Stupes.

I'm thinking of doing a semi-regular segment called "This Is Stupid". I'll start it tonight.

"Alright guys, our new print ad. Any ideas?"

"How about a chic, urban woman-you know, heels, dress, hair, the whole nine yards. Only get this...she's holding a surfboard. Boom."

"Brilliant. Let's do it."

No, not brilliant. It's obvious and uninspired. This is stupid. 

She's holding a ukulele in the middle of the flippin desert. What the eff. I realize that the other few pictures that make up this particular campaign pull it all together (she's on vacation or something). But I'm of the opinion that editorials, or a series of print ads, need to make sense both as a series and as individual images, so that obnoxious people like me can't look at one picture and say "This is stupid". However, it is. This is stupid.

Coming Up Short.

I have this pesky little habit of doubting myself when it comes to some DIYs. I had the apartment to myself for a bit last night and was going to start working on the shorts, but I didn't. I put the pants on, stared, rotated, stared, folded, stared, tightened, stared, etc etc etc. But I'm too afraid to cut! Here's the thing, though. They're not pleated, they're elastic. This means they don't go from fitted to flared, they just poof. I suppose I could remove the elastic and add darts in the front in back but wow I don't want to do that. Then I considered keeping the coral ones full length but pegging the ankles so that they're voluminous at the waist and fitted down through the calf. As far as the gray ones go, I'm tempted to just keep them as is. They fit like a wide leg trouser which is quite nice. The question is, am I being lazy or are these really the ideal choices for each pant? Thoughts?

Rodarte.

Rodarte: States of Matter is a solo exhibition at the MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in Los Angeles featuring the work of Rodarte from the past few runway seasons. They're currently best known for their costume design in the film Black Swan, for which they recently won an award.

The exhibit will showcase, among other things, the numerous textures explored by the designers, and their many methods for manipulating fabrics. I'll attach a link to the MOCA website, which includes a full description of the show and background information on the creative drive behind Rodarte.

MOCA. 

March 4th-June 5th, 2011.

Edit: Read more about Rodarte in this month's Nylon magazine! There's an interview and everything! 

I Love The Rain The Most...

When it stops. And when it does, I'm gonna be sporting some new shorts. But first let me share some pretties!

 I just wanna frolic through a field of hydrangeas! I took those pictures outside one of the houses in my neighborhood. The yellow bud is on the USF campus.

Okay now on to the thrifting finds:
On my first jaunt to Thrift Town in the Mission, I didn't really have anything in particular in mind. Which, I would add, I hate doing. Shopping aimlessly is not my favorite thing in the world. But I mainly went to check it out since I've wanted to for a year now. When I thrift, I usually start with dresses. This time I pulled three off the various racks within 10 minutes, and when I looked down I realized they were all velvet. Two of them were the same shade of green. And while I was tempted (oh you don't know how much), I put them all back. My body is flushed with spring fever, and even though I say every day that I need warmer clothes, I simply can't shop for them as it would wake me from my spring time dreaming. After putting the dresses back and wandeering over toward the pants, I noticed a rack labeled "Stretch Waist Pants". That's right guys. Not only does Thrift Town sell stretch waist pants, it has enough for an entire rack. A long, fully packed rack. Suddenly I was overcome with ideas. Shorts! I started filtering through the bizarre denim hybrid mom jeans looking for silky and flowy stretch waisted goodness. And let me just tell you, it was a success. I came away with a beautiful coral pair, and a silvery-gray pair.

 Some closeups of the color:

So I'm thinking this will be super simple. It's a matter of cutting them off, hemming them, and hoping they don't look completely demented when I'm finished! This is the trouble with this kind of DIY. You get one shot. I love the coral ones especially and I'm pretty sure they're the only ones left on the planet. Which means I cannot mess them up. The coral ones present another complication: they don't have a drawstring and they're too big for me. I don't want to create a new waistband so I'm playing with the idea of making a belt for them with a faux paper bag waist. I'm scoffing at myself just thinking about it. The gray ones do have a drawstring, and POCKETS! I am stoked. Anyway, I will keep you all updated on these bad boys. And now for the fuchsia top that I got from No.

It's brighter in person but this is the best I could do!

On another note, we started doing the second coat on our walls tonight and it took about .5 seconds for roomie and I to become irritable little grumps. The paint is going on weird, the first coat and the white wall are still showing through, and we have a fraction of the energy we had yesterday. After two walls we stopped to see if maybe tomorrow it won't look as bad. If it does, we may have to call in backup. And by that I mean our dads. For now I'm going to rest my blistered and burning hands and hopefully go to sleep soon. It'll be a few days before I post again since I'm going to Sonoma for the weekend to spend some much needed time with my best friend! Adios all, have a good weekend, and be prepared for some good stuff when I get back.

-LG

Lauren-1, Neuroses-0

I did something impulsive on Tuesday, folks. Technically I planned it the night before while getting ready for bed but that was at 1 am and I woke up at 8, so it counts. My class Tuesday didn't start until 6:10, so I decided to take some homework to the Mission and work on it while sipping on some Ethiopian coffee. And I have to say, not only was the impulsive act highly satisfying, but it had me rethinking my current motto "school really gets in the way of life". The two can have a symbiotic relationship. Shocker, right? Anyway, I'm motivated to make this a regular activity!

Edit: This post was technically written on Tuesday, and as the sun has stopped shining to make room for the rain, I'm thinking my short (but sweet) spurt of motivation had more to do with the weather than anything else...

Now on to what really matters: reviews! I'm late on these, but better late than never. I apologize for the lack of pictures, I was with a friend and I haven't quite gotten past the awkwardness that taking pictures for the blog sometimes entails. But I'm including the photos that I've found online so those will have to suffice for now.

