Project Runway Recap --- SPOILERS

If you haven't seen any of the first two episodes of Project Runway yet, please skip this post! I would hate to spoil anything for you guys.

Project Runway - Episode 1
I have to say, considering the availability of all the products and the amazing results that came up in Season 1.....these designer's were a bust. A lot of them lacked originality while still maintaining a great look. And the amount of tableclothes being used was obscene. I wonder if it occurred to any of the designers who used them that using it would be the easiest way of getting a dress thrown together?



Hits - Although the dresses aren't exceptional, I do admit that these two by designers Emily and Jennifer were at least relatively visually appealing. Although the huge green collar of Emily's dress is a bit of a stretch, I can't deny that a large collar on such a simple silhouette + skinny belt would be adorable paired with the high boots. Jennifer's sweet and simple design with multi-tiered ruffles isn't much out of the ordinary, but it's extremely wearable and the kisses add a little playful touch.

Misses - Pattern overkill, much? Suede and Joe tried to really work with the materials given, and I absolutely detested the overuse of the patterns on the eye. Not only that, but Suede's dress had an awful silhouette; she looked like a lego-woman. Joe's skirt was awful, and although he created an interesting pattern I would've liked to see a bold skirt with a creative design to offset the heavy patterns of the bodice. And don't even get me started on Blayne's piece. Blue shoulder pads and an awkward white furry thing on the crotch. Unsexy.

Project Runway - Episode 2
I literally freaked out and flipped shit when I saw Natalie Portman guest judging. I adore her so much, and seeing her there was exciting for me. I do notice a trend in how Blayne is trying so hard to get "girlicious" started. (The next wannabe Christian Siriano?) It's rather irritating, and I'm honestly just waiting for someone to say something about it. It's painful.



Hits - Although I'm still unimpressed with the work these designers have put out, I really enjoyed these three dresses the most. Blayne's pink asymmetrical dress has a great party quality to it. Add in some Lamé black tights, some trashy 80's makeup and accessories and you've got yourself instant outfit. The other two are mediocre in dress quality (to be honest, Leanne's satin dress didn't rub me right in terms of material, but the design was clever I thought) but the styling was just too adorable to not mention. Jennifer's sweet Grecian inspired look caught my eye, as well as the Peter-Pan styling of Leanne's model.

Misses - I cannot be the only one who thought Jerrell's dress had terrible fit? The eastern Persian influence is beautiful, making me reminisce of Ingres's Grand Odalisque, but the fit and the actual styling of the model herself was terrifying for me. Korto's odd idea of the dress looking more "inside-out" didn't appeal to me either and had no real connection to the African-Queen image the model seems to be portraying.

Maybes - Suede's and Terri's were merely a maybe. Suede's use of the tutu and the silhouette was nifty, but I'm skeptical of the fact she looked like an apple pie on top. Terri's had a gorgeous collar and a nice cinched belt, but I guess I would've preferred it to look a little edgier.

Tues July 22nd - Grandmother meets Farmer Joe

The weather's been cool lately, and I'm surprised it's already been a month since my birthday! Time flies, although unexpectedly since I haven't done as much as I would've hoped for during my short time in Orange County.

Later on there's a barbecue with a group of friends from high school. I'm a little excited since I haven't seen them in so long, I wonder if they've changed much since college started for everyone. Things like that worry me at times, if people changed so drastically that they aren't exactly the same person anymore....but despite that I'll be thrilled to run into them all again.

Decided to dress a little up and down for tonight's gathering. It's comfortable, a little kooky, and I've been really enjoying this light color palette, if you didn't notice from my previous entry. Also was able to play with my tripod a bit today, although in a slightly uncreative manner.

Did I mention I'm heading to Manhattan towards the end of summer? I went last year, but this year it perfectly encompasses New York Fashion week, so I'm considering taking some candids here and there. If anyone is a New York native, any suggestions on interesting places to hang out during night/day time? I've already been suggested The Cake Shop, Prince St., and of course Soho is a place I plan to visit again. I'm particularly looking for music venues, or cafes, or any general hangout spot.





