Such a Crying Shame

Oh what I would do to have a list of every foreign movie I could recommend. I couldn't count how many days my mom and I would watch triple features just because we could never get enough. Here are some of my all time favorites.

Clothing Purgatory

It's Friday night around 9 p.m. and you're just not sure if you're gunna kick it at home, watch a movie, read a book, chat with your roommate, or start blowdrying the hair, putting on your face, choosing which clutch to wear and dusting off the old stilettos. In that period of casually eating blueberries, staring at a blank wall, texting your whole phonebook to see what everyone else thinks you should do tonight, chances are you're not going to be sitting naked on a chair in the middle of your living room whilst doing so. Putting on PJ's would lean you to staying in and keeping on your threads from work would encourage you to go out. What do you sit around in while you decide your fate for that night? A robe. A robe is a perfect, neutral article of clothing that every woman should have anyway. I like to call it clothing purgatory. You're waiting around to see which way you're gunna swing it and a robe is the most unbiased way to do it. In 5 minutes you can either be in a big t-shirt and sleep shorts or dressed up and ready to go out. Clothing purgatory I tell ya.

SPLURGE

Kiki De Montparnasse
Amour Collection silk-charmeuse robe
www.net-a-porter.com
Was $850     Now $435     50% Off!

SAVE

Personalized Waffle Weave Kimono Robe

http://weddingshop.theknot.com/personalized-waffle-weave-kimono-robe.aspx?MsdVisit=1
$39.95 each

Work. But is it actually?

I'm interning for a magazine this summer in Manhattan doing marketing and sales. People call it work but I don't see this job as 'work'. Everything I've experienced, seen or heard has been a learning experience that I never want to see end in the beginning of August.

Countless adults at my parents' dinner parties would tell me "don't rush through college", "it's the best four years of your life", "oh, if I could only do it again," etc. I completely agree. I love college. I don't want to rush through it. I know it's the best four years of my life. I'll most likely want to relive these years a decade or so from now. However, I recognize the fact that I need to be getting experience in a field that I am interested in. How can this be my first taste of something so sweet? It was not always a tangible idea, but now, I know that I must chase what I want. Not 'go after it' or 'pursue my potential career path'. I need to chase the idea of ultimately being satisfied in my potential career. I'm not sure if that's possible for me to do in my college town. It's time to think about next summer and this one's barely started.

During my magazine's annual sales meeting, the only feeling I could muster up in my journal was excitement. I would look around the room and think "do these women know how lucky they are?" They get to make a difference and make an impact in a publication that reaches millions of hands every single day. I would look around the room to see satisfied and appreciative nods to the words being spoken, however, I could literally not contain my excitement. I want to create, convince, write and sell. Maybe I'm just a little immature, inexperienced and easily impressed, however, I know I must harness this enthusiasm into hardwork and reality.

On to the Next One

As I've said before and will say again, fashion isn't stagnant. It's constantly changing, evolving, reocurring, repeating and a bunch of other words that will get me to the point without further explaining myself. I've gotten some tips about style for Fall 2012. Picture this: black leather, geometric prints, midevil prints, equestrian influence, heavy metallic jewelry, colored and textured fur. Sounds right out of an episode of Game of Thrones to me. Let's see how this all decides to pan out.

Men's Fashion Revisited

I'm watching the "The Cotton Club" starring Richard Gere. He's a trumpet player, in Harlem, in the 1920s. If I wasn't so effortlessly and mindlessly distracted by the fabulous clothing, maybe I could get into the storyline just a little bit more. I couldn't tell you what the plot is (yet) but I can tell you that the clothes are just divine. For the women, I see some reoccurring trends, however, for the men (you know this is my favorite topic), I see today. I see the same shoes, the hats, the scarves, the vests, it's all coming back. History truly does repeat itself.

Then

Now

Fashion Doesn't Sleep, Fashion Isn't Stagnant

My Body - Young the Giant

Shobsession

OK, I know I'm a little shoe obsessed, but this right here is just too cool not to highlight. I'm lurking around Instagram on a rainy, boring Monday afternoon. I'm 'click happy' as I jump from follower to follower. I come across a swagged-out user with around 11k in followers. Must be famous? Click 'follow' without even thinking twice. "How do you know Ronnie Feig" - a text I get from a friend. "I don't. I just followed him cuz I thought his pictures were dope." "Oh, that's my cousin." Boom. I stumble across one of my new favorite, up-and-coming designers and he just so happens to be my friend's cousin. Ronnie Feig is a 27-year-old guy from Queens who just wanted to share his love of sneaks with the world. Glad I stumbled upon this gem. Enjoy!

www.ronniefeig.com

Great summer shoe

Now if only image bookmarking embedded a link to the site where I could purchase them! One day...

Perfect

Nails, nails, nails

They are such a trendy obsession right now. I'll never forget my best friend's dad's dumbstruck expression when he saw his wife's bill from the nail salon. "They're just nails!" he exclaimed. Just nails? These tiny extensions of the fingers are so much more than 'just nails'. They tell a story. Are you a pointy, black tipped vixen or a tequila sunrise faded beach goddess? Like I always say... it's the little things. Even as little as a fingernail.

Girls

I'm so impressed with this show. Why is it that I feel on the same level as Lena Dunham and no one else? Well, not no one. But I get her. The most honest depiction of average life I've seen in quite some time. Guess what? I get her. This isn't a Sex And The City (although I adore nothing more than Sex And The City). Like Chelsea Handler says, this is real. This is the show that is going to fill my void. Bring on the awkward tension, you know how that thrills me.

Wouldn't it be Nice

I would like to be sitting here...

wearing this...

eating this...

drinking this.

