Miu Miu x2

The other night, Alina and I went to a pre-Fashion Week party for the tattoo artist Bang Bang (more to come on the event later), and funnily enough, her and I both wore outfits inspired by different Miu Miu seasons. 

Miu Miu Spring 2012

Alina's awesome interpretation

Smiley starpup

There's never too much red.

Her frickin' Prada shoes.

Miu Miu Fall 2011

Dress: Sundance (via my aunt)

Necklace: some family member

Socks: nowhere n everywhere (where do socks even come from??)

Shoes: Dansko (via my grandma)

What is even happenin'

Bag: my grandma

Hello these are my frumpy lil feet and my silly bag hi!

I think that may have been the lamest post I have ever written. Yowza. Whatever it's Friday go sing songs and drink sunflower juice.

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Interviewing Famous People: Erin Barr

I went to Erin Barr's Spring 2013 presentation in September of this past year, and that was my first encounter with the designer's work. I had never heard of her, but I loved what I saw. I could tell that she was going places. Surely enough, Fall 2013 saw her transitioning to the runway, and she debuted her most recent collection at Chelsea Piers. That's like, a really big deal. The designer was kind enough to respond to a few questions of mine through email, so that's what you'll find below. 

Erin Barr is from Wisconsin, and originally studied to work in hair and makeup, graduating from the Aveda Institute. After working for a few years in the beauty business (quite successfully), she realized that fashion was her calling and moved to London for a year to attend Central Saint Martin's (the alma mater of Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Zac Posen, Phoebe Philo, and a bajillion more extremely well-known fashion designers), and then came back to New York City to finish up her schooling at Parson's New School for Design. She then went on to intern at Alexander Wang and Cushnie et Ochs, and finally in the fall of 2011, she opened her own eponymous line and produced her first collection for Spring 2012. 

[Photos courtesy of MAO PR, from the designer's Fall 2012 collection.]

How did growing up in Wisconsin as opposed to a major city (like New York City) mold your ideas and conceptions of beauty and fashion? 

I think it's really all relative to where you are when it comes to fashion. I know when I go home, I probably dress a bit more practical. For example, there are times in the winter there when warmth trumps style! But you can still make it look cool and chic. In New York, I think fashion is for one much more accessible, and you can get a little more creative, a little crazier maybe!

What inspired you to initially pursue a career in hair and make-up? 

Fashion design as a career wasn't in my vocabulary growing up. For me doing hair and makeup was a step toward finding what I really wanted to do in life. I'm so happy that I have that background now, because it really helps to imagine and communicate an entire look or feel.

Did you always have a passion for clothing, or was it sparked by your high-profile work in New York City in salons and on photo shoots? 

I definitely always had a passion for clothing and design. I used to go to the Border's bookstore when I was in High School and just stock up on magazines. I would tear out everything I was inspired by, and I would keep the tear sheets in a binder. That was my thing.
 

Would you say that the decision to go to Central Saint Martins was life-changing? Did the experience reshape your future, or do you think you would have ended up designing even if you hadn't moved to London? 

For me, moving to London and attending CSM was the best experience and choice I've made. It's such a great school, and it really opened my mind up to the creative possibilities. The fact that there should be no limits, yet you should be able to have restraint as well. If I hadn't gone to London I like to think that I would still have ended up designing. I know I would definitely be making art, though. I have to, it's in my blood.

What was it like to intern at some of the most cutting edge and of-the-moment design houses? 

Really inspiring! I learned so much from working with Alexander Wang and at Cushnie et Ochs.

How did you start your own brand? Was it a huge leap from working for other people? 

I had been thinking about starting my own brand for some time, and then the timing just felt right. It was a challenge in the beginning, but it was the challenge that was exciting.

How would you describe your vision for your line? 

Tomboy-Sexy with a Minimalist twist.

Are there any other careers you would like to explore in the future? 

Motherhood. Artistic Collaborations. 

What would you say are the pros and cons of being a fashion designer? 

It's great being able to work in a creative environment. But you do a lot of running around from factory to office, to fabric/trim stores, to meetings, and then back again. It's never a sit still at your desk kind of day. 

Do you have any advice for someone looking to work in the fashion or beauty industries? 

I think it's very important to get experience in any way. Don't limit yourself to only the big brands, either. There is so much to learn working with a smaller company.
 

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

Well...1. Follow your dreams. and 2. Thank you for the great interview!

***

I strongly suggest checking out the rest of her collections (two of which I've got right here on my blog) and perusing her website. This lady is a rising star, so we must keep our eyes wide open lest we miss the moment when she becomes one of the revered designers on that list of alumni. 

