I am extremely blessed this year to be remembered. Every since I started this fashion blog, my girlfriends seem to have gotten the hint. Above is a little glimpse of what I've gotten throughout the year and for christmas. and of course, someone who knows me very well got me a little Oscar Wilde qoute book.
Its the middle of winter and outside is a frosty 70 degrees. Since its so delightfully warm, today's outfit inspiration will be something like this:
I'm heading to the portrait gallery on my own today and taking the Diana+ camera that my boyfriend got me. Some nice quality quiet time.
i know i am a bit late in blogging about the beauty that is the Balmain s/s 09 collection, but i have been drooling over every piece since September '08. the jacket reminds me of Alexander McQueen's marching band vest that i still yearn for. Christophe Decarnin speaks to the part of every girl's heart that is tutu dress and studded sandals, cigarettes and roses, trombone player rockstar, cotton candy and bondage...did i say bondage? and even more amazing: the collection is now available online!! now lord, just fill my wallet with euros and i shall never ask for another thing. at least for 2 weeks.
Its lame when you read a blog and you come upon an entry that's just song lyrics. where everything is copy and pasted and even the chorus (x3) and the oohs and ahhs are included. I usually just skip right through them.
But I do understand why we feel a need to quote a song. Songs, unlike poems, express a thousand things otherwise indescribable with words. Words are so limiting when trying to convey the scope of a deep emotion, traumatic event, or a sweet tender first kiss. It's more than just sweet and tender. Those words don't replicate the moment as succinctly as a beautiful chord at just the right time paired with the right amount of heartbreaking bass.
Being the overtly analytical type, I always pay attention to the lyrics of a song. It baffles me that there are people who listen to music and fail to understand the message behind it. It's like looking at a painting in the dark. The art is lost on you and you are lost to it.
What I am saying is, the lyrics are my poems. I am not much of a poem reader per-se, but I do love and enjoy dissecting song lyrics. Why? because they aren't as serious as poems. Usually they are written to fit a mood or the melody of a song. The meanings are loose, and because of their open ended medium, they become subjective interpretations that are unique to each individual.
So tonight, rather than share you some songs or poems, I am going to share to you some of the most poignant lyrics that I have been lucky enough to catch. I hope that they, in turn, end up meaning something to you, specific to your experiences, pain, and happiness. Please do not read them as songs, but simply beautiful words that try their earnest to describe something almost impossible to otherwise. Don't think about what the author is trying to say, but rather, think of how the lines relate to you and what moments they are describing in your life.
Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe her name
I opened up my eyes
And found myself alone alone
Alone above a raging sea
That stole the only girl I loved
And drowned her deep inside of me
- Just Like Heaven, The Cure
On the night you left I came over And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders Our brand new coats so flushed and pink And I knew your heart I couldn't win Cause the season's change was a conduit And we'd left our love in our summer skin
- Summer Skin, Death Cab for Cutie
These lines are useless without the company of music. The music will tell you if the song is sad, slow, or energetic. So will the tone of the artist. A poem's major disadvantage is that when you read it, the author is not there reading it to you in the same tone in which he/she wrote it.
And then there are just some emotions that a song manages to perfectly capture without words. The human need to articulate every emotion, experience, to document every precious moment into words will never do those moments, experiences, emotions justice.
the gorgeous birthday girl. miss nancy came over to my place last minute and asked me to do her make up and hair this Saturday. i'm just glad I got to spend some private time with her before the party. Afterwards, she kept looking at herself in the mirror in awe, saying, "Wow, I never knew..." Seriously, the girl is extremely low maintanance. And now in her mid 20's she's finally decided its time to learn how to wear make up. Personally, I think its better that way. I started wearinig make-up as a teenager, and now I feel so naked without make up! I envy the gals who have never developed a dependency on it. Think of all the time they save in the morning!
note to self; trim ends pronto.
with amy. her wedding is next summer and there are six bridesmaids, including me. It's my first time as an adult to be a bridesmaid. I was a flower girl pretty much most of my childhood, so this will be a different experience. I'd still rather throw rose petals and let everyone else stress out over minute details.
