Springtime for Fendi

I'll admit I'm not a personally big Fendi fan. While their Spring '09 collection includes a lot of black, they do have three dresses that kind of pull at the romantic side of me (it must be all the VD in the air...). I love the eyelets here, bringing back girlhood and childish days of the past.


The belt is so striking and combined with the white of the skirt and top creates an instant minimalism. The hair on the other hand is not for me.



I. LOVE. THIS. DRESS.
Seriously, is it just about the most creative thing in quite some time? This is the perfect dress to:
a) wear while napping in a field
b) a picnic in the park
c) VD celebrations and just going out for drinks in general
d) class (conversation piece for sure, plus I've always considered school to be a kind of fashion show)
e) grocery store

It's gorgeous! I feel love, what can I say?

Love to you all,
Heather

Loving These Headdresses Some More

More images of the Chanel Spring '09 headdresses, I can't get enough of them! How springtime is this? So pretty, so elegant.


This is most excellent, love, love, love these!

Right now, I'm thinking about the spring lines from Fendi and Dior, particualrly Fendi's rose dress that I'll post later because my class is about to start.

On the rise:
-the headdress obviously. My love for headwear keeps expanding...veils, headbands...now all they have to do is make me fall in love with hats and the fashion industry will have conquered my head as well as my heart.

Listening to:
-DVNO Justice
-Genesis Justice
(Justice is so damn good, it's like listening to a runway. Your whole body language totally changes when you hear them.)

Love to you all,
Heather

Chanel Spring 2009

Crisp. Black and white. Simple. Simply. Minimal.
And oh yes, headdresses!
While Chanel is never really surprising with their clothing, these headdresses are popping out from the crowd this spring.


Am I the only one who feels compelled to hum some "here comes the bride" melodies? I love the background decorations as well.


A close up of the headdress...so chic. I would work that.

Ruffles reminding me of Natalia modeling for Chanel's 2008 ads...

...and the new shirt I just got which is just as excellent as the picture if not moreso in real life.

On the rise:

-minimal low key looks. Coco always said to take one thing off before you leave and it's a practice that works.

-the ruffle. I can't stress it enough, it's a new accessory like a necklace or a clutch. Brings a little much needed something to the table and you will never stop hearing the praise about it.

Listening to:

-Taxi Doll Waiting

-Alex Gaudino Watch Out

(* The majority of the music I listen to is dance, a smaller division of techno. So don't feel bad if you haven't heard of all the artists. Some of the best radio stations to get a new sensation at are Energy98, Futuradio Chicago, Fusion Radio Chicago, and ipartyradio.com)

Love to you all,

Heather

Very, Very, Very Tired

Karen Mulder has the right idea. Time to get ready for bed (though she could be getting ready to go out, hmm).

So yeah, sleep. It sounds like pure perfection to me. This whole week has just been non stop WHAM WHAM WHAM and the sad thing is, it's actually been a lot tamer than my usual weeks. Next week is when I go back to my two jobs. I haven't found my balance yet and it's kind of annoying. All I want to do is sleep for awhile.

Even things that should by all rights enthuse and excite me (i.e. ordering some clothes in the mail, magazines, reading funny books, the fact that I have two internship offers that I can't really decide between) just kind of make me feel tired to even think about.

Whoa, I just reread that last sentence and I sound like a big pussy. Why are my joys making me feel tired? Why?

I'm attributing this to STL syndrome. STL stands for Saint Louis, aka the home state. Every year at this time, the weather back at home is really snowy and sleet filled and super cold. Last year at this time, I would go to school until 6pm in the evening, wait shivering at the bus stop because as usual, I refused to wear suitable cold weather clothes, get off at Taco Bell for dinner (I never ate lunch at Meramec), then one of my parents would come pick me up and I would go home eat, lie in bed propped up on my Herbert pillow while watching Arrested Development, venture out to make some pleasantries and bitch about my day with the family, fall asleep hoping to never wake up and snap alert to the chimes of the Hawaiian ringtone on my phone at 5am to go to Panera Bread for work.

It was an awful bleak period of time in my life.

