What goes around...

This time I have to draw attention to another designer whose spread in the Vogue Spring/Summer 2010 lookbook was even smaller than that of Tsumori Chisato. I usually glaze over the collections that are at the very end of their section. The quarter-page spread only showcases about 10 looks and has no information about the designer or their inspiration. Luella Bartley's collection, however, caught my eye and, at the risk of being presumptuous, I find her inspiration to be more than apparent.

Luella Bartley's world this season is a veritable 1960s paradise and I think it's simply wonderful. I can't wait to bust out my 6 euro polka dot top and have a go at it myself. And just look at that black dress with the heart cut-out detail...I'm in love. Check out the rest of her collection here -- it's a treasure trove for those who are feeling nostalgic and lighthearted.

More Idealism and a New Favorite

I absolutely adore the Vogue Collections lookbook. My first year of college one of my roommates had one and fawned over it as though it was a volume of Biblical proportions. She was wealthy, had articles of clothing that would have devastated my bank account, and flaunted her fashion knowledge as often as someone was around to listen. I saw that glossy Fashion Eden then as something completely foreign. I know that if I had browsed its pages with her I would not have seen the clothes, but the names -- Chanel, Chloe, Balmain, YSL -- in other words, "don't even think about it, Rachel."

What I realize now is that my former roommate used fashion as a way to distinguish herself from others as so many girls of means do. This is what I'm working to fight against. Fashion should not be used as a way to suggest superiority over others because of a lack in self confidence. It should be, rather, an extension of your personality. Properly wielded, fashion is a weapon to make one feel secure and confident. It is not a tool to make others feel small and excluded.

When I study the collections in the Vogue lookbook now, I see them tools for inspiration, ideas that can translate to my daily life despite my inability to throw down 600 dollars on a summer frock. The next few posts will be dedicated to my new favorite designers as discovered in the Spring/Summer 2010 Vogue Collections. The first is Tsumori Chisato.

I find her charming for several reasons, one of them being that her Wikipedia page is strikingly brief, as is her spread in the Vogue lookbook. While other designers received a large paragraph dripping with detail, they succinctly describe the Japanese designer's collection as "both charming and witty, with myriad free colour combinations, motifs and flounces, pleasingly rounded volumes and draping for a relaxed and relaxing season." I want to draw attention, however, to what is possibly one of my favorite pieces and would be easy to overlook amongst its big name peers.This dress is just a dream. The print is gorgeous, the silhouette is flirty and feminine, and it looks like it would be remarkably comfortable. I adore it and hope that I can replicate it when the temperature rises in a few months. Moral of the story is: Check out Tsumori Chisato's collection here.

Today

Today I begin something again. I have a nasty habit, like many others, of never finishing what I start -- books, blogs, journals, etc. The only way I can continue writing, I think, is if I write exclusively for myself. I will no longer haunt the pages of Google Analytics wondering how many people are reading my musings. It would be naive of me to say that I don't care if people read; I do. I can, however, only write about that which I care about or the endeavor is pointless.

I've been fascinated by fashion for a small time all things considered. I grew up in the country where camouflage and sports team sweatshirts were chic. Studying abroad in Florence, Italy fanned the small flame, I suppose, and here I am. Armed with The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers and the last two Vogue Collections (Fall/Winter 2010 and Spring/Summer 2010), I plan to learn about fashion and document it for myself along the way.

I have to confess that this is not just some frivolous occupation. I am determined to prove something. Some are born into the world of fashion, or, at least into a world in which high fashion is within reach. I would like to prove that however genius designers are, their creations are born from imagination. Thus, wearing labels, or not wearing them, does not dictate anything since imagination is something afforded to all. I would love to own a Dior gown or a Chanel knit suit, but I don't have the means. Does this ban me, or others like me, from being fashionable or respectable? No it does not. So begins my mission.

(Photo courtesy of The Satorialist)

It's time...

for something new. I want to release my thoughts in to the great beyond of cyberspace once more. When I came back from Italy the first time, there was nothing to write about. Charlottesville, Virginia, while beautiful, isn't terribly interesting. It's home. I don't come across situations that challenge me every day.

