You Have A Diamond Under Your Skin

Phew this week was insane. Sorry for the lack of posting! It's practically a miracle I was able to keep myself from blogging during the week. My self-control is astonishing...especially to myself.



(dress: Forever 21, silver chain belt/necklace thing: vintage, gold coin necklace: Forever 21, pearl necklace: stolen from Tucker)

This picture is from a few weeks ago when it wasn't so stupidly cold and gross (until there's snow, I'm going to be bitter about the weather). The idea was basically to pile on loads of necklaces. Antiquity has really been inspiring me lately: lace, gold, silver, heavy chains, all things deliciously Victorian or Gothic.

With so much being eaten alive by homework going on lately, I've been needing a good bit of inspiration.

(This guy has the most enviable hair flip in the world. Plus, he's really pretty.)

Photos by Elena Kalis, Gemma Booth, from Jak + Jil, The Selby, Fred Butler, The Sartorialist

This is a photo-heavy post, but hopefully I'll be posting normally the next few weeks when I'm not so incredibly stressed out.

Thriller

You know those weeks preceding the ending of a quarter? Yeah? You know how all the teachers catch a bout of crazy and decide to pile on an unbelievable amount of work so it seems like no end may ever come into sight? Yeah. That was this week. Super fun.

Luckily I had one thing keeping me sane: the promise of the weekend. I can't stress enough how addicted I am to autumnal Saturday mornings. There's really nothing better than waking up wrapped up in a heavy comforter and drowsy thoughts to a room bathed in sunlight which looks like it should have the consistency of honey. Top that off with the smell of bacon and waffles and you've got yourself a winner. Delicious.

Today was Halloween at school and I will just say right now that I was extremely impressed. Typically girls use Halloween as an excuse to dress like cheap strippers, and in my past two years in high school, I've seen my fair share of mini-dress and fishnet clad nurses, policewomen, devils, milk maids, Hermione Grangers (makes me SO SAD...I'm sure you understand), and sailor girls. It's enough to make you a little more than uneasy. But this year was oddly different. There were only a select few naughty school girls and some obscene slutty M&M costumes in site. Victory? I think so. Costumes were surprisingly creative and properly whimsical, my personal favourites included a massive 7 ft giraffe costume, T-Pain and Andy Samberg in full boat-ready attire, a leafblower, and a troop of Power Rangers. I went for a more subtle choice, opting to be a Freudian slip. Decked out in a slip with a picture of Freud pinned to it, it proved to be an interesting experience in telling how clued in people are. I got a lot of vacant stares, but I also got a lot of laughs, which made it worth it. Up next for Halloween '10? SPICE GIRLS, BABY. Excited.

I also recently found out that it is not legal in my state to trick-or-treat after the age of 16. I'm kind of, sort of heartbroken.

Today's post goes in accordance with the recent Halloween mood.



The death stare of CHAMPIONS.



Skipping is always the way to go. No excuses.







So this tree is kind of the creepiest/coolest thing I've ever seen.




(sweater: vintage, dress: vintage, boots: unknown)

In other news, this song is freaking awesome. Experiment for you lot in school: Play on iPod before exiting bus, enter school, get your groove on, walk down the hall to the beat with a few well placed power steps. You'll feel like the king of the world....at least I do. Officially pumped for the album...I'm such a sucker when bands totally change up their sound from album to album.

For those of you 16 and under, have a blast trick-or-treating legally!
For those of you over 16, get that costume on and get out for some quality candy-snatching, you know that when I turn 17 I'll be right behind you. Illegal Halloween shenanigans are the way to go.

Autumn Is An Apple

Lately the weather has been utter perfection. The type of golden haze you want to get lost in; the tart, crisp, autumn apple that you want to sink your teeth into; the sunny song that you just want to keep on repeat.



I've never been a fan of autumn, but I think I've finally found my way to the autumn fanatics club. There's just something so beautiful about the world being wrapped in a blanket reds, oranges, and golds. The cooler weather also lets me crack out the pea coat that I love oh so much.



One of my fondest memories of fall when I was younger and one reason I desperately wish I was still the pint-sized tyke I used to be, is jumping into massive piles of leaves made by my dad and later getting picked up in the leaf tarp along with the pile. Did you guys ever do that? If you didn't, you're missing out. If it stops raining this weekend I'm considering getting out and raking my own teenager-sized leaf mountain. Also, I'm convinced Toby secretly judges my antics in front of the camera...just look at those sneaky brown eyes of his.







If any of you have been reading for a reeaaallly long time, you'll remember my temptation to get out and frolic in the woods even though snow still covered the ground...I see these photos as getting it out of my system before the blizzards start coming. During the winter I get a bit of a caged animal mentality. Not being able to read outside on the weekends= a recipe for disaster for me mentally.



Sometimes I feel like people don't smile enough. I'm going to keep that in mind more. The world could do with a little more lightness.



Obligatory "I'm a ballerina" shot. I feel like I always post shots like this...


(top: hand-me-down, skirt: Forever 21, coat: H&M, leggings:...I forget? Macy's maybe?, boots: Urban Outfitters)

A Tasty Autumn-Lovers Mix
(for all you cool cats that enjoy making playlists for every occasion like me)

The General Specific : Band of Horses
Australia : The Shins
Lake Michigan : Rogue Wave
Mrs. Potter's Lullaby : Counting Crows
Amsterdam : Guster
Strange Condition : Pete Yorn
Careful : Guster
Why Georgia : John Mayer
Hangin' Around : Counting Crows
Only the Good Die Young : Billy Joel
New Slang : The Shins
In Love, On Sadness : Jason Mraz
Everybody Loves Me : OneRepublic
Same Thing : Pete Yorn
Oxford Comma : Vampire Weekend
Heartbeats : Jose Gonzalez
Chicago : Sufjan Stevens
Saturday Morning : Eels
Strawberry Swing : Coldplay
My Heart : The Perishers
Penny On the Train Track : Ben Kweller
I Know What I Am : Band of Skulls

Despite the fact that he's like five and I've never gotten into the tween obsessions with Zac/Rob/JoBros, Justin Bieber makes me inexplicably happy. He makes me feel like I'm in 6th grade again slash I feel like I should adopt him. Gotta love that bubblegum pop, eh? I give you guys permission to mock me for this one, I probably deserve it.

