Inspiration Friday/Saturday: Flight of the Conchords

1.  Sorry I'm so late on getting this published, my family dragged me by the ear to the beach before I could get a post up this morning and...well, we just got home.  So here I am.

2.  You may think I'm somewhat insane after you realize what I'm about to say.  It's ok, the truth had to come out eventually.

3.  There is the potential that this will be my last post before I leave for China.  I don't know if I'll have much time/the energy to post while I'm there, so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a month or so!

Here's the deal: I have a fairly offbeat sense of humor. I'm a naturally awkward person and tend to gravitate toward comedy that's fairly awkward. Movies I like include Driving Lessons, Eagle vs. Shark (which stars Jemaine of FotC) and Step Brothers. Making fun of awkwardness by exaggerating it is hilarious. Which brings me to Flight of the Conchords. It's a show on HBO about two crazy awkward guys from New Zealand in an electro-funk band living in New York. Their manager is also a New Zealander and also wicked awkward. As is their one fan. Probably one of my favorite quotes from the show is "I'm not crying, it's just rain on my face. I was cutting onions 'cuz I'm making a lasagna...for one!"

I digress. What I'm bringing this to, obviously, is the way Jemaine and Bret dress. Like awkward guys with minimal style sense. And what they do have seems to have been gained in the early 1990s. I wasn't able to find a copy of it, but they did a great promotional shoot for the show in entirely denim outfits. It's hysterical.

As stated before, I'm awkward and fairly nerdy. I try to keep this out of my dress as much as possible. These guys don't.



I started styling a Polyvore set for the show, though, and came to realize that a certain amount of nerdiness is totally chic right now. Pegged jeans? Flannel shirts? T-shirts layered over long sleeved shirts? Argyle? Shit yeah! So I feel much better giving you this and still being able to hold my head in a somewhat not-totally-lame fashion.


Do you know how many times I used the word awkward in this post? Too many.

Links à la Mode

Here's this week's IFB link roundup! As always, the links are great! My personal favorites are The Coveted's post on 1930's glamour, Frassy's DIY necklace and Little Black Book's review of statement-making tights.

• AuctionDivaFashion - Vintage Hawaiian Pineapple Dress
  
• dramatis personae - Boundaries between designing & knock-offs
  
• Dress Me Up Dollie - Weekend Update
  
• Fashion Journalist in the City - Vintage Vogue
  
• Frassy - D.I.Y Chanel Bottle Pendant Necklace
  
• Independent Fashion Bloggers - How NOT to get ripped off
  
• la boudoir - A review of all this falls fashion trends - straight from the runway.
  
• Little Black Book - Style Trend: Statement Tights!
  
• Mademoiselle Robot - This week’s interview with the extremely gifted Nubby Twiglet.
  
• Or False Glitter - Fur in Fashion: Glamorous or grotesque?
  
• poetic & chic - The frequent J.Crew catalogs in my mailbox are a constant source of torture!
  
• Retro Chick - Vintage Clothing & Retro Style - Autumn Florals: Keep on blooming
  
• ShopDiary - Impulse Buy: Should I keep? Or sell? Should I save up for another Chanel?
  
• THE COVETED - Coveting Chinatown, a Visit to 1930’s LA
  

Want to share the love? IFB members can go to the forums here. Not a member? If your blog qualifies, you can sign up here!

What I Wore: 8/27/08

1. I'm awesome
2. Went to a get-together for China last night, the people are all pretty chill. I'm getting nervous to go. I.e. starting to look for reasons not to go. Eesh!
3. I wore a dress today.



Dress, Bitten Sarah Jessica Parker for Steve and Barry's; leggings, Old Navy; cardigan, Torrid; shoes and necklace, Target.

It's too small in the chest. I should probably get rid of it but...it's so pretty!

What I Wore: 8/26/08

T-Shirt, necklace, Old Navy; cami, jeans, Z. Cavaricci for Torrid; shoes, Bitten Sarah Jessica Parker for Steve and Barry's.

I'm quite fond of today's shoot for some reason. Nothing too exciting going on today. I have a get together for my China trip tonight. T minus 5 days!!!!