I think the plan for the bachelor/bachelorette party is to go to Montreal and hit up the red light district, if there is one. I've never been to Canada before, but I do know that AlanisMorrisette is from there. But to her discredit, Avril Lavigne is also. Either way, I can't wait to get out of the USA, even if its just to our northerly continental neighbors. Canada was always the working American's Escape Plan. (Criminals always opt for Mexico for some reason.) During the 2008 electon, my friends and I kept telling ourselves that if McCain got elected, we'd move to Canada. Now's my chance to check out my possible future home.
when you are used to getting everything you've asked for, you don't know how to react when you finally don't. when things fall apart when you least expect them to, what do you do?
long ago i finally accepted the fact that just because i willed it so, doesn't mean it will turn out that way. i don't get as flustered when i don't get my way anymore. to be able to to surrender and admit defeat is somewhat liberating. to be able to walk away at the opportune time rather than fight a losing battle is empowering.
some fights aren't meant to be won. and sometimes you gain more in defeat than the sweetest victory.
Tonight was somewhat uneventful. by choice of course. The boyfriend went out for dinner and i stayed home and made dessert whilst watching Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The one with Cate Blanchett, queen of all things pale. The story was heartwrenching. It told of all things unrequited and beautiful things that are so close but out of reach. The images were moving. Sometimes a little too saturated, but you get the message; like when the King Phillip of Spain panics in darkness after his one candle blows out after his Spanish Armada is defeated (hope is loss...evil) and Queen Elizabeth stands in an atrium bathed in light (angel...good) and an apparatus that resembles wings.
as much as i protest about her Scientology ways, i do dote on her style. I just don't understand girls who give up everything for a guy... she sort of lost her identity for a whiles, but as of late (every since Suri?), she's been setting the trends (baggy jeans), not following them. I'm still curious to know if it is her making the decisions or her stylist, who's also a Scientologist, no doubt. Either way, she's got my attention.
Waiting for a package is excruciating. Especially if its being delivered by FedEx. Not only do they suck at updating their website tracking system, they take forever to get to you. Combine that with the most impatient person on earth, and you get one irritable me.
But it finally arrived in all its buttery blue softness!
I took my new bag out to a coffee date with Tanya at Barnes & Nobles, who recently purchased the same bag in white.
We did some catching up and good ol' gossiping. It's funny how when certain individuals are left to their own devices never fail to self-destruct. You hear a peice of news about them and you are neither surprised nor shock, but rather disappointed that you didn't predict it first. le sigh.
On the way to the cash register, I happened by the "impulse table" (table filled with impulsive buys that I always get suckered into impulsively buying at least one item), and found these lovely vintage looking Christmas postcards. They have turn-of-the-century images of famous landmarks in France and glitter(!), which is totally impractical to have on postcards, but I had to have them. They were so moi.
If you know I love you, expect a glittery postcard in the mail soon.
this weekend was packed full of goodness. we did a private shopping event at zelaya shoes/daisy too to raise some money for a few of our favorite charities. Besides the fact that I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, the event was a total success. It would not have been as smooth if not for the help of some wonderful girlfriends (Tanya, you are most def one of them!).
If you've been reading my blog for a whiles, you find that people come and go often in my hectic life. I am always meeting new people and I LOVE connecting with people...learning their stories, gaining new perspectives. My social scene basically changes every 6 months, so to say. There are pros and cons to having so many faces come and go... You meet some pretty awful people whom you wish would just disappear and you meet some people who touch you and change your life. As of late, thanks to the people that I have been working with, I feel my outlook on life changing drastically. I've witnessed what it is like to selflessly give for the sake for giving and not thinking about what you are getting out of it in return. And a part of me really wants to experience that sort of joy; to be able to just do something without thinking about the cost/benefit behind it and just doing it.
I just watch in awe hoping one day I can be just as selfless.
afterwards, we swallowed spirits and danced the night away. i got a chance to meet some more beautiful girls.
That title has 3 too many alliterations to be cool.
Anyways, happiest Friday to all!
