tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32965257248342761662024-03-14T01:27:33.258-07:00Toast and Rosesfashion is about so much more than clothesJustice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-65773662576723191222014-04-14T13:37:00.000-07:002014-04-14T13:37:20.951-07:00Moving OnDear world,<br />
I am moving on and leaving this world of blog spot<br />
I have created a new blog/website and will soon be deleting this one<br />
I made it all by myself, everything from the design to the graphics, and am feeling quite grownup. Soon I might have to start wearing a wrist watch and keeping "schedule"<br />
if you want to conintue to read what I write you can find me here and subscribe through bloglovin or email <a href="http://www.toastandroses.com/" target="_blank">www.toastandroses.com</a><br />
xoxo<br />
Justice<br />
<br />
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<br />Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-71938318307436344972014-02-24T16:35:00.001-08:002014-02-24T16:35:46.653-08:00Foxy LoxyFrom the youtube sensation "What Does the Fox Say?" to Dolce and Gabanna's Fall/Winter 2014 collection our lives are fully saturated with foxes. I love foxes. Growing up in the mountainous lands of Colorado I had many little fox friends. They are quite remarkable creatures. There was this one in our neighborhood that had a little red ball he would play with. I kid you not, he would play with his little red ball by himself. He would carry it around in his mouth, throw it in the air, chase after it, and repeat for hours in the snow. Right now there is a baby fox, called a kit, that lives behind my mom's studio and comes quite near to her while she works on the patio.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w1ZigfZt024/UwvlL9_DGPI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/Xq1OHPA5ehQ/s1600/IMG_4982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w1ZigfZt024/UwvlL9_DGPI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/Xq1OHPA5ehQ/s1600/IMG_4982.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
They are curious creatures, playful, and very smart. They are essentially the perfect mix between a cat and a dog. Maybe that's why our society seems to be so into them right now. After years of strife between the cat people and the dog people, we have finally found the perfect medium–an animal we can all like. No longer do we need to split up happy couples, lose precious friends, or have fights with perfect strangers. Too bad they aren't commonly kept as pets...in fact I'm not even sure it's 100% legal to keep them as pets. So we will just have to settle with buying merchandise plastered with their curious eyes and mischievous ears.<br />
Like so:<br />
<br />
This super fancy designer cape that looks like it came out of a children's book illustration<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ACUKtntal4/UwviKjdWIjI/AAAAAAAABzw/839tNynE5Hg/s1600/_KIM0073.450x675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ACUKtntal4/UwviKjdWIjI/AAAAAAAABzw/839tNynE5Hg/s1600/_KIM0073.450x675.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolce & Gabbana FW 2014 collection</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This mason jar mug from Paper Source, talk about hipster: mason jar, coffee, and foxes!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uu4qElBunZw/UwvjXpgCIOI/AAAAAAAABz8/quaLXn-Nh7s/s1600/mason+jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uu4qElBunZw/UwvjXpgCIOI/AAAAAAAABz8/quaLXn-Nh7s/s1600/mason+jar.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mrs. Fox Mason Jar Mug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This adorable sweater from Ann Taylor that sadly is sold out, but I still want it<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ou5iqY7AXlk/Uwvjs3ioD-I/AAAAAAAAB0E/_EU0GN1LcB8/s1600/kissing+fox.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ou5iqY7AXlk/Uwvjs3ioD-I/AAAAAAAAB0E/_EU0GN1LcB8/s1600/kissing+fox.jpeg" height="400" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ann Taylor Kissing Fox Sweater</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These shoes I got my sister for Christmas, because I'm the best, that just prove how foxy you are<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7-MM5ehuRAo/UwvkZoiwjZI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/ESLbSsVyje0/s1600/IMG_4492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7-MM5ehuRAo/UwvkZoiwjZI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/ESLbSsVyje0/s1600/IMG_4492.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox heels from Modcloth</td></tr>
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There is a lot more. Go to pretty much any popular store and you are sure to find at least one object with a fox on it. Because they are just so foxy.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Stay foxy my friends</div>
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xoxo</div>
<div>
Justice<br /><div>
<br /><div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-57657406655177395052014-02-20T15:30:00.002-08:002014-02-20T15:57:17.643-08:00Endorphins, not DolphinsOkay so we are a little over a month and a half into this new year. I want you all to be honest with me, and with yourselves, how many of you have stuck with your new year's resolutions? Because I'll be honest with you, even though I took my own advice and made just baby step goals, i gave up after like one week. Now if you are one of those amazing people who are still going with the vegan diet or the not spending money thing, you go girl! But I have a feeling the rest of us are feeling a little down that we gave up so easily. I could of course be completely wrong and have a distorted view of the world. It is perfectly possible that not everyone has such a hard time with commitments as I do. Something tells me though that I may be right...<br />
Since many of us start each year with the desire to lose all the holiday festivity weight, many of us create resolutions around "getting fit" and exercising. So that is what I am going to talk about. We all have different motivations behind getting exercise and we all go about it differently. Some of us only exercise when we feel fat and realize that spring break and bikini season is a week away. Others of us a religious gym members and have the complete color coordinated Lulu Lemon outfits to prove it. There are also those who think getting off the couch and walking to the fridge constitutes as exercise (it doesn't BTW). I happen to be one of those who exercise daily, usually by going to the gym, simply because I like to be healthy. okay, and because I want to be able to eat whatever I want and am not allergic too without blowing up like a balloon because me and food have this special relationship where I just can't leave it alone and I know it loves me and I love it and we will live happily ever after together. But mostly I exercise because I want to have a healthy life style.<br />
Now there are some people to whom the idea of going to the gym is so incredibly detestable that they would rather cut out their own liver and eat it raw than step foot into one. To is to you, oh gym avoiders, who I would like to dedicate this post.<br />
It can feel very discouraging, if you want to actually see a goal brought to fruition, if the only way you know how to do so is absolutely detestable to you. Acing a test can seem impossible if the only way you know how to study is through reading the text book and yet you are a tactile learner. The only way you will be able to ace the test is if you realize that there are other ways to study--flash cards, study parties, taking colorful notes, acting out the material, etc. The same thing goes with exercise. If you want to lose five pounds and the only kind of exercise you know of is going to the gym and running on the treadmill and yet you hate gyms and running hurts your knees, you are likely to give up on this goal, go home, and eat a pint of ice cream. No. Bad. Don't do that. There are so many options out there, and many of them are so much more fun than going to the gym. Here are just a few:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Go for a hike</b>. Get a group of friends together on the weekend, pack a picnic lunch, and go for a hike. It doesn't have to be 20 miles, it doesn't have to be on Mt. Everest, it doesn't have to be intense and terrifying through uncharted lands. It can be as close as through a near by park. Most places have hiking trails nearby that are well marked and relatively easy, and immensly fun. Hiking is the perfect combination of exercise and immersing yourself in nature and can be a fun social outing too, if you're into that kind of thing. If you want to find good trails near you, check out this website: <a href="http://www.everytrail.com/best/hiking-trails" target="_blank">Every Trail</a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DjaIfF7poUA/UwaPosYnaNI/AAAAAAAABzg/jjmOCCAJn74/s1600/IMG_0578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DjaIfF7poUA/UwaPosYnaNI/AAAAAAAABzg/jjmOCCAJn74/s1600/IMG_0578.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you hike you can see beautiful sights like this one. <br />
This is a picture I took while hiking in the Swiss alps this summer. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li><b>Yoga</b>. Now I know that yoga is pretty popular right now, and it seems like anyone from soccer moms, old grandpas, five year old children, to those typical dreadlocked hippies are doing it. That doesn't mean though, if you haven't ever tried it, that you should discount it. There are many benefits of yoga, beyond just the physical–<a href="http://life.gaiam.com/article/benefits-yoga" target="_blank">see here</a>. Whether you want to be in an incense infused room filled with tattooed 20 somethings chanting "ohm" or a rec-center class of middle aged women in their high waisted tracksuits, you are sure to find a yoga class that you like.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4lNqSK7MH4s/UwaMspkK62I/AAAAAAAABy4/1bKNPY9d4Qc/s1600/yoga-woman-granny-old.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4lNqSK7MH4s/UwaMspkK62I/AAAAAAAABy4/1bKNPY9d4Qc/s1600/yoga-woman-granny-old.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Start yoga now and you might just be like this old lady in<br />
Melbourne, Australia who is still practicing yoga at 83</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b></b></li>
<li><b>Dancing</b>. Dance is my personal favorite kind of exercise. Now I am not talking about the kind of dancing you see at the clubs. Sure that may be exercise, but there is nothing in me that is compelled to spend a night "grinding" in order to release endorphins and sweat. I'm talking about jazz, hiphop, ballet, tap dance, and those other, less well known, kinds: ball room, salsa, tango, swing, and, my all time favorite, contra. Most rec centers, or local dance studios, offer beginning classes for adults in those first 4 kinds as well as ball room, salsa, and tango. And every city has places you can go for swing dancing, and it is incredibly easy to learn, you just have to go and start practicing. As for contra dancing, I have a feeling most of you don't know what that is. Well it is great. To learn more about it click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra_dance" target="_blank">here</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1cPyJWm-g4" target="_blank">here</a>. Before you sluff it off as being hokey and stupid, try it. It is so much fun and really good exercise. In one hour of contra dancing you can burn like 500 calories. Also it is a great place to meet the most interesting people and hear music that you probably wouldn't normally listen to. Now I could go on for pages about contra dancing, and all dancing really as I love it all, but I won't. I just want to encourage you all to try it. Please please please!!!!!!! do yourself a favor. Contra dancing can be found all over the country, just type in "contra dancing in __________" (enter name of city in blank) and you'll find some near you!</li>
</ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ8uo97ATrk/UwaMv-yjLlI/AAAAAAAABzA/YF4uCZTApGU/s1600/June-2012_swirling-skirt-221x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQ8uo97ATrk/UwaMv-yjLlI/AAAAAAAABzA/YF4uCZTApGU/s1600/June-2012_swirling-skirt-221x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me dancing. Don't you wish you could look that cool?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Those are just three really simple ideas for getting off of your behind and getting some movement into your limbs. There are so so so so many other ways! Like climbing, spinning, bally fitness, jazzercise, swimming, I can't even list more because there are so many. Suffice it to say that there is some kind of exercise out there for everyone and so there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to sit on the couch all day and do nothing and essentially give up on life. Even just going on a walk with your dog, or cat. There is no reason that we should have to give up on our goals of leading a healthy life style simply because we are not creative enough to find other options than just going to the boring old gym.</div>
<div>
<br />
Go out and move today<br />
Leave the computer<br />
It will be okay without you for a little while<br />
But go exercise! Because:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="700" src="http://d22zlbw5ff7yk5.cloudfront.net/images/stash-1-507dd9541da0b.jpeg" style="-webkit-user-select: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thank you for that insight Elle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
and you don't want to shoot anyone today<br />
<br />
What's your favorite kind of exercise? Participate in this poll and you'll get a Prize!! (shhh...it's a super secret prize that no one knows about)<br />
<br />
<form action="http://poll.pollcode.com/5461577" method="post">
<table bgcolor="0F0F0F" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2" style="width: 315px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2" height="10"><span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><b>What is Your favorite way to release dem endorphins?</b></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer1" name="answer" type="radio" value="1" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer1">Hello my name is Gym</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer2" name="answer" type="radio" value="2" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer2">Namaste</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer3" name="answer" type="radio" value="3" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer3">Dance! Dance! Dance!</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer4" name="answer" type="radio" value="4" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer4">getting lost in the woods aka hiking</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer5" name="answer" type="radio" value="5" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer5">Run, Forest! Run!</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer6" name="answer" type="radio" value="6" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer6">Nothing. I don't like to move.</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td width="5"><input id="5461577answer7" name="answer" type="radio" value="7" /></td><td> <span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: x-small;"><label for="5461577answer7">Those activities done with groups, usually involving balls of various shapes and sizes. I think they</label></span></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" height="10"><center>
<input type="submit" value=" Vote " /> <input name="view" type="submit" value=" View " /></center>
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"><span height="5" style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: xx-small;">pollcode.com <a href="http://pollcode.com/"><span style="color: #4bd6d2; font-family: Palatino Linotype; font-size: xx-small;">free polls</span></a> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</form>
<br /></div>
<div>
xoxo</div>
<div>
Justice<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-74239021677785005872014-02-16T20:26:00.000-08:002014-02-16T20:26:16.721-08:00Tell me a storyAs I was doing homework tonight, leaving it all to the last minute as is usual, I found myself reading a whole bunch of online articles about different celebrities: Keira Knightly, Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, J. Law, etc. As I was reading these articles I realized something, I know more about these peoples' lives, people I have never met nor will probably ever meet, than I do about the people living in the room right next to mine. This makes me a little ashamed. I obviously don't get out much... But also I obviously don't take the time to get to know the people within my community. This makes me even more ashamed. Not only am I not social, but I'm also a little selfish. Wow. That tasted like vinegar coming out of my mouth (well, it would have if I had actually said it, not typed). Now I am pretty sure that I am not the only person for whom this is true. Be honest with me, or with yourself, how often do you stop to talk to someone and genuinely listen? I don't mean just the usual nodding and smiling, "yes that's nice, have a good day!" kind of thing, but actually listening to someone's story. How often to you take the time to get to know a person, even if you will never see that person again?<br />
<br />
