What am I looking for in music this early summer 2012? Sleek, polished, yet somehow dancey (I do love me girly sixties in the summer a lot) but on the other side of the spectrum I look for some heavy electro that goes with a good languid hot summer afternoon just before I escape into the icy cold recesses of a library or grocery store.
Foxes, or rather British Louisa Rose Allen and the quiet yet ever present Sam Dixon, is a London duo is like Kate Bush running into an Emilie Autumn concert -- sleek and to perfection, and a little gothy. Did I mention Miss Allen is GORGEOUS? New girl crush! I can't say no to a girl with heavy bangs and thick eyeliner. Thank you recommendations on youtube!
I have a different attitude on Spring Break than others -- I live in an ultimate Bohemian paradise, why would I ever leave even when I still was in college? So, I make two rules since graduating three years ago (three years? damn) on proper Iowa City Spring Break etiquette
1. Talk to EVERYONE you can on random silly comments. (Because people, whether behind the cash register or that cute girl in the sundress and motorcycle boots hanging out at the coffee house -- ahem, not talking from experience -- are just naturally nicer than any other week in the year.
2. Ladies, take advantage of the great weather and wear only skirts, dresses and leggings for the week, it'll amp up your attitude a little more.
So in light of these two rules, or more rule number 2, this is what I did my spring break, or rather the highlights, or the highlights surrounding spring break (and mind you, I have a love-hate relationship with spring because I get hot really easily so I either have to wear less layers or more layers depending on the weather and spring is a difficult little bastard like that.)
Saturday, March 10th
While a little nippy for this adorable dark blue and light purple polka dots (obscure colors for polka dots), I found this lovely little shirt-dress, or maybe a mini-night gown for $8.50 at Ragstock on the "Modern Dress" rack (my new God). While it's probably not spring material I did wear an awkward open long sleeve cardigan (the ones that are asymmetrical at the bottom) tucked it in and went around feeling the wind through my bra, but my cleavage never looked better than that night meeting a bunch of my guy friends's friends via Applebees and bowling all the while explaining Don Marquis's comics and poems collection "Archy and Mehitabel." (I am a geek, profoundly.)
Monday, March 12th
This is the dress that's made famous by Trendy Spring Commandments # 1, there is nothing wrong with finding a dress and building a whole outfit on it just to wear the first day of Spring Break, and unleashing all your upperback tattoos. While the waist hits me at just the right spots, clearly this dress was made for a bustier girl (case in point, finding it at Ragstock on the "Modern Dress" rack as well for 8.50) then running into said bustier girl who was wearing the dress the same day as you!! (awkward). Needless with my super-round shoulders this dress is a mix of fail and win. The win? THE BOOTS! Oh Sweet Baby Buddha the BOOTS! These bad boys are from Lorenz 2.0 (a great local shoe store that always has great sales, great for off-season shoes) and at the cheapest of their fashion boots at 25 dollars. After having to break them in for a few days earning a really narly scratch on my heel it was sooo worth it. Now they don't hurt anymore and they look amazing with all these dresses on this post!
Wednesday, March 14th
I wouldn't wear the polka dot "night shirt" without a belt because the pattern is so tiny it would otherwise look lifeless on me, but when you have colored jeans, it can be used to your advantage -- in pure 40s style. And that I did with this, my $12 red jeans, rolled up and slightly cuffed with black sandals to look so completely pin-up girl inspired, right along with bright-red lips, pig tails with my Juno "Puppy-Dog ears" layer of hair falling to the sides of my face and the most important part to this outfit -- the perfect cat eye. This may or may not have resulted in many Marilyn Monroe inspired pictures with her facial expressions -- like you've never done it in the privacy of your... vanity...
