Tuesday, December 31, 2013

hi there 2014

I don't know about you, but 2014 snuck up on me like a vampire in orthopedic shoes, and you know what- I survived, we survived. The world didn't end and that's pretty wonderful. 

For some reason, it doesn't really FEEL like New Year's Eve this year, and it certainly doesn't feel like a whole year has passed since I was some akward 11 year old who didn't really know anything about anything (not gonna pretend that I know that much now anyways.) 

I just realized that some parts of the world are already in 2014 and now I feel like I'm in an old scifi movie because I have extremely high expectations for our ability to have hovercrafts and teleportation and robot butlers in 2014.  


2013 was a really rad year for me for so many reasons
1. I started this blog, and I didn't quit *hooray*. 
2. I somehow magically discovered this super cool community of people with blogs, and zines, and all these amazing interests and it's been incredibly fun! (hopefully that didn't sound too cringy)
3. Um... you guys. You're all very cool (obviously, because you're reading my blog) and I just want to thank you for putting up with me for so long and reading these posts because it's just an incredible feeling to know somewhere in the world, 20 something people are reading what you're writing. 
4. I learned so much about feminism and music and movies and I'm so happy to be 5000% better/cooler than I was last December. 

But, 2014 is going to be even radder because I will,
1. Start blogging regularly: at least twice a week. I know, it's exciting for both of us. 
2. Managing my time a lot better than I did this year
3. Focus on basically, radiating happiness (kindness, compassion etc) into myself and the universe
4. Create things as much as possible: write more, maybe try singing, draw, paint etc 
5. Read more, specifically read better books.
6. Get a job or figure out some magical way for a 12 year old to make money: seriously, I need to be able to afford something from the Meadham Kirchoff collection that isn't a pair of socks. 
7. Stop procrastinating on schoolwork
8. Stop procrastinating on blogging
9. Stop procrastinating
10. Keep a journal more often
10. World domination from the comfort of my computer chair
11. Beyonce (yes that is a resolution)
12. ??????????? (who knows? the future is a mystery?) (I'm proud of how simultaneously mysterious and motivational speaker-y that was)
13. Sign as many change.org petitions as possible
14. Exist

I tried to write this, but I couldn't do it as well as Dini who said, "It {the future, resolutions etc} makes me feel like diving deeper into the ocean without knowing what kind of monster we have to face."

That quote, and this quote from a very inspiring visionary, 
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery" - Justin Timberlake

I also made a New Year's playlist for dancing alone in your room when the clock strikes 12. 

Get This Party Started
Shake It Out
Tell Me Something Good
All Night
I'll Be Yours
Conga
One Way or Another
Crocodile Rock
Be A Body
Rill Rill
Come on Eileen

RIP 2013, it was nice knowing you. See you all in the future.
--
K

ETA: It is now officially 2014, and I'm not in a hovercraft. All hope is lost. Oh well, maybe 2015

Sunday, December 29, 2013

she's morphine, queen of my vaccine

I'm still feeling super inspired by relaxed, cool colors.




shirt: DIY, skirt:  yard sale

--
K

Friday, December 27, 2013

and as I arrived, I thought I saw you leaving, carrying your shoes

elegance in simplicity seemed to be the theme of Theory's prefall 2014 collection. The symbolism of the brand compressing from two different lines (Theysken's Theory and Theory) to just Theory was obvious in the collection’s polished, modern, simple and beautiful looks: no “high fashion” frills. I’m particularly in love with this collection’s concepts of minimalism and monochrome, simple palettes this winter, maybe because black and white symbolize a lot of concepts in the end of the year and a fresh, new beginning in January.


Black and white: modernity; power; sophistication; formality; elegance; wealth; mystery; style; evil; purity; simplicity; air; sterile; cold; innocence; life; rebellion; hope; unity; minimal; clean; empty; new.

I also made a visual layout of everything fitting this monochrome theme that I can’t stop thinking about.