Every one has a story and everyone wants to share their story, if only we took the time to hear it.<br />
<br />
Today I was with my cousin and she told me about a man she met on the Bart (public transportation here in San Fran). She talked for about half an hour with a man who she never met before and will probably never see again. But that doesn't matter. She listened to him and made him feel like someone cared. Like someone was interested in him. He isn't famous. His face isn't on magazine covers. But someone wanted to know his story. The impact this conversation had on my cousin was astounding, so I can only imagine what he felt like when he got off the train–elated and important. But most importantly, happy. Wouldn't it be neat if we could all feel like that? If we could all feel like celebrities? I think that would be cool.<br />
<br />
It's hard and scary and incredibly uncomfortable, for most of us, to talk to people we don't know–strangers. But these "strangers" aren't as strange as they may seem. It may not seem like you have much in common with the homeless man on the corner with the toothless grin and oversized jacket, or with the business woman in her immaculate wool suit and pointy heels. Really though, we are all so much more similar than what our outward appearances, our occupations, our personalities would lead us to believe. We are all on this journey called life. Why not get to know our fellow passengers?<br />
<br />
From every single person their is a tale to be told and a lesson to be learned. Some we forget and some stick with us forever.<br />
<br />
Stories are so much more interesting when there is a plethora of interesting, dynamic characters, so let's get to know the ones in our lives, it might just make our own stories more interesting.<br />
<br />
xoxo<br />
Justice<br />
<br />
p.s. Don't forget to follow me on Pinterest and Instagram<br />
P.p.s. You should all check out this magazine/website because it is amazing and I love it. and it is really inpsirational. and I love it. and someday I'm going to work for them. <a href="http://darlingmagazine.org/" target="_blank">Darling Magazine</a><br />
P.p.p.s Have a good week everyone!<br />
<br />
<br />Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-41622322862748838062014-02-03T19:39:00.000-08:002014-02-03T19:39:12.757-08:00One Size Fits All?<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have not written recently. It’s not because I’ve been too
busy, or had more important things to do, or some family matter that was
holding me from doing it. It was simply because I didn’t feel like it. . I feel
like writing thank you cards, which I should probably get working on now… I
didn’t even feel like journaling—something I usually do every night. The last
thing I wanted to do was blog, I just could not think of anything thoughtful,
funny, or interesting and nothing was inspiring to me. That is, until
yesterday. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was sitting in my grandparents’ living room crammed onto a
small couch with two of my cousins and a small excitable dog watching the super
bowl (well, the commercials) and eating chips and salsa. My cousin happened to
mention a store that she had gone into with my aunt a couple weeks ago. The
store is called Brandy Melville, you may or may not have heard of it before (if
you haven’t heard of it, here is their website: <a href="http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/">http://www.brandymelvilleusa.com/</a>)
. When my aunt inquired as to how the sizing worked, the woman said, “oh it’s
one size fits all!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wait what?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“how does that
work?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“well the
average size of women is 4, so we work around that”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Umm…WRONG! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s just let that marinate for a second. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only is it “one size fits all”, but also it is “one size
fits all” for a world of size 4 models.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So many things about this irked me. First off, that
information is simply incorrect. Today, the average American woman is a size
14. Now let’s take a moment and look at that word, “average”. What exactly does
that mean? Does it mean that every American woman is a size 14? Nope! When
something is “average” it is the same as the “mean”, like in math. Remember
finding the mean, median, and mode? Well that is exactly what this is. It means
that in some kind of survey they asked a whole bunch of women for their sizes,
added those numbers up and divided it by the number of women they asked. If you
need a visual of what that would look like, here you go: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKDVdx3POEA/UvBgk6DmYAI/AAAAAAAAByY/Z3Q3snn6KVI/s1600/average+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pKDVdx3POEA/UvBgk6DmYAI/AAAAAAAAByY/Z3Q3snn6KVI/s1600/average+woman.jpg" height="193" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There would have been an incredibly wide range of sizes, all
the way from 00 to 8x and a great number of women within each range. Within
these size ranges every woman is a different age, race, body type. They have
different jobs, different families, and different hobbies. There is absolutely
nothing “average” about it. There is absolutely no such thing as “one size fits
all”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sitting in my Grandparents’ living room we had three
generations of women. Every one of us has different interests—music, dancing,
fashion, hiking, Swedish folklore, etc. Even though we are related, we all look
very different. Sure my cousins and I all have exactly the same eye color, but
that is just about where the similarities end. Whereas I am 5’6”, blonde and hourglass
shaped, my cousin is shorter, more athletically built, with stunning nut brown
hair and almond shaped eyes. My grandma is, and always has been, tall and
slight while all my aunts are ranging in height, hair color, and curves. We all
are so different and I have to say, pretty good looking. It is our differences
that make us interesting. It is our differences that make us beautiful. What
fun would there be if we all looked exactly the same? What fun would there be
in a “one size fits all” world? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why should we want a “one size fits all” when it is
diversity that makes life interesting? We like new artists, musicians, and
actors because they are new. Every year we have award shows, like the Grammys
and the Golden Globes, where artists are awarded for bringing something new to the
table and changing something up in the art world. It would be so incredibly
boring if the same actors won the same award every year and if the same music
was played at each event. It would be even more tiresome if it were the same
music as last year and the year before and 10 years ago and 50 years ago. We
watch these shows every year because every year there is something new. We go
to museums because we like to see different paintings. The impressionists were
considered so good and appealing because they were completely different from
the ones that came before. We like change. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So why are we trying to be the same as our neighbors? Why
does there even exist a store that sells “one size fits all”? Why have we even
allowed this to happen?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you ever find yourself comparing yourself to your
friends, family, acquaintances, favorite celebrities, random strangers on the
street, or anything of the like, try to think of something that makes you
unique. What is special to you that makes you different and beautiful? Whenever
I feel down on myself and feel fat or ugly I look at my lips. I have very
large, red lips. I got my lips from my dad, who got them from his dad. They are
unique to my family and me; they make me distinctive. And I think they are
pretty darn good looking. Why on earth should I compare myself to some skinny
supermodel that doesn’t have nearly as good of lips? She is beautiful in her
way and me in mine. That is perfectly okay! In fact that is great. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today let’s make a pact. I want you to promise me, or just
yourself, that from now on you will celebrate your differences. Promise me that
you will never ever ever try to be part of a “one size fits all world” because
that would be a boring world indeed. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Goodbye my beautiful ones</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">xoxo</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Justice</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-20275604126584862232014-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:002014-01-08T11:58:23.974-08:00Time to get Downton <span style="font-family: inherit;">We can all sigh a huge sigh of relief. After months and months of waiting Downton Abbey has returned. Finally we all have something to do on Sunday evenings! And good riddance, because I was beginning to resort to other things like sleep or, even worse, social interactions. Well anyways, our favorite english aristocrats have now moved into the 1920's, a fun time full of electricity, short hem lines, and equality (well, at least they're trying...). As the times have changed, so have our characters. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lady Mary</span></b><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Haven't you heard? I don't have a
heart. Everyone knows that." </span></i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-migZfRmFLY4/Us2pXNCWmoI/AAAAAAAABwY/a5-oRz-YEec/s1600/Downton_abbey_lady_mary_wedding_dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-migZfRmFLY4/Us2pXNCWmoI/AAAAAAAABwY/a5-oRz-YEec/s1600/Downton_abbey_lady_mary_wedding_dress.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mary in her wedding dress</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Beautiful, strong willed, selfish, arrogant, and
cold, but completely loveable. After what seemed like ages of having suitors,
falling in love, losing love, losing all prospects of a future, and then
falling in love again, Mary finally married Matthew Crawley (heir of Downton
Abbey and her 4<sup>th</sup> cousin…awk sauce). Matthew seemed to have a magic
power over Mary and made her soften and become a decent human being. However,
sadly and to much to our surprise, Matthew died in a fatal car crash at the end
of the last season, leaving Mary with her new born son George. With Matthew
gone, will Mary ever be love-able again?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lady Edith</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2CxSpFirst">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Lord
Grantham "Poor old Edith; we never seem to talk about her."</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2CxSpMiddle">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lady
Grantham "I'm afraid Edith will be the one to care for us in our old age."</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lord
Grantham "What a ghastly prospect."</span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cej7F34nYDM/Us2qdw794uI/AAAAAAAABwk/CARl8hKhTYU/s1600/Edith+green+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cej7F34nYDM/Us2qdw794uI/AAAAAAAABwk/CARl8hKhTYU/s1600/Edith+green+dress.jpg" height="400" width="207" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Edith going to meet Michael, her lover, at a restaurant. Gasp! THE SCANDAL!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The “forgotten” one, aka the middle child.
However, she doesn’t let that deter her (although it does make her rather
annoying sometimes…). She is the first of the family to learn how to drive, she
works on a farm, and writes for a newspaper. Writing about the issues which
modern women are faced, Edith is the epitome of the modern woman seeking a new
life in the 20s. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(the late) <b>Lady Sybil</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<i>I don't know why we bother with
corsets. Men don't wear them, and they look perfectly normal in their clothes.</i>"</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Lady Sybil in her new pant suit thing. Quite scandalous.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <!--[endif]-->Rebellious, politically conscious, and head
strong. She has many ideas that contradict those of her conservative, aristocratic
family, such as wanting to be a nurse, or marrying the chauffeur—but they love
her nevertheless. When having to choose her life of privilege and true love,
she of course chose true love. Sadly, she died in childbirth, but her presence
is always felt with her baby girl Sybbie and devilishly handsome Irish husband
Tom.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anna Bates</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">“ I love you, Mr. Bates. I know it's not
ladylike to say it, but I'm not a lady, and I don't pretend to be. “</span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna going to see Mr. Bates in prison</td></tr>
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One of the highest-ranking of the female
servants in Downton, she is sensible and kind and extremely respected by the
family. Anna is popular both downstairs and upstairs, and probably on the
stairs, and she isn’t afraid of standing up to people like the awful O’Brien. She
is quite beautiful too and is married to John Bates (Robert Crawley’s disabled
valet). If I were a servant, I would want to be Anna, or at least Anna’s
friend.</div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<b>Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2CxSpFirst">
<i>Violet: "I'm so looking forward
to seeing your mother again. When I'm with her, I'm reminded of the virtues of
the English."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2CxSpMiddle">
<i>Matthew: "But isn't she American?"</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
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<i>Violet: "Exactly."</i></div>
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(referring to Cora's mother)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violet most likely saying something cynically witty</td></tr>
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Cunning, cynical, sarcastic, competitive, and
completely flawless. In my opinion, the perfect old woman. She always has an
appropriate (or maybe not so appropriate) comment no matter the situation and
is perfectly adept at getting into everybody’s business. As the show has
progressed we see that she actually is quite sensitive and cares very deeply
for her family. Plus she is played by Maggie Smith, thus making her perfect. </div>
<!--EndFragment--><div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
I had the intentions of making this post much longer (probably longer than any of you would actually read) and I wanted to talk about how much the fashion during the time of Downton abbey changed, however I just can't do that right now as I must go pack for my upcoming trip to New York. So i'll just have to teach you about the great changes in the fashion world during the first three decades of the 20th century later. </div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
I will leave you with this message from the Dowager:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K44W3div56M/Us2toktGMoI/AAAAAAAABxM/QeG_Q2wyiJU/s1600/The+Dowager+Violet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K44W3div56M/Us2toktGMoI/AAAAAAAABxM/QeG_Q2wyiJU/s1600/The+Dowager+Violet.jpg" height="400" width="393" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
xoxo</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Justice</div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel2">