But am I just going to stop writing? Moral of the story is, I miss writing -- however out-of-practice I may be. This time, it's going to be something different. I'm not going to write about things I encounter during my day, or it won't be the centerpiece. I want to have a purpose and since I'm not sure if anyone reads this thing, especially since I haven't posted in a millennium, I have to write for myself.

So I'm going to do a little remodeling, then it'll all begin again.

In love again

with this song. Rediscovered it a couple of weeks ago.

Already?! I know, but there were some things I had to draw attention to.

1.These shoes are just delicious. I want them. If only the company wasn't based all the way across the pond. Via Irregular Choice.
2.I have these in Nude/Red, but that might have been a bad choice after seeing these. While I was in Florence Emilio Cavallini was on my walk to class -- it was hard to ignore the rows of boldly-printed, bright-colored legs, but who'd want to?

That's all for right now. I'm posting tomorrow about an upcoming project that I hope will be finished by the end of this month. Lots of goodies to come.

xoxo

Gilles-Marie Zimmermann

Beautiful photography via gmzimmermann.com.

This is precious.

Thus begins a new portion of my blogging repertoire. I'm just lusting after too many things these days to keep it all pent up inside -- instead I'm releasing it to the masses on the internet (maybe Twitter?).

Now for the lust list:
1.I love this t-shirt. When my sister and I were in Quebec City our sole mission was to find a t-shirt with French print, but all we found were shirts with "Cape Cod" tauntingly scrawled across the fronts. Five years later I stumble across a hot pink shirt with the phrase "I'm too sexy for this shirt" translated in French in block letters. Destiny? (via alexandchloe.com)
2.Brian Lichtenberg racerback tanktop. Probably just want it because it looks more than just a little like Chanel. (via karmaloop.com)
3.So worth all that money. I've been lusting after this for a while -- it might be the image of this stereo from Urban Outfitters perched on my shoulder while walking to class.
4.I've been on the fence about peep toe shoes; they've always seemed a bit awkward to me. After trying some on, however, I might be rethinking my stance. Especially after seeing this Valentino pumps. Seeing as they're on sale for $465 (original price $775), I'm not sure I'll ever get to experiment with this particular pair of shoes. ::sigh:: (via valentino.com)

More lusting to come.

Overloaded and Overwhelmed

I've only seriously been paying attention to the blogging world for less than 24 hours after my summer sabbatical, and I'm on sensory overload (or maybe my eyes are watering from playing too much Guitar Hero).
I also hopped on the Twitter bandwagon just to see what it's all about. Not sure if it's a mistake or not -- really just not sure what it is to begin with. Am I supposed to update it every time I do something newsworthy? Isn't this like my Facebook status? Should I Twitter about how I'm confused about Twitter? Maybe I'll direct message Lady Gaga about that later.

Anyway,
Here are my favorite links so far:
1. As I'm interested in all things fashion these days, Nubby Twiglet's Blog as well as BetseyJ's are some damn good reading material. They have plenty of great links to all things fashion; expensive, inexpensive, and just educational. Information on the both of them can be found on their sites.
2. Unfortunately, exploring fashion blog feeds my online shopping problem. I'm powerless to stop it. Girlprops.com has inexpensive, crazy jewelry for the cost-conscious while Alex & Chloe provide a little bit of the opposite, though not quite Cartier level.
and finally...
3. A fun video from CollegeHumor.com.

Since I'm so out of the loop you'll have to forgive me if all of these links are old news -- I'm trying.

Heart Necklace by Alex & Chloe

Love.

I am ashamed;

I've been terribly absent. We'll just look at that as my vacation. Once I stop posting for a week or more it gets harder and harder to do it again. That "posted 5 weeks ago" is just staring me in the face.
I find that once I put goals online I'm more driven to follow them, so here goes:
-- Keep posting regularly
-- Finish my two photography projects that I didn't do in Italy
-- Keep shopping at Goodwill/making my own clothes
-- Continue reading as much as I have been (Left Hand of Darkness I will finish you!)