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Numberwang

That's Numberwang! 

You're probably wondering what is Numberwang, in addition to what Numberwang is. I wish I could tell you. Maybe if you watch this video you'll understand. And then this one. And then this one. 

Not only is Numberwang hilarious, but it also has Alexander Wang's last name in it, which is terribly convenient considering the topic of this post. Wang's eponymous brand has come to epitomize cool girl, effortless chic. He's known for his gratuitous use of black, his phenomenal construction skills, and his inspiration drawn from the French and grunge cultures. Every girl wants to be a Wang girl. I want to be a Wang girl. 

The designer was born in San Francisco in 1983 and grew up in California. He moved to New York City when he was 18 to attend Parsons New School for Design, but ended up dropping out in his sophomore year to launch his women's wear line in 2007. Being the complete boss that he is, he was an instant success. Alexander won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award in 2008 and was granted $200,000 to expand his business. He won the Swarovski Designer of the Year Award in 2009 and 2010 (the 2010 award was for his accessory design skills). It was recently announced in late November of this past year (weird!) that Alexander will become the creative director of Balenciaga since Nicholas Ghesquière left. Basically, A-Wang is completely owning the fashion scene, everyone loves his work, and he's supposedly a crazy dancer. One major, major con is that he's been accused of having a sweatshop in New York where laborers are forced to work 25 hours straight without a break, which is not only really really illegal, but also just ridiculously unethical. It actually makes me feel quite immoral myself to praise him, but his clothes are awesome. I'm vacillating. 

On that note, let's see his stuff, shall we? 

[Photos via style.com.]

FALL/WINTER 2011

FALL/WINTER 2011

RESORT 2012

SPRING/SUMMER 2012

T BY ALEXANDER WANG PRE-FALL 2012

PRE-FALL 2012

FALL/WINTER 2012

FALL/WINTER 2012

SPRING/SUMMER 2013

SPRING/SUMMER 2013

And that's Numberwang! 

P.S. Happy New Year! 2013 is such a pretty number, isn't it? 

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Dora's Favorite Accessory

We all know what that is, right? Maybe this will give you a hint.

You've heard the phrase "A dog is a man's best friend," right? Let's modify that a little bit. "A talking and perpetually hungry purple backpack is an eight-year-old Hispanic girl's best friend." 

I don't know why I'm spending so much time on this whole Dora the Explorer thing, it was really just a segue into the theme of this post: backpacks. 

Being a student, backpacks have been a huge part of my life since I was a wee little munchkin. For a while I went through a phase in middle school when I deemed backpacks totally dorky and religiously carried a tote bag to hold all of my homework and supplies. Needless to say, it was quite difficult to find anything at all in the bottomless hole that is a shoulder bag. Hand sanitizer spilled in there more than once (three times, to be exact), making my math notebook all crinkly. Damn you, locomotive cleanliness! As I entered high school, however, I went back to my old friend. Partly because I'd gotten a really intense Hurley one for free from the Apple Store for sending me a broken computer (on my birthday, nonetheless) and partly because I figured I needed to be mega organized for my freshman year. It turns out that it was not only I that had made the switch; the rest of my new school's population had stopped giving backpacks the cold shoulder--pun intended--and brought them back into their lives. Did you see that? I just packed two backpack puns into one sentence. <--I'm just on a roll here guys. 

As a strong believer in the philosophy that oftentimes trends start with the people, not the runways, I will show you some examples of the rise of the backpack. It hasn't just recently become popular amongst angsty teenagers: this trend has gone mainstream. Bloggers are wearing them, Urban Outfitters has their models wearing them, real people are wearing them. This is legit. 

Madeline Pendleton of Jean Greige wearin' a backpack! 

A model wearing the Deena & Ozzy Pop High/Low Backpack in the Urban Outfitters summer catalogue. 

The infamous Phillip Lim denim vest/backpack hybrid. I tried to find it online for you, but it's sold out. Probably because the Man Repeller did a very convincing post about its versatility.

And now for the high fashion examples. Okay, I admit that Phillip Lim's bag technically should belong in this section but shhhhhhhhhhhhhwhwhwhwhwhhhcatshshshhwhwhshhhhhh.

               

Left: The Row leather backpack  Right: Carven suede backpack 

    

 Left: Jeremy Scott backpack  Right: Marc by Marc Jacobs backpack

Backpacks are practical, guys! They let you carry all your crap around while applying equal pressure to both of your shoulders instead of just one. That sounds like a terrible disadvantage, but I promise it's much better that way. 

The trick to wearing the backpack correctly is to made sure your choice fits into one of the following categories: old school, sophisticated or made of an unconventional texture. 

