All-American Boy

I am never again trusting the weatherman. Or at least not the weatherman on the radio. As I left for campus today, I heard reports of it being sunny and 82°F. I panicked, remembering my first day back at campus (Tuesday) when it was a similar temperature and I sweated through my shirt just by walking to the bus stop. I decided to dress smart and wear shorts and a lightweight shirt. But ye gods! Was the weatherman wrong or what! It was mostly overcast all day and I had goosebumps all over. I sat in class curled up in my desk, trying to keep warm by clenching my arms around my legs. As soon as I got home, I slipped into something more weather appropriate....meaning this!   A few weeks ago when I went "thrifting" (I feel like such a hipster loser by saying that) with my friend Carrie, we had an in depth conversation about high-waisted, or "mom", jeans. It concluded with her trying some on and making ridiculously hilarious poses in them and me declaring that I absolutely needed a pair to fulfill my desire of looking like a complete dork. Desire, fulfilled. Little did I know, mom jeans are supremely comfy and are now my favourite thing to wear. I absolutely never want to take them off! And since I am not currently wishing to be found "attractive" or "sexy" to the opposite sex (or either sex, for that matter), they are even more of a perfect fit.   Speaking of perfect fits: my shirt! The Democratic National Convention has been on for the past few nights, which has meant that instead of doing homework, I've been glued to the TV screen (that rarely happens!) soaking in every word of every speech. Tonight, Barack Obama is going to accept the nomination for President and I can barely contain my excitement. Everything that man says is wonderful and gives me tremendous hope for the future of America.   Whenever I wear this shirt, or sport my backpack which is loaded with Obama pins, I get compliments on them, and I'm always particular about complimenting people for the same thing. I think it's wonderful that a) I live in a country where we have the privilege of electing a leader and b) people can still realise all that Obama truly has done since his election in 2008. My life, and the life of my family, is so much better thanks to that man and all the others who are fighting for my rights as a woman, as a college student, as a middle-class individual. I am so blessed, and hope to be blessed for another 4 years. I will probably get on my soapbox about this again, but if you are an American citizen, I sincerely hope that you learn about both candidates and get out there on November 6th and exercise your rights as a citizen....   Check out the video below to learn about what America's 44th President has done for you:   I threw on a hat, some flannel, and Converse All-Stars to complete my all-American look. Now that my hair is longer, I can wear hats without being mistaken for a little boy - hoorah! Also, isn't it remarkable that I've continued to hold onto this flannel shirt? I found it a few years ago in the kids sale section at Land's End...and it appeared on the blog for the first time in November, 2009. I used to wear it a lot, remember? Someone recently referred to me as "that girl who wears flannel and stands in front of garages." Hmmm, pretty accurate you clever girl. Pretty clever.   Anyways, time to run off. I do have to get some homework done before Biden gives his speech, and most certainly before Obama gives his. Excitement will be through the roof! Keep cool, my friends, and wear mom jeans. xx

Video FAQ: Curly Hair

I made a video to answer my most frequently asked question: How do I do my hair? Sorry for all the awkwardness & stumbling on my words. Also, my lisp is picked up stronger in video recordings, so it may be difficult to understand some of what I say, when my "s" gets too slushy. Anyways, I'll quit apologising over it & let everyone watch or not watch or however you wish to make of it.

akward...reposted?

Maybe it's just me being silly, but I think blogspot hit a glitch & my last post along with many recent comments got deleted. But maybe not. Maybe this will just be a duplicate of the same thing. Who knows? It's Friday the 13th...!

Anyways, in case you did miss it, I posted this makeup tutorial type video of me being an awkward ass & mumbling on about nothing. Watch it if you please.

FAQ: Hair, Makeup, Style, & Me

I get so many questions about my hair & makeup, so I decided to do a video about it, showing which products I use, etc. But mostly I just felt like talking (as I could've written everything).

And because I like to talk, and I talk a lot, I did the questions about style and about me on a seperate video...



