winter blues

so for the past few days I've felt like this:

Not quite as fashionable though.  I'm sick with a cold but also I just am sick of not being in school. I miss it even though I'll regret saying this after my first week.  

On the bright side of life, I have a new queen size bed.  The lighting in my room is terrible so I'll just show you what I got!

This is the bed I got. Ikea's Malm model.

where to buy

And this pillow that I fell in love with.  Reminded me of Monet.  I decided I wanted to base my colors for my bedding off the pillow because I had to have it. 

where to buy

My bedding that I got was a light violet comforter and silver sheets with violets on them.  It won't let me post a decent picture so I'll just post a link.

Comforter

Unfortunately can't find the sheets but they are really soft! I went really cheap on this whole bed shopping excursion.  Ikea and Target are awesome to find cheap buys that look nice.  

spring 2011 trends to look forward to

So this winter I have been wearing a lot of black, militaristic coats/shoes and mens wear as well as jewel toned skirts and sweaters.  Generally a dark palate that suits the winter but I'm really looking forward to a couple spring trends for the new year.
Vibrant pinks and oranges are popping up everywhere in spring 2011 rtw.

I love these 70's taxi driver inspired looks from Marc Jacobs. So bright, these looks remind me of spring break and the change in the weather. 

Along with colorful ensembles, I noticed much more feminine styles gracing the runways. 

This pretty pink dress is BCBG rtw. I like how it resembles flower petals.

And this one is Giambattista Valli.  I love the pairing of bright orange with nude.

Despite showing off their colors, designers also used neutrals. This dress from Chloe was extremely feminine and I feel like adding crazy amounts of color would have detracted from it.  

Now I still noticed mens wear on the runways, especially from Stella McCartney and Hermés. 

The first look is something that I can see women in the professional world working while they strut down the street but the blue look seems too sloppy for the office.  I like them both because I feel like it shows two different women who can wear menswear for their situation.  

And then there was Hermés...

They kind of went with bull fighter chic which was really fun. They also had a lot of Indiana Jones-esque pieces with different beiges and nudes.  So fierce. Once again, another look for another woman. The plunging neckline is what turns this suit into a winner, for me at least. I dig it. 

Saving my favorite spring trend for last.....

Feathers.

It seemed like every designer had feathers in their collection, namely the paris runways.

Zac Posen had these two looks. Very 1930's to me.

Of course John Galliano had them and did feathers like party guests of Gatsby.

More Giambattista Valli.  I like how they incorporated very simple pieces with the feathers like a man's shirt and nude shorts.  

And the show stopper of the entire season (in my opinion) Alexander McQueen's dress. 

God I love it. Find me a ball to go to or something.

I hope you all can find ways to incorporate these fun spring looks into every day fashion without looking like Big Bird on an acid trip.  

"I felt it"

If you haven't seen Black Swan yet, go see it. I've seen it twice in four days which means another obsession has begun.  Tonight I saw it with Jose, it was the second time for us both, and then we drank milkshakes and ate french fries. We are perfect ballerinas.  I don't want to give too much of the plot away because the surprises are essential to the film, however it is a perfect portrayal of an artist losing herself in an attempt to find a character.  I will say "Spoiler alert" just in case you're really neurotic and don't want to know anything ahead of time.

The one issue I have with the film is that it's almost too obvious that the characters are simply living out Swan Lake in the real world.  The constant black/white of Nina and Lily are intriguing at first but become expected as they have more scenes together.  

The same goes for a majority of the clues in the film which is in fact a ballet within a ballet.  Nina desperately trying to master the character of the black swan while slipping into the dark side of her own person.  

Regardless of the light vs. dark, man vs. self archetypes of the film, I felt like the concept was original, albeit all too well-known for those who have worked in the performing arts.  Certainly Nina is an extreme, but haven't we all felt as if we had lost ourselves at one time or another? 

Enough movie chatter. I have been rocking a ballerina bun for the past few days.  

It's easy to do and my hair stays out of my face.  Enough said.  My hair is pretty short (little below my chin) so it's not a matter of length. I suggest you try it next time you are in a hurry or just want to channel some psychotic ballet energy.  I hopped out of the shower minutes before I had to leave for dinner so this is what I did.  

P.S. sorry there was such a lag between updates. Christmas has been a busy and stressful time.  

I will be updating more frequently now so keep reading. 

Let's go to the hop

My inspiration for this week's post was the Good Guys car show that I went to a couple weeks back.
Now I'm not a big car person but this was pretty cool.  All the decades were represented but I thought I would talk about the 1950's where cars were king.

This is the image I usually think of when people bring up the subject of women during the 1950's.  Or I think of the mentally unstable housewife, as seen below. 

Just peachy, huh? 

Growing up I was obsessed, and I mean OBSESSED with Grease.  I wanted to marry Danny Zuko and ride Greased lightning into the clouds all day every day.  The whole bad boy obsession has certainly been a part of my real life, but some of the fashion has crept in as well.