1. Cafe du Soleil 
My first time here was two Fridays ago when I went to go pick up my new power chord. It's a cafe and patisserie, and if I'm not mistaken they also serve salads and other appetizers. The coffee is served in  large, wide cups and while I never fail to spill (I'm really bad with transferring motion while                      walking...okay I'm just clumsy), the cups make me happy. The colors are warm, and along with the          expected coffee-shop tables there is one long, aged wooden dining table with plush chairs. It's always set with a large floral arrangement that immediately brightens the room. Plus, free wifi! I give it 4/5 stars,       and here's why. The art currently hanging on the walls does not match the vibe of the place whatsoever.   Ambiance is very important to me, and the pieces detract from the overall mood and settings. I told my     parents this and they said I should go into business matching artists and venues. I would actually love       doing this and the idea has been at the back of my mind ever since.

 200 Fillmore Street

2. Idol Vintage
This place had me at "3.99 rack". It is not very often that you'll find a vintage shop offering anything for less than $15. I wasn't paying too much attention to the prices throughout the rest of the shop but I believe they were reasonable. It's the perfect size. Not too big, not too small, and it offers a wide range of era, style, and quality. I almost walked out of there with a strapless velvet mini dress, complete with a boned bodice, lace accents, peplum ruffle on the waist, and a bow to finish it off. Alas, the last few inches of zipper refused to budge. I'm not sure whether to blame my boobs or my relentlessly large ribs...either way, I know I'll be returning.

3162 16th Street

3. Clothes Contact

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's on the larger side, and when it comes to vintage, I find that overwhelming. However, it's well organized which cuts down on confusion. But let me just rant really quick about their dressing room situation. First of all, they're tiny. This in and of itself is to be expected for SF shops. The problem arises with the curtain. You ask for one at the counter and hang it yourself on two hooks. Fine. But son of a bitch, the hooks aren't high enough! I know that I'm taller than average, but this was a little ridiculous. On top of that, the curtains are wider than the opening, which means they droop and reveal even more than just your entire head. As a result, I decided to try twisting one side of the curtain to tighten it up (mind you, I'm half naked at this point) and make it higher. Success! Oh wait, now there's a 5 inch gap between the curtain and the wall. So now I'm half naked, hunched over in my closet (reminiscent of the pokey from Matilda) and I'm faced with a crippling dilemma: turn your naked arse to the curtain in an effort to protect your frontals, thereby exposing them to the mirror which then reflects into the store through the 5 inch gap and the massive lack of curtain on the top OR turn your frontals toward the curtain and give everybody a free show. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. At some point you'll come to the point that I did and say "this is San Francisco, and if the shoppers haven't seen a pair of boobs yet, then they shouldn't call themselves citizens of our fair boob friendly city". Basically don't try something on unless you would stake your mother's life on the fact that it's worth it. Needless to say, I found the dressing room experience distracting. But vintage is vintage and messiness is the beauty of thrifting. And boobs, evidently. 

473 Valencia Street

4. Nooworks

Although it is a smaller boutique, Nooworks utilizes their space very well. It's brightly lit, white, and not overwhelmed with crowded racks. The art on the walls is consistent with the style of clothes and with the neighborhood. I wasn't particularly drawn to the clothing as a whole, but I appreciate the aesthetic and the careful curating on the part of the shopkeepers. Props, Nooworks. Here's a link to their website. It's very well done and it gives you a good idea of what the store is like. I love me some bangin HTML and their site is phresh. 

Nooworks. 

395 Valencia Street

5. No. 

(as in Number)

I liked this place. First of all, it has an actual dressing area in the back. Second of all, it's small but like Nooworks, it utilizes the space well. The clothes racks are stacked vertically up the walls to keep the center of the first room open. It's a consignment shop, so the items are a mix of old and new. The shopkeeper also does an excellent job editing, as the racks aren't stuffed to capacity. And this is where I found my wonderful new fuchsia top! Which will be pictured further down. I'm pissed that I didn't take pictures and that I couldn't find any decent ones, because I really love the inside. You will have to go see for yourselves, I suppose!

389 Valencia Street 

6. Paxton Gate

There are no words. The mysteries of the universe are inside this store. Walking through the shelves of oddities, I felt flashes of past lives from mistier times. I could get lost here, easily. I didn't purchase anything, but I wanted to take everything home with me. Jars full of starfish and tables topped with coral, shelves of fungi, displays of butterflies, animal skulls, taxidermy, a back room devoted entirely to plants, and a garden out back. The list goes on. I'll leave you with a link to their page and pictures from their gallery. And for any moms or dads out there, there's a Paxton Gate for kids too.

Paxton Gate

824 Valencia Street

7. Upper Playground

Until my visit to Upper Playground, I didn't know there was a storefront. I've visited their website before, and enjoyed what they have to offer. But seeing it in person is ten times better than through a computer screen. Part of it is the neighborhood. The Mission is vibrating with creativity and that's obvious, especially in UP. There's something for everybody, and it's at the root of San Francisco expression. There's a lot to look at, and I wasn't alone, so I browsed as many shelves as I could to experience the full range. If any of you are big on wearing your art on your tee, check it out. If you don't live in the city, check out their site! 

Upper Playground.