From now on, every Friday I will try my best to share one of my favorite things; be it a piece of clothing, jewelry, or food. So, every other Friday, is a Friday Favorite Flava. Okay, on Fridays when I get home early from work and have time to post something...
The top: I got this silk ribbon top a year or two ago (who can remember) from Target. It was by Libertine for Target's GO International line and it has become one of my favorite tops to date. It's girly, with lacy details on the sleeve, and the bow in the back is the sweetest touch. Sweet girly tops are my weakness I must confess, even for a former tomboy like myself.
Alright, I am off to Nordstrom Rack tonight to help a guy friend pick out some jeans. I've recently been contributing to a local blog with some fashion advice. Thus far, its encouraged a few of my guy friends to "step up" on their look at bit.
I've been eye-ing this bag for the longest time, ever since the bright blue caught my attention as I was walking out of Cusp. It reminded me of my Skye Blue Balenciaga that I purchased earlier this year, whose color has since deteriorated due to overuse and overexposure to sunlight. Note to anyone considering buying a Balenciaga: they are extremely fragile and not water treated on purpose. Thats like using the same logic as dry-denim (see previous posts).
It's on sale right now at Cusp for around $177 (I may be off a buck or two), but on the Linea Pelle website it's currently $122. I just snagged up this Dylan Clutch for $73.00.
They currently have a sale of 40% off all items/purchases over $100. Use the code HOLIDAY08 at checkout.
every since i saw these black sequined hot pants in Vogue and on Chanel's 2007 RTW show, the little eccentric in me knew I had to own them, if not to wear them out in public, than to just prance around in the comfort of my own home.
I've never owned a pair of designer denim before. The most I've ever thought reasonable to spend on jeans were $80 and that was once on a pair of skinny jeans from Abercrombie & Fitch. Otherwise, I just stick with whatever they have at Urban Outfitters.
That all changed this year when, in the course of my profession as a free-lancer, someone gave me a pair of $215 Citizens of Humanity jeans. Granted, they fit pretty well, but other than that, I couldn't tell the difference from my $60 jeans and these.
I got toothpaste on them the other day and told my boyfriend that I was going to wash them. He, being the denim whore that he is, immediately asked me, "Are those dry denim?"
Dry or Raw Denim is an unwashed denim treated with indigo dyes. Due to the nature of indigo dyes, the color fades and bleeds quickly. For those uninitiated with dry denim, one should try to wear the jeans as often as possible and post-pone washing them for as long as is tolerable (6 months to a year). The end result is a completely personal wash that denim designers constantly strive to reproduce. Take care around as these may bleed on white shoes and tops.
Post-pone washing as long as 6 months to a year? Are you nuts?! Not only that, they tell you to try to wear it as much as possible. If this isn't a recipe for bad hygiene, I don't know what is. Needless to say, to avoid ruining these expensive puppies, I held off from washing them, toothpaste stained and all.
The ridiculous things we go through for fashion. I guess it's like wearing high heels for the sake of looking good even if they are killing your feet/spine. Fashion speaks to the masochistic. Whatever your torture method of choice, I hope you feel as good as I do when I put on my severely high Louboutins.
Has anyone heard Kanye West's new album, 808's and Heartbreaks? It's a tour de force of emotions containing some of the most touching lyrics to come from Mr. West.
My favorites right now are Street Lights and Robocop.
Robocop is especially stands out to me because it samples from the movie Great Expectations, one of the best comfort movies of all time. (comfort movies : movies for sad days, rainy days, or snuggling by the fire days)
Personally, I've always loved BoA. She's a popstar in Korea and Japan, being fluent in both language, but originating from the former. Anyways, her management company has grand ambitions for her to break into the US very soon. This is her debut single & video:
Leave it to Asians to make a video totally irrelevant to the song. This happens quite a lot if you like Asian pop like I do. Anyways, the dance moves are good, but her voice is so high and nasal-y in English (not that it wasn't already in Korean/Japanese) that she reminds me of Heidi Montag's gloriously horrendous voice:
Obviously BoA has more talent in one pinkie than Heidi Montag.
Thanks to MTV, she is set to perform in NYC on December 3rd. The Victoria Secret Fashion Show is also on that night.
