Whoops... new wedding dress

Well, it's finals week and I'm totally stressed out.  I even gave myself a cold (I don't think the studio environment filled with sniffling people helped.)  So, I came home to regroup and found myself looking at wedding dresses again, this seems to be a problem even though I have no desire to actually get married for years to come.  Oh well, here's the newest contender, with a sort of ballet inspired flair.  Funny thing, it's actually the same designer as my previous favorite, Pattis, but I found this one on Project Wedding instead of Kleinfeld's website.   

jkldesign

Etsy is such an additive site.  All the stores, it's mind boggling, I can literally find something to buy in less than 5 minutes.  This is a gorgeous shop, jkldesign, that sells prints.  I love how they're beautiful, yet unfinished.

Globe Collection

It's not really good to have collections, people tend to accumulate too many and friends and family tend to catch on and try to add too, but I'll risk it and say how much I like this globe collection I found on Apartment Therapy.  It's both practical, whimsical, and to be punny, worldy.

Tulle Coat

I went to Nordstrom Rack today to look for a coat and of course didn't leave empty handed.  As I looked through the racks of coats I became discouraged, I didn't find anything I liked and the things I did were still $100, but alas I came across a rack labeled Tulle.  I looked through the beautiful corduroy and wool coats I picked up three styles, one for $30, one for $40, and one for $50.  Why the range of prices?  I am not sure, but naturally as I tried them on it became apparent that the $50 coat was the winner.  A quick call to my mom for validation and I bought myself a new coat.  I left the store, ripped off the tags and put it on while I went to the DI, Barnes & Noble, and McDonald's for an iced coffee.  It is so adorable that I wore it to the dance concert at the University of Utah tonight too.

This is a picture of a similar coat, I couldn't fine my exact coat... mine is black, velvety corduroy and has different pockets, but it is the same shape.

Also, looking at their website for this picture has made me mildly obsessed with Tulle...

Boyfriend Jeans

I'm still a little unsure of this trend. I don't find it all that flattering and truth be told most of Salt Lake City has ignored the trend completely. But... alas I am still fascinated by the slouchy look. Here are two styles (7 For All Mankind and J. Crew) that seem to pull off a more sophisticated version of the trend.

Winter Woes

Oh winter, how I hate you... Just thinking about these cold winter months fast approaching makes my ears cold. Walking to and from the TRAX train to school and home can be torturous in winter, the icy sidewalks and the cold wind.
This hooded scarf from Ruche looks warm and inviting. It also looks friendlier to my hair than most hats.
Anything to make winter more tolerable is a plus for me.

Cocktail Dresses

Apparently I need a job that allows me to wear cocktail dresses. I love to peruse ShopBop for the cutest dresses. I've bought two dresses for weddings, but I definitely need more excuses for party dresses...

Update on Turntable

Well, my curiosity was finally surpassed by my tight budget. It all started with the DI, I had never noticed the records there, but under the VHS shelves there sat records, improperly laying stacked and horizontal begging to be saved. I sifted through the pile and found a few treasures, at least treasures to me... And how much were these treasures? 50 cents. How could I resist saving these poor mistreated vinyl records from the DI?

Problem being this has opened a giant can of worms, I now needed a turntable, accessories, and naturally more records. Well, I am now the proud owner of 39 records and have a Sony turntable, anti-static cloth, and record brush in the mail.

Oy, how costly it is to be cool...

Hammocks

Although it isn't currently summer, I was reminded of a former idea.  My ideal library, which my dream house would of course have.  I remember summers of jerry-rigging a hammock to the porch column and fence pole and reading books for hours in a hammock.  Thus the idea of a hammock in my library.  Built-in white bookcases filled with the classics and the series of my childhood (Anne of Green Gables, Wizard of Oz, Emily of New Moon, and so forth), a built in hammock, and maybe a bay window with a bench.

One of the sites I've come across over my years of web browsing is The Hunger Site.  Whatever you buy on the site, a portion of the cost goes to good causes, like hunger causes or literacy.  It's also really cool because they have authentic goods from other countries, so it's not generic crap from China, which is always a plus.

So, here's a hammock I found on The Hunger Site that reminded me of my dream library and started this rambling blog.

ModCloth!

An ad for Modcloth always shows up on my facebook page.  It has so many cute dresses and tops it's hard to even pick a few favorites to highlight.  I've never bought anything from here so I can't vouch for quality, but they are totally adorable.