Runway Report: Behnaz Sarafpour

More on the Fall ready to wear lines. I'd never heard of Behnaz Sarafpour before this fall, but I'm so glad I finally did! Her collection is full of deliciously wearable dresses with artistic embellishments, muted metallics and monochrome palettes. I actually don't even have words to describe how in love with her clothes I am. She's going up there with Elie Saab in my book.

















Get it yourself:



The look is all about the perfect LBD, metallics that don't look trashy and totally wearable seperates.

Images: Elle.com

Weekend Update 8/25/08

This weekend was like any other weekend--started off strong with some heavy drinking on Thursday and peetered into nothingness by Sunday night. This is the way I like to live my life.

Saturday was my going away party (I leave for China in less than a week!) and like all parties I throw, there was minimal turnout, but it was OK. I had a pretty good time, even if it wasn't what I had planned for. And there's a fuck ton of PBR in my fridge still. E'rybody loves PBR, right? OK, there's also some Sam Adams and quite a few microbrews (a seasonal called "Twilight!!"), too. I suppose I'm digressing here, the beer content of my fridge really has nothing to do with fashion--except maybe for accounting for part of my need to wear plus-sized clothes!



This is a combination of what I wore today and a couple of pictures of Kaitlin, Elaura and Heidi from the party on Saturday. The details on what I wore:

Cardigan, Xhilaration at Target; T-Shirt, Old Navy; Pants, Torrid; Shoes, Xhilaration at Target.

I'm comfortable, I love my old man cardigan, which has become crazy soft with the constant washing it's been going through. And I L-O-V-E these jellies, even if they are almost noisier than wearing a pair of heels. I just don't care.

Something you may not know is that I really do go to school (during the school year, at least) and am actually a double major. I may have mentioned advertising a few times on here, as it's my primary major, but I don't think I've said much about art. Well, my other major is art. I don't actually make much art and I haven't taken an art course in a few terms, but I'm an art major and I do have a specific style...I turn photographs into comic-like computer illustrations. I made quite a few this weekend, that's why I'm bringing it up. I thought I'd show you:



This is Heidi from an outing earlier this summer. All the leaves in this took me forever to draw and fill in, but I'm fond of it. Do you like?

Inspiration Friday: Rich Pinks

This Fall, one of the trends I'm really looking forward to seeing pan out is rich berry colors! Yay! Pink is absolutely, without a doubt my favorite color, so seeing it used in a sophisticated, grown up way on the Fall runways made me smile on the inside. For your weekend inspiration, I've gathered a variety of things in pink so you can see how easy it'll be to incorporate pink into your life--a little or a lot at a time! There are items at every price point--from Forever 21 to Burberry--and at every level of subtlety--from nail polish to a statement jacket. Enjoy!

Happy Feet

I spent the better part of my youth in dance classes. I'm not saying I was ever great or on my way to being prima ballerina by any means, but I enjoyed it and I spent a lot of time immersed in dance culture. Other than the nasty habit of practicing steps in the grocery store, I developed a deep hatred of feet from dancing. I know a lot of girls in the same boat as me, I think it stems from the abuse your feet endure from the shoes (or lack thereof). Have you ever seen a pointe dancer's feet? Ick! I ended up with massive callouses on my heels and the balls of my feet and baby and big toes. So fucking disgusting. Because of this, I've come to form immaculate foot care habits, including my daily pedicures. Yes, you heard that right. It's just a quick scrub and lotion, if you don't polish your nails, it only takes about 10 minutes, but it makes all the difference in the world. You just pop in the shower and then take care of your feet at the same time as you're lotioning your body. Brilliant for peep toes and sandals! Here it is, my 10 minute pedicure for idiots:

What I Wore: 8/21/08

shirt, Old Navy; cardigan, Torrid; jeans, Z. Cavaricci at Torrid; shoes, Merona at Target; belt and necklace, Old Navy

The sun is back, the heat is not. Hooray! I had a lunch with the new director of Hillel today, for which I spent a good half hour trying on clothes and rejecting them. I wanted to make the perfect first impression because it's critical Sigma has a good relationship with this guy. Turns out, it was not that big of a deal. The first thing he said when he came in was that his physical therapist told him crutches weren't very G. He's wicked cool and I think Sigma is going to be involved with Hillel in a more positive way from now on. Awesome.