Lace Tee - Forever 21
Overalls - Thrifted
Shoes - Thrifted
Accessories - Thrifted

What size does fashion come in?

Lately it's been bothering me how fashion and ideal of beauty seems to come in a size 2. Me and my cousins were chatting about clothing and fashion the other day, and all I ever hear from them is the admiration for the models and actresses who come in obscenely small sizes. Curious, I asked them, "Why do you adore them so much? What is it about being thin that's so appealing?" And they simply reply, "because clothes will look better on us."

Is that really the case? Has society nowadays officially thrown themselves into the depths of "skinny-chic" for fashion? This hasn't been a recent problem, it's been happening at an increasing rate since skinny models and icons became the new norm. And I know this isn't the most original topic to be musing about, but as a person who is far from the ideal size 2 and who packs in extra meat here and there, this is something that bothers me as a blogger who puts herself out into the public sphere.

It's funny to think that clothing supposedly looks better on skinny people. The way oversized clothing drapes and the way the skinny jeans just seem to elongate legs is just so tempting and desirable. That's how society is trying to sculpt us into believing, and it's working pretty darn well. In smaller-scale outfit presentation threads (on forums and such) I tend to see a gravitation towards the skinnier girls who show off their outfits. They get more praise, clothes supposedly look better on them, and people always comment on their size as being a subject of envy.

But I coincidentally ran into an old friend from high school, now named Maricelle for privacy purposes. It was at this moment I realized that everything my cousins had just said was completely wrong. Here is Maricelle, with full breasts, curves, and a little extra meat on the side looking fashionable, unique and herself in her clothing. Everything about her was charming, charismatic, and cool. She wore cutoff shorts (although her legs are not a perfect proportion) with an elaborate sequin tube top layered under button up tuxedo shirt. Looking at her you could tell she was a full girl, but she was so content with what she was wearing.

Which brings me to another point of importance. Confidence. Confidence just seemed to be the missing ingredient that seems to avoid women all across the world. It is with confidence that I realize size doesn't matter when it comes to fashion. It's how you present yourself to the world that really matters. So although it's time I retire for the night, I feel certain that no outfit is going to be restricted from me from now on as long as I hold the confidence to proudly walk out in public.

Thurs July 17th

Nothing really occurred today other than running bland errands and bumming it out with another high school friend.

Although I did find my outfit humorous. I felt like I was straight out of the early 90's.



Top - Urban Outfitters
Shorts - Thrifted @ Salvation Army
Granny Booties - Thrifted @ Lincoln Thrift

Inspiration and Wants

got the Fall catalog for Urban Outfitters today, and I was slightly surprised by their new preppier approach to clothing. Much more tuxedo shirts, cardigans, and loafers. But I did see quite a few pieces I liked, so I decided to scour the internet for other things I must keep an eye out for. Now, since I am so impossibly cheap, I'll have to hope that I can hit these up at a local thriftshop. (Which has been partially successful. Red plaid oversized Diane von Furstenberg, thrifted for $1.50, and a fringe brown hippie vest for $1.50, such great deals that I couldn't resist.)



I'm in search for....
- Acid wash denims. Jeans, shorts, overalls, shortalls, whatever.
- Jumper pieces. Something fun to layer with and all.
- Leather jacket!! Preferably faux leather, since I don't want to wear the real deal.
- Rompers. Something a little snug and fun to throw some accessories together.
- Soft romantic neutral dresses. Something for me to play with contrasts.
- Colorful tops/bodysuits. Once again, for contrast with more neutral pieces.
- Floppy sunhats and a cute 20's inspired hat.
- Indian inspired mocassins, woven cutout flats, and loafers!!

Now, inspirations! These are just random photos here and there from foto_decadent that I thought inspired me to dress a certain way or try something out. Like, flowers and braids in my hair, wavy hair days, and just being comfortable in one's own body.



I just get all sorts of great vibes from these photos. As hot as it gets here in southern California, I hope summer never ends.

