Architecture of an Outfit: Hoping for spring & A BEAUTY GIVEAWAY SWEEPSTAKES!
We’re hoping for spring. We’re hoping that spring springs anew sooner rather than later, as “spring” tends to do here in Michigan. March is just one giant weather cock-tease which taunts us with semi-warm weather and delicious golden sunlight searing our retinas. Then, BAM! a freak late season snow storm and solid grey skies for another month or so.
Outfit architecture: Drape cardigan, cowl neck top, Anthropologie; belt, scarf, h&m; jeans, BDG via Urban Outfitters; Shoes (not pictured), Jeffrey Campbell.
Then spring finally arrives about mid-May, wilted, spongy, brown and sopping wet from the thaw of the brutal winter here in Lake Country, smelling of decaying leaves and twigs that had been trapped under the ice for three months, now feeling the air and disintegrating back into the soil. And then after the slow, grey melt, we see a few trees blooming, perhaps some grass growing again, when suddenly we find ourselves under oppressive heat of a full-on summer, no evidence of beautiful blooms or flower fragrance floating on the air.
“Spring” in Michigan is a cruel, cruel joke. And yet it is one we hope for every single year.
The Hana Elite 1″ iron is a powerful yet gentle hair straightener, which I found to be far superior than other irons I have owned in the past! (See my review HERE.)
Misikko.com will bestow one lucky reader with a Hana Elite iron of her very own just by being an avid reader of this website!
The first rule about Fight Club is that you don’t talk… oh wait, wrong set of rules. :)
1. Comment on this post, and tell me briefly what your go to hair style is. = 1 Entry.
2. Blog about the giveaway with a clear link back to thereafterish. (http://www.maeko.org, in case you didn’t know) and this very post (USE this shortened link: http://www.bit.ly/dn2vzo). Comment back here with the URL to your blog post for another entry.
3. Tweet about it for a third entry. Comment back on this post (USE this shortened link: http://www.bit.ly/dn2vzo) with a link to your tweet in order for the entry to count. (To grab the URL to your tweet, go to your Twitter Home Page, click on the actual tweet, then grab the URL from Address bar.)
4. Re-tweet the giveaway and comment back the URL for a fourth entry.
Multiple comments or blog posts do not = multiple entries. Maximum # of Twitter entries = 2. Maximum # of entries = 4. Tweets must contain a link to this post (USE this shortened link: http://www.bit.ly/dn2vzo) in order to be valid.
Open to international readers!!!
This sweepstakes/comments will close on 3/15, and I will announce a winner shortly thereafter(ish). (See what I did there?) :)
HAPPY HUNTING!!
Architecture of an Outfit: I know all your favorite spots and tonight we will connect the dots
Outfit details: Sweater, shirt, belt: H&M. Necklace: Anthropologie. Tights, watch: Target. Earrings, bracelet: Boutique, Violet Veldore (Victoria, BC). Love worn shoes: Payless.
Yesterday I went to Cleveland for a business meeting which lasted 2 hours. My round trip from Detroit to Cleveland was 8 hours. For a 2 hour meeting
Upon conclusion of the meeting, my sales rep CP said, “Well, Mae, it’s nice to see you, but it was completely pointless for you to have come out all this way.” …. Yeah, that’s what I said.
If your muscles are wound up and tight,
then I will loosen up the knots until it feels right.
If your ears just ache from listening,
then I’ll supply the remedy in the melodies I sing.
—
Be sure to check out yesterday’s Product Review on the Hana Elite 1″ Ceramic Ion Straightening Iron which I will be featuring in a sweepstakes on this site this weekend! A GIVEAWAY!!! Check it out here!
Product Review: Hana Elite Ceramic Ion Straightener (via www.misikko.com)
A couple of weeks ago, www.misikko.com contacted me regarding doing a product review. Thrilled, I agreed, and this last weekend the Hana Elite 1″ Ceramic Flat Iron arrived at my doorstep, beautifully packaged.
Immediately, you have to give Misikko high marks for presentation. The felt travel pouch was wrapped in a ribbon, and 3 silk roses completed the top layer of protective stuffing. A+ presentation.
The package included heat styling protection hair serum–which smells divine–as well as a silicone heat mat, two travel pouches and a tin storage case. There were also a few freebies. A+ on extra schwag.
The Hana Elite 1″ Ceramic Flat Iron features two grey 1″ solid ceramic plates with slight beveling on the side for soft curling and flipping. The iron heats up pretty quickly, and has a temperature adjustment wheel, much like other prestige brands like FHI and Chi irons. The irons I’ve had in the past take pretty long to heat up, which adds up when you have a hectic morning routine.
The ceramic plates straightened my hair with optimal shine, and didn’t leave weird indentations on my hair when I pulled the strands up to volumize my hair, unlike OTHER irons I’ve had in the past. The slight bevel (not completely curved) edge of the plates also creates a soft curl, rather than a hard spiral. Which is totally perfect, and in line with today’s softer, wavy curl trends as opposed to the tight, super exact, paper-thin spiral curls of wedding hair. The cord swivels well, too, making curling hair a cinch without the irritating cord tangle of some irons. When you’re all done, just roll up the silicone heat pad, and then slip the iron into its handy storing pouch, and you’re good to go!
The slick, shiny ceramic plates also boosted the shine factor of each shaft of hair. When combined with the Hana heat protection styling serum, my hair looked lustrous and shiny. The serum is light, smells divine and doesn’t leave a nasty residue on the iron plates.