In my second video I jabbered on for a while about this magazine article I was featured in. To read it for yourself, head on over to Vita.mn. If you'd rather, you can just check out the blogs featured. The Minneapolis Affair is the MN street style blog, who also shot the photos for the article. Dirty Hair Halo is ran by a super stylish Minneapolis girl. The personal style blog Kitty Cotten is written by a girl of the same name. And last but not least, Fashionasty is written by a boy who was actually a production assistant on the show Ugly Betty! It's such an honour to be featured next to these amazing, stylish people. All the same, I'm happy for the next issue to come out, so my co-workers can quit giving me crap. My supervisor called me up to his office & full out mocked me, doing some poses and pretending to be a model. My most frequently asked questions were "how did they find you?" or "what was it for?" Just goes to show how much people actually read.

accent, or lack thereof

On Lookbook.nu forums, there is a thread where people post videos of themselves saying a silly story that is supposedly made to show off your accent. You can see some of them here . I made one myself and I thought I'd post it, since I haven't had much time to blog lately with working almost everyday and being out of town on days I'm not working.

I wanted to do it after I had a sale the other day and I asked the lady "Would you like a bag?" and she said, "What?" So I repeated, "Would you like a bag?" And she said yes, and as I bent down to get the bag she whispered to her friend, "This girl has the thickest Minnesotan accent, I hardly have any idea what she's saying." Which, naturally, made me laugh like crazy as I barely have any type of accent. I do however, have a lisp on my "s."

home

I met a new boy. We have lots of plans for the summer, which is right around the corner (despite the fact that it snowed a couple of nights ago).

igloos are for eskimos

Hello my little elves! How were your Christmases (if you celebrate)? Mine was so great, filled with sparkly snow and yummy cookies. Christmas is my absolute favourite holiday and I begin preparing months in advance by breaking out the Elvis Christmas CDs and watching Christmas movies until my DVD player actually dies of exhaustion. Home Alone, The Santa Clause, Jingle All the Way, It's a Wonderful Life, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Holiday Inn, Christmas in Connecticut, White Christmas, A Christmas Tale, A Christmas Story, The Polar Express....oh! There's nothing like a good Christmas movie. Here (above) is a photo of a pretty tinsel-y bauble on my tree, which I'm admiring as I blog to you.

One present which I got is this blue leather jacket, from my boyfriend Jacob. It's very wonderful and I love it much.

It's also got a wonderful hood. So thank you Jacob, and I'm quite sorry that I was making fun of you last night on the phone because you get hit on by so many guys. And also for discussing your sexuality and sense of style with your best friend when we went Boxing Day shopping.

After I took a number of photos via webcam, all varying in silliness, I sent in a job application to Caribou Coffee (fingers crossed I get the job!) and then went to build an igloo with my best friend Rachael.

She and I have built an igloo almost every year since we were 6. This is our best one yet. I also went sledding (on top of our igloo) and hurt my tailbone a lot because of the drop off to the sidewalk.... (I have a really annoying voice, I'm sorry about that)

Oh, Minnesota is such a frosty wonderland right now! So lovely. I believe I'm going ice skating with a group of my friends tomorrow. Maybe I'll have photos from that? (:

lisztomania

School is exhausting. I'll be back sometime after Wednesday (which is when my 5-7 page paper for a book I haven't finished yet is due, and which is also when my first run through of my un-started photo project is due). Lesson of the day: don't procrastinate. But if you do, at least know how to dance like the brat pack.

top hat, white tie, and tails

I was feeling a little guilty after that whole "ohhh I love Gene Kelly, he's the dancing man for me" debacle, so I'm here to re-claim my love for Fred Astaire and convince everyone else of it, too.

Born in 1899, Fred began working a show business at the age of 5 with his older sister Adele.

His first screen test noted, "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Dances a little."
Honestly, I find Fred's extreme widow's peak and premature balding to be very sexy.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire co-starred in 10 movies together.

Top Hat is my personal favourite (and first) Fred Astaire film. The above scene shows Fred's true romantic side. Many of his films are about him falling in love with a girl who despises him. By the end, she's absolutely infatuated with the man (who can blame her?). This particular scene shows how put off Ginger is with Fred. By the end, you can see the love in her eyes. I know this is a long-ish clip, but you will not be disappointed if you watch it. The dancing is brilliant, the song is classic (Cheek to Cheek), and look at Ginger's dress!!

