Falling for Fall Fashion

I'm really feeling the fall fashions this year. Its fun to work with the richer color palette. And grunge is back! I'm having so much fun mixing things up with this new sort of vagabong look I'm playing with. Its great cause I don't have to iron... I've been doing a lot of shopping (more than I need to...) this summer, so I've got a lot of new things to work with. I got a brownish olive green Kenzie bubble skirt on sale for about $17.00 at Marshal Fields. (It's so sad they're getting taken over by Macy's :_( sniff.) The the stylish cut of the skirt is sort of dressy, but the grungey color makes it really easy to dress down. I've worn it with with a plum colored tshirt and this fucky purple and red braid belt that I got from my grandmother and also with this grey tshirt with a brown floral pattern, these rustic looking lace up brown boots that I have and tan knee socks. I topped the second outfit off with this over-sized grey cardigan that I got from my uncle. With both outfits, I looked straight out of Teen Vogue.
Along with the cardigan, I also got some shirts and skull caps from my uncle that are really fun and Kurt Cobain-y. Today, I was playing dress up and I paired a grey checkerd shirt with a black linen cotton blend A-line shirt. I put on my black and grey H&M belt over the shirt, and this old military inspired denim jacket from my other uncle (gotta love hand me downs) that I cut so it'd be cropped. (I was ahead of my time because I cut up that jacket 3 or 4 years ago when I was still in high school, before cropped jackets because popular.) For the finishing touches, I put on my black high high, three inch heeled faux suede boots and this really fun string of plastic toy pearls.
This fall, I advise everyone to have fun with the grungey hobo look while you can get away with it. Don't get rid of all of your girly stuff, just mix them with some of your brother, dad, or in my case, uncle's stuff.

The Velvet Marauder: August 2004

The Velvet Marauder: August 2004
Okay, this blog is awesome. Its by this guy who writes about himself as a super hero! Its such genius, I wish I would've thought of it first!Wouldn't it be great if there was a super hero who's power was their sheer awesomeness? Sound like a job for an Arbitor of Cool? Yeah, I know, I can't really claim to be an Arbitor of Cool right now because I'm a skimpy post, but until I get into the groove, my posts are like comets or solar eclipses: rare, brilliant, and from outer space. Its a bird, its a plane, its...my blog!Okay, I've got a while before an official Aribitor, but I'm going to go climb a mountain, find an old Asian guy, and train until I'm a lean, mean awesome machine.So, until the next post, I'll be thinking of ways to awe you with my...awesomeness.

Summer Lovin

Its summer, so I actually have time to post now! Starting a new blog so close to finals wasn’t very smart on my part, but that’s all over now, so I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Summer, despite the heat, can be one of the coolest times of year. It’s a bit of a drag coming home to live your parents after having so much freedom in college, but now you’ve got plenty of time to do all of those things that you couldn’t do when you were slaving away at the books. The extra time on your hands can prove daunting, but if you’re creative, you can make plenty of little adventures for yourself. Naturally, you’ll be hanging out with all the good pals that you haven’t seen during school, but when you’ve got some dreaded down time, you might want to get your nerd on.
Take a few pilgrimages to your local library to brush up on all of those coming of age novels that are so necessary to our youth. I admit that I still haven’t read Catcher in the Rye, but I can recommend Demian and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse if you’re seeking some summer enlightenment. If your mood is too light for Hesse and Salinger, you can always rent a movie. Library rentals are considerable cheaper than Blockbuster. When you’re looking for a little light reading, try adding a few comic books or graphic novels to your stack of Vogues and Elles. Comics aren’t just for fat guys with ponytails anymore. Some our favorite ultra hip movies like Sin City, V for Vendetta, and A History of Violence are based on gritty, less known graphic novels. I highly recommend Niel Gaiman’s Sandman series, but if you’re not into magic and super heroes, you can find almost anything that interests you in a comic these days, including romance and everyday humor. Just be brave and check out the Graphic Novel section of Barnes and Noble. Trust me, the geeks don’t bite.
If you’re feeling bold enough, you might want to take a peek in Electronics Boutique next time you’re cruising the mall. You’d be surprised at how much fun shooting weird virtual creatures is. If you don’t feel like killing things, try puzzle games like Bust a Groove or rhythm games like Gitaroo Man or Dance Dance Revolution. You can buy a dance pad for pretty cheap so you can jump around like a goofball in the privacy of your own home. Plus, Dance Dance Revolution has a workout mode so you can stay fit while having fun. (I actually lost 5 lbs over Christmas break playing DDR.)
A lot of the things I suggested are indoor things, but don’t forget to venture outside. Go for a bike ride or take a swing at your local park. If you’re feeling lazy, take your book outside and enjoy the fresh air. If you’re lucky enough to live by a large body of water, don’t forget to go to the beach! I’ve jam-packed this entry with things to keep you cool in the summer heat, so go forth and seize the beautiful summer days!

Are you ready for this Jelly?

I am so cool with my PB&J sammich and juice box. There I am, looking ever so chic, nibbling daintily with my pinkies erect. When I sip my juice box, I stare into space with my brow furrowed in pouty contemplation. Don't go thinking that I'm one of those people that tries to get back to happy times of their childhood by eating PB&J. I made that sandwich out of practicality. The materials to make it (Natural Skippy, low-sugar strawberry Smuckers, and Target brand wheat bread) are cheap and slow to parish. While the chic is usually noted by frivolity (3-inch heels, mini skirts, and waist length jackets in the winter.), I think that practicality marks a truly cool person. I find a guy with a simple, seasonably appropriate wardrobe a lot more attractive than a brand and/or trend whore. His practicality says that he’s going for comfort so he can concern himself with more fascinating aspects of being, like self expression, deep contemplation, and appreciation of the beautiful things in life (like long walks through a museum with me). Perhaps the ladies should take a cue from my dream guy. If one isn’t so concerned with making a fashion statement, she can actually consider her state of being and develop into fascinating individual. Why take years off your life trying to be chic when you can streamline you life and style with good old fashion practicality? I certainly don’t mean to say anyone should start dressing like a nun. I don’t even suggest throwing out those three-inch heels because no one can deny that its fun to strut around in those suckers every now and then. I’m merely suggesting that more people develop a sensibility that takes the effort out of being cool. To me, effortless is the only kind of cool.

Toot ta toot!

This blog is the start of something big. It is the chronicle of my quest to become an arbiter of cool. Even though I'm still just in college, I'm an old soul who pretty much knows what she's about. So, I figure that the best thing left to do is strive to achieve optimal awesomeness.
I suppose you could call this a style blog. I want to do something fashiony when I grow up, so I try to keep up with what's hip and new with the youngsters. I wouldn't call myself a preacher to the church of fashion, though. I'm more of a philosopher; I lay it all out there for you to ponder. We could call all this fashion via Nietzshce. I want to be a cultural physician, but I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. Style is all about going with what you think is cool. I just hope to inspire you with my quirky approach to living life to the coolest.
So here's to being too cool for skool.
Clink.