Backpacks that are very '90s and/or homemade-looking are really rad right now. They're more for people who are kind of badasses or whose style comes off as slightly punk and grungy. Think along the lines of: "Yeah I wear a mutha uckin' (Flight of the Conchords reference, anyone?) backpack, come at me ho." 

Sophisticated and streamlined backpacks are very modern. They're for the person who has a somewhat minimalistic fashion sense or who wants to a simple yet beautiful carryall that can hitch a ride on their back and give their arms a rest. 

Backpacks made of unconventional textures such as denim, leather, suede, or corduroy are legitimately dominating the trend scene here. If you didn't notice before, take note now that the majority of the backpacks I showed you up above are in fact made of denim, leather, suede, or some other cray-cray material. The Marc by Marc Jacobs one looks like it could be made out of raincoat fabric (aka a combo of plastic and rubber and some other weird-as-hayyyl things). 

Among us youngsters, some fairly popular places to get some relatively inexpensive but totally jammin' backypackies are Urban Outfitters, ASOS and Fjällräven. My friend Kimberly also recently got a pretty damn cute one from JCPenney. I suggest checking out all those places if you're in the market for one of these little fellas. 

It's summer. Getchyo' flippyfloppies and yo' backypackies and yo' jimmyjammies out. 

I'm done with my freshman year of high school, guys! Just two Regents tests next week and I am peacin' out for good. See ya on the flip side biyatches. 

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Gypsies On Stilts

In my lifetime I've discovered a few different types of gypsies. There's the ones that try to force you to pity them on the streets of Paris by pretending they're deaf and dragging around eight small children and an infant, begging for money. Then there's people like Nirrimi Hakanson and her boyfriend/lover (not quite sure what the nature of their relationship is...they have a child, so yeah) Matt, who literally travel the world without a home. Then there's the ones that look like pirates and steal things and party all night in little clans--these types probably existed at one point but I'm still a little skeptical. Don't think that any of this carries any real weight; I honestly know nothing about gypsies. Based off my very minimal knowledge of them, I decided that yesterday I felt a bit like one in the pants I wore. They were loose and made of linen, so therefore I was emulating a wandering traveler (?). I mean, I'm also claiming that I wore stilts when in fact on my feet were merely three inch (tops, maybe even two and a half inches) platform shoes. Maybe I blew things a little out of proportion. <--That's funny because I should be studying for a math exam (math, proportions...geddit?) that I have to take tomorrow and instead I'm writing this post. Oops. 

Since I do have finals that kind of determine a good portion of my grades for this year, I will keep it short, sweet, and to the point. 

That was the point. 

In other news, I saw Isabella Rossellini on the street last week and I almost died. We made eye contact for a split second: I looked utterly terrified for a moment, and then it was over. My mom and I locked eyes and simultaneously freaked out. I frantically called all of my friends and of course, no one had any idea who she is. COME ON, GUYS. Remember this article I wrote a few weeks ago? ...No? Solid. 

Before I go entirely off-topic, let me show you some pictures I took of my outfit from yesterday. I changed locations! As in I went to a different part of my hallway. 

Photos by me. 

Tank top: Naf Naf Paris (c'est français!)

Linen pants: Cut Loose via my grandma 

Cardigan: By Design via my mom 

Platforms: Dansko via my grandma 

My grandma gave me these pants a while ago and I never knew how to wear them. Then when she told me I could have these beautiful and ridicky comfortable clogs...I still had no idea what to do with the pants. Then it sort of hit me on Sunday night. Pants + wooden platforms = happiness. Can't I just be tested on math like that instead of the equation of a circle and what the cosine of the elevation of the sun is? 

I'll just copy and paste that last sentence into an angry letter that I'll write to the Department of Education. 

What have I got behind my back? A baby kitten? A squirrel? Cake? 

I'll never tell. 

I've got a cold. I got tired. I sat down. I look hella pissed. Come at me.  

Jaykay jaykay. We be best friendz. 

Step one of the foot-macarena. One maca-two maca-three--

Macarena! 

So this is embarrassing. I just looked up the lyrics to "Macarena" and it turns out that "one maca-two maca-three macarena" is not part of the song. It's just Spanish words that I just kind of assumed were dance instructions. 

HEYYY MACARENA! (AHAI) 

(Now come on, what was I supposed to do? He was out of town and his two friends were soooo fine...) 

C'est tout! I'm done! Peace out! I'm mega sorry for the long gaps between posts but you know how this test taking business is. It really drains all the juice out o' ya. This juice box is 26% full. 

