The Perfect Look

No matter where I am, I always manage to find some sort of item of clothing or accessory that I covet. I tell myself that if I had that item, I would wear it, adore it, plan whole outfits around it...you get the gist. As someone who is so interested in fashion, I always feel that my wardrobe is hopelessly inadequite. I want to trade with someone else, please.

And yet, I also have to wonder...what can I pull off? Some woman can put on the frumpiest grandma dress and turn it into a head-turning, eye-catching walking piece of art. I can't. I consider myself a confident person, but I don't have that "oh, i just rolled out of bed and slipped into this amazing outfit" air. If I wore some of the things worn by the brave and beautiful, it would just not look right. So here is the dilemna.

My most out-there outfit does not venture beyond the likes of the image on the upper left. I think I pull it off.

But could i pull off a bright, high-wasted pencil skirt with neon tights? or huge aviators and a vintage jumper with tall leather boots? Or am I just too afraid to try? We shall see...

Good Find!

www.the15dollarstore.com - Clothing, shoes, and accessories..all for only $15.00 YESSS!!!!! Another good find (although almost nothing could compete with the awesomeness of a 15 dollar store) is www.gojane.com.

New Spring Look: Metallics

That's right...metallics are back in. I've been seeing clothing and accessories with that disco-y, bling-bling effect. I'm not sure if I'm a big fan of metallic tops, bottoms, or dresses, because they seem a bit tacky to me, but I think a nice touch of gold or silver in the accessories department can really brighten or dress up an outfit. Here are some of the items I've seen:


This Wet Seal top is a bit too disco for me, and it seems tacky.


This Forever 21 headband, on the other hand, is just the right addition to almost any outfit.


OK, let me just say I love this Zara bag. It would work with a daytime or a nightime look, and it looks so chic and hip at the same time.


These Wet Seal shoes have a bit of that disco feel, but I think they would be really fun to wear on a night out.


These American Apparel leggings would work great for day or night, and I love how they can make any outfit looks effortlessly fun, funky, and fashionable. Don't believe me? Well, look at how great it looks in Mathew Williamson's spring collection.


See? I told you so.

Flickr.com

So I'm really liking flickr.com. I got an acount there a week or so ago, but I didn't really get around to using it until thursday. Believe me, this is so much more than a photo-hosting site. There are so many groups with pools of photos on any subject. Some of them are extremely clever. My faves? Wardrobe Swapshop is a group where people post pics of the old clothing, shoes, and accessories that they no longer want, and if they like the stuff that someone else posted, they can trade one of their items for it. That's right...it's like thrift shopping, except it has the added bonus of cleaning unwanted clothes out of your closet, and oh yeah, it only costs the price of shipping. Yippee! Another awesome group is Wardrobe_Remix, where people post pictures of their daily outfits. I'm always so jealous of how awesome everyone looks. It's a great place for wardrobe inspiration. (I'm clothing-obsessed, can you tell?). Finally, flickr hosts many groups full of photos of delicious-looking food and accompanying recipes. This is great for me, but not so great for cookbook authors. Score!

http://coconutlimerecipelinks.blogspot.com/index.html

Another great-sounding recipe blog.

http://www.thethriftshopper.com/

Enter your city or zip code and get a list of charity-driven thrift stores in your area. Some stores have even been reviewed! I will definately be using this site.

Rethinking Old Navy

In the past, I haven't been such a fan of Old Navy. The store may be okay for the occasional t-shirt, but that's pretty much it. Lately, I've noticed that there are a few nice pieces gracing Old Navy's shelves. My picks are below.

http://www.poco-cocoa.com/?sectionid=6

This is the recipe index for the Poco-Cocoa Blog. They look so delicious that I can't wait to start cooking!

Fun Makeup

Lately I've been noticing a lot of fun, bold, colorful makeup hitting the shelves - and peoples' faces. Here are some of the items that have caught my eye.


Sugar Eyes Eye pallet by Sugar Cosmetics, $19.00
I love the wide range of bold, funky colors in this pallet. It looks so fun to play with!


Kajal Bullit by Styli-Style, $6.50
Kajal has apparently been used in India for thousands of years. Get those dark, thick lines that you see on Indian dancers, or just use it as a normal eyeliner.


Tokidoki Lip Gloss by Smashbox, $18.00
That's right, Tokidoki is now decorating Smashbox cosmetics! Who can resist a lip gloss covered in such cute designs?


Eye Candy by Hard Candy, $12.50
These sweet eye shadows come in brightly colored containers. With hearts. Awwww...


Blushcake by Pop Beauty, $19.00
Five shades of blush to mix and match...What could be better?


Fruit Lip Shines by Apt. 5, $6.50
These lip shines boast bright colors and sweet, fruity flavors. I have to try them to see if they taste as good as I've been told.