<br /></div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-91792466426748112652014-01-03T11:29:00.000-08:002014-01-03T11:29:32.065-08:00Frozen in Nordic Dress<span style="font-family: inherit;">For those of you who have not yet seen Disney's Frozen, you are seriously missing out in life. Seriously, your life is significantly lacking in some amazingness. If you are like I was before I saw this fabulous movie, you probably haven't even heard of it, or if you have you think it has to do with a weird snowman and thats about it. Well it's not. Yes, there is a weird, funny snowman in it, but it is about so much more. It is about two sisters on a journey to find love and understanding while facing the obstacles of curses, potential throne-stealers, giant snow monsters, and of course, true love in the form of devilishly handsome nordic men. With characters named Hans, Kristoff, Olaf, Elsa, Anna, and the sort, coupled with fantastic music and a reindeer named Sven, oh and a bunch of little troll people, I really don't know why you wouldn't want to see this movie. That is unless, of course, you have no heart and hate all things joyous and wonderful. If that is the case I hope you have a nice life with the Grinch and Mr. Scrooge. However, if you are any kind of decent human being I strongly suggest that you pick up your bum and get to your nearest movie theatre this very moment and spend the exuberant amount that movie tickets are now a days, even if you have to skip a few meals for the next few days, to see Frozen. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPUoe3yDe2I/UscIAkD0XLI/AAAAAAAABuU/uLsqGRspwh4/s1600/frozen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GPUoe3yDe2I/UscIAkD0XLI/AAAAAAAABuU/uLsqGRspwh4/s400/frozen2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that I am done advertising for Disney (they should really pay me for this) I would like to talk about the costuming in the movie. I say costuming, but really it is the drawing of clothes on the computer animated characters. It is obvious, if not only from the characters' names and snowy, mountainous landscape, but also from the clothing that this movie has a largely scandinavian and nordic influence. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj7IXwS3MDo/UscKZKsDoSI/AAAAAAAABuk/kiMQxsxTEe0/s1600/tumblr_mf1icsKPtI1qa4jw5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj7IXwS3MDo/UscKZKsDoSI/AAAAAAAABuk/kiMQxsxTEe0/s400/tumblr_mf1icsKPtI1qa4jw5.png" width="337" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anna and Sven on their journey to the North Mountain </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Kristoff's costume has the look of the traditional costume of the Saami people <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">the indigenous </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finno-Ugric_peoples" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" title="Finno-Ugric peoples">Finno-Ugric</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> people inhabiting the </span>Arctic<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> area of </span>Sápmi<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, which today encompasses parts of far northern </span>Norway<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, </span>Sweden<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, </span>Finland<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, the </span>Kola Peninsula<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"> of </span>Russia<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway.--wikipedia</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;">) </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;">called the muadta or beaska seen here: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.1875px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HrmdQACIGhA/UscKXlcLIuI/AAAAAAAABuc/Cet8zV07wIo/s1600/tumblr_mf1jvfmW0m1qa4jw5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HrmdQACIGhA/UscKXlcLIuI/AAAAAAAABuc/Cet8zV07wIo/s400/tumblr_mf1jvfmW0m1qa4jw5.jpg" width="280" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where as Anna's dress is clearly influenced by the traditional Norwegian costume called the "bunad":</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gBxhrSU5NSM/UscKZ3Xut-I/AAAAAAAABus/ywjmwJwU0l0/s1600/Bunad_Norway_clothes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gBxhrSU5NSM/UscKZ3Xut-I/AAAAAAAABus/ywjmwJwU0l0/s400/Bunad_Norway_clothes.png" width="252" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you feel inclined to dress like our friend Anna here, and sadly don't have a bunad handy, I have created an alternative option:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lnSpCGecFxQ/UscM2fYfedI/AAAAAAAABu0/8zSUdxYS5wE/s1600/Frozen-Anna+fashion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lnSpCGecFxQ/UscM2fYfedI/AAAAAAAABu0/8zSUdxYS5wE/s400/Frozen-Anna+fashion.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweater and shirt from Ralph Lauren, Skirt from Etsy, Boots from Anthropologie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Elsa on the other hand is more like some kind of snow fairy and has magic so is therefore exempt from having to follow the trends of the times and lands. Also she apparently doesn't get cold so wool and fur aren't necessary.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4MaPL4Dm7Xs/UscOba6kU2I/AAAAAAAABu8/HJuQIVjDsno/s1600/Frozen-Elsa+fashion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4MaPL4Dm7Xs/UscOba6kU2I/AAAAAAAABu8/HJuQIVjDsno/s400/Frozen-Elsa+fashion.jpg" width="353" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elie Saab Spring 2012 Couture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />If I haven't been able to convince you to see the movie yet, hopefully this video will, and hopefully the song gets stuck in your head forever and ever and ever, like it is in mine.<div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/moSFlvxnbgk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Dags att spela mina vänner och låt inte förfrysning bettet</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Now go have fun my friends and don't let the frostbite bite)</span><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
xoxo</div>
<div>
Justice<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-2505396257789964862013-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:002013-12-30T13:05:07.377-08:00My (Very Accurate and Simple) Guide to Happiness<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">Well here we are again, the end of another year. We are all a
little older, hopefully a little wiser, and definitely a little fuller after
this holiday season. When sitting down at the coffee shop yesterday with my
lovely sister to write our New Year's resolutions I found myself getting a bit
discouraged. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<br />
<span style="text-indent: 0in;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEiBJ9MoEQM/UsHayWKvHcI/AAAAAAAABt0/7bZUDZTavs0/s1600/resolutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wEiBJ9MoEQM/UsHayWKvHcI/AAAAAAAABt0/7bZUDZTavs0/s320/resolutions.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0in;">Upon finishing my list I realized that it was pretty much the same
as last year’s. And the year before. And the year before. With the exceptions
of a few changes, like you know, instead of “get good grades” I now have “Don’t
fail” and “make money” has now been replaced with “don’t go broke”, the lists
are almost identical. It seems as if every year I, and I am sure you feel this
way too, expect to be happier. And it seems as if I except that I will achieve
ultimate happiness simply by losing weight, making more money, and having
unrealistic expectations of what I can achieve in one year. Ummm wrong. Now I
am no expert on happiness, but I am pretty sure that if your New Year’s
resolution has anything on it that resembles “get skinny”, “make money”, and
“find true love” that happiness is not in your future. Sure it may be, I don’t
want to sound like a negative Nancy or doubting Debby, but it seems a bit
unrealistic. That’s because we set such big goals for ourselves. When you have
a giant goal on your list, like “find true love”, it is incredibly
intimidating. Something that big can’t happen over night, same with getting
skinny and making lots of money. It takes baby steps. However, when we only
have the end goal on our list it is hard to know where to begin and so we end
up just giving up. Resulting in the same list being made every December 31</span><sup style="text-indent: 0in;">st</sup><span style="text-indent: 0in;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">
So, here is what I propose. That instead of making solely a
list of GINORMOUS GOALS, we make a second list of <span style="font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">baby steps</span> that will allow us to achieve the
big goals. For example, under “get skinny” have “go to the gym at least 3 times
a week, make homemade meals, and eliminate fast food”. Under “make money” have
“make a resume, apply for jobs, and get hired”, or if you already have a job
have “create a savings account, stop unnecessary purchases such as Lattes, and
invest”. Under “find true love” have “leave the house at least once a week, get
rid of the cat (NEVER), and learn to talk to strangers”. That way, even if you don’t
necessarily achieve the big goals, you can at least say you accomplished
something and that glowing feeling of accomplishment will bring a smile to your
pinched up face and VOILA! Happiness.</div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in;">
May your
NYE parties be a blast and may you not start the new year with too bad of a
headache. </div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in;">
See you
in 2014 my friends!</div>
<div class="MsoNoteLevel1CxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: none; tab-stops: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DTWBB4mQzN0/UsHe79PIvuI/AAAAAAAABuA/hRTRMNCfVf0/s1600/hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DTWBB4mQzN0/UsHe79PIvuI/AAAAAAAABuA/hRTRMNCfVf0/s400/hope.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>
<br />
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Xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-12883700121615088032013-11-29T08:23:00.001-08:002013-11-29T13:18:39.323-08:00Post Thanksgiving PostThe average American ate 7000 calories yesterday. The average American will spend around $423 today. Is this what Thanksgiving has become? Really? Do you not find it ironic that they day after we are supposedly giving thanks for the things we have, people go out and kill each other over sales for things they want? It seems to me that the average American has forgotten the true meaning of Thanksgiving. This special, uniquely American (except Canada has one too, but it doesn't count) holiday is not about gorging your self to the point of explosion. Nor is about shopping till dropping. It's not about football. It's not even about the "first meal shared with the native Americans", because we all know that that wasn't a very happy time in history. Granted, these are all great, enjoyable things (well maybe not the massive slaughter of the native Americans as we invaded their land... But you know, coming here for freedom was great), but they aren't what the day should be about. It should be about being truly and genuinely thankful for your life. If you are able to be reading this post then you are better off than the majority of the world. If you have a house, if you have a family, if you have friends, if you have food, you are pretty darn blessed and you should be grateful for that. No matter how many more toys and gadgets you may want, or suppose you "need", in reality we are all kings and queens, princes and princesses and it would probably add to our happiness if we acknowledged that. If we can learn to be content with our lot in life, and not constantly wanting more more more, we can learn to enjoy the little things in life. And this thankfulness is not only relevant on the fourth Thursday of November, or solely during the holiday season, but should be remembered all year long. So from this moment hence forth, let us think of everyday as Thanksgiving.<br />
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I personally am extremely thankful for my family because we can be silly and goofy together and they love me unconditionally. </div>
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I am also thankful for excellent party planning, Pinterest inspired decorations, delicious food, and candles. And of course pie:</div>
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I am also thankful for everyone of you who reads my blog, or even just looks at it.</div>
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Xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
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Ps. Quick history lesson: Abe Lincoln was the first president to acknowledge thanksgiving as a "legal" holiday—meaning that the banks close on the day</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-58500771732702420212013-11-22T16:46:00.001-08:002013-11-25T22:35:59.118-08:00Classic JackieFifty years ago today something very sad happened in this country. Fifty years ago today the 35th president of the United States , John Fitzgerald Kennedy,was assassinated. While sitting in the coffee shop, I look around and realize that probably the majority of the people sitting, enjoying their hot cocoas and conversation are not even aware of the solemnity of this day. No matter what you think of politics, what side of the spectrum you live on, it is undeniable that today is an important day in history and it is sad. When I reminded my dad what today was, he got very quiet and I could see that in his mind he was remember that moment 50 years ago: he was sitting in his second grade class room and the principal got on the loud speaker and the whole school went quiet.<br>
While it is important to remember the importance of the day, as it is with every historical event, and to acknowledge the solemnity of what has happened, it is also important to not dwell on the past. For, as JFK said "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future". Instead of feeling sad and living under the cloud of the past, we should focus on how we can learn from the past for the future. Now, as I am no longer studying the Cold War and as I have no intentions of going into government, I'm not all that interested in what we can learn from JFK's policies and time in office. Rather, I am more interested in what we can learn from the woman on his arm. What can we learn from the beautiful Jackie? The first lady, probably one of the most eminent style icons of the 20th century, seems to have never left her room without looking impeccable. Unlike Marilyn Monroe, the other most important style icon of the time, who liked to do just about everything possible to draw attention–low cut tops, body-forming dresses, posing nude, being blonde, etc.–Jackie did just the opposite. However, it is kind of impossible to not live in the spot light when you are married to the President of the United States. So, Jackie lived a style of being publicly private. What does this mean? Well, as she knew that everywhere she went there would be cameras, she always was dressed to the nines, but she also did certain things to keep herself to herself. Like the big sunglasses, or the scarf wrapped around her head. She also never wore anything too flashy, was consistent, and incredibly modest. This probably made more of an impact than if she had worn skin tight sequined dresses. It gave her an aire of power, classiness, reserve, and modesty that is invaluable in a public figure–especially such an important one. Simplicity is always a good plan. A classic t-shirt and skirt combo with a strand of pearls can make a much bigger statement than the most flashy pair of pants or most daring dress. As long as it is paired with poise, confidence, and fits well.<br>
as pictures can say more than words, let's just take a look at what style tips we can get from Mrs. Kennedy<br>
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Understated and beautiful, a true classic.<br>
So instead of dwelling on the sadness of today, let's turn our focus to how we can learn from the past and improve our lives, and our closets.<br>
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xoxo<br>
Justice<br>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"></span>Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-58119144138020986782013-11-19T17:24:00.001-08:002013-11-21T12:15:33.532-08:00Under Your Umbrella<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It’s raining, it’s pouring, and I’m sure somewhere an old
man is snoring. It seems as if winter has arrived in San Francisco. While not
what I am exactly accustomed to, this chilly, grey wetness is a refreshing
herald for a new season. I finally can accept the Thanksgiving, and Christmas,
decorations up in every store, because it finally feels like we have moved out
of August. With this turn over (mmmm a turn over sounds delicious) of seasons
comes a universal wardrobe switch. Sure, some of us will continue to wear the
exact same thing no matter what the weather is doing. I have a friend back in
Colorado who wears cargo shorts every single day. Rain or shine, snow or
tornado, 120° or -45°.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he
is a little insane. And if he ever reads this, which is doubtful, I hope he can
forgive me. The rest of us, though, like to mix it up a little. Which means, RAIN
COATS! And RAIN BOOTS! And SWEATERS! And UMBRELLAS! And LONG UNDERWEAR!!!!! (I
obviously am a little excited about this…)</div>
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I have noticed that for some inexplicable reason, some
people tend to get a little gloomy when the sky turns grey and the temperature
drops. Okay, maybe it’s because it’s like the sky is crying and this makes
people feel sad. But really there is no need to be so emotional. Come on people,
be happy! Rain means that the earth is getting some much-needed water; it
allows things to grow and washes the dirt off of the street. Without rain we
would live in a perpetual desert and having grown up in a land that has 100°F
days of dryness throughout all of July and August I can tell you that you DO
NOT want to live in a desert. Dessert yes, desert no. Plus, cold rainy days are
the perfect days to curl up in a blanket, drink hot tea, and read a book. And
there is nothing better than that. So, I think that every day should be like
this: grey, cold, rainy, and, yes, gloomy. And full of books.</div>
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Gene Kelly knows what up, he understands how great the rain is</div>
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Why don't we all sing, and dance, in the rain?</div>
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While walking to class this afternoon, I saw another reason
that people might be upset about this weather. It’s because they don’t know how
