hair envy

I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge these things growing out of my scalp that I have put through so much crap these past two years. You're doing real good, kids. (That'll do, pig hair, that'll do.) I've decided that very short hair is not my thing, at least not for my early 20s (holy follicles, Batman, those are coming up soon), but long hair pulled off my face definitely is.

I'm still undecided on bangs of any kind, and I'm not sure if I like the idea of curling my hair on a regular basis, though I like the effect. And while I'm as attached to my virgin hair as I am to not having any pieces of metal passing through my flesh, I'm swooning over these:

Above, from the Oscar de la Renta Fall 2010 RTW show, via style.com. Curls! Volume! So old-school glamorous! So in rebellion with my natural hair texture!

Above, from Orchid Grey. "Big hair, small wallet" indeed. Again, in total contradiction with my natural hair texture!

Above, from Flying Saucer. UGH. SO MUCH HAIR ENVY. I have wanted Selina hair for as long as I've been aware her blog existed. Even though her hair routine seems like too much effort for me (as someone who once tried to cut my hair-washing down to once a week to save drying time), I think it's definitely something I want to be an option when I have time, which is just not possible with short hair.

Above, Frida Gustavsson from The Fashion Spot. Big hair! Texture! The schoolgirl-esque cross-tie and white button-down don't hurt either.

Above, Kristen Stewart. That lazy texture! Unf! Seriously, I have so much hair envy for this girl, even if all her critics make fun of how rarely she and RPattz wash their hair. I think now would be an appropriate time to quote Sarah Rees Brennan.

SNAPE: I don't want to carry out your plans anymore! And I find your interest in the students' love lives truly inappropriate!

DUMBLEDORE: Severus! Don't you know this is a critical period in their lives - if you don't find mutual true love by the time you're seventeen, you'll end up bitter and alone, weeping over your shattered dreams, only washing your hair on the anniversary of their deaths...

SNAPE: ...

DUMBLEDORE: Oh, right.

Above, another KStew. Girl has amazing hair.

Above, from Altamira. First of all, I love me some Frida Gustavsson and Karlie Kloss. Second of all, OH GOD, THEIR PERFECT HAIR. Karlie's is so very flawlessly "Oh, I washed my hair and it dried like this, naturally, AS THE EMBODIMENT OF CAREFREE PERFECTION," and Frida's has this whack, perfect combination of volume and texture going on. Plus I really like Frida's outfit.

Above, Raquel Zimmerman via dress design decor. Pretty sure my hair cannot be coaxed to look this voluminous without an entire can of hairspray, Lady Gaga's Coke-can curlers, and an anti-gravity device.

Above, Karla. Because even though I'm not trying for short hair now, she has epic short hair that deserves all those cliché fashion adjectives like CHIC and FIERCE and FEARLESS.

Above and below, Karen Elson via Fashion Gone Rogue. Featuring the "strong intelligent female protagonist who doesn't need a man" CURLY-WAVY RED hair I will never ever achieve without looking awkward.

Above and below, Frida Gustavsson yet again, at Christian Dior, via The Fashion Spot. I know, I know. There was probably a lot of really damaging backcombing and teasing that went on here to achieve that amount of frizz, but the total eccentric I-don't-give-a-fuck that this crazy messy hair and lone fishtail braid give off are, for some reason, really appealing to me right now.

Above, one more Frida for good luck.

Above, speaking of braids, this one's from Alice in Wardrobe Wonderland originally from JAK & JIL. It is KILLING me, even though (and maybe especially because) a braid that tight against the scalp seems really painful and a little bit sci-fi creature.

Above, from kari-shma. The only hair in this post that I can achieve with my natural hair texture and no products.

And with that, it's time for UNNATURAL HAIR COLORS I AM UNWILLING TO ACHIEVE BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE PUTTING STUFF IN MY HAIR BUT WHICH LOOK SO RIGHT!

[one, two, three four]

While the rest of the blogosphere was feeling the pastel streaks, I guess what I was really getting hooked on was peacock hair.

All right. That is all.

I still love you, hair. I promise. You are my one and only.

basics

So I've always had a beef with the idea of "wardrobe basics" because my shopping strategy generally goes like

SAM: Ooh, shiny!
FORMIDABLE PRICE TAG: (is formidable)
SAM'S WALLET: YOU SHALL NOT PASS!
SAM: Disappointment. Woe. Misery.
(Five minutes later.)
SAM: Ooh, shiny!
FRIENDLY PRICE TAG: (is friendly)
SAM'S WALLET: hey, ASL?
SAM: BE MINE!

but I recently realized that before I started thumbing through fashion magazines and scrolling through style blogs and clicking through runway shows, there were a few things I gravitated toward without fail (and continue to gravitate toward regardless of current trends or even current inspiration) and they are

• red plaid
• super dark (blue) wash jeans
• white button-down blouses
• things that look like they should be worn with petticoats
  
• knee and thigh high socks
  
• exciting tights
• simple black shoes

EVERYTHING MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW! These must be Those Which Will Enable My Wardrobe To Become Self-Actualized! (Unless my style evolves. Which it will.)

