is Eternal, and since I'm being lazy and not taking pictures of my fabulous new shoes, this will do. Plus, it'll be fun to take it again later and see what changes.

How many browser windows do you have open at the moment for online window shopping?
Zero. Although I do have an Etsy.com find in mind.

What music are you listening to right now?
At the moment, nothing. But I'm big into Nickel Creek, Patrick Wolf, Queen and The Strokes lately.

What was the last article of clothing or accessory you purchased?
Aerosoles "Romance" T-strap heels. They're lovely.

Where was your most recent HAUL and what was the damage?
Lol, I have no money.

What piece do you wish most to add to your closet at the moment?
Elbow-length black gloves for winter.

What current trend are you loving the most?
Plaid, for some weird reason. The return to chic. Oxford booties. Bright colors.

What current trend do you hate the most?
60s prints. Trapeze anything.

What is your fave style or fashion-centric television programs?
Project Runway, What Not to Wear.

Who is your favorite designer at the moment?
Prada.

Favorite fashion house of all time?
Alexander McQueen.

What is your favorite footwear line?
I don't pay that much attention to footwear I can't afford.

Three fave materials?
Leather. Hmm...this is hard. Silk, definitely. Really fine cotton.

Three words to describe your overall sense of style?
Sexy, confused librarian.

What will your look be this summer?
I don't do summer fashion well, so a lot of bermuda shorts and tee shirts, with a few sundresses thrown in.

What trend do you see becoming the biggest this summer?
Summer is nearly over...?

What's your pick for the "it" tech gadget of the moment?
iPhone!

Whose your personal style "it" girl right now?
Zooey Deschanel, MK&A Olsen.

If someone handed you $10,000 where would you blow it?
Hmm. McQueen. I'm a spaz.

Favorite shopping destination?
Portland.

so good or no good: the strokes

Their music is amazing, as is their style.

Definitely so good.

One of these things is not like the other

Perhaps one of the most amusing fashion phenomena at the moment is the designer ripoff. While it comes in handy for people like me (read: poor college student) when we want to have a wardrobe that is stylish in a way we cannot afford, ripoffs are generally obvious to spot, and consequently make the wearer look ridiculous (to me, at least). I have friends at school with "Prada" bags...and I can't for the life of me figure out where any of them could find the money. It may be that the label copying is more irksome than an actual "designer inspired" piece with no label.

Take these shoes, from Chloe. They're gorgeous, kind of a cross between the ballet flat and the gladiator sandal--chic without sacrificing comfort or some measure of practicality. Had I skinny, beautiful ankles, I would covet these in a second.


Thaks to Hipster Musings for the photo.

These are not the kind of shoes that I would think would inspire copying. They're very distinctive (unlike the peep-toe Louboutins that were copied so quickly you couldn't tell as much) and they don't seem like they would appeal to the general public like flashy heels would. But here is a coply, nearly identical except for the positioning of the straps, from Anthropologie.



They're the "Jigs and Reels" ballerinas, only $88. Excellent, no?

Dress for Fall

Through a variety of sources, including the August "Lucky" and this post at Our Wishful Wardrobe, I have been toying with the idea of a purple dress for fall. I love the styling on the Lucky cover--the purple and gray is just the right balance of luxe and casual. The biggest thing with a purple dress, I think, is getting the color right--it can't be too light (looks pink) or too dark (looks blue).

Of all the purple dresses I've dug up (there aren't many), these are some of my favorites. The first two are from Forever21, so are well within my price range. The first is a cute style, good to wear for everyday, but the color is just a little bit dull. The second is a little odd style-wise, but the color is absolutely gorgeous.


These second two are from Net-A-Porter and are consequently way out of my price range, but are fun to drool over anyway. I love the sparkly detailing on the one on the right.


And then there's this awesome French Connection dress from Nordstrom.com, which is just expensive enough to be out of my range, but cheap enough to tempt. It's bright and shiny and everything you could want from a purple dress (except maybe some pin-tucks).


So, perhaps this fall if I am feeling blue, I will turn myself purple and go find a brilliant purple dress.

Is it can be autumn nao?

Since I had the great idea to start planning my fall wardrobe the other day, all I can think about is how I want the weather to start turning colder, so I can go back to school (that is, have an excuse to wear nicer clothes) and wear fall clothes. Summer has never been my strong point in fashion. When I was little, all I would wear all summer were bicycle shorts and a baggy tee shirt. Now, it's better, but not by much. I have some cute A-line skirts and some bermuda shorts, but basically I look very un-put-together. I thought perhaps this spring that I could totally switch to a California surf bum look, with vans and ripped shorts and faded tees. But then again, I'm too "classy" for that.

