Today I Like

No Strings Attached, eh?

2011-07-27T23:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't kept up with this sucker in about seven moths, and my first update since then has nothing to do with something I like today....it is in fact quite the opposite:

In the last few months, two extremely similar movies about platonic relationships gone sexually awry have been released. To cover their own asses I’m sure, both No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits claim to be different, but as far as I can tell a new sect in the realm of Rom-Com is currently being developed. While we, as females, are trained to set romantic comedies aside from what we expect in relationships, it is unrealistic for these excessively emotional and imaginative movies to not impact the way relationship dynamics are construed.

Perhaps it is because I am numbed to their audacity, but the romantic comedy dynamic where the girl falls in love with the “unexpected” guy is a totally different playing field than this new subgenre. It does not add any complication to the dating process—it just goes to show that people find [ridiculously overly dramatic] love in unlikely places. However, this new sex-only system becoming romantically mainstream adds a whole new set of guidelines to complicate relationships.

My first problem with this new set of films is the implications within their titles. “Friends with Benefits.” It is through college life and emotional wrath of these menial relationships that they have received negative connotation. If you really think about it, the ultimate relationship and life partnership should literally be a great friendship with benefits. But that certainly does not mean that every platonic friendship has this potential.

While I am not one to be overly emotional (if anything, I am very much the opposite), I find the message of these movies to be extremely misguided and incoherent. It negatively effects both serious romantic relationships and platonic friendships by implying that no one is ever looking for either of those things, and in doing this makes it even more obnoxiously complicated to relay one’s true intentions.

What these movies both really made me think was, not to sound like Jenna Marbles here, but, WHY CAN’T WE JUST BE HONEST PEOPLE?? “I like you, you like me…let’s go.” Someone make a movie about that.

Butterflies.

2010-12-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

If a group of butterflies takes off in Thailand, it can cause rainstorms in New York.

Oh college, how I love you. But winter break, I love you too. College is full. Full of things to do, people to see, facebook profiles to stalk. My downtime is spent vegging, and the last thing I want to do is read "for fun." But after a week and a half of break, I realized what I have been missing.

I have read two absolutely amazing books, Matched by Ally Condie, and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Though completely different, they were both page turners, books I ravaged through and [remarkably] even finished (even the epilogue!!), and I could not wait to pass along to my friends.

These books both had amazing female characters, which is really huge for me. I found myself relating to both protags, which hadn't happened in a while.

Really, these books just reminded me to pay attention to what is beautiful in life and not overanalyze it.

Post pictures, just because they're pretty and I like them:

Or drink overpriced Starbucks just because I want to, even though it tastes like dog piss (one of the many lessons to be learned from Before I Fall).

Though I don't want to review books right now because 1) it's late and 2) i'll leave that to my mom, I just want to say that today, i more than like, i LOVE reading. I love the enlightened, empowered, and optimistic feeling that good books leave you with, and most of all, today, i love life, and i hope you all do too :]

Indian Summer

2010-08-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

After taking a very long dive into the fashion blogging world yesterday, I felt bombarded by a trend that I've always been intrigued by: Native American Headdresses. Though a bit costumey (ok, a lot costumey), they are something obviously timeless and absolutely gorgeous.

To start with my favorite look from the Cobra Snake...

Though this look was worn to what was essentially a costume party, in the right setting I think it could be pulled off by someone just hipster enough, especially when paired with neon green nail polish and other modern accessories and a simple outfit.

I then went on to find a few more examples on Wildfox Couture's blog:

This photoshoot was done in portrayal of young adult novel Weetzie Bat, which is about a sort of outcast, LA teenage girl. I've never read it, but from what I've researched it seems like a mix of the Virgin Suicides and a hopefully less serious young adult counterpart...maybe Gossip Girl (in which case, this book has just shot to the top of my to-read list, but that's beside the point).

I like the way this photoshoot adds to the carefree and hippie aspect of wearing a headdress. It seems fun and nostalgic, and somehow not completely out of place. I'll attribute that to the camera filter.

I also found this on Wildfox Couture and I find the vibe to be completely different. Though the actual headdress itself is more understated, paired with the fur coat, it's a combination of glamour and free spirit, almost reminiscent of Almost Famous's Penny Lane.

I found this picture of Gisele in a headdress, and while I can't really say too much about the way it contributes to the look, because well, it is the look, I can say that I like how it's used as a sexy, fun and girly accessory.

Finally, one of my all time favorite photos, regardless of the headdress:

Paired with the Van Halen tshirt and loose waves, the headdress has more of a rock and roll vibe, while obviously still portraying Mary-Kate's free spirit. Words can't even describe how much I love this picture so I'll just say alskdjfal;skdj.

However.........

Some people--Ke$ha--give headdresses a bad name. She screams dirty, forward, and completely off-putting, and these are all traits I would prefer not to associate with such a beautiful accessory. Although I'm sure Ke$ha would love to describe herself as a free-spirit, I would prefer to describe her as a hot mess. On her, this look says "trying to hard."

To conclude, what I love about this look is it's inherent free spiritedness, fun, pretty, colorful, hippie look that says a lot about its wearer's attitude. However, I can see where the abuse of this over-the-top headwear is completely unnecessary and a bit hard to pull of in daily life...but I want to pull it off....

How do you think I can adapt this look, and in what situations do you think it's appropriate? Do you like it, or do you hate it?

Also...

I don't really care about her current forced living arrangements, I still love Linds. Check out her awesome new photoshoot on 80spurple!

THE RESURRECTION.

2010-08-09T17:25:00.001-07:00

MY GOODNESS. It has been such an embarassingly and ridiculously long time since I've written much of anything other than crappy college papers, and this is something I am not proud of. However, after boring months of summer part-time work and laziness, combined with hours of late night StumbleUpon sessions, I have decided that this is completely inexcusable. There is so much to be inspired by and to like in the world, and why I am not sharing what I like on at least an every-other-daily basis is absurd to me (how vain that I think my interests are so fascinating to other people, right?).

Anyway, after succumbing to the pop culture mecca that is Twitter, I've decided it's a little ridiculous to have a Twitter account (@alexasibberson, for all of you who I'm sure are interested) that is unaccompanied by a blog or website or cultural reference point of some sort.

After re-reading through my past blog posts, I MISS THIS! I can't wait to find all the gems culture has to offer...a legitimate excuse to spend even more time on the computer this summer.

So I'll just jump right back in where I left off...I'll start with things I like and a recap from this summer so far (mind you, I'm probably months and months behind).

I stumbled upon these old pictures of classic Hollywood icons the other day and I think the carefree characteristics in both of them is so timelessly nostalgic. They perfectly capture everything I love about fashion, pop culture, old Hollywood icons, and all the like. They really inspired me to start up this blog again for various reasons:

1. They look behind the stereotypical put together image of old Hollywood and show true personality. To me this is extremely important; it is always necessary to remain true to yourself, while knowing when to pull it together professionally.

2. The actual fashion itself. I kind of [regrettably] checked out of the fashion world when I went to college this year, and after perusing much missed issues of ELLE and Vogue this summer, I realized how much I miss it. I miss admiring pictures in magazines and pulling together outfits of my own, and I miss emulating the timeless styles of others and sharing it and getting feedback via blogging.

But anyway, over the course of the next week, I plan on getting this back up and completely running, and I couldn't be more excited about it!

2010-01-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

NEW BLOG = NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

www.icant-ihaveclass.blogspot.com

I Don't Give A Damn About My Bad Reputation.

2008-02-11T15:21:00.001-08:00

I've been watching Freaks and Geeks at school the last few days thanks to an awesome Independent Study teacher of mine... she uses the show to teach her On Your Own class... I'm not in that class...so I just take advantage of her DVD boxed set. And seriously... it is worth your $55 if you've never watched it before.

This show is absolutey hilarious. It's one of Judd Apatow's earliest works, for those of you who don't already know... and it stars three of my favorite people in the world.

1. Seth Rogen

As if I wasn't in love with him enough from Knocked Up and Superbad...

2. Jason Segel

The understated dude on the left being overtaken by James Franco's beauty. He was in Knocked Up ("....gynecology is just a hobby of mine, but i'd say she's crowning.") and he's hilarious in How I Met Your Mother.

and finally the true love of my life:
3. JAMES FRANCO.

He is ineffably (english vocab word of the week; meaning unable to be described in words) beautiful I can't even stand it. He smirks and manipulates and totally pulls off the bad boy image with a charming sweet side SO perfectly... i just melt and end up standing in a giant puddle of Alexa.

Also... is it weird that I can COMPLETELY identify with main character Lindsay Weir?

In that she is completely torn between hanging out with her old safe friends and her new 'freak' friends who don't really completely accept her but are a lot more fun than her old friends? And she somehow always believes that the bad boy is falling for her than gets slapped in the face at the end?! hypothetically speaking in generalities of course....

all i really have to say is freaks and geeks is the best show from the 90s excluding saved by the bell, and that says a lot. go watch it.

She's Been Up All Night

2008-02-02T16:32:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FASHION WEEK! :]

so i'm going to do a collection of the day for every day of fashion week. i probably won't get to it every day, but i'll cover every day, don't worry. so today i'm going to do my favorite of today and yesterday. and we'll see how it goes from there.