to dress for it! Seriously, if you’re not gonna wear a rain jacket or carry an
umbrella, you’re bound to get wet and cold, which will make you uncomfortable
and maybe give you a cold which is certain to make you a little prejudiced
towards the rain. But really it’s your fault, not the drops of water hitting
your face. Once you are properly outfitted for the environment, you can fully
enjoy the wonderfulness of it all. This means wearing a proper rain jacket,
probably with something warm underneath, rain boots (to allow for appropriate
puddle jumping), gloves, maybe a scarf, and of course, an umbrella.</div>
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Let us talk a bit about umbrellas. We have so many options
when it comes to this essential accessory. Do you go for a fashionable one? A
classic black one? One that you got for free with some off-brand toothpaste
logo on it? A clear plastic one? One that attaches to your head with a
headband? SO MANY CHOICES! I suggest that you always have a few options handy. Some
good basics are these:</div>
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A classic black one:</div>
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A Fun Fashionable one (maybe with some cats on it...):</div>
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An easy collapsible one that is always in your purse. Always:</div>
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Once you have your umbrella figured out, you can work on the
rest of the outfit. And then you can go out and jump in puddles and get wet and
have fun and not have a single worry in the world, because life is good. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVvFmL1PoO4/UowOBOOrKXI/AAAAAAAABqU/JKbQ1DvTT2I/s1600/IMG_3749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVvFmL1PoO4/UowOBOOrKXI/AAAAAAAABqU/JKbQ1DvTT2I/s640/IMG_3749.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely roommate, isn't she adorable? and she loves the rain.<br />
because she is properly outfitted</td></tr>
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xoxo</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Justice<br />
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Post Script: don't forget to follow me on pinterest and instagram by clicking on the links to your right (that's this side of the screen -->)</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-3493500743666879532013-11-12T16:50:00.000-08:002013-11-12T16:50:24.454-08:00Patches of the Past<div class="MsoNormal">
For the second installment of Sweeker (my week long
celebration of sweaters) I would like to touch on the subject of the elbow
patch. Now a style characteristic of those natives of coffee shops and wearers
of ironic glasses—aka hipsters—this style was not always worn out of hipness
but out of necessity. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxtlhDDFqyk/UoLKs-9iLkI/AAAAAAAABpQ/o90s5bc43Qk/s1600/IMG_3552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VxtlhDDFqyk/UoLKs-9iLkI/AAAAAAAABpQ/o90s5bc43Qk/s400/IMG_3552.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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There was a time, believe it or not, when people actually
had to do hard labor. And when these people did hard labor, such as working at
lumberyards or on railroads, they wore the same thing every day. If you have had
any experience what so every with any kind of hands-on work, you will know that
it is kind of hard to avoid messing up your clothes. This could mean getting
paint splatters everywhere, accidentally covering yourself with flour, burning
holes in your jeans, having your sleeve ripped off by a saw, etc. It is why we
don’t wear our mom’s cashmere sweaters to art class. Well, if you can imagine
transporting back in time and working on the railroad from dawn until dusk in
your thick trousers (probably made of denim or wool) and dirty, sweaty button
up shirt every single day, you can probably imagine that your clothes are in
need of some repair. Which is why patches were invented. It is, well was, much
easier to just put a patch over a hole than to go buy a whole new shirt. I say
was because now a days so few people know how to sew and due to the
accessibility of “fast-fashion”, it is much easier, time efficient, and
probably cheaper to just go buy a new pair of jeans or favorite t-shirt—plus
it’s a good excuse to go shopping. Because of the way that the body moves,
bending at the elbows and knees, fabric tends to be strained the most in the
area of these joints. Where the fabric is strained, it is more likely to be
worn out and easier to be torn when doing something like kneeling on the ground
or carrying big logs to the truck for splitting. That is why patches are most
often seen on the elbow or knees, or occasionally on the rear end…</div>
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Patches were a symbol of hard work. More than that though,
patches meant poverty. It meant that you could not afford new clothes, and thus
had to make do with what you had. It wasn’t a fashion statement, it wasn’t
something you wanted, it was actually a bit shameful. But as is the case with
many utilitarian things, patches, like glasses or overalls, have become a
fashion statement rather than a necessity. The real meaning of patches has been
forgotten. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I mean when I was younger
wearing glasses was SO embarrassing and ugly, but now that it is “fashionable”,
pretty much everyone wears glasses, even if they don’t need them. Same with
patches, it used to be embarrassing if you had to go to school with a patched
up shirt because your parents couldn’t buy you a new one, but now it is the
epitome of stylish. Thank you hipsters! Nevertheless, we must never forget the
past, for as my good friend Winston Churchill said:</div>
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<br /></div>
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“ The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you
are likely to see”</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, next time you put on a sweater with lovely suede elbow
patches—perhaps in the shapes of hearts—remember the men and women of the past
who built our country to what it is today and the patches that were most likely
on their clothes.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jaVdlV0s1DQ/UoLMiJOysKI/AAAAAAAABpY/a8eah2_2XVQ/s1600/iw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jaVdlV0s1DQ/UoLMiJOysKI/AAAAAAAABpY/a8eah2_2XVQ/s400/iw2.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would like to thank this old man for all of his work and for not worrying about having to patch his clothing, <br />but for persevering through it all</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
xoxo</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Justice</div>
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<br /></div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-17673651635643897522013-11-11T17:27:00.000-08:002013-11-12T16:27:30.226-08:00HAPPY SWEEKER!I have decided that we ought to have a celebration of the wonderfulness of sweaters. So, from this hour hence forth let it be known that this week, the week of November 10-16 (we will include yesterday even though it already passed), shall be the official Sweater Week–SWEEKER! I think that it is universally acknowledged that sweaters are amazing. They are comfortable, cute, keep you warm, and can be worn with pretty much everything. I really don't see a downside. Because they can be worn in so many different ways and there are so many different styles, there is a sweater for everyone. You may be of the chunky oversized variety, or a librarian cardigan type, or a long wrap around kind. No matter who you are or how you're feeling, there is most likely a sweater out there for you. Unlike true love, finding the perfect sweater is a guarantee, and it will be a much easier search and your sweater will never leave you for a better looking wearer.<br />
<div>
So, for the first installment of Sweeker, I introduce the preppy sweater:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iusT4NMXSjE/UoF8kZt59BI/AAAAAAAABoQ/ZYGsj8G2Hy0/s1600/IMG_3540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iusT4NMXSjE/UoF8kZt59BI/AAAAAAAABoQ/ZYGsj8G2Hy0/s640/IMG_3540.jpg" width="268" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">sweater from H&M, shirt stolen from my mother (she got it at sometime, somewhere in the 80's), </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Clavin Klein jeans, kitten shoes from Modcloth, and "My Flat in London" necklace</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The preppy sweater is paired with a button up shirt and either a nice pair of trousers, a plaid skirt, or wool shorts. It does not matter whether or not this sweater is a cardigan or a pull over, but either way it must be short enough to show the shirt at the bottom and not too bulky. If you want to really epitomize the preppy look, try for a nice argyle print and maybe pair it with a tie. But be prepared for some comments including the 80's and your mother's wardrobe if you choose this. When wearing this look you may find yourself raising your hand more in class and remembering random facts--for example, on this day (11 November) in the year 1918 Germany signed an armistice to end WWI.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Some other great examples of the preppy sweater:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tQLK-Q0M3K8/UoGDDCx40kI/AAAAAAAABo4/WBYt9oeWWsg/s1600/emma+pillsbury+sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tQLK-Q0M3K8/UoGDDCx40kI/AAAAAAAABo4/WBYt9oeWWsg/s320/emma+pillsbury+sweater.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Pillsbury</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vUmwGpg7rtM/UoGCMnryZ_I/AAAAAAAABoo/Sea79rO-OUM/s1600/blair+waldorf+sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vUmwGpg7rtM/UoGCMnryZ_I/AAAAAAAABoo/Sea79rO-OUM/s400/blair+waldorf+sweater.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blair Waldorf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooZi7wb2kgk/UoGCOcCLQNI/AAAAAAAABow/fPj_venVXOA/s1600/hermione+sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooZi7wb2kgk/UoGCOcCLQNI/AAAAAAAABow/fPj_venVXOA/s400/hermione+sweater.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermione Granger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
and just about anything from Tommy Hilfiger</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U6laHSOVHf4/UoGDDFixQgI/AAAAAAAABo8/uw-dcObtKsI/s1600/Tommy-Hilfiger-Fall-Winter-2013-2014-Campaign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U6laHSOVHf4/UoGDDFixQgI/AAAAAAAABo8/uw-dcObtKsI/s400/Tommy-Hilfiger-Fall-Winter-2013-2014-Campaign.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommy Hilfiger ad campaign FW13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Happy Sweeker my readers, acquaintances, and imaginary friends, and remember to celebrate by wearing a sweater every day this week. Every single day.<br />
<div>
<br />
xoxo<br />
Justice</div>
</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-77621120744196489622013-11-06T10:03:00.000-08:002013-11-06T10:03:57.949-08:00Finding the Second Star to the Right<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">“All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them
remember it.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">―</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Antoine de Saint-Exupéry</span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The Little Prince</span> </i>(probably
my favorite book of all time)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">During the summers I work
at a children’s theatre camp. All day I get to do arts and crafts with children
between the ages of 5 and 12. Sure, sometimes this job feels like I am being
punished for some crime I don’t remember committing. Sure, some of these
children make me question why people choose to reproduce. But most of the time
I go to work and look at these children in awe. Everyday I am amazed by the
innocence, hope, and joy that I see in their eyes. They, especially the younger
ones, see adventures in everything. Every step is a journey across lands, every
new task is a dragon to be killed, and every gift is a treasure chest. They
look at everything in wide-eyed wonder, are curious about everything, and seem
to be fearless. And they don’t seem to question anything. If something seems
like magic, it is magic. They may be young, but in many ways they are wiser
than any adult I’ve ever met. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The saddest thing to me is
the day when I see these kids start to lose their childishness. When they start
to be self-conscience, worried, and afraid. When they start to think of things
as “stupid”. Like, “oh that idea was stupid” or “my drawing is stupid” or “I
won’t play that game, it’s stupid”. When I see that, it breaks my heart because
it means that their minds are beginning to close. They have lost the way to
Neverland. No longer will flowers look like fairies’ beds or tables look like
castles. What’s even sadder is that this process is inevitable, for we all must
grow up (except of course, Peter Pan). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, while growing
older is inevitable, it is not necessary to lose sight of being a child. Some
days it is important to recall the innocence and wide-eyed curiosity that was natural
in the days of youth. Sometimes things get too serious or too overwhelming and
we tend to then turn into grumpy old men (or women…). But really those are the
times when it is most important to take a step back in time and remember the
five year old that is still within us all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is important to skip
down the street sometimes, even if people stare. Or to spend an hour reading
children’s stories in the library or to go to a garden and look for fairies.
Doing these childlike things lighten our hearts and return us to a land of hope
and delivers us from the Mordor that adulthood can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is nothing that
scares me more than losing sight of my youth and becoming an Ebenezer Scrooge
(except perhaps the texture of lots of tiny holes, that freaks me out). I want
to forever and ever be able to see fairies, to fight dragons, to imagine that I
am a princess, and never forget the way to Neverland. While I may seem like a
crazy person, I think of this as my way of staying sane. You can’t catch me and
make me a grown up! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And it is for that reason
that today I am wearing a dress covered in illustrations from childhood bedtime
stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XsMWHB03GhA/Unm3XqK0yvI/AAAAAAAABn0/_PFxPJp9A7s/s640/blogger-image-1912936821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XsMWHB03GhA/Unm3XqK0yvI/AAAAAAAABn0/_PFxPJp9A7s/s640/blogger-image-1912936821.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“There is such a place
as fairyland - but only children can find the way to it. And they do not know
that it is fairyland until they have grown so old that they forget the way. One
bitter day, when they seek it and cannot find it, they realize what they have
lost; and that is the tragedy of life. On that day the gates of Eden are shut
behind them and the age of gold is over. Henceforth they must dwell in the
common light of common day. Only a few, who remain children at heart, can ever
find that fair, lost path again; and blessed are they above mortals. They, and
only they, can bring us tidings from that dear country where we once sojourned
and from which we must evermore be exiles. The world calls them its singers and
poets and artists and story-tellers; but they are just people who have never
forgotten the way to fairyland.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">― <span style="color: windowtext;">L.M. Montgomery</span>,
<i><span style="color: windowtext;">The Story Girl</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So please my friends, I
implore you, don’t try too hard to be grown up, for if you do you will lose
sight of so many important things in life. Promise me that you won’t get lost
in the world of numbers, stress, and frowns and will spend at least a little
time going on an adventure with your imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you need some help with
this, try reading one of these books this week:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Peter Pan</i>
by J. M. Barrie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Prince</i> (in English or French) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Little Princess</i> by <span style="background: white; color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Frances Hodgson Burnett</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fairytales by Hans
Christian Andersen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little White Horse</i> by Elizabeth Gouge <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Xoxo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Princess Justice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-44024911739288867082013-10-31T16:26:00.000-07:002013-10-31T16:26:02.284-07:00Listen to me for a Secondary <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">HAPPY HALLOWEEN my ghouly, witchy, batty friends! I hope
that your day is full of candy eating, spooky sighting, and letting go of any
inhibitions and just going crazy (in the area of costumes…not in anything else.
