File under: OMG

Strap on your heels!Season 2 of The City premieres in 5... 4... 3... 2...

Bring on the dumb.

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?

Technology

Live from New York... It's me, via my cousin's iPhone (thanks, Paige!). She's been so patient with me while l figure out how to type on this doohickey. Ahh, the wonders of technology... Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but l'm mesmerized by the "magic box." Ooh... There must be fairies in here! Anyway, l just wanted to post a quick update since l'm in NY for the weekend. When l return, l'll post some hometown pics and runway reviews (lest we forget it's Fashion Week!). See you soon!

Miss McCartney

So I said I wasn't going to buy anymore magazines, but of course I lied (bet you saw that coming). Sienna Miller graces October's UK Vogue, so for this I'll make an exception. Now I don't exactly count myself as one of her fans (the only film I've seen her in is Stardust, and she had a smallish part), but I'm an ardent admirer of her fashion sense (wish I could toss on a [faux] fur gillet, some ripped tights or leopard-print pants and not feel like I escaped from the circus). And while I find this cover a little garish (maybe it's, I don't know, all the obnoxious giant PINK FONT EVERYWHERE), I still plan to scoop this issue up. What was it that sold me? Not Sienna in all her blondeness (though the publishers may try to weave their wicked spell)... it's Sienna in Stella McCartney.

Stella Stella Stella.If I had a big pile of money in my backyard to swim around in like autumn leaves, I'd spend it on Stella McCartney's luxury knits and killer (vegan) boots (after donating a whopping portion of said cash to the World Wildlife Fund and orphanages, of course). She has such a knack for imbuing basics (essentials!) with unexpected modern updates and works with a neutral pallette that's simply sophisticated, never boring. I crave her black and white basics and blush-colored dresses, her striped knit sweaters and drool-worthy handbags. And, oh yes, did I mention? Most of her line is organic (all of it is vegan). Stella makes me happy.

Slouchy white top + skinny black pants + bright clutch. Done! A high-waisted skirt to go mad for...
A fun take on navy with scream-worthy shoes. Eee!Kate Hudson is so gonna wear this little gold number...
But I am so craving this trench. Sleek! Shiny!

Check out the full lookbook from her latest resort collection here.

It's fitting, then, that last night I had a dream I was her mama... Linda. And I was lovingly watching Paul in concert. *_* It may sound sick to some of you, but trust me, it was lovely. Not at all creepy! I swear.

Plus Linda and I have a few things in common...
Veggie love. Cameras. And some pretty decent music. ;)


*Sienna Miller picture courtesy of Stella McCartney's Twitter page. Stella McCartney's Spring 2010 collection photos from fashionologie. Linda McCartney photo found in Google Search.

Fascination street

Thank you all for your insightful responses to my last post. Sorry for being a tad emo. I didn't mean for my frustrations to strike a nerve with anyone, but thanks for bearing with me. You were all so sweet and understanding and helpful, which I truly appreciate!

I love the suggestion to focus more on photography as opposed to just fashion. That really is something that makes me happy and that I'd like to have more time for... I also covet a digital SLR, and maybe a vintage SLR, too, that would make my geeky-photog fantasies come true. I need soft focus! And I'd like to get majorly dorky and photograph nebulae. Oh, yeah. My first foray into photography (aside from 35 mm and Polaroid shots taken for fun in childhood-- I used to pose my Barbies!) was when I took astronomy my senior of high school. We learned to develop film the old-school way for the purpose of astronomical photography, but I never got that far... I wound up swapping that course for film studies and stuck to photographing more earthly subjects. Maybe someday soon I'll scan and upload some of those early dark room pictures. Photography is an endless source of fun and fascination, and I love capturing the little odds and ends that make up my world.

So here are some photos from, oh, you know, around...