220 Fillmore Street 

8. Four Barrel Coffee

In the beginning of the post, I mentioned doing my homework at a coffee shop while sipping on some Ethiopian coffee. This is where that magic happened. I've been here twice now, Tuesday being my second trip after enjoying it so much from the weekend. This whole adventure was really my first time in the Mission district, and I was immediately struck by the demographic. I mean I've heard that it's a hot spot for younger SF residents, but I wasn't expecting this fact to be so obvious. It was so strange and refreshing. Uh, Lauren, you live right off a college campus...I know, but that's different. Walking into Four Barrel was like being 5 and walking onto a playground. And the very first thought I had when we walked in was "single's bar". Right away it struck me as a place where single coffee drinkers might go to meet each other and strike up a conversation about the bands they watched perform that weekend. This wasn't a negative observation, just one I'd never made before. Most importantly, the coffee is cheap and good, and they brew it themselves. It's a lot of rough hewn wood, thick rope chandeliers, and natural metals, and all of the baristas are incredibly friendly and fun. I will definitely be going back.

375 Valencia Street

And there 'tis! My trip around the Mission. I still have quite a few stores on my list that I need to check out, and the next time the sun is shining I'm jumping on them! My next post will include my purchases from Thrift Town/future DIY's and my review of said thrift store. Until next time, y'all!

-LG

PS I don't have time to go back and read over the whole post, so I'm hoping nothing's wrong with it! Apologies, just in case.

Mea Culpa.

Apologies, all, for the delay on oh so many things! I would do it right now, but roomie and I decided to paint our apartment today and managed to do the whole first coat in 4 hours time! How speedy are we. Granted, we had some help from her boyfriend. But either way, I am exhausted. Painting really takes it out of you, I'll tell you what. Plus my hands are cramped and blistery and I'm still covered in dried paint. I'll do a Before and After post once we get the second coat on and jazz up the decor. We're going for a modern twist on an East Indian theme.

I pulled this inspiration photo from Rang Decor, an interior design blog that focuses primarily on Indian decor. We won't go so literal, however. The focus will be more on the bold jewel tones and metallics, which we'll pull in through pillows, throws, frames, wall art, and rugs. It's going to be an awesome change from the stark white we had going on before. The first coat alone is already making it feel homier and warmer. I can't wait to share the end product!

I'm going to do my darndest to post tomorrow with reviews, pictures of my new purchases/future DIY's (that I'm super excited about), and a few thrifting guidelines that you all might find helpful. Tomorrow will consist of work, more painting, class, and then catching you all up! I mean it this time! I have most of the reviews written up already, but I'm trying to pull together some decent photos of the various establishments online, and I still need to photograph my latest thrifting finds in the natural light of day. And on that note I must sign off, as I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Goodnight, all, and happy Hump Day!

-LG

PES.

The Ol' Ball And Chain.

Over the past few days I've been thinking a lot about "The Big Break" and taking some actual steps toward making it happen. Mostly I've been researching schools in my area that offer classes I'm interested in. That, and laying in bed at 2 a.m. while my mind runs, trying to focus my thoughts toward what I really, really want. This also applies to laying in bed at 11 a.m. refusing to get up. Like today, for instance. But once I did get out of bed, I started looking at Academy of Art. The summer between my Sophomore and Junior year of high school, I did their summer program and loved it. The figure drawing charcoals I have posted on my Art page are from that summer. I requested some information from them and should be getting it in the mail within the next week. So now, of course, I can think of nothing else but the possibility of returning to Academy of Art. I mean I have a T-Shirt from there already, so...

Here's the thing, though: I'm not an impulsive person by nature. I hope to become more impulsive, but planning to be impulsive is an oxymoron and the two cancel each other out. However, when I'm experiencing periods of desperation like I am right now, I become...well, desperate. I grasp at straws. Any passably good idea becomes my salvation and I run with it. For example, last year (a decidedly awful year for me) had me looking at out of state schools to transfer to. I landed on University of Oregon. Don't ask me what my reasoning there was, because I don't remember. But my plan was that I would move up to Oregon, live there for a year to get residency, and eventually transfer in. This was all decided within a few days, and a few days after that I was telling everybody I talked to that I was moving to Oregon. Funny how I'm only impulsive when it comes to life altering decisions. What the hell is that about? And now I'm planning "The Big Break" which, if we're being honest, is basically me dropping out of school and becoming a gypsy. A life long dream of mine, by the way. Anyway! I ended up admitting to myself that the pain I was experiencing and the difficulties I was having functioning every day had nothing to do with SF State or San Francisco in general, and everything to do with me. Moving to Oregon wouldn't be the answer to my problems, it would simply give them a new address. I'm looking back on that time and I can feel the shackle tightening around my ankle. The ball and chain of doubt. Is this the right decision? Is this a cop out? Am I being weak, or lazy? Then there are the doubts yelling at me from the other side of the fence. If I do it, will I fail? Am I good enough? Skilled enough? Creative enough? When I really sit down and think about it, I do still think this could be a very good thing for me. When I think about it, all I feel is excitement, whereas with "Operation Oregon" I was constantly filled with a sickening sense of dread and fear of leaving my family. But excitement can't keep the doubt at bay. I'm afraid of squandering the year away and not making any real progress. I'll still have to work during the year and I'm afraid that I'll put everything into my job and tell myself I'm "too tired" for any of my goals. I know that making sure those things don't happen is entirely up to me, but I'm nervous nonetheless. Anyhow, all of that is meant to act as an intro to my consideration of Academy of Art. My pros and cons, if you will. I spoke to an admissions counselor on the phone today and man can those bastards sell a school. I knew this already from previous experience. They can market like no other. And I shouldn't call her a bastard, she was really very nice and helpful. She asked me what some of my deciding factors would be in saying yay or nay, and I told her my main one is finances. Academy of Art is a private university, and on top of that it's an art school. Tuition is astronomical. It's something like $20,000 a year. I cringe at the near $3,000 my parents shuck out for me at State, so the thought of 20 grand has me dry heaving into a paper bag. Price=con. However, at one point she asked me what I wanted to do with an art background, and I told her that I didn't want to live my life being an artist, doing art for art's sake. If I found that that satisfied me, I'd be spending every spare moment doing just that. And clearly that's not how I spend my free time. She reminded me that Academy of Art isn't based on art for art's sake, as some other art schools are. It's an art for industry school, meaning that not only are you trained in the fundamentals of your concentration, but you're also being prepared for "the industry" by professors who are active in "the industry" themselves. And this is important to me, because as I've mentioned before, I want to be able to own my own business someday. Industry=pro.

