Stylish in Suburbia

It's been too long

2011-09-11T13:24:00.002-04:00

18 credits and two campus jobs... that's all i have to say by way of explanation. Oh, and the fact that my computer's been recently fixed after months of being out of commission due to some crazy program-wiping virus.

Let's just ease back into this shall we...

Some random crap I found on my desktop that REALLY makes me wish I had a sewing machine here in my dorm room (I tried... it wouldn't fit in the car):

I just want to go to Goodwill, buy men's shirts, and cut holes in them. WHAT ARE SHOULDERS FOR ANYWAYS. Riddle me that.

Oh and I want this dress. ^^^ Maybe sans Amish-hat. It reminds me of how my former faux-roommate (who now sadly lives a billion miles across campus) tried to argue that you could make any Halloween costume sexy (which is of course what college students do on Halloween... run around as Slutty Bo-Peep or whathaveyou and call it a "costume"). So then my other former roomie (Roomie #2) proposed the challenge that you can't make a ghost costume sexy... and then Roomie #1 said YES YOU CAN and I'm pretty sure the consensus was that you just put a sheet over your head and cut strategically placed holes in it? Something to ponder as we near the fall season.

In summary: Right now, I'm feeling clothes that have cut-outs. Clothes you bought and cut yourself. Clothes with stringy DIY fringes. Clothes that make you look like a sexy ghost. Anything with the prefix "Slutty-suchandsuch." But not really. No, that shouldn't even happen on Halloween. Let's keep our clothes on, kids.

And in case you're wondering about the sources... I don't know. They were on my desktop. Sorry I'm not sorry.

DIY -- things to do with a mens dress shirt PART UNO

2011-08-04T11:13:00.000-04:00

Just takes a men's dress shirt, some scissors, a few pins, and bit of hemming. And the end result looks totally rad. More fun ways to demolish your parents' clothing coming soon.

good fun for a rainy day

2011-07-27T22:44:00.000-04:00

Found this DIY tutorial on Blythe Hill (which, incidentally, is a blog I just discovered that I really like). Apparently everyone is making them now... Regardless, I tried it, and they are super easy to make. I mean REALLY easy.

my etsy store is now OPEN!

2011-07-26T11:47:00.002-04:00

I promised I'd tell you guys first: my Etsy store is up and running! Right now I only have three items... but I'll be adding more over the next few days.

Check it out here.

P.S. As you can tell, my banner needs some work... Any photoshop-savvy philanthropists out there wanna lend a hand?? .............. *puppy eyes*

Just call me Mt. Vesuvius

2011-07-18T10:53:00.001-04:00

I'm back from my six-week adventure abroad! My face has erupted in literally every sense of the word (which is why there are no pictures today), I scratched all my bug bites until they bled and now am left with festering scabs, and I see phantom cockroaches at every turn. But really, I'm glad to be home. Don't lie, I know you missed me terribly too. But no more tears! I have exciting news...

I'm opening an etsy store! My next adventure abroad will be to Tanzania with a service trip from school, and it looks like this one's going to run me... about $900. YIKES. My train of thought: need money --> need way to make money + like to craft things --> CHEESE PUFFS --> sell jewelry --> stop thinking about cheese puffs --> ETSY!

I'll be posting a few items hopefully within the next few days, and I'm going to let you, my lovely readers, have first pick by letting you know as soon as they go up. So. Check eett owwt now, da funk soul bruddaa.

from the broseph

2011-06-26T15:49:00.001-04:00

Howdyyy.

S’been a while, I know. As previously mentioned, I’m in paradise right now. So yeah, I really couldn’t be bothered with such trivial things as blogging… I’m far too busy working on my tan! But not really. I spend most of my time on this island in an air-con room in the pediatric ward typing up clinical notes. Which, incidentally, I love, but this is beside the point.

Anyways, this is an outfit from the end of May I think… The top is one of my brother’s hand-me-downs (or is it a hand-me-up?), as are the shorts. The shirt was a double layered long sleeve Old Navy thing that I cut out the inside and sleeves from, and the shorts were his old Levis. Actually, you can see a watercolor painting I did a couple of years ago of my brother wearing this shirt… Random.

I’ll try and post more frequently, but no promises.

Hope y’all are having a great summer!

top – brother’s, altered // shorts – brother’s, altered // boat shoes – Sperrys // necklace - Madewell

a swollen nostril cannot put a damper on my paradise

2011-06-19T10:55:00.000-04:00

So very very sorry for the long absence... I know I am getting terrible at keeping up here. It is a bad habit, but my excuse is that once again, I'm in Belize! For those of you who've been with me for a while, you know I've been here once before, on a service trip during this past spring break. Well I had an AMAZING time, as you can probably gather from this old post. I've been here one week now, on the island of San Pedro, volunteering in the Poly Clinic and at Holy Cross Anglican School, and I'll be here for another five.

I'm literally living in paradise here. Yes there was a cockroach in my undies drawer last night, but that is totally obscured by the fact that this whole island is only three streets wide. At any given point it takes less than three minutes to reach the water. During my lunch break today at the clinic for example, I ambled over to the beach walked to the end of one of the many piers, sat down and ate my PB&J in the company of three pelicans and a sting ray. Strangely, my left nostril has swollen to twice its normal size and is oddly painful for God knows what reason, but I figure this is a small price to pay for paradise.

Sadly, fashion is taking somewhat of a backseat here, given that it is probably near a hundred degrees every single day (not that I've actually seen a single thermometer anywhere), and also considering that I am living out of a suitcase. But whatever aesthetic value I lack is certainly made up 1000 fold by the gorgeousity of San Pedro...

more radness

2011-05-26T22:25:00.001-04:00

So much Nasty Gal radness.

Corazon Bandeau Bikini by Tavik, $140.00

Lolita Swimsuit by Tavik, $125.00

inspired by lanvin

2011-05-20T00:27:00.001-04:00

I did my own pleat-ish thing! Yay. This look appears to be cropping up everywhere now… I just saw it summarized visually today on Honestly…WTF. Needless to say I am a fan!

My “skirt” is actually cut from the bottom half of what I think maybe used to be my Mom’s old bridesmaid dress, maybe. But I could be completely wrong, because I found it in a closet at my Grandpa’s house and my Mum says she doesn’t remember it, plus it still had the tag on it, so the wedding clearly never happened…! Anyways, the thing looked like it belonged to Cinderella; the top was this really romantic high lace collar with a dramatic V made of ribbon and surrounded by more lace. On top of which the whole thing was this really overwhelming baby blue color. It was lovely, and I think I have some pictures somewhere that I’ll try to post, but the thing couldn’t be worn without going back in time. Sooo I took a pair of scissors to it…!

In other news, I’M HOME. Don’t want to dwell on it too long or I’ll start crying, but my freshman year is officially over. Looking forward, I’m off to Belize (AGAIN) for six weeks on June 1. HOLY CRAP. I’m not sure what the internet sitch’ is going to be like though… :O

skirt – vintage upcycle // shirt – Madewell // belt – thrifted // shoes – Madewell, thrifted // bag – vintage // sunnies – college crap-ola

pot sale

2011-05-10T22:25:00.000-04:00

So, as you probably guessed from my last post, finals are upon us here at W&M. In fact they’ve been upon us for a week now, as last Monday was the “Running of the Twamps” at which point all of the intense studiers rush into Swem Library at its opening to snag the best study spaces for the next week and a half. Needless to say… I’m not that intense. As an art major, I had one portfolio due and one final crit session both which took the place of finals, so I only had a grand total of two actual final exams, which is BALLER. Last Friday was my orgo final… I don’t even want to talk about it. Tomorrow is art history… and should be considerably easier!

Anyways, these are photos from the end-of-the-year “Pot Sale” that the ceramics studio here at W&M puts on. It’s kind of cool to think that almost all of this work is made by my peers! I didn’t put any work in, but I did buy a piece that my professor, Marlene Jack, who is retiring at the end of this year, made. It’s a tea bowl she threw on the wheel as a demo during class and then also glazed in front of us too. You can sort of see it in the second photo in the middle-ish-right.

I’ve packed up all my work from the year already, but I plan on photographing it all when I get home. I’ll be sure to post my favorites here!

long+pleated

2011-05-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

source: Lanvin ss11 RTW, all from Style.com

organic chemistry GET AT ME

2011-05-09T15:48:00.001-04:00

So like, here’s what I learned this week:

For a primary substrate (1°R-X), you can’t get SN1 or E1 because those go through a carbocation intermediate (C+) which, like, totally isn’t stable because it would much rather be secondary or tertiary. So you can’t have SN1 or E1, but you can have SN2 or E2, and which one you get is dependant on how much beta-branching there is, with more branching favoring E2 because the nucleophile (nuc:) in SN2 comes in from the back (and reverses the stereochemistry), which it can’t do if there’s too much branching in the way.

For 2° R-X, you can get, like, a crap ton of things… There’s SN1 and E1 if it’s a poor nuc: with a polar protic solvent (so it like has O-H and N-H bonds), with more E1 if it’s at higher temperature. And then if it’s a good nuc: with a polar aprotic solvent, you’ll probably get either SN2 or… or some other sh*t.

Screw orgo. I’M DONE.

dress – thrifted // shoes – Bensimon // jacket – Madewell // bag – Longchamp (spelled correctly! sheesh) // belt - thrifted

I always knew he was crazy

2011-05-01T23:16:00.001-04:00

THE HILARITY NEVER ENDS

filed under: i just LOLed

2011-04-28T13:39:00.001-04:00

The googly-eyed culprit’s masterpiece.

ether bunneh

2011-04-24T22:20:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter! Clearly I’ve still got orgo on my brain… (R-O-R… CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3… It’s the ether bunny! ahhh)

So the last time I wore this shirt was here, and to a decidedly different effect... Which do you like better? And in the spirit of comparisons, do we like this Easter outfit or last year’s?

blouse – Mossimo, thrifted // suit pants – BR // belt – vintage, Mum’s // bag – Longchamp // heels – BCBG // nail polish – Moonstruck by Confetti

dreary day, neon lippy

2011-04-24T17:12:00.001-04:00

New jeans, hemmed ‘em mahself. Aww yeaah. I’m so self-sufficient. (Although I really bought them weeks ago—circa this post—but couldn’t wear them because they were too long… I had to wait until I came home for Easter :( Goal for next year: get a sewing machine in my dorm!! IT’S HAPPENING.) On a side note, though I have no photographic proof to share (slightly awkward dismembered turtle?) these jeans make my butt look FANTASTIC. I highly recommend them.