Kick me up in some red candies and I'm good to go. Well, not candies but I love me some red high heels.  So classic and sexy. They also go well with a little black dress, or black leather pants. 

I'm also fond of the sweet silhouettes of the 50's. Long hoop skirts and tight blouses work wonders on curves. Especially thanks to this geometric wonder:

 I've always wanted one just for fun but they do look very alien futuristic chic, oui? 

Along with the sweet, wholesomeness we associate with this time, there was an interesting underground movement that I think is probably the most fascinating part of the whole decade.

Bettie Page has always interested me, simply because she's so not what most people would think of when discussing Ike or Leave it to Beaver.  There was this subculture emerging from the depths, similar to the creature from the black lagoon.  This is also the time when monster movies became oh so popular. 

Men love the whole damsel in distress thing, don't they?

Technicolor, nuclear war fare, the cone bra: all marvelous, and frightening, things made popular by the 1950's.  Now let me put on my sweater set and grab a chocolate malt with the guy whose pin I'm wearing. 

Angela & Marjorie

I've decided to do a few posts about fashion inspirations in my life which include women in my family, musicians, actors and fictional television characters to name a few.  Without sounding too shallow, fashion has been a integral part of who I am and how I view the world. I felt that I should start with my first fashion icons.

This is a photo of my dad with my Grandpa Bob and my Grandma Angie.  My grandma has always had a unique style.  This picture is from late 1964 (just a guess) and from her hair to her slacks, Angie is the perfect picture of modern sixties fashion.  As a child I loved slipping on her over-sized bangle bracelets and her multitude of colorful, clip-on earrings.  She never leaves the house without a fresh coat of lipstick and some eyeliner which I always find amazing. I'm hardly ever that organized! Even when she's preparing a gigantic holiday meal or babysitting grandkids, my Grandma Angie is accessorized to the T. Her collection of perfumes always transfixed me when I would visit. I'd often sit and look at myself in her antique mirror as I tried on rings and held baby dolls.  I constantly see pieces of jewelry that remind me of her in popular stores and I thank her for her effortless sense of style she passed down to me. 

This is my Grandma Marj at my parents wedding in 1989.  Although her style is different from Angie's,  I have picked up many of her fashion nuances and eye for sparkle.  My fondest memories were hiding in her closet and trying on high heels.  I thought she was a movie star with her elegant dresses, diamond jewelry and red nails. She had a story for every shoe, every earring and every purse. I desperately wanted to go to fancy dinners so I could wear clothes like hers.  Even now I find myself drawn to sequined anything and loud accessories that scream Grandma Marj.  I remember she always wore a necklace with a big, golden coin on it that I played with every time she would pick me up.  Her blonde hair was always done, even at the pool. Up until I was in the 5th grade, Grandma Marj and Grandpa Dean went to Palm Springs in the winters which I thought was even more glamourous.  To me, she will always be a Hollywood A-lister, especially with her fashion.

Both my Grandmothers have made me appreciate details that make fashion what it is.  I feel as though without them I would be stuck in a hollister haze or an Abercrombie coma, not knowing up from down! As I've matured, my style has too, and I always go back to my memories of playing dress up at my grandmothers' houses when making important decisions ranging from what to wear at the beach to my first prom dress.

To be thankful

Thanksgiving is an odd holiday. We are supposed to give thanks yet end up gorging ourselves with turkey carcass and the like before we swarm like africanized bees to a super store in order to purchase a ridiculous item our child, or husband whines for.  Although I do not have a child or husband, my cat will suffice and I'm going to buy her one of those three-story cat condos.  Yes, I am indulging in the practice that I find so silly.  I spent my afternoon thinking about stuffing myself with stuffing and saving the last possible room in my stomach for pumpkin pie, however I also had a memorable time with my family. Ah hah! The real joy I find in this holiday of gluttony is spending time with my family, who I rarely see between school and work.  For this rare occasion of care-free family fun, I applaud Thanksgiving; I even say "thanks".  Not just for the thousands of unnecessary calories or the dirt cheap pricing, but for giving me a day to play with my little cousins, laugh with my older cousins and hug my grandma.

new again

So my first post on my own netbook. I just bought a ASUS N270 today, not entirely sure what that means except for it's a 10.1" lap top of my very own.  I'm enjoying it so far except for it's a little slow compared to the macs I have at home. I figured that just having a small computer to take notes and blog would be fine.  Besides, I don't really have $1,000+ lying around. 

This morning I went on a formal tour of the downtown phoenix campus where I will be learning for the next four years. I'm in love. So new and urban.  Plus, the Cronkite school for journalism and mass communications is amazing. It is so innovative and equipped for the future of journalism. I can't hardly contain my excitement. I also learned that my what is left of my scholarship after tuition is deducted will be sent to me for text books.  I'm glad that I don't have to worry much about expenses and just enjoy my education.

That's all for now, but I'm hoping I can keep up with this, post pictures, and share my experience with other college freshmen and students.