All in all, the Hana Elite is definitely a superior iron than all the many I’ve had in the past. A for performance, A+ for accessories.
Check out the gallery of my Hana Elite Style evening. (below)
If you’re interested in securing a Hana Elite for yourself, visit Misikko.com yourself and snag one! It’s on sale right now at 36% off!
Misikko also offers a bunch of other awesome hair tools from brands like FHI, Chi, T3, Babyliss, Bio-Ionic and many others. It’s a great resource for the salon and for the girl who wants to treat her hair to the best.
OR, you can try to snag a Hana Elite for yourself right here! I will be hosting a giveaway of a Hana Elite 1″ Flat Iron this month here on thereafterish.. Be on the look out!
More information on Misikko:
Misikko – Flat Irons
Chi flat irons
Babyliss flat irons
Misikko best flat irons
Architecture of an outfit: Friday (Date) Night Lights
Friday, N finally set his work aside for a night, so we could make a date of what was left of the evening. Scotch and maybe dinner, if we were so inclined. Now, this is a big deal since N generally works 70 or 80 hour work weeks, sometimes more.
Outfit Architecture: Cashmere wrap, VS; belt, F21; satin miniskirt, Club Monaco; socks, Tarzhay; Maryjane straped wedge booties, All Black via Anthropologie.
Took my cashmere blend warp cardi and pinned it so that it became a drapey, slouchy, blousey thing. I like how it turned out. Pretty neat. I was quite proud of my improvised draping skills, and I plan to do it again sometime soon.
We went out to Birmingham to a restaurant called Forté for scotch and perhaps some dinner. By the time I got finished getting ready (which can be quite long sometimes), we were both starving. N ordered a Glengoyne 10, and I ordered a Spanish Coffee to celebrate our very rare free night. The bread was superb! I can’t even begin to rave about it. I ordered the special fish of the day, ahi tuna steak tempura served on a bed of seasoned grilled veggies and quinoa tabuli. So amazing. I wish I could eat like that every week. We finished out the night with a duo of mint chocolate mousse and creme brulee.
Best night in quite awhile…
…Until I got some seriously rude looks from older women in the washroom. But whatever, F them.
What was your weekend like? Or your Monday, depending on when you read this.
Architecture of an Outfit: Bundled and Belted.
Work, worn 2/16/2010
Coat, Blazer: F21
Scarf: Merona via Tarzhay
Belt: Limited
Inner saffron blazer: ShopRuche
Tank: H&M
Skirt: Vintage from Korea
Shoes: All Black, via Anthropologie
Today has been one of the kinds of days I don’t feel like saying anything. So I will just ask you some questions.
What is your biggest pet peeve? }
Tell Mae all about it. I’m dying to know! I will answer my own questions tomorrow.
It’s a Tie! Writing vs. Fashion vs. Food
So, the different aspects of my identity are always contending with each other for top dog.
So who am I?
Fashion Queen? No…
**
Am I a runner? Quasi. Am I a writer? Well… I haven’t written anything serious in close to a year. Am I a fashion maven? Well, no, I’m on a budget, and I hate label whoring (though I slightly tend to in my “Outfit Architecture” descriptions). Am I a cook? No training, but I often feel most comfortable in the kitchen. Am I Green Activist? I try, but I don’t go out there and lobby, or walk the streets, preaching the gospel of Green.
A cook? No…
Hoisin/Teriyaki “chick’n” chard stir-fry, with Isreali Couscous with lemon, and steamed garlic broccoli. Contact me for recipe if you want it.
No longer a perpetual student, I find myself constantly trying to define who I am and in what little hole in the world I fit. This is the kind of identity crisis that kids post college face: “Who Am I? Where Am I Going? What Am I Doing?” And yet, here I am, completing my 28th year, and still vacillating.
Do I have to define myself in distinct, certain terms and qualities in order to really know who I am?
That question gives me pause. I don’t know if I have to really set down in stone, like some Biblical Tablet that outlines the parameters of what makes Mae who she is. Commandments of the Mae Character, if you will. I know my preferences, tastes and comfort levels. I know my own vocabulary, I know good grammar. Distastes, hates and discomforts are not unknown to me.
But if there is a “This is Mae” sort of idea floating about in the cloudy ether that is my brain, I haven’t felt/seen/heard of it yet.
I’m okay.
So am I a writer? A clothes horse? A Runner? An Eco-Nazi? A cook? Yes. And No. And yes again. I am all these things and none of them. They’re tied. And they’re all woven into the prickly textured fabric of my humanity. It doesn’t matter. I don’t have to define who I am as a person in order to know I have an impact on the planet and the people whose lives touch mine. I’m okay with that.
Outfit architecture: Skirt, shirt, Club Monaco; sweater stockings, Tarzhay; boots, Aldo; Belt, vintage; batwing cardi, Norma Kamali.
Waxing Poetic, Waxing Lyrical on Twitter: Weather Forecasts Indicate Better Writing
(NaBloPoMo Day 3)
So sometimes I wax a bit lyrical on Twitter, and other times not so. For the most part, Twitter serves as a place for me to photo-whore; connect with other writers, style-bloggers, and runners; and retrieve and retweet informative, important news from other Green Activists…
**
But sometimes, the medium is useful for getting out bullet thoughts and miniature writing ideas. It’s easier to grab a handy micro-computer than root through a satchel for a pen and paper.
And you know what? Some of my best writing lately has ended up in Microblog form, probably because I hardly do any other form of writing.