FRIDAY 2.1.8.
Collection of the Day: Boy by Band of Outsiders
To be quite honest, I wasn't really too impressed with any of Friday's collections, but Boy was my favorite. It's very masculine, go figure, right? and maybe a little old, but at least it was done well. It shared many of the same silhouettes and ideas as Elie Tahari, but I feel like overall it was more my style, and presented much better.
Here are a few of my favorite looks:

The coat is obviously a classic and fashion staple, but I love that the pants are cropped Audrey style to at least vary up the skinny leg a bit.

I love the combination of plaids. It's super '80s boy preppy for a girl, and really, who could ask for more?

It reminds me a bit of Chanel... ok a lot, but I like Chanel, so I like this too.

I love purple and the shape of the coat. It's young and fun.

This is total Billie the Kid attire...Rockin'.

As for the others:
Vera Wang's Lavender Label collection was a bit too conservative and the pattern and color combinations just didn't do it for me.
There was absolutely nothing I enjoyed about Rachel Roy's collection. The clothing reminded me of Condoleeza Rice just as much as the models....perhaps that was the vision, either way i don't like it.
And like I said earlier... Elie Tahari was well done but I feel like I've seen it all before.

SATURDAY 2.2.8
Collection of the Day: Nicole Miller
Again, it's kind of repetitive of a lot that I've seen before, especially in even main stream fashion chains, but it was a bit more extravagant I guess, and again the most matching of my style.
My favorite looks...

I actually really like the print and the cape because it's so small and conventional instead of most over the top capes and prints and everything.

Same thing, and I love the contrasting textures with the complementary shapes.

One of my favorites because it looks comfy and cute, and it's long enough to be worn without pants and not one of those shirts that people think are dresses.

It's very simple, and you could probably find a much cheaper version at American Apparel, but again comfy, sporty and cute.

I usually don't like dresses that are cut like this because I find that the bottom is often far too short to cover my behind... but this is long enough, therefore I like it. Also I like the neck and the sleeves.

I like htis dress because it's superrrr 80s prom. That's really it.

Other collections:
BCBG Maxaria looked like every other BCBG collection, which I guess is ok, but whatever.
Douglas Hannant was very pretty, but a bit too old for my liking.
I liked all the solid pieces of Erin Fetherston's collection, but the pattern choice was unflattering and homemade Easter dress looking.
Jason Wu was lookin pretty Easter meets Funeral.
Katy Rodriguez had a few cute dresses, but overall way too trekkie for my taste.
I liked the eclectic ideals behind Rachel Comey's collection, but I felt like the execution was bad and it looks too old lady.
I actually realy loved Rag and Bone... I don't know why I didn't choose it as my collection of the day.
The presentation of Sue Stemp's collection was so "angsty teenager being forced to dress up" and the dresses were too Macy's Prom.
I liked the monochromatic color pallaete of Yigal Azrouël's collection, but to me all the looks looked the same.

Also, I'll probably update my MP3 player over there sometime soon, so if you have any suggestions I would truly appreciate them.

p.s. here's my weekly top from last.fm

Is Your Bed Made? Is Your Sweater On?

2008-01-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

Vampire Weekend's self titled debut cd came out today! i'm so excited. i'm not going to lie to you, i've had it for a while thanks to a semi-sketchy website, but it was one of those that i actually had to go out and BUY even though i already had it because it's just THAT absolutely amazing.

i guess they're four (absolutely adorable) columbia grads with an impeccable ear for catchy beats, and really who could ask for more in a group of boys? by looking at these polaroids, they have extremely good taste as well, very hip.

as for their sound.... they remind me a bit of the shins, but less fantastical, which i personally think is a good thing. i love the shins, but they sound like a more refined and more youthful fresh and hip version. they've got smart, swoon worthy lyrics, half random, half witty, and half romantic (yes, that adds up to three halves, but that's just how good they are).

ooh lala, added bonus of the day:

alex turner (of arctic monkeys) and lightspeed champion (formerly of test icicles) cover the strokes' reptilia!

Roller Skate Skinny.

2008-01-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

ok. kirsten dunst's miu miu ads are ferosh. that's all.

those totally slaughter LiLo's.

Who's Your Boyfriend?

2008-01-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

well. right now mine's Adam Green.

he's wonderfully erratic, semi depressed and quite witty (aren't all the singer songwriters i write about?). I got his Gemstones cd like a weekish ago or something and i adore him... i've meant to listen to him for such a long time because he's apparently like best friends with the Strokes (i heard a fab moretti reference in a song...) but i've only now just found his cd, and i am ever so greatful.

if you want to see what else i'm listening to... i've cleverly started using my last.fm again.... here's my weekly top

blahblahblah. anywhoo, i didn't really find too many after chrismtas sale items which was kind of a bummer. i spent more money on books, which is not so much a bummer. currently i am about 30 pages into each of the following books:

Wondeful Tonight is a bit slower than I thought it would be, I wish it was a memior instead of a full on biography, because quite frankly i don't really care about Pattie Boyd's childhood. i want to get to the rock and roll years.
Atonement is really really good (obviously, i guess that's why they made it a movie...), so far my favourite of the three. I love the characters already, I haven't seen the movie yet, and I don't plan on it until after I read the book becaues books are always better anyway.
Victoria Beckham's book is pretty much just a refresher course on her personal style incase you've not been keeping up with People or Us or what have you lately. But i really like vicbeck, obviously. She always looks classy... so i guess reading her book can't hurt. plus she made a 'little black gucci dress' allusion, which i quite appreciated.

and finally.. isn't it totallly crazy that it's swimsuit season already?! i got my victoria's secret swim catalog in the mail the other day and i was amazed. nothing new has happened in a year with swimsuits apparently... but i do really like these from urban outfitters, i'm pretty sure theyre exactly the same as the ones i liked last year... leftovers?

also.. i saw walk hard. the only thing i have to say about it is don't waste $7. superlame. so i made up for it by seeing Juno three times. WIZARD. i've become a juno quoting fiend. no one understands haha. and i promise i really will try and write more, i just forget, and get bored and lazy and uninspired in these winter days haha.

PPS...PSS? i don't know i never learned. GO READ PLAIN JAYNE's NEWEST POST because it rocks the house.

I Don't See What Anyone Else Can See In Anyone Else, But You.

2007-12-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

hellooooo!

i hope again that you all had a totally boss holiday and got everything you wanted! but i'm back, and that's really the best christmas present you could ask for, right? well today i've got two little obsessions that i think you'll all enjoy.

GO SEE JUNO!
if you haven't seen juno yet, get on it. it's hilarious, amazing, dry, clever, cute, <>. really, it's phenomenal. i hope that it wins all the golden globes that it's nominated for because it really deserves it. if you don't know yet, it's about Juno MacGuff, a sixteen year old who accidentally gets pregnant by her best friend Pauly Bleecker (michael cera!!!! :] <3 ) and she has to deal with it by finding a family to adopt the baby once it's born. ugh, i can't even put into words how friggin cute this movie is, and once you see it, you'll probably want to join the facebook group It's My Life Goal to Talk As Cleverly As Juno McGuff (yes, it's there. Thank you me.) because she's got the most out there vocabulary of anyone i've ever even heard of.
(also the soundtrack kicks butt. it's a bunch of those cute folky mellow songs).

kate nash....rocks.
if you haven't listened to kate nash's Made of Bricks cd yet, i suggest doing that ASAP. i think she might even be better than lily allen. her lyrics are clever, witty and very truthful but her music is reallllly chill and upbeat when it needs to be (if that even makes sense). if you don't have anything yet i would suggest starting with Foundations, which was at the top of the british charts a lot this year.
killer lyric: you said i must eat so many lemons, cause i am so bitter. i said i'd rather be with your friends, mate, cause they are much fitter.

ok, well. bye then.

So this is Christmas!

2007-12-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

well, Christmas is in an hour and fifty four minutes, and as you all may have noticed, my supposed nine days of christmas turned into a one time 2007 summary. but whatever, if you haven't noticed that wheni say i'll update that that's a pretty much guaranteed that i wont, then i dont know if you actually read my blog. but oh well. the holiday season has been super hectic for the last few weeks with work and shopping and family gatherings, but i'll be back with a real post hopefully before the new year! i hope you all have a very very happy christmas :]

I'm Mrs. Oh My God That Britney's Shameless

2007-12-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

helloooo loves! well i kind of missed the boat on the twelve days of christmas (i couldn't really think of twelve categories anyway, let's just be honest. i'm pretty good at alliteration, but you've gotta draw the line somewhere.) so i'm going to modify it to the Ten Days of christmas! Since there are ten days left, here is day number 10.

2007's Ten Most Talked About Trends!
(in no particular order).

Rehab
From Amy Winehouse's [quite possibly] song of the year to Lindsay Lohan's soul searching journey, everyone has been talking about rehab this year! As posted about over at Discotheque Chic, it ain't never been hotter to check yo'self before you wreck yo'self. And, much thanks to Kate Moss and the negative hype swarming Amy and Pete, coke is soooo 2006.