This is my brand-spankin’ new NEON ORANGE LIPSTICK I alluded to here. It’s by MAC and I <3 <3 <3 it. Totally punches up this neutral dreary day outfit. I’m also really amused that it matches my umbrella in these photos… in real life the umbrella is more red and the lippy is more NEON ORANGE. That is, NEON ORANGE.

Denim – James Jeans, thrifted for $5!! // shirt – thrifted (also here, here, and here) // sweater – JCrew outlet // heels – BCBG, $20 at Marshalls (also here) // belt – vintage, Mum’s // nail polish – Moonstruck by Confetti (also here)

primaries

2011-04-22T13:38:00.002-04:00

It got cold again. And I packed up all my winter clothes last night. Sweeeeet.

I broke out this sweater that bought forever ago but never wear… I’m loving the reddish-orange, especially paired with blue denim and my mustard yellow Longchamp bag.

In other news, some GENIUS decided to put googly eyes—you know, those plastic glue-on eyes that… google? yeah those—all over campus. And I’m not being sarcastic here. I really think this person is a genius. I first heard about this phenom when my friend was looking for the movie Despicable Me in the college library… He couldn’t find it, but what he DID find was a totally normal copy of the Twilight movie, except for the fact that BELLA AND EDWARD HAD GOOGLY EYES! Since then, I’ve become super-attuned to them—I’ve been finding googly faces in the bathroom, on the whiteboard behind the professor in orgo lecture, on the eye-washing safety signs in lab, on random sculptures on campus… They’re taking over! And I’m totally okay with that.

leggings – LOFT // sweater – BR // denim jacket – Madewell sale rack, durrr // boots – Madewell // sarong (worn as scarf) – BELIZE // bag – Longchamp // sunnies – cheapo ones I got for (not) doing the Bone Marrow Drive W&M

filed under: things which make me swoon

2011-04-20T21:01:00.000-04:00

Sources: 1, 2, 3

We just talked about Camille Claudel today in Art History…

Now, normally, in that class I’m kind of like meh, water lilies, seen it… NEXT. And occasionally I giggle when our professor says something silly about the “jaunty” pose of Donatello’s David or when I imagine that everyone in class has to take a shot for every time she says the word “orthogonals” and I think about how plastered we’d all be. But today this gem flashed up on the screen and I paid attention.

Something about the incredible amount of tenderness emanating from this interaction is so beautiful, so captivating… Sorry for being all mushy. But I LOVE this statue.

filed under: things that are rad

2011-04-20T07:07:00.001-04:00

I do so love a good JC joke. (This is one of them.)

Jesus Saves Cutoff Tee by UNIF, available at Nasty Gal, $68

colder days

2011-04-18T22:46:00.001-04:00

This is gonna be a short post with an old outfit since I really ought to be studying for orgo right now… (but that particular activity sucks REALLY hard… so I’m also tempted to drag this out for much longer than necessary…)

*procrastination procrastination procrastination*

In other news, I just got some new MAC lipstick sent to my CSU… BRIGHT FUCKING ORANGE. GET AT ME WORLD! I wore it to church yesterday as a test run… I’m not sure if it was really appropriate for the somber atmosphere that is Palm Sunday, but wasseva. My friend Caitlyn said—and I quote, “Your lipstick reminds me of my weekend.” I don’t know what that means… lulz. But I think it means IT LOOKED SUPAH FLY. I’ll show y’all soon, pwomise!

If you were wondering, the silly bandz were from my bday present. They are a castle and a magic wand.

Nail polish is still “Innocent” by Sinful Colors.

Also…

LIFE IS SOOOOO GOOD. I’M OVER THE MOON! WANT TO KNOW WHY? GUESS! IT’S NOT BECAUSE OF ORGO… OTHER THAN THAT, I’M NOT TELLING! :)

leggings – BCBG outlet // socks – vintage frum dah mum // jacket – Madewell // sweater – thrifted BR cashmere // jersey scarf – GAP outlet // bag – thrifted

GALAXY LEGGINGS!

2011-04-17T22:43:00.001-04:00

My newest obsession… Paired with a crazy-ass smoky eye for maximum effect… I’d wear them every day if it weren’t for the power of social norms shaming me into being hygienic. I got them from BlackMilk.com; these are the “rainbow galaxy leggings.” I also blogged about their “leg bones” here.

boy’s undershirt – brother’s hand-me-down // denim shirt – AE // GALAXY LEGGINGS – BlackMilk // sneakers – Bensimon // nail polish - “Innocent” by Sinful Colors

keepin’ it alive.

2011-04-14T00:01:00.001-04:00

Reader spotlight! YAY. This week it’s Laura from thewardrobenottaken.blogspot.com. I love her tie front blouse and straw fedora… kinda Club Monaco-esque? And the pom pom. I have nothing bad to say about a pom pom.

NEXT WEEK (or at some point in the near future) IT COULD BE YOU. Send me your photos! Rhiannon.ecsedy@gmail.com

this post is purely for my mother

2011-04-11T21:46:00.001-04:00

Dearest Motherkins,

I invite you now to take a look at these photos, and guess what the weather is like here in Williamsburg. Note that I am wearing a dress, that said dress is sleeveless, and that I appear to have gotten a bit tan. Are you guessing that it is 84 degrees and sunny? Because if you are, you’re correct!

So what is the weather like in Needham now? … Is it cold? Might there be some snow left?

What a bummer, dear mother!

With love,

Your ever adorable daughter.

… still have bad Belize tan lines… I’d rather not talk about it.

Nail polish is “Savage” by Sinful Colors. Looks a little greeny-er in real life, and dries matte.

I’m now wearing my cross that I got in Belize on some floss on my wrist because I broke all three silver chains I had… STRUGGLE BUS.

Wrap bracelet is—you guessed it—also from Belize. (WHY DOES EVERYTHING LEAD BACK TO BELIZE?! I NEED TO GO BACKKKK.) Black rope bracelet with ceramic beads is from this trip to TN.

This belt is another find from the depths of my mother’s closet… Don’t you just love that it says “chic” on it?

COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU:

A reader spotlight… It could be you. But only if you send me your photos. rhiannon.ecsedy@gmail.com
GALAXY LEGGINGS!
some generally awesome fash’
SWAPPEEZ! what are those? FIND OUT.

Dress – AE Outlet - SALE $7 // gladiators – Madewell, via the Garment District (view also here, here, and here) – ALSO $7 // hair pins – BR // sunnies – vintage // belt – vintage, MUM’S

DIESEL JEANS DIY

2011-04-09T15:08:00.001-04:00

Sources: We Live Young

This is a fairly simple DIY. It’s called bleach + boys jeans = your jeans, but whiter.

Okay but actually here’s how I did it. I took a pair of boys jeans (my brother’s old ones… if you are interested they are from Hot Topic; the tag says “Lip Service” and they are “Garage Fit” in size 26 x 32… plain old levis will work too) and tied some sections of cotton string around the top of them like this:

Then I filled a five-gallon bucket (like the kind that kitty litter comes in, or the round kind you can buy at Home Depot) with maybe two inches of bleach and a little bit of water. The more water you add, the more you will dilute the bleach, and it won’t work as fast and the line between the bleached and non-bleached areas will be less distinct.

Next, submerge the top of your tied-up jeans in the bleach. Leave the legs out so that they don’t get bleached. You may have to turn the jeans over a few times in 15 minutes or so to make sure you get all sides of the tops.

When they are bleached to your heart’s content, take them out, untie them, and let them dry. You should probably wash them before wearing, but NOT with the rest of your clothes. By hand, in the sink or something.

THEN GO ROCK THEM. See more pics of my finished product in yesterday’s post.

Like this DIY? See this one too for cool bleached cut-offs.

Also, I know that my definition of “tomorrow” is different from that of most normal people. DEAL WITH IT.

LASTLY, if you like what you’re reading, FOLLOW MY BLOG. DO IT.

rockin it like an archeologist

2011-04-06T22:27:00.001-04:00

You remember my “lovable but ignorant-as-dirt friends” that I mentioned in this post a while back? Well I figured out why it is that their comments on my “look” offend me so much. Basically, they don’t have the mental schema to process why I dress the way I do. And so when they see me dressed in an atypical way, they look and try to compare it to something they understand. Like today, for instance, my friend David told me I looked like an archeologist. An archeologist?! I could barely contain myself. I almost bopped him on the nose for his sass. But I thought about it… and I realized it’s not his fault he’s a stupid boy. :)

Also stay tuned for a DIY tomorrow! And another reader spotlight (SEND ME YO PIX – rhiannon.ecsedy@gmail.com) on Friday.

archeologist shirt – thrifted // pants – DIY // belt – mother’s vintage // shoes – BCBG ($20 at Marshalls!) // necklace – Madewell // bracelet – grandmother’s vintage, birthday gift

i want you on my lips

2011-04-05T23:09:00.001-04:00

Sources: Marc Jacobs, Jil Sanders, Marion Minter, Vogue, Prada

rose

2011-04-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

Photo by the lovely Julia. Hair in that awkward in between stage I always forget about.

cross – Belize // top – thrifted Coldwater Creek (lulz) // tights – Loft // boots - UO

It’s my burffday, and I’ll procrastinate if I want to

2011-04-02T18:23:00.001-04:00

My Mum always used to sing that song, except with, you know, the right lyrics. Actually… come to think of it, I’m not sure she knew the lyrics either…

Regardless, today IS actually my birthday. I’m officially 19. Last year as a teenager! My dad sent along this card, and my friend Ashley looks at it and goes, “He doesn’t know how old you are does he?” Nope. Hahahahaha. Made me laugh so hard. MLIA.

My lovely roommates (who both happen to be suspiciously absent) mischeviously surprised me with a festively decorated bathroom whiteboard and condom balloon this morning, while my family sent along some Oriental Trading Company-style goodies (including a balsa wood airplane, whoopee cushion, and silly bandz) and a tin full of Tollhouse cookies that were mysteriously gone into the recesses of my digestive system before I could even think about photographing them.

Sadly, I’m supposed to be writing my term paper—20 pages on the global eradication of Dracunculiasis due Wednesday morning—but instead I’m wrapped in my comforter, pulling pages out of the magazines my Aunt Deb sent in her birthday care package, and drawing in my sketchbook. IT’S MY BIRTHDAY, I’M ALLOWED TO DO THAT!

Speaking of my birthday, the best present ever went down on Thursday night, when I got to meet the famous BILL NYE! (You know, Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill Nye the Science Guy… ) And not only did I meet him, But I got to teach him how to do the reverse explosive pound. My life is complete.

