a time to build up, a time to break down

ask me what i'd like to receive for any special day, and i'll inevitably draw a blank, stalling for a moment or two before mumbling a "well, nothing really.." i'm not quite sure what elicits this noncommittal response from me, considering on any given day, i can conjure up a mile-long lists of wants and desires from the fantastical to the mundane, whether it's a pair of swashbuckling chloé thigh-high boots, some extra hours in my day, a personal assistant to help me get my life in order, or a lovely camel coat to take me through the winter. 

luckily for me, cameron seems to know what i'm wishing for even when i don't have the gumption to say it out loud. just when i needed something revitalizing to hoist me out of my perennial pre-winter rut, he rented a mini cooper and whisked me off to salem for the day. it was just what i needed - the open road, changing leaves, sing-alongs in the car, hot chocolate, walks along the wharf, hunting for vintage gems alongside adorable gay couples at an antique shop, and the particularly colorful characters that frequent salem all during the month of october - and the perfect to start to an exhausting but lovely weekend, consisting of birthday dinner in the north end with friends and adopted family, revamping a friend's style with the blessing of his parents, observing freshmen follies with a mixture of amusement and dismay, chowing down on free burgers, and blissfully ignoring any and all responsibilities.

p.s.: i'm a firm believer that one of the best parts about having roommates is getting to borrow amazing pieces like this mustard bomber, courtesy of blair.

p.p.s.: best news ever - mama pandora called and said she found my lost jewelry, scarves, and handbags from the beginning of the summer!! rejoicing.

life springs eternal on a gaudy neon street

a funny thing happened between the last post and this one.. first, the frenzy of midterms settled in, forcing literary analysis and memorization of key concepts to take the place of seeking sartorial inspiration and such. but when the dust had cleared, my backlog of bright ideas has seemingly vanished, only to be replaced with a somber stash of doldrums.

maybe it's the erratic weather we're having, or perhaps the collective anxieties of my peers as we all stare down into the barrel of the loaded gun waiting to blast us into the real world, but all of a sudden, i have this nagging feeling that everything is silently spinning out of control, despite appearances to the contrary.

of course, this just means that i have to hoist myself up out of this deep blue funk and quickly - it's a long year ahead, and my list of things to do is hardly about to get any shorter. i just have to find that thing that'll help me bounce back.. and it miiiiight just have to be a new winter coat.

by the way, these are snippets of the vintage paraphernalia collage that's slowly growing on my wall. the theme of my room is authentic late-sixties dorm, but it's tough acquiring all the proper ephemera piecemeal. i'm currently searching for some vintage luggage to double as a nightstand, all leads are appreciated.

moving on the floor now babe you're a bird of paradise

whether it's slim-fitting denim cuffed at the ankle, a plaid button-down ripped off from cameron's closet, or my beat-up marc by marc leather cuff with the latin inscription, there's nothing like a potent dose of simplicity to woo me sartorially. yet i've always loved feasting my eyes on the bold, heavily styled looks of loud ladies like kid sister, la roux, and roisin murphy, so i suppose it's not all that outlandish that i've recently been obsessing over the brazilian bombshell herself, carmen miranda.

on the other hand, my latinophile roommate blair probably thought she was dreaming when i shook up my usual steady rotation of bob dylan to indulge in a bit of samba. as i sifted through youtube film footage of ms. miranda, she drifted out of her room like a charmed snake, quizzically pleased with my newfound interest and gushing with memories of her time in brazil.

but until i make my way down to bahia to see the sights for myself, i'm perfectly content to lose myself in carmen miranda's technicolor musical numbers and flamboyant charm. first off, there's the jewelry - despite the fact that i'm impossibly picky about which baubles i choose to adorn myself with, it's amazing how gaudiness practically dissolves into a buoyant elegance when trinkets are piled atop each other to excess.

i'm mesmerized by the way a simple swish of the hips becomes divinely exaggerated when hidden underneath a floor-length skirt - so mesmerized, in fact, that i just went ahead and bought a black velvet anne klein maxi skirt after multiple viewings of 'mamãe eu quero.' but perhaps even more fun than the instantly gypsy-esque feel that goes along with those long skirts are the shoes that go underneath. considering that i wobble like a young bambi on stilettos, i've long been a fan of the statement-making platform, which is why i'm loving carmen miranda's throughly chunky stacked affairs, preferably peep-toed with shiny hardware and glitz.

i spy oversized pyramid studs, crop tops, charm bracelets, bib necklaces, and statement pieces galore - definitely a posthumous style icon, but carmen set her trendsetter status way back in 1939 when saks created an accessory line inspired by the singer. i'm currently on a personal mission to get my hands on some of these pieces.. let the hunt begin.

some of the my favorite finds were images of ms. miranda's reappropriation of her look to suit wartime america - when not on a twentieth century fox set, that is. a shoulder-padded jacket pinned with multiple brooches, two sparkly earrings per ear, bulbous studs on lady's gloves, a flowing veil, and always those long lashes. 

and because everything goes great with some disney, i was thrilled to find this clip of donald duck and jose carioca getting up close and personal with the lady in the tutti-frutti hat:

 

[image credits: google image search, topshop, barneys, marni]

pretty eyed, pirate smile

my absolute favorite pair of jeans - the ones i wore every day like a uniform - recently kicked the bucket with a couple of humongous matching thigh rips, and after preserving their memory by tearing them into cutoffs, i found myself in no rush to replace them. i stumbled across these levi's while shopping with cameron, and i knew i had to have that rich cornflower hue, which screamed late sixties road trips and music festivals in the countryside. according to the tag reading 'seventies wash', i was little off, but i love them all the same.

anyway, i've been planning on posting about these jeans for awhile now, but i kept forgetting. these lovely shots were done by meg for her photography class and just happened to include them. i'm in love with the look of her photos.. miiiight have to get her do my outfit shots from now on.

[image credits: meaghan lyons]

generation next

nineties party. 'nuff said.

[image credits: blair 'sunny' harshbarger/me]

p.s. homegirl wants to expand her blog circle - send me an email or comment if you want to exchange links?

like sugar to my heart i'm cravin' for you

this weekend is turning out to be a nineties bender, as our biannual nineties party is happening tonight. last night turned out a very effective pregame of sorts, and we're all nursing bellyaches and lazybones well into the afternoon today. luckily, dylan made it out unscathed.

my father says, 'what you gonna do with your life?'

this is what i'm up to tonight. going back into time for one night only with pizza, board games, friendship bracelets, nineties pop, clueless, copious amounts of candy, girl talk, sundaes, pillow fights, titanic, and hair braiding.

been planning this for a month now, so excited. more to come. happy weekend!

[image credits: wildfox couture]

i was a key that could use a little turning

for once in my life, i'm not going to complain about the weather. it's been unusually sunny and warm for the majority of september, so as a show of gratitude, i'm going to man up, buy some sweaters, and take the impending chill in stride. 

here's me playing around in my own little penn's corner, which just so happens to be the only spot that's not overrun with clutter and mess. i wore this on wednesday after blair warned me that i couldn't get by on a t-shirt alone anymore. i got the sweater over the weekend at monk vintage in williamsburg. it felt equal parts cosby sweater and nineties grunge - in other words, perfect. 

i was looking to put off my medieval theater reading for a bit last night, so i switched out the high tops for oxfords and headed out to a local bar. i was a tad underwhelmed by the scene, but at least i was cozy.

sweater: vintage ; t-shirt: madewell, jeans: levi's ; sneakers: fred perry ; clutch: klein tools.