We are all in this together. In a ship without a sail, toiling the ancient seas until we reach our distant home shore. #ManicMondays
Lazy, pathetically drifting snowflakes on sad wind currents.
Dear 2:30AM, you and I and whatever the hell this is needs to be over. You and I are not healthy or each other. We need a break. Goodbye.
11:38 PM Jan 29th from Twitterrific
Yes, ma’am, I am that madame! Who donned skin colored socks & skin colored shoes. It looked bad–but cold or warmth, what would you choose?
5:53 AM Jan 29th from Twitterrific
Peach clouds hang, downy, under clear cellophane skies. The wind at our backs, we trudge along, heads bowed, seeking warmth and shelter.
5:42 AM Jan 28th from Twitterrific
That same impetuous biting wind that shakes the tree boughs propels me along the salt chalked sidewalks under a dull metal sky. Ah, winter.
3:06 PM Jan 27th from Twitterrific
Cookies and tea do much to improve many situations.
39:17 AM Jan 27th from Twitterrific
Snow has stopped its weak & pathetic dusting, & the sky is a dappled sea under brushed steel clouds. A brilliant day in the neighborhood!
8:18 AM Jan 27th from Twitterrific
Most of the more “poetic” imagery comes as a consequence of the grey blustery clouds or salty, white-washed streets that result from crappy winters here in the Great Lakes Region. You’re stuck in a fabric cubicle jungle across from a window that only lets in weak, dull light. It gives you pause. And much time lost in sad rumination culminates in strong imagery. A much needed catharsis.
Most humans are, without question, affected by the changes in weather. Some of us are so strongly tied to the loss of golden sunlight that we develop Seasonal Affectedness Disorder (SAD).
On the greyest of days, I find myself even thinking in such language. But such is the way of silver skies and cutting wind and shining, cold diamonds on your windshield. We hole up in our warm blankets and pyjamas at home, cursing the sky and the wind currents and the dead trees, and thoughts fly into our brains a mile a minute.
If you get a rare golden day, with tolerably warm-enough weather, get out of your comforting little hole and run around under the clear skies, under the silver clouds, drinking in the brisk air. You never know what sort of change you may feel in your body, mind and soul.
Outfit architecture: sweater, BR; striped dress shirt, random boutique; belt, skirt, Forever21; stockings, Tarzhjay; Oxfords, Payless (yes, you read that right); Headband, GoJane.com; watches, Anne Klein, Random boutique. Yes, I AM wearing two watches.
I Need To Hide the Real Me Like I Need a Punch In the Face: The ‘Fit photos
The ‘Fit: Monday. (NaBloPoMo day 2)
Can’t get off the “Punch in the Face” topic. Feels like there are a lot of things that can tie well into not needing something. Or needing something as badly as needing a sock to the eye…
Like feeling inferior. We never need to feel inferior to anything or anyone. AND YET…
I find myself feeling inferior to a lot of people, and most of all, to that ideal that I once held for myself and who I should be at this age (28 years almost complete).
Oufit Architecture: watch, belt, turtleneck, Target; pants, Moda Int’l (VS); Striped top, F21; Architectural Ring, Modcloth; shoe/booties, Anthro; scarf, vintage.
Taken in my bathroom (mind ye not the hanger in the background!) on my iPhone camera genius app with a timer. That app really is pure genius!
Cooked me some pasta after a 3.5 mi run at the gym.
Garlicky spinach whole wheat pasta with chick’n. YUM. If you want recipes, just email me (under CONTACT page)
Was asked by a Twitter friend and blogger compatriot if we ever felt like we were more comfortable in a mask in some form other other, than in our natural face. I answered yes. That my made up face is a type of mask which hides the inferior self and shows the world my more confident side. My “au naturale” appearance felt less “me” than anything else. If I venture forth into the world without being masked by what I feel makes me look most myself (make up), I hide behind my giant glasses.
THIS
is not greater than or equal to
THIS
And when in doubt, employ diversion tactics!
All of us hide something about ourselves that we don’t need to. Because hiding is tantamount to lying, denying others the immense delight of knowing our Truest Selves. We need to hide the real “us” like a punch to the face.
Friday Confessional: The ‘Fit
I had a list of things I was going to write about, a huge, huge Friday Confessional I wanted to unload… yeah yea yeah, lots of exposition.
But you know what? Today has been a long day, so I just leave you with a ‘Fit post instead.
Outfit Architecture: Blazer sweater, Merona (Tarhzjay); Sweater, J.Crew; Tank,Calvin Klein; Blouse, Anthropologie; Belt, H*&M; jeans, BDG; Boots, Bakers; Earrings, ShopRuche; Necklace, Forever21.
Taken in December some time. I can’t remember when.
Isn’t Bear-Dog rather adorable?
N emailed me this afternoon and asked me,
May I take my lovely wife out to dinner tonight? It’s been too long.
Yes, please. It HAS been too long. Except now, it’s Friday night, we’re both worn out, and all we want to do is snuggle and sleep. And you know what, THAT is still one of the best things I’ve heard all week.
–EDIT
My girl ELA is hosting a giveaway at her Blog Spot, Extra Dressing on the Side for a Shabby Apple wrap around dress…
You can enter by going to her blog and commenting. You can also tweet about it for a second entry. While you’re at it, you can follow her, because she’s brilliant and funny, and her clothes are an inspiration. Also, I love her because she’s Filipina, and there aren’t a lot of us out in the Blogosphere, so you need to give it up.
While we’re talking about good things…
Take a {bow}.
Ever hear “Life is a gift”?