Oh, and my [future] roommate Julia literally just rushed in with a plastic shopping bag which she promptly dumped on my lap (Hello, I’m trying not to write a term paper here! Interrupting my useless procrastination! Sheesh.) Anyways, I look inside and there’s a half-empty bag of Twizzlers, which just happen to be my favorite candy. I’m like, “Thanks…! You only ate half of them…Wow.” While thinking, I really hope this isn’t my birthday present… But she’s just like, “NO LOOK, THERE’S CHOCOLATE!” At which point I realize that not only is the bag of Twizzlers half gone, but those that remain are also covered in chocolate frosting. Do I detect a faintly fishy aroma?

I’m calling ‘nanigans on this one. AND I CAN’T WAIT!

EXPRESS swimwear

2011-03-28T10:01:00.001-04:00

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

So my bathing suit after paint fights in the streets of Belize… Looks a bit like a MESS. (Read the full post / see my photo diary here.) Basically, it’s covered in pastel-colored splatter stains that stubbornly refuse to remove themselves from my previously crisp WHITE suit. Garr. Which means… SWIMSUIT SHOPPING. WOOT WOOT.

LUCKILY, Express tells me they have a lovely new line of women's swimwear to choose from… I’m dying over the great patterns (bottom far left? top far right?! cheetah?? SNAKESKIN?!? Um, I die?!), the bikinis and the awesome cut-outs on the one-pieces…

…but the one below is MAH FAV. I like classic black for swimsuits… It’s classic. And classy. Classic and classy. A classy classic.

Basically, you can't go wrong.

Soooo, in summary, you can expect I’ll be rocking this in like two months when the weather is warm enough for swimming. (And maybe sooner, depending on whether or not I feel like prancing around in a bathing suit for no good reason. …It could happen.)

ALSO, sign up for Express e-mail for a chance to win a $200 gift certificate! (Blah blah read the sweepstakes rules.) SUH-WEET.

IT’S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reader spotlight makes a comeback.

2011-03-24T18:54:00.000-04:00

Y’all probably don’t remember, but at the very beginning of my forays into blogging I suggested something I called “Hallway Style” (what a barf of a name)… but the basic idea was a READER SPOTLIGHT, in which y’all send me yer photos and I post ‘em. Rocket science. Sadly, no one sent me any photos, so there was only one incarnation, called “Stylish in School.” And that is the story of how my brilliant idea went unfulfilled…

UNTIL NOW. *dramatic chipmunk looks dramatic*

Thanks this week to the lovely Nivedita, who sent me her photos!

NEXT WEEK IT COULD BE YOU. SEND ME YOUR OUTFIT PIX, YOU CHUCKLECHILDREN.

burned and peeling

2011-03-23T21:19:00.001-04:00

Back to real life. Back to classes, cold weather, and responsibility.

Real life SUCKS.

Furthermore, it’s only after you return to real life that you realize your whole body is covered in a giant red rug burn and you nose is slowly shedding its outer layers. Shedshedshed.

conch earrings and necklace – BELIZE! // top – old Delia’s // jeggings – Madewell // sneaks – Bensimon // belt – thrifted // sweater - Madewell

MAH PHOTODIARY, and also reasons why I’m a buttface

2011-03-22T23:35:00.001-04:00

Include the fact that I have shamelessly neglected you, my readers, for AN ENTIRE WEEK.

But no worries. I’ve returned to you, my loves.

Here are some photos from BAY LEEZ, aka The Greatest Place on Earth:

Got off the airplane, got in a strange taxi slash sketchy we-have-candy van and saw THIS. My life is complete from here on out.

Me and mah BUDS. Reppin’ WILLIAM AND MARY

This isn’t real life. It’s just not.

San Mateo, the community we worked in. The poorest, most at-risk community in Belize. BUT also home to some of the greatest people I’ve ever met.

Shown here are the “London Bridges”—a conglomeration of wooden planks which form the quote-on-quote roads and sidewalks between the houses and over the lagoon that comprises San Mateo.

A local grocery store in San Mateo.

I know I’ve never been as thankful as I should be for the garbage collection man.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Like Venice, but… not.

The road shown here is part of a co-op project between the community of San Mateo and the University of Mississippi. Roads were determined to be the primary need of the community.

Members of our team with some local kids we played soccer with (and lost to).

Me and a child at Holy Cross Anglican School.

TEXTURES.

Oh hai there, art major.

Cute children at Holy Cross.

I ordered ‘Whole Fish,’ not realizing that literally meant a WHOLE fish.

We were all stunned by the Spanish-ization of Frosted Flakes. My friend Joel joked that the Belizean slogan must therefore be “Theyyyy’re BUENO.”

Artsy fartsy.

Again.

A RACCOON ON A LEASH?!

Carnival celebrations in Belize = GIANT CITY-WIDE PAINT FIGHT.

You have to walk through the jaws to get in. Greatest bar ever? I think so.

There are barely any cars on the island… only bikes and golf carts. (Again, not real life.)

Can you believe I actually ate this thing? Well, not this one. But I did have conch ceviche (and it was DELICIOUS). However, that was before I discovered how nasty these little buggers are in real life…

I die.

My absolute favorite picture! A local man celebrating Carnival.

Some children on the beach join the festivities.

Another painted child. (Cool colors? Yuss.)

A painted family let me take their photo.

ZOMG! I GOTS PAINTED TOOS.

Crowds in the street watch performers and get painted.

The view from our hotel. (Really.)

More San Mateo.

Futbol!

“Gangs” form on the beach and join in the paint war.

Working on a house in San Mateo.

Teddy bears in the mud :(

ADORABLE! My buddies on Ash Wednesday.

The amazing people I talked about? These are them.

I feel so blessed to have been able to take this trip. If you haven’t heard the crazy story behind it all… well, it’s crazy, trust me. And I’m so thankful that things worked out the way they did.

I’m going to take a break from my usual sarcasm tongue-and-cheek here and just say that I hope all my readers can take a moment and just be thankful, and just appreciate how blessed you are.

OH HAI, I’m still in Belize. Here are some old outfits photos.

2011-03-12T22:53:00.000-05:00

top – boys Hanes tee // jeggings – Loft // necklaces – Mayhew; DIY // sweater vest – BR // belt – vintage // sneaks - Bensimon

SHORTS, SHORTS, SHORTS (see what I did there?)

2011-03-10T22:45:00.000-05:00

earrings – H&M // top – Loft // belt – vintage // shorts – AE jean cutoffs // sneaks – Bensimon

so this is college…

2011-03-08T22:40:00.000-05:00

jeggings – Loft // top – JCrew // belt – vintage // sweater – JCrew // bag – gifted from India // sneaks – Bensimon // a crapload of paper cranes made from sticky notes (DIY!?) // SMEXY OVERLOAD.

back in the days of blondie

2011-03-06T22:29:00.000-05:00

top – Loft // skirt – LF // booties – Zara // suit jacket – BCBG // SUPER BLONDE HAIR // crazy cats

taste the rainbow

2011-03-04T22:17:00.002-05:00

I have issues with pattern mixing. I’ll admit it. It’s not my area of expertise. I can, however, mix colors like nobody’s business. …LIKE NOBODY’S BUSINESS.

I always find that warmer weather inspires a greater degree of experimentation and vibrancy in my outfits. This is outfit is one of my most recent favorite colorful days… teal + fire engine red + navy blue + mustard yellow + electric purple.

I mentioned in my last post that I’m going to BELIZE for spring break… (That’s how it has to be said: BELIZE. Not Belize, no no no. It has to be said like with gusto. BELIZE. No, louder. Yeah yeah, there you go. BELIZE.) And as I’m sure you could tell from my facial expression, I was FUH-REA-KING OWT about it. Like, really badly.

Basically what happened was I got this list-serve email on Tuesday from a group on campus that I signed up for (along with a million other things I never ended up doing) at the Activities Fair during Orientation… Anyways, this email said something like “SPOT OPEN ON TRIP TO BELIZE FOR SPRING BREAK—RESPOND ASAP” and here I am, sitting on my laptop in a comfy chair in the science building with two hours to kill before Orgo lecture because I’ve locked myself out of my room yet again… So anyways, I get this email, I’m BORED AS HELL, I ought to be writing a book review for my seminar, but clearly that’s not happening… So this email pops up in my inbox and I’m like, A DISTRACTION! and I promptly use it as an excuse to procrastinate further. I decide, on a whim to respond to the email with the words, “I’m interested!” And then I’m sitting in lecture an hour later and my Droid goes, DRRROIDD. And HOLY HELL, I’M GOING TO BELIZE! I somehow signed up for a service trip with a group of kids I don’t know from a church I’ve never been to.

I texted my Mum, going, “hey mum, how would u feel abt me going to belize for spring break?” Yes, that’s right. I asked my mother if I could—with three days left of classes—change my plans for spring break to include spending nine days in Central America VIA TEXT MESSAGE. I know, I know—but hey, she said yes.

How did this happen? I’m so effing pumped.

On the downside (what downside?) this means I’ll be off the grid until March 13th. My apologies. I know your heart is breaking. I’ll see if I can muster up a post or two tonight to schedule for during the week… we don’t leave here until 2:40 AM and right now it’s 10:17, so I have some time to kill, but we all know about my work ethic… JUST KIDDING I HAVE A BALLER WORK ETHIC. I GO TO WILLIAM AND MARY. I’M NOT IN DENIAL.

shirt – BR // belt – Madewell // linen shorts – altered Old Navy capris // cardigan – Madewell // bag – Longchamp // flats – Old Navy // nail polish – Ocean Love Potion by Sephora for OPI

SAY WHAAAA

2011-03-03T22:20:00.001-05:00

So this is more or less how I felt on Tuesday when I found out that I’M GOING TO BELIZE FOR SPRING BREAK!

Full story + outfit pics later. SO MUCH TO DO before I leave. Ahhh…!

so… let’s talk about this.

2011-02-28T22:35:00.001-05:00

I know, right?! SUCKS.

And the worst part of it is that I can’t get a new one until July. Freakin’ JULY. Because they cost like crapping six hundred dollars and since I used up the two-year free upgrade when my phone got soaked last semester… well I can’t afford to buy a new one out of pocket. So here we are.

ode to chanel

2011-02-27T16:57:00.001-05:00

Finally made a Goodwill run on Friday, THANK GOD—it had been way too long. Got something like three shirts, an XXXXL men’s flannel, a really nice pair of James Cured by Seun jeans, this sweater (which I found out after I bought it was maternity? that’s not weird at all), a teeny tiny sweater from the boys section, and a cashmere BR pullover. Oh, and a vintage Chanel purse. NBD.

NO BIG D. YEAH, THAT’S WHAT I SAID.

