Tag Archives: Art

Blearning Blog! Letter eeeEEEEEE!!!

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It’s Monday, which means it is time to put new information in your head and live a fancier and more fashionable life!

BLEARNING BLOG brought to you by the letter E!

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E is for Elizabeth and James!

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You know Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen? They are the masterminds behind this hip label, which they started in 2007. Ashley and Mary Kate went from Full House to powerhouse with their fashion careers post sitcom stardom.

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Elizabeth and James is the second of two lines. It is named after their siblings, and is the younger brand to their luxury line The Row. Here are a few of my favorite looks from the Resort 2015 collection. The good news is that the following eye candy is part of the less expensive label. The bad news: you still may have to “resort” to looking and not touching, because even the midi top is going to cost upwards of a couple hundred bucks.

If MK & A hired me to label these looks, it would go something like this:

The Short, Plump Cartoon Man that Never Was

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The Playground Outfit Not Made for the Monkey Bars

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The Powerpoint Presentation w/ Gun Show Encore

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The Laundry Day Skirt Shirt

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The DIY Sharpie Lab Coat … paired with the Rejected Color Jansport

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Okay okay so maybe I was poking a little fun at these looks, but I think even though they appear to be somewhat mod and stark in the way they have been styled for the photos, there is still room to be playful in these looks because of their creative lines and unexpected pops of pattern and color. The aesthetic is supposed to be a relaxed urban with just enough of a blend of femme and structure that it looks powerful and stays relaxed. I’d wear it because it would make me feel edgy and because the shapes allow for all kinds of pizza to be consumed. I wouldn’t wear it if I wanted to feel like a polished professional or if I wanted to show off my silhouette.  If I were styling someone who had a lax, urban dress code for work, I could definitely see pulling some of these pieces for their wardrobe, otherwise I see most of these pieces as meant for the everyday casual sophisticate.

Speaking of sophisticated, when I realized that today’s Blearning Blog was going to start with “E” I immediately thought of Mini Me from Austin Powers running and squealing, and thought “oh, I should definitely put a clip in my blog of that!”  Here’s what search engines gave me:

Because I said sophisticated and I meant it….  😉  Maybe a good look for my next post?

CheeeeEEEEEEEEEEEErs!

C

Blearning Blog: d’Orky for d’Orsay

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Monday it is! Learn we will.

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Blearning Blogs, for those of you joining us, are where I pick a topic the fashion world assumes everybody knows about, but actually doesn’t, and I write about it for you to read. I like it because we all become savvier without buying a damn thing. Street cred for all! 

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Oh, I should also mention that Blearning Blogs go in alphabetical order. If you want to catch A, B, or C, you can check them out here!

Letter A!

Letter B!

Letter C!  

Letter D! …. Oh wait that’s today…. Check it out!

Today we are learning about d’Orsay style shoes! I have seen these all over, and have heard the word d’Orsay, but have I ever used it in a sentence? Not once.  Let’s take a quick peek at a shoe that is not only everywhere, but it is also historical! Who knew?

If I were your best gal pal describing my new d’Orsay shoes on the phone, I would say something like this:

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“Yah, they’re like a kind of shoes that have, like, a cut out sort of on the middle sides so, like, you can see the arch of your foot, ya know? Like the toes and heels are still covered. Yah, and they’re like so in right now.”

If I were writing about them for fashion research project I might say this:

D’Orsay  (pronounced door-say) is a style of shoe designed originally for men in the 1800’s by Count Alfred d’Orsay, who wanted a better fitting military shoe that would accommodate wider feet.  Women loved the pointed toe, and incorporated it into ladies’ fashion shortly thereafter. The characteristics that make the d’Orsay shoe unique, are the point in the toe and the exposed arch, which comes from an absence of structured fabric between the heel and the toe box. In recent years, d’Orsay style shoes are experiencing a comeback to store shelves and sidewalks. They follow the “cut-out” trend and also offer versatility in that the exposed arch can be incorporated at any level of formality in both flats and heels.