Going on Strike!
Yes yes, we all miss the Office and all other non-reality shows dearly, and i'm still bummed i didn't get to see Wicked in New York, but good for these workers for standing up for their rights. Writer's and stagehands are as much a part of the show as the actors and actresses and they deserve to be treated like it.

Gone Green... be back soon.
If Barney's uses it as a campaign, I guess you can say that it's pretty trendy, right? The above pictures are the Holiday Barney's giftcards, but if that doesn't sell you on going green, join Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio and even Paris freakin' Hilton in their quests to make the world a better place (JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON PEOPLE)!

Female Singers
This year the chicas rocked the houssssssse, and they're really getting credit for it! Unlike the pop outbreak of the late 90s, these girls are actually talented.... most of them released CDs this year. And yes, you even see britney in that little collage, although she may not be the most respected, the girl knows how to get attention as a female recording 'artist.'

Disney Channel Stars
With Hannah Montana's blowout tour (which i got the chance to see this week... uh... MAZING!) with the Jonas Brothers and her hit TV show drawing in not only seven year olds but people of all ages, and High School Musical 2 and 3 coming out next summer, Disney Channel has never been succesful, and it's never been this hip to be a Disney Star.

Mug Shots!
Who needs photoshoots when you can have this many mugshots? After the first time, you really get a knack for making yourself look good in those crappy pixelated cameras as demonstrated by Paris Hilton. Plus, most of our favorite celebutantes (how i hate the word...) are far beyond their first time anyway...

Knocked Up?
Seriously, between the hilarious movie, the hit Kings of Leon song and all these baby bumps, I don't think I've ever seen this many pregnant people in my life. Baby Boom take 2?

Making an Idiot of Yourself!
I don't think I can count the number of times I've seen a celebrity vagina this year on one hand (well, at least the censor covering it, thank god.). Which is pretty ridiculous. And how many times does it take Paris to realize that someone will be taking pictures of the drunken stripping in public? Seriously girlies, catch on.... all publicity isn't good publicity.

Gossip Girl!
Just in time to pull you out of your Post-OC depression before it got toooo serious! Josh Schwartz is amazing, right? This show is full of ridiculously unrealistic drama, fashion, extravagence... OC style! So maybe there's no Marissa Cooper, but that Serena van der Woodsen seems like a good enough TV persona for me to get emotionally attached too...

Being Victoria Beckham!
I don't think I heard this much about Victoria Beckham when the Spice Girls were a band the first time and I religiously checked their website and bought all those Bookfair books about them.... She gets a lotta slack for being an arm accesory to David Beckham and a fembot and anorexic and whatnot, but I think she's pretty cool... i love her style, and honestly, who doesn't wish they could pull of that hair cut?

i'll hopefully be back with day nine mañana... until then, peace!

Same Old Story With A Different Name.

2007-12-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

So you may've seen the new PreFall Collections from Carolina Herrera, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Zac Posen, Dolce and Gabanna and Chanel on style.com or the immense amount of pictures at Emma Watson at almost every single one of them (the new generation of fembot?)... but was anyone else as disappointed by them as me? there was almost nothing new and original, i swear i'd seen it all before, except Zac Posen, because he never fails. Here's two quick recaps for ya'll.

Favorite:

Worst. Hate. Least Favourite is an understatement:

....uh, that's just gross.

and...

also, i've got a new playlist for you all to enjoy.
It's superlong because I don't plan on changing it for the rest of the year.
What I did was pick my favourite songs of the year that weren't off of my top 10 favourite albums because that's repetitive and you already know that I like the bands that I chose for my top 10 albums. So here it is:

Art Brut - "Pump Up The Volume"
off the album It's A Bit Complicated.
Beck - "Timebomb"
off the album Timebomb - Single
Bright Eyes - "Four Winds"
off the album Cassadaga
Charlotte Gainsbourg - "5:55"
off the album 5:55
CSS - "Alala"
off the album Cansei de Ser Sexy
Every Time I Die - "We'rewolf"
off the album The Big Dirty
Feist - "I Feel It All"
off the album The Reminder
The Hives - "Tick Tick Boom"
off the album The Black and White Album
The Jonas Brothers - "Games"
off the album The Jonas Brothers
Klaxons - "Golden Skans"
off the album Myths of the Near Future
The View - "Skag Trendy"
off the album Hats Off to the Buskers
Tegan and Sara - "Back In Your Head"
off the albums The Con
LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"
off the album Sound of Silver
Silverchair - "Straight Lines"
off the album Young Modern
Kanye West - "The Good Life"
off the album Graduation
M.I.A. - "Paper Planes"
off the album Kala
Maroon 5 - "Can't Stop"
off the album It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Maxïmo Park - "Girls Who Play Guitars"
off the album Our Earthly Pleasures
Radiohead - "Weird Fishes/Arpeggio"
off the album In Rainbows
Rooney - "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?"
off the album Calling the World
Shout Out Louds - "Tonight I Have to Leave It"
off the album Our Ill Wills
Spoon - "The Underdog"
off the album Gagagaga

PS!

next up will probably my christmas wishlist in books or cds, i'm not really too sure yet.... cheers!

Come On Boys, Let's Make Some Noise.

2007-12-07T12:40:00.001-08:00

So here they are, my favourite CDs of '07 in a dependant clause or less (don't act like you're not impressed...)

1. The Films - Don't Dance Rattlesnake
Winning Track: “Call It Off”
Upbeat dancey rock for fans of the Strokes.

2. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Winning Track: “The Bad Thing”
For people who got pleasantly stressed out listening to the brilliant chaos that was “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not...”

3. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Winning Track: “My Party”
Not a match for “Aha Shake Heartbreak” or “Youth and Young Manhood,” but a different and exciting [cough, more stadium] Kings sound.

4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Winning Track: “Intervention”
Innovative, fun and thoughtful, as expected.

5. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Winning Track: “Cigarettes, Wedding Bells”
Chill and pretty, perfect for relaxing and driving at night.

6. The Virgins - The Virgins EP 07
Winning Track: “One Week of Danger”
If you’ve ever wished that the Strokes would take Andy Gibb in, the Virgins are the band for you.

7. Rilo Kiley - Under the Black Light
Winning Track: “Close Call”
Much less eccentric than previous Rilo albums, but elegant and original.

8. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Winning Track: “Turn On Me”
You expected clever lyrics, dreamlike dancey music and a dash of self pity; the Shins delivered.

9. Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Winning Track: “No I In Threesome”
The most refined Interpol album yet.

10. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Winning Track: “Lover”
For those freak folk loving modern day hippies.

And this year was definitely my best EVER for concerts. Check out all these that I went to:
- Justin Timberlake + Pink

- John Mayer + Matt Kearney

- Pete Yorn

- High School Musical the Concert (shush, i've got a kid sister)

- Peter Bjorn and John + Au Revoir Simone

- Bright Eyes

- Kings of Leon!!

- Interpol

- The Fratellis + Switches

- Mickey Avalon, Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy

- Arctic Monkeys + Voxtrot

- Arcade Fire + LCD Soundsystem

ahh i hope next year is as good as this year was!

Also, i've been tagged by the lovely Modern Marie to share seven facts about myself, so here they are in case you're interested.

1. If you coudn't already tell, I am ridiculously obsessed with music. I have enough songs on my iTunes library to listen to for ten days straight, sans repeats. I've probably got at least 100 cds, not including what I've bought and downloaded. I lovelovelove going to shows, it doesn't even really matter if i like the band that much, I just love the atmosphere. And yes, I'm one of those that knows everything about every band I like, or at least I try to :]

2. I really like to write. Well, I guess this is also semi-obvious because I've got a blog and whatnot. But I also write for my school magazine, the Verve. I've written some pretty cool stuff, I guess you could say. And I've interviewed some awesome bands, like House of Heroes and the Slide Machine. I'm not really that big into creative writing, I do like some realistic fiction though when I can get a good plot created in my head. Usually that takes a lot of work, haha.

3. I have an unhealthy addiction to Urban Outfitters. At least 75% of all of my paychecks go there, I should really just ask them if they'd consider a direct deposit system for me... I try to make a trip at least twice a month, which is both good and bad. Good because I see the new stuff right when they put it out, bad because eventually I run out of money, and sometimes I buy stuff I don't like just because I feel like maybe it would look cool on somebody sometime.

4. I LOVE to read. Seriously. My favorite ones are the classics that we end up reading in english class... My very favorite is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but we're currently reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte, which I'm also quite fond of already. I also adore The Scarlet Letter, and The Catcher in the Rye. On my list of more modern junk are Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn, Audrey, Wait! (which comes out in April, look for it!), Gossip Girl, Harry Potter, and High Fidelity.