Well, as much as I hate cliches, I’m inclined to agree.
Wrapped up in a bow, like a little present.
Outfit Architecture: Sweater, Moda International; skirt, J. Crew; sash, Old Navy; Stockings, socks, Target; mary-janes, Bakers.
Let’s preface this little essay with an establishing shot, though. I am one of the biggest Debbie Downers in the Hemisphere planet. Probably in the Universe. My worries take over my psyche so overwhelmingly, that everything turns into a roiling stew with ingredients all poisoning my life, something concocted to perturb destroy my life. I kid you not. Though I do have a predilection for hyperbolic speech, this is not something about which I kid. My negativity, if somehow could be harnessed into power, could probably singlehandedly power the entire power-hungry, freakishly high carbon-emitting nation in the greenest possible way. Talk about the power of vehement green!
Anyway, so… let’s get this out of the way. It might not be a secret, but I can say it again: I often hate many aspects of my life. Namely, the aspects of my life that occur between the hours of eight and five o’clock. I don’t always hate it, but detestation does make a pretty regular series guest appearance.
But I started to think about everything in terms of stark facts:
Detroit and the surrounding areas has the highest unemployment rate in the state.
Detroit, therefore, has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.
I don’t make a lot of money.
I do, however, make enough to donate about 10% of my net take home pay (after subtracting joint home expenses) to charitable organizations, like a Christian Disaster Relief Aid organization, and the local public library.
I also am able to slowly, but surely, pay off my credit card debts.
And make regular school loan payments.
And car loan payments.
I have a retirement Roth IRA.
I have fantastic health, dental, vision, life benefits.
I can still afford to shop every now and then.
And travel once in awhile.
My husband has a 9-5 job.
My husband owns a graphic design firm.
He nets a handsome amount of profit.
Which enables us to be able to save up for our dream.
Which is moving to Hawaii in two years.
So, if I look at the facts, everything is pretty darn good, despite how I sometimes often feel about certain aspects of my work and the establishment.
Embrace a shining moment in your life.
And it got me thinking about the opportunities we get each hour, each minute, each second, to change our lives, and our attitudes about our situations. The human life only has a condition if you choose to make it a condition. Every morning–in spite of the rancor that raged through me about the adversities I could possibly face the next day the night before, seething and writhing internally and literally in my sheets, nightmares searing my retinas–I pray to the Universe/God, for the strength to get over myself, and to embrace the infinite number of opportunities that coming day. I also pray to the Universe for serenity to somehow continue living for me, and not for the major factors of bitch-ass-ness that often have the potential to throw me into a downward spiral. I don’t always live up to potential I know I am capable of, but the point is that I need to continually realize the chance to pounce on that delicious chance to make some “rain” for myself.
So everything really is a gift. Every day is a gift. A gift from the Universe, and also one that we can give ourselves. We just need to be accepting of them.
A recent gift was meeting 5 wonderful women at this weekend’s Michigan FemmeBlogger meet up. (Wrap-up report later this week.) I have a great life.
“Wake Up, Wake Up, Wake Up. ‘Cuz It’s Da First of Da Month…”
Yesterday was the First. Did everyone have a good First of the Month?
I’m a bit late, yes. I know.
I got a new camera from my Husby. Well, New to Me kind of “new.” A Nikon D70s. So I’ve been playing around with it and learning to shoot then edit in Aperture. Mostly taking a lot of “reflection series.” I think it’s a skill to be able to shoot yourself Myspace-style with a “real” camera.
Firsts…reflections… It got me thinking about things.
Well, FIRSTLY (lots of this word in just the FIRST few minutes… repetitive much?), let me tell you about my most recent, terrible fright.
While I was sleeping the night away on 11/30, a dream attacked me savagely. (I’m almost crying, thinking about it now.) We were celebrating Yuletide with our family in Victoria, Canada with an ailing, but very venerably aged 96 Gram, when my father broke the news to us that he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer, and that doctors had given him months–no, weeks!–to live. He would pass with a violent, painful end sometime around Valentine’s Day.
I don’t remember the details much, but I remember white halls of a hospital and doctors leaning over a very tube-covered patient I once knew as my little father (he is shorter than I am). The hot and many tears woke me up, my chest was tight and racked with pain. Tried as I might, I couldn’t get the image of my father ending before my eyes out of my head. I knew my dream was supposedly just a dream, but I couldn’t let it lay like a dirty, fetid, sleeping dog.
You see, my father, who is a normally healthy fellow, had an injury when he was a toddler that caused his spine to curve, or curl upon itself near his neck, giving him a hump back and scrunching his rib cage so that all his organs squished into a smaller than average torso. I believe it’s called Kyphosis, a defect of the spine which causes extreme curvature. He also has a deformed chest… it’s kind of shaped like a Mayan pyramid. Because of his cramped organs, he has developed Congestive Heart Failure, often gets Walking Pneumonia, developed Asthma, and was diagnosed a year or two ago with Panlobular Emphysema. He hasn’t smoked a day (well, maybe a day, but that’s it!) in his life. He’s a semi-vegetarian and lives in a healthy, warm climate. He walks several times a week, and is relatively stress free.
But this Emphysema diagnosis threw me when I learned of it.
How could someone who’s practically never smoked get a “smoker’s disease”?
So, as ridiculous as it sounds, in my dream lung cancer didn’t lay outside the realm of possibility. And for him to die of it was entirely possible. Hey, it’s a dream!