If I had all the monies for all the shoes so I could buy them and show them to you,  here are pictures of ones I would buy:

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(Those Pierre hardy ones have blue mink fur around the top… wait, what!?? So drool.)

STOP!  Put the credit card down. Here are three more that won’t break the bank:

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My faves are the Ava & Aiden out of this bunch. These are perfect staples because they are sassy and yet still muted enough to wear with a lot of things. 

D’Or I say we have learned something today??

Ba dum chhhhhh!

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Cheers! Because d’Orsay shoes would look really terrible on men!

Happy Monday!

XO

Trendayyy Vlog! I didn’t wear sweats to class and want to brag about it.

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I am convinced that wearing anything other than sweats to class falls somewhere on the scale of heroism. Or maybe I just felt like a hero because I basically was wearing a superhero cape/sweater/magic carpet/wing thing…

Here’s a new vlog where I try and fly and also dance and also be mildly fashion forward in class. Still working out the kinks of this method of diary, but will try anything that lets me shake my groove thing thrice.

Weeeee!

X!

C

What I’ll do 20 years from now when I find this dress in Goodwill Bins

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I present the Dorky Chick in Lipstick Decree:

You can always shop on an unlimited budget, as long as you spend within yours. 🙂

(And, yes, smiley faces are totally appropriate in decrees.)

Today’s budget for this girl was 2 bucks for clean clothes, 4 bucks for Numi Toasted Rice Tea and a Clif Bar, and a free seat on my couch with my laptop. Ahh a perfect way to spend a Friday afternoon of luxury shopping (on budget!)

My latest crush is on this midi-length, soldier-print dress by Dolce & Gabbana. It is part of their 2013 Spring collection, so it is no wonder that it has my trend-dar going berserk! The vibrant hues make it a head-turner, while the print makes it interesting, yet, surprisingly not overwhelming. Like all of my favorite things to shop for, it is way out of my price range, but there is always hope that 20 years from now I can buy it at a vintage consignment store…right? *tear* Fortunately for both of us, this dress comes with free inspiration! That’s right! It didn’t cost me a darn thing to get my imagination churning when I saw it. And free is definitely in my budget 🙂

So here is the piece I was talking about!

The Dolce & Gabbana printed silk organza dress on the runway:

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And here is the dress as I would style it! I chose two different looks that really speak to me and my personal style.

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I love clean and classic, and thought that simple sophistication would be a great way of showing off the chicness of the garment. Gold detailing and nude, uncompromising heels give the dress a polished look, while the chunky black shades are an affirmation of confidence. Natural makeup and a sleek bun round out what this look, which is everything I love about being a woman; it is refined, yet has a certain amount of prowess that makes it sexy without being revealing.

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I want to see this dress break some rules with it’s bold reds and contrasting blues. I love the idea of toning the dress down by bulking up with shameless accessories. The studs on the boots suddenly take the dress from high-tea to high-octane, and the layered necklace reinforces that the its not about the dress, but the woman in the dress. I also wanted to find another pattern to play with the print, and thought this Marc Jacobs was so crazy it just might work.  Of course she needs some of that crazy-wave hair and sunnies to keep it bold from head to toe.

A downside to falling in love with this dress is that it will be hard to go out and find a comparable version unless this style of fabric printing can become part of mainstream trends. I know that if I wanted to recreate this by just going to a fabric store and looking for fabric, I’d be hard pressed to find just what I’m looking for, and it would definitely be a challenge to make it original. That is probably good for Dolce & Gabbana, though, because intellectual property doesn’t exist in the fashion world. How do you think I find such good knockoffs?  But, that’s another blog for another day. For now, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that prints like these start trickling down the fashion chain.