 

Inspiration

I tend to buy rings when I need a pick me up.  I bought a ring with two leaves to represent getting into the Architecture program and finishing my drawing class.  When my parents went to Mexico they brought me back a ring from the area.  Looking at these rings brings back memories and allows me to see what I've accomplished or that people love me.

I think these rings would be inspirational in their hippy-dippy aesthetic, maybe I'll buy them when I graduate for inspiration in succeeding outside of education.

Free People

I love the look of the brand Free People.  It never seems to look right when I try it on, but I still love the hippy aesthetic quality.

My hand hurts because I sanded my knuckle off today, so I'll write more later.

Boyfriend Blazer

I keep looking for a decent blazer, one that is good quality but also not too outrageously priced.  Express is the store I look to for jeans and cute tops, so when I saw that Rachel Bilson had this blazer, it made me look again.
I'm still a little unsure of the sleeve length, but it's the best I've found so far... and the search continues.

Aldo

I've always heard people talk about Aldo and after looking at Jimmy Choo's, Manolo Blahnik's, Christian Louboutin heels, these prices actually look reasonable.  So, surfing their page a few things caught my eye.  I am a little concerned about the sizes, no half sizes?  I guess next time I go to the mall, I'll have to drop by Aldo and try on some expensive, yet inexpensive comparatively, heels.

Ballet Conditioning

I never really wanted to be a ballerina.  But, lately I've really been loving the ballerina style and fascinated by the idea of ballet as exercise to get a ballerina body.  I found this work-out DVD and I find it to be an interesting approach to toning and becoming more graceful in general.  So, sign me up for anything ballerina related and I can't wait to buy tutus for my nieces.

 

Color Block

There is something timeless to me about colorblock dresses; they always seem to be around, reinvented every few years.  This one from Anthropologie is "new" in the color combination of the blue, gray, and the pop of orange.  All newer colors of the season.  It also incorporates the trend of the season, ruffles.  I think it just looks so effortless and easy to wear.

Too F*ing Cool

I'm poaching this from another blog, the one that inspired this blog in fact: Modern Urban Style.  I am so in love with these profane shirts.  They are so adorable with embroidery and then the insanity of wearing the F word next to sweet flowers.  It's so incredibly awesome.  But, of course, my favorite designs (the slightly feminist anti-sweetheart and the cute birds on a kimono type t-shirt) are sold out, so alas I have to wait.

Black Pepper

I saw this a few years ago in a Lucky magazine.  I have wanted it ever since, it's a black pepper men's body wash from Molton Brown.  It sounds so good and manly, but also delicious and fascinatingly different.  I can't wait to go to a store that actually sells it because I'm too cheap to pay $28 and the shipping.

 

My Love for "Cheeky"

I seem to have a weakness for things that are "cheeky."  Oxymorons, contraditions, things that make fun of themselves just seem to make me smile, better yet smirk, at the many crazy, bizarre things people buy.

Again, on the fantastic Areaware I found the cheekiest candles ever, designed by Harry Allen.  I don't even like or use candles, but I was so close to buying these.  So freakin' cheeky, therefore I'm in love. ;)

Turntable

I have always been in love with the idea of a turntable.  The nonchalant coolness of playing records, when you grew up in the cd era, is utterly fascinating.  It's always protrayed as such a cool collection to have, records.  The hisory of all the bands and the hardcore people that know everything about records.

The problem with this old school way of playing music, is just that, it's old school, and getting harder and harder to find.  While browsing Urban Outfitters I came across a turntable (that's also a radio, a plus for practicality, right?) that made all my former aspirations of owning a turntable and record collection came flooding back.

So, someday, I may look to Ebay for records and a sweet turntable.  Kudos to records and the fact that mp3s can never replace the innate coolness of records.

Wedding... again

Another facet of my ideal wedding would be the veil.  I've always dreamed of a long dramatic lace veil or a simple, vintage-appealing birdcage veil.  I stumbled across this website where a woman, Dorene, custom makes birdcage veils; the bride helps customize the shape, color, length, everything.

Side note: my ideal wedding also includes the vows that Ross and Emily took in their wedding on the fourth season finale of Friends, I transcribed them if anyone cares... ;) 

Some of my favorite veils:

Apartment Tours

Apartment Therapy is this really cool website where you can tour apartments in LA, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, or Boston.  Very interesting to see different ways to combine pictures on a wall or create a mix of dining chairs.