Living Vicariously

So. Maybe my blogging hiatus is more of a mini-break. I haven't really decided yet. All I know is that I think of myself as a free spirited kind of blogger, anyway. I am lazy when it comes to doing outfit posts or even discussing the latest and greatest fashion... kind of lame, since this is a "fashion" blog, after all. But just bear with me; I'll get there, I promise. :)

So here's a quick personal update: I'm back from my brief stay in NY (though, of course, I'm longing to go back soon) which means back to work, full-time. I'm also trying to squeeze in time for freelance writing projects and studying for grad school entrance exams. I haven't exactly decided where I'm applying yet, nor have I picked a focus of study (there are two degrees I'd like to pursue, so I may just go crazy and try both), but the fact is that I've got to at least take the entrance tests soon... otherwise, come next fall, I won't be going anywhere! Major cramming (I mean, er, tightly scheduled, highly dedicated weeks of serious study) is in my immediate future.

Still, I hope, no matter what, to always have time for some blogging, even if it's just a little something. :) I would still love to do some Fashion Week posts in the near future, even though my last-minute vacation change caused me to miss the events in person (I was invited to the IFB Evolving Influence Fashion Blogger Conference and to a few shows... so bummed I couldn't make it!). But I have been keeping up with NYFW coverage on my favorite blogs and tracking all of my favorite designers, so naturally I'll have to weigh in with my own opinions and interpretations here.

In the meantime, I'll live vicariously through all of you lucky ducks who are attending Fashion Week events... I'm not jealous! Promise. ;)

And on Monday night, I definitely lived vicariously through Gossip Girls Serena and Blair as they flounced around Paris, wearing couture and snacking on macarons. C'est la vie!

Raise your hand if you caught Gossip Girl's season four premiere? Everything, from the intricately-chosen ensembles to cinematic shots of the City of Love, was divine. I simply must visit France myself. Someday...

Bisou...

Erin

As always, images are linked to their sources.

Blake Lively blonde

It's the age-old question, Betty and Veronica... Do blondes, like, really have more fun?
Yesterday, I came across this NY Times article and was highly amused. It concerns a certain 'Gossip Girl' with long, flowing locks... Apparently, the coif and color of Blake Lively is now the most requested style in NYC salons. So is Serena van der Woodsen's hairstyle the new "Rachel"?
Women who frequent salons like Bumble and bumble are asking for shiny blonde highlights, long layers and plenty of tousle à la Lively. But, as the Times takes pains to point out, hair like Blake Lively's is awfully hard to duplicate unless, ya know, you're born with it.

"It's aspirational hair," said one salon owner. "It looks accidental, but actually it takes work." (Shocker.)

Others add that some lucky girls like Lively are simply "born with amazing hair" and that wanting her exact style "sets unrealistic expectations." One stylist even questioned if everyday women can even handle such a cut. They must figure that only screen goddesses are born with perfectly tussled tresses; the rest of us simply can't handle it!

I guess I'd like to point out that I was born with a full head of hair, too, Ms. Lively, but mine started out inky black and turned blonde by the time I was a toddler. Then what did I do with my "lucious" blonde mane?

Hi, Emily!

I brought this very picture into my stylist...And emerged a Zooey clone! Now I've got some "indie cred." Still waiting for my big "indie" break. :P

So much for Blake Lively blonde! Why, oh why, did I do it? (My stylist was practically crying.) Boredom, sheer boredom. Sometimes I do miss my long, flowing blonde waves, but I figure it's hair, we might as well do what we want with it! Especially if we have lots of it to mess with. My other major point was that nobody is born with perfect hair. Lively's stylist claims that to achieve the Serena look, all she does is apply a conditioning mask, twist the hair into a chignon and let it air dry. Yeah, right! If you've ever seen Gossip Girl, you know it takes a little more than some conditioner and a loose bun to achieve those curls. Even natural waves and curls need treatment and TLC... and heat! I used to achieve bedhead blonde "perfection" by sleeping with my hair in a topknot, shaking it out in the morning, and curling the ends under if the waves were too uneven. Add plenty of Aussie's Sprunch spray and a good curl gel and you're good to go!

