College Revelations

I think I forgot to mention that I would be spending the last few days touring colleges. Well, that's where I was, for the curious. I'm not sure what one is supposed to learn from these visits, but while spending the night in my friend Sherry's dorm, I learned that my glasses are supremely more flattering than those Buddy Holly geek-chic frames favored by so many hipsters. Shame. They are so fun to wear.

Other fashion tidbits I picked up? Well, one of my tours boasted a few stylish girls who almost manged to steal my attention from the gorgeous campus. One girl, a New Yorker (of course), wore flat, black, vintage lace up booties, ripped red tights, a sweet floral dress, and a baggy plaid jacket. Topped with a blond bob cut completely straight across on the bangs and tips, she looked achingly cool. Another look that captured my attention wasn't unique enough to bother sharing, but the girl wearing it had drawn wingtip, brogue-like styling across the toes of her Keds, and I thought they looked amazing. And my tour guide had the most perfect pixie cut I've seen in ages.

Don't worry about me, grasshoppers; most of my focus was on the schools I visited. But fashion doesn't tremble in the light of higher education, and neither does my style-watching brain.

America, Politics, and Fashion

If you read a book on the history of fashion, it's impossible not to recognize the effects that politics have on fashion. Wars inspire minimalist styles, politicians set trends, and the people dress to show support for their country.

I do find it very interesting how prominent America and American politics are in fashion today. That short phase where everyone was traipsing around in red, white, and blue clothing plastered with stars and stripes has mostly ended, but there's still a lot of the sentiment if you know where to look.

So maybe this photo isn't so political, but it's definitely American. I love how that good ole home-on-the-range mentality is shown. The photo shoot is called Urban Cowboy and really has nothing to do with America, but of course the flag was thrown into the shot to offset that quintessential Western cowboy look.

Then, of course, there's the more blatant political statement:

Steven Meisel shot this controversial Make Love Not War editorial. The message is pretty obvious. I'm not sure that it influenced people's views on whether or not to end the war, but it did call attention to the matter, which is not something fashion is generally given credit for.

Last but not least, the fashion world has been very involved in the Obama campaign.

Sonia Rykiel and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac sent Obama-emblazoned looks down the runway, as did Nicole Farhi, while many famous names designed pieces to be sold in the Obama store. In addition, I quite like the Obama Baggu Bags. And of course, the fact that the candidate himself graces the cover of Men's Vogue just goes to show that politics and fashion do, after all, mesh quite well.

Note to the non-fashion crowd: Fashion isn't as shallow as you think.

. . . And Breathe. . .

Phew! The SAT's have been taken (by moi, of course) and I am finally a (mostly) free woman! Or girl, rather, but that didn't fit so well into the sentence.

Last night I bullied my father into picking up Lula Magazine at Border's on his way home from work, so when I woke up in a panic at 5:30 this morning, I calmed myself with a leisurely flip through its bewitching pages. Because my brain lacked coherency at such an ungodly hour, I can only remember those glorious photo shoots as a hauntingly beautiful, ethereal jumble - whoops, guess I'll have to read it again! And again, and again, and again. . . One can never read Lula too many times.

I will say this, though:

Ali Michael is my modelsoulmate. This is not just because we are both freakishly pale with fine brown hair, nor is it because my eyebrows bring hers to mind when I hold off on the tweezing. No, Ali Michael is my superfantasticmodelBFF because we both survived the harrowing experience of being run over by a horse. You may laugh, but I feel that bonds us together like - oh, I don't know, hydrogen and oxygen? Heh, bio is ruining my similes.

Okay, more posts to come now that I'm no longer in SAT crunch mode, although maybe not this weekend. I am in dire need of non-academic socializing, and possibly a riffle through the SoWa Open Market on Sunday. Vintage clothing, indie designer lines, art, live music, and giveaways make it high on my list. If you're in the Boston area, you should make it high on your list as well. Maybe I'll even run into a few of you! Let me know if you'll be there, k?

And now I sleep. I'm beat. Hooray for naps!

Thoughts of a Stressed Out Blogger

What's on my mind this week? Well, aside from a huge bio test tomorrow, the SATs on Saturday, and a huge amount of college application-related work:

♥ When it comes to Fashion Week(s), it seems all the bloggers are raving about Balmain. So even though I would like to do some raving on the topic myself (because honestly, what a fantastic collection), I'm going to point of Vivianne Westwood's Gold Label instead.

Mmm, how great is that? Everything is so different, yet still quintessentially Vivianne. And those shoes on the left? Absolutely killer. I bet Queen Michelle could work styling wonders with them, as good as she is with all that is tough and made of leather. I also bet I could work wonders with them; my head is swimming with millions of outfit ideas. . .