//winter vibes//

sources (clockwise) Sasha Pivovarova in Vogue China; Cara Delevigne for Rodarte AW 13; idk, so sorry, the internet sux sometimes, if you know what it is, please let me know; Bassike Autumn 2014; Meadham Kirchoff Fall 2013; Lazy Oaf Ad Pt.2; Lorde; Lazy Oaf Pt.1; um...random, unknown picture of polar bears?; Pringle of Scotland Resort 2011 detail; Solange by Elias Tahan; Kai Teleport by Katsuhiro Otomo

Sorry for those pictures without a source, but I don't feel like tracking them down right now, so here's a picture of a cat to appease the souls of the internet! You guys like cats right?



My tumblr, which is looking nice and cohesive right now (yay!) is also a good representation of these vibes. 
(I see  you there Debbie Harry)
~



Without the belt, I assume that there would be an undefined silhouette in the dresses, with a more androgynous look and the belt was purposely used to accentuate the femininity of the design. I think the white layers of cotton-wool peeking out on dark fabrics and the soft silk viscose juxtaposed against leathers provide a beautifully striking contrast. I’m in love with that knee length cable knit dress and I actually saw something like it in dark blue at a thrift store a while back, but it never occurred to me how lovely it could look.
The refined, classic androgynous look of those black boots against that tan suit immediately caught my eye. The fitted pants, blazers, and belts are all incredible in a uniquely “Let the clothes do the talking” way.

These ironically feminine looks inspired me the most because of the beautiful silhouettes of those long, flowing 80s style skirts and simple silhouettes. The exceptional versatility in the collection is highlighted in the ornately detailed tops and the beautifully relaxed ones in subdued
color palettes.
The layering in this collection is amazingly multifaceted: an all white layered outfit with fitted pants and a sheer top to geometric prints and embroidered tops.


My favorite looks in the collection were the elaborate ones, but that's probably because of my preference for detailed, embellished looks.

I tried to be cool and adapt the looks in the collection and got this:
               


(sorry that my feet are basically the grossest things on the planet)

--
K
collared shirt: thirifted; sweater: Marshall's; skirt: Marshall's; shoes; thrifted
*all other photos from Vogue*

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

hawt trendz and holidays



~festive~

I hope all of you guys are having (or already had) a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate it and a fun holiday if you don't.

Winter break has been one giant blob of fun and relaxation but I'm a little bit afraid that if I don't prioritize, I'll probably end up in front of the computer, descending into an internet hole of articles about Yeezus and old blog posts and toys from the 1950s and will accomplish nothing. 

In other news, when I woke up this morning, this was outside my window. 

"I'm not sure how to feel about this snow s
o let's make a pros and cons list!", she said as enthusiastically as an evil middle school English teacher who's preferred form of torture is never-ending pros and cons lists.
pros: 
-yay! snow (my inner child/actual child enjoys the concept of snow for some strange, seemingly nonexistent reason)
- the snow isn't enough to need to shovel or do any *shudders* manual labor. 
cons:
-the snow isn't enough to actually do snow related activities (snowman building, snow angel making, snowball fights etc.) I've never actually done any of those things because, you know, ~physical activity~, but they sound interesting enough.

- Its about 10 degrees (F) right now and even though I'm a Chicago baby, I have an extremely low tolerance for cold which means that I probably won't be able to wear anything that's not three layers of pants and thermal wear if I have to spend a minute outside. 
        
Anywho, this is what I was planning to wear before motha nature got in the way.
look! How festive: my face is a snowflake and it's magically snowing inside! 

I planned to accessorize with this lovely holographic clutch thing (which actually an old pencil bag). Yay for DIYs that require no effort whatsoever!


~
As the coolest fashion blogger in da land, I'm going to let you in on a little secret:
food modeling.
It's one of the latest hottest trendz in the modeling industry; Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander Wang: pay close attention. 
In order to truly model with food, you have to follow my five steps to success:
1. Eat food
2. Breathe food
3. Love food
4. Think food
5. BE food. 

For this photo-shoot, I've chosen to model with the gift basket of goodies my uncle sent yesterday, which I've already half devoured because 1. EAT food. Since it's the season of giving, I'm going to give the gift of early access to the photo shoot, before it's released to Vogue, Elle, Glamour etc. 







(Wow, my fingers look disgustingly abnormal here but whatever.)