So every year at this time, I just get overwhelmingly empty and sad. I'm not sure what it is. I'm not lacking anything in my life, in fact I'm very blessed and well aware of the wonderful opportunities I have and damn grateful for them. I think it's just that I spent 20 years in a cold place and now that I'm in a warm one, my body and mindset need some time to adapt.

Reprogram.

The most vivid STL syndrome day I recall was in my junior year of high school. It was February. There was snow on the ground and ice on the streets making a blue shadow cast over everything. I watched Thirteen in my room in the dark and once it was over, I felt mildly sick. Not at the movie, that was great. Just the weather. And the fact that I was having my epic fight with a bunch of my former friends. (You know it's bad when one of your former ex-friends writes a fucking poem for class about the fight and cites your name in it and you have to read and critique a copy). And that I kind of wanted to tell my parents but I really didn't want them to know that I was having problems at my dream high school. I preferred that they thought everything was fine and so I acted like nothing was wrong. Anytime I was snippy I chalked it up to work (my two jobs) and just being tired. So I left my room, I ate dinner with a couple members of my family, and I did my very best to act engaging and witty without looking/seeming glum.

Bleh, all of my old issues look so insignificant and small now. I've come a long way baby. Some days anyhow. Others I've barely progressed.

Listening to:

-David Guetta Stay

-Ian Van Dahl Just a Girl

-Sophie Ellis Bextor Mixed Up World

Not listening to:

-The Smiths Asleep (It's practically a lullaby, my head would drop faster on my keypad than anything)

-Delerium Eternal Odyssey (9 minutes of gorgeous pianos and chanting? I'd be out like that.)

Love to you all,

Heather

Wang's World

Some goodies from Alexander Wang at the Saks site. The stretch mesh combo dress is really, really short (16") but cute, very springtime. I love the jacket, as I am a sucker for most menswear. The shoes are lace up boots by Ann Demeulemeester and while I'm not really a huge fan of hers, I can see why they get so much praise.


The V-neck jacket dress, wow! The plunging neckline, the short skirt, the tie around the middle. Rumple up your hair and you get that instant just-got-up messy look. Quite sexy.



This combo dress is really interesting. On one hand, it's a totally casual easy look to toss on and on the other, it can be very elegant with a jacket and hair pinned up. Love that tiny slit at the knees.

So so amazing!!!! And I never thought I would find a holey sweater I would fall in love with. The model, by the way, is Sarah Ruba. It's one of my firm beliefs if you can, try to find a model with similar features to yours like skin tone and hair color. See what she wears and it will probably be akin to what you already don or will be. Sarah has modelled for Delia's, Old Navy, and Nordstrom's online, print, and commercial ads. She's pretty much my favorite.

Love to you all,

Heather

The Lady Eva

Pictures like these make my weekend great.
She is the prettiest.

Love to you all,
Heather

Old School Packaging

Today I was at Rite Aid just aimlessly drifting through the aisles en route to the huge bottles of Mountain Dew. I happened upon the shampoo aisle and continued to drift down it (some days I'm like a feather in the wind just letting life move around me and move me if it so chooses). I stopped at the Clairol Herbal Essences bottles and then noticed they had the old bottles there. These bottles were an older design for the company and I'm not kidding you, it is brand loyalty in action. Brand loyalty is a concept in persuasive communications I learned about last semester in which a person is partial to a certain brand because of the experience they have had with it, the face on the packaging, and the brand is trustworthy.

The moment I saw this bottle, a wave of nostaglia fell over me. I almost bought it and I certainly don't even need shampoo right now. Then I popped open the lid and sniffed it and even more old memories came flooding back.

Basically, this shampoo is my Mom's old favorite. She used to get the economy sized bottles at Sam's and we shared it together. Seeing the flower in the background as the shampoo began to slowly run out was always pretty in its own way. Unfortunately, I was mainly the reason behind the shampoo running out quickly because back then, I used to have extremely long hair (way down my waist) so Mom wasn't really happy about the supply depleting so fast. I got yelled at occasionally for it and eventually, I started buying a separate shampoo for myself.

But still, great memories.

Love to you all,

Heather

A Series of Posts: #4 Party Like It's 1994

My first reaction to this was how can this be from 1994? It looks so current!
Steven Meisel is a god but what else is new. Here are some scans from Vogue 1994.