Autumn completely revitalizes my look at life and fashion. I love the cooler weather, the waning of summer, the crunchy leaves. I love being able to wear jeans without sweating. I love breaking sweaters and boots out of hiding and feeling in the air the tantalizing prospect of a heavy jacket. There's a feeling of renewal as the summer fades, a feeling that I can start fresh again, that I can shed failed styles and grow new ones. It's always nice coming back to my wardrobe after a summer away.

Gah, is it September yet?

Keeping with my "Minerva McGonagall does hipster" idea for my fall wardrobe concept (oh, I haven't talked about that yet?), I'm thinking of going for an Oxford-type shoe. I think I'd like the flat mensware version, as I just don't like the look of the heeled ones--they're too trendy looking. That's okay, I've seen some that are absolutely gorgeous, but it's just not me. Or maybe I'm just bitter that the only pair I've fallen in love with have a peep-toe, and I'm getting tired of the peep-toe. It's not practical for winters where I live. Snow + ice + peep-toe = cold, gross feets.

So I might end up buying some men's shoes this fall, or hopefully I can find some that are women's that I like. I don't know. I'm not much of a shoe shopper, but I do know that I want a pair of Oxfords and a really bright pair of pumps (but not red--I already have those).

sadface.

I'm a little bit peeved. I've been thinking a lot about the whole feathers/fringe thing going on for FW07, and somewhere I got the idea to make myself a feathered headband. (Y'know, take a pain ol' headband and hotglue scads of feathers on it...sort of a cross between Isabella Blow and Alice-in-Wonderland.) It would make the trend a whole lot more wearable (for me, at least) and really cool.

Unfortunately, in the last two weeks, I've seen feathered headbands in some Ladies' Home Journal-type magazine, and in my local Target. While I'm amused that I've been having the same thoughts as many other people, I'm mildly horrified that this wasn't my own idea--that other people were thinking the same thing--and that I haven't actually started making my headband yet, so technically I have no proof that I thought of it first.

I'm thinking of making two: one with some Pheasant-type feathers, and one with bright green Cockatoo-type feathers. I know mine would be a better quality than the Target version.

New House!

First off, outfit for the day (which included moving, washing blinds, scrubbing stove stains, etc):
» Decemberists Tee Shirt.
» Off-white bermuda shorts.
» Green chucks.
» A nice black baguette purse that didn't go at all. Oh well.



Since I'm moving, I've been thinking of how I want to decorate (gah, that word sounds so Laura Ashley) my new bedroom. It's slightly smaller than my old one, but with a bigger closet and some extra storage. The closet has some nasty pastel floral curtains instead of doors, so I'm definitely going to make some new curtains, probably out of sheets.

I'm kinda going for a kind of IKEA-ish Scandinavian vibe, with white walls (so I don't have to argue with my landlord about wall color), light wood and occasional shots of superbright color (just so I don't go insane). I'm thinking really predominant wood, black and white, with color as an accent. Now this is starting to look all planned out and matchy, and one thing I can't stand in overly-decorated houses is the matchy-matchy look, so when you actually live in the house (and by that I mean mess it up and get your crap everywhere when you don't have time to clean), it looks horrible.

But I suppose that goes with my main goal for this year (barring getting accepted into grad school, of course), of keeping my living spaces clean. I'm going to spend this summer working on my room, so that everything has a place to live by the time school starts and I stop living with my parents.

Anyway, I had a point to this part of the post. Whilst at IKEA, my mom and I spotted some nifty wall decals, in a scrolly-swirly pattern, black on white. It looked stunning, bold, graphic, but slightly organic at the same time--kinda my style. When we reached the home decor section, they were nowhere to be found. There were some cool oversized poppies, but they were overpriced as well.

But not to worry! I found blick! Only moderately-priced wall decals, of very special design quality. Unfortunately, the site is flash-based, so I can't steal any pictures right now. I really like the birds, and the chandeliers (because I can't afford a real one).

Come to think of it, I suppose this blog could document my quest for organization (and if you saw my room last year, you'd know I need it) and style in my bedroom as well as my clothes. Fun!

IKEA! ... and clothes.

Yesterday, I made a trip to IKEA. Normally, I'll just log on to the site and drool over all the great design and feel inspired. Since ikea.com isn't shipping anymore, I can't buy anything. So I sit and pine. (And wish I had more money.)

Naturally, I had some thing I needed to purchase to make my room a more organized place next year. (It's one of my goals: to have a place for everything, and try to keep my room semi-clean.) Lately I've been buying fashion magazines (perhaps too many), and they've been piling up on my floor, so I bought these lovely magazine holders. They were really cheap (like $3 for 5). I'm not sure if I should leave them white or paint them different colors, or maybe spray paint them in lacy designs.