But the terror I felt when I woke up was real. I awoke at 4:30, shaken, and couldn’t get back to proper sleep until about 6, which is about 45 minutes before I wake up then snooze.
Frantic, I went about my normal routine in a haze, my morning agenda items ticked off in haphazard and scattered fashion. My reports and conversations were a blanked out mess.
At 9:30, I dialed my dad, hoping he’d still be in bed (he lives in San Diego, 3 hours time difference from Detroit). Thank the Universe, he was!
On the verge of tears, I asked him, “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I miss your mum. She’s at the Lawrence Welk Resort until Thursday.”
“No, Poppy, is everything okay? Are you sick?”
“No! Why would I be! I’m just sleepy,” he said, trying to explain his croaking voice.
I told him about my dream, and he started laughing, which did not put me at ease.
“It was just a dream, anak*, I’m fine. I’m healthy enough, other than the normal cuff and whizzing. Stop worrying. I’m fine!”
*(“Anak” means “child” in Tagalog, my father’s native language of the Philippines; and he has an accent on certain words, though he is completely American in the rest of his diction and accent.)
—
So my dad is okay. My dream was just a freakish moment of my stresses manifesting themselves in a nightmare.
It got me thinking about the First of the Month, which the First of the Year is around the corner.
How often do things like this–life-aware moments–make us resolve to do things better? And in addition, how many of those resolutions actually stick? Instead of waiting until a life-changing event, or until the first of the year, why don’t we just start LIVING better for ourselves… now? I can’t wait until my dad’s health could possibly dive for me to start calling him and my mum more often, let them know how much I love them. I can’t wait until my friends move across the world, out of my timezone, to start letting them know regularly how much I think of them, and how much I wish we were all together. I can’t wait till a job opens up to start honing my skills so I can get a better salary. I can’t wait until I get a book about xyz to start trying to learn abc concept–which will make me a more accomplished young woman… I can’t get a job in the creative world without knowing how to create… right?
I can’t run a marathon without starting to run right now. So I strapped on my shoes and ran a mile and a half, and made mental plans on how to reach my marathon goal by next December–for lupus sufferers all over the world, and for the lupus sufferer in myself!
I’m not waiting till after the holidays to get better at life. I resolve to get better at life right now.
I think that’s a more powerful style statement than any “statement necklace” or “statement IT bag” or “statement shoe” that the Actress of the Moment has been scoped wearing in the latest glossy mag.
Living better is a style statement that can’t, and shouldn’t wait.
Going Boots, Going Yellow
My first major purchase of the autumn season was a pair of cuff boots from Aldo.
I had to have these cuff boots after seeing ankle booties with a major cuff in a Japanese magazine over four years ago. I spent the better part of each season for two years searching for ankle cuff booties before giving up early last year. And then, seeing them again on Ela of Extra Dressing, and on Fashiontoast’s Rumi this summer reawakened my thirst for these cuffy darlings, and I knew that the cuff had made a resurgence in shoe retail. Aldo became my savior when I signed up for email notifications, and a 10% off coupon landed itself in my in box. GLORY~
I bought them in-store, and then waited with baited breath for my arrival. 3 days later, I was not disappointed. I’ve worn them more than any other shoe I own in the last three weeks.
In other news, I have gone straw and hay in the head. I bleached it this weekend, a caramel, dark blond I like to call dirty dishwater blond, with straw coloured highlights. I have one more processing of micro highlights in two weeks before it gets to be the exact colour of honeyed, golden blond I hope to achieve.
I debuted it this morning at work, and it was a hit. Although someone called me Latina. I guess I’ll take that as a compliment; Jessica Alba is rather fly (as a blonde and as an anything else). I’m just not sure how I feel about it all yet. It’s still rather brassy.
–
Replies.
MayK: I agree. I can’t wait. Wes Anderson is a genius.
Heather: We’ll be visiting at Christmastime. Too many grandmothers who are getting old who need to see us… And cousins of course. Here’s to hoping you shall be there as well.
Fashionista: Don’t you think so! It’s sad, but at least they are aging gracefully.
The Clothes Horse: I think it’s great he’s doing a full length feature all stop motion. He’s done a few things here and there, like a few scenes in The Life Aquatic, which were all executed superbly. I can’t wait for the full-on colour season to descend on Michigan. I’d say we’re about 50% there.
Jeannie: I agree!
Arushi: Thank you for stopping by! I rather enjoyed writing this post!
Lar of AsianCajuns: I totally concur about them aging a lot but not being nipped and tucked–something I hope Mr. Pitt does not do. People keep on talking about botox and actors like Courtney Cox end up going overboard, and you see them not being able to lift their eyebrows properly, and you have to think that there is just something inherently unnatural about doing something like that–even in the name of beauty. Ever see women who are addicted to facial surgery? They look like geckos. It’s frightening.
GreenJeans: I think one is never too old to test Adidas, that’s true. But if you test them the way Steve Zissou does (his very funny hopping), you would understand why I think Bill Murray is now too old for that!
Steez: It’s In the Bag
Hot Bot recently did one of those “In my Purse” posts. And MayK did a purse post about a month ago. And, to be honest, I fucking love purse posts. You get a bit of insight into fashionable people’s lives without being too intrusive.
I’m a bag lady. SERIOUSLY. I usually have an overnight sized bag or a huge ass tote rather than a smaller type of bag, because I had to have stuff for almost everything!