Needless to say, I'm torn. Back in early December I was thinking for a few days about USF and possibly transferring there (I know, I know, but I'm not as flighty as I'm coming across in this post) and tuition there is also very high. But my dad told me not to worry about the money, that it would work itself out. I can't seem to get to that point. I've always been incredibly aware of money, how much things cost, and spending as little as possible. I know that financial aid is an option but I'm not the only member of my family in school right now. I don't know, folks, I just do not know. Not that anything needs to be decided right now, but I'm in the thick of a desperate phase and I'm looking hard for solutions.

If you've made it this far, props to you for stickin with me through all my wishy-washy ramblings. In other news, I have my first soccer practice tonight! Roomie and I are just so excited, we can't contain ourselves. So I'm going to go now and stretch for the next 30 minutes, even though that's about one third of the amount of time my muscles will need to make it through tonight alive. Until next time, all!

-LG

Concrete Feet.

Hello there, all. Sorry for the few days without posts. It's been a very busy weekend and, long story short, I am exhausted.

I've been feeling discouraged lately, like I've lost a great deal of the momentum that I started the year with. This decision to take time off school has me incredibly impatient for this semester to end and I'm finding it more and more difficult to keep myself motivated and moving. I'm walking through quicksand, folks. I know that it's only 3 months til freedom but those 3 months feel like an eternity right now. I'm trying to keep myself positive by thinking about the good things to come. And days like today help a great deal! I spent the day with a friend of mine wandering around neighborhoods I've never visited before. I was able to scratch a few shops off my Mission District list, and tomorrow I'll write up my reviews of the places we stopped in to! I'm wishing I had gone last month, however. I don't know if I've said this already, but I got through spending phases. The majority of the time, I'm frugal with my money and avoid shopping. Then for a period of around two weeks or so, I'll enter a spending phase. My money burns a hole in my pocket and I can't resist. This time around, my shopping phase lasted a great deal longer than a few weeks. It was more like a month and a half. But I've been realizing over the course of the past week or so that I'm coming down from my shopping high. This is a good thing, of course. I can rest easy when I go out, knowing that I'm not spending my future children's college fund. However, I would have enjoyed the establishments a little bit more had I been in a spending mood. That being said, I did come away with a new top! And it is not gray, my friends. No siree bob. It is magenta. Fuchsia. The brightest pink I have ever owned in all my days. And I cannot wait to wear it in the summer sunshine while doing absolutely nothing of importance. I know I was talking about being excited for Spring, but now I can't wait for Summer. Anyway, I'll post a picture of it along with my store reviews!

In other news, I had two cups of coffee today within a few hours of each other and that was a mistake. I feel jittery, light headed, and nauseous. Ah the joys of discovering one's limits to caffeine. It's a magical time, let me just tell you.

-LG

Maybe, Baby.

I've been thinking the past few days about the possibility of doing a "How I'd Wear It" feature. It's pretty self explanatory so I won't go into detail. But I will present you with my reasons for not doing it:

1. I don't stay very up to date on trends. Yes, I absorb them through the blogs I follow and because I walk around with my eyes open. But I have very little patience when it comes to fashion magazines. I have even less patience for trolling Style.com to look at all the runway shows. That's just not going to happen. Therefore, if I did do a "How I'd Wear It" feature every now and then, it would either always be things that are no longer on the cutting edge of fashion. They'd be closer to the gentle slope of fashion, if you get what I mean.
2. I still lack a decent camera. This means that if I were to put outfits together on myself, you wouldn't be able to see them very well. Which would lead me to creating photo collages of some sort, which I don't know how to make. Plus, the collages would consist of items that I don't own. And if I'm being honest, that is just depressing. 
3. Third and finally, this would only be a successful venture if my reader...s...even care about what I'm wearing and how I'm wearing it! Ha! 

So. You can see why I'm hesitant to try this out. But actually, as I sit here typing this, it's occurring to me that it wouldn't necessarily have to feature the trendiest of trends. It could just be some of my random articles of clothing and perhaps some thrift store finds. I don't know, we'll see. My birthday's coming up and I'm putting a new camera at the top of my list, which will open up many possibilities. I shall keep you all posted. Until then I'll continue posting the occasional outfit pic, seeing as I haven't received any comments saying "We don't give a shit!!!". I'll take that as encouragement to continue. I hope everyone is enjoying their week and the erratic weather we've been having. Happy Wednesday, all.


-LG


PS If any of you particularly like the idea of "How I'd Wear It", please let me know!

InfiniteD.

 

 Wait...

...whaaaat?!

Yeah that's right. Those are all three dimensional people painted to look two dimensional. Her name is Alexa Meade, and she's a genius. 

"Alexa Meade has innovated a Trompe-L’Oeil painting technique that can perceptually compress three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional plane. Her work is a fusion of installation, painting, performance, photography, and video art.