And this article got me thinking...Robin Givhan has really got so much right going on in here.

"It's always a bit discombobulating when people raise their voices in anger because they've gotten wind that designers are making and selling $25,000 dresses. After all, it's not as if the existence of a dress that costs as much as a car negates the availability of cute $25 frocks at Target. And it isn't as though edicts have been issued that all women must now dress like one of the superheroes on Balenciaga's runway.

For personal and sometimes tortured reasons -- I can't have it so no one else can! -- observers declare that they just don't understand the attraction of these strange and expensive clothes. That would be a fair argument if those same complainers lashed out at people who spend thousands of dollars on Redskins season tickets, vintage wines, first-edition books or midlife-crisis cars. But those industries don't stir nearly as much ire from people who are uninterested in them. Everyone has a passion that is lost on others."

Amen, sister!

Now to show this article to everyone who looks down on me for being into fashion...namely everyone.

Honestly, it's like being into fashion turns you into a leper.

Who Gives A F*** About An Oxford Comma? (no swearing in the title! It's just not my creed, guys!)

A few thoughts:
1.
I really, really, really miss Lily Cole. She's around...but not as much as I'd like, especially in editorials. Which reminds me, I've come to the conclusion that any time she does something with Tim Walker, it's editorial gold (this is debateable seeing as everything Tim Walker touches is photography gold, but still, I miss Lily).

2.
As if you didn't already think Lindsay was an airhead...

WWD: Who are some of your favorite artists?
Lindsay Lohan: I love Damien Hirst.

WWD: Aside from acting, do you do any other kind of art?
L.L.: I paint.

WWD: What kinds of things do you paint?
L.L.: It depends on what I'm thinking at any given moment.

WWD: Well, what was the last thing you painted?
L.L.: The last thing I painted was completely red, it was a canvas and it was red and then I painted over it in black to make it purple and then I added a blue box in the middle. It was about life and death and living and dying.

WWD: Wow. Umm, so what else are you up to this week?
L.L.: I was supposed to go to Russia tomorrow to open Russian Fashion Week, but it fell through. But it's okay, because my little brother was yelling at me that I wouldn't be making it to his soccer game tomorrow. I love New York. I spent three hours at Fendi today after spending two hours at Versace.

Life and death and living and dying, eh Linds? Your eloquence just blows us away, it is simply unrivaled in all the civilized world.
This kind of reminded me of Friends when Joey's giving his "having, and sharing, and giving, and receiving" speech.
Didn't follow me on that tangent? Don't worry about it, most people don't.

3.
As I discovered today, this is the best song for the walk home in 4 inch heels. It has that sort of...lumbering beat, you know? You should try it sometime...you know...if you wear 4 inch heels to school.
I'm sensing that camp probably has the population of...well...me.
Man, I don't even know where I'm going with this.
It's a good song regardless.

4.
Not fashion related but still EXTREMELY RELEVANT FOR THE GENERAL IMPROVEMENT OF SOCIETY.
On the bus ride home I had one of those pesky situations where my ipod ran out of juice and was therefore subjected to some of the most idiotic drabble I've heard in recent memory.
8th grade male offender #1: Yeah, I think they're both gay. That song is gay but the other is definitely gayer.
8th grade male offender #2: But which one do you think is gayerest?
Seriously? Are you REALLY going to be the product of your parent's ignorance?
You don't even bother being horribly insulting USING PROPER GRAMMAR. If you're going to act like the scum of the earth, at least do it paying a decent amount of attention to your adverbs!
Ugh. People sometimes.

5.
I've discovered lately that writing in pretty fonts and decorating headings makes taking pages and pages of notes much more bearable. Oooh high school, what rapture.

6.
In a bit of a Where the Wild Things Are vein, other than reeeeeally wishing I have the time to see it soon (reviews, anyone, anyone?), I've been mulling over the possibility of a feather...crown...thingy? I apologize for the failure of eloquence, I don't quite have mastery of the English language today (thank you, caffeine). I guess I've sort of got this Topshop masterpiece in my head...it strikes me as very WTWTA (oooh acronym. Keep up with THAT.) anddd I want one. DIY perhapz?


Impractical, yes. BUT INSANELY AMAZING. And really, when have I ever been practical?

7.
Come to think of it, this DIY might not be a bad move. Hurrah Where the Wild Things Are mania! Don't mock me.

And finallyyy

8.
I really just don't get Lindsey Wixson. I just DON'T. She's a human anomaly! Someone explain pleaaaaaassseee. Just, like...WHY? I DON'T UNDERSTAND GUYZ. And if anyone says "Oh, well you're not supposed to understand fashion all the time!" there will be blood. I get that, I just don't get HER. Like...HOW?!?! Please tell me somebody understands my rants.

This is when I kind of understand.
Apparently some people think she looks like Lily Cole? What? I think NOT.



Maybe I need some more time for her to grow on me?

Anyways, I WAS going to post an outfit but we've had a lot of those lately so I figured I'd let my mind explode all over this post instead. Hopefully it wasn't too traumatizing for you guys.

The Name of the Game

The Name of the Game:

flights of fancy, juxtaposition, lace, dark, light, dream sequence, ethereal