Trivia: Teletubbies began airing exactly on my 4th birthday–at least according to Wikipedia, which of course as many of you know is a credible and infallible source of info.
Once A Tomboy, Always A Tomboy
Trivia: Teletubbies began airing exactly on my 4th birthday–at least according to Wikipedia, which of course as many of you know is a credible and infallible source of info.
Living the Lo-Fi Life
Top, J. Crew. Coat, Club Monaco. Pants, Zara || Two Kinds of Happiness - The Strokes
Fall has yet to settle in in my part of Massachusetts–the weather seems to be alternating between extreme humidity, fog and light drizzles here and there. The leaves have yet to change colour even though technically fall has already started on the 23th. The variety of temperatures throughout a single day coupled with the strange weather has been proving to be quite an (interesting) challenge to dressing. I'm so glad that I picked this lightweight coat up during a spring sale at Club Monaco this year and it's been nothing but godsend so far as an in-between transition type piece of clothing. Due to the subtle neutral colours and accents of the coat, it fits seamlessly into my existing wardrobe. What are your favourite transition pieces this fall?I apologize for taking this with the Macbook camera since I forgot to charge my point-and-shooter; this wasn't a stylistic choice as one made out of necessity :P
Brooks Brothers I'm Breaking Up with You (not that we were ever official)
I wish I could just lie and deliver the whole 'it's me, not you' spiel on you but I can no longer to turn a blind eye to what you have been doing to yourself lately. It's not healthy for you and me, and you won't improve until you've acknowledged that you've taken a turn for the worst. It's YOU, not me. There, I said it. Only when you can accept that can you prepare to move on. You've been suspecting that I have been cheating behind your back with Rugby and Gant, and though that is true, it was just harmless flirtation until you decided to go crazy this year. I don't understand what you're trying to do anymore and you don't care to explain why. Don't think that I dumped you just for this one mistake–there have been many blunders along the way over the years but I've had enough and this is just the final blow. Our relationship in the past has never been too healthy anyway; the only reason that we got together because you were socially acceptable to be seen with in boarding school and for the most part, to give you some credit, you have been treating me OK. Sadly the doe-eyed thirteen year girl has grown up, and OK to meddling and just plain bad is simply no longer good enough. I grew up and it's time that you will. I don't want to be so mean/harsh as to ignore you completely from now on–I know I will still be seeing you from time to time–nevertheless this is going to be goodbye. At least for now.
Saved for Rainy Days
- Dress, Hong Kong boutique.
- Quilted Jacket, Zara (and yes you guessed it, the boys' section).
- Boots, Hunters.
This is what I wore on my first day of class. A lot of student bloggers are posting their "first day of school" outfits, which I have to say is so cute to see, just because preparing for the first day is such an important ritual when you were a little kid, except now of course there's no mommy or daddy around to help you. Also what is interesting to see is how much effort people put into their dress in at least the first few weeks of school. I believe we have it better here in liberal arts colleges as opposed to big state universities, in that most will avoid the eventual whole pajamas plus uggs combination, but here people too falter as they settle into a uniform. Now that I've finally finished this essay on Achilles in Homer's Iliad (so great a warrior yet so tragically doomed!), I can get back into replying comments and will duly follow up with some personal observations + thoughts on NYFW :)
Dress for Thine Own Self
Top, Zara (boys' section!). Jeans, BDG. Shoes, UO. Bag, Filson.
It continues to blow my mind that people notice what I wear. And no, this is not an attempt at false modesty here. The group of people I hang out with on a regular basis are fashion conscious and therefore are usually aware of what I wear and such. Yet on a rare day, an acquaintance would come up to me and say she likes what I wear. However, it is not just a polite one off comment on an item of clothing I happened to be wearing that day, but rather observations on how much she appreciated my sense of style, something she found consistent and was unfailingly "me". This caught me off guard and was extremely flattering of course, but more than that it thoroughly surprised me because to put it narcisstically, I was always dressing for myself and myself alone. The guiding principles as to what I wear on any particular day mostly are just how I feel and what the weather is that day. How others will think of me through or because of my manner of dress are never a deciding factor. So what can I conclude from this? That you should stick to your principles and dress only to what feels right for you–no matter what kind of style you like or what society dictates as "good taste"–because you'll develop an innate lexicon of style where you can play around with a set of definitions well understood by you alone (i.e. set items of clothing). And who knows, someone just might appreciate your efforts and sound judgement. I will leave you with a quote from John Fairchild of WWD:
“"Style" is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style.”