Rather than painting a representational picture on a flat canvas, Meade paints her representational image directly on top of her three-dimensional subjects. The subject and its representation become one and the same. Essentially, her art imitates life on top of life." That's an excerpt taken from her page. She's only 23, folks! I am beyond impressed, and not gonna lie, jealous! Who wouldn't be, she's young and highly successful. I saw a small piece about her in Elle? InStyle? Once again I don't remember. I wanna say InStyle. 

 This is one of those times where I am simultaneously appreciating someone else's work and critiquing my own. Am I way behind? Is there even any use comparing? For any readers who aren't artistically inclined, or who don't consider themselves an "artist", do not feel like you're missing out. There's nothing like being an artist of any kind (fine artist, actor, musician, etc) to breed the most evil and potent of insecurities. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that the artist is both the craft and the craftsman. There is no separating an artist from what they create. If someone dislikes your work, they dislikes you. At least that's how it can feel, and it takes a very grounded, self-assured person to rise above that. I like to think of myself as grounded, but we all have our moments. One of the hardest parts with comparing is that there's no set standard. Yes there are those who have been trained and those who haven't, and yes that can set some artists apart from others. But training can only take you so far. You can be trained but have no organic creativity of your own, which renders your training effectively useless. And being self-taught and instinctual with your art is more natural to the process than being methodical and calculated. All of these variables make it very difficult to know where you stand. I'm sure some people are just fine with that. Those are the freaks who manage to navigate the art world with no doubts whatsoever. But for the rest of us who constantly feel the need to analyze, compare, categorize, and rank, it's not so easy. This leads to a crippling need for feedback and compliments and reassurance. God help me if I ever become that deeply entrenched in it all. It's a slippery slope, I'll say that much. Sometimes I wish I could just look at the work of another artist and simply appreciate it (or not, if it's just straight weird) instead of automatically entering into panic mode. Of course, on top of being an analytical individual, I'm also someone who has felt the pressure of time for as long as I can remember. At the age of 7 I felt like I needed to get a move on already. Just imagine how much that's increased over the past 13 years. I'm only 19 going on 20 and I feel like I'm running out of time to figure out every detail of my life. I hope you all can gaze at the amazingness that is Alexa Meade and simply marvel at her talent. If you can, do let me know how that feels!

You can read more about her and see more of her work on her page. Check out her flickr for her most recent work!

-LG

Michael Kors.

Alright so it turns out that I don't have homework, but I have a quiz I didn't know about. High fives all around. It is now time for my public rant on Michael Kors.

First let me just say that I enjoy his pieces, and it's not very often that I find myself wholly disagreeing with his aesthetic. HOWEVER. I cannot be the only one to notice that he has put out the exact same color palette for the past FOUR YEARS! Am I the only one who finds this incredibly irritating? Especially when he sits on the panel of judges for Project Runway and critiques the designers' creativity and color choices. At least they have color! That man hasn't put out anything but neutrals in four years. And let's not forget that every year is made up of four "seasons". This means that for going on 16 seasons, we have seen the same thing over and over and over again. I was reading through InStyle, either from February or March, and there's a whole piece in there about him, complete with an interview of him and of a few celebrities who are "big fans". And once again, I should have taken notes, but I scoffed very loudly at almost all of his answers. I don't see what all the fuss is about! One of the things he said was that you almost never see his clothes in vintage stores because women hold on to them for ages, they're timeless. Yeah because they're all flippin beige! Of course beige is timeless, it's as neutral as it comes! You create wardrobe staples for a living. A savvy business decision? Sure, everybody needs some good neutral staples. That's why they're called staples. Savvy, yes. Inspiring? Hell no. It's not thought provoking or fresh or risky. It's Diane Keaton in "Something's Gotta Give" (if we're being honest, it's Diane Keaton in every movie she's ever been in. A match made in heaven, those two).

Beige turtlenecks. Vanilla. Mini van. Boring. Yes, the whole movie takes place in the Hamptons. And the Michael Kors demographic are the Hamptons vacationers. But the Hamptons are beige! And frickin boring! How many times can I say 'boring' in this post? Well when it comes to MK, what else is there to say? And adding some random bits of magenta and mustard into a collection does not make it edgy or inspired.

To illustrate my point:

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011

Here's a look at his store from the outside, also beige:

  

Do I love neutrals? Of course I do. I wear a lot of it. In fact, I've been wearing a lot of gray. For the past few months, not the past few years! Do something new already, Kors! I have a hard time staying awake when I walk past your store. He plays it safe. Even black would be more interesting than what he's got going on. He also seems to think that his tan needs to match the leather belts he has wrapped around his shapeless beige shift dresses. Look at me go, anything and everything is fair game tonight!

And finally, I will make a personal appeal to Michael Kors himself. Sir, will you please, for the love of all that is good and holy, stop wearing that effing shirt/jacket combo!!!!

Thank you for your time.

-LG

Coco Avant Chanel.

"A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life" -Coco Before Chanel

This movie poster is really anachronistic for the movie itself. They've given her a kind of bouffant and very heavy eye makeup, neither of which are accurate portrayals of the character or the time period. However, I see what they were going for. She was a badass, to put it simply.

I've been wanting to do a post on this movie for awhile and since I should be doing homework right now, it's perfect timing. In a word...amazing. But not for the typical reasons. It's not riveting, nor does it keep you on the edge of your seat, and it's really very long. But the woman it portrays is amazing. I know nothing about Coco Chanel. Or at least I didn't up until watching this movie, and I'm banking on the chance that it's fairly accurate. So for the rest of this post, we will assume that the movie was an accurate depiction of both the character and the events of her life. That being said, the woman was incredible. I was so excited to regale you all with quotes from the movie but IMDB, my go-to source for movie information, only has two quotes posted. Two. What. The eff. I should have written them down while I watched. Hindsight is 20/20. I'll try Google in a bit and see what I come up with. 