Back to the Future

It's interesting to me how history repeats itself. Think this is a shot of a dresser owned by a Pink Lady? Nope, this isn't from Grease. Viva La Juicy didn't casually perch on a dresser in the 50s. This hot pink, black and leopard combo is what's currently too hot to trot. Simple, color blocked, dark clothing with a hint of animal print and a dash of neon? I'm starting to learn to love it. Are you?

B&G

You don't necessarily have to be a millionaire fashionista to master black & gold. Or do you?

It's the simple things...

This may be the one piece of choreography that never ceases to amaze me. It's not the most brilliant choreography or even the most flawless execution, but it has a certain je ne sais quoi that other dances lack. The simplicity in Ian's movement makes for the most complex and unique style to master. I was recently watching an episode of America's Best Dance Crew when my ears shot up like someone cried for help. A judge appreciating classic, simplistic choreography over outlandish performance? You've got my attention.

Dance nowadays is all about the show. Whether it's a series of 15 backflips or so many turns that a dreidel would get dizzy, dancers try so hard to outdo their competition. I get that. It's a rough and competitive world out there. You've gotta grab the spotlight. However, I seem to appreciate and notice when a dancer shows me more by doing less. If you can impress an ABDC judge with your ability to capture said attention without the gimmicks, you're already at the top of my list.

Abbey Lee Kershaw for Portmans FW 2012

Neon and Spandex and Glasses, Oh My

Between Aoki, Alesso and Angello, it’s hard to keep up with half of the house music acts that come through Gainesville, let alone greater South Florida. Last year, the question used to be “what do I wear to this?” Now it’s “who needs to borrow my light up Converse?”

Whatever neon and spandex distributor was hurting before, is now a happy man. It’s almost as if the more odd you dress, the better prepared you are for a concert. It’s now appropriate to wear basically nothing for a concert where you’re sure to sweat your tank off or get sprayed with an unidentified liquid from the crowd.

I’ve gotta say, it’s nice throwing on a pair of sneakers and a bathing suit for a night out. Splatter paint body suits for girls, bright orange shorts for guys, and glow-in-the-dark headbands for both. Gainesville, we’re clearly not in the ‘90s anymore. This futuristic movement of music is affecting the way we dress, as well. Some of the people I see these days look more like aliens than concertgoers. But, you know, when in Rome.

So, go buy those crop tops and borrow those thick-rimmed black glasses. I can only imagine what our kids will someday wear to concerts, let alone the music they’ll listen to. No offense, but I think Skrillex sounds like transformers fighting over the last piece of pizza. Just kidding. Rock on?

For the Men.

Claude Monet

“Every day I discover more and more beautiful things.

It’s enough to drive one mad.

I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.”

I Absolutely Love This.

Que Cute.

Ted Baker striped skater skirt

Applique detail t-shirt

Jeffrey Campbell Dresden sandals

Rebecca Minkoff Mini Mac bag

Funky Tunes For Wednesday.

Manish Mahotra's Creation.

Isn't it fabulous? What a way to bring culture into clothing. Sometimes, we forget the idea behind the garment. Fashion is art. Art is sold because it tells some sort of truth. That's what sells. Anyone can make a beautiful painting. It's the obscure, plain white canvas with a single black ring in the corner that is $2 million. Why? Well, for starters, has it ever been done before? But even more importantly, why was it done? People pay for the idea and the concept more than the actual, tangible item. This is why I love art. Why I love fashion. Why I love to think and write. Superficiality can be easily adapted if creativity and curiosity is lost. And no one wants all o' that. Right?

Ladies, Ladies.

For the Gaga's & the Beyonce's Out There...

Home is Where the Heart is.

FAS 101: Fashion for Men.

The glorious University of Florida has plenty of courses that positively affect all of its students and their bright futures (no pun intended). We have JOU3101, ECO2023 and even AMH2010, but what UF really needs is FAS101… fashion for men.

As much as I love seeing basketball shorts on Kris Humphries, I shouldn’t really be seeing them anywhere else off the court. Sure, in middle school, it was acceptable, but now it’s time to light those babies aflame brighter than the Miami Heat’s symbol.

Studying and graduating from UF comes along with the responsibility of being a sophisticated and mature working professional. In the working world, interviews and business meetings are opportunities to look the part. Life is all about how you present yourself in appearance—so what are you waiting for? Drop the Adidas and pick up the khakis. Of course basketball shorts are fair game when it comes to workouts, but for midtown on a Monday, if I see so much as a Nike check, I just might freak.

The misconception that dressing well makes a man seem needy and feminine is just absurd. Just because the days of men wearing suits is over doesn’t mean we need to take the complete opposite route! A first impression is everything in the working world as well as the dating world. A put-together outfit connotes self-respect, thoughtfulness and confidence.

Think about it. All of the men that other men praise and glorify take pride in their appearance. Dwayne Wade, Jay-Z and David Beckham are all showstoppers. Although we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, in our present society, every experience can come at you in the blink of an eye. Society is fast-paced and competitive, so if you aren’t memorable for being put-together and well groomed, you might not reach your potential.

Dressing well is crucial, but it’s equally important to dress appropriately for each man’s personality. Plenty of styles work for different types of men. Let the skinny ties, plaid and button-downs flourish. An outfit is a representation of personality. If you look like a slob, you probably are a slob. If you look dapper, you probably are dapper.

Men that care about their wardrobe command positive attention. In this world, positive attention is just what we need. To get noticed, it’s important to make yourself appear presentable and grown-up. So gentlemen, shake those nylons and dust off your loafers…. you’ll thank me later!