Don’t get too wild my children). Sadly I am not able to partake in any
celebrations, as I have to go to class at the wretched time of 7-9:30 pm. It’s
just dreadful. However, as I like to think of myself as a rather optimistic
person–despite a certain cynicism that I can't seem to shake off–I thought that I could use this opportunity to my advantage and
teach you all a lesson. This is not one of those “teach you lesson” things like
when the bully on the playground teaches the scared kindergarteners a lesson by
taking their lunch money and tying their shoelaces together. No, I want to
actually teach you something because I find it fascinating. You see, the class I have tonight
is called “Color and Design for Fashion”. In this class we learn all about the
theory of color and what color is and what different color combinations are and
pretty much everything about color. It is a lot more complicated than you would
think. However, it is incredibly relevant because whether or not you are aware
of it, color is all around us and has a profound impact on our lives. You’ve
probably had an experience where you saw a color and it made you feel
something. Like peaceful when you see a light blue, or happy when you see a
bright yellow. There are individual colors, but then when you combine these
colors a whole new world arises. Different color combinations mean different
things. For example, when you see green and red together, most of us think of
Christmas. Why do we think of Christmas? It’s a little silly really. It’s just
two colors. A combination of two pigments. Nothing complicated. It’s not like
they are images of the birth of Christ. Nevertheless, we see these colors and
all of a sudden “Jingle Bells” is ringing in our heads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another example, today, Halloween, you may notice a large amount of orange,
green, and purple together. Such as these Halloween m&m's</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jfluWDeEffs/UnLb4hVTVXI/AAAAAAAABmk/wreqIptsNXQ/s1600/Halloween+M&Ms+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jfluWDeEffs/UnLb4hVTVXI/AAAAAAAABmk/wreqIptsNXQ/s320/Halloween+M&Ms+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Or this little girl's Halloween witch costume</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_TPrZeHBpSo/UnLb5hdLlwI/AAAAAAAABms/bsNzyxQYTJ0/s1600/il_570xN.486543995_5svu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_TPrZeHBpSo/UnLb5hdLlwI/AAAAAAAABms/bsNzyxQYTJ0/s320/il_570xN.486543995_5svu.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These could be strongly saturated (very vibrant, like they
came straight off of the color wheel), they could be muted (more earthy tones),
or they could be desaturated (darker or lighter by the addition of white or
black). This color combination is called the “secondary color triad”. This is
simply because it is a triad (three) made up of the secondary colors on the
color wheel. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0VdWVAlHqs/UnLYGjz5i2I/AAAAAAAABmY/gar_xvdaxFc/s1600/bird+color+wheel+secondary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g0VdWVAlHqs/UnLYGjz5i2I/AAAAAAAABmY/gar_xvdaxFc/s400/bird+color+wheel+secondary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Secondary colors are made when mixing two primary colors. Orange=
red + yellow, Purple= blue + red, Green= blue + yellow. WOW! It’s like math!
This is so exciting!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m not quite
sure when or why or how these colors became associated with Halloween and fall
time, however I do have a theory. Two actually. One, because these colors
seem quite witchish. Orange for their wrinkled, old skin. Green for the toads
they use in their spells.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Purple
for their magical cloaks and the vapors that come off of their potions. Just
watch Hocus Pocus and it will all become clear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There is another reason though, as to why we these colors come into style every October-November. When I see these colors I automatically think of fall. That's because in autumn these secondary colors occur in nature. They may not appear exactly as they do on the color wheel, but instead we see them in muted forms. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Orange is the color of pumpkins, falling leaves, the ground after the grass has begun to die, and most importantly, the color of pumpkin pie.</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sFUZEoknnqE/UnLfTJtWKsI/AAAAAAAABnM/4AtLQPa0QNM/s1600/homemade-pumpkin-pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sFUZEoknnqE/UnLfTJtWKsI/AAAAAAAABnM/4AtLQPa0QNM/s400/homemade-pumpkin-pie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Green is the color of the leaves as they are changing, it isn't the vibrant green of spring but a duller green, a green that is beginning to turn brown. It is the color of green apples, the kind that make amazing apple pies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MPeDDCYvm8A/UnLd8pcavPI/AAAAAAAABm4/plrEGSRotvQ/s1600/Apple_pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MPeDDCYvm8A/UnLd8pcavPI/AAAAAAAABm4/plrEGSRotvQ/s400/Apple_pie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Purple is the color of thistles, one of the only flowers that stay blooming through fall. Not to mention the purple foods that we eat at this time such as aubergines (eggplant), purple potatoes and red cabbage, at least I eat a lot of those foods at this time. And of course red pears! Which can be made into pie!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jR34cGVBv-E/UnLd9u2u_wI/AAAAAAAABm8/xuxHQIUKnLo/s1600/pear+pie+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jR34cGVBv-E/UnLd9u2u_wI/AAAAAAAABm8/xuxHQIUKnLo/s400/pear+pie+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So essentially, these colors are the colors of PIE! and we eat pie in the fall and therefore these colors are fall colors.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a Happy Halloween</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_HE-8UddTA/UnLmUDYyEVI/AAAAAAAABng/lPPqMrzKNtQ/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_HE-8UddTA/UnLmUDYyEVI/AAAAAAAABng/lPPqMrzKNtQ/s640/photo+3.JPG" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In honor of the day, I am wearing an outfit of secondary colors (pumpkin not included)<br />Green Sweater from Anthropologie<br />Shorts from Calvin Klein<br />Purple tights from Target<br />Orangish brown suede booties from Clarks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
xoxo<div>
Justice<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-32825681660582090542013-10-29T16:46:00.000-07:002013-10-29T16:46:29.648-07:00Let the Witching Hour Commence<span style="font-family: inherit;">As October comes to an end it is time we turn our minds towards more celebratory things. Such as dressing up in costume, getting scared out of our minds, scaring others out of their minds, and eating enough candy to send ourselves into diabetic comas. YAY for Halloween! But what is the true meaning of Halloween? Is it teaching children to take candy from strangers? Or is it that dressing as a naughty anything, be it pirate, nurse, or astronaut, is not slutty on the 31st of October, even though it is on every other day? Sadly no. Halloween is much deeper than the depths of your candy basket and is a much older tradition than the group costumes that you and your buddies put on every year. "Halloween" is actually a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening" or "All Hallows' Eve" (because in Scots, the germanic language of lowland Scotland, the word "eve" is "even" and is contracted to "e'en" "All Hallows Even" soon turned into "Halloween"). While it may surprise you due to the number of wicked things we see on the night–witches, vampires, Miley Cyrus impersonators, etc.– this holiday actually began as a Holy day. It initiates the "triduum of Hallowmas", big words, I know, which is the time of the year dedicated to remembering the dead. That's right. It actually started as a Christian holiday, a great big feast to remember those people whom we loved and are now gone. What on earth does this have to do with the tomfoolery that we get up to now? I'm not sure. I think somewhere along the line the message of this day got a little confused. This probably has something to do with a communication error. Somehow or other "pray for the dead" got confused with "dress up and go crazy"...Well, anyway, some of what we do today has roots in the past. Trick-or-treating, for one, began in Scotland and Ireland with "guising", when children disguised in costume would go from door to door for food or coins on All Hallows Eve. When this turned into the giant candy gathering contest that it is today, I don't know. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another tradition that has survived over the ages comes in the form of hunched over old ladies with warts on their noses. Any guesses? </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c0cz7AtsD4A/UnBIUIar5LI/AAAAAAAABmA/5PDsi2O9BsQ/s1600/How+do+you+know+she+is+a+witch+_8eec6a5221b28800ad33f1a7cd12efb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c0cz7AtsD4A/UnBIUIar5LI/AAAAAAAABmA/5PDsi2O9BsQ/s400/How+do+you+know+she+is+a+witch+_8eec6a5221b28800ad33f1a7cd12efb5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's right!! WITCHES!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Halloween was believed to be the day that spirits traveled the earth, and as spirits=dead people and dead people=scary, scary=witches and so it is follows that Halloween=witches. Logic. Based on this logical thinking, barns and homes would be blessed by priests to protect people and livestock from the evil effect of witches. Judging by the amount of pointy black hats I see in store windows, I would say that witches are just as prevalent for Halloween 2013 as they were for Halloween 1692. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's take a quick look at some important witches for whom we can gain knowledge and costume inspiration. (disclaimer: this is a list of witches from mythology and literature. I am not claiming that these women are or were real. I am also not claiming that these are the most important ones, they are just the ones that I know and want to talk about)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Morgan le Fay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend. She uses her power of seduction to entrap her prey and attempt to overthrow her step-brother Arthur–talk about a dysfunctional family relationship. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TrIgrsO4vy8/UnBA35Ur9ZI/AAAAAAAABkw/w2l3osexFEk/s1600/426px-Sandys,_Frederick_-_Morgan_le_Fay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TrIgrsO4vy8/UnBA35Ur9ZI/AAAAAAAABkw/w2l3osexFEk/s400/426px-Sandys,_Frederick_-_Morgan_le_Fay.JPG" width="281" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Morgan Le Fey by Anthony Frederick Sandys (1864)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Circe</span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">From Homer's Odyssey. While she may seem perfectly normal and lovable, avoid eating anything she offers you or you may find yourself turned into a lion or a pig, doomed to spend eternity wandering around her mansion. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0P4i9pi34T0/UnBCCm85PjI/AAAAAAAABk8/s5PZeq9jxqw/s1600/563px-The_witch_Circe_poisons_Odysseu's_friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0P4i9pi34T0/UnBCCm85PjI/AAAAAAAABk8/s5PZeq9jxqw/s400/563px-The_witch_Circe_poisons_Odysseu's_friends.jpg" width="376" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 15.828125px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Circe changing the companions of Ulysses into animals, an English mural from 1580</span></span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Abigail Williams</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and all others associated with the Salem Witch trials. While Abigail may not have been guilty of casting spells, she was most certainly guilty of being a right tart, a young
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">seductress, and a manipulating bully, characteristics of another kind of witch altogether. For more information on this subject, read or watch <i>The Crucible. </i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oWa0o5PuXSg/UnBDxG38I7I/AAAAAAAABlI/ELRSvYppUCo/s1600/abigail-williams-crucible--large-msg-1319839711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oWa0o5PuXSg/UnBDxG38I7I/AAAAAAAABlI/ELRSvYppUCo/s400/abigail-williams-crucible--large-msg-1319839711.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The White Witch</span></span></div>
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One of my particular favorites, capable of making it always winter and never Christmas, this woman is most certainly evil. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_ujaTcq_SI/UnBEaXQBXhI/AAAAAAAABlQ/BMgPCdGHZYU/s1600/72ddd6b307cee4e6dcb7f55821627f95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_ujaTcq_SI/UnBEaXQBXhI/AAAAAAAABlQ/BMgPCdGHZYU/s400/72ddd6b307cee4e6dcb7f55821627f95.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from C. S. Lewis's <i>The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Wicked Witch of West</span></div>
<div>
Terrifyingly green, beware of this woman, especially if you are a young girl from Kansas and wearing red slippers. But don't worry, if you have a bucket of water near by, you'll be fine.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGZuQ_NklsE/UnBFenqS6II/AAAAAAAABlg/ff8cUlZ9ivw/s1600/11025259_ori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGZuQ_NklsE/UnBFenqS6II/AAAAAAAABlg/ff8cUlZ9ivw/s400/11025259_ori.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Margaret Hamilton in <i>The Wizard of Oz</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hermione Granger</span><div>
Wickedly intelligent, scarily talented, and green in the world of magic, being born to a muggle family, this little smarty pants gives a good name to witches everywhere. Not to mention she is just too cute.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGDnXOmowoI/UnBGWkfi4XI/AAAAAAAABls/VpEh0QZdXRA/s1600/242edd3df853763d082a64d1d2386cda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JGDnXOmowoI/UnBGWkfi4XI/AAAAAAAABls/VpEh0QZdXRA/s400/242edd3df853763d082a64d1d2386cda.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma Watson in the first Harry Potter</td></tr>
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<br />I could go on for days. But I don't have time for that. I just want you all to see how incredibly prevalent witches are. They are jumping out of books, prancing across screens, whirling on stages, glaring from paintings. They are everywhere. So while getting ready for you wild party this Thursday, or whenever you are choosing to celebrate Halloween this year, please don't forget these important members of Halloween history. While it may seem cliché, a good ol' witch costume never goes out of style. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ApUTiWyEIXQ/UnBIC4JtTBI/AAAAAAAABl4/387itaO54OY/s1600/Hocus-Pocus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ApUTiWyEIXQ/UnBIC4JtTBI/AAAAAAAABl4/387itaO54OY/s400/Hocus-Pocus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Now to the spooking and candy eating!</div>
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Justice</div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-42636562000723762262013-10-22T16:19:00.001-07:002013-10-22T16:19:52.365-07:00The Time Has Come<div style="text-align: center;">
Clip Clap Clip Clap Clip Clap</div>
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Can you hear that? That melodious sound? It pervades the air, it is on every street corner, it is in every hallway. The song of hundreds of feet rejoicing, for boot season is finally upon us. We wait all year for it and yet it still takes us slightly by surprise–just like Christmas. Gone are the endless days of summer where we waste precious time worrying over which pair of sandals to wear, or whether or not it is a boater day or a ballet flat day. For the next couple of months, oh so blissful months, we need have no worries, for it is boot season! Boots everyday! Boots everywhere! Boots for everyone! </div>