Tues July 15th - Flower Child

So I bought myself a tripod today so that I wouldn't have to rely on other more...undependable means? Unfortunately my dad insists I use his old one rather than my new one, and although his is more advanced and of a better brand...I'd feel more comfortable using my own simple tripod. I haven't opened it yet, but I'm still debating on whether I should keep it, although my dad is extremely insistent I just use his.

But I had a nice lunch today with an old friend from High School. It was interesting to see how we both had changed since a year ago, gossiping as we ate sushi and played with her adorable 3 kittens. This weekend I should be having a mini-picnic with another friend, which should be a great afternoon filled with animal crackers and pictures.



Dress - Thrifted, The Salvation Army
Socks - Ross
Shoes - Thrifted, Lincoln Thrift

Friday July 11th - Shopping with Lack of Creativity

My outfit today was quite uninspired. I think I might be coming down with some sort of summer sickness (as I usually do) so I was very lazy about my dressing.

Didn't do much today other than attend The Salvation Army 50% off sale. It was quite epic, as I found oodles of stuff and their "collectibles" (which I just consider their bric-a-brac they authentically dated vintage) for half the price. I spent about $30 today, but it was all on a mess of things I plan on selling off in ebay and keeping for myself.

...so that's it. I'm going to lay down in bed now!



Top - Heritage 1981
Shorts - Free People @ Ebay
Shoes - Urban Outfitters
Purse - Thrifted, Goodwill

Inspirations

Jeez, I've been so awful with the updating lately. I do apologize for that.

But during the past few days I've been really interested in looking through old photos of Native Americans and Hawaiians. I feel like there's something about these photographs that's just so hauntingly beautiful in a way that western cultures can't quite grab. And what they wore, both in garb and ornamentally, was so lovely!

I've realized that the whole feather-in-the-hair thing has been getting popular, as is the jewelry, I think there's just something more past that that's so beautiful.



After seeing this, I definitely long for tight-pleated braids long strings of jewelry.



I also ran into this in my search for photos. I'm so in love with it! Her hair is gorgeous. Where as most people cringe at the sight of such overwhelming hair, it just has so much personality and volume to it. The flowers fall beautifully on it as well. It's official, tomorrow I'm going to Michaels to make myself a band of flowers like this one.

Mon July 7th - So lazy....

Sorry for the inactivity all weekend. While most blogs were posting up their fourth of July (if they're in America) celebratory outfits, I was busy attending a convention and doing other family events.

Due to the intense activity of the weekend, I'm pretty much ready to bum it out for a day or two. I actually went thrifting again today after a small teensy break, and I was surprised! The Salvation Army had so many goodies that were added right before the fourth of July weekend, I was astonished! It was as if everyone decided to get rid of their old clothes right then and there. I was on a budget though, although everything was 50% off, but I did get to buy this amazing Indian-fringe sweater and a straight-out-of 60's lace dress. It's straight out of a Factory Girl's life, so I'm excited. (Although, a slip would be needed to wear underneath, no?)

Of course, I had to be lazy and just threw on a dress. (It was originally a skirt, if you guys may recognize it from a few posts down.) But now I'm in great want of a large floppy sunhat.



Skirt/Dress - Thrifted
Belt - Abercrombie
Shoes - Thrifted Vintage
Hat - Mexico

Wednesday July 2nd

I've been spending a lot of time with my mom lately. I have to admit, sometimes I feel guilty for going to school someplace where I can't see my mom on a constant basis. So over summer I offer to tag along to run errands with her and go shopping with her much more often. (When me or my sister aren't home, she's never in the mood to shop.)

I threw together this outfit today on one of those outings with my mom. I've been meaning to wear this dress for a while. I bought it way back when I first came home and it was part of my early thrifting trips this summer. I absolutely love it, the length is a little short but it wasn't too much of a problem, especially on this windy day.

And these pair of heels just blow me away. They're comfortable and adorable at the same time, with the crossing design. I'm silently hoping they don't sell on ebay.



Dress - Thrifted
Belt - Thrifted
Brown Heels - Thrifted
Purse - Thrifted
Tank top - Forever 21
Tights - The Dance Factory