Ragstock has been very good to me over this past March, but skirts are so touch and go with me -- they say short girls with my height should wear long skirts, it helps us look taller but I still look like an oompa loompa and I have to find a "just right" skirt that hits right above my knees given a girl like me always has to wear leggings or a spanx like under every skirt and dress because the thighs are danger zones that stick to each other. So when I make the occasional scavenge in the 8 dollar hippie skirt rack, most often I won't be disappointed like when I look through the mini-skirts. Very rarely do I wear anything with bare legs, but unfortunately you cannot see my shoe choice for this outfit with my black sketcher tennis shoes and scrunched down argyle socks looking very 80s with the vest (which I am wearing right now actually) and mix and matching the patterns from the tie-dye effects on the skirt with the pin stripes. This is in right now, and while more bold prints are in vogue, some of us have to be very careful with what prints we put on our body (I'm looking at you, Glamour magazine!)
Friday, March 23rd
And of course, the "Obligatory Floral Print Dress" which every fashionister should have in her closet this spring/summer, and one that flatters her as well as doesn't overpower any of the curves, which is so important to look pattern placement. BE PICKY! And I was completely picky with this 16 dollar dress, pulling Trendy Spring Commandment # 1 again with the buying of a white cardigan to put over this when Spring has her period and gets a little nipply. But either way, even I cannot stop staring at the picture of this dress -- I could make a list of all it's magical attributes (and this wasn't the dress I was looking for!)
Blue and pink - I hardly ever wear either color! (Looks up at skirt, well, sometimes...) But my ideal pink always has a tint of brown in it because dirty pink looks so good with my skin tone Blue though? I have a strange relationship with the color blue, I used to love it in high school but now I reserve it for accessories in more green-tinted shades (the necklace in the above picture and the blue manicure I have right now) to really show off its blue-ness. I like my blues to pop out, and the blue flowers on this dress is no exception.
The formation of the dress in general is too perfect for my body, there's just a little tightness in the outward seam in the shoulder that hangs over my tiny-as-hell arms but I forgive that BUT THE BEST PART is what you can barely see on the left portion of the dress, the oh-so tiny pleats that start from the idea waistline for me (right under the breast, if you're reading and attribute your body size to mine, this is your ideal dress shape) but after staring at the dress for awhile there is even tiny ruffled pleat around the waistline of this thing that helps lift up the boobs and accentuate the hips.
This is the dress I want to style my hair in pin curls into and go completely Mad Men inspired. But unfortunately some of us are blessed with very flat thin hair that hates all product if it isn't Got2B or anything for thin hair, yet a girl can dream...
Pop culture is starting to pop a little lately. I think I shall blame Christmas. And while we're on the discussion of "that wonderful time of the year" -- remember to check out my Very Ultimate and Alternative Christmas Playlist so you have a Christmas soundtrack that doesn't make you want gouge your eyes out to the tune of Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole.
Sweet Valley High Movie Adaptation
While all older Gen Xers are all excited and/or dreading the latest green-lit project written by my Indie Goddess Brooke Busey-Maurio (aka. Diablo Cody), I'm more excited. Not 100 % knowing the Sweet Valley High way of life, from what I read from articles about the green-lit project, it sounds like Glee on wholesome bubblegum steroids, and not the fun kind either. In its pureness, I have total faith in Cody to make the movie somewhere between her schtick and the original integrity of Pascal's book series after reading the Huffington Post article on this possible train wreck or the best thing to ever happen to the most underrated and underused writer in Hollywood.
Erin and Her Cello is "Sober" (kind of)
Erin and her Cello is known to be somewhere between humorist and hardcore singer-songwriter, making an intimacy in her music that feels like an acoustic concert. Well, this acoustic concert within Sober is somewhere between darkly satirical and truth but all around hysterical!
Buy HelloGiggles for Christmas
What can possibly make me a really happy girl this Christmas? Besides a woman under my mistletoe threshold... Anything Zooey Deschanel-ish I can own! Well now, Zooey, Molls and Sophia have merch and guess what girl desperately wants The Gigglers t-shirt? This girl.