Filson Saves the Day
Problem sets, reading quizzes, essays and hundreds of pages waiting to be done? Have no fear, for your Filson bag is here. There are a ton of nicely divided compartments within the bag that you can neatly file away all the notebooks, calculators, pencil, iPod and phone etc. that you need for the day. The bag is extremely hardy that it arrived super stiff from the box (and still is) and will take a long time for it to break in and soften up a bit. However, this is only a sign that the bag will age well in the face of all future wear and tear. It's just that it's cumbersome at times when the bag doesn't open fully unless you physically stretch it out a bit more with your hands, which is a minor gripe. What I love about the bag is how they used rugged twill instead of canvas, because it is holds up so well under rain and is extremely water proof (proven by the fact that it was raining on the very first day of classes) so no worries about getting your computer damaged. The only thing I don't like so much about the bag though is how heavy it is. Everyone here knows a textbook can weigh as much as a small child and to carry that amount of weight with such a bag makes things really heavy real fast. For such a sturdy bag of twill and real leather though the weight is inevitable. The problem is easily solved by carrying the textbook(s) in my arms. So sit back and relax and just laugh at those girls carrying those ooooooogly nylon Longchamp bags, which to me screams HIGH SCHOOL like no other–and er, to those who do have and like said bags please don't take it too personally, cheers.
D-1
My time in Vancouver is now up and shall be flying shortly back to MA early tomorrow morning. I am not really looking forward to flying as both US airlines and US Customs are always such a hassle and are tedious to get through. This means though that I am back as a student 24/7 and will have to take a short hiatus to get settled down at school, unpack, develop my routine etc. I am switching my (pre) majors around and my existing class schedule will go through significant changes, which I am sure will bring additional headaches along the way. I hope to be back as early as this weekend though definitely no later than Fall Break, but I don't want to make any promises I can't keep so we'll see. I hope my constant blogging in the past week or two can make up for my future absence. I will mostly likely be active on Twitter and Tumblr in the meantime and feel free to email me anytime. I wish everybody luck with school (or job hunting)! À bientôt~
Adventures on Bowen Island
My aunt treated us for a trip to Bowen Island earlier today and it was such a sweet little day trip to see more of Vancouver and its surrounding area before I leave shortly. The island is a charming little place sandwiched between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. I can definitely see myself having a small cottage/cabin of sorts there as an escape from the urban life when I'm older. Apologies for not writing more, but I am simply exhausted from the trip. I will retire for today and shall see you tomorrow.
This Funny Thing Called Nostalgia
My time in Vancouver is slowly winding down now that school is starting soon. Yesterday I headed over to Stanley Park to revisit the Vancouver Aquarium with Tweedledee and we both felt like ten and eight, respectively, again. It's strange how much bigger the shark tank looked when you were a little kid. The funny thing after learning diving is I now like to stand as close the tanks as possible, nose almost pressed to the glass, and imagine myself underwater. The experience comes pretty close to actual diving. Anyhow, on a fashion note, I'm glad to see my menswear obsession is starting to rub off on Tweedledee. Here's an aptly titled song from the The Tree of Life soundtrack, a Sunday tune perhaps, to complement the following:
15 Things I'd Tell First Year Joy
At college, people are so PC about things that they hate the term "freshmen" so here you go, first year instead of freshmen. In the same vein of Kara and Jada before me, I'm going to be trying my hand at some advices to my former self type of thing. I'm calling on all college students and recent graduates to attempt this too. It's a great way to start the new school year now that you've learned from your mistakes and past fumbles and besides, it's just a fun to reminisce about how stupid you once were
- Don't take calculus with that professor. Actually, scratch that, don't take anything with that professor.
- Don't fall asleep during class mandated film viewing sessions at night. It'll save you the time from rewatching certain scenes on Netflix.
- Learn to appreciate espresso. Stop after two cups in a row, otherwise you'll be so jittery you can't even sit still, let alone study.
- Learn that Red Bull does not work on you, not matter how many you drink. Don't even think about Four Loko.
- Stop showing up at so many sessions at Career Development Office. You do need to learn how to write a good CV and cover letter but not networking. Yet.