Wee! Hope you had fun. Stop by again soon! More fun and frolicking to follow... :)

Dear Editor,

Thanks to this blog, I regularly receive emails that begin as such. They're from various up-and-coming fashion lines and companies who would like me to write about them and feature their wares/services on this site. I suppose it strikes me as funny, a little odd. Editor? What editor? Oh, wait. That's me. Allow me to clarify. Emails like these are, originally, the reason I got into fashion blogging-- so I could essentially become a one-woman PR show and write quality content for fashion companies, in the hopes that I will one day break into magazine publishing. And, oh, get paid.

Ha.

I'm going to level with you-- I like fashion and all, but I've been puzzling over what I want to do with this blog, what it means for me. Some people are able to make blogging into a vocation (I've been fortunate enough to start my freelance writing "career" this way). But I'll be honest with you; the pay is shabby at best. I was told by various college professors that writing is a "thankless job with little pay," but I didn't mind it then; given my passion for art and music, I knew I'd wind up in a creative field and have always thought of myself as a starving artist.

Then today, I got a little too hungry. Literally. Stomach rumbling, nothing to eat. Sure, I may own some pretty clothes (I'll never worry about going naked!), but things are rough when you can barely afford a cup of coffee. My student loans are killing me. I know I need to get out of my financial rut-- it's not quite Confessions of a Shopaholic caliber, but it's close enough! So lately, I've been reassessing my skills and career goals.

I've been out of school for two years. I work part-time. I write part-time. Blog part-time. Perform part-time. If I keep this up, I'll never be full-time anything or actually get anywhere (wherever it is I want to be going). I'm not sure what it is I want to do, but whatever it is, exactly, doesn't involve struggling like this.

Sorry if this seems like whining; it's not. I'm trying to get a little more real here. I know everyone struggles one way or another. I just wish I'd been a little smarter, made some better choices while earning my undergrad. Yeah, I worked hard for it; just maybe not hard enough.

So what's the plan now? A little begrudgingly, I'm going back to school. All this time I've been hoping that my B.A. would somehow be "enough," and that I'd land a job based on that. But in the rough, choppy waters that are These Economic Times, I'm quickly learning that, for some people, even a Master's degree is not enough. My goal now is to find an M.A. program that will allow me to hone my current skills while narrowing my focus; I want to add on top of the degree I've already earned so that I'm better prepared for the workforce. Because right now, a few publishing rejections into my writing "career," my confidence is pretty shaky. It's high time to build it up again and see where life takes me.

I've got a long road ahead of me. Since I'm finally caving and applying to grad school, and I only recently decided on this, I've got to quickly register - and cram! - for the GRE, contact old professors for recommendations, and fill out several applications (I'm too scared to put all my eggs in that one proverbial basket). All this, and musical rehearsals for a show that runs in October. Y-i-k-e-s. It's a vast undertaking. And I'm a-crazy.

In light of all this serious-type-stuff, I'm sometimes reluctant to do "outfit posts"; they seem superfluous. Obviously I love fashion and pretty, girlie things, but sometimes getting all gussied up and snapping pictures of myself to share on the internet feels wildly narcissistic and self-indulgent. Is it?

Elbows in the air! Now this is a fashion blog-y pose.

Until now, I haven't regarded it that way. Mostly I just love reading other style blogs and wanted to do something similar here. Straight-up fashion reporting is fun, but outfit posts make everything feel more personal, like I'm swapping wardrobe woes and joys with a friend. I think it's just my ridiculous self-consciousness that has me wondering if I'm really just a pretentious windbag for thinking that I need to document every single time I wear something cute and blog about it post-haste, as if I'm missing out on something if I fail to do so. As though the world would stop turning.

Ooh, looking at the ground. That's a good one, too.

There's also this tiny worry about getting too caught up in material things. After all, what are they again? Just things. Don't get me wrong, I adore lacy dresses, peep-toe pumps and cardigans with pearlized buttons like the Mad Men-obsessed girl-next-door. Obviously we know there's more to life than that; we aren't shallow enough to think otherwise. The style blogs I read on a near-daily basis are penned by wonderfully smart, retrospective, artistic young women with big dreams and goals and witty things to say. I wouldn't dare call fashion bloggers shallow; these girls are innovators. Simply, on my end, it's difficult to drum up excitement over clothes and blogging when my bills are taunting me. I guess that's even more reason to get creative.