Here’s how that shit went down. I spied this older lady with her mitts on it at Goodwill so I started using The Force in my head, going, WALK AWAY, LADY. PUT IT DOWN AND WALK AWAY. And clearly my jedi mind tricks worked on her because she did! She put it down and walked away, and I swooped in like a angry badger and just SNIPED that purse. And now it’s mine. Happiness is MINE. ALL MINE.

And now for a gratuitous amount of photos celebrating my love for this material object which brings me great pleasure by stroking my ego and inflating my own importance. Speaking of which, you should follow my blog. Yeah, you should do that.

sweater – thrifted Old Navy (maternity…HA) // tee – Madewell // zip crop jeans – Madewell // bag – thrifted Chanel // flats – Old Navy // nail polish – Sephora by OPI in “Ocean Love Potion” // belt - JCrew

fashion icon: the glamourai

2011-02-26T13:50:00.001-05:00

I LURV THIS GIRL.

Not only does she have an incredibly refined sense of dress, combined with a sick-nasty haircut and the most amazing collection of sunnies, but she also makes a living designing jewelry. AHH. Life envy, much?!

These are some of my favorite shots from her blog, The Glamourai. Specific wants: those clear Lucite shades, that green dress, taupe nail polish, a slouchy gray beanie, suede knee-high boots, her white tie-front blouse…

sources: all glamourai

Barney meets the Little Mermaid? CHECK PLUS.

2011-02-24T21:13:00.000-05:00

I acquired this fabulous hand-made vintage skirt from a relative back in December, and I had originally taken it with the idea to shorten it considerably in time for spring. Clearly I never got around to doing it—surprise, surprise. However, I put it on the other morning, paired it with black tights and a sleeveless white henley on a whim and life just gelled. (Are you gellin’? Like a felon.) The fabric has such a fabulous print! It’s the kind of thing that half makes you want to frantically run in the other direction and half boil it in a pot and hummy it down for desert. (I can’t think of anything else halfway intelligent to contribute here.) ME LIKEY.

The nail polish is by Sinful Colors and it belongs to a friend who lives upstairs… It’s HIGHLIGHTER-NEON-RADIOACTIVE orange (that’s not the real name), but sadly these pictures don’t do it justice. I was at a party last weekend and my nails were glowing. Literally glow-in-the-dark. So amazing. Tragically, I can’t find that particular shade online or at the local Walgreen’s here in Williamsburg… I plan to continue the quest when I return home to the north in two weeks. WHADDUP SPRING BREAK.

In other news… my hair is no longer blonde! Yikes.

shirt – Madewell // skirt – vintage // belt – thrifted // demin jacket – Madewell SALE ($15) // bag – vintage // CRAZY ORANGE nail polish – Sinful Colors // boots – Kensie Girl

we no speak americano

2011-02-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

An old outfit I never got around to posting…

I’m currently sitting in the dorm social lounge playing catch phrase in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish. Makes me think of this song by Yolanda Be Cool. BAP BAP AMERICANO.

Lots of mid-terms coming up—excuses excuses. But actually, I spent the weekend pulling handles for ceramics and studying organic chemistry and basically just being super productive (HA—that’s a joke).

dress – Ann Taylor Loft

boots – Kensie Girl

scarf – Da Mum

gittterrrrdunnn

2011-02-21T15:31:00.001-05:00

IT’S UP. *EXCITED SQUEAL*

Get your butt in gear (hence, “GITTTERRDUNNN”), and go check it out. See the main page here and LIKE MY LOOKS here.

enstyle: fashion is coming to facebook

2011-02-20T22:59:00.001-05:00

I’m SUPER SEXCITED (yes that was intentional—it adds emphasis) to be a part of a new application bringing fashion to Facebook that launches TOMORROW MORNING! It’s called enstyle, and blast-off commences at 9 AM EST on Monday, February 21st.

Above is the promo vid for enstyle, with music by Nathan of Friendly Ghost, and photos from all of the bloggers who are the (and I quote) “dream-team-first-and-selected users” (end quote). You can see me for approximately 1 nanosecond at around 1:21 (wearing the outfit from this post). Oh boy do I feel special.

So… be sure to tune in HERE on Monday for the link to the official page, where you can like others’ looks and post your own! I HOPE YOU’RE AS SEXCITED (credit to Ashley Brykman for that clever turn of phrase) AS I AM.

slow dance slow

2011-02-17T16:56:00.001-05:00

My mother sent me the link to This Blue Heaven’s new single “Slow Dance Slow,” I watched it, FREAKED OUT, and responded as follows:

Rhiannon Ecsedy to Brenda at 4:36 PM (9 minutes ago)

this is SO GOOD

like SO GOOD
I LOVE THIS
I didnt think i would. but its REALLY good.

The cool thing is that I know the pianist from This Blue Heaven, Aaron Rosenthal, because he’s the accompanist and assistant director for my church choir, and part of the video was actually filmed in the church basement! Which I think is WAY COOL because I spent a significant portion of my childhood at preschool playing dodgeball and hide-and-seek-in-the-dark in that basement… Plus THAT’S MY CHURCH. But aside from all that nostalgia, the song is REALLY FREAKING GOOD. Like I’m obsessed.

Dearest Adrienne (My RA who lives next door), I sincerely hope you also like This Blue Heaven, because you’re going to be hearing quite a bit of it through the wall (on repeat and max volume, of course).

Now I’m off to listen to the rest of their music… See their website here, but try to keep your cool while doing so.

on short hair

2011-02-15T00:15:00.001-05:00

I’d been contemplating going short again (I’d taken the plunge once before, in seventh grade) for a while before I actually went through with it about a month ago. I’d spent many an hour online googling “short hair” and “pixie cut” looking for inspiration, for something to convince me one way or the other. Because the truth is that bleaching my hair really wrecked it, and I was desperately looking for an excuse to get rid of my gnarled tresses. It was at about this point that I came across this provocative article by former Elle contributor Johanna Cox, on the effect of short hair on one’s love life. I’d read that Alexa Chung felt un-sexy with her hair bobbed, and I’d heard other horror stories of girls with pixie cuts feeling boyish and unattractive, but to hear Johanna relate the story of her boyfriend revealing he was no longer attracted to her with short hair was downright frightening:

That boyfriend and I ultimately parted romantic ways, but we remain good friends. After all, it was his brutal honesty that prepared me for the next two years, when I would experience what it feels like to be consistently passed over by a majority of men simply because they, like him, believed they could never be attracted to a woman with supershort hair. … A self-righteous attitude, as opposed to my body language or sense of style, was now the first impression I made on most men. As a result—and it was immediate—the nice guy, the skeevy married man, even the construction worker left me alone.

I personally can’t help but read that and think, well then, f*** ‘em! But it’s still scary to think that committing to something like this, something I couldn’t reverse and would have to live with for a year, minimum, could cause me to turn into a single, social pariah. At the same time, I understand where Johanna’s boyfriend was coming from, because dating a girl with short hair could, to the mans’ ego, seeming call his sexuality into question. But why does hair length have to be identified with sexual orientation? Or gender? I was under the impression that this was the twenty-first century.

Which brings me to the bit about how I hate the idiotic but somehow all-pervasive notion that all girls with short hair are lesbians. Joking or not, guys love to ask of my drastic change from super long blonde to platinum pixie, “Does this mean you’re gay?” At which point I retaliate by punching them in the balls and laughing while they write in pain. Not actually, but kind of. But then the logical line that should be inserted at this point in my narrative is “not that there’s anything wrong with being gay,” just so you all know I’m not some obnoxious bigot. And obviously there isn’t—like, DO YOU, you know—but that’s not really the point, is it? The point is that you’re judging me and my sexuality based on something as superficial as the length of my hair. No one much seems to care, for example, that they personally know my ex-boyfriend or that I consistently comment on how attractive I think the male RA down the hall is. It’s like a switch gets flipped in some people’s brains and they forget everything else and automatically assume, “OH EM GEE SHE HAS SHORT HAIR SHE MUST LIKE BOOBS.” Don’t be stupid. Like, really? Really now.

But the sad truth is that people are going think what they want to think. Someone once told me, “Ultimately, you can’t change other people. You can only change yourself.” So here I am, trying to change my self-perception, and my perception of other people’s perceptions of me… Should I just grow a tougher skin? Learn to let it all just roll off my back? Or am I in the wrong here? Is there actually a reason why girls get so much flak for having short hair? Will my lack of hair really ruin my life? WILL I BECOME A FRIENDLESS HERMIT??

I found the answer to this question the first weekend back after break—about three weeks ago now—when I went out with my friends to a party at an off-campus frat house. By the time I got there, the alcohol was pretty much gone, and everyone was already pretty well toasted, which is relevant because drunk people speak their minds. Drunk people are easy to understand, and their motives are always clear because they are no long capable of subtlety. (I like drunk people. They make sense to me.) Myself being sober, this was the perfect scenario to test out the powers of my new haircut. All of those lurking questions flared up again in my mind: Would guys still hit on me? Would anyone mention my short hair?

In fact, I have never felt more attractive. There was no shortage of attention paid to me and my friends. Multiple people I’d never met before told me they liked my hair. I could almost feel the power I was wielding, the kind of power every girl dreams of having, of being able to captivate a man’s attention, of lighting up a room. I felt it. I’m not saying I felt it because of my haircut, but I’m also not saying I felt it in spite of my haircut. No, that was all me, and the haircut had nothing to do with it.

My biggest fear in chopping off all my hair, conceited and immature as it is, was that no boy would even look at me ever again. I think I can safely say that fear has yet to be realized. Like Johanna, I have noticed a change in the way that some boys react to me; my lovable but ignorant-as-dirt guy friends make dumb comments about my sexuality or my sometimes “androgynous” look, and I’m sure some guys will pass me over because of my hair (or lack thereof). But honestly, this is where I get to say f*** ‘em and have no qualms about it. For one thing, I love androgyny! I think it’s one of the chic-est and most fashionable of modern aesthetics. And furthermore, if anyone is going to judge me because of my hair—and this goes for everyone, both guys and girls—then that person isn’t worth my time.

Johanna notes that it the set of men who showed interest in her after her haircut changed drastically, but certainly not for the worse. As I interpret it, the quantity of men that hit on her may have decreased, but the quality actually went up, producing more confident, a la mode-savvy males who appreciated both the personal style and guts behind such a haircut. I’m not sure I can really confirm this increase in “male quality” with my own experiences, but I can say that there is more to life than being chatted up at a party by some cute dude. And those things don’t definitely don’t change with the length of your hair.

