Goofy and giddy

Hi y'all,

I am home all week recovering from a wee little surgery. No worries, all is well. :) I get to lounge around and find ways to entertain myself. So I was beyond happy to stumble upon the new She & Him video for "Don't Look Back." It's very retro, very bright, and very, very giddy. Just like me, on oxycodone! In fact, I'm thinking this video looks even better on oxycodone. :D Nope, I'm not crazy. Just really, really happy. :)

Enjoy!

She & Him - Don't Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Be-banged and bewildered

Dorky confession ahead. A few weeks ago, I found out pretty last-minute that She & Him were playing a gig in Boston. So after work I hopped on the T and raced to queue in a pretty long line. Guys and gals alike were emerging, tickets in hand, so I just hope-hope-hoped there'd be one left for me. But alas, when I reached the "finish line," if you will, the SOLD OUT sign had just gone up.

Uh-huh, mmm-hmm, Gonna get along without you now...

Turns out, missing a cool-girl indie band is a great excuse to go wandering about the Back Bay, window shopping and snapping photos. And also ogling some pretty spectacular looks on the street... 99% of the girls queueing up to see Zooey D. and co. were sporting her identical "indie ingenue" bangs.

I, too, once possessed a dark shock of hair topped with straight-across bangs. And I loved it. The only reason I went back to my natural hair color and texture is because it's, well, easier. Less maintenance. I hated watching my blonde roots seep back in and ruin my dark, shiny tresses; made me look like Rogue in X-Men. Anyway, I digress.

This month I came across a great feature in Elle about possessing "rock and roll bangs." It's true, there's something both tough and alluring about sporting full-on fringe. And when many of us take to the scissors, we're taking a page from one of our favorite singers. My bangs were inspired both by Zooey and Marit Larsen; Larsen claims hers were inspired by Feist. And every gal sporting boho-chic fringe is heavily indebted to the one, the only Jane Birkin. Just what is it with songstresses and bangs?

Marit Larsen, singer/songwriter. Doesn't she look so cool and seventies?

Jane Birkin's too-cool-for-school daughter, the lovely Charlotte Gainsbourg.

After major contemplation, I don't think there's any one real answer. Bangs are just cool. Plain and simple. And I miss mine!

Hmm... should I pick up the scissors once again? D'ya think bangs go well with blonde?

And what about you? Was your hairstyle ever inspired by a singer/actress/other cool chick?

Favorite things: Spring

It's that time again... time for warmth, flowers and all things green! April is one of my favorite months (though this year, March wasn't too shabby either), and this one is going to be especially fabulous. Here are a few things I'm currently enjoying or looking forward to...

Gorgeous May Glamour girls! (See Whit, LC, Lo, above, and Lea, below.)

Which also means... the return of Glee! The City! And the end of The Hills! Oh, my!

Glee returns on April 13th. The City and The Hills are back on the 27th. That same day, the author who arguably inspired said girlie reality shows debuts a new young adult novel-- the origin story of fierce fashionista Carrie Bradshaw!

Click here to read an exclusive excerpt!

I cannot wait to read this. I'll temper the wait time by listening to the latest Zooey Deschanel/M. Ward offering, She & Him Vol. 2.

Also in the retro-sixties spirit... Boho magazine's Parisian-inspired spring fashion issue. Love the nod to Brigitte Bardot!

I'm also loving Zara's spring/summer '10 look book. I would live in these muted, utilitarian-but-girlie clothes. Everything is so flippin' cute!

One last thing to love about April? Earth Day! Yes, it should be Earth Day every day, and here I talk about going green as a lifestyle... it's in my job description! But this year is notable because it's the official Earth Day's 40th Anniversary! Do you do anything special to observe Earth Day? Share your thoughts/tips/stories here!

In just a few days, I'll be heading to Boston's Down 2 Earth to cover an amazing all-green expo! I'm reporting for Jute & Jackfruit. Stay tuned for pics and interviews!

How are you celebrating spring's arrival so far?

My mother is going to kill me...

Because THIS is coming to my mailbox:I mean, really. My 'rents already think I've gone off the deep end with this whole "fashion writer" thing. Receiving a magazine with a barely-clad ScarJo cover complete with scintillating headlines does not help matters. Thanks a lot, Glamour!

Now I wouldn't call myself a prude, but this mag is just EMBARRASSING! I'm talking Seventeen trauma-rama bad! It may not be very modern of me to say so, but 99.9% of the time, I think it's better to follow a more conservative route. Why? Perhaps because I'm a pastor's daughter. I like fashion and all, but when my beloved glossies decide to go the tarty route, I'm not afraid to get all Jane Austen up in their business. Word.*

I suppose this is why I'm not a huge Scarlett Johansson fan... because most of the time she represents herself as a bat-'er-eyes, voluptous vixen. Yes, ScarJo, you're gorgeous. You've got the perfect figure and can do any hair color. We get it, okay? Stop rubbing your wannabe Ann Margaret-ness in our faces already. Yeesh.

That said, is it bad that I'm secretly curious to hear her latest musical endeavor? Only because it involves Pete Yorn. I dug She & Him, so I might have to give these tunes a spin. Maybe. Happy now, Glamour? I'm intrigued. But good luck beating this:
Maybe I prefer Zooey because she, well, prefers wearing clothes. If only Zooey had been Glamour's cover choice (perhaps in a whimsical alterna-fantasy world, where everyone would sport charming vintage frocks and sip tea atop their bicycle/roller skates of choice. And we'd all sing "Xanadu." Of course). I jumped for joy when this hit my mailbox a few months back:
This cover is so sweet, fresh, and girlie without being cheesy. Obviously this was part of Zooey's promotion for 500 Days of Summer, and most likely resulted in thousands more flocking to theaters to catch that quirky indie darling. This cover is the perfect marketing tool that paints Deschanel as the ingenue she is. And that coral-hued dress with matching Repetto flats? Self isn't even a fashion mag, but it clearly has a far superior styling squad here. Sorry, Glamour. You got schooled. (And it's not the first time! Yawn fest).

So. Have any of you heard Zooey or ScarJo's music? In a Zooey vs. Scarlett face-off, who wins? Do let me know what you think. I'd do another spiffy poll, as the last one was a rousing (wee!) success, but I'm too lazy. Oh, and have you ever received a blush-worthy magazine in the mail that you wanted to hide before your parentals/flatmates/neighbors/cat could see? Feel free to sound off in the comments, loves.
And if you watched The Hills or The City last night and laughed your butt off (or cried tears of joy.... or anguish)... well, I wanna know that, too. :)


*And perhaps I've erred by drawing unnecessary attention to this tacky cover. That's the journalist in me wanting to "seek truth and report it," I guess. Or, in this case, expose things. Nevertheless, I'm bothered, and usually when I'm bothered, I share. And then you share, too, and we all share something deep and meaningful and weep and laugh and become the best of friends. Or not. I don't really know. All I know is it's early morning and I need to make coffee. :P