Links à la Mode

Links à la Mode 8/21/08

So here we go with this week's roundup.  We've got everything from designer spotlights to Wonderwoman.  Enjoy!

• dramatis personae - Trashy Diva did it again.
  
• Dress Like a Celebrity - I Want to Dress Like a Celebrity - Kate Beckinsale
  
• Independent Fashion Bloggers - How to Make Money with Affiliate Programs
  
• Little Black Book - Rock up your wardrobe
  
• Mademoiselle Robot - Becoming… Wonder Woman
  
• Or False Glitter - Latex, lace, and toilet art
  
• PR COUTURE - Plus Size Fashion PR Request for Fashion Week Documentary
  
• Quail By Mail - She will wear Shweshwe
  
• Retro Chick - Take a Bow…..
  
• SwanDiamondRose - Image love ~ the prettiest clutter
  
• THE COVETED - Cutting Edges : An Interview with Alithia Spuri-Zampetti
  

Want to share the love? IFB members can go to the forums here. Not a member? If your blog qualifies, you can sign up here!

What I Wore: 8/20/08

The mugginess I was worried about yesterday broke into rain last night. It continues to rain today, thus explaining the indoor photo. I'm quite fond of this outfit--all the neutrals make me feel safe! I was going to wear just the cardigan and leggings with no dress, but it was a little scandalous, so I put the dress on and opened up the cardigan. Opinions?



Cardigan: Xhilaration at Target
Dress: Xhilaration at Target
Leggings: Old Navy
Shoes: Mossimo at Target
Belt, Necklace: Old Navy

Runway Report: Emma Cook

So, I know I showed a dress by Emma Cook on here before, in the context of fringe possibly not being the death of us all. I was wrong about that, I still hate fringe with the force of a thousand suns. However, I was dinking around on Elle's Fall Ready-To-Wear slideshows and saw Emma Cook's entire fall line. While it wasn't like looking at Elie Saab's work and being floored by the grace and creativity of it, I was impressed. A lot of lines claim to be "ready to wear" but in fact, need to be scaled back to be applicable in most people's lives. Emma Cook's dresses look like they could walk straight off the runway and into my life. I definitely appreciate that in a collection. Without further ado, my faves from her fall show:

(Caveat: I do not endorse the wearing of these hats.)












(This is the dress in which I found hope for fringe only to have it dashed by such stores as Urban Outfitters and Topshop.)


Get the look for less: It's all about lace up boots, unstructured dresses and slightly military jackets to offset the lack of structure elsewhere. And lace tights. Lace tights until your eyes bleed. Which they will not, because there's nothing bad that could possibly be said about lace tights. My favorite of all tights.

What I Wore: 8/19/08

Top, Vest: Torrid
Jeans: Bitten Sarah Jessica Parker for Steve and Barry's
Shoes, Necklace: Target
Sunglasses: Forever 21

I ventured off my porch and down the stairs for today's shoot. The weather is warming up a bit, but I'm not letting it get me down! I got up around 11:30 today (a personal record for the summer without an alarm) and I did my makeup, spent a long time getting dressed, left the house...generally, I'm just not being a lazy, sulky bum anymore. Hello world, I'm back!

What I Wore: 8/17/08

Ok, I know my last post promised a collage of me looking super hot in everything I've worn for almost a week. Rather than give you that, you're just getting a photo of what I wore today because I spent my weekend in my pajamas playing video games. I felt sick, I'm not just lazy...ok, I'm a little bit lazy, but mostly I didn't feel well.



Top, Pants: Torrid
Shoes: Bitten Sarah Jessica Parker for Steve and Barry's
Necklace: Old Navy
Sunglasses: Forever 21

The weather has cooled off significantly (it rained last night!!) and I am thrilled. I'm wearing a t shirt and jeans and I'm chilly! Hooray!

Now, I was going to talk about how much I love fashion blogs (because I do, I love reading them more than I think you can even begin to imagine!), but I found a much more interesting article on Fashionista. Apparently, the AP thinks that fashion blogs are going to lead young fashion writers to being raped. pillaged and murdered...the same way Myspace and Facebook have. Please note the sarcasm in that statement. I just can't wrap my brain around how technophobic some people in this world are. I mean, really? If a girl like Tavi is smart enough to articulate her thoughts in a way that's gained her a cult following, do you think she's also dumb enough to fall prey to an internet creeper? I don't think so, but then...I am involved in all three of these internet evils and likely to be kidnapped at any moment, thanks to one of these websites.