How is it only Tuesday. That's not a question, it is a complaint. 

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Keith Haring Makes A Shirt

Please scroll down quickly and look at the shirt I'm wearing in these photographs, and then come back, ya hear? If you're reading these words I'm assuming you've returned. Tell me that crop top doesn't look like a work of Keith Haring's art. A more simplified version, yes, but very Haring nonetheless. 

This top was my mom's in presumably the eighties (wasn't she such a kool chick??). It's the shirt to a pair of matching pants that I wore to the Rochambeau and Farah Angsana shows during New York Fashion Week. When have you ever heard of a crop top pants suit being in existence? The answer to that one should be a hearty never. The best thing about this fabulous invention is that it's surprisingly on trend for this spring--remember the whole matchy-matchy suits trend I told you about a while ago? Well I'll be darned, those things are real! Can I get a "challah!" to that? (I guess that joke would have been more appropriate around Passover...#ineffectiveJewishheritagejokes) 

I don't have the courage to wear the whole shebang to school, but I'm doing it over the summer or next fall fer sher. (That's another one of those silly promises you've gotta hold me to; ya didn't do such a great job with the yellow nail polish claim I made last spring. Get'cha head in the game, guys!) On Friday, I decided to wear it over an open-backed dress that usually becomes my best friend during the summer--don't hate just because I form seasonal friendships with pieces of fabric--with a pair of cray-cray earrings I won in a giveaway last year. My friend Carmen told me they looked like radishes while Olive told me they looked like ugli fruit. Do with that what you will. 

I wasn't quite sure how the whole thing was going to work out because the shirt has freakin' shoulder pads, but my sister assured me that the top looked fine. Other things my sister convinced me were true in the past: the fact that the Chicken Nugget Monster existed and that he was the one that was stealing all of my chicken nuggets when my sister so kindly alerted me that my shoes were untied when I wasn't wearing shoes. I digress. I guess you could say I was feeling a little wacky that day, channeling my inner eighties superstar (when the hell did she get there? She's not even a thing). The vibe I was getting from the whole look was "I AM AN ARTIST SEE ALL OF MY ARTISTIC REFERENCES TO KEITH HARING AND BIZARRE/UNNATURAL FRUIT AND ART." Just kidding guys, I'm not that pretentious. Right, guys? Hey I mean I was just kidding and whatever it's totally fine I'm not insane or anything 

Why don't we just look at the pictures and stuff? It's been a while since I've shown up on this blog. I was busy doing some intergalactic travel in the substratosphere and I met an alien named Kathy and she was really swee--NOT ACTUALLY I'VE BEEN STUDYING FOR FINALS CONSIDERING STUDYING FOR FINALS AND THAT ALONE HAS CAUSED INTERNAL COMBUSTION OF MY BRAIN. 

Photos by me.

Dress: Urban Outfitters 

Crop top: Scarlett (my mom's)

Denim jacket: Gap via Angel Street Thrift Shop

Riding boots: my cousin's 

Earrings: Belle Costes NYC

Not lookin' at anything in particular. 

There still is absolutely nothing fascinating on the ground. This is getting a little weird. 

Okay actually, though, what am I looking at and what made me think this was a good pose for several shots? If only Google could answer that one...

Hey guys! I see you! Don't worry, my hair isn't usually this cray. It was an especially humid day. Since it is my duty to embarrass myself to the greatest degree possible on this blog, I will now call attention to the sock on my right foot that happens to be peeking up above my shoe while the other one is not. Classy. 

Remember how I said I got a cartilage piercing a while ago? I haven't done an outfit post in few weeks so this is the first chance I got to show you my new addition to my left ear. It gets to have all the fun. Sorry, right ear (his name can be Ronnie). You'll see why this is okay by the time I'm in my senior year of high school. 

For the billionth and hopefully last time, I sincerely apologize for neglecting my baby (baby=this blog <--this looks too much like math, which I've been studying for several hours today) for a whole week. These past seven days were pretty rough, to the point where I left my keys in my jacket pocket one day and therefore locked myself out of my house until 7 pm on a school night with no food, water, laptop or anything but my math homework, some pens, my phone and The Great Gatsby. It's these finals, guys. They really get to me. I can't handle great amounts of pressure, evidently. I don't know how exactly I'm going to survive college, let alone 11th grade. Oh lordy lord.

Happy Memorial Day!

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I Don't Believe We've Met

And so I revert back to my awful puns for post titles. It feels good to be home.

