In Miu Miu Heaven

I've been eye-ing these beautiful Miu Miu booties in magazines and if someone wished to buy them for me, I don't think I would have the heart to stop them.

You Think They're Cooler Than Me?

What I've recently realized is that men's departments have way cooler graphic t-shirts than the women's. Apparently only males can be cool, females just get to sport slogans like "Whatever", "LOVE", or better yet, a giant flower. Then if the image is cool, they have to put a v-neck, or a scoop neck, or anything to make it more feminine. This annoys me greatly because while I still love to look feminine, sometimes I need a cool t-shirt, is that too much to ask? I got this Notorious Big shirt in the men's department at Urban Outfitters because the women's t-shirts just weren't cutting it. I paired the shirt with black faux leather shorts from Urban Outfitters, a faux fur cheetah print coat, tights, and black booties by Steve Madden.

Winter is Here and Fur is Back!

I've waited so many months for it to be remotely cold enough to wear my fur (fake of course) pieces again and the time has finally come. I'm wearing my faux fur vest with a black and white striped Stylemint t-shirt, red corduroy pants from Nordstrom B.P., black booties, Jewelmint earrings, and ring.

Identity Crisis

This outfit was a bit confusing to many, "You look like a bird", "You look like a witch", "you look like you're from 'Flashdance'"(how that last one works, I have no idea.) But sometimes that happens, I but on an outfit, look at myself in the mirror and realize that it's a little weird and sometimes a little crazy, but what's fashion if you don't confuse, scare, or even offend some people occasionally? (I'm wearing an American Apparel cropped shirt, black skirt from Nordstrom B.P., blue 'bomber' jacket from H&M, black lace-up boots from Urban Outfitters, feathered earrings, Jewelmint silver and gold rings, and shiny, witchy tights.)

Impulsive Shopper

These shoes are amazing. They're a great color, a nice fit, and who doesn't love studs and jewels? But I'm in high school and since I don't live on the Upper East Side (instead laid-back California) high heels aren't really a fashion norm. So the reason I put them back down the first time was because I had no idea when or where I would ever wear the wonderful creations. However, they started haunting me, they were everywhere I went. I kept seeing them in magazines, in different stores, even friends mentioned them. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. A few of my friends and I went shopping one weekend and there they were, waiting for me on the display. I grabbed the sample shoe, got the real pair from a salesman, tried one of them on to make sure they were the right size, and then immediately marched up to the counter, where I paid for the items that would soon be all mine. Yes, I'm still not sure if I'll have the guts to wear them to school, I'm definitely going to need some encouragement, but trust me that I will find a reason to wear them before this school year is up. I bought them impulsively, nevertheless these shoes and I were meant to be.

Stripes, Sparkles, and Silver (and gold too)

Black sweater, denim vest (Hurley), forest green t-shirt (Stylemint), gray and black striped high-low skirt (B.P. Nordstrom), motor boots, and silver jewelry (Jewelmint).

Shear, black button down shirt (LF), silver sequin shorts (Forever 21), and cheetah print shoes.

Black boyfriend blazer (B.P. Nordstrom), white t-shirt (Stylemint), denim, high-waisted shorts, striped tights, black booties (Stever Madden), and white and gold necklace (Juicy Couture).

White button up shirt, sequin sweater (Marc by Marc Jacobs), black slip (LF), black tights, and Dr. Martens.

Red blazer (B.P. Nordstrom), gray graphic t-shirt (Urban Outfitters- men's section), black liquid leggings, and black and red striped Vans.

Hand Candy?

Rings are a big obsession of mine. Even though they may not be the first thing you notice about an outfit, they are very important to the whole ensemble. That goes for hand accessories in general. Hands are body parts that you have to acknowledge throughout the entire day, why not dress them up? In this picture I am wearing a silver full finger ring (Jewelmint), one black "motorcycle" glove, and my nails painted silver (Butter nail polish).

Stop and Stare

...at these AMAZING Jeffrey Campbell shoes that I bought at the most recent LF sale. They come in many different patterns but these were the only ones in my size so at first I was a little hesitant because they seem very impractical, however I decided to give them a try and I believe I made the right decision. I paired them with gray knee-high socks, a black strapless slip, and a black, sheer, long sleeved, collard, button-down top (both from LF Stores).

You're Cramping My Style

Wow it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry for the absence but I've been so busy since my junior year started, my schedule is insane and it's really been cramping my style, figuratively and sadly sometimes literally. It hasn't been all bad though, I've tried my best to bring fashion into my life everyday; here are some of the outfits I've worn since the current school year started, all crammed into one post. Enjoy!

Sweater and high waisted jeans from Urban Outfitters, cropped shirt from LF, and Converse.

Blazer from H&M, shirt from Nordstrom B.P., Hudson jeans, shoes from LF, and zipper bracelet from Jewelmint.

Shirt from Forever 21, shorts from Urban Outfitters, and shoes from Jigsaw.

Tweed jacket from H&M, liquid leggings from Macy's, tank top from Urban Outfitters, and Dr.Martens.

Shirt by Morgan, shorts and shoes from Urban Outfitters.

Betsey Johnson earrings.

Top from LF, Lululemon leggings, and sandals from Jigsaw.

Shirt from LF, black bandeau and bleached jeans from Urban Outfitters, and Cordani boots.

