A Good Scent is a Good Start

In San Jose, there isn't much shopping at all. When people want designer boutiques or even a great vintage find, they go to San Francisco. Luckily, we people in the 10th biggest city in the U.S. have one little high class strip on the border of San Jose and Santa Clara. It's only a small little area, but it makes living here bearable. There's great music playing, a relaxing bistro-cafeish atmosphere with the few well dressed people the city has to offer and anyway......a great little store none of my friends have ever heard of called Anthropologie. It's a national chain, but I've only seen three of them in my entire life as they are much too nice for your average shopping mall. There are several things I just love about the store. Just walking by on the street you are previewed to an elaborate and creative sculpture-ish decoration. This draws you in a enough for you to walk in, and when you do, well, when I do and assuming everyone else has a smidgen of wit enough to agree with me, the flowery scent and uniqueness of the overall store just captivate you. It reminds me of an upscale Cost Plus World Market for clothes. It's exotic, eclectic, and down to earth at the same time. Not to mention a great interior design collection and organic feel to everything. Being in the store is a new adventure everytime. I praise the person who comes up with their clever decorations. Their prints and detailing are exquisite. And yes, yes, I do sound like a walking advertisement but it's such a pleasing atmosphere, I couldn't care less what foolishness you think! Unfortanutely, some of their garments are a bit out of my price range and I have yet to own an Anthropologie original. Hope your wallet is fatter than mine!

Polyvore Sets.....Again

Having the ability to browse endless expanses of clothing, jewelry, photos, images, and more and then incorporate them into ANYTHING I WANT is thrilling. Forget the price tag....it's polyvore! In fact, most of the sets I've made total over $1,000 dollars.....But I like to think I've inspired someone with my designs. Who knows, maybe some rich British socialite will come around and say, "Oh that girl is genius! That's exactly what I am looking for in an outfit!" Even though that will never happen, I really don't care. It's just plain fun, and a colorful thing to be able to post on my blog. Photos are so much work with the getting a good picture, uploading, the deleting, and saving to a file, mixed in with drama that my computer always conjures up in the process. This is easy. Style, online or in person is such a great form of personal expression. People can tell so much about you from what you wear, so it's important it really reflects you. Unless of course, you're a boring, lazy slop of a person, in which case, it's probably better to dress like you're worth getting to know. Fashion sense demands respect and shows how creative or put togethor you can be. God, I sound like Stacey from "What Not to Wear", but she couldn't be more right. In short, dress good and play polyvore! Yes, I am aware that that was not good grammar.

Why Does Technology Hate Me?

The title says it all. I wore this outfit in December. Uploading photos take forever, then my dinky computer doesn't let me move them to my photo file, then the computer gets stuck and I have to shut down......then the photo remains on my camera without another thought for months until I try uploading a video took on my camera for my friend, and am reminded of all the fileless photos!!!!! Anyway. Forever 21 from head to ankle. Ankles belong to my Steve Madden black suede boots. Forever 21 blazer, tights, t-shirt, and skirt. It's tackey. I'm tackey. Nuff said.

Excuse the blurriness, my camera hates zooming in. What you are looking at is a giant inspiration board type thing I made because I read way too much Nylon and Teen Vogue have way too much free time. I sort of had a digital print, prismy, gemstone pattern theme and all my fabrics were shiny. I'm so weird because normal people use inspiration boards to inspire a collection, but I used collections to inspire an inspiration board. I'm just one backwards gal. This is just one of the many posters and collages I have all over my bedroom walls. Seriously, I've forgotten what color my walls are painted. I post EVERYTHING on my walls. I feel the constant need to make stuff, even if I have no idea what to make, which makes me one very frustrated person.

What's in My Bag

Just in case you haven't used you existing wit to figure this out, this stuff was not actually in my bag when I took the photo, I just scavenged around my room for colorful fashionable stuff that would look good white my bright bag. I got the bag at a Cirque du Soleil "Ovo" show in San Jose for the meek price of $80 (It's totally worth it. I just love the way it feels in my hand) Also pictured is the January Nylon Issue, a pink gift wrapping bow, Bath&BodyWorks liplicious lipgloss in passionfruit guava, which smells (and tastes!) like a jamba juice smoothie, and a shiny blinged out scrapbook from an arts and crafts fair. If you look carefully, you can see a feather quill my dad brought back from Germany. It comes with its own traditional ink! It's so fun......until you get it on your hands. NEVER get it on your hands unless you want purple skin for a month. Yes, that black thing in the back is my boot.

Just Give Me time

So many trends, so little time. So many trends I've hated, and swore to myself I would never wear. But after a long while of seeing them over and over again in magazines, they started to grow on me. Once upon a time, I detested skinny jeans and was head over heels for gouchos. Oh, so young....so foolish. After being forced to stare at the glove like fitting jean long enough, things just began to make sense. Now the only pants I own stick to my legs like glue. Other once hatreds include acid wash jeans, booties, and GASP...high waisted skirts. But it's so weird because everything I used to hate now are my greatest desires, my faithful companions from day to day. When I began seeing lingerie like peek-a-boo clothing on the runways and in magazine photo shoots, I was apalled. Shameful! But now........you get the picture. I can't look at that photo of the beanstalk model covered from head to toe in tomatoe colored "underwear as outerwear" and not feel a great need sweep over me. I don't even despise Chanel's Fall 2009 eskimo suits! Now that I think of it, that abominable snowman borrowed rug coat would look stellar with skinny jeans....and maybe some booties. But there is one trend I just can't get over. CLOGS. There is no way in HE double toothpicks I'd place my foot in that awkward, noisy, little shoe. I just won't. I can't. I grew up watching my mother waste so much potential on them. When I look at them, I think rodeo gone wrong. All my nightmares of childhood shoe shopping with my mother return. GAG. But honestly, they aren't that different from the embellished ankle cowboy boots I saw in that boutique.....and they look kind of fun to wear and tap around in......NO. I will not allow myself to go there. Clogs will not win this battle. Not tonight anyway...

Kira Plastawhere?

Just the other day I was making a collage for an art journal, and I was looking through the old September '08 Seventeen mag, just to find an article about the sixteen year old Russian designer I used to admire so much, Kira Plastinina. Maybe not her plasticy, pink, fluffy clothing per se, but her accomplishments as such a young designer. I realized you never see her any more. I used to be constantly reading articles, ads, you name it about her in teen vogue, seventeen, and other teen magazines, but it's as though she vanished from the face of the earth. I looked her up and found that her U.S. branch of her company went into bankruptcy and closed most of its 12 U.S. stores! How sad is that! I love to see someone go for their dreams and make it happen, and when they get set back this much, it makes me miserable for them! It ruined my whole day! I dedicated my collage to her and her clothing.