A reader of this blog sent me an email a few weeks ago saying:

“I have been toying with chopping my hair like you did for a while..but am so scared Ill regret it the second I do it :/ Any regrets?”

In answer to her question, I said:

“I have no regrets. There are certainly moments of weakness when I wish I still had the boring normality of my long hair to hide behind, but there will always be times when I feel insecure, even if I hadn't cut my hair. So in the end, it was a risk I wanted to take and I took it, and I'm glad I did, because I like the results. The worst that could happen is that you won't like it, but it's not like you won't rock it anyways, and it'll definitely grow back.”

So what’s the verdict? Well, I want to go shorter. How about you?

now I know I’m not really one to judge…

2011-02-14T23:00:00.001-05:00

But personally, I find this a little weird. “Vena Cava Backstage: Nail Polish Reinvented” from Refinery29.

horchata

2011-02-13T20:04:00.000-05:00

Feeling like a hipstaahh.

Still rocking the bubblegum pink nail polish. Which reminds me of my first ever AIM screen name (“SN” for those cool enough to know)… It was “bubblegumpop364.” I was so popular in fifth grade. Really I was.

And a brief note of actual fashion relevance: neutral top + neutral bottoms works because of the POP of color in the prison-orange tee underneath.

And a brief note of actual legit grade-A creepiness: those papers you see taped to my bed on the right of the above photo… those are from assassins, the game I told you guys I was playing with my hall in this post. As an update, the game lasted a little over a week, and my roommates were the last two left “alive,” so they won. But anyways, the game started to get REALLY intense—I mean like REALLY effing intense—and it came down to my faux-roommate Ashley (She’s never actually appeared on this here little bloggy blog, but I’ve mentioned her before I think…? Affirmative: here, here, and here) and sort of Julia (same story except you can actually see her here and here and she’s photographed for me here and here) and this other girl who lives upstairs—we’ll call her Alberta. So basically SHIT GOT REAL and we started stalking poor Berta via Banner, which is the online service the college uses for class registration and grades and whatnot. Anyways, we knew Alberta had class at a certain time of day so then we’d use Banner find what classes were going on at that time and find out exactly which building it was in so we could be there as she walked out the door. We even followed little Bertie to a sailing meeting one evening, dressed in disguise; we waited in the woods, we followed her to dinner… I almost hid in the upstairs bathroom for several hours before class one morning on the off chance that she would also be getting up early… almost. I’m actually quite glad it’s over so that I can actually eat at the caf again without getting whiplash from all the times I’d have to keep checking to make sure there was no one sneaking up behind me… And now we understand that I take these things WAY to seriously.

Pants – Madewell // Sneaks – Bensimon // Shirt – J Crew // Sweater – Loft // Bag – vintage // Faux-Bans - eBay

and I’ll wear my pearls

2011-02-12T19:41:00.002-05:00

It’s the weekend! Yay for catching up on sleep! Oh wait… Nope. That’s not going to happen.

One good thing about this weekend in particular is that one of my good friends who lives upstairs, Alex—who is coincidently dating my other bestest bud, Julia—has his bestest bud, Max-A-Million, visiting from GW. Max happens to be AWESOME, and basically like the male version of myself—see what I did there—with almost as much sass to boot. (Almost.) Narcissism aside, Max is supa chillll. We’re having a dance-off tonight. He doesn’t know this, but the only way I’ll win is if he is a HORRENDOUS dancer, because, well, I have no moves whatsoever.Watching me dance is sort of like watching a headless chicken having an epileptic fit… you want to tear your eyes away, but you just can’t. But of course when has that ever stopped me from talking smack? YOU’RE GOING DOWN, MAXWELL HOUSE COFFEE.

Psyched for that dance-off. So effing pumped.

Shirt – Gap // Jeans – Madewell // Belt – Madewell // Boots – Steve Madden // Bag – Longchamp // Sweater –Madewell // Nail Polish - NYC

don’t try this at home.

2011-02-10T21:48:00.000-05:00

I’m digging the pixie crops that are popping up all over street style blogs lately (for obvious reasons). What once struck me as a very limiting hair cut now prove that it looks good slicked back, mussed up, with a headband, with bangs, with curls… the possibilities are endless. SHLOVE.

In other news, I attempted to cut my hair even shorter today with the help of a trusty pair of paper scissors and a small mirror hung precariously on the bathroom towel rack. Surprisingly, I didn’t screw it up too badly… a little choppy maybe, but not embarrassingly so. What is embarrassing is the massive amount of cuts on my knuckles from inability to coordinate the use of the scissors with my mirror image view of the back of my head. Owwie.

Regardless, I’m dying to go shorter… Like this lovely suited femme below—so classy. (Plus those beautiful bold brows, the double-wrap watch, the popped collar, those metallic nails! I die.) I think I’ll go to an actual salon for that though.

What do you think? Are you loving the pixie like I am?

Sources: (1) Hanneli Mustaparta, (2) (3) (4) The Sartorialist, (5) (6) All The Pretty Birds, (7) (8) Mr. Newton, (9) The Sartorialist

OO—SHINYY!

2011-02-10T16:22:00.001-05:00

Pants by Acne. Photo source: Mode d’Amour.

Yet another reason why I am a five-year old. I go berserk for shiny things.

Also, someone please explain to me why I can’t find these online? GARRR\\\

zara ss11

2011-02-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

I am IN love with the newest Zara lookbook… it’s literally stabbing my eyes with daggers of amazing-ness. Like holy hell. DO WANT.

The collection is a little mod, very structural, somewhat minimalistic, and all stunning.These are the kind of awesome pieces you could easily work into your wardrobe to update outfits you already own. I think my love for the collection is also biased by the fact the styling on model Stella Tennant is genius. I adore her hair… the way they have it all mussed up is so REFRESHING. It’s exactly what I’m aiming for these days.

source: Zara.com

high gloss fashion

2011-02-05T16:10:00.001-05:00

I received an email from Tamara over at High Gloss Fashion offering my lovely readers 35 % OFF ALL ITEMS!

High Gloss Fashion is a brand new online clothing, shoe, and accessory boutique carrying such well known designers such as BB Dakota, Gentle Fawn, Plastic Island, Motel Rocks as well as up and coming designers with prices ranging from $5 to $150. As of right now, the boutique feels a little empty, and they definitely need to do something about that hideous logo that reminds me strongly of Rodent’s Revenge... REGARDLESS I’d say High Gloss is off to a good—if a bit aesthetically rocky—start here and I’m eager to check back again in a few weeks as the resort and spring collections start to arrive and the creative kinks have been worked out.

Use the code save35 at checkout now to take advantage of the discount. Coupon code expires at 11:59pm CST February 8, 2011. And keep an eye out in the future for High Gloss Fashion!

pale.

2011-02-03T17:47:00.001-05:00

This is the outfit I wore on the train back to school something like, oh, three weeks ago? So yeah, I’m digging though the archives a bit here, I know. But I think this one’s worth it. Plus I think it really taps into the whole punky hair thing. Not that I think I’m punky. But hair kinda does. Just a wee bit.

Actually quite a few people have asked me if this new haircut means I’m “emo” now. I will publicly answer that question for anyone who still has doubts by presenting the following evidence:

Exhibit A: “Cute Overload” calendar. 365 days of lolcat-worthy photos. Note also the piglet coloring page on the wall.

So yeah. I’m REALLY emo.

In other news, I’m also REALLY pale. Really really white. Stuff White People Like? Yeah, well it looks like I LOVE that Stuff. I love it so much I might just make a shrine in my closet like that time Helga made a sculpture of Arnold’s football head out of his ABC (already been chewed, HAHA THIRD GRADE) gum. That’s how pale I am right now. HEY SUN. I NEED YA HELP UP IN HERRR.

Embarrassingly enough, the cuff I’m wearing in this photo—which I will say I abso-frickin-lutely ADORE—is actually from… Coldwater Creek. Yeah. Like the store your mother shops at. That one. I WAS SHOPPING WITH MY MUM. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME. Ehh-hmm.

dress – Madewell

sweater – Allsaints

bag – vintage

sneaks – Bensimon

rings – vintage

cuff - (embarrassing, but…) Coldwater Creek! (Ahhh so embarrassing.)

please enjoy this photo of a naked mole rat

2011-02-02T00:12:00.001-05:00

Also, here is some more of my art from last semester. This is a sculpture carved from a solid block of plaster. It’s about a foot tall, give or take. It’s heavy. It’s also shiny now, which you can’t tell from these photos.

You remember the porky-pine cheerio? Yes, hmm, yes nom nom.

In other news, my dorm is playing Assassins, that game where you try to “assassinate” your target, and then your target’s target, and so on until you’re the only one left and then you WIN. But yeah I’m getting a wee bit too invested and it’s disrupting my sleep schedule. Literally I am going to win this nonsense if it kills me. I’m even bringing my watergun to class tomorrow. No jokes. I think I need a life.

In the world of things you really care about that will greatly affect your life, and in lieu of the recent ban on the beloved Four Loko, I find this very amusing and perhaps you will too: CLICKETY. Also I kind of want them but am not sure that it would promote a favorable impression among my peers and professors? Ponderous ponder ponder.

A real post tomorrow. Pwomise. Pinky pwomise.

My fortune cookie says I will be graced by the presence of a loved one soon… OH GOODY

2011-01-30T21:15:00.001-05:00

Soooo you may have noticed that I’ve basically been MIA from the blogosphere for almost a month… SOWEE.

I’d like to tell you that I have a legitimate reason, perhaps even a fantastical story, to explain my absence, but ALAS, I am naught but a humble pirate. Meaning I have no explanation. I wasn’t fighting an outbreak of a drug-resistant TB strain in an impoverished region of Peru. Nor was I studying the mating rituals of a rare species of endangered rabbit in its natural habitat of Southern Australia. I haven’t spent the last three weeks in the pitch black solitude of an Alaskan ice cave, busily working by candlelight on my literary piece de resistance. I can’t even tell you that I was circling the seven seas in a deep sea kayak, drinking rainwater and staving off insanity by singing Jimmy Buffet songs to a particularly adorable piece of seaweed. No… I wasn’t doing any of those things.

I’m back at school now, and the truth is that I’ve been playing with water guns and bubble wands, taking advantage of the pleasantly spring-like sunshine here in the ‘Burg by curling up in blankets with my roommates on the patio outside our dorm. I’ve spent my time reading about AIDS and other emerging diseases, talking in a ridiculous falsetto, riding on the coattails of my friend Welshie who’s training for a marathon, and trying—unsuccessfully—to throw clay on the wheel.