Inspiration Friday

Given my current state (dehydrated and in a bad mood), I won't be doing a daily wear post. I will return with zeal on Monday with a nice collage of my clothes from the last couple of days and the weekend. For now, I'm going to give you a little Polyvore love, take it as inspiration for your weekend shenanigans!



High waisted skirts with Nautical details! What's not to love?

Links à la Mode

couturee yourself - Nicole Ritchie’s Look For Less
dramatis personae - Club Hoeing, Studded Legings
Dress Me Up Dollie - Fall Wish List
Fashion Journalist in the City - Model/Blogger: Laurel Stovall
Independent Fashion Bloggers - Interview with a Boutique Hunter
la boudoir - Mer for Me
MASH-World - Three good reasons to look forward to Autumn…..
MyProfessionalStyle.com - Top Five Reasons Why The Juniors Department is NOT for You
PR COUTURE - Jack + Bill's Free PR Service Winners
Retro Chick -  Dream outfits for the ultimate in Wedding Guest style
So Stylish So Sassy - Cute Oxford Peeptoes At Payless
SwanDiamondRose - Black is ground zero for fashion cliches.
THE COVETED - ‘Big, Beautiful Anime Eyes
The Ongoing Project - Don't Go Shopping Just Yet--Let's Take a Look In Your Closet

What I Wore: 8/13/08

Megan showed up today before I was able to get dressed...oops! Not that I care about impressing Megan with my amazing dressing skills, I just needed to take a shower and...well, it's kind of weird to do that when you have company. Oh well, I did it anyway and put together this scintillating number:

...Heidi was watching me do the shoot and it made me insanely uncomfortable.

Top: Forever 21
Pants: Torrid
Shoes: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Target

I know, it's all together very standard and boring. What's a girl to do? I've been feeling somewhat uninspired when it comes to actually slapping clothes on in the morning. And I bought a bunch of jewelry yesterday, yet somehow ended up wearing this heart necklace again...

Fall Wish List

It seems kind of silly to me to be thinking of fall already, when the weather lady said it's only going to be getting hotter this week.  But, I love Fall the best of all seasons, so I've been thinking about it a lot. 

So here we are with my season-specific items.  I rarely consider seasons when shopping, so my wardrobe changes very little as a whole.  However, this Fall there are a few key pieces I'm considering.

1.  Light scarf:  I know these are popular for the summer, but the idea of something around my neck is a little stifling.  However, for fall it seems perfect.  So soft and colorful in a season full of browns and purples.

2.  Colorful leather gloves.  Like Dior.  And Anne Hathaway in InStyle in July.  I like the throwback to the 60s, but with a slicker feel than those cotton gloves proper ladies wore.

3.  A Black Coat:  Shockingly, I don't own one.  I want a coat that isn't a statement coat, unlike my red and green coats.

4.  New School Bag:  I haven't had one since I was a freshman.  I'm sick of carrying uncomfortable totes for the sake of not carrying a backpack.  This one is very cute.  I love owls.

5.  Lace Tights:  YES!  I want a pair RIGHT NOW!  I think they'll look so cute over a pair of bright opaque tights.  Yummy.

6.  Squishy Flat Boots:  I've resisted these for so long, but I always see girls wearing them around campus and they're just so fucking cute.  They'll be great for an alternative to flats...turns out you can't wear flats every day.

What I wore: 8/12/08

Shirt: Gap
Skirt Old Navy
Shoes: Charlotte Russe
Necklace: Old Navy

I really like the look of a high-waisted skirt...really, of a high waisted anything, but I'm always terrified of wearing the look. As with a good number of women in the world, my stomach is the most hated part of my body and I try desperately not to draw attention to it. So I'm feeling rather self conscious about it. But I'm sticking with it! I actually switched out from the green belt to a much thicker grey one that covers the waistband of the skirt and hitched the skirt up a bit higher. I also...you're going to think I'm a nerd for this, but...put on a pair of control top pantyhose/shorts thingies. I love them a lot because they make dresses fall smoother when I'm worried about rolls on dresses that don't float away from the body. But why I'm saying this here is because I put them on after the photos were taken (honestly, why didn't I just reshoot? I can't rightly say...) and I tucked my shirt into them to smooth out the bulkiness it was creating underneath. Worked like a charm. I'm pretty pleased with myself on that count!