Top Row:
Betsy Bag tote, Fake RayBan Sunnies, BlackBerry Bold, iPod Classic, Wallet, SPF30 body lotion, fan, 100% recycled paper sketchbook/journal (more for grocery lists, and stuff), Carmex, Burts Bees SPF 8 lip balm, Red Rose Canadian tea, vibrant post its for when I feel blah.
Middle row:
Harajuku Lovers purse, medical bag containing: repairing hand cream, hand sanitizer, Bee propolys elixir, vitamin mists, lupus meds, Orajel (for cankers–get ‘em all the time), tide to go pen, lens cleaner; Hello Kitty pencil case, bobby pin, Sephora compact mirror.
Bottom row:
Overly girly make up bag (not my choice, but it was free), Japonesque electric eyelash curler, Nars lip brush, Diorshow Blackout mascara, Stila pressed powder comact, Laura Mercier lip stain in Mulberry, comb, blotting papers, AA emergency BlackBerry charger
I’m sure I could downsize, but I always envision the times I need those vitamin water mists to calm me down, or the time my glasses get so filthy I have to spray them down, or when my eyelashes go flat…
Sometimes I carry an entire kit of face makeup in my tote because I didn’t makeup prior to leaving the house.
I carry my life with me. I feel naked without having everything. I’d bring my laptop if it weren’t so cumbersome.
And have you peeped some of the wedding photos yet? You can do so in my previous post here. WEDDING PHOTOS, peeps.
12×12 Step into my Office (Bonus ‘Fit post!)
A day in my life. It’s still technically 12×12, because, while I didn’t start from Midnight the night before, I did start relatively about noon yesteday. Most of my morning is rushed before I’m out of the door and then uniform at my desk until about lunch around 1 or 1:30… So instead I gave you a bit of a “through the eyes of my Berry” tour of a typical day…
This is my desk.
11:48AM
Playing a game of “Anywhere but here.”
I think this is Tunnels Beach in Kaua’i, HI, but I am not entirely sure.
12:10PM
Make up case. And unmade face.
I rarely arrive to the office with make up on other than skin tint and a bit of concealer… I keep a full face of day make up in this cute make up case in the suitcase that is my handbag…
12:10PM
A moment’s peace.
When I feel shitty, which is often, I turn to a few choice Beatles songs to make me find at least three minutes solace. This song in particular is very soothing.
12:10PM
Swedish Blogger. Visual porn.
I have a total girl-crush Sandra Beijer, a Swedish Fashion blogger… I love reading her (with Google Translator, of course), and spending countles minutes scrolling through her colourful photos and drooling over her whimsical yet charmingly feminine style. I, of course, only do it for a few minutes at a time, as to not shirk the responsibilities of work…
More photos AND A FIT POST after the jump. (more…)
Steez Post: Blue Skies, Wide-Open Spaces (What I Wore)
The miserable weather that are mornings in May in Michigan… (whew!)
… make me wish for blue skies, wide-open, grassy fields, vibrant sprinklings of wild flowers and the fragrance of the sea somewhere beyond the horizon.
Instead, I have hills dotted with McMansions, bumper to bumper traffic on sidestreets as there is construction on every major freeway in spitting distance, and endless grey above my head.
I’ve planted a little container garden on my patio and moved our little table over to a corner of it. I have little green things peeping at me from the rich soil of their little contained, ceramic or wood world, whenever I feel an itching for brilliant green in my dark apartment.
Now that I’m done with school, I have these hankerings to do things again, but bad habits have replaced what little dedication I had to studying, and I find myself endlessly in front of the TV, watching shows or playing video games. I think I should exercise or run, but I’m predisposed to laze about, or nap. Much to my own detriment.
I’ve taken to wearing blue and green in my outfits just to inspire myself… that’s about as far as the inspiration goes, though: clothes.
Stripey Shirt: F21, Scarf: Old Navy, Cumberbund skirt: Mango, Tote: Koko (it’s actually a lunch tote), Patent Mary-Janes: Bakers
Necklace: Vintage from France.
Organic shrug, Shop Ruche. Sheer tank, F21. Stripey tanky thingy, H & M. Jeans, Fire (Kohl’s). Necklace: French vintage. Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell.
I’m Overdue: Style (Cam Whore)
Some old steez pics, camwhore style.
Oh and I got a hair cut!
Before
After
Side 1
Side 2
Bangs
Incidentally, Maxey the Bear also got a haircut.
Before:
After:
Maxey is now Maxey-Bambi the Deer. Look at that expression on his face, righteous indignation. We didn’t tell the groomer to cut it like that. I promise.
What I Wore (Yesterday) – Etch-A-Sketch
F21 Chains, bracelets. Vera Wang Dress. F21 Belt. Payless Oxford Shoes. Target Tights. Target Beret.
Me and the Bear playing. I got Bear blocked a couple of times… but that’s okay. He’s cute and curious.
12 X 12: “I’m Only Sleeping” (Twenty-four hours of a very lazy Saturday)
I’m sick today, from work. And from lazing a lot around the house all weekend. It was a crazy-social weekend–but at home when it came time for work and school work and house work, I felt a super need to relax more than normal, due to the circumstances of a terribly stressful week last week. So I slept most of my stress off.
—
Keeping an eye on the world going by my window
Taking my timeLying there and staring at the ceiling
Waiting for a sleepy feelingPlease don’t spoil my day
I’m miles away
And after all
I’m only sleeping“I’m Only Sleeping” – The Beatles
—
11:30PM – Midnight
Back from a Fighting Aids in Africa black tie event. Played “blogger dress up” while changing into house clothes.