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Boots, Boots, Boots!</div>
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I have been a little wary over the past couple of weeks. It's been too hot, too bright, too green. But this morning as walking back from the gym I could sense it. The sky was grey, a dense fog covered the top of the old hotels of Sutter street, the trees were giving off a distinctly yellow glow, and my fingers were going numb. Not the numbness that comes from a lack of circulation or from holding too many shopping bags in one hand, but the numbness that comes from being cold. Yes, cold. It is a sign. I hurried back to my room as fast as my legs could take me (granted I had just been working out, so this probably was not as fast as it could have been due to the significant amount of soreness in my extremities) and pulled out my new brown leather lace up riding boots. The times has come. Finally these beautiful shoes can have a use in this world. </div>
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So, my lovely friends, now that boot season is here, what kind will you choose to cover your hairy legs and miss matched socks for the cold days to come? </div>
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The Riding Boot–always a good classic. Sleek and fashionable. Good to pair with jeans and a sweater or tights and a nice wool dress. Originally designed to be worn while horse riding, these boots usually come up to the knee, in order to prevent the leg of the rider from being pinched by the saddle; have a sturdy rounded toe, to protect the riders feet while on the ground; and have a distinct heel, to keep the foot from sliding out of the stirrup. Even though the majority of us do not frequently jump on a horse in order to get around, these boots are still an excellent option for the chilly days of October to March, the months now referred to as "boot months". </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCw1KRp6bIM/UmcGnWuWEbI/AAAAAAAABj0/Keki6z0aGOA/s1600/f7ba08b7c3cd32eae609e69672042abc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCw1KRp6bIM/UmcGnWuWEbI/AAAAAAAABj0/Keki6z0aGOA/s400/f7ba08b7c3cd32eae609e69672042abc.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tory Burch Riding Boots</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Rain Boot–especially good for those living in Seattle, Vancouver, London, *enter rainy city name here*. These tend to look best when paired with warm fuzzy socks and a rain jacket. A cute rain jacket though. Not one of those awful see-through plastic things that might as well be a trash bag. These boots find their origins in the Hessian boot, initially used in the military and popular in the 18th-19th centuries. They were worn and made popular by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington– hence the name Wellington boots. We may no longer be trudging through knee high mud or camping out in trenches, but it is still good to protect our feet from the elements with a nice layer of thick rubber. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrcrgbtaXyE/UmcGnLKtUjI/AAAAAAAABkA/CuI26C-3nUI/s1600/226177c3a3209a1a9702aa5e0f21f558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrcrgbtaXyE/UmcGnLKtUjI/AAAAAAAABkA/CuI26C-3nUI/s400/226177c3a3209a1a9702aa5e0f21f558.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington<br />Now whenever you wear your brightly colored Hunter Rain boots, you can know where they came from. <br />This handsome man in his tight pants. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VnDb0wxLg38/UmcGoQs4pRI/AAAAAAAABkM/rhU3h08A7Go/s1600/womens-rainboots-for-fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VnDb0wxLg38/UmcGoQs4pRI/AAAAAAAABkM/rhU3h08A7Go/s400/womens-rainboots-for-fall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bright Pink is always a good idea. <br />(I Stole this image from online and don't know hot to cite it...I'm a despicable human being)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The Snow Boot–really only good if it is, well, snowy. For those of us who grew up in lands of ice and snow, aka Colorado, Minnesota, or Montana, we understand the struggle of wanting to look cute while simultaneously not getting hypothermia. I can't even tell you how many times I got to school crying as a child because I had refused to wear my snow boots and thus had frozen feet. But my mom just didn't understand. Snow boots were ugly! I don't understand how it took them so long to figure out how to make snow boots look good, but amazingly enough they finally exist. For those days of exceptional coldness and/or snow, a nice pair of snow boots (Sorels are my number 1 choice for being fashionable AND warm AND comfortable) with wool anything does nicely. Wool tights, wool sweaters, wool skirts, wool socks, or just wear a sheep, that could work too. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_09ztlpyNBI/UmcGn-i6lGI/AAAAAAAABkE/ETc3BkYtkm8/s1600/59764745870e7f7fcaa3bcc13e0b808d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_09ztlpyNBI/UmcGn-i6lGI/AAAAAAAABkE/ETc3BkYtkm8/s400/59764745870e7f7fcaa3bcc13e0b808d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SORELS Conquest Boots<br />I have it on good authority, mine actually, that these boots are amazingly comfortable, warm, and snow resistant. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The UGG–no. just no. Unless you aren't leaving the house, then it is okay. I don't want to sound like a hater, but I just have never seen an outfit that I thought looked good with these clunky, puffy boots. Also, they don't keep water out and the fuzziness inside–while it may feel like your feet are being caressed by the hopes and dreams of baby angles–is really quite useless after the first wear because it just gets nasty and smelly and dirty. However, if you must wear them, despite my protests, please do so tactfully. Avoid pairing them with shorts, short skirts, or apple bottom jeans. </div>
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I am not even going to include a picture regarding UGGs because I am against them.</div>
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When it comes to boots, the options are endless. Unlike a frozen yogurt place where they have only 4 flavors, boot season is like entering an Ice Cream Shop where they can create any flavor you can think of. I have never actually been to such an Ice Cream shop, but I think the idea is pretty great. So rejoice with me my friends for Boot Season is here! </div>
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xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-82944148694839706862013-10-17T17:19:00.000-07:002013-10-17T17:19:07.320-07:00Who Are You?<div class="MsoNormal">
“We live in a world of self-defined brands”—Kenneth Cole</div>
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Being stylish and being fashionable
are very different things. Fashion is a universal thing. Style is an individual
thing. Anyone can be fashionable if they know the current trends and where to
shop, but not everyone can be stylish. For example, tight skirts with crop tops
may be in fashion, but by wearing them you may not look very stylish. Style is
more about what you look good in, feel good in, fits your personal tastes, and
fits your character. In my humble opinion, having style is much more important
than being fashionable because style tells the world a story—the story of you. Our
first perceptions of anyone are based on how they look because, unless you are
blind, only meet people online/on the telephone, or are a hermit, sight is the
first sense we use when meeting a person. It is important then to give an
accurate representation of yourself in that first moment. It would be awful for
someone to assume that you are an uptight business woman when in fact you are a
natural, bohemian type simply because you chose to wear a pant suit. Sure pantsuits
may seem appropriate for a fancy occasion, but if you aren’t a businesswoman
working in a tall building who drinks black coffee for breakfast you are essentially
lying to the whole world by wearing one. This is just one example. I have
countless, but hopefully you get the point. While it is sad, because we aren’t
supposed to judge a book by it’s cover and all that, the truth is that everyone
does it any way. While I don’t want to generalize, I think it is safe to say
that pretty much everyone makes snap judgments of others based on what they are
wearing. So since people are going to make decisions on who you are before they
even talk to you, you might as well represent yourself correctly.</div>
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Developing your style can be a
long, hard process requiring a lot of internal reflection and consideration of
life choices. Kind of like going through rehab. Defining your style is like
creating a brand for yourself. You go through the same steps as a designer does
when creating his or her latest line. This is not something that can happen
over night. It takes time, most people spend a lifetime defining and refining
their style and most don’t even realize what they are doing. But if you want to
be conscious about it, here are few simple steps: </div>
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Figure out what it is that inspires
you. You probably know what your likes and dislikes are and whether or not you
are aware of it, these things inspire you in a multitude of ways, including
what you wear. Whether it is books, movies, time periods, flowers, food,
architecture, other people, etc., what inspires you will shape what your
“self-defined brand” looks like. Example:</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbwRoyYjKpM/UmB9JeTnFQI/AAAAAAAABjY/PftvC0S6Zlw/s1600/visual+bio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MbwRoyYjKpM/UmB9JeTnFQI/AAAAAAAABjY/PftvC0S6Zlw/s400/visual+bio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a mood board that I made for a class that I think does a good job at representing what inspires me</td></tr>
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</o:p><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
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You then decide on your color
palette–what colors you like and look good on you. If you had an honest mother
or sister or friend, or stranger, you have probably had the experience of being
told that a particular color makes you look ill. If not, either you are blessed
with magical skin and hair that looks good with everything, or you have never
been in an honest relationship with anyone and I am sorry for you. Most people
have their “go to color”. A color that looks fabulous on them and that they
just adore. For my sister it is grey, for me it is pink (that basically sums up
the difference in our characters).</div>
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The next step is to figure out what
kinds of clothes are good for you. As I have said countless times and will most
likely reiterate over and over again, not everyone looks good in the same
thing! I like dresses, skirts, flowy blouses, cardigans, high-waisted trousers,
and high heels. My best friend would never be seen in any of those
things—preferring jeans, t-shirts, baggy sweaters, boots, and leggings. That
doesn’t mean that one of us is more stylish than the other. This step includes
determining what silhouette looks good on you, what you find comfortable, and
what fabrics you like.</div>
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I think that if a designer made a line that was a representation of me, it would look a lot like this:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TDczpU_aR5I/UmB9sRrZKuI/AAAAAAAABjg/MP_Qtt4SnaI/s1600/IMG_3093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TDczpU_aR5I/UmB9sRrZKuI/AAAAAAAABjg/MP_Qtt4SnaI/s400/IMG_3093.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is part of my midterm for fashion business. FUN right?? Well it has a color palette, clothing examples, and fabric swatches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p> </o:p>After that you can figure out what stores and brands work for you. Urban Outfitters does not work for me, but Kate Spade does (too bad I have no money and can’t actually buy anything from her…I can dream though). Then you can stock up your wardrobe and walk around advertising yourself correctly.</div>
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The most important thing to
remember is to stay true to who you are. Not only will buying a biker jacket
when you are a quiet librarian give the whole world the wrong idea of your
character, it will probably be a waste of money. If it doesn’t fit who you are,
you will probably never wear it, so why buy it? I have to remind myself of that
every time I am tempted to buy a pair of leather pants. </div>
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Xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-2031334283698067422013-10-15T23:41:00.000-07:002013-10-15T23:43:15.464-07:00We're All In This TogetherI had great intentions today to write some amazingly inspiring thing about fashion and individual style and self defined branding all inspired by meeting Kenneth Cole last week and it was going to be fabulous. But I just can't. I guess you could say I have writers block. But it is more like an emotional block. Without getting too much into my personal life, because this is not in fact my diary, let me just explain to you this emotional block I am facing. I miss home, I want it to be cold outside, I just want to eat a sweet potato, I don't like spending 80 dollars at Office Depot on ink and supplies for projects, I am tired of being hit on by homeless men, I don't like the smell of urine and weed that permeates this city, I am scared by emotions and don't understand them, and quite frankly I wish I was a cat. Essentially I have a bad case of the mean reds, with a touch of the blues.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWpxpLcyyfY/Ul4knmyZxoI/AAAAAAAABiQ/h2lqkBnp5mE/s1600/tumblr_kw9aivBGr81qziyd9o1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWpxpLcyyfY/Ul4knmyZxoI/AAAAAAAABiQ/h2lqkBnp5mE/s1600/tumblr_kw9aivBGr81qziyd9o1_500.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While lying on the floor complaining to my roommate (who is fabulous BTW) about how I don't know how to face emotions and how I am the only person in the world facing these mighty struggles, she said something very wise and made me realize that probably every body else gets into these ruts. Everyone thinks that their mountain is the highest and that their pack is the heaviest. At the risk of sounding cliché, we really are all in the same boat. No matter what metaphor you are using, everyone has their struggles and to each and every one of us it seems like the most terribly awful hardship in the entire world. Yes, some people do actually have real problems (other than not being able to fit in your favorite pair of jeans or not being able to afford yet another Pumpkin Spice Latte). There are some serious issues in the world. But it will be impossible to fight others' battles, or even just feel genuinely sorry for another, until our own is won. Winning doesn't always mean coming out in triumph. Sometimes it just means carrying on. It's not easy and it is certainly not enjoyable, but we have to do it. Because no one wants to have the mean reds forever. That would be truly horrible–no matter how cute we find Eeyore to be, no body really enjoys being around a depressing donkey all the time.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-447bWM4X77I/Ul4lrRys_KI/AAAAAAAABic/xxpkQdV02fc/s1600/c369b55c2f63a9d5628ed46982875050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-447bWM4X77I/Ul4lrRys_KI/AAAAAAAABic/xxpkQdV02fc/s1600/c369b55c2f63a9d5628ed46982875050.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So what can we do to blow these emotional blocks out of the way so that we can get on with our lives and do amazing things?</span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Read. </b>Read anything, my blog for instance, or poetry, your favorite book, a new book, a magazine (something classy though), plays, song lyrics, ANYTHING. Reading allows you to escape from the world, even if momentarily, and can give clarity to life. When I read I am reminded of how vast the world is and how many great things are out there and how really insignificant, and quite approachable, my little problems are</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Talk to someone.</b> Or something. Talking about what is bothering you can do two things. One, if you choose to speak to a person, they can give you advice. While my particular opinion on advice is the same as Oscar Wilde's,<br />“The only good thing to do with