Okay, hold me to those. Moral of the story: I'm back yet again. I needed about a month vacation from thinking about my life critically and now you find me vastly unaware of politics, still incredibly poor, not very driven, but infused with happiness. Excellent.

Here are a few photos of my summer thus far:


Hope yours is as good as mine.

Hot.

As a budding (hopefully) photographer I'm always on the lookout for the new and interesting. Annie Leibovitz will continue to be my idol for two reasons:
a) her work is beautiful, interesting, and always surprising
b) she started off as a photographer for Rolling Stone in its younger days, and learned as she went.

It's nice to see what other people come up with, their styles, what they find interesting enough to immortalize in a photograph. Today I stumbled upon Jasper Goodall who has a new series titled "Poster Girl." This is a quotation from his website:

Poster Girl is a series of works by influential graphic artist Jasper Goodall, that explore themes of fetish and fantasy. Whilst the work itself can be seen as erotic art, it is equally about looking at the world of fetish and erotica with an appreciative yet critical eye. It is erotic art but it is also about erotic art - the images are a result of Goodall's musings on erotica and sexual fetish.

Risque? Definitely, but also really fascinating. Just check out these pictures.

Bad Bambi

Tigress

Pink Polish

However you feel about the topic of sexual fetishes and erotic art, you have to admit those are some eye-catching photographs. Jasper Goodall's show is being featured at the Electric Blue Gallery in London - www.electricbluegallery.com.

LUST LUST LUST

Somewhat later in life than some girls, I'd say, I've fallen prey to the weakness that is fashion. My wall is covered significantly with pictures from my Vogue Italy magazine - the models annoy and fascinate me in the same breath. The Chanel model who wears tight patent leather pants, ankle boots to match, a chain belt, leather jacket, and hot pink t-shirt printed with the famous interlocking Cs seems to say as she throws back her hair, "God, I'm so sexy you can't even comprehend it." She might be right.
LUST LUST LUST literally runs through my head when I'm looking at some things and here are my latest obsessions:

Selina Dress at MotelRocks.com

Les Chiffoniers' Leggings

Snap-On Hoodie from IsThatOT.com (beware of the bizzare)

Nike Women's High-top Vandals via Sneakerhead.com

Lust Lust Lust. I want.

The Funk List

I miss Italy, I need to do something more stimulating than swiping cards, filling out Incident Reports, folding t-shirts, and roaming around the AFC (even though I love working there). So, I'm going to volunteer at the Charlottesville SPCA today to get in my puppy fix - no matter what I say in the future, do not let me adopt one. Even if I beg and cry, don't fall for it.

Other things on my "Funk List" - the list that will get me out of my funk - include:
- Keep reading
- Pay more attention to politics
- Fix up my apartment
- Take at least one big trip (Austin, TX?)
- Keep up my Italian
- Make/design clothes

I'm all about the anti-funk today, so I think my anti-funk song would have to go to...
Santogold. I know she was MTV's posterchild when she first appeared, and she's now old-ish news, but I love this song.

Ladybugs and Puzzle Pieces

Everyone always says (yes, everyone and always) that you'll find something when you least expect it. In fact, I remember an anecdote from a movie about a little girl who would spend hours looking for ladybugs when one day she fell asleep, woke up, and they were crawling all over her. Oh, wow, how insightful movie, I wonder what commentary you're trying to make about life.
Or, when I was a little girl, well, maybe just a few years ago, I'd be working on a puzzle and furiously searching for a specific piece. Sure enough, when I gave up all hope of finding that piece and moved onto another one, I'd find the stupid piece I was looking for before. I might still have anger issues from that very situation.
So this is my formal complaint to Life as some sort of entity that might listen to my thoughts. What's up with this business of leading people on wild goose chases only to reward them with the chases' objects just when we've given up all hope? There we are, with bruised and battered egos, demoralized completely, then you hand us a "Get Out of Jail Free" card just to mess with our heads. Unfair? Completely.
I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to listen to anything that ends with the words "when you least expect it." Besides, maybe Life will be fooled if I pretend to give up hope just to get what I've been wanting. Outsmarting Life not a good way to spend my days? Well, it's summer; I'm not exactly pressed for time.