Dum Dum Girls get BUSTy
There is nothing hotter than gorgeous voluptuous women with long legs in leather, heels and looking incredibly bad ass... well, unless these gorgeous voluptuous women with long legs in leather heels are Sandy, Bambi, Dee Dee and Jules aka. The Dum Dum Girls as they are everywhere thanks to their latest album Only in Dreams and their amazing video for Bedroom Eyes which shows off those amazing legs even more in a retro kind of way. They are kicking ass by fashion and taking names in this season's BUST Magazine.
Download Sharon van Etten's "Serpents"
Clearly there are two albums I want to actually buy and I cannot distinguish one over the other... I'm buying them both! Between Emmy the Great and Tim Wheeler's Christmas album and Sharon van Etten's 2012 released "Tramp"! So what is a girl supposed to do until February 7th? Thank the power of stereogum for having free download of "Serpents!" Oh *drool*
Nylon's Dani Stahl "Scouts" for E!
When I heard that two of my favorite things (Nylon Magazine and a guilty pleasure off of E! Channel) collide together, it's bound to be epically... wonderful or absolutely painful. I expected the candy colored glossy's Editor-at-Large to be 100 % awesome, which she indeed was and photographs wonderfully, how she fell so sweetly in love with model hopeful Gillian from Texas. That would be the only reason I would watch this show where talent scouts attempt to not look creepy just walking around staring at girls until they find two girls to pit against each other and see which one gets signed. Sounds easy, right?
It all seemed sweet, a little inspirational and maybe a little forward in reality television (it felt definitely real versus America's Next Top Model it is also defined as a mini docu-series which is a perk) until the sick and sad truths about the fashion industry came falling outwhen One Management's Director of Scouting Julia Samersova intricately critiqued the tiny Gillian to lose her baby fat and size 6 Jennifer as being "too large" and "must tone up her legs, those are not model legs" which sent my pro-plus size mind into a tailspin. I screamed at my TV. Would One Management actively scout for a plus size girl? Unfortunately, I'm not going to hold my breath and continue to watch Scouted the way I read Nylon -- they may have high fashion and awesome clothes, but won't pay attention to the models' bodies anytime soon.
Grammy Award Nominations 2012
So who am I willing to put my bets on for the freshly released Grammy Nominations? Being the fact that Bon Iver has finally broke through their Midwestern indie bounds right onto the Grammy stage with FOUR nominations including Record of the Year, Best New Artist Best Alternative Album (despite being up against popular favorites My Morning Jacket, Foster the People and Radiohead), Record and Song of the Year with Holcene, although being up against the toughest competition including Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, The Band Perry and other more pop-radio friendly music.
Is this the Yeah Yeah Yeah's It's Blitz! all over again?
Is this like last year when Arcade Fire and Mumford and Sons did one big Indie sweep?
Is Bon Iver's Holcene just another piece of proof that music is still a track to track album that is more than just to be downloaded onto an I-Pod?
More Indie favorites are making a sweep across the Grammy's airing February 12th on CBS, Robyn's single "Call Your Girlfriend" is up for Best Dance Recording (*crossing fingers*) and her album Body Talk Pt. 3 for Best Dance/Electronica Album, she has been snubbed in the past but because of lesser known artists nominated beside her, there is no reason for her not to win!
And for pop radio friendly nominees such as Gaga, Foster the People, Katy Perry and Adele? I'm seriously all about Adele, she's one of the few radio-friendlies I can stand.
Place your bets.
When I was a little kid all I ever wanted to do was draw models with defined chins, large cheekbones in Award Show like dresses full of drapery and Greek Goddess like fashions. And when I wasn't drawing curvy women I was using this amazing Barbie fashion template. I remember back then I loved mixing the slightly boyish fashions with full skirts and t-shirts, boy jackets with mini skirts and sneakers. I never thought back then it would really be anything: I do not have an eye for numbers or measurements, so I resorted to just describing clothes in my stories and letting my mother dress me as for her power games.
Then it finally happened...
... I got a debit card.