5. The only place I spend enough time in to even be considered my second home is Starbucks. I go there at least twice a week and just sit and hang out with people for like hours at a time. My favorite thing in the world is the simple non-fat, no-whip Mocha, but this christmas i'm a big fan of the peppermint Hot Chocolate, and Vanilla Lattes and Caramel Macchiatos are a good time as well. Plus, I always leave smelling like good coffee :]

6. I'm kind of obsessed with that whole L.A. Pop Culture thing, like The Cobra Snake and Cory Kennedy and Sarah Morrison (despite the fact that she moved to Philly, oh well.) and the club scene and MICKEY AVALON... you get the picture. I read Nylon and check the Cobra Snake obsessively to keep up on that junk, and I wear my Mickey Ave tshirt weekly... well... triweekly perhaps, but I met him once, and I'm sure when I look back on my life 90 years from now that will be one of the highlights.

7. I like TV and Movies a considerable amount, obviously, who doesn't? I don't really watch that much TV, but I need my Office fix at least a few times a week (thank god for season DVDs) and Gossip Girl. Movie wise, I could watch Almost Famous on repeat for the rest of my life and not complain.... and Josie and the Pussycats, but dont tell anyone about that! haha. But my very FAVORITE television show of the moment is The Mighty Boosh, which we don't get in America, so i've gotta watch it on the internet every day, which I would highly recommend to you, too! If you're anything like me, you'll be searching for Vince Noir Love facebook groups the second the first episode is finished.

and for those of you that iiiiii am going to tag:
-PlainJayne
-Tango Pirates and Absinthe
-Fashion Smashion
-10.17
-Ashcan Rantings

cheers to you if you actually read all that, adios!

Best Dressed 007

2007-12-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

ps. the double oh seven thing was a joke.

SO GUESS WHAT! Today's the day when you get to read all about my favorite person (well theres two; a dude and a chick, of course!) of the year. Most stylish? Yes. Most tasteful? Yes. Most wearing underwear? Yes. Well you get it, so.... brrrrrrrrrrrrrr (that's a drumroll, morons).

KIRSTEN DUNST!
(hence the new header, what do ya think?!)

this girl is a fashion genius, and in my opinion, lifestyle icon. she's great at what she does and she seems very down to earth.

plus, this year she had a super cute (well, unless you're on of thoseeeee johnny borrell haters) boyfriend, who is almost equally as stylish and trendy as miss kirsten herself.

here she exhibits one of the years hottest trends, menswear! gotta respect a girl that can pull off an outfit like that in such a feminine way, yes, i said respect.

kirsten's style seems very comfort oriented, with many comfy sweaters and tights, but she always looks very well put together, never sloppy. (note to self: learn how to achieve this look.)

here proving that your clothes dont have to be skin tight, and how to balance proportions! what a concept. if you wear skinnies on the bottom, wear something bigger to balance it out on top. genius. also wearing a superduper trendy scarf. can we get a scarfcount so far? 3.

this outfit is awesome. a day dress, trenchcoat and cowboy boots. i'm obsessed with boots. scarfcount: 4.

i like this outfit because it's very easily attainable and seems very very realistic to me, but she pulls it off with a personal originality by adding the scarf, wayfarers and vintage bag.

another with johnny, simple. grey sweater, black jeans, black boots. seriously dudes, boots add an originality and sense of toughness to any outfit. they rock the house.

this is one of my favorites of the year: i love the all black with the red plaid peeking out. it looks very chic and nonchalant.

comfy sweater, skinnies, flats, scarf, huge bag. what else does a girl need? oh right, sunglasses.

not only is she stylish, she's also quite clever at hiding herself from the paparazzi.

the ugg boots in this outfit can almost big forgiven thanks to the awesomeness of her jacket. scarfcount? 10.

you can't even really see her outfit in this picture, but she's with Fab Moretti and that's hip enough for me.

i love love love her coat.

ooh, a plaid?! and just LOOK at how unconventionally resourceful she is using something other than a purse for her dog.

more summary for those of you who live in eternal sunshine to take inspiration from: a small skirt and a big top.

another one of my favorites, i love the leather jacket and boots because she's just got such a feminine heir about her... it's not fair.

the girl even celebrates freakin' halloween in an original way.

very simple, very comfy. nuff said.

her jewel tones are nice, despite apparant drunken disorientation.

double baggage?! that's awesome in and of itself. add the boots and you know i'm sold.

wow, kudos for maing that sweatshirt look as un-lazy as possible.

i really love this dress, the pattern is AWESOME! and the blazer over it does functional wonders.

you gotta love a celeb that you see shopping for food more than clothes, right?

and last but certainly not least, my very favorite of the year. those tights are rockin, and the shoes are awesome!

Oh, so now I suppose you want to know all about my most stylish dude of the year too, right. Well fine, this time I'll spare you the mindless drumroll and just come out with it then.

JARED FOLLOWILL!
(the bassist of Kings Of Leon). It's not even just that Kings of Leon are my favorite band in the entire world and the fact that I absolutely adore him that biased this decision. The dude's been known for his love of Dior Homme and Chanel Couture for a while now, RESPECT ya'll. (i promise i'll try to stay as on topic as possible for the duration of the rest of this post...)

Jared Fashion Staple Número Uno: White V-Neck and Necklaces. Don't you wish more skinny boys would catch on to this trend?

Sweater and Fedora, all done in a nice, non-creepy-old-dude-who-wore-out-the-tanning-bed-in-Florida kind of way.

Gotta love a dude that can add a hint of rebelliousness to a sweater over a collared shirt. No idea who that dude on the right is, if it's you, HALLA.

Plaid Plaid Plaid Plaid. How clever.

I love the all black ensemble. The coat is cool in all it's pockety detail and... is that... a scarf?!

Gotta love a man that nows how to correctly accessorize.

Classy.

My favorite of his wardrobe, this coat is awesome. I love the print and the cut and everything.

I love boys in vests... that fit well and are accompanied by a vneck and skinny jeans.... and goodlooking face.

WHOAH how did that get there....

moving along, my favoritist Followill coat. and his anchor necklace is pretty rad as well.

faux-ponytail aside, this is one of my favorite looks. i love the striped shirt that's kind of purposely cut wrong and the vest. of course he wouldn't be a rockstar if he buttoned more than the first two buttons.

my heart skips a beat at this one every time. a dude in purple?! yowza. check the watch, too.

Honorable Mentions
1. Ashley Olsen
2. Keira Knightly
1. Kanye West
2. Jamie Burke

hope you enjoyed! next up will probably be best cds of the year or something, i'm not really sure yet! (oh yeah, thanks for all the feedback on the boots! they've grown on me!)

Boots!

2007-12-02T14:45:00.001-08:00

So I found some "reasonably" priced boots today at DSW....

please tell me HONESTLY what you think of the material? I really wanted smooth ones, but there was absolutely no way they were fitting around a pair of jeans and my leg haha. do you think the material is old-people-y at all? please honestly tell me :]

TOMORROW: get excited, best celebrity style icons of the year!

Once Upon A Time You Dressed So Fine

2007-12-01T18:44:00.001-08:00

Happy December! It's almost Chrissssstmas :]

Cutting to the chase:

Today I saw I'm Not There, that Bob Dylan biopic that's getting a bad rap. I actually thought that it was really, really good and very well done. It's not directly "about" Bob Dylan, per se, rather about many people who are all Bob Dylan in different aspects. There are like six or so different story lines, and honestly I really only like 4, tops, but the four that I did like were absolutely amazing. I would definitely recommend seeing it if you get the opportunity!

Because that's pretty much all of my exciting news for the moment, I'm going to entertain all of you with a lovely survey to cure my boredom. I stole it from the witty emma over at if you cant think of anything nice to say... and I hope that I can even come close to humouring you as she did me!

1. What’s your favorite children’s book?
Well, this is a tough question because there are many a type of children's book (as I have ever so conveniently learned from working at a children's bookstore). My favorite picture book is a tie between Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. They are both hilarious and feature ridiculously cute and witty main character animal cartoons.

Exhibit A: Pigeon.
This adorable little Pigeon (much cuter than those that hover the streets of New York City, I must say) convinces various people to let him do various forbidden activities using the popular arguements of the average four year old. There are three pigeon picture books... it's like the fun never ends.

Exhibit B: Scaredy Squirrel.
Scaredy Squirrel is a little neurotic squirrel who is afraid to leave his tree. He has a very routine schedule and doesn't like when things get off the plan, but of course he plans what he should do in these cases, just in case. There's also a sequel to this one. (Wow, perhaps I should start getting more concise with my answers.)

2. What’s your favorite type of cake?
I don't really like cake too much, as I got sick after eating it once at my confirmation... so I much prefer Cupcakes. Marble with a little bit of white icing and sprinkles, please!

3. What is the last song you listened to?
Welcome To the Jungle by Guns n Roses. I just beat Slash in a battle on Guitar Hero and I couldn't resist playing the encore at the show 8]

4. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says-
"but Tom interrupted her by shifting heavily in his chair."

5. What are your 3 best qualities?
Well. I like to think that I am pretty witty despite the fact that some selects disagree. I'm usually a good friend... and of course, I've got a rad taste in music.

6. Do you think you're a kind person?
Sure, I suppose. Unless you are unkind to me, or you wear Ugg boots and a jean skirt.