Anyway, to celebrate my epiphany, I went window shopping for blouses. Huzzah:

Above, Go Silk Pleated Blouse, $145 $50 at Neiman Marcus

Above, Robert Rodriguez Robbi & Nikki Volume Sleeve Shirt, $125 $90 at Zappos

Above, Pleated tie-neck blouse, $54.50 $17.99 from Gap

Above, BCBGMAXAZRIA white stripe voile embroidered ruffle blouse, $107 at bluefly

Above, Juicy Couture white metallic striped bow detail blouse, $125 $109.99 at bluefly

P. S. I wear a small.

in your lace

Here's my lace shirt with crooked sleeves. I'd actually planned on making a circular shirt (like a circle skirt, but with more seams to make armholes), but I cut the head hole too big and ... this is the result.

Racy. And by "racy," I really mean "lacy" as spoken by a Korean or Japanese ESL speaker since R and L sounds are allophonic in Korean and Japanese RINGUISTICS LEFERENCES FOR THE WIN.

Denim blazer: delia's. Lace top: DIY. Jeans: Levi's. Shoes: Payless.

Seriously, though, am I allowed to wear this to class? I feel kind of inappropriate.

roundup

Here is a small link dump. (Secretly, I only do these so I can clear out my own bookmarks folder.) I suspect that most of these come from Gala Darling's Carousels, or from College Fashion's Hautelinks or IFB's Links à la Mode. But I do love me a good link roundup.

• If You Really Pay Attention


• "Whenever I had to speak to my ninth grade English teacher (when I was 14-years-old), he held the conversation with my third button..." [Orchids in Buttonholes]


• Eating Well On $1 A Day


• Real Advice Hurts - something you have to learn firsthand


• #492: The first text message between new friends [1000 Awesome Things]


• "I find myself classifying (fashion) blogs into good and bad."


• Holy EAR CUFFS, Batman! [Style Hurricane]


• "One of the most fascinating things about Lady Gaga is her unique ability to separate female nudity from sex. True, she appears nearly naked on a nearly daily basis but, unlike other pop stars, when she’s naked, she’s not doing it to turn people on." [Splice Today]


• Taking Type to the Next Level with Alternate Characters


• How to Afford Anything


• "When we stop waiting for someone else to come along and make something happen for us, everything moves a lot quicker." [The Art of Non-Conformity]


• 29 things I learned about life and love [Rich Grad]


• How to Get More Done in Less Time [The Skool of Life]


• If You're Nervous About Quitting Your Boring Job, Don't Do It [Study Hacks]


• 100 Ways to Develop Your Mind [Change Your Thoughts]


• 30 Habits That Will Change Your Life [Freestyle Mind]


• The Little Rules of Action [zen habits]


• I See France [The Storque]


• springtime again

I open at the close.

Golden Snitch,

The chase is on, boy; but I haven’t even seen you yet - or met you.

I’m tired of hovering above the crowds and stands, always on edge. I’m tense because I’m afraid that I’ll catch only a glimmer of your perfection before another girl steals you away.

Please. Fly in my direction. I’d hate to let Gryffindor down.

Love,
Seeker

[via]

So.

The summer that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released, some of my theater friends and I decided to throw a birthday party for Harry (7/31!) with Harry Potter-themed games, food, and gifts. I brought a Forever21 ring with an attempt at the Deathly Hallows symbol scratched into it (it was only 10 days after the book release! I was pressed for time!) and corned beef sandwiches à la Ron on the Hogwarts Express.

My friend Victoria baked a Golden Snitch cake and I ended up with her gift, a Golden Snitch necklace.

Suffice to say, you guys are my favorite.

Black velvet t-shirt: The Limited via Goodwill. Bag: London Fog via ideeli. Golden Snitch necklace: DIY gift. White skirt: thrifted. Purple tights: H&M. Black lace-up boots: Steven by Steve Madden.

Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night

Aren't these great? They're definitely Givinchy-esque without looking like knockoffs. I liked them so much in fact, that I got them in 2 colors. You can find them HERE on Shopbop. :)

They're Joe's Jeans shoes, which I think are a brand new shoe brand. How exciting for them to get it right, right off the bat. Great shoes, great quality, and a great price point which is so important and getting harder to find.

I wore them yesterday while running some errands... AKA shopping.... and they were pretty comfy! Good thing since I got two, right. haha.

Is that a new bag, you ask? Why, yes. Yes it is. As you guys know I'm obsessed with Miu Miu's Spring/Summer collection so I had to get whatever I could from it. The runway shoes, the collar, and now the bag. I love her.

Vinyl printed with their sparrow design, the perfect shade of pink, and these cute little bows??? So great. So me!

And finally, the shoes in grey...

I don't often buy the same shoe in more than one color, but these are just the perfect shade of summer grey. And I feel like the shoes look totally different, don't you??

(leggings- Charley 5.0, top- BDG, shoes- Joe's Jeans, bag- MiuMiu)

he a-a-ate my heart

GRUNGE MONSTER!

Isn't it classy how we have an old toilet next to a bag of soil in our backyard?

Anyway, I think this would have been exponentially more successful if I had dark lipstick and enough foresight to not take photos at noon. And if I had put on something I could actually wear in public (i. e. if I had not spent half my photos hitching my pants up and had actually tucked my jeans into my boots).

Grunge monster lurking in the shadows.

Scarf: H&M. Belt: brother's. Blue shirt: brother's. Red shirt: brother's. Green shirt: brother's. Black and white striped jeans: delia's. Boots: Steven by Steve Madden. Ring: Forever21. Bracelet: necklace from Hot Topic.