Usually I pair these with captions but in this case, I simply can't. I just want to sit and study these clothes ALL. DAY. LONG.

1994 wasn't that long ago, was it?

Love to you all,

Heather

A Series of Posts: #3 Marry Me Liv Kristine

Dear Liv,

So I know you are married and have a son and they made a mess out of marriage out here in California and I'm not a girl who believes in marriage but irregardless. You will never really know the impact you've had on my life. I loved you in Theatre of Tragedy, I loved you even more in Leaves Eyes, and I adore your solo work. In addition to these, I think that all of your work with Atrocity and Cradle of Filth was excellent, the latter of which introduced me to your lovely angelic voice. "Into Your Light" must be my favorite song of yours, the song I spent Christmas '06 listening to on repeat. I want another album, please! You make my bad days glitter into something brighter and my good days, I can instantly darken which I must say I do love to do. You provide much of the soundtrack to the big story I've been working on since Valentine's Day '08. Please, please come out and tour here in southern California!

Your happily listening fan,

Heather

Love to you all,

Heather

A Series of Posts: #2 Earl the Girl

He's not actually a girl but every now and then I see something that reminds me of Earl and I have to either 1) e-mail him immediately or 2) call him about it. This backpack was no exception. He's not a Star Wars fanatic by any means, he just liked the R2D2 droid a lot. This backpack would be perfect for him if he was still in school.


This ring is by Antoino Palladino and sold at Barneys for a cool thousand dollars. It is the infamous octopus ring from Jane Aldridge's Sea of Shoes blog. Earl loves octopi dearly and our entire family has always responded to his love for them by buying him octopus themed products (example, shampoo bottles with illustrations). We don't eat chinese/japanese food for this reason either, ever since the infamous trip to the international food store where Earl saw a box of dry tentacles for sale and cried in the store while my Dad and I teased him about it. I've since become slightly more mature about this kind of teasing.

Love to you all,
Heather

A Series of Posts: #1 Gross Gross Gross

I can't even begin to tell you just how repulsed and horrified I am that somebody out there, somebody with a human brain, heart, and organs and fully functioning, thought this necklace would be a great idea. We start out with the chain and vintage beads which aren't great, but can be described as "meh" at best.
Then they add the teddy bear and the floodgates open.
Sold at fredflare.com (sometimes this site has goodies but you really have to search for them and push aside all that campy shit) the description is:

These miniature teddy bear necklaces by chicadecanela are handmade marvels of construction! All the pieces are carefully cut and then stitched together, stuffed, embroidered, embellished, then strung upon a necklace featuring vintage beads. Every necklace takes six hours to create! Limited-edition, numbered and packaged in a keepsake wooden box. Charm about 4” tall on 30” chain. Each piece is unique so detailing & beads will vary. These little teddies flew from Spain just to meet you!Click here for our new fred blog.fancy, handmade, mom, crafty, Spain, lucia, chicadecanela
Regular $185
SPECIAL
$99

That's right, this atrocity is a hundred bucks.

Please don't buy it, don't let your friends buy it either. Friends don't let friends wear necklaces grandma made during arts and crafts at the home.

Love to you all,

Heather

25

Facebook has this popular thing running around to write a note containing 25 tidbits of information about yourself. I'm putting mine here instead.

1. I’m very independent and I’m infamous for thinking outside of the box. My brain just thinks differently than most people’s.

2. I have a habit of throwing tantrums/making a fool out of myself/drinking myself to oblivion in restaurants.

3. Oranges are my favorite fruit.

4. My favorite episode of The Simpsons is “Lisa’s Wedding”, if you watch it, you get a pretty good idea of the relationship I have with my family.

5. My dream job is to write for Nylon Magazine. That magazine is absolute perfection to me.

6. I’ve thrown up in church before and when I was little and my brother and I were forced to go, we would draw dirty pictures on the backs of the member cards. We came across a collection of them several years ago and laughed like crazy…trust me, you don’t even want to know what we drew.

7. I want to learn how to speak French.

8. My guilty music pleasure is Hilary Duff. I really liked her when I was younger and I listen to her when times are tricky.

9. For some reason, every time I run to someone saying “Guess what?”, they always, always answer, “You’re pregnant?” I’ve since learned to stop doing that.