7. What color is your toothbrush?
It is blue and white with some green bristles and some white bristles. I bought it at target and wondered why it was $6.99, then I got home and brushed my teeth realizing that it was one of those cool electric ones that I've wanted since i was five... I was as happy as a kid watching a new disney channel original movie.

8. Who was your first TV crush?
Let's see.. well I think there were two around the same time.

First was Zack Morris. Who could resist that perfect blonde hair and boyish charm... plus he had a killer cell phone.

Then there was Uncle Jesse,my first officially rocker crush which I never told anyone about because he was like 30 and I was... oh, maybe six... But really, have mercy.

9. If you had to choose one celebrity couple to hang out with for the holidays, who would it be?
Can it be a fictional couple? Because I would definitely 100% pick PB&J. PAM BEASLEY AND JIM from the Office. I can only imagine how many brilliant facial expressions Jim would make at my extensive family at Christmas dinner.

10. What's your all-time favorite, most-repeated movie quote?
[After coughing]: I think I'm getting the black lung, Pop.

11. What was your least favorite class in school?
Was, eh? Well, I'm still there. And my least favorite class is, by far, Pre Calculus. I'm never going to need that crap.

12. What was the last thing that made you laugh uproariously?
Well, the last time I remember laughing so hard that I cried and not being able to even sit up straight was in New York: My family and I were at Balthazar's in SoHo and we were getting some breakfast... So my mom ordered a soft boiled egg because it was the only item on the menu with protein. So, the soft boiled egg arrived in the little cup/stand thing and my mom looked at it, confusedly, and asked my father, "How are you supposed to eat this?" to which my dad had no answer. She proceeded to smash the top in and dip the toast inside, causing it to overflow. Meanwhile two aged hipsters glared at us and laughed, only to have their soft boiled eggs arrive and realize that they had the same amount of knowledge about eating soft boiled eggs as us.

13. If you had to choose between a million bucks or the ability to fly, which one would you choose?
I'd take both by exploiting my flying skills on Ripley's Believe It or Not.

14. Where were you when 9-11 happened?
I was sitting at school, fifth grade to be exact, next to my friend Niyah and this announcement came on telling the teachers to check their emails. Me and Niyah immediately started conspiring as to what this mysterious email was about which resulted in us writing our names on the board and getting 15 minutes on the bench at recess.

15. What do you do when vending machines steal your money?
Well, I usually kick it and yell, pretty much anything in my ability to cause a scene. I cause so much of a scene that naturally I am either asked to check myself into an Anger Management course or else people are all so scared of me that they offer me a dollar to get my processed treat. Or else I shrug and walk away.

16. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
Well... nothing really. If I could, I would surgically attach my cell phone to my thumbs, though.

17. Can you change the oil on a car?
Not a chance.

18. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
I don't remember and I don't care to look, however, it most likely says something about my goodlooks and charm... i get those a lot.

19. Do you like to cook?
I like to bake, and I like to cook macaroni and cheese or other things that I deem simple enough for a five year old to make. I like making carry-out orders the most.

20. Would you rather wake up after surgery and find that they’ve accidentally given you Barbra Streisand’s nose or Dolly Parton’s breasts?
I would rather neither, but if I had to choose, I guess I'd go for Dolly's breasts (shush...you know what i meant). The idea of a nose job makes me want to vomit about half a centimeter more than Dolly Parton, so... there ya go.

21. What shampoo/conditioner do you use?
I don't know, something with a kiwi on the bottle that I think was stolen from a hotel... it was all I could find.... I should go buy some.

22. What are you wearing?
A tshirt advertising the Strokes and a nice pair of slacks. I'm kidding, never use the word slacks unless you're sixty or over. I'm wearing Jeans.

23. What kind of bear is the best?
That's a ridiculous question. FALSE! Black Bear. Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica.

Too Bad Dwight K. Schrute doesn't have a celebrity girlfriend or else they'd fo sho be my answer to number nine.

24. What do you think of this quiz?
"Does this quiz make me look fat?"

25. What’s the last book you finished?
Well, I finished 'The Turn of the Screw' for school over Thanksgiving break. It was pretty lame for a school book, which I usually like a lot. (No sarcasm, honest!) It was too plot intense, I didn't care for the characters at all. Since then I've been reading Valley of the DOlls.

26. What fictional character is most like you?
Well, there's probably like a million, but I'll go with my top two).
First, there's Holden Caulfield (my brilliantly sarcastic hero) from the Catcher In the Rye.. Well, surely I'm not as mentally crazy as he is, well maybe I am, but shh. And I'm not a dude, but other than that, we've got quite similar qualities, and I like to use the term Roller Skate Skinny, too.

Next, there's Opie from Almost Famous. He's basically me in dude form. Exhbit A: Excessive interest in journalism at a young age. Exhibit B: Overall fasination with rock star culture. Exhibit C: Pulls everything off, despite extreme naïvity and lack of experience.

27. Do you like to dance?
Sometimes. Not really so much when anyone can see me... and none of that Soulja Boy business.

28. What did you have for dinner LAST NIGHT?
BD's Mongolian Barbeque, nutritious and delicious stir fry. What's not to love?

29. What’s your favorite painting?
I love everything by Andy Warhol, and I've always had a fond-ness for this one:

30. If you could have any hair in the world, what kind would you want?
Mine.

alright well...goodbye, then.

New York City; la la land.

2007-11-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

I HAVE RETURNED! for real.

so i just got back from New York City (for the first time in my life!) and it was uh-maze-ing. obviously. i did the usual stuff; we did a tour, and lots and lots of shopping with a stop at the MoMA.

we ate a lot in a lot of nice places. like ellens stardust diner, delicioso! we went there for thanksgiving, and the waiters are all aspiring broadway-ees, so they sing! its awesome.

we went to little italy for the paul frank store, which turned out to be ridiculously smaller than expected and full of Julius tshirts, which was kind of disappointing. i hoped to see more of their un-monkey clothes. we ate in little italy too... i can't remember what the place was called though.

our hotel was right across the street from the church of scientology, which was busily getting decorated for Tom Cruise.. i mean Christmas. I ended up with a bunch of nice 'literature' from them about psychological testing and logical likenesses.

there were a lot of these types of advertisements. i like them.

my mother informed me that we weren't going to have time to see the Hotel Chelsea.... which saddened me mucho. BUT! On the last day we were in a cab going to the village or something and my dad cleverly saw the neon sign out the window. i was v. v. excited and really got quite a view for the five seconds we went passed it. i cleverly thanked the cab drivier for slowing down to let me take pictures, and then realized he was stopping at a red light.

we went shopping a lot there. mostly in soho, and on fifth avenue. black friday was surprisingly dead... and there weren't that many sales? but that's ok. i got an awesome bcbg sweater regular $140 for $48 at bloomingdales which i was preettty freaking stoked about. also there's an urban outfitters like every time you turn around, so i bought some tops there (even though i visit the local one weekly and the goods were quite similar).

this is what i bought: the first thingy is a vest smocky thingy. it's got a cool pattern and it's soft. the second is just a comfy sweater which i enjoy. the third is a cool tshirt sweater with a back hole!! so cool. and the fourth i didn't actually buy because i felt it was ridiculously over priced, but it's really really cute!

also, if i had a dollar for every person in flat brown knee high boots, i'd be a bajillionaire. i'm basically obsessed with them, but i have yet to find a [what i deem] reasonably priced pair. i'm going to have to splurge, but i have a feeling i'll get my money's worth of wear from them!

and finally, i updated my music player for those of you who never want to hear the song Last Dance With Mary Jane ever ever EVER again. now it's:
1. The Virgins - Rich Girls
2. Seahorse - Devendra Banhart
3. Ode To LRC - Band of Horses
4. Nothing Changes Round Here - The Thrills
5. Black Shoes - The Films

Also, if I could just give you one piece of musical advice... BUY THE VIRGINS EP 07. it's absolutely phenomenal. they're the best band to come out of new york since the strokes, i swear it!

well december starts my lists of the best of 2007, so i'll surely be writing agains soon as i quite like lists.... au revoir!

i'm not dead.

2007-11-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

i didn't drop off the face of the earth. i've been superbusy. im going to new york and i'll have a post when i get back :]

I've Just Seen A Face

2007-09-30T07:37:00.001-07:00

Hi! I'm sorry it's been more than a week, that's just crazy. But I feel like this is a pretty good post to make up for it. Forgive me please :)

Last night we FINALLYFINALLYFINALLY saw Across the Universe. And let me emphasize the 'finally' because we are obsesive beatlemania girls still and we've been waiting for this movie to finally come out for about six months. it was AMAZING. we really had low expectations because our hopes were so high, but it exceded all hopes and expectations.

As if the beatles music and plot weren't good enough... let's throw Jim Sturgess in the mix. He has to be one of the most beautiful people to walk the planet. And his accent. And his poetic thoughts. Gah, i think I died a little bit when the movie was over and realized he wasn't forever haha. Also, Evan Rachel Wood wasn't nearly as creepy as I remembered her to be. Which I was greatful for, she is such a great actress and was perfect for the part.

However, it was kind of long and I feel like some of the acid scenes could have been cut out. They were entertaining, but a bit excessive and kind of creepy.

