spanish harlem incident

Some beautiful images that have been collecting on my desktop. Think of it as a palate cleanser after the fur shorts.

ambivalence

Oh Dolce and Gabbana.

These are fur shorts. Why are they so compelling? I can't decide whether they are mesmerizing in a fabulous-flamboyant-avant garde-fashiony way or in a morbid-and-fiery-car-crash way. Please help me.

UPDATE: After much consideration, I have come to the conclusion that these shorts belong in neither category defined above. They are just, quite simply, Dolce and Gabbana. I feel that this is explanation enough.
Lady Gaga better wear these skiing.

straight line so fine

Nicholas Kirkwood does not make shoes. He makes foot sculptures.

I aspire to become the sort of person that can do these beauties justice.

this is a promise with a catch.

One of my most favorite songs ever ever ever:

I have a thing for clever covers of great songs by good bands - my favorite version of this one is by the Seattle band Hey Marseilles (the live performance is the only video I could find of it).


It has hope, it has wisdom, and it has acoustic cello. This is all that I need.

epiphanizing.

Books play an indelibly large role in my life. My perspective has been changed several times by books I've read; Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, Love in the Time of Cholera, Looking for Alaska, Jitterbug Perfume, The Poisonwood Bible, Harry Potter...the list of tomes that have affected my life in an appreciable way goes on and on. However, as melodramatic as it may sound, I have just read two books that I believe have changed the course of my future forever.

Reading this:

and subsequently this:
has had a powerful effect on me. Reading these books:

1. strengthened my already powerful desire to travel to Northern Pakistan and its surrounding regions tenfold

2. made me realize that I do not want or need a stereotypical, fiscally "successful" job to make me happy in the future, and

3. made me want to dedicate my life to something that I already know gives me the biggest feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment: helping others.

To me, Greg Mortenson (read the books and you will learn all about this personal hero of mine) is living, breathing proof that karma not only exists, but also plays an appreciable role in the universe. Everything fell into place for him as he dedicated his life to an indisputably noble cause. Of course there were setbacks, speedbumps, and roadblocks - but his perseverance through these obstacles is what I believe made him worthy of the good fortune that has befallen him.

If you're looking for some inspiration, or even just a reason to like your life a little bit more, pick up these books and prepare to have your world rocked.

i love you but you're green

My #1 shamelust:

I miss Babyshambles and The Libertines tremendously.

wilted and faded somewhere in Hollywood

My personal favorites of NY Fall 2010:

The Row

Rodarte

Proenza Schouler (NEED those pants)

3.1 Phillip Lim

Marchesa

Jason Wu (I highly recommend looking through the whole collection, he absolutely KILLED it)

Cushnie et Ochs - one of my new favorite labels ever

Boy by Band of Outsiders

preaching to the converted.

THIS is an extremely worthwhile read.

lemon meringue, puff pastry, Lula, and butterflies.

Even though I'm holed up in a condo in snowy Montana, exhausted from a day of powder skiing, I couldn't resist posting on Marc Jacobs' new collection. It features everything I love fashion; whimsy, humor, art, and just plain beauty. Some of my favorite looks:

I really don't support the fur and leather industry - they're a big part of why I'm a vegetarian - but that being said, some of the most beautiful looks in the collection feature both materials. I guess I'll just admire them from afar...the shape of this coat is so dramatic and beautiful!

The collar and the gloves make this cotton farm-y dress awkwardly chic. Which is my favorite kind of chic.

The middle button on this coat makes me so happy. Details!

SEXY. I hope someone like Tilda Swinton or Kate Winslet wears this to the Oscars.

This dress is just magical.

I would wear this every day. Great length, great color, and the pairing of the awkward shoes make it less saccharine.

Just beautiful. A new contender for the dress I will wear in the parallel universe where I get invited to the the Oscars.

The man, the legend:

boho, not hobo.

OR: three easy steps to looking semi-presentable on those days when you don't feel like showering/doing your hair/putting any effort into your appearance but still need to go somewhere.(I have been finding myself in this position more and more as the school year wears on. I consider myself something of an expert on the subject.)

1. Klorane Dry Shampoo:

Some girls can go for days without washing their hair and still look great. I am not one of these girls.

2. Headscarf/headband of some kind (a la Mary Kate):

It doesn't have to be a Prada turban, though. (I've been super obsessed with the hair accessories from Ban.do lately)

3. Fresh, citrusy-smelling perfume so no one suspects you of being lazy and unhygenic.

I love all Fresh products on principle, but this perfume is exceptionally yummy and adorable.

If after all of this anyone still calls you out, just tell them that you don't support the big-name shampoo companies usage of sodium laurel sulfates and detergents, and that you're boycotting them in the name of Mother Earth. Or that you're channeling Nicole Richie circa 2006. Either way, they'll probably leave you alone.

gazing on the new soft-fallen mask/of snow upon the mountains and the moors

This year, winter in Washington has left me throughly underwhelmed. Usually, the Seattle area gets at least a sprinkling of snow, but this year it seems we've been bypassed completely. The weather has alternated between being so bitterly cold that any sort of precipitation is an impossibility, and the old standby: Pewter skies, temperatures in the mid-forties, and the constant need for an umbrella. I love Seattle, truly, I do - but for me, no winter is complete without snow. It's my favorite thing; I love the way it makes the world seem clean and new and soft. I love its smell and its texture. I'm leaving for Montana this week to go skiing, and I honestly could not be more excited. Finally, I get to leave this pitiful excuse for a season behind and break out my twin-tips!

You may scoff, but I am intensely jealous of the inhabitants of the Northeast right now. I would take a 3-day blizzard over this constant see-through drizzle any day. Until we leave for the mountains on Monday, I'll only be dreaming of one thing...

(Isn't this magical? It reminds me of Swan Lake.)

just to reiterate.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

walking through heaven in his armadillo shoes

Today, the world lost a true artist. We'll miss you, Alexander McQueen.

hippydippy

No matter how much I vacillate between wanting to be a tough, chic Parisienne, a devil-may-care grunge chick, and a quirky vintage queen, the one persona I always end up falling back on is the hippie. This term needs to be taken with a grain of salt - I'm not even sure if it's the one I want to use - for I would never dream of comparing myself to the controversial men and women in the 60's and 70's who stood up for their beliefs and started a social revolution. Nor do I want to be characterized as the girl who slaps a headband across her forehead, wears a floral blouse, and calls her outfit "hippie chic".

I find myself gravitating more to this moniker because it seems to best describe the life I aspire to lead (I'm afraid this is turning into another gratuitous, self-involved post, oh well). I love the outdoors, I do yoga, and I hang Tibetan prayer flags on any available surface (and not for show). I'm an obsessive recycler/composter/conservationist. I'm a vegetarian. I disapprove and actively try to counteract our avaricious, consumer-driven society. Am I, therefore, a "hippie"? And if so, is this a good thing? I certainly hope so, because that's who I am. Style-wise, I tend to have a propensity for clothes that translate my philosophies into something tangible...even if it's not at the pinnacle of high fashion. These pictures I've collected reflect visually what I feel internally most of the time:











photos from bluebird vintage and smokeandsassafrass.