And now, right now, I’m finishing up the remnants of my Chinese food dinner (beef and broccoli, beetchezz), fiddling with my awkward bangs, and affording maybe 37% of my attention Anastasia, the movie my roomies are watching.

But I can promise more posts coming soon. With actual pictures. Fashion? SHOCKER. Clothes? WTCRAP. Ya ya ya shutttuppp.

Look Ma, no hair!

2011-01-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

OH EM GEE.

snood doggy dogg

2011-01-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

HOWDY ~

Anyone who knows me knows I’m crafty. No, not crafty like sly and devilish, but crafty like artsy. Like, I can’t sit still through an hour of TV without having something in my hands to draw or sew or scrapbook or otherwise create. And let’s not forget my latest crafting venture: knitting.

It’s sort of grandmother-ish and homely, I know, but I like knitting. There’s something incredibly relaxing about the monotonous way those needles clack back and forth, the yarn twists over and under… And hey, I can make cool shit, too.

The first finished product of my old folks pastime is this chunky snood.

But first things first. What is a snood? A snood is two things:

An odd computer game which involved creepy little faces, almost like virtual Crazy Bones or something… (It was a strangely popular homeroom activity in high school.)
A scarf, generally chunky, of the circular variety, with neither beginning nor end. (See: the circle of life, the water cycle, my friend Karl’s logic.)

For those of you who want to try your hand at making your own snood:

You will need approximately two balls of thick yarn. I used Lion Brand Thick & Quick Yarn. (And obviously, two knitting needles. Mine were size 15.)
Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches plus 2. (I did 30.)
Do the raspberry stitch—a super easy permutation of the knit and purl stitches—(directions and helpful video) until your snood is the length you want (about 30 inches).
Lace both ends together with the remaining yarn.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.

snap crackle prep

2011-01-02T13:30:00.001-05:00

Hey hey hey it’s 2011. Happy new year. Eh… SCHWEET.

Kay so now that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the meat and potatoes of this post (What’s taters? PO-TA-TOES). But not really, because I don't actually have any dinner material to share. Speaking of dinner, though, last night was Saturday family dinner night, so we went out to New Garden in Needham—which, by the by, is only the bawss-est Chinese food place this side of the moon—and the conversation at one point centered around the fact that decent looking girls can get into any college party and drink as much free beer as they want (which, in retrospect, is an odd thing to talk about at dinner with my mother, aunt, and grandfather present…) Regardless, my mother was of the opinion that this is a sexist practice leftover from the days of yonder, but I think it’s more of a sexual thing than a sexist one… And you can’t really consider sexual orientation as a form of sexism, right? Anyways, that’s my completely pointless thought for the day.

You’ll be glad to know that while I was getting my Chinese-food-face on, I also shared an awkward hello with the ex’s parental, bit into some chicken wings like 16th century royalty, and learned that I will soon “go on a pleasant trip to a place far away.”

This outfit is one of my favorites in a while. I love the cravat—reminds me of this photo of Kourtney and Scott, which I think is simply a-dor-a-ble. And the sweater is such a throwback to the letterman sweaters of the fifties. I saw it at the college bookstore back in Williamsburg, dropped a hint to my Mum while she was visiting for parent weekend, and what do you know! To my complete astonishment, I found it under the tree on Christmas day. Don’t you just love it when your parents get your not-so-subtle hints.

Also, have I explained what a TWAMP is yet? I think that I have (ahoy, right here), but as a refresher: a TWAMP is a Typical William and Mary Person (a.k.a. a nerd with excessive school spirit). I for one am a twamp. And this sweater? Serious twamptitude. Twaaaaamp.

OH OH OH and in case any of you were wondering, I bought the Bensimons again. (They were readily available and on sale at Madewell… LAZINESS.) More shoe-porn later.

As usual, if you like what you’re reading, please follow. If not, I will kindly redirect you here.

blouse – Old Navy

W&M sweater – bought it at Barnes and Noble??

cravat – vintage

jeans – Madewell

sneaks – Bensimon

watch – should probably be returned to my other ex…

“Despite my vague suggestions to the contrary, I neither need nor want your opinion”

2010-12-30T06:04:00.000-05:00

Clockwise from top left: Santo Glitter High Top Sneakers $28 at Urban Outfitters, Christian Louboutin Louis Spikes $995 at Barney’s, Sam Edelmen Abbey Stud Detail High Top Trainer $165.50 at ASOS

Have you ever asked a someone, for example, shirt they preferred, this one or that one? and when they answered with the former, you decided you really liked the latter, and then of course they bitched like, Well then why did you even bother asking me? Well, it’s simple: I don’t really want your advice, I just want you to agree with me. I want the illusion of your choices aligning with mine such that I perceive that I am right and that you back me up. In reality, your choice (“you” being any random stranger) between any two alternatives is opposite mine about half the time, but I would really just like to pretend that you’ve chosen the same option as me for the sole purpose of boosting my ego. So when it appears that you’ve chosen incorrectly, instead of getting crotchety, you should simply revise your choice such that I’m right. And remember, I am always right.

For fear of sounding like too much of an uppity little asshole, I’ll stop there and explain the relevance of this little tirade: I need new sneaks. My old Bensimons (worn here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here—PHEW. I think that’s it…), though I love them dearly, are worn out. They are quite literally falling to pieces. As such, I’m currently on the hunt for a new pair of kicks.

But here’s my thing when it comes to casual sneakers: they can’t be too chunky on the bottoms. Keds will trump Vans every time, because the rubber sole on a pair of Vans looks like it weighs twenty pounds. Keds however, have a tendency to make feet look disproportionately small (at least, in my weird brain they do). The ideal shoe should neither minimize nor maximize the size of one’s foot. To that end, they cannot look like clown shoes; sneakers with exaggerated white toe-boxes do this, which is why Converse are mostly out, even though high-tops are in. Distressed details and imperfections are also in. Muted colors, also in. Cool embellishments/details, in.

So anyways, here are my picks. (Picks for kicks. Pfft!)

UO Canvas Chuckas $19 at Urban Outfitters, “Yesterday” Sneaker $88 at Diesel, Bensimon Tennis Mid Kaki F9 $75 at Bensimon, Marc by Marc Jacobs High-Top Trainer $280 at Farfetch, Bensimon Tennis Nils Taupe $40 at Piperlime

Bryant Hi Top $56 at AllSaints Spitalfields, Keds Champion Sahara Chukka $55 at Urban Outfitters, All Star Shimmer Slouchy $75 at Converse

Diesel Exposure High Trainer $64 at ASOS, Supra Strapped NS Grey $82 at Supra Discount, Ash Buckle Leather High Top Sneaker $175 Urban Outfitters

“best 2 seconds of my life right there” - tal92795

2010-12-29T22:32:00.001-05:00

So I’m taking this opportunity to share this awesome-possum clip from a movie I’ve actually never seen, but which I quote incessantly and echo every single time the commercial plays on TV—to the agony of my poor mother

Also, please note that I’ve rearranged some things on the right-hand bar of this site. For example, you can now navigate dah blog by topic of the posts (eg. DIY, outfits, art, etc) through the “Labels” gadget. I’ve also posted some new looks to my Lookbook and Chictopia blogs, which you can find the links for the on the bottom of the page. Lastly, I added Orchid Grey to my blogroll, which is a great blog I just discovered and which is also based in Boston!

Also, please note that IT’S SO FLUFFY, I’M GONNA DIE.

porcupine cheerio

2010-12-29T15:58:00.001-05:00

This past semester I took an art class at W&M called 3D Foundations—and LOVED it. This is one of the projects we did. I call it my “porcupine cheerio.”

On the inside my lovely little spiky oversized breakfast cereal is made of horizontal layers of pink foam insulation board stacked and cemented together with Gorilla Glue. The outside is then covered in a layer of finely sanded plaster. Lastly, the dowels are, well, dowels. Self-explanatory.

The assignment was to create two forms: a volume and a mass. The plaster body formed the solid mass, while the dowels were supposed to be an “empty” volume. My dowels, however, actually formed a kind of texture that more suggested a volume.

These are the original sketches:

Part of the project was to find an area for it to reside in the environment where it mimicked, contrasted with, responded to, or in some way interacted with the textures and shapes present there, which is why there are so many pictures of this thing in so many different locations. (Are you picturing me carrying this incredibly difficult-to-maneuver and surprisingly heavy thing all over campus? Because that’s exactly what happened. Are you picturing me accidently poking myself in the eye with one of those dowels while picking it up? Because that happened too. And, by the way, it hurt like hell and my eye watered for the rest of the day. “Oh, no, don’t worry about me! I’m just crying because I speared my eyeball with my art project! NBD!” Embarrassing.) I eventually chose the gray slate patio below as the final resting place—morbid, much?—below because I liked the shadows there and also the way that the organic shape of the cheerio contrasted with the geometric lines of the stones.

The sculpture, including its wooden mohawk, is maybe somewhere between three and four feet tall. (“That’s just about as tall as you, Rhiannon!” No. It’s not. I am a full five-foot-four thank-you-very-much.) Obviously I couldn’t get it home with me on the train over winter break, so my choices were: (1) toss it, or (2) give up precious dorm space and force the roomies to live in an even more cramped square-footage. Obviously I picked the latter (I’m such a considerate roommate!) and Porky currently resides wedged in the corner of the room between the top of my desk and the ceiling. It scares visitors, but then I really don’t have that many friends, so no worries.

What do you think? You like it? (My professor did, so I guess that’s all that really matters…! Just kidding. You know I crave—no, LIVE FOR—your approval also. Oh, my darling readers. I am nothing without you.)

Romantic Willimantic

2010-12-28T01:44:00.001-05:00

This shirt is another stolen from my mother’s bureau. It says “Romantic Willimantic”, which my Mum says is a joke because Willimantic is apparently a incredibly industrial and un-romantic. I wouldn’t actually know because I’ve never been there. Actually, I’ve never even heard of it anywhere except on this shirt. For all I know, it might not even exist. But then, that would kind of undermine the basic assumption forming the cornerstone of the joke, wouldn’t it? Regardless, it’s kind of a bawss shirt, not least of all because my Mum wore it back in the eighties. Actually though, come to think of it, I have no idea when she wore it. For all I know maybe she never did wear it. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. But then again, maybe my Dad’s right and they did film the moon landing in a Hollywood studio. May-be.

Back to reality. Oops, there goes gravity.

The skirt I actually made myself from one of my aunt’s old shirts. It’s essentially, but not exactly, the same construction as this DIY I posted in August.

You might notice that I randomly switched boots in the middle of this shoot. I decided I was wearing too much leather and I liked the less-streamlined, kind of lumberjack look of the L.L. Bean ones. Plus they feel like clouds on the inside, so that doesn’t hurt either. (Foot clouds? Boots which are like clouds on the inside for your feet? Clouds + boots = Blouds? Cloots?)