Tantalizing Tamer by Bourjois, $28.00
Find this fun, circus-y eyeshadow pallet at Sephora. These babies are limited edition, so snap them up before they're gone!


Gloss Bonbons by Jelly Pong Pong, $8.00
A cute, sweet lip-and-cheek stain. Yum!

http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/ibride.html

This website carries quirky home decorations, furniture, and accessories. While it isn't cheap, it isn't overly expensive.

Note to Self

Check out Heritage 1981. It's a store like H&M and Forever 21. The collections should be online soon.

Picks for Valentine's Day (for Imaginary People)

Well, imaginary people who read this blog, you're in luck! In honor of the upcoming holiday of Valentine's Day, I am posting some of my favorite Valentine's clothing, accessories, and fun litle objects. Click on the pictures to buy them. Enjoy!


Heart Glasses - $9.00 - Fred Flare


Pizza my Heart Tee - $19.50 - alloy.com


Vans Love Slip ons - $40.00 - alloy.com


Boo Boo Kisses Bandaids - $4.99 - girlprops.com


Paul Frank Heart Panties Trio - $24.00 - Fred Flare


Be Mine Bear Cookie - $1.99 - amazon.com


Charm Patent Ballet Flats - $24.00 - Delia's

www.forestprints.com

Weird, and yet... alluring, this Singapore site has simple cartoonish forest-inspired designs on cozy cotton T-shirts, cute cards, and more. We love the selection of squishy pillow people, especially Forest Magoo, which looks like—well, just check it out yourself.

CUTE bags and shirts and stuff. Kind of like what you'd expect to find at fredflare.com.

Home/Decorating cheaply (fun/funky)

www.cb2.com

Home

The little sibling to Crate & Barrell has the coolest, colorful, and reasonably priced stuff for the home.

Very funky. Future dorm room/apartment decorating/furnishing source? I think so...
Well, this and Ikea. And Target.


www.pearlriver.com

Home, Accessories

Chinese imports are the focus of this NYC-based site. Get everything from sequin-adorned slippers (less than five bucks a pair) to lanterns and lacquered chopsticks. Cheap and fun!

Cheap Designer Apparel

www.bluefly.com
Clothing, Accessories
Discount shopping online just doesn't get better than this, with an ever-changing and growing selection of designer clothing and accessories. Searching by size and designer is a snap.

www.designerapparel.com
Yes! The average person can now afford designer clothing!

www.smartbargains.com
Clothing, Accessories, HomeAn outlet center online: get everything from linens to Loehmann's fashion overstock.

The Best Places for Vintage in Boston (Lucky Magazine)

Boutique Fabulous
1309 Cambridge St., Cambridge
617-864-0656
Amazing home items, jewelry, and accessories from the '20s to the present fill this eclectic Inman Square shop. We found rustic wooden baskets ($45), a blue beaded Moroccan chandelier ($415), and a wide array of burlesque '20s table lamps ($30 to $60).

Room 125
125 Charles St.
617-523-4450
This small storefront is definitely a hit-or-miss kind of place, but when you hit, you score big: vintage pieces from designers like Pucci, Halston, and Diane von Furstenberg, priced from $65 to $350. Check back regularly for special shipments or sign up for alerts at room125.com.

The Great Eastern Trading Company
49 River St., Cambridge
617-354-5279
Stop here before Halloween for Vegas-showgirl, belly-dancer, and cowboy looks, or visit anytime for modish miniskirts, little black dresses from every era, a rich selection of oversize bohemian jewelry, and a wallet-friendly boot selection.

Oona's
1210 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
617-491-2654
Just outside Harvard Square, this tiny shop is packed with dresses from the '60s and '70s, leather jackets, and tons of covetable jewelry, bags, and accessories, including feathered hats, ladylike '50s fur shawls, and colorful plastic bangles from the '80s.

My Stores

I am not a cheap person. I don't spend a lot of money, but it's not because I don't want to. I jsut don't have a lot of it. This is kind of unfortunate for someone who loves fashion. I'm not going to waste my time complaining about it, though. I've found some stores that are in my price range and carry some pretty awesome clothes, most of the time. I've also found some online thrift stores, but so far I'm too chicken to buy from them.

Cheap but awesome stores:

• Wet Seal
• Forever 21
• Delia's (sometimes)
• alloy.com
• Target

My one splurge:

• Urban Outfitters

Stores I covet:

• Free People!
• Betsy Johnson

Starting Over

Ok, so I just deleted my earlier posts and I'm starting over. This blog was originally going to be about my art and poetry. Now, I find that I would rather write about the stuff that excites me, but I can't tell anyone about it because they would find it boring. Most of it will be fashion-related, I think, but not all of it. I'm going to have to post a lot of entries today, because I've come up with a bunch of stuff I want to write over the past week. Well, I guess I'll get started!