Hanging from a gazebo might help. Yes?

Tell me the truth: Am I just being a little too reflective here? Does anyone else ever feel this way? I'm curious to know your thoughts.

And now that I've gotten all this off my chest, that's the last I'm going to speak of such things for a while. Hardship. Crisis. Financial woes. Recessionista. (Love how that's an official word in our lexicon now and SpellCheck didn't dare correct me). Blah. I'm with these two:

NATALIE PORTMAN & RASHIDA JONES Speak Out from Natalie Portman

And thanks to everyone who gave me photo storage and uploading advice; I plan to try some of your tricks soon. And thank you, too, if you managed to plod through this mammoth entry. Just wait'll you read the novel! ;)

Anchors aweigh! The last summer days...

The last days of summer are always a little bittersweet. I'm an autumn baby (November born!), and love when temperatures drop and leaves start to fall. Yet bidding summer goodbye is never easy. I plan to celebrate the end of the season in style... even if I'm already two pumpkin spice lattes into fall. ;)

This green empire-waist dress from Loft is one of my summer favorites. Super-comfortable and easy to run and leap about in (but only in the most ladylike manner, of course), I've pretty much lived in this for the past few months. I'd be remiss if summer went by without me posting at least one photo of it! Luckily, I took several...

Headband: Goodie, maybe? Wish I could remember!
Dress: Loft
Jewelry: Stuff I've had for so long, I forgot...
Peep toe flats: Gap (on clearance!)

Looking at these pictures, I can't help but note the slight Bardot influence. Channeling B.B. in Le Mepris? Not a bad summer style reference a'tall.

Who knew headwraps and stripes could be so glamorous? I'm still attempting to master the French art of effortless chic fashion. It sure is fun to try!

Gold heart filigree earrings: Vintage
Sweater: Candie's via Kohl's (a gift from my grandpa!)
Shorts: Loft
Flats: Gap

Believe it or not, I still have more summer pictures to post! One reason I've been slow to update (aside from working and attending musical rehearsals): my computer's been really sluggish, and uploading/editing/resizing my digital pics takes FOREVER. :( Even when I've got them cropped and resized how I want them (and sadly, this is a big as they'll get; wish I could make them bigger), uploading them to Blogger is a pain because the site is incredibly slow. But I think adding more memory will fix the problem... unless someone has a better suggestion. What method do you use? Is anyone else reluctant to post regularly because it takes them at least two hours?!? I hope I'm not all alone here. :P And if you have any advice, I'll glady take it!

Till next time.... :)

File under: Yum

Hi everyone! My apologies for taking a brief blogging hiatus. I'm in awe of you gals who manage to hold down full-time jobs and still take photos and post your outfits every day (amazing!). At this rate I'm only working part-time, but I've been finding plenty of things to keep me busy. For instance, I auditioned, on a whim, for a local theater troupe's musical production, and got in! (I harbor a not-so-secret obsession over musicals, and am practically kicking myself for not majoring in musical theater or vocal performance). The show is in October and rehearsals began a few weeks ago. Between this and work, I haven't been home much at all, thus my blog has been neglected. :( My apologies! I'll try to get back on track soon. Summer days are dwindling, but I have outfit photos that still need sharing. It might be warm for a few more weeks, so I'll post those new/old pictures soon! :P

But speaking of cooler days ahead... you should know that today is a very magical one. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back for fall, and available at Starbucks as of today. Yes! It may seem pathetic, but I anticipate this day all year long. Forget 'back to school' jitters... I get 'back to Starbucks' joy! ;)
Mmmm.... Everyone go out and get one! Just don't trample the poor baristas; they work hard. Tip nicely! ;)

Photos, stories, and more random fun coming up... see you all soon!