10. Fashion is my world. I change my outfit several times a day and my favorite designers are Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin, and Ivan Grundahl (also Rue du Mail and John Galliano).

11. Because it is such a popular question...no, I do not want to get married. I am the girl who thinks marriage is an overly expensive, ridiculous ceremony for people to buy into. I just don’t understand why more people out there aren’t completely terrified by it. It's so creepy, like Noah's Ark, people pairing up. Why is being single looked down on so much?

12. I went through a rebellion phase when I was 13 until about 16. It was a great experience. I highly recommend it.

13. I consider authors to be far more exciting and special to meet than celebrities.

14. Most of my ancestors came from England, so I have an overwhelming amount of English blood in my heritage.

15. I like to read about serial killers and I find them fascinating. Their childhood pasts are so-so to me but I really like to hear about the methods that they used to kill a person. Each one has a special style.

16. I want to travel to Russia to Saint Petersberg to visit the Czar Nicholas II and his family’s homes. I especially want to go to Livadia by the Crimea Sea.

17. My favorite singer is Liv Kristine. She has the most angelic voice I’ve ever heard.

18. Cupcakes and Strawberry Frosted Pop Tarts are my favorite sweets.

19. I love, love, love burlesque, pin-up fashion. It is hot!

20. Cities are my love. I love it loud, busy, and bright at all times, it’s just very comforting for me.

21. Halloween is the only holiday I really enjoy celebrating and believe highly in.

22. I’ve stopped worrying so much about life. It’s going to go the way it will go, we can’t control it and if we try to, we might mess it up. The universe will provide for everybody.

23. Mountain Dew is my favorite soda.

24. I’ve been working since I was 11 and I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.

25. Happiness to me is a box in the mail filled with gorgeous clothes to try on for fashion shows in front of a full length mirror, reading The Onion and laughing until I’m rolling on the floor, putting on a fresh coat of lipstick while reading Nylon, running down the street of a really loud, busy city with the sun beaming down on me and an awesome friend waiting across the street laughing the whole time, and having a handsome man buy me a drink at a bar while I am impeccably dressed.

Love to you all,

Heather

IVAN GRUNDAHL

From the Spring 2008 collection, Grundahl is a fashion designer from Copenhagen and is in my eyes, the most exciting, provocative designer I've seen in awhile.


Most days I really have a hard time describing my sense of style (I like to mix old world glamour with some modern minimalistic sensibilites) but this dress is very me. I love the black straps, it makes it feel S&M, coupled with the gloves and I would imagine, a pair of thigh high black boots. Definitely delicious.


Kid gloves + sleeveless tuxedo top + thrifted belt=Sundays in the park.

I get a real Grey Gardens vibe from this ensemble.

This color is simply ravishing.

Grundahl's pieces get me excited in a way that I haven't felt since Lanvin. He's going on my favorite designers list, for sure.

Love to you all,

Heather

Mindblowing (In More Ways Than One)

It's often true that the moment we stop thinking about someone, they come back into our lives and we are reminded of how much we liked them. Last night I had a dream about when I used to work at Bread Co. and in this particular dream, I was there with all of my favorite coworkers and friends and just kind of drifting through. It was raining outside and I was standing out there, watching my friends leave and old ones enter.
I woke up and went to Starbucks where I saw the last person on earth I could have ever expected to see there. Michael, the guy I met at my service project. The one that I spent countless Nonfiction classes discussing and giggling over. The 43 year old New Jersey-ian. As I referred him as "the lust object" in all of my papers, I was happily surprised to see him again (he looked more beautiful than ever) and he was just as equally glad to see me. He mentioned something about living down the street from that Starbucks but as usual, I was struck dumb by his burning hotness and did not ask for his number (bad move).
Goddamn, what a man.


This is the dress that I bought for my friend Amy's 21st birthday on Monday. I bought it in part for her birthday, the simplistic style of the dress, and also because this guy Josh I have a crush on is going to be there. Here's to a happy night of drinking!

How can anybody look at these shoes and not nearly pass out on sight? They are just as gorgeous (slightly less red) in person and are going with the dress. This boy is not going to know what hit him.

