A Beautiful Headcase

Hello, lovelies! Sorry I've been kinda MIA lately. Double ear infections and broken laptops are not exactly conducive to blogging.

Last month I was gushing about how, after a disappointing downward spiral in quality, Teen Vogue appeared to be getting its fashion groove on once more. The March issue proves it. I don't know what changes have been made in the offices, but whatever they are, they are seriously working. I loved every one of the photoshoots in this issue. Innovative and adorable, they are just what I've come to hope for (and possibly now, expect) from Teen Vogue.

My favorite one, Beautiful Dreamer, showcased outfits styled around mens' pajamas. I'm pretty sure the editorial was inspired by Spring '09 Dolce & Gabbana, and I found it very creative, not to mention beautiful. I'm not sure if I'll be wearing mens' pajamas out, but the fact that I'm even considering it means Teen Vogue deserves serious props.

Check it out (apologies for the lousy photo quality...my scanner was acting up and I couldn't find scans on the internet so I had to use my camera):

Beautiful and dreamy indeed! See the March issue for the rest of the shoot.

I also really appreciated Head Case, which focused on semi-outrageous, playful, and girly head accessories. Look how cute!

Source: TFS

This shoot just makes me want to pile on the colorful accessories and giggle with girlfriends. Reminds me a bit of iCiNG's old catchphrase; "Dress up, leave a false name, be legendary." Very Betsey Johnson - meets Luella - meets Marc Jacobs, I think.

No, I don't work for Teen Vogue, although frankly I wish I did. I just have much love for the publication. Keep it up, li'l Vogue!

What is it About Michelle Obama?

Today I had a college interview. Amid sips of tea, nodding as I recounted my experience as a fashion blogger, my interviewer leaned forward to ask a question. "How do you feel," she began, "about Michelle Obama?" She set her tea mug down with a thunk and gazed at me curiously. "Is this a big thing in fashion? Why is she so important among your generation and your industry?"

I paused to think for a moment. Most people hate interviews, but I tend to enjoy them. I am often asked questions I am unprepared for, questions that nudge me along a new vein of thought. These questions help me to learn more about myself and my thoughts, and I generally find them interesting.

I twirled my mug around in my hands as I thought, then set it down decisively. "I'm not sure how others feel about her, but speaking for myself, I see her as this amazing role model. She's a gorgeous woman and everyone can see that, and yet she's not stick thin. I think it's great that younger girls will be able to look at her and find her beautiful instead of the emaciated models in magazines."

That was pretty much the extent of my answer (hey, I was put on the spot), but now that I've been thinking about it more I've decided there's a lot I could have added to it. Sure, she's not the norm of beauty in our society. She's not a size zero, she's black, she has shorter hair. None of these things are typical on the runway, magazine pages, or even little girls' dolls. And yeah, it's fantastic that we can all see her as beautiful not just despite these things, but because of them. But it goes beyond that. Michelle is a strong, accomplished woman. She's a successful lawyer, she worked hard on her husband's campaign, and she does a lot of hands-on charity work. She will no doubt continue to work hard for our country. I love seeing a woman who is so smart, so driven and hard-working, illustrate what it means to be female in this day and age. In the past, women have had to take on certain "male" characteristics to succeed in a male-dominated world. And yet Michelle dresses in a stylish, feminine manner, openly acts the mother to her children, but never sacrifices her career and strength. 

I'm proud that today's children will be able to grow up with such a role model. 

(Obviously Barack's a great role model too, but this post isn't about him.)

(Photo taken from Mrs. O)

Inauguration Day!

Today was amazing.

I'm not even talking about fashion when I say that, but since this is a fashion blog I might as well comment on the new First Family's outfits. Barack looked dashing in sleek black suits, Sasha and Malia were adorable in J.Crew, and Michelle really dazzled in Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu. Both of Mrs. Obama's outfits were designed specifically for her, and I think she looked freaking amazing. The Jason Wu gown especially was stunning. When Barack asked the crowd at the Neighborhood Ball, "How good-looking is my wife?" I wanted to cheer. And their first dance as a First Couple. . . sigh. I am such a girl.

I am thrilled and excited to see what comes next for our country. Yay President Obama!

Huh?

Just saw this on the Forever 21 website. Does anyone else find it odd that the news didn't leak out through the blogs before the official announcement? And doesn't Forever 21 already have a "boutique line" of sorts aka Twelve by Twelve? And, um, what makes this unoriginal pink t-shirt, sweater, and denim miniskirt combo (I kinda cut the skirt out to make this pic fit on my blog, sorry guys) "boutique"? 

Guess we'll find out soon.

A Different Kind of Dress-Up

Yesterday I decorated a shirt, but it was not for fashion's sake. In fact, the shirt was absolutely nerdy, and not in a remotely chic way. No, my shirt was a basic Hane's sweatshirt, which I used markers to emblazon with the message, "Don't Legislate Hate." And I wore it to a DOMA protest run by Join the Impact MA in Boston, along with two cousins/friends.

I've never been to a gay rights protest before, but the experience was great. The crowd was smaller than expected - only two hundred people or so showed up due to the 16 degree (Fahrenheit) weather - but there was a lot of energy. We listened to speeches, cheered and booed at the appropriate times, and then marched down the street past the state house. Everyone was so friendly, so united for the cause, and there was an amazing gay slam poetry performance to end the event. Everyone was beyond freeeezing, but it was worth it to us to be there. A great experience!