On the Runway: Rodarte

The girls behind Rodarte--two sisters from Pasadena--have done a lot for fashion in the three years since their debut in 2005. This Fall, though, I was personally really inspired by their collection of floaty, lightweight dresses paired with spiky heels and loosely knit fishnets. The collection was inspired by a recent trip to Japan, especially Yasujiro Ozu's films. The collection looks to me like a fairy tale gone awry--torn fabrics on otherwise flawless gowns, princess heels with spikes, fishnets that give the overall look an uneasiness...like a spiderweb. That's actually exactly what I thought of the first time I saw the collection, a spiderweb on the models' legs. I like it a lot. What do you think?
















I'm particularly fond of this dress. I was sketching something similar to it a couple of days ago and then this shows up while I'm doing research for this entry. Marvelous.



Images: Style.com

Rocking and Fucking Rolling 8/11/08

The Gym Class Heroes are playing in my little town tonight. Unfortunately, I won't be going. However, today is not a loss! I did 3 very important things today:

1) Spent far too much money on clothes at Old Navy. I feel little remorse.
2) Put some nails in my walls in an attempt to find relief from the constant state of tangles my necklaces always seem to be in. See image below.
3) Showered.



The pictures with three people are from Saturday night. The brunette is Kaitlin, the blonde is Heidi. We were going to a David Bowie themed party. The green shirt is what I wore today: Shirt, Old Navy; Skirt, Torrid; Shoes, Gap.

What I wore: 8/9/08

I got home from seeing "The Wackness" (very good) with Nick today and found my cigarettes covered in coffee. A sign? I don't know, but now I have to at least contemplate buying a new pack. I don't really want to continue to give myself cancer, but I also want cigarettes SO BAD when I'm emotionally impaired...such as when I'm drunk (now) or dealing with my parents (not now). I was going to buy some at the bar today, but didn't have cash for the vending machine. Again, sign? Not smoking is better for your skin, in the long run...



Cami: Torrid
Dress: Bitten Sarah Jessica Parker for Steve and Barry's
Shoes: Gap

What I wore: 8/9/08

Tank: Mossimo at Target
Cami: Forever 21
Pants: Torrid
Shoes: Victoria's Secret

As I was setting up for this today, I realized that there aren't any pictures of me smoking on the blog. I don't think this is a bad thing, what with all the negative effects of smoking on your body, other people and the environment. I don't smoke often, but it's always on the porch right by where I do the photos, so it seems a bit strange to me that this is the first photo of its type.

Anywho, I'm sewing a quilt today. I was going to make a skirt, but I need interfacing, which I ran out of during the last sewing escapade. Plus, the fabric I have for the skirt is too pretty to risk fucking up on!

Loving Lily

I will admit that I have a huge hetero-crush on Lily Donaldson.



While she's British, there's something that's so all-American about her that I'm really drawn to. It's probably the blonde hair/blue eyes thing, but also, there's a certain amount of sincerity and innocence in her face and the way she models that I've always equated with American spirit. Not that Americans are actually sincere and innocent, lord knows they're not, but the embodiment of American nostalgia is, I think. And Lily's smile and doe-y eyes capture that. For me, anyway. So here's to the lovely miss Lily, model extraordinaire.



Photos lilydonaldson.com, style frizz

What I Wore: 8/7/08

Cami: Old Navy
Tank: Victoria's Secret
Shorts: Z. Cavaricci for Torrid
Shoes: Charlotte Russe

I feel a bit like a hooker with super short shorts and these wedges on. Oh well, it's not like I'm going anywhere today. The weather has cooled down significantly since I got dressed--I was sweaty and smelly sitting out on my porch, now there's a nice breeze going. I could probably be wearing jeans! I'm sure you really care about my pre-shower circumstances. This whole not having a real internet connection at my apartment thing is killing me! For some strange reason, stolen connections are not terribly reliable!