Resolution Solutions

To help curb my insane shopping and gluttony of pretty things, I've been unsubscribing every newsletter, website notifications, and coupons/deals/sales emails that typically fill my inbox everyday. I figure, less reminders, less temptation. Right?

Also - 2010 is going to be my year. No, seriously. This past year was the worst of my life and I've been over it since January 1, 2009. Maybe I jinxed myself by going into it already believing that it was going to suck hard, but whatever - I was right. So this time, I am going into 2010 hopeful and excited and full of determination that this new year - this new DECADE - is going to be awesome.

So go forth, party hard (like it's 1999?), and wake up tomorrow with a fresh mind to conquer your goals! ...Cheesy public service announcement, out.

Pogo - Upular

Upular is composed using chords, bass notes and vocal samples from the Disney Pixar film ‘Up’. Ah-may-ZING!

The Hundreds

Would you have guessed that I secretly try to keep up with streetwear and culture? ...Sk8tr Gurl? ...No.

One blog/resource that I really enjoy reading is that of Bobby Hundreds, one of the two creators of The Hundreds. Maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't, but I guarantee that you've seen some dudes with major street cred sporting their gear. What I like about the blog is that he posts about their new releases, yes, but he also takes sweet photos, reviews his local fave food joints, and sounds smart.

Below is a chart of his thoughts on the last decade, 2009, and 2010 + the next decade. I liked it, so here it is. Click to zoom.



Happy New Year, buds.

Inspired

Pretty and Flirty and...Twee?

From the latest W editorial. It's pretty, right? But also kind of...grown women dressed as little girls? Is it bad that I like it all, including the socks with shoes? Do you think this is appropriate attire for an attorney?

Michelle Williams

I guess today is Pretty Ladies Monday on awk-star. But I don't care, because I love this photo set and I want Michelle Williams' duffle coat and cuteness and inherent hipness. Matilda is pretty adorbz, too.

To Be Thin and French

via Jak & Jil

Corinne Bailey Rae

solarpix

New video and song, "I'd Do It All Again"! Her new album is supposedly out in February...She's been missed. How fab does she look here? So elegant, so great. I love her hair.

Link (Embedding disabled)

Victor Eredel

I like these. That is all.

What I Wish My Bedroom Looked Like

At least for right now...

New Vintage

I hate and love Urban Outfitters. Hate because they're everywhere, hate because I always swear off of it and then end up spending a ton of money there, hate because they always have something that I want. Love because...sigh, I just do. I can't help it.



Isn't that coat lovely? Doesn't it look extra good with that blouse + skirt? Why isn't it (the coat) available online yet? How do I get a job as a stylist for their catalogs? WHY MUST URBAN TORTURE ME SO?

Merry Christmas!

and Happy December 25th!

My Other Self-Gift

I got it with my friend's Saks employee double-discount, so it was a good deal! A little disappointed because I thought I was buying the darker brown on the left, but it turns out that color doesn't exist (I hate when the lighting online makes things look so different) and it REALLY looks like the brown on the right. So...not thrilled, but it still looks awesome and vintage. I'll deal.

Problems

Well, and that is the key to all of my problems. I’m a very black-and-white person. I’m feast or famine. I’ll work out seven days a week or none at all; I’ll work all hours of the day or as little as possible. Balance is something that I’ve just not been able to obtain.

- Marc Jacobs

Really Love This

Honestly have no recollection of which street-style blog I got this from - sorry. I'm still working on my habit of crediting when I save pictures to my computer. But doesn't she look so fresh and effortless? I want to look that like.

The Art of Tim Burton

In my family, we don't really celebrate Christmas in the traditional manner - that is to say, we don't really celebrate it at all. What usually happens is that I go all gift-happy and buy my parents and brother a bunch of presents, my brother may or may not buy me a gift, and my parents feel bad and will give me a Chinese "red envelope" with money a bit later. I don't mind the arrangement; I just really enjoy giving gifts and seeing people react to them.

So this year, I bought myself a few presents to unwrap on Christmas, most notably, a special book!



Only available through steelepublishing (Not sold in stores! Limited time offer! Get yours today! ...I could totally be an infomercial.) You can get the "standard" edition, which is just the book as is, for $69.99, or, if you've got the dough/are a desperate die-hard fan, you could take the plunge and get the "deluxe" version for $299.99! Includes autographed book and a numbered and signed lithograph.

As much as I LOVE Tim Burton, I just couldn't justify paying an extra 230 buckaroos for a signature and a picture, even though I do have a modest art print collection...sigh. Maybe I should have just sucked it up and gotten the de-luxe! Whatevs, yo. At least I have the book! And we will be united, finally, on Friday!

Alma

An animated short by Pixar animator Roger Blaas [Via]. I've already shared this on my Google Reader, so some people have already seen it...but it just needs to be shared some more. And in full discretion, if you don't like creepy dolls, maybe don't watch this. But if you kind of like giving yourself the heebie jeebies, click play! (It helps if it's still bright and sunny outside...)

