on the corner of memory lane & easy street

last night, my roommates and i stayed up until 3am reliving our pop-infused childhoods (because we're responsible/cool like that). we hit itunes and youtube running, bringing out our best britneys, christinas, and spice girls.. and then we dug deep and came up with some hokus and b*witcheds.

one thing that became newly apparent to us was that aside from being equal parts plain and/or heinous, alot of the stuff that these girls were wearing were straight-up hookerwear. and for some reason, this was okay. as my roommate puts it, "i just assumed that when i turned 16 or 17, that's what the world would dress like." ditto. she also has memories of being devastated that her mom wouldn't buy her pleather pants for a christina aguilera concert. i remember jockeying hard for my right to wear belly shirts. luckily, my mom won that battle.

it's a little garish looking back on the evidence, but i can't help but have a little bit of nostalgia for my teenybopper era and all of its poor style choices. i mean, look at rihanna. she's all glamour at all the red carpet events, etc., but on stage? jesus.

and in related news, while the end of the spice girls' reunion tour may have some people a little down, i stumbled across the article that summed up the saddest day of my nine-year old existence.

girl power,

the electric kool-aid acid show, revisited

"It was a trip around what John Galliano called the "optimism and opulence" of the sixties, amped up with bright color, lashings of paillette embroidery, and Western hats." - sarah mower, style.com
the dior couture show saved me from exam period hell.

i described it as "a land of 1960s mash-ups... what jackie kennedy might have worn if she and oleg cassini had spent extended periods of time with the merry pranksters.. extended cigarette holders, heavy lids and long lashes, spilled martinis and a perpetual glittery haze.."

personally, i can never get enough of the 60s, and the dior ready to wear show has now indulged my affinities.

i'm not gonna lie, as i started to browse the collection, i wasn't feeling the love. but it took all of 30 seconds to win me over, and i'm sold. except on the eyes. they scare me a little bit. they make all the models look a little off-putting, a little cross-eyed.. a bit like early barbie dolls (especially chanel iman). maybe that was the point, in which case, i retract my statement and put forth a new one that says, job well done! the only detail shot i really liked of the makeup was the on on the left of catherine mcneil, with her eyes closed. only then does the eye makeup look legitimately fabulous to me.

also, wikipedia says there's a movie version of the electric kool-aid acid test coming out in 2009!

and now grokking,

saint nicolas

this might be simultaneously the strongest and sexiest dress i've ever laid eyes on.. just puttin' that out there.



from geeking to gawking,

geeking out across the galaxy

DISCLAIMER: majorly non-fashion related post below..


wednesdays this semester are my hell days: class from 10-3, then 4-5, meetings in the evening, and work from 10-midnight.

today was particularly hellish, i attempted to stay up all night yesterday, finishing wuthering heights, writing a response paper on it, reading for my wgs class, and completing french homework, but then i passed out about halfway through my first task, and woke up at 9, leaving me about a half hour to write my paper, and rush to the library to get it printed before 10.

there was no food to be had all day. even my usually free 3 o'clock hour was taken up by office hours with my wgs teaching fellow.

but the silver lining of my long day, which isn't over, by the way, was my english seminar. the course is mandatory for my concentration and the title is literature and the mediated self. the class and readings are pretty interesting, but with only five students and a professor in class, it sometimes can be a bit daunting, a little bit of a drag at times (clocking in at two hours per class).

but today we had library tours for the purpose of showing us resources for future research papers, etc. etc. the first stop was widener, which of course is a grand, majestic hulk of a building, very immense and all that, but we sat in a seminar room while the librarian showed us online research tools, and i could barely keep my eyes open.

then the next stop was houghton library, which i had heard of but didn't know where it was or what it was for. turns out it's a stone's throw from lamont, where i work, and it just so happens to be the rare books and manuscripts library.

the building itself was so old-fashioned and welcoming (although the library itself isn't.. you have to have a specific purpose for being there, unlike my library, which is maybe one of the most social spots on campus. go figure.), and to see books that were made by gutenberg's printing press (!) blew my mind. but it got better.