About nineteen years later, I am still inept at the making of fashion; but since Nylon Magazine, the fashion section of BUST Magazine (oh and living in the island of hipsters, aka. Iowa City), as well as my introduction to my own personal fashion heroines that range from...
Natasha Khan (aka. Bat for Lashes)
and...
Sharin Foo of "The Raveonettes"
I have adapted my love of drawing clothes to the building of my own wardrobe to look as hipster as my icons. So here are five outfits and the back story on them hoping that I, in fact, have spent under 25 dollars on each of them. In other words, I feel like bragging but who doesn't?
Hipster Cartoon Character
I fell in love with this outfit as soon as I put it on Tuesday night the day of buying the leggings. I wear my black winter boots with this outfit, mostly because while I love clothes, I abhor shoes! Badly. Although no one else was dressed all hipsterish at the karaoke I was going to, I was pleasantly surprised how well the gold coat and the purple go together! I feel like a hipster cartoon character... Ramona from Scott Pilgrim maybe. I didn't wear my glasses for this one and scattered my side bangs over my forehead to give more of a hipster look from the neck up.
Immediate Love
It was a special night I bought the white bubble dress, having to usher for the Gallery Walk in the historical theater, I wanted to buy something downtown that was date-worthy for my late appetizer dinner with my girlfriend. Unfortunately I froze underneath it even with the almost translucent jacket. I love this jacket.. even though it was not love at first sight. Thank God for having a birthday the week after Black Friday. But it was truly immediate love when I first laid my eyes on the bowler hat, and although sometimes accessories don't work on me (my Aunt disagrees with this verily) but as soon as I put it on (in the store that I am OBSESSED over. Moreso than Revival and Ragstock combined) it was immediate love. So like everything else I enjoy I stalked it until I had the resources to buy it. I actually would wear this outfit with black leggings and (you can't see them in the picture) but a matching pair of wheat colored fashion boots to go with the hat.
Cry Baby Chic
Everyone I know LOVES this gun dress. I correlate it with my leather jacket as an homage to John Waters's "Cry Baby" for some reason. In fact it has a pretty great back story to it. The day I bought it was the day a friend dumped me for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON AT ALL. Maybe it was my collegiate PTSD and she as a student could not understand that. So, I was dumped by the closest friend I ever got (at the time before the girlfriend). So after crying into a bowl of gelato with another good friend who I wasn't able to see as often, telling me things that felt good such as the dumped friend looked like a hobbit and put eyeliner on like crayons. It was a feel-good, so before hitching a ride back on the bus, I headed over to Revival without thinking I would find anything and found this gem. After which, I saw one of my karaoke friends in broad daylight while she was at work and my day became immediately better.
Black Swan Love
This is actually my favorite picture out of all of them. There's really not a huge story behind this dress, other than the fact that it is clinically amazing, and if I had a picture of the back, it's like Alice in Wonderland's key hole and you can see all of my tattoos. The day I bought the tights (unfortunately... I prefer leggings but it's so hard to find colored leggings!) I also wore this combination the first time with lots of white beaded necklaces to karaoke that night. <3 Have I mentioned I love this dress? When I was a little kid I was obsessed with the idea of tutus as skirts and now I'm living out my dream.
I have been waiting my WHOLE LIFE for a cute retro umbrella, in fact, it took me two years to find the perfect one as of a month ago. It only took a friend to see it at first glance, laugh and say, "That is so YOU" which is the exact statement I got yesterday after buying the Victorian-necked Dollhouse shirt, my first ever clothing purchase at a local artist store. Multiple < 3's . I have quite an obsession with Victorian style shirts, that is possibly a blog for another day, much like my topic of nail polish. Silver Spider, my addiction, isn't necessarily the cheapest nail polish but the brand they carry, KleanColor, is quite possibly most candified colors out of any you'll find at a drug store. This is a drug-store color, but Confetti is probably my second brand of choice. It's hard to find the perfect nail color that looks natural yet candy at the same time when you have a darker complexion.
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