This book is changing my life. It's about a guy named Tucker and his drunken adventures. It is laugh out loud hilarious and I have on more than one occasion cracked up while reading it (in Starbucks, in my room with Amy, etc). I'm reading it very slowly because I plan on finishing it while in class and laughing to the point where I start crying on my desk (it's happened before). While I have some friends whose own alcoholic stories are wild (I even have a couple that are dirty are sin) they are lightyears away from this guy. This is exactly the kind of drunk I love, the kind that I aspire to be. Some of my friends have already predicted that on my wedding day, I'll be stumbling to the altar and completely wasted at the reception.

No shit. Alcohol would be the only way I would be able to tolerate the concept of marriage at all.

Listening to:

-David Guetta Delirious

-Deadmau5 feat. Kaskade I Remember

-IIO Kiss You

Love to you all,

Heather

Playlistin'

Here's a couple playlists I put together...very bored, I need school back in my life immediately!

dirty.fucking.sleazy.funtime. It’s exactly how it sounds
Roar Hercules and Love Affair
Burning Up Ladytron
Personal Jesus Depeche Mode
Cradle of Love Billy Idol
Boys Wanna Be Her Peaches
U Turn Me On Jamie Jo feat. Barry Gibb
I Like It Narcotic Thrust
Faster Kill Pussycat Paul Oakenfold feat. Brittany Murphy
Absurd Fluke
Angel Massive Attack

idol worship We’re not groupies, we’re the band-aids
I’m Not Scared Ladytron
Genesis Justice
White Wedding Pt. 1 Billy Idol
URA Fever The Kills
Paris is Burning Ladyhawke
Model Ex Citizen Quintron
I Wanna Be Adored The Stone Roses
Ruby Kaiser Chiefs

while the sun streams through her hair The perfect day
Blind Hercules and Love Affair
Moi Je Joue Brigitte Bardot
Everyday is Like Sunday Morrissey
Elle Ell’a Kate Ryan
Electric Feel MGMT
We Own the Sky M83
Something About You Level 42
Yoo Hoo Imperial Teen
Long Forgotten Fairy Tale The Magnetic Fields
Time of the Season The Ben Taylor Band
Boy Book of Love

Love to you all,

Heather

Rocker Chic(K)

I miss the rocker girl. You know, the girl with the badass attitude, ripped jeans, DIY shirts, and fierce footwear, she's the coolest girl in any room, anywhere. So I'm tributing this to her, see my Special K above.
Balenciaga's March 2007 blazers hit the runway and the stores fast. Every girl, rocker or not, should have a blazer, it is a must for the wardrobe. It just does something special to an outfit that few pieces of clothing can.

SEX
Do I have your attention? Good. Worship Worthy Shop knows how to make a statement with this dress. Sexy, naughty, fucking dirty fun for your mind.

I have not coveted a shirt like this since Commes des Garcons glove shirt but this one is at least slightly more affordable than the latter. Featuring my favorite late fashion designer, this shirt would be ideal with a pair of black pants and heels.

Leggings are big. Wild patterns that grab your attention are always cool, these are utterly delicious!

Wet Seal has very, very affordable footwear and these fire engine red patent leather flats are comfortable and cool all at once.

And these beauties are good for any ensemble, regardless of how wild it is.

"I'm Too Sexy for This Shirt". Damn straight. Alex+Chloe is right on the money. The foil lettering makes it even better.

Kill City's marble washed jeans always stir a response within a person. Some consider the acid washed phase to be an '80's relic and thoroughly not modern. But these pants are too awesome to sit on the shelf and the skinny jean is queen today.

A pair of leggings with a skirt attached from Forever 21. Perfect to belt out a song to on stage and off.

The colors of these sunglasses make me smile and they look sharp.

A pill to make you numb...Alex+Chloe knows it's all about sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll.

Sid Vicious would be proud and would probably wear a dozen of these around his neck.

Paris is bleeding, in addition to burning.

Just some ideas for good ensembles...here are some ladies who know how to rock.

Alison Mosshart from The Kills.

Annie Lennox. God bless my Dad for having me listen to her rather than the Spice Girls.

Debbie Harry, emitting coolness daily.

Ladyhawke.

PJ Harvey

Shirley Manson from Garbage.

Love to you all,

Heather