- Go to those late night figure drawing sessions. You'll improve your technical skills so much that you'll surprise yourself. The roommate, however, will be initially alarmed due to the sudden pile of nude figure drawings in the room.
- Don't expect that just because you spent high school in the Midwest mean that you will already have experienced the worst of US winters. Just you wait until that mega-snowstorm hits NYC on Boxing Day (seeing people ski down 5th Ave was cool though).
- Take in the beautiful sunrise over Connecticut River. It will be the most memorable experience of your freshmen year because nothing will feel ever more serene than sounds of birds chirping and the water lapping against your oar at 5:40 AM.
- Row your very hardest in every stroke during all practices/races, because it may be the last time in a long time that you'll be able to do crew.
- Be on top of all the musical acts that come into town. You'll be missing out on Mumford & Sons, Matt & Kim, and Ingrid Michaelson among many others, and you'll still be kicking yourself for missing out on all of them a year later.
- Skip out on the parties all together. You'll never be that girl who's great at flip cup or beer pong. You know you'll just be more at ease (and have more fun!) in the periodical room reading The New Yorker.
- Don't even attempt to draw/write an entire essay in a different language (French) with a hangover. Drinking a coffee to try and get yourself out of the funk will be the worst thing you can do.
- Make an effort and try to write letters by hand to boarding school pals in different schools around you. It will be the most heartwarming thing ever to open your mailbox and read their replies.
- Stop ignoring Dad's emails. Don't forget about the weekly Skype sessions with Mum.
- Start the blog early in the school year and it'll help with the existential depression. You'll meet like-minded strangers who will shatter your cynical view of life with their warmth and kind words. Moreover, you'll save yourself all the time wasted with that therapist who was really nice but did not help at all with anything.
Friday Favourites IV
To those new to the blog and the series, "Friday Favourites" is a on-going series where I just post some of my favourite videos I've seen thus far on Vimeo. Each of the works, of course, belongs to their creators. Enjoy!
Garden by tiger in a jar
Monster Rally - Surf Eerie by Tyler Coray
Lifetime Collective Spring/Summer 2012 "The Road Trip" by Salazar
Slow Magic // Corvette Cassette by Feel Good Lost
16Bit - Dinosaurs by ljudbilden
Monster Rally - Surf Eerie by Tyler Coray
Lifetime Collective Spring/Summer 2012 "The Road Trip" by Salazar
Slow Magic // Corvette Cassette by Feel Good Lost
16Bit - Dinosaurs by ljudbilden
Back to School Fall '11
Bass Weejuns in Washington Burgundy • Filson Briefcase Computer Bag • Bean Boots by L.L. Bean 8" Gore-tex/Thinsulate
If you have to use the same lingo as 4-5 French Piece Wardrobe Rules then these are my "statement pieces for fall". The label attached to these items does not do them any justice in my opinion, because these are all investment grade items that are going to last for many years to come. Of course, ideally I would get the Barbour Beadnell Jacket on top of these but there's already a sizeable dent in the wallet due to these bad boys so we'll see for now. I plan to do a fourth round of Friday Favourites so keep your eyes peeled for that later in the day. :)
Jackpot
Well, someone was lucky enough and managed to score beauty, brains and talent at the genetic lottery of life. He goes by the name of Charlie Siem. I stumbled upon this fella while reading "The Youth Issue" of Acne Paper and thought to myself–wow is a this guy a walking cliché or what. I mean yet another Eton-Cambridge grad? How many more of those do we need already? (If they all looked like him, many I suppose.) The closest American equivalent would probably be Exeter-Harvard but that doesn't have the same exact obnoxious ring to it. Bored and curious, I looked him up on good ol' Youtube to see if he was really as good as the magazine suggested. Lo and behold, he damn was. Incidentally through clicking some related videos, I found that he was apparently the face of British menswear brand Dunhill for their S/S 2011 collection, along with being a widely recognized violinist. Dunhill stores are everywhere in Hong Kong but I have never ventured into one nor have I seen any of their stores stateside thus far so I don't know how familiar Americans are with this brand. He is a painful reminder of how unfair life is though of course, this all but a mere #firstworldproblem. I thought looking at him would be much easier on the eyes and provide some respite after way too many narcissistic posts on yours truly for the past few days. Here are some videos of him looking pretty for Dunhill and of course, him being his talented self. No apologies for being shallow–I am just being considerate here to start September off on a rather handsome note.
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