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Christopher Kane is CKrazy

Okay, sorry for the lame title. This shirt is kind of cool, right? Different, funky, kind of hip?

But AHAHAHAHA if Christopher Kane or anyone else thinks I'm gonna pay $295 for a printed t-shirt. I mean, unless the thing is sewn with pure spun gold and the print is made of colored diamonds ground into a fine dust and then made into an ink...wait, nope. Still wouldn't pay 300 bucks for a t-shirt. Nice try, buddy. First it was the gorilla shirt, and now these atomic blast shirts. If there are more than 5 people (which I can almost guarantee) wearing these at the next fashion week, I will laugh at the predictability of the measurement of coolness by which some people live their lives.

And then I'll probably spend a few minutes jealous that they have a piece of Christopher Kane in their closet. And then I'll remind myself it was worth 30 movies/a mid-range designer handbag/eating out 10-20x a month/one Louboutin pump/more than an iTouch, and then I'll feel better about myself.

Dear Readers

Are you reading me?

Rational Fear

Part of why I am not such an enthusiastic ocean swimmer is because I am terrified of it past the ankle-deep waves. If there's any part of this world that might have horrifying creatures left, it's almost certain to come from the depths of that salty graveyard-junkyard-home of monsters yet to be discovered. I tell people that I have these recurring nightmares about a Kraken coming up to the surface to wreak some havoc, and almost always, the response I get is: omg you're crazy, that's so irrational! Um, no it's not! I'm giving myself the heebie-jeebies just talking about it.

The Sea: Ture Ekroos

So, yes. Krakens and other sea monsters scare me. But for some reason, I'm really drawn to art and jewelry that incorporate tentacles...as disgusting as that is...(but not that nasty hentai stuff that you might find if you try and google image search that! don't do it, kids! that is one search that is even more disturbing than my belief in mythical creatures!) I'd put up more examples of art and cool jewelry, but I'm tired and it's late, and frankly, I don't want to creep myself out too much that I can't sleep tonight. Yes, I am a baby. Wah wah wah.

Alicia Keys ft. Stephen Colbert

Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Downwww.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

U.S. Speedskating

Simon Doonon: The Cranky Elf

Credit: NYDailyNews

Most of my friends who pay attention would probably recognize Simon Doonan's name, if only through my constant bringing him up in conversations and random-fact-moments. So...I guess you could say that I'm a fan? A little bit?

He's snappy, he's snazzy, and he's so sassy. Did you know that Michelle Obama picked him to do the White House holiday decorations this year? What a terrific woman.

Just in case you're more interested in this FABULOUS GENTLEMAN, this article may be almost 2 years old, but it's still golden.

Big Game of Dress-up

So, so true.

Tommy Ton, YSL, TFS, and Viviana Volpicella

...or, "A Really Long and Convoluted Story About Random People/Things That Seem Tied Together, Somehow."

Thanks to this picture from Tommy Ton's style.com 'trends+shopping" slideshow, I've been stalking and looking for this particular clutch all season.



I figured, hey, pretty cool! I bet it's a spring color, and I need to wait that long to save up whatever loose change I can dig up between now and then, anyways, so, good on me! More research pulled up nothing - no ID'ing, no mention of it, not even another photograph of it floating around anywhere. I was despondent, but hopeful. Then, because of my superbly scary obsessive shopping, I figured out that it was a YSL clutch currently only released in black (and dark green, which has since sold out due to its going on sale).



Are you impressed yet? The story gets more interesting; although, SPOILER ALERT! it doesn't end with me getting the bag or anything, so calm yourselves.

2 weeks ago, after almost three years of fangirlically (new word! I'm calling dibs!) clicking through the Fashion Spot and reading through literally hundreds of pages about my favorite editors and models, I thought to myself, hey - why not try for an invite? I filled out an application to get on the exclusive 'waiting list', and put it behind me. I'd get the invite when I got it. I'm sure THOUSANDS of people had been waiting much longer than I, so why fret about it immediately. TFS's response to my request: I was a medium priority and they would get to me when they could. Cool.

Cut to tonight, when I got home from studying for the patent bar and checked my email...INVITE GRANTED!!! I won't lie and pretend I was blasé about it - I totally wiggled and danced with glee in my seat at the BF on Skype while singing my spur-of-the-moment 'I am so awesome! I am so awesome' victory song. Just keeping it real, y'all.

OF COURSE, I immediately get to forum surfing and happy fangirling in Emmanuelle Alt, Melanie Utzmann-Huynh, and Geraldine Saglio's threads, which made me remember that I hadn't checked Jak & Jil AT ALL today, so I should do that really quickly, and guess what I should see...



Um, I know! It's like, a sign, or something, right?! And this time, because Tommy Ton is so great, he ID's the fab lady for me - Viviana Volpicella, aka Fashion Assistant to Anna Dello Russo. And this name, Viviana, totally sounds familiar to me, and I realize, I've seen this woman on Garance's blog before!