Ha, I almost took a picture with the girl whose sign said "Nerdy Straight Girls for Marriage Equality," since I am indeed a nerdy straight girl in favor of marriage equality. I truly believe that everyone should have the right to marry the person they love and experience the benefits of an officially documented marriage. It's terrible that gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and generally "queer" individuals are treated as second-class citizens in this day and age, and in this country. I'm glad that it's in my power to help forward the goal of "liberty and justice for all."

The top two photos are mine (okay, okay, my cousin took them), but the bottom three are courtesy of Tom™5.

The protest was part of a nationwide movement. Join the Impact in your city/state!

A Winter Photo Shoot

Today my friends Sherry, Monika, and I had a photo shoot. We  tried on lots of random clothes, semi-wrecked the looks by covering them with jackets and such, and jumped around in the snow. Lots of fun!

I wear an old velvet skirt from TJ Max, Old Navy skirt as a one-shouldered top tied with a scarf, self-ripped Urban Outfitters tights, Wet Seal jacket, Target hat, and combat boots from Kohl's. 

Sherry (black hair, big smile) wears an H&M dress, velvet vest, plaid jacket, Forever 21 hat, key necklace from a swap, and Charles David motorcycle boots.

Monika (light hair, fab poses) wears an Express flapper top and skirt, ombre turtleneck sweater, black leggings, Forever 21 sequin headband, and awesome leather boots.

Okay, so the shoot wasn't exactly high fashion, but it was full of laughter and some serious dancing. When the snow started falling, we were excited to have its presence in the photos! 

I challenge anyone who says fashion isn't fun to a snow-dancing duel. 

Update: Aren't Sherry's kicks amazing? She colored in the comics herself!

Target Musings

The Target Go: International collections haven't done it for me lately. I haven't been to see Thakoon in person, so I suppose it could be better than expected, but I'm honestly just not interested. Not really my style, thankyouverymuch. Private Label Collection 5, however, appeals much more to my slightly punkier sensibilities. I'm not gonna pretend it's anything special, but it looks a lot more promising than Thakoon, at least for me. Asymmetrical hemlines, grungy denim, fitted tops, zippers, studs, and black - yes, please.

Although if I'm gonna be honest here, I could reaaallly do without the horrendous puffed-ponytail-and-hoop-earrings combo the model is sporting with a lot of the looks. Target isn't so on target (har har, Target on target) with the styling, methinks. 

While we're talking about Go: International, I guess I should mention that BETSEY JOHNSON FOR TARGET WOULD BE BLOODY BRILLIANT!

Whoah, I said "methinks" and "bloody." I am turning into a Brit. I blame my daily reading of Style Bubble.

Flowers for the Head

I have a problem.

Today my friend Ellen and I stopped by Anthropologie. I found a hat and a headband I was sure would look supremely unflattering on us. I put on the hat, she put on the headband, and . . . 

. . . they were not only flattering, but comfortable, cute, and suddenly exactly what we needed.

Both cost about $40 and were therefore out of the question. So out came the cell phone to snap a few pics to remember the headgear by before we had to leave it behind.

The problem? I love that hat, and I can't stop thinking about it. I want to have its babies. I'm going to attempt to make Ellen a similar headband, but I have no idea how to recreate the hat. 

To end this post on a less whiny note, I should mention that if you are less cheap than me, you should totally go for these. Ain't they jes' divine?

Teen Vogue Madness

I thought I had stopped subscribing to Teen Vogue, but apparently not. This is a good thing, because while I had been feeling like it had gone downhill lately, I have quite a soft spot for that particular mag. I've been subscribing to it for years, since YM and ElleGirl died long ago, so it has that keen sense of nostalgia tied to it. Even today, when I regularly partake in Nylon, Lula, Vogue, Missbehave, and whatever glossies grab my attention on the racks at B&N, unearthing the latest Teen Vogue from a stack of mail brings a smile to my face. 

So it is with great joy that I announce that not only am I still receiving the mag, but I think its on its way up once more! This issue had some great fashion shoots. I haven't read the articles yet, because the pictures are most of the reason for my fashion mag obsession, but the styling is once again up to my (considerably questionable) standards. Yay! My favorite demonstrated the comeback of two particular '90s trends I wish would stay in the past - bucket hats and the bare midrift - but I've always been a sucker for the laid-back, why-yes-I-wear-my-boyfriend's-old-jeans look. Yum.

See the rest of the ed here. Or else.

Strangely enough, I had a dream about Teen Vogue last night. In the dream, Jazzi McGilbert emailed me to tell me she had talked to some guy at Teen Vogue named Brad and managed to snag me a week-long trial internship. So I get to the offices, only they're nothing like the ones I visited during Fashion U. For some reason I ended up among a group of wannabe-longterm-interns sitting with our feet in a pool and working to memorize a set of rules. Anna Wintour, Carine Roitfeld, and Amy Astley sat across the pool from me, staring sternly. A few kids were diving into the pool, and I wondered how they could do that while the editors were giving us such death glares. 

Wow, how ridiculous. Especially given that I've met Amy and she's totally sweet. And why would three editor-in-chiefs spend their time intimidating interns with their piercing gaze? And, um, a pool in the Teen Vogue offices? Really? I think not! Still, it was a good dream, and it was fun being friends with dream-Jazzi. Half asleep, in the midst of texting my friend about my new internship, I realized it wasn't real. Drat.

The post is now over. I don't even wanna think about how many times I wrote "Teen Vogue" in this particular entry, haha.