If it weren't for that bio test, I would definitely have some more collections to share with you, seeing as some of my favorites (Comme des Garcons, for example) showed today. But alas, studying comes first.

♥ I've also been thinking about what the addition of these things would do to my fall wardrobe. Here's a hint - very, very good things:

1. Knee-high boots. Love the exposed zipper. Hot.

2. My dream Docs. The only non-affordable things on this list, but so, so amazing.

3. A bit of bling. Cheap statement necklaces can really transform an outfit.

4. Like sneakers, only with a bit of a wedge to give you longer legs and a bit of height.

5. The first inexpensive driving gloves I've found. Man, I've been wanting a pair of these forever.

6. I want a leather jacket, but this faux leather hoodie is a nice twist on a classic.

Oh yum, plenty of clothing to prance 'round my dreams; that is, if thoughts of Oxidative Phosphorylation and Glycolysis don't drive it away. . .

Lula Looks

Today, I am angry at Pepsi and Barnes & Noble.

Why, you ask? Well, I was stuck behind a mind-numbingly slow Pepsi truck on the way to school today, so that accounts for the Pepsi hatred. But Barnes & Noble, a store I normally think of lovingly, appears to have stopped carrying Lula Magazine. And so I must hate it. Having looked at tFS to pore over editorials from the latest issue, I feel that B&N is doing me a great disservice.

And so, it is with Lula on my mind that I share those new cut-offs with you. I like 'em lots. They may be a simple, ratty garment, but sometimes those are the best parts of your wardrobe. It just depends on how you style them.

See if you can spot the Lula "influence" in these photos. Har, har. I must admit that I'm rather proud of myself.

Wearing:

♥ Artfully torn cut-offs

♥ New T sent over by the lovely people at Alternative Apparel after seeing the post I did on AltA. Reviews and such of the gear they sent coming up soon. . .

♥ Strap detached from a bag and worn as a belt

♥ Beautiful necklace brought back from Spain by my wonderful brother

♥ Combat boots

♥ Over-the-knee socks folded down

♥ Randomly puffy half-ponytail hairstyle

♥ A wee bit of attitude

Clickity clack, indeed.

No, I don't believe that comment made any sense. But it needed to be said.

The best part of this outfit is that the $25 boots were the most expensive part. Works for me!

Ramble, Ramble

Well, grasshoppers, the days are finally getting colder! On the one hand, I'm delighted to pull out my fall/winter wardrobe, which I've always preferred, but on the other, I don't exactly adore freezing my (stylishly-clad) tush off.

Well, we can't have everything. I prefer to see the cliche, metaphorical glass as half full.

My cold weather wardrobe is a bit sloppy and oh-so-comfy. Long sweaters, plaid flannel, leather boots, black leggings, etc. Last night I hacked the legs off a pair of jeans (RIP Resurrected Jeans; Welcome, New Shorts.) to make some sweet denim cut-offs to layer over tights this fall. Armed with a razor, tweezers, nail scissors, and basically anything else I could think of, I settled down to do some artful shredding as a finishing touch.

Cut to me three hours later, jolted from some weird fashion trance by the trill of my cell phone. It is the dead of night and I am surrounded by a flurry of denim threads, my white-knuckled fingers wrapped around the handle of the razor in a serious death grip, face and hair completely wild. When I rush to grab the phone, the sleepy voice of my mother quietly informs me that my antics have woken the entire household.

Whoops.

So you see, even if my posting is a bit slow these days, fashion is still quite a presence in my life. I am searching for the perfect, affordable (faux) leather jacket, and I plan to prove to my mother that those shorts were totally worth it by putting together the rockingest outfit you ever did see. And despite the fact that I'm about $20 short of broke, a few more flannel shirts and this courderoy dress will make their way into my closet.

Like I said, I'm a glass-half-full kinda girl.

Tough as Nails

I'm currently loving the styling of Alternative Apparel's "Alternative Earth" collection as shown on the website. It has a sort of desert/military theme, and I think it looks laid-back, grungy, and slightly badass. In other words, it's just plain cool.

The clothing may be eco-friendly gym wear (although, to be honest, I'd wear it on a day-to-day basis), but what I love is how the accessories bring it to the next level. Fingerless leather gloves, long-strapped leather bags, and gauzy beige scarves make me think of Tank Girl, a certain type of casual Israeli style, the military, and hiking. White smudges and dirty-clean tousled hair are a nice finishing touch. I'm really fighting the urge to wear goggles on my head tomorrow; how cool does that look? And fingerless leather gloves - well, those I've been wanting for over a year now. Must find perfect pair.

At the very least, I plan to pull out my cargo pants, stomp around in my combat boots, and blast my bedhead with hairspray come morning. Which, of course, will lead me to drink black coffee and snarl single-word responses to any questions. When a girl looks tough as nails, she's gotta act the part. You know how it is.