Chinese dress, vintage. Gold shoes, BCBG. Cuff, Kenneth Cole. Earrings, Forever21. Faux fur coat, vintage.
My own shredded shirt for $2 and four hours! Yea!
Taking my hair down, cleaning up.
12:00AM – 12:30AM
Going through old journals whilst checking email.
12:30AM – 4:00AM
Playing with Max (The Bear), unwinding by watching TV, and shredding a t-shirt.
4:00AM – 4:30AM
Max actually does sleep like that.
Me, finally hitting the hay.
1:00PM, 02/21/09
Get up, make lunch for Max. Nate is out at a meeting.
2:00PM-4:00PM
Watching the snow blanket Southeast Michigan.
Breakfast in early afternoon: Oatmeal, veggie sausage patties, cheese, toast, coffee. Over tv shows…
4:00PM – 5:00PM
Walking The Bear, running the Bear.
7:00PM – 7:30PM
Getting ready for dinner with family.
8:00PM – 10:00PM
Dinner, wine, and conversation at a nice local California style bistro with Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, cousin’s husband, and my fiancé.
Dinner was Miso honey glazed rainbow trout over lemon cous-cous, porcini mushroom brown rice risotto with grilled asparagus, and caesar salad. Dessert was a chocolate mouse and raspberry torte. N had seafood bisque, a nicoise salmon salad and a dessert trio served in shot glasses: creme bruleé, chocolate mousse, and raspberry something. Yum.
11:00PM – 12:00AM
Watching Battlestar Galactica (best TV show EVER!) before sleeping. Max wouldn’t leave us alone while we watched. He had to play.
12:00AM 02/22/09 – 12:15AM
My dog is a little gangsta. Frakking hoodlum.
—
My best friend’s heart is breaking. Let’s please send her all our happy, good Karma.
I’m So Tired
So I’m thinking February is going to be The Beatles Post Titles Month.
I’m so tired, I haven’t slept a wink
I’m so tired, my mind is on the blink
I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink
No,no,no.~”I’m So Tired”, The Beatles
—
There are limits to human physical capacities, beyond which proper functioning is no longer possible. Eyesight dims to a feeble blur; hand-eye coordination falters and stumbling clumsiness becomes movement; thoughts, concepts present themselves with tantalizing clarity then whisk themselves away with a smirk and a devillish flourish. Words escape the mouth, pulling a u-turn after leaving the vocal chords and tumble down, down, down to the gurgling vortex of the stomach, where they are burned away by the raging acids.
Admittedly, I’m not yet at this point, but I feel something other than awake. Something that feels a bitter crime to true consciousness and a bitterer crime to deep, restful sleep. I can’t tell if I’m saying something while I’m saying it, or if the words I speak are just the product of an overactive imagination. it’s only when the thought dies in mid-sentence, and I falter on, “Uh….” that I do realise I AM awake, and I AM speaking drivel, and even now, I’m so dead I can’t even finish it. Objects in my view have a slightly faded blue tinge on their edges, a kind of misty, uneven halo. Everything in my field of vision washes ethereal and soft-focus each time I blink, a wonky, bluish world. I question my consciousness. Am I awake or sleeping?
Thing is, I got me some sleep last night. About four hours. The night before that, probably about nine. So if I find myself indebted to sleep, which sleep experts say is impossible but my body says is entirely in the realm of “probably“, it’s one huge ass debt and I might as well go to jail now, or lose a proverbial eye or hand, because I’ll unlikely be unable to pay the damn thing off in this year or the next, EVEN with the occasional 10 hour complete operating system failures I sometimes have Friday nights.
Drifting in and out of consciousness of one’s movements, perception and speech… it’s a dangerous place to be. Thankfully, I didn’t drive myself to class tonight.
I found myself staring at my lab partner in the face and wondering why she was staring at me when I realised I’d been in the middle f saying something undoubtedly charming and witty, but for the life of me couldn’t remember what it was or when I’d started saying it. Then, later, in a moment where I felt some clarity return potent enough to allow me to finish the exercise we were on, the word “unstable” disappeared from my lexicon and I stuttered a series of staccato’d “um”s before giving up.
They say to prevent insomnia, consuming caffeine after 2PM is ill-advised. But what is one to do when sleep grabbing at your eye-lids threatens to undermine all that you work for? “Get more sleep” you’d say to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can’t, I’m busy! I have a wedding to plan, lots of crap to study, laundry to fold, numbers to balance, contracts to pore over, dinners to cook, a dog to walk, play with and snuggle, a husband to amuse, and 600 blog posts to catch up on! Sleep will just have to throw a few more hours on the pile of debt until it’s large enough to crash my sleep Lehman Brothers again, and I’ll need another 10 hour nap some random Friday.
Hell, maybe I can handle it. Just don’t ask me any questions or make me do your English homework, I’ll probably forget what the fuck I was doing in the middle of…. shit! Uh, uh, what’s that word?
Cashmere drap/warp sweater, VS. Pashmina Scarf. Knit yellow sweater, F21. Knit balloon pants, F21. Patent Oxfords, Payless. Beret, Target.
Fashion: DIY to try.
Of course, because I can’t afford Alexander Wang, perhaps I ought to try this:
Behind the Seams put up a tutorial on how to get this look at home. I think I could perhaps do this… All I need is the material and a sheer tank.
Thank GOD for that gift card during Christmas.
Winter Holidays and Small Notes on Chilled Days
While in Vegas for a friend’s wedding, 11-19-08
Drape Sweater, VS; Shirt 1 (grey), AA; Shirt 2, Vintage; leather belt, H & M; Boots, Naturalizer; Hat, Journeys; purse, Guess?; Camera, HOLGA.