Well happy Friday to all! I hope you can get in some luxury shopping this weekend 🙂

xo

 

Pics of my trrrrenday outfit 4.17

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Got in some cardio doing some shopping today looking for some quick fixes for a headshot session tomorrow with the uber-talented Levy Moroshan and MUA Aimee J’Adore. Stay tuned- I’ve got some words about the process on my end, and eventually I will have new pictures. (Yes, ones that weren’t taken with a macbook. Don’t give me that look) I’ve been having some uncertainty in finding the right pops of color to rock this spring with my new flaming hurrr-do, and this helped me branch out! Watch out for hot pinks, pastel periwinkle, and electric lime!

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Check out these groovy pants and perfect warm-weather shirt!

Top $15.80 Forever 21

Pants$17.80 (I KNOW, I KNOW- TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. IT’S TRUE PEOPLE) Also, Forever 21

Oh, and welcome to my living room.

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These pants don’t have pockets, and quite honestly, I’m thrilled. It would have made them just few dollars more for something I don’t need. I’ve got cute purses for holding stuff! *A definite note-to-self as I think about making myself pants in the future*

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TIme for a pedi… don’t look at my toes.^^

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^^ This is totally what it would be like if we were gabbing on my couch

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AHH!!!!!

I’m off to go out in the cloudy weather! But I’ll be pretending its sunny in my new duds!

xo

Tears on my Crayola 64 pack

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I opened a vein at the art store today. Well, I nearly did. I definitely contemplated dumping red paint on myself and gasping for air at the checkout. I needed markers and pencils and papers and doodads for the second half of my fashion drawing series which is tomorrow. I’m really excited to learn how to illustrate clothing, but I had to do a little investing beforehand in some supplies.

I found out quickly these ain’t yo mommas Crayolas. Each Prismacolor pen costs several bucks, and I, being obsessed with color, became weak at the knees at the sight of all the pretty hues! And you can’t just get the pens. You gottttta get the shmancy colored pencils and the paper and the thing that blends the pens and the sharpener for the pencils and the bag to put the crap in and blah blah blah (I loved every minute of it…) So I bought the required supplies and a few extra to appease my appetite for creativity and then came home to play with my goodies.

A couple weeks ago, I blogged about the progression of my sketches (see here), so I’m installing one more into that timeline today. I finally got my hands on those awesome markers and took them for a test spin! I am obsessed. The soft strokes, the fluid lines, and the vibrant colors are way better than any school supply ever was before. And here I was still worshipping the sharpener in the 64 pack….

…(sigh)….those were the days….

Realizing I haven’t completed my ideal design for the project I did over Christmas break (see here and scroll to bottom) , I decided to draw a more completed version!

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My favorite part, was working with the deep maroon and sepia colors together. I loved being able to give the body some shape without making the paper get so moist it pills. I went for a darker maroon look for the skirt, and actually think if I were sewing it, I would use a different fabric that maybe gave it just a little bit of a darker feeling. Who knows!

I realize now I was a little too abrasive with the pencil, her hair is more Miss Frizzle than P!nk, and her lady lumps are, dare-I-say, fergalicious… Also, I decided last minute to outline her figure and garments, and I wish I wouldn’t have. And the delete button didn’t work! 

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So anyways, it is a start!! Or, rather a check point 🙂 I am really excited to see what I can churn out after this weekend- stay tuned!

Before that I might need some Adele and alone time with my Crayolas.

*sniffle* I’ll miss you, you waxy little SOB’s 

 

Pictures of my trendy outfit 03.14

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So being fairly new to this fashion blogging thing, I have done some research of what other my style-minded counterparts have been doing to make their blogs a success. In doing this, I’ve seen a lot of people showcasing their day-to-day outfit selections. Not only does it give them hella street cred as a fashion blogger, it let’s you see how someone else chooses to put together garments in a way you might not.  Wanting to fit in, I had my own fashion shoot yesterday to show you how I was “rockin'” my new spring pants/bag combo from H&M.

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I knew all those years of watching America’s Next Top Model would pay off.

Happy Friday xo