Blazer from Nordstrom B.P., shirt from LF, pants from Zara, and shoes from Urban Outfitters.

Sweater and skirt from LF and my Dr.Martens.

Dress from LF, shoes and necklace from Urban Outfitters.

Shirt and slip dress from LF, Steve Madden lace up booties, and studded bracelet from Forever 21.

The Quest for the Perfect Bag

A new bag is on my wish list for back to school shopping and I'm being very indecisive about which one I want. I personally can't afford to buy every different type of bag for every situation, so this bag has to be versatile, and also represent me as well as my style. There's a lot of pressure on one bag, but I think choosing the right one is extremely important. I've had my eye on a couple but there are so many good options and it's hard to pick just one when there are a lot of different factors to think about, for example: do I want a crossbody bag or a tote, black or color, gold or silver accents, and so on. And I've now narrowed it down to these three choices:

This is a nice, basic Marc by Marc Jacobs and I'm a sucker for Marc Jacobs bags, I'm just not sure if I like so many gold accents.

Kate Spade is also one of my favorite designers for bags, the quilting look and the chain straps are very cool, but I'm not sure this would be able to flow with my everyday life.

This Cole Haan is more similar to the Marc by Marc Jacobs bag but this is a little more sophisticated, but it might be too formal for my purposes.

So Over It

I've never been a hardcore trend follower, if I like it I'll by it and whether it's this season or last season that doesn't matter to me. However there are some styles or clothing items that have their moment and then must leave, or at least lessen in production. For example, the v-neck t-shirts with one small pocket. I'm sorry but I am so incredibly sick of seeing them everywhere. I personally have two v-neck shirts, I don't hate them, I just wish the neckline hadn't completely taken over the t-shirt category. If they could co-exist with the other necklines equally then I would be such a happy camper. But what really gets me are those pockets. Why is it necessary to ruin so many adorable shirts by adding a little pocket on one side of the chest. It's like sequins; sequins are great but should NOT be added to every shirt but yet some people get carried away and then they've gone and ruined a perfectly good shirt by attacking it with sequins, or in this case a pocket. I guess my point is styles need to be sold and worn in moderation; just because it's popular for a short period of time does not mean you need to replicate it and make it in every single color for months after.

Conclusion

I'm about to board my flight back the California and it's bittersweet. At first the program was the most overwhelming and difficult work I'd ever done, but as I stuck through the program I realized that I truly learned so much. I improved my skills and I gained so much knowledge about the design process and the fashion industry. I may never be an amazing artist or even a designer but I now have an extremely valuable experience under my belt. I also got to meet so many cool people from all over the world, some people I'll never forget. I'm so thankful for Parsons and my teachers and my new friends, especially my roommates for giving me this opportunity and making it a great trip.

Grabbing lunch at Shake Shack with some of the girls in my class.

Waiting in line to get my copy of the Teen Vogue Handbook signed by Amy Astley and Gloria Baume!!

My roommates and I out for a fancy dinner.

In Other News...

My roommates and I have been making a ton of new friends because most the girls (and some guys) are extremely friendly, especially the group of girls from Egypt who like to have screaming matches at 11 o'clock PM. It's okay, I wasn't sleeping anyways. Yeah sleep isn't a big thing, hence the New York's name "the city that never sleeps" so we haven't done a lot of exploring the city because after a long week of classes all anyone wants to do is get some rest. It's still amazing to be here though, I'm comfortable.

My roommates and I after getting cupcakes at Magnolia's Bakery.

Pros and Cons

The other day I hit a low point. I almost started balling in Time Square but I desperately held back my tears. My fashion concepts teacher was extremely unimpressed with my new designs, first blow, then we did "mind maps" which are ways of generating words for inspiration and helping us to make our collections more personal, I struggled to say specifics and narrow down my goals, wants, likes etc. And after he said "I expect the second round to be amazing." I was completely defeated. I had no ideas whatsoever, I'm not an artist and I don't know what he wants from me. But the I remembered the other day in sketching class when I was daydreaming about being back home in the California sun, driving in my car, when I looked out the window and realized, I'm in New York City, at Parsons The New School for Design summer program, with amazing teachers and an incredibly talented group of girls. How beeping lucky am I? I really can't complain. So I did my best and drew my second round of sketches and the next day, my teacher really liked them. This program is such a roller coaster, the industry is so vast and overwhelming, well art in general is, but I just have to take it one day at a time.

Sketching, Roommates, and Subways, Oh My!

So my "daily" post has turned into a hopefully weekly post. Boy did I underestimate the amount of time I would have to sit down and update my blog. First of all the homework is heavy and difficult, especially since drawing doesn't come naturally to me. We rushed through designing a collection in a week and a half and are on to a new project this week. But on the bright side, I've improved somewhat on my sketching and my fashion concepts teacher seems to like my designs. I still feel completely out of place but this experience is helping me realize what I want in a college experience, in a career and life in general. I've confirmed that I love New York City. It's an amazing city with diverse people and always interesting. I also confirmed that I don't want to be a designer, I think it's extremely intriguing of course but it's not something I see myself doing everyday as a career. It's a challenging experience but then again I can tell I'm going to walk away with so much more knowledge about art and fashion than I had before.

My paper drape outfit

Sketch of my paper drape

The final presentation of my collection