in the emily dickinson room, they have her actual bureau, desk, and chair, which are so tiny, i can only imagine that she must have been a quite petite woman. and then our tour guide opened a closet and pulled out her fascicles, emily dickinson's own fascicles, written and bound by her own hand, and placed them on her own desk, and let us decipher her handwriting. i read emily dickinson's poetry in her own hand, on the very desk that she wrote it on! but it got better!

she placed three torn little books on a display case and told us to flip through them and see if we could figure out what it was. it was handwritten in pencil, the dates were in the late 1800s.. definitely a journal of some sort.. there were mentions of monkeys and trees and low lands and rivers, and maps drawn in margins.. turns out it was a journal that joseph conrad wrote on a trip to the congo. which inspired him to write heart of darkness.

i have flipped through joseph conrad's journal. and read emily dickinson's poetry on her own desk. and looked at keats' copy of shakespeare's works.

and that's what i came to this college for. not to be stressed out and depressed and frazzled all the time, but because it's older than dirt (or at least this country) and it's got history for miles. if i could do something like that every day, i'd be a much happier student.

anyway, file this under the scholarly chronicles. and now back to our fashionably scheduled programming.

veritas inlustrat,

the papas and the mamas

"i hope you're not becoming a lesbian." -a co-worker, in response to my tale of friday's shopping excursion

okay, so this totally snuck up on me, but i am on a major androgynous kick these days.

and just to clarify, this might be the weirdest fashion phase i've ever gone through.

to be fair, i haven't exactly been wearing ribbons and lace all my life. i usually fought my mother when she wanted me to wear frilly things, and during high school, since i wore a uniform skirt every day, i mostly wore pants outside of school, but tried to always keep it girly in some way. since i've been in college, i often resort to grabbing my boyfriend's sweaters in the morning when i don't feel like thinking about what to wear (which happens more often than i'd like).

but now i find myself actually perusing the men's section in stores, which is definitely a new development. i really like the simpler cuts of men's shirts, and honestly when it comes to tees, some of the designs are simply cooler.

and this might be the craziest idea i've ever had, but i'm actively jonesing for a short haircut (me and all of london, apparently). even though i've never had hair longer than my shoulders, i've always adamantly rejected the idea of a short hairstyle. when i fell at the mercy of a hairdresser who didn't heed my wishes, there was no initial crying and later appreciation, only months of misery until it grew back to an acceptable length.

most of my apprehension came from the fact that i never thought my face to be feminine enough to carry off a short cut without resembling a boy, and yet i can't shake my determination to chop it short.

but it needs to be a very good cut.. i'm still very nervous about it. my old fears haven't totally subsided, and i don't want to use the wrong terminology and end up looking more hillary clinton than agyness dean. i shudder at the thought.

anyway, moving from what boys wear to the games they play, this article was in the times and it's the story of my life (ugh). does this mean he'll never grow up?

and now i'm off to finish wuthering heights!

belle butch,

call the coroner!

i often make blanket statements pertaining to what i will and won't do in terms of fashion.

but to be honest, there are no rules, really.

and that's not a testament to my unflappable confidence or anything.. it's more like an example of my indecisiveness. i swear to wean myself off my black and white dependence, and then buy nothing of color for months. or i resolve to buy essential wardrobe staples, and buy the first outrageous thing i set my sights on.

it's all very hit-or-miss, and pretty expensive to boot. there are so many things in my closet that i look at and ask myself, "exactly what were you thinking when you laid down cold hard cash and purchased this atrocity?", but to no avail. there can be no answers, just gut feelings and intuition, and when i make the decision to buy clothes, there's really no convincing me othwerwise.