I would also definitely recommend the soundtrack, which I am going to buy today when Best Buy opens precisely at noon. I have been listening to Jim Sturgess' beautiful voice sing I've Just Seen A Face on repeat for all the hours I've been awake since I got home last night. Swoooooon.

In other goodlookin dudes news.... I went to a John Edwards rally on Friday night and that dude is rockin. That's all I have to say. He definitely has my support for the 08 election.

Shopping news. WOOO. I bought this dress yesterday at Forever 21... and it's exactly what I've been wanting since I saw the Nanny Diaries. It will look very cute with slouchy boots and a cute jacket! I'm excited to wear it this week. Forever 21 is really the place to go for cute dresses because they're very cute and very cheap. And they have this newish line thing called Heritage 1981 with a lot of vintagey but not too vintagey clothes. Go check it out.

Also!!!! I FOUND THESE AT URBAN OUTFITTERS. oh my goodness, I was so freakin excited. I've wanted brass knuckles since (you're really going to laugh and I could probably get beat up regardless of the fact that I have brass knuckles for saying this but...) I saw Hilary Duff wearing them in the Why Not music video that came out circa the Lizzie McGuire movie. That was like 5 years ago, and I finally found some and I'm so stoked.

Also, my Cobra Snake tshirt came, it was blue. Not my first choice, but much better than orange, let me tell ya. And the stickers are uh maze ing.

But that's all because I have no money left to go out of the house anymore. Except to buy the soundtrack of course.... :)

adois!

An Empty Room Can Be So Loud

2007-09-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hey. Wow. Sorry, that didn't seem like a week at all. Well i mean it did because school makes everything go by slower, but dang. Homework and work and having a life. This school thing sucks.

Anyway.... I forgot to write one of my articles for Journalism this week, when asked why I replied "...It's fashion week."

Usually I like more reserved and classy stuff, but this season I'm really feeling the rockstar vibe, and I loved the bright colors. Here are some of my favorites:

Anna Sui

L.A.M.B.

Betsey Johnson

I haven't really had a chance to look through everything like I've wanted to yet. But maybe this weekend I will.

P.S. Today I ordered my cobra snake tshirttttt :] i'm ecstatic. they're rockin this time. the only downside is that i couldn't chose what color I wanted, so of course I'll probably end up with orange or something.

Annnnd I bought the Jonas Brothers cd (go ahead and scoff), because I'm going to see them when they come with Hannah Montana (i have a little sister.... yeah. that's why i'm going. not like i still watch disney channel or anything.) and i'm not going to lie, i'm really excited. And the CD is pretty catchy. SOS is still my favorite, but they're like the hanson of the future, and i still love me some mmmbop.

well. i guess that's it for now. i'll try to start writing more but honestly i keep forgetting after school! :[

Oh!! Also! I saw Arctic Monkeys last tuesday. and they were amazing and my love for Alex Turner continued!

Me Likey.

2007-09-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Erg... I don't know how a week went by. But school has been intense. I had like five projects and tests this week. blaghhslkjfadhfkja. I dont really have anything to say. Except that I'm in love love love with Elizabeth and James, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's contemporary new line. I haven't been able to find much of the Row, but from what I can tell, E&J is more "affordable" and real-life fitting.

As we all know, i love plaid.

If i was a 00 I would buy those shorts... now.

pretty pretty.

oh clothes. how i've missed buying you since summer.

ooooh and im also obsessed with my new blackjack

it's fun and small and light and fast and awesome.
if anyone knows how to get music on this thing without actually connecting it to the computer, enlighten me.

All the gold dust in her eyes won't reform into rain

2007-09-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hiiiiiii
So I found out I am, indeed, supposed to pass on the Rockin' Girl Blogger award on to five other Rockin' Girl Bloggers! So here goes...

1 The Weekly Blogette
2 Plain Jayne
3 Discotheque Confusion
4 C.B.*
5 Fashion Fleur

They are all fabulous in my book :]
(If I tagged you, you get to tag 5 new people that haven't been tagged yet!)

Anywhoo...

Tonight I went to go see The Nanny Diaries and it was uh-maze-ing. It was about a zillion times better than the book (I assume, because I never actually got that far into the book). It was so funny and happy and sad and everything and it made me kind of want to be a nanny but kind of not. Just go see it.

Also Scarlett Johansson looked great in the movie. Although the fashion was a bit dated (it was filmed more than a year ago and production pushed the release date back a couple times) she still looked cute. The first picture I love because she pulled of plaid correctly, yay. Her boots were great in the second picture. The third outfit, though, is my absolutely favorite. The dress was so pretty and the chucks made it nanny-casual.

The soundtrack was also pretty good. It featured LDN by Lily Allen and Closer by Josh Radin. I am now back into a Josh Radin phase...he is sad and happy at the same time. Fitting for the movie then, eh?

Paix for now :]

P.S. I updated the playlist on the right. Now it doesn't autostart, and it should shuffle so you don't have to listen to the same song every time you visit!

Here's what's on it
-Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty
-No Cars Go - Arcade Fire
-Everything's Just Wonderful - Lily Allen
-Barely Legal - The Strokes
-Samson - Regina Spektor
-Wicker Chair - Kings of Leon
-Love Hurts - Incubus
-Sad Song - Au Revoir Simone

Excuse Me, Was You Sayin' Somethin?

2007-08-31T17:33:00.000-07:00

Hey! So now it's le weekend and I should finally have the time to make some real posts.

First of all, I want to thank the lovely Modern Marie for giving me a Rockin' Girl Blogger Award

I'm not sure how it works. I think I'm maybe supposed to nominate some others, but I don't know yet. I'll surely keep you updated :]

neeext:

A little birdie let me in on Kanye's new CD, Graduation. It drops on September 11. I'll be buying it and I recommend that you do too! It is absolutely brilliant and a lot different from his other stuff but still so so so good.

The Kissaway Trail Myspace
I read about them in British hipster magazine Clash. I was intrigued by their keen fashion sense and goodlooks and decided I liked them before I'd even heard them. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they sound like a mix of The Shins and the Shout Out Louds with a dash of the Strokes.

Moving out of music news and onto local news:

You may have heard that a kid from Hilliard Davidson High School (Hilliard, Ohio) set up an AWESOME prank at the football game against the other Hilliard high school, Hilliard Darby. The kid dressed up like a Darby student and asked all the Darby fans to hold up signs that they were led to believe said "GO DARBY," but it really ended up spelling out "WE SUCK." props to pranks that don't harm anyone.
watch the genius here!

Another youtube video that I'm quite obsessed with right now

The Hipster Olympics.
Watch it and laugh your face off.

And Now all the fashion news!

I'll start off with Chloe Sevigny

She's starting a fashion line that will debut at fashion week.
"CHLOE SEVIGNY is well known in fashion circles for her ability to nail the trickiest of trends on the red carpet - and now the former Imitation of Christ creative director is dusting off her design skills with a collection for new label, Opening Ceremony. The hip Manhattan boutique is branching out with its own-name collection - set to debut at next month's New York Fashion Week - and Sevigny has reportedly been working closely with the store's founder, Humberto Leon, and "a few friends" to get the collection spot on in time for its September 10 showcase, according to WWD. Although Sevigny's camp haven't let slip what we can expect from the line, our money's on an accomplished collection of quirky, one-off and vintage-inspired pieces."
Source: Vogue. Get Excited people :]

Next... plaid

This year, I am really a big fan of plaid. At my last trip to Urban Outfitters, I noticed that there wasn't as wide a selection at the store as online. I tried on the third shirt (you know, the one with the giant X through it) and a lady I didn't even know told me I looked like a lumberjack. To prevent you from looking like a lumberjack, I am going to give you 2 simple plaid-buying tips.
1- Buy a longer plaid
2- Buy straight up plaid, none of that glitter-threaded-in junk.

Also, I saw this dress

It's beautifully androgynous, dontcha think?

And lastly for the Green news.

I love Urban Renewal. So much. Clothes+Recycling. What could be better? And the clothes are actually really really cute.

Well, since it's the weekend I will probably be writing again soon :]
Paix.

Tonight I Have to Leave It

2007-08-29T17:37:00.000-07:00

So school is...going. You know. The obsessions aren't really flowing like they do in the summer, but it's alright you know. Maybe it's just the transition phase.

Tonight I think I'll just post this kickin music videos I'm in love with lately. Some of them are official, some of them are not. But I love them either way.

Online Videos by Veoh.com
Incase you haven't noticed, I'm completely obsessed with this song. Shout Out Louds are coming here soon, and I really really want to go, but I'm already tied to Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem and the father and mother don't like me going to lots of concerts. Persuasion technique tips would be appreciated :]

The Shins, Sleeping Lessons. This song is so dreamlike and the video is too. Who doesn't love the Shins, right? I can't figure out how to embed it. So here is a link where you can watch it!

This is the Arcade Fire's "Intervention" which I personally think is one of the best songs ever made. It's a fan made video but it's particularly moving.

I love the Kooks. They rock and this music video is pretty simple but still completely lovable. I love boys in bands. All of them haha.