good advice is pass it on; it is never of any use to oneself.”<br />it may come in handy to you. And two, explaining your feelings to another, be that human, plant, or stuffed animal, can help you understand better yourself. In your mind you create all sorts of awful scenarios, you make everything seem worse than it is really is. Your problem may seem SO HUGE AND AWFUL and then you try telling someone about it and you realize that you are fretting about the fact that you don't know how to text a boy in the same manner as Poland fretting about being invaded by the Germans. All of a sudden life seems great.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Listen to music</b>. I personally prefer classical, but I guess some people like music that has words which I guess is cool too. Again this is a way to escape for a while and gain clarity.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Enjoy nature</b>. Did you ever see SpyKids 3 in 3D? Well I did and sometimes I feel like our world has become that movie. Not the part with the guy with the black rectangle over his eyes, but the part where they are in the video game and it is extremely stressful. We are always around technology, commercialism, bright lights, other people, craziness, you name it. A lot of times these things are what are dragging us down into the pit of despair. So it is important to make some sort of connection to nature and remember that there is so much more out there than our self centered lives. Like roses. There are roses. Life becomes so beautiful when you smell a rose.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Hug a cat</b>. or watch youtube videos of kittens. Why? because cats are great. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bn4it_nKL8/Ul4zvxTJmPI/AAAAAAAABjA/mvbLDygFdF4/s1600/IMG_2913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bn4it_nKL8/Ul4zvxTJmPI/AAAAAAAABjA/mvbLDygFdF4/s320/IMG_2913.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fatty is demonstrating his knowledge of geometry and ability to fit exactly into any place. He would be excellent at tetris.</span></td></tr>
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</li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">If these fail I then resort to eating chocolate and watching movies (usually Breakfast at Tiffany's or Lord of the Rings) while snuggling with a giant pillow and wearing too large of sweatpants. That is not necessarily the best option though. </span><br />
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</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next time you feel that you are in a gutter of emotional turmoil, take a moment to realize that probably the majority of the people around you are right there with you–all sitting there getting trench foot together while waiting for the hardships to pass. When you know you are not alone it seems easier to tackle the problem. ALL FOR ONE and ONE FOR ALL and all that jazz.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now let's all go out there and work on turning those mean reds into rosy pink joy! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">xoxo</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Justice</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">PS None of the images in this post actually belong to me. I found them on the internet. hehe...except for that last one. Yeah that fat cat is mine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">PSS I would be ever so appreciative if you would follow me on instagram and pinterest and tumblr and all those things that are right over there --></span></div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-21334332457194581242013-10-09T13:40:00.001-07:002013-10-09T13:40:52.368-07:00Embrace Your Inner CreepThere are two kinds of people in this world: people who like to people watch and liars. Let's admit it, everyone likes to spy on other people. Deep down in side all of us want to be Sherlock Holmes, or maybe Harriet the spy. Don't lie, you know it is true. Maybe not everyone is as in tune with their inner creep as I am, but there is nothing I love more than sitting in a coffee shop, sipping my iced coffee with light ice and whole milk, and watching the people around me. As with any hobby, this activity takes practice, skill, and refinement. You must be mindful to watch discreetly–openly stare at people and they will get uncomfortable. Start talking to yourself about the people and they will think you are crazy. Stay still for too long and people will think you are a statue, or that you are dead. In order to become a master of this art you must look casual, for example, you could keep a book open in front of you and pretend to be reading. You must be discreet, a great way to do so is by wearing sunglasses (but only if you are outside because they only people who wear sunglasses inside are creepy old men, blind people, and Anna Wintour–or Meryl Streep playing a character who is supposed to be Anna Wintour). You must be good at improv, you must be quick on your feet if something should happen such as you accidentally make eye contact with the person you have been staring at for five minutes. Which just happened to me. But don't worry, I pretended to be reading the sign behind him.<div>
<br /><div>
There are many reasons for taking up the hobby of professional people watching. </div>
<div>
1) you can learn all sorts of things about people by simply watching them. This is especially handy if you are a writer or actor because it is like doing research, only fun and you don't have to go to the library.</div>
</div>
<div>
2) People are funny </div>
<div>
3) You realize that you are not the only idiot in the world. It is so nice to know that I'm not the only one who occasionally spills water all down their front because they missed their mouth–or in my case because my lips are too big to handle sometimes.</div>
<div>
4) you can judge people. But this is NOT a good reason. Being judgmental is not a good character trait and should thus be dispelled. Nevertheless...it can be fun...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
and my personal favorite reason</div>
<div>
5) You get to see the fashions of everyday life of everyday people. It is like watching a fashion show minus the paparazzi, annoyingly loud music, and depressingly skinny models.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Obviously I like to see what other people wear. I like clothes. Of course I like clothes, otherwise I wouldn't have this blog and you wouldn't be reading about my addiction to people watching. You see such interesting styles on other people. Sometimes I get fabulous ideas of what to wear from seeing what other people are wearing. Sometimes I get fabulous ideas of what not to wear.</div>
<div>
If there was a typographer in my head reporting what I am thinking at this very moment while sitting in Peets looking around at the other tables it would go something like this:</div>
<div>
"ooo that is so cute! I want that hat. I wonder where she got it...uh oh RBO alert RBO alert (RBO=really bad outfit) mmmm he is super cute. Why don't all guys dress well? How interesting...I never thought to pair a sweater with a leather jacket. I should try that. Although it is a little too hot at the moment. Her shoes are from J. Crew. I think I have seen that skirt before...oh that's because I own it! I have to pee..."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Watching what other people wear is essential to anyone in fashion. The whole fashion industry is a "trickle up" model. Designers look at what the "avant garde" people (essentially hipsters...) on the street are wearing, interpret it, and release their interpretations which are then sold at high prices, then middle prices, then end up in the sale bucket. So if designers are doing it, why don't we?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Today I am wearing an outfit that was inspired by two lovely German girls I met at the Ferry Building in SF on Monday. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DiKecpCAmIY/UlW6Bm77GaI/AAAAAAAABhw/vbs44F5V16Q/s1600/IMG_2966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DiKecpCAmIY/UlW6Bm77GaI/AAAAAAAABhw/vbs44F5V16Q/s400/IMG_2966.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanessa and Pelan from Hamburg, Germany. <br />Wearing key pieces from Zara and H&M and a hat from Goorin Bros</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
Once you come to terms with your inner creep, you can become confident enough to do stuff like take pictures of those whom you watch. Usually this is just in the form of "creeper shots"–such as the kind you take on snap chat and then send to your sisters to giggle at–however sometimes it is necessary to let your watching victim know what you are doing and let them give you their consent to having their picture taken. This is sometimes known as being a "street style blogger", but what you really are is just a people watcher who takes pictures of people whose clothes you like and then talk about the clothes. Still just a creep. </div>
<div>
But yeah, anyways, so I met these two girls at the Ferry Building while people watching and people sketching (another form of creeping) and I was quite impressed by their styles. It is sort of a mix of urban chic, minimalism, and bohemian. </div>
<div>
So today while getting dressed I thought about what I liked about their styles and tried to emulate it. I did this by wearing purple tights, boots, and a pencil skirt.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bh-ArtZxRz8/UlW9LfF72sI/AAAAAAAABh8/Ww2mfMO7GVk/s1600/IMG_2981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bh-ArtZxRz8/UlW9LfF72sI/AAAAAAAABh8/Ww2mfMO7GVk/s400/IMG_2981.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">as I am lazy, I didn't want to take a full picture. So here is a nice one of my legs...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Isn't people watching fun?! Endless possibilities arise out of such a simple activity. I mean what could be simpler than sitting and looking at people? You don't even have to do anything like get up and turn on the TV. So easy. And yet, so educational and inspirational. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Go forth my children and people watch </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
xoxo</div>
<div>
Justice</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-64808168114261676712013-10-01T16:21:00.001-07:002013-10-01T16:21:20.751-07:00Hair-Color-Profiling: A Serious Issue<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s it. I can’t take it any more. I am sick and tired of
being discriminated against and I am speaking out. It is time that we dealt
with this serious issue of inequality towards people like me. People who are
treated differently for how they look, people who are considered inferior,
people who are constantly the butt of others’ rude jokes. People who are
BLONDE. Being blonde is not a crime. Being blonde is a natural (well sometimes
unnatural thanks to beauty products) condition caused by genetics (or chemicals…).
Being blonde does not, despite popular belief, cause some kind of brain
deficiency that leads to a state of unintelligence. Sure, I enjoy a good dumb
blonde joke as much as anyone, but when that starts to be the actual perception
of those lucky enough to have a head covered with sun beams turned into hair,
then that is just too much. In school people have always been amazed, even
shocked sometimes, when I tell them that I have never had below a 3.8 GPA. Why?
Are they assuming that simply because my hair looks as if it is glowing with
golden fairy dust that I can’t be intelligent? Then that’s just mean.
Seriously. My hair can’t help what color it is and that has absolutely no
influence on the capacity of my brain. According to the oh so accurate and
reliable Wikipedia: “<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">The</span> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">blonde stereotype</span></b><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">, the</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">stereotypical</span></span> <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">perception of</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">blond</span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">-</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">haired</span></span> <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">women, has two aspects. On
one hand, over history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and
desirable. On the other hand, a blonde woman is often perceived as making
little use of</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">intelligence</span></span> <span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">and as a "woman who
relied on her looks rather than on intelligence." The latter stereotype of
"dumb blonde"</span><sup><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></sup><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">is exploited in blonde jokes.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Why do we have this stereotype of the dumb blonde? I shall
tell you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
HISTORY LESSON TIME!!!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are many different origins of this stereotype, but one
in particular begins in France with a French courtesan named Rosalie Duthe. She
was satirized in a play called “Les Curiosities de la Foire” (1775) in which
they emphasized her habit of pausing a long time before speaking thus
appearing, not only stupid, but literally dumb (as in, she couldn’t speak).
Because this was well publicized, it became fashionable to think of blonde
women as witless.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rKzdQldJU4/UktXyzLC87I/AAAAAAAABhA/lenqdI-TPFo/s1600/Rosalie+Duthe+Dumb+Blonde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--rKzdQldJU4/UktXyzLC87I/AAAAAAAABhA/lenqdI-TPFo/s400/Rosalie+Duthe+Dumb+Blonde.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosalie Duthe, painted by Claude-Jean-Baptiste Hoin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The dumb blonde stereotype was then deepened in the 19<sup>th</sup>
century when it became fashionable for ladies to dye their hair with a lovely
mixture of horse urine and bleach. Delicious. This dye was poured over the hair
and then washed out after several hours of sitting in the sunshine. The fumes
from this dye were quite toxic and it is to no surprise that the women who
subjected themselves to this beauty ritual did in fact have a lower mental
capacity. The blonder you were, the dumber you were. One famous example of this
is Baby Doe Tabor, the second wife of pioneer Colorado businessman Horace
Tabor. Known for her bubbly personality, fabulous social skills, and rather
simple mind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0BxqgIiLNlM/UktYDTB4bFI/AAAAAAAABhI/PDlc6wxbhZs/s1600/Baby+Doe+Tabor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0BxqgIiLNlM/UktYDTB4bFI/AAAAAAAABhI/PDlc6wxbhZs/s400/Baby+Doe+Tabor.jpg" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth McCourt (Baby Doe) Tabor, </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Finally, we have Marilyn Monroe. I’ve gotta say, she did
the most for engraining this stereotype into society. I love her to death, but
she was not exactly the brightest. At least she doesn’t seem particularly
bright. Especially in any of her movies (see “Some Like It Hot” for reference).