His ever so famous ceiling dance in Royal Wedding. Love makes you do strange, sometimes remarkable, things.

Such style! I wish more men dressed like him - that is proper gentleman garb.

I do not condone smoking. He just looks darn adorable (and a little more casual) here.

Fred recieved AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1981. I've never actually watched this whole clip, but I find his sticky-out ears to be ridiculously endearing. (p.s. He looks less bald in his old age) Fred passed away from pneumonia on June 22, 1987, after a 76 year long career. He made 31 musical films and has been named the 5th greatest male star of all time by the American Film Institute.

Maybe you can now see why I'm so infatuated with this brilliant man. And maybe you feel yourself falling a bit, too? I highly recommend that everyone watch even just one Fred Astaire film. He's inspiring, charming, adorable, and heck, just worth your time.

la vie ne vaut rien

Last night my friends and I had an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon/ice cream fiesta. It was ridiculous. Everyone got dressed up like leading men/ladies from the studio era and everyone brought ice cream or some sort of ice cream topping. I was so full, I cannot eat ice cream for a week. Or at least another hour or two. Anyways, there's Nora & I looking like dorks with Audrey & Gregory in Roman Holiday. We hung up sheets and screened the movies from a projector. Classy. We only made it through Roman Holiday, Funny Face, and most of How To Steal a Million, however. We'll have to do it again sometime. I attempted to do my hair like Audrey's in How to Steal a Million and then I dressed like her (navy skirt, navy blazer, black flats, white blouse, white hat). It was ever so chic.

Anyways, since I was all classy & skirt-y yesterday, I decided to dress down in a pair of cut offs today. I'm so excited for autumn that I put on a blazer & over the knee socks, too. The screen/sheets were still up, so I stood on the coffee table & took some photos. I didn't wear this outfit for long enough, though. I made lunch & then decided to go on a bike ride. Anyone who bikes while wearing 4.5" heels is PSYCHO, so I put on some chucks, a navy blue shirt, and some white suspenders. Oh well.
Also, here's the song that this look was named after. It means something along the lines of "A Worthless Life" in English. I usually listen to a version by the rock band Déportivo, but this is the original.

Right, well my mum is stomping around being all pissy because one of our stupid cats vomitted on her bed (I really do not like cats). Note to self: check bed before sleeping tonight. And she's bugging me to put away some of my clothes that are lying on my bedroom floor. So I suppose I should go make myself useful and watch a movie. Not sure which one yet, though. Bringing Up Baby? It Happened One Night? War & Peace? By the way, has anyone bought The Sartorialist's new book? It's brilliant! Really great photos, I just wish there was a bit more text because what he has in there is really great to read.

Don't Trust Me

I've been wanting to try out these shorts for a long time now. I broke down & bought them on UO online clearance a few months ago. I was so excited! But when I got them & put them on, the shorts were way way way too big for me, particularly around the waist. I was a bit shocked, considering that they're Cheap Monday (notorious for being cut small) and an XS. So, sadly, I stuffed them away in my closet figuring that I could either get them tailored or wait a few years when I might have slowly grown a bit wider (& hopefully taller!).

Of course I got tired of waiting, so I experimented with different forms of holding them up (belts, suspenders, tucking in extremely thick shirts) and eventually ended up with this combination. I love the blue/gold belt with the denim shirt. And denim shirts with black ties are probably one of the best combinations. Ah, I love menswear. Guys do not realize how lucky they are.

I'm already getting into the mood to go back to school shopping. This year I'll actually be able to look for things other than pants....and for pants made out of things other than khaki or black fabric. Hoorah for no more school uniform! Some of the things I'm currently looking at or for are a white BB Dakota band jacket, a dark green utility jacket, high waisted pants (not jeans!), oxfords, harem pants, and ankle boots. Minnesota gets cold pretty quickly so everything needs to be heavy duty (and nothing is, of course) for strutting around campus in.