I love this song so much. It's one of the few that I actually loved off of Icky Thump. The music video isn't standoutish but the song is!

Thinkin Bout That High School Dance

2007-08-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Gah. Back to school explains my lack of postage yesterday despite my promise for a good post. Super stressin. I don't really have that much to do when I'm at home, but school makes things overwhelming. The Strokes' song Between Love and Hate is perfect right now.

Watched her as she wiped her eyes;
You don't make me sorry. Now I know
That you never listened - Listen.
Thinking about that high school dance
Worrying about the finals
Yes I know
You're feeling lonely
Oh lonely, so lonely.

The Strokes make everything better!

Here's a few of my daily likes:

"Semi Formal Rock and Roll"
That is how Rolling Stone described Rilo Kiley in their latest issue which features a spread about their eclectic hipster style and their new album, Under the Blacklight. And it's true. Jenny Lewis is the cutest most freakin stylish person on the planet. She talks about her love for high waisted jeans before they became trend and thrifting. And the other members of Rilo Kiley actually get focused on too. Usually they are overlooked because Jenny tends to steal the spotlight, but it cured my fashion+music fix for the day. Pick up Rolling Stone and read it, yo!

Clark and Michael
Michael Cera is adorable and funny and this internet show of his is hilarious. With his real life friend Clark Duke (you've seen him as Rusty's roommate on Greek), they document their life with personally paid camera men. I love them both.

Blah. My apologies but that's all for today. I'm thinking now that school is starting it's going to be harder to post so they will either be shorter posts, or else less frequent but longer :\ I'm not sure how I feel about that, so I'm going to try to work it out as best as I can!

It's Like Ra-ee-ain.

2007-08-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Helloo. Today was eventful (not really) so I'll get right to the goods!

Tornados
I actually don't love tornados, but it just so happens that we had one today in Ohio. Exciting, exciting. I was at Urban Outfitters but the weather was too bad to drive home, so we ended up sitting in Starbucks for like two hours. It was pretty awesome.

As I said, I went to Urban Outfitters today. I didn't get much because I was just there last weekend but here's what I got:

Vintage-y Cigarette Case
I read in Marie Clare that Ashley Olsen uses a Vintage Cigarette Case as a wallet, so I bought a vintage cigarette case to look like a wallet ("I saw Regina George wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops" ... call it!). It's really pretty and it holds everything I need it to. It's great and I am really, really obsessed with it. I've been showing it off to everyone I've seen.

New Notebooks
The DJ one is my favorite, but school is too soon for even the prettiest of notebooks to make it any better.

Some Acid Wash Jeans
I tried on those red and purple skinny jeans that I wanted oh so much, but I felt like Richard Simmons, so I opted for the next funkiest thing. There's a really nifty zipper on the bottom, which is awesome because im short so they don't look stupidly long.

Cool Snake Bracelet!
This is the coolest piece of jewelry ever. It's gorgeous, but Katie talked me out of it. She hates snakes. Boo.

Moving on to a pretty similar obsession:

Urban Outfitters + ________
In case you haven't noticed, Urban Outfitters has been teaming up with my favorite things, NYLON magazine and the Cobra Snake. I love the Nylon+UO thing, especially the pull out Plastiscines catalog that came in the August issue of Nylon. It's quite inspirational. And I'm not really sure how the Cobra Snake thing is going to work, I think he's just shooting a Look Book for UO, but I'm sure it can't be bad. I love, love love, love love love the Cobra Snake.

Speaking of pictures from the cobra snake....

I want a headband like the one that girl is wearing. They were $12 at UO, which I thought was a bit steep for a braided piece of fabric, but now that I think about it, I'm probably not going to find much cheaper.... ideas? :]

I also saw this really adorable raccoon pillow. It's the cutest.

In music news:

I have officially crowned Cameron Matthew Followill my favorite King of Leon. To you this may seem like nothing, but trust me it is a big deal. I used to worship Jared.

And as if we didn't need another reason to love Chloe Sevigny:

Her spread in this month's Bazaar is ridiculously dope. It's titled "They Tried to Make Me Go To Rehab," and you can see it all here.

To finish it off, I have an opinion question and I'd like as much input as you all are willing to give :]

I love these old school Nike's, but I have numerous reasons for not buying them [yet]. I feel like I can't wear them with much. I also feel like I can't wear them without looking like a scene kid. What do you think?

That's all for now. I'll try to make tomorrow's post good because it's the last day of summer!

It's My Role, It's My Soul

2007-08-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

Quite exciting finds today, I'd say. First I'll start with more new music.

This week Kings of Leon (!!!!!) and Ben Kweller both released Live CDs on iTunes. In case you didn't know (and I don't know how you would know... but) Kings of Leon are my very favorite band of all time EVER. So as you can tell, I am quite excited about this. They are completely amazing live and if you ever get the chance to see them you should. If you don't predict seeing them anytime, you should buy this Live From SoHo release on iTunes. As for Ben Kweller, he's in my top five of all time, so Ben Kweller:Live and Solo at the Artist's Den is pretty dope too.

More random music news, due to Barry Bonds' Homerun record-breaking, Kanye West has released a song cleverly titled 'Barry Bonds.' It's kind of a random excuse to release a song, but the song is pretty rad in my opinion. But for me, Kanye can do no wrong.
Download Barry Bonds

Also, today I made the stupid, stupid decision to pay the Anthropologie website a visit. "Oh, I'll just look. I won't get emotionally attached to anything," I thought. I was severly wrong. This is what I found (I used my self control and didn't even look at clothes after I checked shoes and accesories):

The first pair is my favorite girly-semi-spinoff of Oxfords that I've seen so far, and the second pair is just undeniably cute.

I didn't even look at the price on this because I was so sad that I couldn't have it. It has to be the coolest ring ever! I love owls and apparently they're so it this season. I want this pretty freakin bad!

And then I made my daily visit (no joke) to Urban Outfitters and found this beauty:

I am absolutely in love with it, but I'm afraid I'd never be able to pull it off because my legs are not sticks and I would be so sent home if I ever tried to wear it to school. But it's gorgeous and I want it anyway, even if it doesn't fit and I'll never wear it.

My sister has also been getting school clothes like mad lately, and today she got the cutest dress:

It's from Boden and I think that I might get one for me and alter it a bit. It would look so cute witih a sweater and tough boots. Plus, I'm thinking since it's a kids dress and I am not a kid it will end up being a lot shorter than it is on that girl, which makes it even better.

Tomorrow is Friday, so I think I'll go garage sale-ing, which I decided doesn't count as shopping. Just being a friendly neighborA ;] If I find anything, you'll surely be informed!

It's A Timebomb Ticking, Going.

2007-08-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

It really set in today that summer is pretty much over. I went to pick up my schedule, and it looks like I'll be spending most of my time in the English wing, which is good :] I also started summer reading (finally, right?), but I'm convinced that Catch22 is the most boring book ever. But what can you do? ...oh yeah, Sparknotes!

Oh, and as you can see, I added an mp3 player over there on the right because that Last.FM thing wasn't really working out. Here's the playlist (it goes in order, and I guess you have to listen to the songs all the way through? Sorry.)
1. Shout Out Louds - Tonight I Have to Leave It
2. Plastiscines - Loser
3. The Decemberists - L.A.
4. Rooney - When Did Your Heart Go Missing?
5. Tokyo Police Club - Nature of the Experiment
6. The Films - Good Day
7. Paramore - Born for This
8. Feist - My Moon My Man
9. Rilo Kiley - Close Call
10. Masha Qrella - Destination Vertical

So I'm going to start out with new music obsessions!

Beck - Timebomb Single download
I've been a fan of Beck for a while now, and I was kind of disappointed by the Information but this song is so upbeat and catchy that it makes up for all of that disappointment.

Rilo Kiley - Under the Black Light
Rilo Kiley has held a place near to my heart since seventh grade when I first discovered the Frug (who didn't LOVE that song?). I was expecting something more acoustic-y I think, but this album is pretty keyboardy. Usually I don't dig when bands do unexpected things, but I absolutely adore this album. Go buy it. But sample some first:
Silver Lining and Close Call

Moving right along.... There's this brilliant bakery in Old Dublin called Our Cupcakery and they make delicious cupcakes, cakes, etc. But NOW! they have what they call a Cupcake Bar where you can make your own cupcakes!

The steps are simple and they have many choices. First you pick your cake flavor (chocolate, vanilla, marble, etc.) and then the frosting (the basics, but then Raspberry, Cream Cheese and a couple others) and then you pick from the abundance of toppings (see picture dos). There's no limit, but they do weigh your cupcake for pricing, and I hear they are starting a wall of heaviest cupcake record-holders. Go check them out!

Paris Je'Taime
Recently I saw Paris Je'Taime and most of the time I'm not a fan of the subtitled foreign fillm thing (as glamorous as it is) because I don't have the attention span to read and watch at the same time. But! Paris Je'Taime was amazing. 18 different films about romance in Paris. Some are happy, some are sad and some are kind of weird, but they're all short so if you don't like one that's ok. It wil be over shortly. I don't know if it's even playing in theaters anymore, but I would definitely recommend watching it when it comes out on DVD.