I've also wanted one of these guys for a while. I'm not an artiste, but I enjoy drawing occasionally, or painting, and a human body figure could come in handy. And it just looks cool, like a mini-sculpture.



I made some impulse buys on the way out, mainly in the form of wrapping paper. I don't think that's such a bad thing, because I don't really have any wrapping paper to my name. This wrapping paper, however, is tiger print. It's seriously amazing.



Also, I bought twelve stacking round boxes, all different rainbow colors. My mom and I both bought some reusable bags made out of this really tough woven stuff. They're striped like referee uniforms (so they make me laugh), and they'll be extremely visible/obnoxious when I take mine out for grocery shopping. Yay for being good to the environment.

As for today's outfit, there was a wedding on the schedule. A cowboy wedding. But I found myself doing 50s Garden Party Redux.
» Green print 50s-looking dress.
» Red mini-wedge flats.
» Silver clutch.
» Old costume jewelry necklace.
» Red lipstick.

Most of my relatives thought I looked really cute, and I thought so too. I felt good, except when my dress gapped open at the top (which was often), so I need to sew it together or something. And next time I might bring along a sweater just in case I go do something else, like the movies.

In other news, I still feel like wearing something supremely tacky.

Todaytodaytoday

» Jeans
» Gladiator Sandals
» Green tank
» Black flowy top
» Dangly heart earrings
» Cool blue rubber bracelet that my brother brought back from a bag of chips in Italy

Basically I went shopping. The sandals were not such a great idea, because they weren't very supportive, and my feets started hurting pretty quickly, especially at IKEA.

I did get two new tops at Forever 21. I had to stop there, because there's not one in my town, and I hate buying things over the internet that I'm not sure will fit. About halfway into my search through the store, I was overwhelmed by an urge to get something supremely tacky. I suppose all the really horrible "modern boho" stuff didn't help that urge, nor did the House of Holland ripoffs. I was tempted to go for something really striped and obnoxious, but I settled for this skankalicious shirt instead.



I'll wear it to camp with my skanking shoes (green chucks with checkerboard laces, which I have to wear to ska shows), and 'twill be grand. Perhaps I can find an awesome neon hat at a thrift store this week.

Today

Light bermudas, Threadless tee shirt. So exciting.

That Outfit Thing.

For a 5 hour drive, I decided that comfort was the deciding factor in dressing. I wore my grey vintage-inspired dress, green chucks and long heart necklace. The end.

Outfit'd

I am currently wearing capri sweatpants and a tee shirt. Fortunately for me, today is the day I sit with an IV in my arm for three hours, so I didn't bother dressing up. Comfort is way more important than style in this case.

Semi-Urban Outfitted.

Today I had so little incentive to dress up that I almost walked out the door in chucks, bermudas and a tee shirt. Fortunately, I had just read Gala Darling's post on Non-Monotonous Summer Dressing, which emphasized accessories as a good way to dress up a simple summer outfit. It's definitely a better alternative than layering, which is good for cool summer nights, but too sweaty for the daytime. Usually I go sans jewelery in the summer too, because I get all hot and gross.

But I changed that. Whilst hunting for my swallow necklace, I found my skull scarf (which is very interesting in that the skulls look very much like vines if the scarf is rolled up), and decided to try to wear it. Unfortunately, it's too short to wear as a belt, and I got the bright idea to try a faux-turban. I borrowed one of my mom's old scarves, which worked nicely.

The urban turban (lol) was a big fashion step for me. Most of the time I appreciate trends or eccentricities on other people, but won't even think about trying one myself. I felt rather MK&A Olson-esque; foxy and 89 years old at the same time. I managed to wear it for most of the day, even though my head started sweating. It was a nice look, but I think I'll save it for evenings, or the fall.

Objective:
» Errands, moving more to the new digs, orchestra rehearsal. (Read: comfort.)
iWore:
» Black semi-flattering bermuda shorts.
» Grey/white striped short-sleeved henley.
» Swallow necklace.
» Scarf turban-y thing.
» Red peep-toe baby wedges.

I think it's time to retire the top to a place in the layering pile, instead of a piece on its own.

Daily Outfit...

I figure, even if I'm horrible about remembering to take a photo of my outfits every day, I can at least write about them. The point of this blog (other than to rise to the top of fashion bloggers and get personally invited to NY Fashion Week by Marc Jacobs, of course) is to improve my personal style, wardrobe acquisition habits, organization and such. If I post regularly about what I wore, and why I wore it to where, I can get more of an insight into how I view my clothes/body/style. Once I get an idea of that, I can go about improving it.