Now I miss my "Zooey" cut (yeah, so I'm a copycat, too)... my hair is a boring "blah" brown right now and ready to go lighter or darker. Too bad I spent all my designated salon money on shoes! :D This season, I seem to care more about how my feet look (and feel!) than what color my hair is. I figure if I really feel like it, I can always just grab a box of dye or a highlighting kit and experiment at home. What about you guys? Any hair-raising tales to share? You know me, I always love a good "hairstory." And puns. :P

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get

Readers, bloggers, fellow insomniacs,

You have my apologies, once again. I admit that I'm terrible at this media known as style blogging. Am I a decent writer? Yes. (I do like to think so.) Are my outfit posts passably trendy and cute from a distance? Sometimes. Sure. But when it comes to daily posting, I might as well throw in the proverbial, plush fashion-y towel and yield to the goddesses of the fashion blogging world. You know who you are. I yield! There! I'm... not sure that did anything, really.

This is why I shouldn't post late at night.

But when I come home from my play rehearsals, I always get weird. Kind of hyper, kind of anxious, and verrrry silly. Being around musical theater people does that (drama queens, do back me up). For example, upon exiting our rehearsal space earlier and stepping outside into the Indian summer night (because summer officially ended as of yesterday, and today decided to reach a high of 80 degrees just for spite), I took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Fresh air!" To which a co-star chimed in, "Times Square!" So then of course, I had to sing the rest: "New York is where I'd rather stay; I get allergic smelling hay. I just adore a penthouse view! Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue..."

Which is particularly true, in my case.

So! That brings me to New York. Yes. I was just there, and it was sooo hard to leave my hometown. I get all teary-eyed. And sadly, I wasn't around for Fashion Week... in fact I missed it because I was sans laptop and any internet access (aside from Paige loaning me her iPhone. She's the coolest). I STILL have massive catching up to do. And I will. Promise.

Now we're already in the throes of London Fashion Week which, in my humble little schoolgirl opinion, is far more interesting than New York's (Sacrilege? Sorry!). I plan to track the new collections there as well.

And speaking of Fashion Week across the pond, look who got to skip class to attend Burberry's Spring 2010 show:Its gamine-chic spokeswoman, of course! You know you've got clout when you can blow off school for a fashion show... and blow off Brown, no less. And I thought I was cool as a senior for cutting class to go see that CGI Ninja Turtles movie with Jess. See, EmWats? We're so alike!

Ahem. Anyway, I do have lots of catching up to do. I took a few photos during my trip, but it was rainy so there aren't any outdoor shots... and I'm not particularly fond of the indoor shots. So maybe these are photos that won't see the light of day. We shall see. For now I offer a few funny pics of me trying to be extra fashion-y (that's my new Teen Vogue word!)... in my backyard. In coastal New England. Because that's obviously the coolest place to dress like a downtown hipster. In tie-dye. Duh.And for once, I didn't crop or edit anything. These are unadulterated digital snaps taken around twilight a few weeks ago, before one of my first rehearsals. Yes... that's how behind I am on my photo uploads. Whoopsies. So, because it's late and I'm that lazy, you get to see lots and lots of backyard, garden and fence. I reckon you'll forgive me if I post another photo of my cat...... and what I'd look like without a head...And details! Actually, I loathe showing details. Now you can see how obnoxious that tie-dye print is up close... not to mention my "bling." Plus because my camera, or Windows, or Blogger, or someone, is stupid, close-up pictures like these are always disgustingly huge. Ugh.

But I think I'm really onto something with this tie-dye thing. And it's not just for summer... it's sticking around for fall. Just look at Serena!Yeah. Edgy. (By the way, I always feel slightly better about some of my more bizarre, boho-inspired sartorial choices when I look at Serena. Or Kate Moss.)
C'mon, people now. Can't we all be hippies? No? Well, not if you're wearing Blair's shoes.

As if this post couldn't get anymore ridiculous (read: epic!), I've decided to add a dumb-dumb poll. Because, why not?

So. Tell me. Who's the cutest here?

Té Casan No Longer Making Vegan Feet Happy

Té Casan, the footwear company that housed Natalie Portman's line of high fashion vegan shoes, is shutting down. For good. No more store, no more website, no more sexy-sleek shoes for vegan fashionistas. It was so great to see vegan shoes interpreted in such a stylish way, and by a gorgeous and talented celebrity, no less. "It Girl" Taylor Momsen even rocked one of Natalie's designs on a September episode of Gossip Girl. What a moment! So I'm truly bummed. Not that I could afford a pair of Nat's divine slippers, anyway. But let's hope, for fashion lovers everywhere, that Nat takes her just-launched-this-year line elsewhere. And soon!

In the meantime, don't worry, fellow animal-loving shoe shoppers... We still have Mohop!