And finally..

The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency Says Goodbye to Fur!
All I have to say about this is Yay! We should love animals, not wear them :]

That's all for now. Have a beautiful day!

Hey. I Put Some New Shoes On...

2007-08-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of postage in the last three days. I haven't really been busy. But I haven't really had anything exciting to write about either. But now I have new and exciting things to post because I went shopping :] YAY.

So first of all, my new favorite store is the Emporer's Newest Clothes. It's in Grandview and it's affordable and adorable. I would make a whole paragraph about it, but it has no website. Instead, I will make a paragraph about what a bought there:

The first top is by CeCiCo and the second Piko1988. I can't find anything else by these designers anywhere so if anyone knows anything about them, please tell me! They were both $29, which was a pretty good deal, I'd say.

Then I bought some shoes...

Oh how I love mocassins, and these are the comfiest mocassins EVER. Minnetonka will save your feet.

These are from Urban Outfitters, I bought them a couple weeks ago, but I haven't really worn them much since it's August. Also, I don't really know what to wear them with. Any suggestions would be faaaaabulous.

So, much thanks to Plain Jayne, I have discovered Kate Hudson as Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby is my favorite book of all time and I LOVE when my favorite things are combined. The Great Gatsby+Fashion, what could be better? I recall Interview doing a Scott and Zelda fashion spread (based on F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda's lavis lifestyle) a couple months ago, but this one definitely takes the cake. I am ecstatic and can't wait to get a copy and hang all of it on my walls.

And finally. These amazing post its (I really, really, really like post its, okay?)

They're by Galison and they come in, like, six different prints. I want them all, but I love the Urban Houndstooth the most. The variety of sizes is awesome because sometimes you just don't need a whole 4x4 post it and sometimes you need more than that. They're convenient and cutee and they fit in your purse without getting ruined.

That is all for now, but hopefully I'll be finding things to be obsessed with more frequently :]

The Choice Is Yours

2007-08-18T20:14:00.001-07:00

Hello! I've had a semi-eventful couple of days. Yesterday I went to see Knocked Up for the second time because we couldn't get anyone to take us to SuperBad. It was amazing again. Today I worked all day and went to see Rich Meaty Taste + Taylor play their lovely music. It was fabulous and, as always, a good time.

So I guess you want the obsessions, eh? Well then.

Pretty Little Mistakes website
Remember choose your own destiny novels from elementary school? Well if you liked those as much as I did then this is the book for you. Heather McElhatton has created the ultimate choose your own destiny novel for adults. There are 150 endings and you can bet that I'll be re-reading this one until I get to each and every one of them. The book is quite realistic, with seemingly dramatic consequences that I suppose one might call reality. I will definitly be obsessed with this book for more than one day.

Cool Rings buy
My favorite accesory for fall is certainly an abundance of interesting and gorgeous rings. I'm not into spending a boatload of money on them because it's inevitable that I'll leave them or drop them somewhere never to be seen again, but stores like Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters really have great rings for pretty reasonable prices (especially Forever 21 in the price department). I love gold with black stones, but my absolute favorites are ones with intricate or interesting designs carved into them. I would also recommend wearing more than one [small] ring on one finger. It's my new favorite way to accesorize.

The Bloomsbury Loft website
I was in Powell yesterday with my mom just walking around and going into cute little stores (there are many of them there, I must say) but the Bloomsbury Loft definitly stood way way out. It reminds me exactly of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette due to its mix of vintage and new finds. There are great fabrics, furniture, accessories, and all around knick knacks that I honestly think you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. My personal favorite things were the abundance of vintage sewing patterns (I'll buy these and pretend I know how to sew my own clothes), board games and...stuff (vintage pool balls, clothes pins, postcards, etc). And I'm adding a one of a kind vintage chandelier to my Christmas Wishlist (yes, already).

Andre. It's the Legacy.

2007-08-16T19:15:00.001-07:00

I slept for like 13 hours today, but I'm still tired. Not sleeping is a better alternative! But no worries, in between excessive amounts of sleep and a few hours of work I found time to do some internet back to school window shopping (see that works for the internet too because of the application windows). Just supplies this time, believe me though, there will be a big post about my back to school clothes obsession. These things make me super excited to go back to school.

Emotional Post Its buy
They make required reading fun!

Pretty Notebooks buy
They even have graph paper pages, so I can look forward to using them in [much dreaded] Chemistry.

Scented Pens buy
Juvenile? Perhaps. Entertaining? Definetly.

Cool Pens! buy
I love to write, and writing with cool pens makes it even better.

Dyslexic Speedreaders myspace
Individually I love Mickey Avalon, Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy, but together the possibilities are freaking ENDLESS. They haven't really put out an album together, but they have been touring together for quite a while now and I got the chance to see them a couple weeks ago and it was easily the best show I've ever been to. I even met them afterwards and hey're all super nice and talented in a weird way. This is just more proof that I belong in L.A.

I Like Your Sundress

2007-08-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today I drove downtown to the record shop, and go figure, they didn't have Plastiscines. But I did find some free Fratellis stickers, which is always good. We tried to sneak into Knocked Up at the Dollar Theater, tried being the key word. We bought tickets to Spiderman3, which was the last theater on the right, and of course Knocked Up was the first theater on the left. Because of all the madness, I only have one new obsession, which was the awesome mix cd Jaymie burned for us when we went downtown.

Since there's not really too much information I can give you to back up my obsession with this lovely mix cd, I'm going to let you experience it for yourself! Here are some highlights
Penny on the Train Track - Ben Kweller
Stella - Interpol
Shoot the Runner - Kasabian
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House - LCD Soundsystem
I Gotcha - Lupe Fiasco

enjoyyyy :]

Does Anybody Remember Laughter?

2007-08-13T17:49:00.001-07:00

So today I worked all day, which in most cases would mean that I didn't find much to be obsessed with. HOWEVER, work was slow, so I had a lot of time to think. And read NYLON.

Today's Highlights:

The Nerd Herd are you superbad?
Is anyone else as SUPERPUMPED for SUPERBAD as I am? Judd Apatow is seriously the single best thing that has happened to comedy in the past ten years, and I hope, hope, HOPE superbad is as freaking hilarious as it looks. This Nerd Herd, as I have cleverly coined them [ok, so journalists everywhere have probably been using this term for a good two years now], has been responsible for most of my "Shoot, I think I just peed a little from laughing too hard" moments this summer. Knocked Up, anyone? That movie was freaking genius. Anchorman? Yes, I do know every word. Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd (my personal favorite) are the best out there, and that's all I have to say about that.

Raquel Zimmermann
I can't say I really know too much about Raquel Zimmerman, except that she is gorgeous and the new Jessica Stam.

The Horrors the new thing
So. These Horrors fellows that you've been reading about since last December actually turned out to be exactly what I expected. They sound like the Ramones+some synth and dance-iness. All the songs aren't that great, but I've listened to a couple of them at least five times today. She Is the New Thing and Count In Fives get are catchy catchy and I can't stop listening to them. Literally. Check out that recently played thing over there on the right.
See For Yourself. Download Count In Fives

That's all for now. Surely more obsessions will arise tomorrow, as I have no work and no plans. Yet.

I'm Gettin Bored Of Bein Bored.

2007-08-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

So, starting a blog has been on my list of things to do for about two years now. I clearly missed the boat as many people have become famous through their blogs, and my freaking mom even has a fairly popular one. But that's alright.

Here's a quick explanation: On a daily basis I find new things to be obsessed with (bands, tv shows, models, magazines, overall fabulous people, etc.) and then I forget about them the next day. These are mental notes to myself and people who, for some reason, want to share my random, eccentric interests.

Today I Became Obsessed With

The Rock Life on Vh1 Check It Out
I really had no intentions of getting myself hooked on yet another show at the end of summer, but I could hardly contain myself when I was flipping through channels and heard Jane Fonda playing in the background of an L.A. montage. As if I wasn't completely fascinated by L.A. culture enough, right? So this show follows Cisco Adler and his band Whitestarr as they try to make it big with a new album. Cisco is fascinatingly professional and outrageous. One minute he's pissed because they haven't made a good business impression with their manager and the next he's got his package all over the internet because of a riot he started at a show. The whole band moves in together to create this masterpiece album, and I'm really, really curious as to what they'll come up with. This show basically combines my love for LA and almost rockstars, plus it gave me a new favorite quote: "It's either cry or party. So, we're going to party, right?"

Plastiscines So Go Listen Already
Honestly, I find a band on Myspace, or in Nylon or elsewhere that I think is really going to be my next phase at least once a day. But, I haven't like an all girl band since the Donnas (and we don't like to talk about that). Their debut CD, LP1, came out in July, I haven't bought it yet, but I'm sure I'll make a stop at the record shop on the way home from work tomorrow. They have serious potential to make my list of Top 10 favorite bands due to their original mix of rock and semi-50s ish jams. Plastiscines are upbeat, fun, and [not to sound sexist, butttt] they play their instruments like dudes. Talented dudes at that.

I suppose those are my only two obsessions of the day, which is quite out of character. But I'm sure there will be much much more where that came from.