In other news, I’m really into fingerless gloves now… I haven’t found the perfect pair yet, but I’m on the lookout. I’m thinking a big and chunky knit, maybe Fair Isle, and without the stupid little extra mitten tops. Yes? Anyone have any suggestions as to where I can find a pair?

Another thing I’m really into right now is dark shades of metallic nail polish. I’m pretty sure that’s incredibly un-cool, but I’m especially digging metallic green and blue, both of which I’ve worn in heavy rotation these past few weeks. Yesterday I attempted to give myself a French manicure with the dark green base I’m wearing here and gold tips. Unfortunately that failed miserably, mostly because I don’t have that much skill, but also partly because I’m kind of a third grader and still can’t grow my nails even a millimeter longer than the edge of my finger without breaking or biting them… Anyways I settled for fuchsia and gold accents on my left ring finger.

jacket – Members Only

shirt – vintage

skirt – DIY

scarf – Anthro

bag – vintage

boots – Madewell / L.L. Bean

fruitcake and snowflakes

2010-12-27T17:57:00.001-05:00

A little late, but I hope you all had a happy holiday!

Snow pictures I took today during the storm. Holiday outfit posts coming soon.

ESKEW ME?

2010-12-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

What the hell is a jodhpur? It sounds like a foreign city or a random animal which inhabits the canopy of the rainforests... According to wikipedia--which of course is the end-all and be-all of research destinations, jodhpurs are riding pants. In the world of Banana Republic however, both my intuition and Wiki's omniscience have failed us, because "jodhpurs" are definitely just jersey leggings with cool stitching and a zipper. Who knew.

The hat is on unofficial loan from my brother... I endured quite a bit of ridicule from my family when I wore it out to dinner at our favorite local haunt... Well eskew me! It might look like I have a teddy bear on my head, but it also feels like that. SO TAKE THAT. Om nom nom, that's what I thought. Hmph.

Book is "The Invisible Cure" by Helen Epstein; I'm getting a head-start on the reading for my Freshman Seminar, which is called "Emerging Diseases." Thus far, it's a bit slow. But then, I haven't yet finished the preface. Sigh.

In other news, I’ve decided to get my act together and start posting to Chictopia and Lookbook again. HYPE ME, dolls!

top – Banana Republic

necklace - DIY

jodhpurs – Banana Republic

shoes – random eBay

jacket – Members Only

scarf – mum’s

bag – Rough Roses

hat – brother’s

I Covet: Skeleton Spandex

2010-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

Leg Bones by Black Milk, $70

I was driving in Boston today—in the snow, during pre-rush hour traffic, mind you—when I saw this girl walking down the street who made me do a double take. I was literally captivated by her legs… THEY HAD SKELETON BONES ON THEM. I mean you’ve got to be SHITTING me. SKELETON TIGHTS? I waaaant.

Oh and it turns out there are bodysuits too? GOOD GOD. I’m in love.

Black Ribs by Black Milk, $85

black on black

2010-12-20T19:59:00.001-05:00

dress – French Connection (also worn here and here)

shoes – random eBay

scarf – Mom’s

bag – Rough Roses

ugly christmas sweater party

2010-12-19T21:13:00.001-05:00

I want to have one. An ugly Christmas sweater party, that is. Apparently they’re quite popular so WHY IS NO ONE I KNOW HAVING ONE?

I’m going to have my own party. And I’m going to wear an ugly Christmas sweater. And I shall call it Christmas.

NARWALS! BADGERS! CRABS! AND AND AND… CUCUMBERS!

sweater – vintage

leggings – Madewell

socks – Mum’s the word

booties – random eBay

that’s not my name.

2010-12-18T17:05:00.001-05:00

HOME AGAIN. Which means I have about 1/4 of my wardrobe with me at present, because that’s as much as will fit in my admittedly LARGE AND IN CHARGE L.L. Bean suitcase… Speaking of which, they REALLY need to make the aisles larger on those Amtrak trains! I can barely lug my suitcase down to get a seat, let alone lift it to the overhead compartment, but then somehow there always seems to be an altruistic, strapping young man present to help out a damsel in distress (or at least, a lazy damsel—I know, I know, for shame! I know)…

And it’s friggin’ cold.

*sigh*

Hence the need for creative layering. Ie, a boys undershirt worn under a belted strapless dress with tights, a scarf, a leather jacket. Of which I was quite proud, because it reminded me of an editorial Gemma Ward did for Teen Vogue way back in the day (2006, to be exact) that I found really inspiring at the time, in which she wore plain tees under a gorgeous dresses. Did you like that little journey back into the teeny-bopper archives? Thank you, thank you very much. I’ll be here til Thursday.

source

So anyways, yesterday I metaphorically dragged my feet to the Verizon store the next town over to pick up an HD cable box for our new TV and so I’m waiting in line like a good little cookie when finally the tech guy is like, Hi, can I help you, what’s the name on the account. So I give my mum’s name, Brenda, and like whatever, the guy’s doing his thing, etc etc, except the whole time he’s giving me this creepy eye and I’m like WOAH buddy, that’s not even legal. So then he’s like, So sweetie, if you can just sign right here… and I’m like, No, no, you misheard—my name isn’t Sweetie. It’s Brenda. BAM.

The irony is that of course my name’s not actually Brenda at all… But whatever. Certain measures must be taken. And just now I’m realizing the apparent contradiction between playing helpless in order to get other people to lift my luggage and shutting down the pervy guy with the wandering eyes at Verizon and I’m aware some of you will be like THAT’S SO HYPOCRITICAL… But it’s not the same, people. Not the same at all.

dress – American Eagle

tee – Hanes hand-me-up from bropheliac

belt – thrifted

booties – Zara (also here)

scarf – Anthro

bag – Rough Roses (here and here)

my idol is snooki

2010-12-13T18:23:00.001-05:00

Embarrassing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RboopCV1Yrc

jersey dress – Madewell

socks – vintage

rain boots – Hunter

sweater – thrifted J.Crew

jewelry - vintage

The Mouth of Sauron

2010-12-12T16:07:00.001-05:00

My roommates and I had lots of free time this week now that classes are over, and we decided that a great way to pass the time would be to watch the extended versions (that’s 11+ hours) of the LOTR movies. Nerdy? Very. Enjoyable? Hells to the yeah.

This deleted scene, from the end of the third film, made us all die of laughter. As it turns out, other people think it’s pretty freaking hilarious too, and there are quite a few parodies on Youtube worth watching…

OM NOM NOM!

DIY Paper Jewelry

2010-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you couldn’t tell from my last post, I’m having major craft anxiety. That is, too much free time on my hands and not enough things to do can only lead to one thing… CRAFTING! I spent the better part of Saturday making wreaths from scratch (post to come, hopefully) and now I’ve moved onto jewelry making out of recycled People Magazines.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN BEADS:

Paper – I like using the pages of People magazine because they’re thin and fairly smooth, but you can experiment and see what works for you.
Glue – tacky or Elmer’s works best
Scissors – A paper cutter is ideal…
Toothpicks – (not pictured) in a pinch, you can use Q-tips with the fluff cut off
Shellac (not pictured)

First, select a pretty page from your magazine or whatever your source of paper is. Cut off a strip in the vertical direction that is wider on one end than the other. Scissors will work for this step but a paper cutter will be neater and faster. The ratio of top width to bottom width will determine the shape of your bead. You can mess around until you find a shape you like and stick with it or, if you want your bead collection to be more varied, you can make them all your strips different width combinations.

Next, wind the piece of paper you just cut around a toothpick (or Q-tip), applying small dabs of glue to the inside of the paper as you go. Make sure that you don’t over-do it with the glue, or it will spill out between the layers and ruin your bead. I sometimes find it is helpful in applying small amounts to pour a decent quantity into the bottom of a Dixie Cup and apply with another toothpick.

Now watch the telly. Eat some snacks. Make a crap-ton of beads. When you are satisfied that the quantity of beads you have is indeed a crap-ton, move on to the next step.

Next, dip each bead into shellac and let dry once again. This will protect them so that they will stand up to the oils on your skin and also make them shiny. Gollum says, MY PRECIOUS.

danke schön

2010-12-07T18:50:00.001-05:00

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has recently started following this blog! And to those of you who’ve been with me from the beginning, well, all I have to say is that this is like that old TV commercial for that bank I don’t remember the name of where the new girl at school gets a fancy-shmancy, big-ass box of art supplies just because she’s new and the whole point is like, why do only new customers get the special treatment? If that makes any sense? … I didn’t really think so. What I’m actually saying, in English, is THANK YOU TOO! I really appreciate your support.

If you haven’t become a follower yet—and it is super-duper-blooper easy, so you have no excuse for not becoming one—you should know that it all goes to a very good cause. The good cause being my fragile ego, which is sadly proportional to the number of followers I have. (Right now, at 29 followers, you’re looking at an emotionally shattered, reclusive individual who fears sunlight.) So scroll your adorable little index finger down to the bottom of this page and clickety-click-click-clack on the box that says… “PICKLE!” Just kidding—that’s a really, really old joke that I can’t believe I’m still using from playing Red Light/Green Light in, like, preschool. (ie, Instead of saying “Green light!” we always used to say “Pickle” … And, like, people would get confused… and it was funneh… GO AHEAD. JUDGE ME.) But actually, the box says “FOLLOW.” (Forrealz this time.) Clickety-click-click-clack.

SAVE THE WHALES! MAKE THE BABY JESUS SMILE! FOLLOW MY BLOG! SOMEONE GET ME A SEDATIVE, STAT!

DIY Bracelets

2010-12-06T16:14:00.001-05:00

Clockwise from Top Left: Eddie Borgo nail cuffs, beer can cuff, knitting needle cuffs, beer can rings, Oki-Ni Hobo Screw Ring, toothbrush bracelets

I just finished my psychology final this morning, the first of only three final exams I have this semester (college FTW), and now I have an entire week before my next one. And what am I going to do with my free time… study? A wee bit perhaps. Make shit? ALL THE TIME.

In other news, AYE FOR A CHUCKLE, Me Hearties: Conan Indulges His Jeggings Obsession.

overexposed

2010-12-03T21:03:00.002-05:00

Ha ha. You thought I meant like the other kind…! Ha. You pervert.

So today… what is today? Today is BLOWOUT. Today is the last day of classes this semester, which means of course that a large portion (ie. not everyone, ie. not me) of the student body gets up early with the express purpose of getting krunk before class. I especially commend those hardcore few who partake in “kegs and eggs” … super classy.