Today I was headed to a friend's baby dedication ceremony and their housewarming/birthday party. So it was off to church, but I had to be appropriately dressed for a rather casual crowd, lots of little kids and a barbecue.
» Knee-length purple+orange wallpaper pattern skirt.
» Black tank.
» Purple wrap top.
» Vintage rhinestone necklace.
» Black flat pointy kitten heels.
» Black clutch.

The effect was very retro, almost 50s housewife with a big dose of tabasco. The wrap top was a bit warm, considering it's the middle of summer and the sleeves on that thing are three-quarter length. Perhaps that wasn't the best choice, but I couldn't think of anything else to put with the skirt. I was slightly overdressed (they're a jeans and clean tee shirt kind of crowd), but that's okay.

I will try to be better at posting...not that anyone reads this yet. Someday I'm sure it'll turn into the INTERNET FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA!!1eleven!1!, and pull 387428374875 people. But that's not now. Lol.

A New Site!

I love finding quality fashion sites and blogs. My newest find is WhoWhatWearDaily, aka WWWD. It reads more like a print mag than a blog, and the photochopped illustrations that come with each blurb are dynamite. I love being able to quickly take in a new fashion development. I also looove the punny name.

So What's the Point?

I bought Fashion Babylon a month or two ago with my Christmas bonus from work--I never thought that it would be in my local Barnes&Noble, but there it was. It's a rather quick read (I finished it in less than a weekend), but it was both entertaining and informative.

The most important thing I learned actually didn't hit me until last night when I was looking through it again: Fashion is mostly a sham. Everything is fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants. Shows are concocted at the last minute, sometimes without much thought; inspriation is stolen from different places; designers blatantly rip eachother off. I think that's what hit me the most. Designer X can pick up a vintage YSL dress at some market, and send it down the runway, claiming it's theirs.

What's the point, then? What's the point of keeping up with the lastest trends, and buying the new "It" bag or the latest Balenciaga shoes? Fashion is one big wankfest--occasionally new materials are forged, but the rest is just recycled. Only the stupid people are blind enough to get sucked in to the frenzy of buying this season's trends. Oh, certainly there are some pieces which are just plain amazing, and of course those are going to be snatched up, but the rest of it, the "pink is the new orange," that's not even worth paying attention to.

All the really stylish people follow their own drummer anyway.

and now for something completely different.

It's time that I stop pretending that I know anything about fashion at all. I mean, I know a lot about current trends and such, but I'm certainly no authority. Therefore, I'm taking this blog in a new direction. It will chronicle my pursuit of a good wardrobe and an actual style.

Now, off to exploring the fashion world. And writing a paper for class...whoopee.

Fashion + Food

I'm sitting on my couch, eating a carbolicious toasty bagel with salmon cream cheese, and watching Iron Chef, thinking about fashion. The combination is a bit odd; after all, it's a giant sterotype that anyone in the fashion industry eats nothing but...what? celery and crack?

Despite this, there is a happy union between the two: Padma Lakshmi, host of Bravo's Top Chef. She's a model, an actress, a gourmand. And she's gorgeous.









Seriously, how could you go wrong with Sean Bean as an accessory? I just hope more of the fashion industry follows her lead, and embraces food. Food can be incredibly stylish and sexy. Food is the fashion of the future.

...Maybe not. Oh, and the secret ingredient is Beet.

looks for spring

If you want to look awesome for Spring, just buy everything over at American Apparel! (I'm not sure whether I'm being sarcastic or not....)




I think the leggings have started to grow on me, provided that they're not paired with a denim mini and Uggs.


It's nerdy, yet chic. I would have never thought to use brown shoes with the blue and green.


This is my absolute favorite. It's so ballet chic, and that skirt is amazing.

as if uggs weren't enough

OMG I can't believe I actually saw these. They're absolutely disgusting.

o rly

This is one trend that was better as a necklace. Seriously.


Forever21.com

since everybody's doing it.

OMG IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE L.LO!! WHATEVER ARE WE TO DO?!?!

so, two months later

Apparently a blog other than my livejournal may have not been a good idea. I'm not going to make any promises, but I'll definitely try to update this one more. I've discovered that even though I can't wear every look (skinny jeans and size 12 hips don't mix very well), I can fangirl about them. And perhaps one day I'll whittle my way down a bit.

Back to the fashion. I know this is hella late, and that the Proenza Schouler line at Target was announced months ago, and I've already looked at the promo photos, but February 4 is getting closer. I've been remembering what it is I really liked about the collection.


That yellow skinny belt is amazing.


Layering is love. I haven't been able to pull of the Mary-Kate Olson-style layering yet, but this simple kind is just delightful.


And the colors! Oh, the colors. I'm so glad that big, bold colors are being tossed around now. (Photos from the Jane blog.)

Basically, for Spring I want a yellow skinny belt and my old figure back. Hah.