Dan Auerbach knows what's up.

For Wade

who made this boss layout possible, bringing to my attention that rotating the image 180 degrees then flipping it horizontally would simply be the key to so many wonderful things.
You love acoustic guitar, and hey, Tommy Emmanuel deserves his little 15 minutes of fame, too. Here's "Antonella's Birthday," my favorite part comes at 1:45 - look at those fingers caress (because there's no other word for it) those strings:

He's so rock and roll with his strategically unbuttoned shirt - what a legend.

Neon Indian!

The above picture is not really what I'm going to write about - it's a t-shirt from threadless, but it's pretty perfect nonetheless.
Anyway, thanks to Marcus (again) there's a good summer song by Neon Indian called "Deadbeat Summer," and guess what, thanks to my genius I found it on YouTube.

I always have a habit of imagining what movie scenes I would put songs in. If my life were a movie, this song would go in a scene of me in my new room. It'd be one of those scenes where time speeds up by showing me doing various things in a sequence: making my bed, sitting in my chair typing on my computer, folding clothes, sitting in my chair, laying on my bed blowing bubbles, hitting my head on my desk repeatedly, and repeating the whole cycle all over again.
Summer anthems aren't always about sunny nirvana - sometimes summer is boring. It's a wasteland of free time or time spent working behind a counter for hours on end. It's hot - the type of hot that glues people to plastic lawn chairs and makes retractable awning sales skyrocket.
This song, however, makes me feel like all of that is bearable and maybe even pleasant in its own right. When we're not busy we can recognize the humor in normal things, or it forces us to amuse ourselves. Have you ever made faces at yourself in the mirror and then laughed at its ridiculousness? Were you busy?
Listen to Neon Indian.

Projected Summer Jams

I always read a certain phrase on iTunes that has to be a tried and true marketing trick: this is the song/track/hit of the summer. For some reason, probably not a particularly complicated one, those of us that still enjoy the benefits of a few months off salivate at those words and click 'Buy' every time.
What's in a summer jam? Gauging our reaction, it has to contain something like these ingredients: a whisper of freedom, a few obnoxiously-printed Hawaiian board shorts, even more too-small bikinis, some Banana Boat sunscreen, too much free time, and of course, more than enough sunshine.
Either way, I've found some summer jams. The first one, "Now We Can See" by The Thermals was at the end of a long, harried musical treasure hunt. One of my new roommates heard it while driving but sadly missed the name and band. The next few days he unsuccessfully tried to hum the tune only getting blank faces in response. Now all's well, and here it is:

Likewise, I was driving with the windows down back home, when I heard Grizzly Bear's song "Two Weeks" from their new album Veckatimest. Marcus was right, this music video blows my mind. Couldn't resist making that joke and now I regret it. Here it is:

Anyhow, I'm debating whether or not I should put my favorite Discodust find up here or if that will scare the summer crowd away...maybe next time. Let the first two soak in like those healthy UV rays.

25 Days Later

Almost like the film 28 Days Later minus zombie-like, enraged infected people. 25 days after my homecoming has been characterized by challenges, but returning from Italy has been nothing like other life transitions I've endured so far.
I'm not sure what I expected, though history is not in my favor. Two summers ago saw me sobbing on the plane next to a very uncomfortable woman, and walking around at my job like the living dead until I finally moved into my first college dorm room.
Here I am, back from Italy and probably the most important life experience so far, and I'm completely fine. I miss it, but like I missed my family while I was gone. I knew I'd see them soon.
I could tell you every detail since I've gotten back, but who wants to read that much? I will say that the Blue Ridge Mountains rival any Renaissance Cathedral, and, best of all, I feel as though they're mine. I can't wait to drive up to Shenandoah and disappear for a few hours among the trees - it's a nice change from disappearing among centuries-old stone and crowds of tourists.
I'm home, but I'm not going anywhere. Keep checking back here.

Consolation Prizes

I apologize for being out of touch lately. I'm packing to go home. 'Nuff said, eh?
Here's some ear candy in the meantime.


sorry, great song.


Late of the Pier!


I sympathize.


Coming home on Saturday!