it all started innocently enough the other day with a short-sleeve v-neck tee at american apparel. but then when my friend josh bought a red and black buffalo plaid button-down, i wanted to get in on the fun and bought the turquoise and black in a smaller size. and just when i thought i was done, i saw it. the crayola/mcdonald's-esque red and yellow, the crazy colors and pattern on the coogi sweater, big poppa himself. it seemed almost serendipitous, since i've recently been digging up a lot of my old hip-hop. i had to have it. 90s revival, here i come.

will i wear it at harvard? maybe, maybe not. but i will be wearing it out during summer in the city, trust.

my instincts tell me that with a shirt that bold, it's best to keep the rest simple, but in a perfect world where i had chanel 2.55's in different colors to choose from, i wouldn't be able to resist pairing it with a lemon yellow one, and black wayfarers.. bamboo earrings for era/chav/hood cred, and some killer wedges (nine west: who knew?).

is it summer yet? my fashion sensibilities are begging to get obnoxious.

buggin',

can we talk?

about kid sister?

i'm aware that i just posted about her like the other day, but look at her! everything about her is SO bold and unapologetic. in case you were wondering, it takes a lot to make me appreciative of long fake neon nails. but i have a feeling that she's much more versatile than she lets on. i'm game to see where goes next, both musically and sartorially.

below, a video where she talks about herself and some of her fashion preferences:


and lastly, can we talk.. about this kid sister?
more of a barbie girl,

base, mascara.. erase.

true story: i don't wear makeup.

never have, perhaps never will. it's not that i never wanted to. maybe it's because my mother wasn't a big makeup person, but i never had the desire to actually put the effort into learning how to use it. in fact, i remember once, when i was really young, the entire family went for an outing one evening in new york city, and my mom wore lipstick and eyeshadow. i begged her the whole night to take it off, telling her that it looked like she had two black eyes and i didn't like it.

when i first got into reading magazines - seventeen magazine, but still - i was prepubescently fascinated by all of their makeup tips and tricks, but still never inspired to buy the supplies and attempt it on myself, outside of a little lipgloss here and there. i even avoided the whole face glitter debacle that affected most of my girlfriends in middle school.

i decided that senior prom was a good a time as any to finally make the leap, but when megan took me to the mac counter and they tried out a couple of products on me, i balked, convinced that i seriously looked like a clown. i still bought some of the products, and told megan that i'd let her do my makeup the day of, but when i was running late, i decided to skip it altogether, and i've been makeup-less ever since, save for a little - and i mean a little dabbling with masacara.

i've kind of learned to own it; i enjoy not feeling like i have to 'put on my face' before leaving the house, and it seems to me that if i did wear any, i'd be horribly self conscious about some flaw in my makeup exposing itself throughout the course of day. but sometimes i do wish i at least possessed the ability to apply makeup, since i see people do such fun things with it. [a note about seeing interesting makeup: it actually has to be pretty damn interesting. perhaps because my general lack of concern, i've learned to take for granted that people wear it at all. unless there's something really discernible and striking about someone's makeup, they might as well not be wearing any at all. my eye is desensitized to cosmetics! anyway.]

sometimes i'd like to be able to use makeup for certain occasions and moods that i find myself in, but i fear i'm too wrapped up in my au natural ways. also, there's a definite lack of cosmetic direction (in the magazines i read anyway) for those of darker complexions. so when the magazines are exalting the virtues of teal lips! or fuchsia eyes!, it's all fine and dandy, but it may very well leave anyone without a porcelain complexion looking like a two-dollar hooker. i hate to close the door on anything, so maybe one day i'll be a makeup maven, but only time will tell.

but moving from thoroughly modern to amusingly retro:


fresh-faced,

let it percolate

i meant to post this forever ago, like right after i saw kid sister live, because the picture on the left popped on lastnightsparty like the next day after the show. i was amazed at how different her looks were, and how much i loved them both.

back to basics

okay, FIRST of all..? i don't know what i'm doing posting right now, considering that i did no work at all this past weekend, and i have tons to accomplish before class tomorrow..

but.