As you are most likely aware, the Met Costume Institute Gala 2012 happened just the other night. It's one of the biggest events of the year; other titles include the Met Ball and the Oscars of the East Coast. The reason all of this happens is to celebrate the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual fashion exhibit. This year the exposition is "Impossible Conversation," showing the differences and similarities between two of Italy's greatest designers, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. You can check out some picz from the exhibit on Harper's Bazaar's website. Da yooj.

The best thing about the Met Gala is that it's infinitely more artistic than, say, the Oscars or the Grammys. Those are so commercialized and in my opinion, a little overrated (most of it is just watching people walk down the red carpet. For two hours. Wanna just show up on time, guys? That would be super.). If you're going to a museum exhibit opening, by default it is artsy. Therefore, people have a bit more fun with their outfits. Not as many people pay attention to this particular event (in comparison to the Academy Awards), so the attendees are free to experiment as they please. You'll see what I mean in a minute.

I've selected a few of my favorites from the evening to share with you all. Make like Spongebob and just soak it all in. That was really bad. Wow. 


Photos via harpersbazaar.com.

Mah home gurl, Arizona Muse, in Erdem, with the designer. They are so perfect together. I want to be their child friend. I'm a huge fan of Erdem's dainty floral prints, so slap 'em on Arizona Muse and you've got yourself a winner. 

Here we have China Chow rockin' that Jean Paul Gaultier. This dress is so architectural and confusing that I can't tell if she's a woman or a tent. That is man repelling at its finest. 

Diane Kruger, also man repelling at the Met Gala in some Pradadada. Undefined waist: check. Tent-like silhouette: check. Feather adorned hemline: check. It's a good thing she already has a husband.  

Hailee Steinfeld, how I love you so! You're barely six months older than I am, yet your wardrobe is a million times better than mine will ever be. In honor of the exhibit's subject, Hailee's sporting a Prada dress. The straight neckline and embellishments are totally age appropriate--you've done it again, Hailee. 

I've already professed my love for Alexa Chung before, so I won't launch into a whole speech now. She's showing us a prime example of someone experimenting a lil' bit on the red carpet. When was the last time you saw someone wearing a white button-up shirt and a leather dress to a black tie event? That would be never. She and Karen Elson both rock some scrumpdiddlyumptious Marc Jacobs ensembles. 

I'm not a huge fan of the actress, but I love her dress. Kristen Stewart actually surprised me a bit by wearing a patchwork Balenciaga piece. We've got some python-esque print, some colorblocking, some leather...she's covered all the bases. Kudos to Kristen.

Coco Rocha has so much going on here that I don't even know where to begin. Let's start from the top and work our way down. Pink dip-dyed hair...hmm. Not quite sure how I feel about it. It's a little too Katy Perry for me, but it's tolerable. The vintage Givenchy yellow pantsuit is perfect, though. It was worn by Elizabeth Taylor, and she's even got the wine stain to prove it. 

Another teenage favorite: Dakota Fanning. She and her sister Elle are probably angels from heaven, but like, whatever. Dakota keeps it sweet and simple in a gorgeous Louis Vuitton gown. She has the pastel trend down pat. 

Here we have Exhibit B (pun, 'cause it's a museum-related gala) of experimental fashion. Elizabeth Banks is wearing Mary Katrantzou. There is some masterful peplumery going on right here. I can't tell if I like the hair and makeup, though. I think a red lip and slicked back hair in a cool bun or something would've been better. 

Emma Stone keeps it cute and playful in this red Lanvin number. As per yooj, Emma accessorized/hair styled/makeup-ed perfectly. 10 points for Gryffindor (the joke there is that she and Emma Watson share the same name, and latter played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, and Hermione is a Gryffindor.)! 

January Jones is once again in Versace. Is that a mini peplum I see? Either way, it's a yellow dress, and that's always a good thing. January is basically a trendy sex monster. Hmu. 

More fancy fun with eveningwear! I love me some Rodarte, and that shade of orange on Kirsten Dunst is quite smashing. She's totally channeling the forties look, down to the hair and accessories. 

Classic Linda Farrow. She's wearing Naeem Khan. That's all I can say. 

Chanel is by far one of my favorite design houses on the face of the planet, so you can imagine my delight when I saw Stella Tennant wearing this dress. I mean, she has a metal corset on. She's practically wearing armor. We got ourselves a fierce chick up in hurr. 

I usually don't go into such great depth about celebrity fashion, but there were some especially interesting looks at the Met Gala, wouldn't you agree?

I'm as curious as a cat today so why don't you tell me which one is your favorite? That would be cute. You can pour your heart out into the comments section, this blog's Facebook wall, send a tweet, et cetera, whatever tickles your fancy, floats your boat...I truly would like your fancies tickled and your boats afloat.

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