(For the record, I don’t actually encourage underage drinking.)

I will admit however, that I seem to have caught some of the fever associated with the end of classes… Just last evening for example, my roommates and I made a questionable decision in the name of Santa—we stole a tree. We went out into the woodsy area behind our dorms and found a rather wimpy looking sapling and decided that was going to be our Christmas tree. Under the cover of night, the three of us got down on our knees and began digging up the miniature spruce with nothing but our fingers, some sticks, and a random stake we found. Once we had the thing uprooted, which took approximately half an hour to accomplish, we carried it back to our dorm room where we planted it our empty blue recycle bin. It currently resides in our foyer, covered in homemade ornaments and my jewelry, and looking particularly Charlie Brown-esque.
In retrospect, choosing a tree right off a high-traffic pathway right underneath a streetlamp probably wasn’t the best idea. Also, running screaming into the woods when a group of students walked by probably wasn’t the best idea either. Nor was “repurposing”—okay, stealing—a recycling bin… Oh well. Blame it on Blowout.

shirt – Rodarte for Target

jeans – Madewell

boots – Kensie Girl

bag – Longchamp

jacket – Members Only

2010-11-30T07:09:00.000-05:00

This is the full outfit post from the teaser I posted earlier.

The top is thrifted. (Goodwill).Which reminds me, my mother said the other day (and this is a real quote—the last one I just made up and attributed to her, but this one she actually said) anyways she said, “You’ve made quite a friend in that Goodwill.” And at first I’m like, “I don’t have any friends named Will…?” but then I realized that she was simply making use of the literary term personification, in which one gives human characteristics to an inanimate or otherwise abstract figure… How positively brilliant! English lesson aside, the moral of the story is that Goodwill is a mothercrapping PERSON. Thus, the consignment institution formerly known as Goodwill shall hereafter be known only as Will.

In actuality, however, the top is Liberty for Target. But I did buy it brand-spankin’-new Chez Will. That means '”at Goodwill” in French and with the added twist of personification. See what I did there? You ignorant muskrat.

Pants are on personal loan from Ke$ha.

The wallpaper is so seventies it makes me wish my father were named Red Forman. I do so love Red Forman. He’s such an lovable, if bald, asshole.

In other news, one of my partners in crime has the unfortunate habit of colloquially using the phrase “kk” instead of “okay,” which has the unintended side effect of making him, an 18 year old college student, sound like a semi-retarded broken-record preteen. The part that you actually care about, though, is that by the transitive property of osmosis by prolonged propinquity I’VE NOW STARTED SAYING IT. Needless to say, this is a horrible problem—a catastrophe of pregnant proportions! Thankfully, God has blessed me with an overactive noggin perpetually hyped up on the sweet nectar of caffeine. The solution I came up with then, is not to go cold turkey—No, no, the effects of such a rash decision could scarcely be imagined by even the most intelligent of muskrats… Instead, I’ve decided to catalyze a lexical metamorphosis by bringing into the collective consciousness the idiom “kkk” as a substitute for the outdated “okay” and its bastard son, “kk.”. Thus far, it’s worked quite well. The third syllable removes the immature element of its truncated predecessor. It also has the added bonus of sporadically provoking race riots!

top – Liberty for Target

pants – Furst Denim, available at LF Stores

boots – Kensie Girl

Sup, Gwen

2010-11-29T13:42:00.000-05:00

Aaaand I’m really blonde again. And by again I mean that this is by far the blondest I’ve ever been. A friend of mine says it makes me look like Gwen Stefani? Which is fine, as long as her abs come with that. And the hairdresser said I looked like the girl in the pictures I brought in… Who’s that? Oh, it’s just ABBEY LEE KERSHAW. Major compliment? Ya ya ya.

So basically, I’m liking my new look. Your opinions?

Full outfit post later.

Josie and the Pussycats

2010-11-26T03:32:00.000-05:00

Pre-blonding photos that I’m just now getting around to posting—meaning they’re from early October. Plus I recently watched an oldie-but-goodie movie, Josie and the Pussycats, with the roomies. The uber-90’s super cheetah aesthetic along with the incredible amount of subliminal messaging and product placement of the film hijacked my brain just a bit, which explains the leopard spots and floral patterns.

I’m working on my print-mixing skills… currently sub-par, but I’ll get there. I think this is a noble effort. Opinions?

Scarf is thrifted from this excursion (see it again here). Pants are also thrifted, bought at the CHKD in Williamsburg. I love the combination of the high waist and roomy legs. Can’t wait to wear these again with my new black lace-up wedges (see them here). Maybe also with a cropped top or sweater? Yes, yes, I fink so.

Also, if you’re wondering about the last picture… I dropped the camera. Yeah yeah yeah.

scarf – thrifted

leather jacket – Members Only

pants – thrifted

shirt – American Eagle

sneakers – Bensimon

umbrella - Totes

the man cave

2010-11-25T13:09:00.001-05:00

Happy Turkey Day! For your enjoyment: Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song

Since leaving for college, it appears that my brother has reclaimed the basement, formerly our communal hang-out spot, and refurbished it as his “man cave.” My mother seems to be quite at peace with the idea, saying “Every man needs a cave.” I suppose this is true, though it does suggest that all men are Neanderthals. Then again, I can’t say I really disagree with that statement either.

As you can see, I’m back home again for Turkey Day. Got in after another fourteen and a half hour train ride on Tuesday morning. It was a riveting night full of surprises and good cheer, as expected. But not actually.

Shoes were mad cheap (circa $25) at Marshall’s. Good deal? Yuss yuss. Nails are actually a deep green color by Wet N’ Wild that I think I bought in fourth grade but have never used until now.

ALSO: for those of you who don’t know—and I haven’t shamelessly self-promoted in a while, so this is somewhat excusable—if you read this blog regularly, you can FOLLOW IT! And even if you only read it once in a blue moon, as they say… well, follow it anyways!

But how do I become a follower? you ask. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says “Followers” and click the button that says “Follow”… complicated, I know. But you can do it. Oh, and for those of you wondering what it means to “follow,” basically following doesn’t entail anything other than an ego boost for me. And I could always use an ego boost.

SO FOLLOW MY BLOG. Kthanks.

P.S. There is no shame in being a follower. Trust me. I would never lie to you. SO FRICKIN DO IT ALREADY.

booties – Kensie Girl

jeans – Madewell

jacket – Members Only

top – Ann Taylor Loft

FOLLOW MY BLOG.

shake it.

2010-11-23T16:24:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, you just need to put on a good song on your iPod and rock. the. hell. out.

Today I’m rocking out in my vintage sweater and Faux-Bans. I paired them with my new eBay-bought booties on which I’m currently showering my adoration. They are some random brand I can’t remember… Funny that it looks like Jessica of Jess Loves Fred is wearing almost the exact same ones in tan? Hmm. I love them with leggings, with scrunched up socks peeking over the top, with a skirt and patterned tights, with skinny jeans.

jeggings – Madewell

shoes – eBay

socks – The Mumster’s.

t-shirt – Hanes

sweater – vintage

bag - vintage

high on life

2010-11-20T16:05:00.002-05:00

High-rise pants. Make me feel like Lily Allen in her music video for Not Fair. Aka my newest obsession.

SHLOVE.

pants – thrifted
tee – Madewell
flats – Old Navy
cardi – J Crew
bag – Longchamp
belt -- jewelry - vintage

je veux

2010-11-16T23:30:00.001-05:00

Oh, I ought to be sleeping. I ought to be studying French. So many things I ought to be doing yet here I am, blogging.

Less than a week before I go home for Thanksgiving break! It will be nice to see the fam again. Hopefully I will recognize them. Although I am dreading packing a week’s worth of clothes and lugging them with me on a fourteen hour train ride… The things I do for fashion. Melodramatic sigh.

You may have noticed I’ve been on a bit of a sweater kick lately… Well, this sweater (worn also here and here ) is one I bought on sale at Ann Taylor Loft about a month ago, and it’s not so much a sweater as it is a miniature Snuggie. I like the juxtaposition here of the crisp white shirt buttoned all the way up and the slouchy-ness of the knit. Ever since I went bleach blonde I’ve been strangely obsessed with the side braid… It’s a trend from last spring that won’t seem to give up its hold on me. I’m loving it with a deep side part and platinum bangs and lots and lots of frizzies and flyaways.

jeans – Madewell

flats – DSW

shirt – thrifted

bag – thrifted

sweater – Ann Taylor Loft

everything’s gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better

2010-11-15T19:31:00.001-05:00

Currently listening to…

Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy

Get Better by Mates of State

Sources: Aaaand I forget. Oops… I don’t care. So sue me.

i have sweater envy*

2010-11-10T14:45:00.001-05:00

I’d like to make one thing clear, once and for all:

I DO NOT HAVE PENIS ENVY.

For all the boys on Nicholson Second Lower, I’d like to reiterate: I HAVE NEVER BEEN ENVIOUS OF YOUR PENIS. I NEVER WILL BE. So please stop hacking my Facebook and posting such lewd and absurd comments. Seriously. And for all of you who may have seen the downhill progression of my Facebook statuses over the past few weeks… I apologize. The saying goes that one is “green with envy”… Well you should all know that I’m not green. I’m not even blue. I am freaking red. And red is the opposite of green. Which means that I harbor not even the remotest tinge of envy for your genitalia. SO THERE.

Let’s talk about something I AM envious of. Like people with lots of cozy-warm, oversized sweaters. Which, probably because I am lacking in that department, seems to be just about everyone I come across. I want a big cable knit sweater in a soft shade of cream, and one in a crazy colorful geometric pattern, and one with a cat on it, and another with big pockets and grandpa buttons all the way down the front. And maybe also a fair isle one with a cowl neck and too-long sleeves. Now THAT is something I have: sweater envy. Not penis envy.

*Note: sweater ≠penis.

sweater – thrifted

jeggings – BCBG outlet

new ideas for chunky knits

2010-11-07T20:33:00.001-05:00

Reblogged… Lazy, I know. But HOW awesome are these? Makes me really angry I didn’t buy a pair of ill-fitting white sweaters from Goodwill when I was there yesterday because I WOULD SO BE SHREDDING ONE RIGHT NOW AND SHRINKING THE OTHER IN REALLY HOT WATER. Goddamn.

Source: (1), (2) Hanneli

for a rainy day

2010-11-04T20:49:00.001-04:00

I think I’d feel differently about rainy days if this were what they entailed.

Diana Dondoe by Will Davidson in Swept Away – Harper’s Bazaar Australia November 2010

Source: Fashion Gone Rouge