when i don't post, i just get tons of ideas that build up and i have to get them out eventually

and i did just finish an entire book that i have to write a response paper on..

so i'll try and make it quick.

like i said, this long weekend consisted of sleeping alot and hanging out, and i (pretty reasonably) assumed that monday would be my day to get all my work done, but taylor totally surprised me by showing up for a visit today! it was so great seeing her, if only for a few hours. the night before, while again not doing work during my library shift, i decided to whip my wardrobe into shape and compile a small of absolute essentials to acquire at a gradual pace. the list ended up being 1) short, since my shift ended, and 2) not all that 'essential', because i'm a frivolous fool, but anyway:

these shirts make me think of skinny boys riding bikes in tight jeans with bright sneakers and hats.. or mikey rocks (gush.. see example at 1:15). yes, i have skipped over taking cues from stylish girls in menswear, and have gone straight to taking cues from stylish men. i suppose a little androgyny never killed anyone, ay?.

i have become the absolute pickiest person in the world when it comes to tee-shirts. this may be the only antidote.

over the knee socks. 'nuff said.

although i'm an unabashed american apparel fan, i know that their clothes have a tendency to fit like hookerwear. the tops above i prefer to wear loose, so it's not a big deal, but with this skirt i definitely give it a try to make sure it's more demure than clingy.

another basic that i want to wear loosely. i'm deciding between these three colors, but for the love of god, anything but black. i'm trying to expand my horizons.

so today on newbury street, i stopped into american apparel and found the socks and red/sand tank top, but found two holes in the tank when i got home! wtf. i hafta try and exchange that, but aside from that i got a nice tribal/safari-esque necklace (picture pending) that served the double purpose of being cute and finally using up the last bit of money on my h&m gift card, and a marc by marc jacobs wallet for five dollars. yes, i am channeling the chanel americana vibe in my own little broke way.



and all these purchases were spurred by a wet, but unseasonably warm day. the sun wasn't even fully set by 5:30. loving it. can't wait for the warmer weather.

adieu,

precious moments

my boyfriend is a huge skeptic. it drives me mad. i suppose it’s just as irritating to him when i’m blindly trying to make a case for spontaneous combustion, fairies, and ghosts, but i just feel like you should never rule anything out, as ridiculous as it may seem (i’m kidding about the fairies. kind of.).

still, i’m slightly doubtful about these two little cuties i’ve come across in the past two days on jezebel and chronicle of habit.


it’s just the odd timing of these animals’ births that trips me out a little. an english piglet and a japanese puppy randomly pop up right before valentine’s day? hmmmm.

oh, well. they do make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, even if I have yet to come up with decent plans for thursday. pressure’s on.

love,

snaps, snaps

oh my god, i love this woman.
betsey johnson, that is.
not that tiiu kuik isn't lovely.

i love how she took the implicit dark simplicity of stereotypical beatnik style,

and turned it inside out, with bright accents and details.

the collection feels a little bit hit& miss for me..

..like this. it seems to lean towards a cabaret vibe, which i'm not so keen on in this manifestation.

but most of the show consisted of fun gauloise-ready ensembles with punchy, bright accessories.



if i hadn't been a big advocate of the beret trend this winter, i'd probably be annoyed to see them on next season's runway, but they're so fun&functional (not to mention essential to the theme) that i can't complain.

jazzed,

an impeccably crafted double-edged sword

today was a very stereotypically-me kind of day, a relapse into bad habits.

i tried my hardest last night to get all of my reading done for the next day, but simply didn’t have enough time/had too much to do in one night, and had to skim some passages and push aside some work for catching up on later.

i woke up early to try and do some more reading and didn’t eat breakfast. i had class straight through from eleven to three, and fought to stave off hunger and lightheadedness throughout the day.

if my mother knew what went on up here, she’d say i have no discipline. i'd argue, at least for this semester, that i'm too disciplined in some respects.. or at least too driven. but don't these negative side-effects affect me in the exact same way, whether discipline is lacking or in excess?


