yesterday

"love to write? about pretty much anything?.. lifestyle and fashion e-zine is currently looking for four new bloggers - one from each class - to share their thoughts on anything related to college life. If you're interested in applying, please send a proposed blog title and a sample entry to.. good luck!"

so said a particularly interesting e-mail that made its way to my inbox on monday afternoon. unfortunately, the entry was rushed, but hopefully it'll be considered a solid effort.


Upon flipping through the Guinness Book of World Records one day, I learned that Dorothy Straight had become the world's youngest published author at the age of four. I felt a slight pang of jealousy. I was much older than that and I had yet to accomplish anything nearly as impressive.

I was seven at the time.

Despite my longing for supposedly dwindling youth, I distinctly remember lashing out at my mother each time she dared to dress me in anything frilly or bright. I was a mature young woman and refused to wear anything that suggested otherwise. While I may have been the most delusional second-grader on the block, the concept of age continues to work its opposing forces on me. I also realize that I might not be the only one grasping for youth and maturity simultaneously. An ever-growing myriad of anti-aging concoctions and the option of going under the knife in order to "age gracefully" coexist seemingly in tandem with revealing clothes with suggestive slogans sold at Limited Too and questionable 'party girl' celebutantes that act as role models for impressionable young females. At college, an unrelenting emphasis on professionalism and an impressive resume often clashes with the desire to enjoy college for all of its frivolous, enjoyable aspects.

And where does this leave those of us on the cusp of womanhood, sartorially speaking? Once classes wind down for the holiday season this year, dresses make use of the usual suspects: satin, sheen, and all things that sparkle. Colors run the gamut from blacks, reds, crimsons, and forest greens to electric blues, hot pinks, and bright whites. The cuts range from classic A-lines to full bubble hems and miniskirts. It seems we're left wobbling on that perpetual balance beam for now.

Yet for spring, some of the curiosities that graced the runways and will most likely be trickling down and coming to a H&M or Urban Outfitters near you displayed some relics from our collective pasts. Acidic neons, functioned either on their own or thrown together to form dizzying floral prints and other equally eye-catching patterns. Even classic black-and-white was used to create op-art insted of staid stripes or houndstooth. One might call it garish, or maybe even juvenile. Finally, with fanny packs making a comeback, it seems like the 90s are back in full effect. For the moment at least, I'm looking forward to basking in the glow of my childhood. I think I may have rushed through it a little too quickly the first time around.


in anticipation,