Gorgeous and fresh and kitchsy fun! New love? Possibly. Google only has so many pictures of her, and here are the only good ones:





I can't say that her style is totally something that I can get on board with, at least for myself, but you gotta give credit where credit is due. Lady's got class.

In conclusion, there needs to be a thread dedicated to her on TFS, especially since editors and assistants are getting photographed more and more, and since streetstyle mavens love looking to these women for inspiration, and practically everyone else has one! And I'm still in love with that YSL clutch.

The...End?

Say Hi - November was White, December was Grey

Alexander Wang Pre-Fall 2010

Liu Wen, again, and this time for AW, so you know that means she's about to be HUGE.







And I thought that moving back to Texas, where browns and caramels and tans reign supreme, I would slowly lose my NYC-cultivated love of black. Clearly, I was wrong.

Good Point

POKER FACESSSS

The greatest song mash-up ever made: Lady Gaga, Cartman, and Christopher Walken. What else do you need to know?

Emmanuelle Alt

I like everything about this picture: the black carpet, the Eames chair, the framed pictures, the white desk, and the supremely chic and always always cool Fashion Director of Paris Vogue in the middle of it all.

Evolution of the Hipster

guest of a guest Click through to zoom in!

Minus the fixed gear bike, facial hair, and tattoos, I've pretty much fit into all these categories at some point or another. Eff my life.

Baghagging

The most expensive thing I own (besides my car) is not my awesome tv, or the furniture in my room, or even a piece of jewelry. It's a bag. Priorities, right?

Every year I freak out and obsess over a particular bag, and I'll spend days, if not WEEKS, stalking it online and in stores, until I either eventually get over it (sometimes, but rare), or I bite the bullet and MAKE IT MINE. I've supposedly already gotten my 2 bags for the year (a personal limit that I felt was necessary unless I wanted to be living in a box with a bunch of expensive bags to keep me warm)...but, of course, an addiction is an addiction and I have more that I'm now coveting. End my life.

HOWEVER.

I've been putting a lot of thought into my New Year's Resolution: 2010 Edition, and I think that I am going to try and streamline my material possessions and work toward the PERFECT WARDROBE. This does not mean a closet that looks like an explosion of clothing, but rather, an edited down and well-thought-out collection. A wardrobe that, at any point in time, has all the essential elements for making a great outfit for any occasion. A wardrobe that I am proud of and that eliminates my so-called "need" to shop and buy new things...including my greatest weakness: bags. I am determined to have a well-rounded wardrobe and save some money while I'm at it!

More planning needs to be done, but that's the tentative idea for now.

GOOD LUCK TO ME.

"...You Can't Afford to Be Skinny!"

Saved this from someone's tumblr and obviously had to share. Wate-on!

I always knew my body was meant for another decade.

Save Luella

I mean, if TV show fans can do it, fashion lovers can do it too, right?

Facebook

Twibbon

Luella.com

Liu Wen for VS

Isn't she ADORABLE? Wasn't it a shame that she was only featured once, and at the very beginning, of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show? Don't you LOVE HER?



First east Asian to walk for the VSFS FTW.

Mulberry for Apple

So on Tuesday, the Mulberry for Apple products were launched, and crazy people everywhere (most notably: my room) went nuts trying to scrounge together funds and justify paying a cool grand for A LAPTOP BAG.



What really irks me, though, is the fact that on the UK Apple website, they have another option that is not available to those of us in the U.S. - the iconic OAK leather Bayswater!!! As in, the one that Alexa Chung (aka another one of my favie IT girls) carries around all the time...



Uhhh...what is Pixie Geldof doing in that picture? Whatever. LOOK AT ALEXA'S BAG! Then take some time to admire Alexa, herself. Can we say, girl crush? Except...for...her voice. Her voice throws me off every time I hear it.

And, I'm sorry, but I found this picture while google searching more photographic evidence that Alexa is an avid Mulberry Bayswater fan, and even though it's unflattering for her, I had to post it. I mean, it's not like I'm the only person who knows how to search images on google, so it's not like I'm totally throwing her under the bus...or whatever...



There is a DRASTIC DIFFERENCE between the left picture and the right picture. When did she look like this (on the right)?! Does this mean that she lost a bunch of weight before becoming the lanky and leggy fashion maven she is today?! Does this mean that I HAVE HOPE?!!!

Wait, what was the point of this post? Oh, right. I wish I could afford the Oak version of the Mulberry bag for Apple, and I also wish that the Oak version was available to me - but since I CAN'T afford the bag at all, then I guess it's a blessing in disguise that I can't get my hands on one.

It's almost 3AM, I need to calm down and go to bed.

I Want to Go to There

And by "go," I mean, "live." And by "to there," I mean, "one of my many future homes."







Home of Monique Meij-Beekman, featured in the December Elle UK, photographed by Jan Luijk, via desire to inspire.