Happy holla dayz! 
--
K
velvet dress: yard sale; red shirt: thrifted; necklace: gifted; tinsel headpiece: DIY; pencil bag (worn as clutch): childhood. 

Sunday, December 22, 2013

aidan backwards is nadia and I think that's pretty amazing.

Confession time: I haven't been on the Vogue or Style or any magazine website in 2 months. To most people, I guess this wouldn't be such a big deal. But it really bothers me because going on these websites and looking at these magazines and the pictures of designers and collections used to be such a huge part of my daily routine (despite the fact that I've encountered so many people who complain about how vain and conceited fashion is. But that's a rant for another time because I don't feel like getting passionate about the f-bomb* in this post) At first I was afraid of the three possible causes that we're stooping me from actively engaging in the world of fashion like I used to.

a) I was becoming disenchanted with fashion at the age of 12. This literally frightens me because I associate it with a loss of my innocence which is something I'm already trying to deal with (I cried when I heard the Jonas brothers were breaking up and also Tavi's "forever" letter). I know that I'm still interested in fashion because I see people around me in school or on the sidewalk and think wow that's an awesome outfit, do I have anything like that? Or I listen to music and look at art and think, how can I express that through clothing?

b) fashion blogging is changing the way I think about fashion. For some reason, now whenever I look at a collection, I feel a weird obligation to have  incredibly complex thoughts about the clothing, even though sometimes I just want to think, wow that's cute. And maybe I want to put pictures of designs on my wall without constantly thinking about why the designer chose these colors and lines and what were they trying to convey with these clothes? This must sound ridiculous coming from someone who made the conscious decision to start a fashion blog, but they're just thoughts.  

c) maybe school is physically sucking all of the ability to think creatively out of my life. Very, very plausible but mostly because whenever I have a problem i tend to blame it on school hahaha. 

I don't know about all of this but I just really wanted my thoughts out there and I'll be back tomorrow with a report of my first time back on Vogue tomorrow.
--
K

ps: sorry for the irrelevant title, the unstructured writing, and the ranty-ness of it all. 

*F-bomb: feminism. 

Saturday, December 21, 2013

procrastinator's guide to getting stuff done

Hi guys, this post about last-minute Christmas presents was supposed to go up a week ago, but I procrastinated, and now it's too late. (So I can't really blame anyone for "last minute" gifts since I'm doing this at literally the last minute.) But I guess this guide is still pretty helpful if you plan on giving a late gift or just indulging yourself in rad gifts under $20 from the comfort and love of your computer. 
-
So, I thought I should make a little holiday gift guide if you've got anyone who (like me) is 12 years old or (like me) wants gifts or (like me) is a female adolescent (like me.) *hint hint* Because you know, to give is better than to receive (but I am of course open to receiving any of these lovely presents as a surprise.)

cool things 1

(left to right)
1. Really Positive Energy Breath Spray, $6.29
Heightens your inner magnetism with "real unicorn juice".
2. Pop Heart Purrfect Lip Balm, $5.44
Kitschy heart shaped tin.
3. Shark! Heat Sensitive Mug, $11.79
Pour your coffee in and watch the horrific beach scene play out. Sounds like a party to me!
4. Cat Eye Glasses, $8.49
Meowow! (See what I did there.)
5. All My Friends Are Dead, $10.49
This will make you laugh and cry at the same time, and that's my favorite.
6. Morrissey, $10.42
This charming man.
8. Kitty Wampus, $6.29
Hey it says ages 4+ you guys, that means me. I would actually probably just get this for the amazing design on the box but the game itself seems pretty fun.
9. Solar Powered Sushi Dancers, $13.79
Needs no explanation.
10. Vinnie's Tampon Case, $12.79
Wow this. "Remember your flow." It even comes with a handy period chart.
Most adorable thing ever. *buys*

cool things 2

(left to right)
2. Martie T-Bar Shoes, $20.00
I've been scouring stores for T-bar shoes like this for such a long time and I can imagine so many outfits that would be 200% better with these shoes.
3. Quartz Pendant Necklace, $20.00
Lovely and feminine.
4. Dr. Martens USB Boot, $20.00
I just really like this, okay!
5. Farts: A Spotter's Guide, $17.99
Only book that anyone will ever need ever. 
6. Momiji Message Doll, $17.99
Incredibly cute doll that poops secret messages. Okay, do you really need any other reasons?
I've always wanted to do magic tricks even though I'm mostly sure I'm horrible at them, but your daughter/niece/sister/you might not be.