I thought I would start with the quote at the beginning of the post. While it wasn't her character who said it, I feel that it defines so much of who she was. It's no secret that women place a great deal of significance on their hair. It is at the core of femininity, and automatically associated with sensuality/sexuality. Many of us stake our identity on our hair. It defines so much about us: our style, our mannerisms, our attitude, our interactions. And it's no secret that long, full hair is the essence of womanhood. To cut it is to make a statement. Severing your hair is, in a way, severing a piece of yourself from that standard definition of what it is to be a woman. It's a denial of the stereotype. It can be edgy and daring. It's androgynous and at times empowering. But even though I see this act of defiance as bold and risky, I'm willing to admit that I am among those that associates short hair with a loss of femininity. A certain mystique is missing. I myself have short hair, so I don't feel too bad admitting this. And I originally cut my hair in search of a change and a redefinition of my identity. The cut served it's purpose and now I'm trying to grow my hair back out. You may have read in an earlier post my distress about the recent change in my hair texture. Before, my hair was long, thick, and so curly that it would wrap itself into dreads if I wasn't careful. It would regain its curl the moment I stepped out of the shower. Now it dries stick straight and I'm lucky if I can go a whole day before I feel like I need to wash it again. This isn't just perplexing or annoying. It's saddening. I didn't realize until now how much I let my hair define me. It might as well be completely shaved off, in my opinion, because without my crazy curls, I am without a large piece of who I am. But I am somewhat comforted by the woman that Coco Chanel was. In her time, it was standard for women to have long hair. And she did for awhile. But she was ahead of her time, and decided to chop it all off. She is portrayed as being a woman bent on simplicity in a time of lavish frills and loud frocks, every square inch of which was covered in ruffles and lace. She spends a good amount of her time in menswear/menswear inspired garb. And yet, she remains as feminine as they come. At one point in the movie (pre-haircut), her love (before he was her lover) says to her "you're elegant". That's all. The most perfect thing to say to a woman, especially one like her. He is passing her while she reads, says those two words to her, and leaves. I would love to be told that, especially if the speaker looks anything like this: 

Only imagine him with shorter hair and a small moustache.

Anyway, all of that to say that I was and am inspired by Coco Chanel and her amazing ability to exude femininity and what it is to be a woman, while rejecting the feminine standards of her generation. She never apologized for who she was or for her aesthetic. If any of you are looking for some inspiration, whether sartorial or otherwise, I highly suggest watching Coco Before Chanel. I plan on watching it again, and taking better notes this time.

-LG

Mom and Dad, Advert Your Eyes.

What I did today instead of going to class: made a pair of shorts out of wool trousers! I was even all dressed and ready to go since I'd already done my grocery shopping for the week. In fact, I had fully gotten myself all jacked up and prepared for class and then last minute thought "Shorts!". Unfortunately, the whole process (including the self-indulgent picture taking) only took me about 10 minutes. Definitely not a long enough process to justify missing a class that started 10 minutes ago. I'll do something more complicated next time, I promise. Anyway, here 'tis!

I love these trousers. I thrifted them about two years ago and while I didn't wear them a whole lot, I felt like Katharine Hepburn every time I did. Unforunately,  they are just barely long enough. In bare feet, they're perfect. And while I would prefer bare feet to shoes any given day of the week, that's simply not an option and shoes raise the hem juuuust too high for my tastes. Ever since I was 7 and first made aware of "high water" pants and how embarrassing they looked, I've been ever so careful about the length of my pantaloons. Anyway, all of that to say, here's what they looked like before! While you have them on, mark out somehow how long you would like your shorts to be. Add on to that amount for hem allowance. I know the standard allowance is 5/8 of an inch, but I'd rather be safe than sorry so my hem allowance is usually closer to 2 inches. Are you cuffing these beauties? If so, add another few inches. I ended up cutting mine right at the knee.

After you've cut off the legs, put the shorts on and start to play with the length. Originally I was going to cuff mine, but given the bagginess of the trouser, the effect was that of a bloomer, and while I suspect I could potentially pull a bloomer off, that's not the look I'm goin for here. However, if you do want to create a seamless cuff, here's how: fold all the excess underneath until you've reached your desired length:

Then fold it back outward, creating a cuff, until you've reached desired cuff width:

 Case in point. Bloomer. And clearly this is a sloppy cuff. I wouldn't leave it like this.

This is necessary when you're working with fabrics that have differing textures on the inside and outside, or if the pants you're using are lined. After you have your cuff the way you like it, throw some stitches in to keep it in place. Depending on the fabric, some ironing may be necessary to keep things crisp and to give it a finished look.

If you're not trying to create a cuff, then stop after step one! Once you've gotten your desired length, stitch the segment that's folded inside to the inner seam to hold it in place. Iron your hem, and voila! Shorts!

Worn with Steve Madden clogs for extra bossiness. 

Alright now I'm off to do some homework for a class that I will be attending this evening. But first, here's a short list of topics to come:

1. Coco Before Chanel
2. Alexa Meade
3. "How I'd Wear It"
4. Matt Bomer
5. Michael Kors (this one's a rant)

-LG

The Drinks We Drank Last Night.

The whispers of still unsteady feet seeking purchase on the ground. Bodies lazily stumbling against walls. The tortured echoes of painful regurgitation from behind closed bathroom doors. The slow, swollen way half-closed eyes take in the fruits of last night's labor, the spoils of drunken victory: red plastic cups strewn about the sticky table, empty bottles of varying height and hue, sleeping shapes on every available floor space...