i recently finished reading gioia diliberto's the collection about a provincial french seamstress named isabelle varlet that goes to paris after world war i to work for mademoiselle herself, coco chanel. i loved every minute of the story, and only wanted to put it down when i realized that i was tearing through it too quickly, as i didn't want it to end. but maybe a third of the way in, i realized that the whole isabelle/coco dynamic was beginning to resemble another well-known fashion-centric novel relationship, that of andrea vs. miranda priestly in the devil wears prada. though isabelle is initially drawn to coco because of her modern designs and celebrity status, she soon gets to the witness the hardened and ugly underbelly of the success-driven female powerhouse.



perhaps the more severe the work ethic, the more beautiful the outcome. the backbreaking work that went into the creating of the collection in question propelled chanel to worldwide acclaim, and though i stay up all night more often than ever, blinking away the burning sensation in my eyes to continue reading, knowing that i'm on top of my workload makes it all feel oddly okay, and these days, during fashion week, the no doubt incredibly hard work that all the designers put into their collections will make itself visible on the runways.

taking a break,

vagabond shoes, roommate blues

after all my exultations, joyously proclaiming my release from the fetters of last semester, here i am without a post to show for it since.

to that end, i can only say that while the new semester is busier than ever, i'm absolutely dedicated to staying on top of it this time around. so if i'm just as tied up as i was last semester, at least i'm not deathly miserable and/or in denial and procrastinating endlessly this time around.

i have no idea why my new york pictures aren't showing up below. i've done some traveling since then, but with no batteries and no money in my bank account, there is no visual documentation of my voyages. life is rough.

this past saturday, my roommate blair and i surprised our third roommate sara with a trip to new york as a belated birthday gift. her birthday had fallen right in the midle of exams and we hadn't managed to celebrate it properly. the day was quite the success, with lots of food, laughter, silliness, and stops at the zoo, the stores on 5th, and bryant park. unfortunately, it was pretty dead when we stopped by the tents, but exciting nonetheless. on the way home, we wrote scrawled a manifesto (i decided that manifestos must be scrawled from bursts of raw inspiration, so that became the verb of choice) basically resolving to be more spontaneous and less chained to schoolwork.

then yesterday, while i was picking up stray hours at work (i'm so broke), sara texted and asked if i wanted to go to the obama rally in boston. i dropped everything and rushed off as soon as possible, but even though we got there an hour and a half early, we waited for no less than four hours in the cold, inching forward across several blocks to finally make it in. it was downright murder on my feet, despite wearing flats, but so worth it to make it inside and hear him speak.

and through it all, there's been school and work and life and love.. i'm currently taking five classes, but should it become too daunting (four classes is the standard full workload per semester), i can probably drop one class. my classes are an english seminar (required for my concentration); i picked the one named literature and the mediated self (sounds a little bleh, but i think it'll be all right once we get down it); an english elective, crime & horror in victorian literature & culture (lots of fun already, the professor is hilarious), a science core (required); i picked the human mind (seemed and still seems very interesting, but some seniors are now telling me horror stories about it); and a studies of women, gender and sexuality class called food, gender & culture (eating disorders and famine galore! just kidding, it's pretty interesting). oh yeah, and french. i had wanted to take a class on fashion, maybe the one class in the entire harvard curriculum that addresses fashion directly, but it simply didn't fit into my schedule, so maybe next year.

and on the sartorial front, i've been keeping my eyes peeled, on the shows, my environment, street style, my favorite blogs, my friends here and at home, and soaking it all in. thing is, i'm really trying not to go into a frenzy, i.e. "i want ----- and ----- and ----- for spring!", only because i just have no means with which to acquire any of it. but thoughts, those are some of the rare things that i can dish out at no cost, and starting tomorrow, i'll do just that.

à demain,

p.s.: oh yeah, 'roommate blues'. my roommate is all of a sudden really, really starting to annoy me. that's all. time to read hamlet!