If this guide didn't help at all (sorry not sorry) and you still have no idea what to get, just give them the gift that keeps on giving: cold hard cash love. 

What do you guys think, and what's on your wishlists?

Happy holidays!
--
K

good feelings and cool people everywhere

*runs through the angry mob of blog readers*

Hi guys. I know I haven't posted in ages which is horrible of me and I just wanted to thank you (all 25 of you haha) for still following me despite it. So much has happened and I  just want to share it all with you. But this post is about the Rookie Meetup I went to on December 7th.

I don't even know where to start because it was all so amazing, and it was the first time I'd ever been surrounded by such an amazing group of cool people)

outfit

Practically everything I wore was something I made myself but the skirt was thrifted. (I put that little monster on my face because it expressed my emotions better than the expression that was actually on my face that's just my real face you guys.I'm from a secret race of aliens and everything you know is a lie.)

people 
Wow did I mention how cool everyone was yet? Because everyone was super cool. 





photos of me wearing my "human" face by me, Allegra, (who has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard and wow) Nick, Riley, or Sam

Tavi
By then I was already aware of how huge of a babe Tavi was in real life and was super excited to meet her, not knowing how much cooler she was in real life. 
(once again I have to wear my real face because my human one was malfunctioning)
She signed my journal, a poster and she was constantly complimenting me!


there's some stuff that happened that I couldn't upload video of for some reason and I'm very angry because it was all so much fun. 

Tavi read from her December "Forever" letter and I started crying. 
The Lemons played an awesome set and we danced
Around the end, Tavi played some songs from her iTunes (Come On Eileen, This is What Dreams Are Made Of, This Charming Man, We're All In This Together, Dancing Queen)
*listening to any of these songs now makes me very sad for some reason







I cried again because I wasn't sure what would happen if I never saw all these people again. 

~~

Thursday, December 5, 2013

apathy babe

The concept of apathy is actually quite a wonderful thing in theory. It allows you to take part in an event without ever feeling the need to show your emotions to anyone else and if you practice apathy enough, you will find yourself shocked at how easily you can go to an event (like a party or dance where almost everyone there is someone you find irritating) and feel nothing. But I occasionally feel like I’m too young to truly experience apathy in full because I should still be enjoying being surrounded by other sweaty pre-teens in a gym that has been converted into a dance floor. And sometimes I really do, but often enough I find myself longing to be taken out of social situations and to just go home and watch Netflix episodes of Freaks and Geeks and I’m not sure why.

I really wanted to explore apathy more and what makes a certain situation unbearable to me but completely normal to others and I tried to find an outfit that conveyed a message of not caring at all.



sweater: thrifted, jeans: gap or something, oxfords: marshalls

I took this photo at school because it’s getting increasingly difficult to take outfit posts at home. I wake up before the sun rises and get home after sunset every weekday so I’m never able to capture natural lighting (oOoOoh I sound like a professional photographer but I’m not).

apathy:
  • the color grey 
  • the Smiths
  • Arctic Monkeys -- Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High
  • rainy days
  • in bed all day
  • Starbucks Never mind, if you’re feeling apathetic and need coffee, Starbucks is one of the worst places you could go (second only to Dunkin’ Donuts which is apathetic in a very “I can’t be bothered to completely spell the word dunking" way). Instead, try out a local coffee shop. Look for a seat thats far away from the windows that you won’t be seen but also far away from the doors and other...people. But remember not to look for too long, the key is not caring. Say it with me guys, APATHY! APATHY! A-P-A-T-H-Y!
~ I guess this is goodbye then.

eta: Thanks for all you amazing people leaving your opinions, thoughts, and insights in ~ze comments section~ It was really nice to read. After careful reconsideration (and a school dance that wasn't that bad) I've realized that not all of my classmates are giant bags of ignorant poop in the shape of human beings and that there are some really nice people who I actually can.. show emotion for, and that's pretty cool.