Alice in Wonderland

I have always been a fan of Alice in Wonderland- last year we had to paint murals in teacher's classrooms, and I luckily got one of the literature rooms where Alice in Wonderland was taught. Not only did I paint a huge tea-party scape, but I got to research, in depth, Lewis Carroll and the "real" Alice. It really is a love story. But anyway, when I was younger I (of course) watched the Disney cartoon version, but the English version with actual people. And now, Tim Burton has his hands on the script, and has transformed it into a perverse and dark double-mirror world. I like it. Not only is Alice in Wonderland a great story, but it has the clothes to match- seen Anne Hathaway's grey inspired dress? Or remember Vogue's special with Natalia Vodianova as Alice, completely dressed up as a little heroine lost in her imagination. And now there are actual "alice" inspired alice-bands, dresses, shoes, and stockings. It's rather like Harry Potter... but alot nicer.

Back to school already

And so, my summer is apparently over. At least, according to my friends who seem to have built in count-down calendar until we all flock back to school. One of my least favorite rituals... However, I do always love the back to school shopping. For me, it's the best part- you can really buy clothes whenever you need them, but to go shopping JUST for one occasion so you can show off is just great. I have a very international style, and I love to add bits of flounce to my wardrobe, but I'm just not seeing any frills or lace or ribbons. All I'm really seeing are mute colors, baggy cargo pants, and ugly hats (no offense to people who actually like those hats...) and so my excitement for back to school shopping is fading a bit. I mean, sure, I'll definitely be able to get cute things for the new year (thank you anthropology) but who wants to make a statement of "I'm back to school and rocking the 2 tone grey and brown"? Yes, I understand that the grim colors "express the economic mood" and that the excess bolts of fabric are just as slimming as a pair of jeans, but would you really ever be caught wearing them?? For me, I would rather be wearing last season clothes, then wear something drab, ill fitting, and "all the rage." But that's just me.

Twinkle Twinkle.... Valentino Dress

Tis the time: Paris Fashion show. Of course, there are many stars to this year's fall '09 collection, although Valentino is shining through the most. Literally. The pieces in Valentino's latest collection were a little see through, however, they still caught my eye. The ensembles that he brought together are pieced with a laidback care, and yet, they are sexy. Like the girl who can manage to throw clothes on and have not brushed her hair, and still look fabulous. Is that the aim of Valentino? "Put on this relaxed yet highly elegant outfit, and you too can look this great." I'm ok with that intention, as long as it actually works. I have often been at the not so great end of a good "sounding" outfit, but it turned out to not be so great. But with Valentino's show of spotless backless dress and almost antler like head pieces, a flawless outfit seems to be inevitable. But who would really wear that? Yes, it is a wonderful show, however, Valentino seemed to focus on the imagination factor, rather than reality. I still love them of course...

Bikini Bash

When at the pool, I have a lot of time to look at swim suits. For me, the pool is a time for magazines (as is when I stay at home, but I tend to indulge myself) and I was surprised to find Glamour and Elle completely full of bikinis, monokinis and one pieces. I mean, yes , it is summer, but I was a little surprised, and not in a bad way. So, because of this, my "destiny" was to find my future swimsuit. Yes, there were many disaster pieces, and I did not once see that adorable scalloped edge Chloe two-piece, but I did see variations. Many went for the mix and match that Victoria's Secret is known for, with black bandeau tops and crazy printed and stringy bottoms, but a few I picked out quite meticulously had nice pieces. One was a caramel color, and was covered in eyelet and ADORABLE, but now I need to find it. The others I found were nice, with deep pearlescent colors such as mandarin, fuchsia, and cerulean, but I had one like that last year, and I want something more girly. And I found the perfect one. I went to England in 8th grade for a school trip, and all through the Heathrow terminal was an adorable store called Accessorize, owned by the company Monsoon. I have always been a faithful Monsoon shopper- in Australia I would get little shirts and dresses there, but it's always exciting to find an accessories store, branched from such a wonderful company. My dad is going to Heathrow as a stop on his way to Abu Dabi in Saudi Arabia, and on my wishlist is the cutest little oriental blossom swimsuit. Just perfect for what I was looking for.

Bag Lady

I spent my 4th of July up at a friends condo in Winter Park, in the Rocky Mountains. Between mountain biking and toasting marshmallows, I snuck in a bit of reading. I had brought up my summer reading for school, but after comparing Medea (required by my high school) to an artsy magazine, I chose the latter. I read a magazine called Bust, a creative mix of Nylon and an art magazine (http://www.bust.com/) As I was flipping through the pages, I came across an advertisement for Trkfld (Track + Field) bags. I loved my old school bag (A Kitsch Kitchen side bag) but it was time for a new one to carry all of my school necessities. I had never heard of the brand, so when I got back to Denver, I researched them. Trkfld is a company across the world that makes bags for "people bored of boring". I like that, and boring is never great. There bags aren't pretentious- yes, they are more expensive than a Jansport, but they're really not that much, and no one else would have one at your school. I can almost guarantee that no one at a Denver Public High school would tote one around. Which leaves me to pick one for my own. The bags that they have online are all unisex- varying in color and size, but the one that really catches my eye is the entirely circle Mimi bag. But the sensible shopper voice inside my head makes me really wonder if a circular side bag would be the greatest for carrying AP European History text books.... Probably not. Well, there are still more to chose from!