I get so irked when people say things like "have you tried Jager? It's so yummy! It tastes so good! Like licorice!". For those of you who don't know me, here's a little fun fact: I have a raging sweet tooth. It rules my life. It directs the course of my day. It's my north star, my compass, my true love. So when people tell me that something is "yummy/tasty/sweet", you have to realize that the bar is high. When something is called "green apple" or "watermelon", I'm expecting green apple or watermelon, god dammit! Fun fact number two: alcohol repulses me. It sets me into involuntary convulsions. I get my hopes up that said green apple or watermelon will mask the sheer pain that is alcohol. Imagine my DOUBLE disappointment when not only can I taste the demon, but the damn thing isn't even passably sweet. Outrage ensues. Punches are thrown. And yet, even after months of not speaking to each other, I call alcohol up. We go out. I end up with friends I won't remember the next morning and hazy memories of maniacal laughing. Alcohol, you cruel temptress. You wily lady of the night.

-LG

Lately...

I've been getting awesome jewelry ideas. It's on my giant list that I start learning how to make jewelry/work with metal and I'm wishing that I had learned a long time ago. I'm going to start sketching my ideas out so that when the time comes, I remember them all and I'm able to make them a reality. At the flea market awhile ago I bought a bunch of old, broken watches for a few bucks each. I took them apart and saved all the individual pieces. One of them I wear kind of as a bracelet, and you can see it in some of my pictures. But the gears of the watches are my favorite part. And they have served as the inspiration for the pieces I want to make. Strangely enough, they're all gold, and I don't wear gold jewelry. But I would wear these. This is possibly one of the most pointless posts ever since I'm not showing you any pictures or going into detail about my plans. How mean am I!

-LG

Hot Topics.

I got a charger AND a new battery for my computer! The only trouble there is, the batteries are identical (duh) and when removing the old one from my computer and the new one from my bag, I placed them side by side on the couch without paying attention to which was which. This little mishap elicited a very loud "shit" and then a few minutes of staring. Since I have all weekend to figure it out, that's what I'll be doing. Anyway, this is meant to be a continuation of the last post. I posted a sketch and didn't really have time to talk about it, so now I do. And mostly it's a rant. The sketch is much more akin to the work I've done in the past and definitely my style/preference. But I am beyond annoyed with myself, or whatever presence comes over me when I draw what I consider to be my successes. This presence is sporadic and finicky. I cannot conjure it up. I cannot ask it politely. I can't even beg. When I try to continue along a vein I've started on- for instance, the sketch in the previous post was executed when I, on a whim, decided not to pay attention during Asian Art History; but when I deliberately tried not to pay attention during The Early Christian Church, I got nothin- I'm given the cold shoulder. This wouldn't be a problem if it only happened every once in awhile, but unfortunately that is not the case. To put it simply, I cannot deliberately draw. It happens almost by accident. Once I see that I'm in the presence of "the presence" I'm afraid to scare it away. Actually I'm not annoyed, I'm sad. This is one of the reasons why I don't draw/paint more. I frickin can't! Even when I want to. Most especially when I want to. I ask you all: is it just me? Or do any of my other two readers experience something similar? To digress for a moment, I see I got one view from Russia so holler at you Russia! Welcome! Anyway, my hope is that once I'm consistently instructed and in an art environment, the presence will stop being such a snob.

I'm in my history class as I write this. Yeah, look at me, blogging on paper! That's either really pathetic or really committed...As I was saying, if my professor licks her lips one more time, I swear to God. Ever since I was first introduced to Sarah Jessica Parker's tongue, (quite the opportunist, that tongue. Every chance it gets to nestle in the corner of her mouth), I've been sensitive about them. And my professor's tongue is even more aggressive, if you can imagine. I just searched for pictures of SJP's tongue moments to share with you all (an admittedly half hearted search) and came up with nothing. So either nobody else is as bothered by this as me, or SJP had them all removed out of embarrassment. Don't get me wrong, I love her. She's quirky and has the legs of a 5'11 woman on a 5'5 body. Which, I decided, is why she looks so awkward. But she makes it look good, so she gets a holler as well. Tonight is a night for rambling, apparently!!! Back to what I was saying about my history class. One of my favorite things in the world is when history teachers say things like "this is a really hot subject right now". The pains I go through to keep myself from cracking up in the back row. I mean come on! We're talking the 4th century here! It's fascinating stuff, mind you, but "hot subject" and "4th century history" do not belong in the same sentence together. Another thing I love more than anything (spoiler alert: sarcasm) is when you have a chatty Cathy sitting in your vicinity. Actually, his name was Tony. And he was a whisperer. Whispering Tony. So the professor was up there professing something about a really hot 4th century subject, asked a question, and said something along the lines of "...really obvious answers". And Whispering Tony sittin behind me whispers "pfft yeah...". Well gee, Tony, I don't see you raising your hand! Speak up, Whispers! I had a Whispering Aaron sitting behind me in my Junior English class. He sat directly behind me and had a response to literally everything the teacher had to say. In whispers, of course. It was amusing at first, but holy cheese and rice either say it loud enough for all to hear or cut the shit back there. I'm trying to listen to what has 4th century historians all hot and bothered.

-LG

Sparks Fly.