Earlier this month when I wasn’t happy with lounging around in sweats… I felt very Camille-ish when I took the photos…
Leggings, tank, H&M; shoes, Jeffrey Campbell; Drape Sweater, VS; T-neck, Target.
From X-Mas Eve party at in-laws.
Dress, H & M; T-neck, socks, belt, Cardigan (Mossimo) Target; Oxfords, Payless (surprise!).
I’ve found myself stressed more than usual after the Christmas Holi-daze, being that we are broke from career circumstances, the financial crisis, school debts, and planning our wedding. After putting down the deposit for our photographer, I promptly forgot that we’d done it, and found myself hurtling into a stress vortex when I at my credit card online statements yesterday. Following another vet visit for our Bear, Max, who’d been pooping out projectile super-soaker style liquid from his posterier, my finances are pretty much blitzed. A Christmas-Eve present spree from Nate, who suddenly felt the Christmas Spirit, was another hit to our household pockets.
Exactly how much Christmas Cheer can one feel under this abysmal oppression?
–EDIT: I did have LOTS of Fun on Christmas Eve at the In-Laws annual Eve Extravaganza (as evidenced by my extraordinarily drunk post earlier), but that is a story for a later time!–
The Coat
Fuck, I love this thing.
Worn closed with a Forever21 oversized belt.
Worn with practical shoes, for walking the dog.
The coat is quite warm, actually, apart from the neck opening. As you can see, the funnel neck was made for someone a bit larger than I, so wearing the collar closed doesn’t work. I have to improvise with wrapping long scarves about my skinny neck to stay warm about the head, but other than that, the poodle-like or Wookie-like consistency of the material keeps me rather cosy.
I love the avant-garde construction of the coat, the fact that it can be worn several ways, casual and dressy–and it is still completely and utterly unique from any other cold weather coat any other woman will be wearing on the streets these days. I’m so glad Nate and I bought this for my Xmas present. No one else will 1. have the balls to wear this, 2. have the knowledge of where to get it and therefore it is, 3. Completely outlandish, stylish and eye-catching all at once. I LOVE IT.
I went out last night for a 30th birthday party and I got at least six comments on it by random strangers, one asking me where I got it. I had to reply in the most smug motherfucker tone, “Well, I found this Austrian designer, and she just whipped it up.” To which she responded, “Damn! So I can’t get one!” And I said, “Sorry, ‘fraid not.”
Yeah, like I said. Smug motherfucker. I can’t help it. This coat is just so damn fab.
Bears are quite fast runners.
Red and Green
Sometimes, the best complement to an outfit isn’t a great accessory.
Or
Sometimes the best complement to an outfit is an accessory that isn’t one.
I.E., today, my outfit is boring. The key that makes me feel great, pretty and happy: My red lips.
Sometimes, one simple thing is all you need!
**These photos were taken back when I had longer hair (2007) and I felt exponentially prettier in them than I currently feel.
—
I inadvertantly put on that same beautiful sage green sweater and then smoothed on some dark crimson on my lips. It didn’t occur to me until much, much later in this morning, that somehow I am celebrating the Christmas/Holiday season with my face and sweater. And when I realised that, I suddenly felt like I could look forward to this Holiday, get into the spirit, or something.
As of recent years, Christmas just seemed to be another excuse to get the disjointed families of my fiancée’s together and eat indulgent, delicious things without abandon. Though there was singing, and hot cocoa, and apple cider, and goodies and tarts, and mashed potatoes, and twinkling lights, something in my heart failed to skip and dance along with all the festivity going on about me. I don’t know if that’s a product of being midtwenties and thirties. We’re just not at the magical time in our lives anymore. We work, and we sit at desks, and we fall into a routine of work, eat, sleep, with the occasional sex and drinking. But the dance of our early twenties has faded into the daily stressors and stresses of regular, adult, working life.
It’s bittersweet to me that something as simple and material as an outfit and the colour of my lipstick could flutter that gut-reaction for a Holiday/Christmas spirit, really. But, if it never awakened at all would be the saddest thing.
Fashion: My Own Owen-ish-ish D.I.V. Label Coat!
Deep In Vogue created a one of a kind angora coat after seeing something lovely and beautiful on Garance Doré.
The girl in the photo was wearing a Rick Owens jacket at Paris Fashion Week…
**
After spying it, DIV decided to create one for herself, since she obviously couldn’t afford her own RO jacket, which demands like thousands on the price tags. (For example, a recent NYT article had the reporter co-shop with a consumer, who bought a Rick Owens leather coat priced at $65,000, roughly about the price of rent in my apartment for close to 60 years.) Not one to withhold style, DIV created 10 more coats and posted them in her Etsy shop for her beloved readers and friends to purchase.
**
The pricetag was nano percentage of the Rick Owens coat that inspired it.
I OWN ONE! My own lovely, lovely husband-to-be sort of gifted it to me for Christmas. I purchased it during my lunch break today. Lunch break has never been this fruitful nor satisfying ever. I was bubbling with giddiness for all of the afternoon. Afternoon delight never had a better example than today.
—
Here is the link to Deep in Vogue’s blog, from there you can find links to her Etsy store. It fits a small/medium, and is made out of angora. She ships from within the US to all International locations. The piece is well-priced for the quality and it won’t set you back a ton: deepinvogue.blogspot.com.
**Photo credits: Garance Doré, Deep In Vogue