Lately I've been ridiculously obsessed with that song "Don't Trust Me" by 3OH!3. My sister loved it when it first came out and would come over to the house and blast it. Of course I never found it appealing when she played it (who would?) but now I'm listening to it 5 or more times each day. I'm pretty sure I'm driving my mother crazy.

Anyways, I better get on with my life. I'm currently waiting for a package to come (via UPS) and for my hair to dry so I can go take an outfit photo outside before my crazy neighbour gets home & finds me further ridiculous for standing outside with a tripod taking photos of myself. I'm also supposed to go thrifting with my friend, but if she doesn't call me back I'll probably sit inside playing Sims 2 & listening to a mixture of 3OH!3/MGMT/Lissy Trullie/Coeur de Pirate/The Pains of Being Pure at Heart/Nightmare of You/La Roux. What a horrid combination.

je suis en vie

Today marks the second anniversary of Grégory Lemarchal's death. He died on April 30, 2007 at the age of 23 from results of cystic fibrosis. Grégory is one of my favourite musicians, for his amazing voice, his beautiful lyrics, and his inspiring story.

Lacoste

I love the Lacoste Red line. It's so crisp and bright and refreshing. Plus, this ad is just way too cool. The model in the beginning is Mr. Fransisco Lachowski of Brazil. He's one of my favourite up & comers.

sea within a sea

I'll be doing a more real update later this week or this weekend. In the meantime, The Horrors continue to get more and more awesome. Less grunge-y, more psychadelic techno-ish.

hello kitty, hello world

I find this to be particularly yummy. Even the scary model running. And yes, even the half-naked men wearing shiny spandex pants and giant Hello Kitty heads. I would kill for one of those.

Doesn't it make you want to run out and buy MAC's new Hello Kitty line? Or not.

A time to love, and a time to hate

I have to put it out there that I love The Byrds & they're sense of style. Shiny shiny hair, sunglasses indoors, lots of suede and turtlenecks, the pudgy one in a poncho. Seriously, every photo he's in, that kid is wearing a poncho. It must be his safety poncho or something. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be green leather? Oh bad news, the one he wears in the video appears to be an entirely different from the green & brown suede one he wears in the below photos. He reminds me of Frodo Baggins or some other hobbit lost in the '60s. I still like they're fashion. Ponchos can be good.

They're really quite a good band, too. I'm not such of a fan of their later country stuff (aka all of their albums that I have on vinyl), but their folk rock is quite good. They made "Turn! Turn! Turn!" iconic, despite the fact that it is from the bible originally (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) & they didn't even put it to music.

P.S. here is a photo of the little one not in his poncho. He still looks like a hobbit. (Why couldn't I pick on the one who always wears sunglasses - clearly thinking that he is all that because of it?)

it's only Tuesday?

I've always enjoyed Taylor Momsen & her antics. Prediction: she is the next Britney Spears.

I just got a ton of new clothes from the end of the year sales & such. I've just been way too lazy to take any photos. This weekend I will hopefully go on an outfit photo spree & redress in all of my past outfits that I didn't take photos of....and take photos of them. I swear, I will. I'm so bad about taking photos, gah!

In the meantime, I took my SSAT tests last Saturday. I sat diagonal from this kid with a rhyming name. Koon Hoon or something? Anyways, every 20 seconds or so he would make a soft grunting/moaning noise which was so so so weird & very distracting at first. Anyways, he was super fast with math. I know you're not supposed to notice those things when testing, but oh well. No one ever made eye contact or talked the entire 3 hour test, even during breaks. So creepy. Oh, except for this one boy who looked down at my bag while passing & mumbled 'cool bag'. But that was just awkward.

This is a photo from Teen Vogue a couple years ago. I really like his coat....it's two colours. I also like that it's belted with a tie. I think this is Logan Lerman...he was in this indie called Meet Bill which was pretty funny. He was also in Hoot and 3:10 to Yuma. Anyways, I've had this photo saved on my computer for a while & thought it was time to share it, since I love it so much. The last issue of Teen Vogue was disappointing, so I'm thriving on past issues right now....