My laptop charger is fading fast from this world. It's completely frayed and throwing blue sparks which means in about 20 minutes I'm going to be without a computer until I can get my hands on a new one. Actually until my dad can get his hands on a new one. He's a whiz, that guy. The problem is, my laptop is over 6 years old and Apple stops carrying products that are 5 years or older. I'm not sure how long it's going to be/how long I'll be without access to a computer so this may be my last post for a few days. I'm gonna wrap this up with a sketch I did during Asian Art History:

Oh and happy Wednesday! The week is half over, hooray! Until we talk again, have a good rest of the week :D

-LG

Color Me Floral.

Here is the something pretty I mentioned earlier! So I was flipping through the most recent Glamour while at work, and my eye was caught by these pretty florals:

Just in case you can't read what it says: "The technical term for these looks is chinoiserie, which is a fashion-y way of saying 'Asian-inspired...'". Now normally Asian silks aren't really my cup of tea, but I was hooked when I saw that dress on the left.

First of all, long-sleeved, flowy gowns are some of my favorite things in the world. Second of all, that color combination is also one of my favorites. It's funny, actually, because we're planning on painting the main room in our apartment (it's currently a stark white) and the plum color of that sash is not far from the color we want to paint. And gold/teals and greens will be our accent colors. So now we have one more item to bring in to Home Depot as a color swatch, along with one of my rings (which turns our desired color when held up to the light just so), a glass bowl from Anthropologie, and a random picture I have saved to my desktop. They're going to hate us. Anyway, this is all beside the point. When I saw this page I was looking less at the florals that were actually pictured and more at the florals they inspired in my mind, and my immediate thought was "pants". Or rather, "shorts". And I remembered that I have floral remnant fabric that has been waiting for just such a project! I currently have a dress in the works out of the same fabric(I should mention that by "in the works" I mean "started it a year ago and have yet to finish") and I'm hoping that I have enough to make a pair of loose fitting shorts. To be completely honest, I don't think the fabric is really right for this style of short being that it's on the thicker/stretchy side and wrinkles easily (clearly). But I don't like tight shorts...conundrum...

Anyway, this is the fabric and I absolutely love it. Perhaps I'll try to do a pair of tighter fitting, high waisted shorts (if they're high waisted, I don't mind tightness) since I already have a pattern I made back in October. Until I can squeeze some time out of my schedule, I'll just dream of wearing these in the warmer weather with a pair of sandals and a flowy, sheer top. 

Before I sign off, I need to vent right quick. I've been noticing a pattern emerging over the past few years. Ever since starting college, I've noticed fewer and fewer teachers enforcing the "raise your hand to speak" rule, and I've noticed even more students disregard it completely. And yet the majority of my professors require class participation. When your classes are made up of 100+ students, then this means the teacher needs to take written notes of who participates in order to allot the necessary grades. But if they don't enforce hand raising, and students don't care to uphold that basic courtesy, then how the frick do professors expect to remember? Take a mental note? With 400+ students altogether, that is not possible. And what about those of us who have maintained our manners and find it rude to shout out in class, knowing full well that somebody else might raise their hand wanting to speak? I always raise my hand and am beat out time and again by students who don't wait their turn. I find this annoying and unfair. I probably sound like a tight ass right now, but the student to teacher ratio is incredibly high on my campus, which means basic organizational tenets should be upheld to ensure that students still get a fair amount of face time/class participation time. That's basically all I have to say on the matter. If there are any teachers reading this, please make sure to enforce hand-raising. It's only fair to those students who are just as intelligent as the shouters but prefer to be well mannered. If there are any shouters reading this, cut the shit. Thank you.

-LG

Tuesday Bluesday.

I opened at work today and I gotta say, I like it much more than closing. I don't actually mind waking up before the sun because once I'm up I'm up. Plus there's slightly less standing around in the morning than there is at night. I took some pictures from my bedroom window of what the morning looks like while I'm getting ready. It's one of my favorite color combinations.

I also took more awkward outfit pictures! This time in my kitchen. In a few months time you will have seen the entirety of my apartment via the reflection in the traveling mirror.

I have to stand incredibly still when I take these pictures so as to avoid blurring. Do excuse the look of constipation on my face.

Wearing: H&M Lace Blouse, F21 "Voulez Vous" Lion shirt (I'll take a picture of it later so you know what the heck I'm talking about), Thrifted Plaid Button Up, O'Neil Green Canvas Jacket, Target Jeggings, BCBGeneration Boots. I also threw on my black knit scarf from H&M and took a "with scarf" picture but it is just too silly to post.

Close-Up of boots.

One of the first things you learn while living in the city is how to layer your clothes like a pro. The weather can change drastically every few hours and if you don't have the convenience of a portable closet, you'll need to go from cold to hot and back again with ease. Something I will add to this rule is this: try to avoid creating outfits that are dependent on one piece. For instance, my green jacket above. I have the option of taking that off should I get too warm, and the remaining outfit is just as functional/stylin'. However, I have other outfits that include that jacket that depend on me wearing it for the outfit to function/make sense/remain stylin'. Sometimes it's not possible to create a four layer outfit made up of wholly independent pieces. But as the weather begins to warm up, this skill becomes more and more important, as the mornings are still frigid while the day time hours are hot hot hot.  

In fact, adjusting clothing to the weather is so important to me, it's one of the reasons my roommate and I decided not to move from our current location right off campus to the Sunset district. Having your dorm/apartment/house a short walk away from you at all times is beyond convenient when suddenly the weather jumps up 20 degrees and you're in your snow gear. While that may seem shallow to some of you who don't reside in the city, I'm sure some of you others understand. I have got to be comfortable or else my entire day is thrown off, and my comfortability depends heavily on what I'm wearing. I'm thinking I'll do a post about the basics to layering in the near future, especially since Spring is fast approaching.  

I have to get off to class but I have a post planned for later and it involves pretty things! Later.

-LG