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_xmNG5KDgnI/UktYV0PuAxI/AAAAAAAABhQ/LgvYGG5cPno/s1600/Marilyn+Monroe+dumb+blonde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_xmNG5KDgnI/UktYV0PuAxI/AAAAAAAABhQ/LgvYGG5cPno/s400/Marilyn+Monroe+dumb+blonde.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like it Hot"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whether it is because of these historic women (and there are
many more) who were blonde and made an impression of simple mindedness or because
blonde women are more beautiful and thus don’t need to be smart to get far in
life (just a thought, not necessarily scientific fact) the truth of the fact is
that it is perfectly possible to be smart and blonde. Just look at Elle Woods.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-32JzMkivYZc/UktYhX8nWXI/AAAAAAAABhY/EYUtZwZD_S8/s1600/Elle+Woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-32JzMkivYZc/UktYhX8nWXI/AAAAAAAABhY/EYUtZwZD_S8/s400/Elle+Woods.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
So please, no more hair-color-profiling. I’m sick of it. And
I don’t want to have to dye my hair in order for people to take me seriously. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-45240354854809188052013-09-24T17:47:00.001-07:002013-09-24T17:48:37.686-07:00Pumpkin and Peplums <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">September is almost over, the days are getting shorter, the
air is getting crisper, and Starbucks is now serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
Break out the sweaters and scarves ladies and gents because fall is here. While
it may not exactly feel that way here in San Francisco, the truth of the fact
is that Halloween is just over a month away and it is no longer acceptable to
wear white pants, short shorts, or flip-flops. While fashion may no longer be
dictated by the social season (which really is a shame. I would look so great
in a ball gown), it certainly is shaped by the season season—by which month the
calendar says it is. This is really quite good as we would get very bored, not
to mention uncomfortably cold or hot, if we had to wear the same thing all year
long. However, it can get quite irksome having to switch up your wardrobe every
three months, or 6 months, or every month if you live in Colorado. If you don’t
have the means and/or interest in switching up the contents of your closet and
prefer to wear jeans and t-shirts, or leggings and t-shirts as most of us do
now a days considering how hard jeans are to get over the rear end, then you
can just throw on a scarf and sweater and be fine for the next few months. Easy
as pumpkin pie. But some of us would like change things up a little more. Add a little spice
to our ensemble to go along with all the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves drifting
in the air. This autumn, our spice collection contains a lovely combination of tartans and tweed and peplums and pleats. Our color scheme feels a bit like a group of scottish highlanders having a thanksgiving dinner in a log cabin. Don't believe me? See for your self:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gshTwfQOM20/UkIuEVFDx-I/AAAAAAAABfY/REo4zk4Wasc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-24+at+4.39.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gshTwfQOM20/UkIuEVFDx-I/AAAAAAAABfY/REo4zk4Wasc/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-09-24+at+4.39.03+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F/W '13 color palette from Pantone, taken from the Fashionsnoops website </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let's mix together our fall ingredients and see what we can create. By that I mean, let's see what we should all be wearing for the short time period called autumn. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trench Coats are always a must for fall, but maybe this year we can stray away from the rather dull camel colored ones and try for something more exciting?</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gVBpI-FQ_B0/UkIvjhj027I/AAAAAAAABfk/t2ljzxwGjqE/s1600/burberry+prorsum+fall+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gVBpI-FQ_B0/UkIvjhj027I/AAAAAAAABfk/t2ljzxwGjqE/s400/burberry+prorsum+fall+13.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burberry Prorsum F/W 13 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of course sweaters are always a good fall back at this time in life.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zGUHXfOMGeE/UkIvm0z_4YI/AAAAAAAABgM/-8NXsD7QEEs/s1600/Jack+Wills+fall+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zGUHXfOMGeE/UkIvm0z_4YI/AAAAAAAABgM/-8NXsD7QEEs/s400/Jack+Wills+fall+13.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cable knit sweater from Jack Wills </td></tr>
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If it isn't too chilly, a cute pleated, jumper dress would add a nice splash to the usually shapeless fall styles<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4DZlbetZsSE/UkIvj3LnPaI/AAAAAAAABfo/raO1-8sNK3o/s1600/modcloth+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4DZlbetZsSE/UkIvj3LnPaI/AAAAAAAABfo/raO1-8sNK3o/s400/modcloth+dress.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lattes to Talk About jumper from Modcloth</td></tr>
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I've heard that "duster" sweaters are all the rage over on the East coast, so why not try one out?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pl8ZWynY504/UkIvkT0C3TI/AAAAAAAABf0/QqW0qlB1_rA/s1600/season+for+snuggling+cardigan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pl8ZWynY504/UkIvkT0C3TI/AAAAAAAABf0/QqW0qlB1_rA/s400/season+for+snuggling+cardigan.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Season for Snuggling Cardigan from Modcloth</td></tr>
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A simple plaid dress never goes amiss. never.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fse91_MXCtA/UkIvmZWjkxI/AAAAAAAABgE/5Nz62v6IBtA/s1600/shabby+apple+coldstream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fse91_MXCtA/UkIvmZWjkxI/AAAAAAAABgE/5Nz62v6IBtA/s400/shabby+apple+coldstream.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coldstream Dress from Shabby Apple</td></tr>
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A wool pencil skirt and sweater is a nice way to look classy and put together on those chilly days where all you want to do is drink apple cider and read a book.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kNRGiv9D1g/UkIvl8jzCUI/AAAAAAAABf8/QuxKxBGPz8I/s1600/shabby+apple+cora+sirt+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0kNRGiv9D1g/UkIvl8jzCUI/AAAAAAAABf8/QuxKxBGPz8I/s400/shabby+apple+cora+sirt+.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cora Skirt from Shabby Apple</td></tr>
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Cropped pants in plaid or houndstooth are a nice way to transition between seasons<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2f5vxIfIAJQ/UkIvpH4Wb6I/AAAAAAAABgc/HxLgLoNMpr8/s1600/tommy+hilfiger+cropped+pants.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2f5vxIfIAJQ/UkIvpH4Wb6I/AAAAAAAABgc/HxLgLoNMpr8/s400/tommy+hilfiger+cropped+pants.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cropped pants from Tommy Hilfiger</td></tr>
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And on days when it is not quite so chilly, but shorts are still inappropriate as it is not July, a nice pair of wool shorts with tights is a good alternative.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7831nNfYGw/UkIvnGC-XyI/AAAAAAAABgQ/0ss6SmUgmfY/s1600/tommy+hilfiger+winter+shorts.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7831nNfYGw/UkIvnGC-XyI/AAAAAAAABgQ/0ss6SmUgmfY/s320/tommy+hilfiger+winter+shorts.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome shorts from Tommy Hilfiger</td></tr>
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And, of course, we must never forget the classics, such as a tweed blazer. however this year we can make it a little more stylish and feminine by adding a slight peplum.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DYiT6ElO5g4/UkIwRrhKkPI/AAAAAAAABgk/Oztcxx78Lv0/s1600/ralph+lauren+lightly+peplumed+jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DYiT6ElO5g4/UkIwRrhKkPI/AAAAAAAABgk/Oztcxx78Lv0/s400/ralph+lauren+lightly+peplumed+jacket.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tweed jacket from Ralph Lauren</td></tr>
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There you have it. You now know everything there is to know about fall fashion for 2013.<br />
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Hahahahaha as if. There is so much more, but I have to go to class so I need to stop.</div>
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Have fun wearing your plaids and drinking your chai teas my little pumpkins.</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-34579443522026718642013-09-19T15:41:00.001-07:002013-09-19T15:41:16.548-07:00No Such Thing As A New IdeaAnyone who has ever paid even the slightest bit of attention to fashion has probably noticed that almost everything "new" takes some kind of influence from something in the past. For example, at the time of Jane Austen, the early 1800s, there was a style called "Empire waist", it looked a lot like this:<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SLDvMPctkxA/Ujt2WfMGo2I/AAAAAAAABec/TxJyrUXUF14/s1600/Empire+Waist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SLDvMPctkxA/Ujt2WfMGo2I/AAAAAAAABec/TxJyrUXUF14/s400/Empire+Waist.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fashion sketch of an Empire Waist</td></tr>
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You'll notice that that dress looks an awful lot like the ones in this image:<br /><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B3ttDUoIAIc/Ujt2YOi-t3I/AAAAAAAABek/kl2IPTljS8o/s1600/ancient+greek+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B3ttDUoIAIc/Ujt2YOi-t3I/AAAAAAAABek/kl2IPTljS8o/s400/ancient+greek+dress.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This, however, is not a fashion sketch from the around 1815. No, this is an illustration of women in Ancient Greece. Now why do these two sketches look so similar? You guessed it rockstar! The fashion leaders of Jane Austen's time were influenced by the Ancient Greeks. In this case, Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, had a particular affinity to Ancient Greece and thus introduced this style, and being rich and french and famous, she was able to get everyone else to follow her–just like how our good friends over in Hollywood are able to convince the rest of us poor sheep to follow their style advice, whether or not it is actually good. </div>
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Anyway, the same thing is happening today. I have been scanning through all the different fashion shows that are part of New York Fashion week and London Fashion week and Paris and Milan and whatever other city is having a fashion week (Tangent: really, they should stop adding fashion weeks. It's just getting ridiculous. Next thing we know Wonderland will start having fashion weeks!!) and I have been noticing how many times a look comes up that just reminds me of some other time. Believe me, it is quite frequent.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ib4MQBqYubM/Ujt7_qcSKUI/AAAAAAAABe8/FBN5feoqDfg/s1600/1+1950s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ib4MQBqYubM/Ujt7_qcSKUI/AAAAAAAABe8/FBN5feoqDfg/s400/1+1950s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Zdi29b-yY/Ujt79NqShEI/AAAAAAAABe0/U34oRWDo4eE/s1600/blue+1960s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Zdi29b-yY/Ujt79NqShEI/AAAAAAAABe0/U34oRWDo4eE/s400/blue+1960s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Why is this happening? Is it
possible that designers have run out of new ideas? I don’t think so. I’m sure
they have plenty of creative juices left. It is my belief that there is a
pervading sense of nostalgia infecting society today. Now this is just my
individual belief, but I think that because we are so unsure of what the future
holds and what with all the new technologies that seem to come out every day
(like the colored iPhone! What is this madness??) many of us wish we could
return to a simpler time. We wish we could return to a time pre-internet,
pre-cell phones, pre-the-impersonality-created-by-today’s-technologies.
However, that is impossible. We don’t have time turners and can’t go back in
time. So we have to compensate in any way that we can, and in the case of
designers, they do it in the form of designing clothes that are inspired by the
past. Who knows? Maybe when they get bored of reintroducing the past century,
they’ll bring back corsets and bustles? Or maybe in a few years we’ll be
wearing leaves and loincloths. That I would love to see. </div>
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So, really there is no such thing as a new idea, because every "new" idea is simply just a reinterpretation of an old idea, but really it's all the same in one way or another. Just like all those movies and books about two people from different families and they aren't allowed to love each other but they do anyway and then people die. Yeah, they're all the same. </div>
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xoxo</div>
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Justice</div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-41343883844096057392013-09-15T21:09:00.000-07:002013-09-15T21:11:08.169-07:00Hear me roarWhen I was young I was an extremely timid child. You know those children who you can't tell whether or not they actually know how to speak? Yeah, I was one of those. Except not only did I refuse to talk, but I also refused to do anything at all out of my comfort zone. A comfort zone which extended to reading books, playing games by myself, and only talking to people related to me, or at least whom I had known for a very long time. However, being in my particular family of adventurers, go getters, and, quite frankly, slightly crazy people, this didn't exactly fly. When I was 10 my Grandma decided that enough was enough when I refused to ask the waitress for no mustard, even though I absolutely despised mustard, simply because I was too shy. My good ol' Granny took me aside and said some very wise words, "are you going to eat ask for no mustard? or are you going to starve because you wont eat that sandwich?". Then she said some other words, that were pretty wise too, "in life, there are going to be things that scare you, and you have two choices. Either you can face them, or you can hide. Hiding is fine, but you will never grow and you will never learn. And you probably wont have much fun. But if you face them, who knows what you may achieve. So I want you to repeat after me, 'I am woman, hear me ROAR'", and then we practiced roaring. And we practiced roaring every single time I was too shy to do something until the day came when I was brave enough to roar a great big lion's roar in the middle of JC Penney.<br />
You never know what you might miss just because you are afraid of being laughed at, or of being wrong, or of seeming ignorant. A very wise movie once told me "Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game" (yes, that is from <i>A Cinderella Story</i>, a fabulous movie). We just have to remember that everyone is facing the exact same demons as us and that, well in most cases, if you take the first step, others will follow and see you as a brave leader–just like Aragorn going out to face the orcs, even though he knows that he will probably fail, except hopefully you wont ever actually have to do anything quite so gruesome and smelly.<br />
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Yesterday I went to the beach with my sisters and cousins. About half way through the afternoon, I decided that I wanted to do some yoga on the beach (something I would never have done when I was younger, seeing as there were other people around and other people are scary). As I was coming out of a pose, I looked over and there was an old man doing yoga about 20 yards away. Now, I have no idea if his doing yoga was in any way connected to mine, but I like to think that it was because I took the first step, or rather pose, that he had the courage to do so too. And if I do say so, it was adorable watching this little old man do yoga next to the ocean.<br />
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So, next time you feel too timid to do something, anything, just think "I am woman, or man, here me roar!", and ROAR for heaven's sake. This can be a figurative roar if you would like, or you can actually roar, that's okay too. For some of us this comes naturally, but I think that for more of us than we'd like to admit, taking the first step is quite terrifying, so I leave you with this last message:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvRZVh4EyDE/UjaAngspD-I/AAAAAAAABeM/pf6CiSWSXic/s1600/do+not+dare+not+to+dare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wvRZVh4EyDE/UjaAngspD-I/AAAAAAAABeM/pf6CiSWSXic/s640/do+not+dare+not+to+dare.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">("Do not dare not to dare"–C.S. Lewis, <i>The Horse and His Boy</i>)</span></div>
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xoxo<br />
Justice<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(all pictures belong to Mary Justice McNeil, owner of this blog. However, you may pin/share them if you would like, if you do so in a manner that links back to this website. That way I get more viewers. Which is very exciting for me)</span>Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296525724834276166.post-50434510519925995432013-09-12T16:55:00.000-07:002013-09-12T16:55:01.177-07:00A Collection From A Dream<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet,</div>
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are of imagination all compact"</div>
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While browsing through the collections shown at the Mercedes
Benz New York Fashion Week (a task assigned to me. In school. Which is
awesome.) I was impressed by the craftsmanship of many, the creativity of some,
and the inventiveness of a few. However, not many of the collections truly
struck me as amazing. This has much to do with my dislike of the 90s as a style
reference and my understanding that crop tops only look good on those who
posses a precise genetic code or a very strict workout regimen. However, I
cannot say that I am completely a Scrooge, because there were a few that did
make me crack a smile, not a smirk, a real smile.</div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">One collection that I found quite
astounding was Zac Posen’s. Sure, not all of his dresses would look good on
everyone, and if we’re being honest, some of them really shouldn’t be worn, but
what struck me as amazing was the traditional beauty of the pieces. The
dresses, full of ruffles, flowing chiffon, pleats, corseted bodices, and
intricate floral patterns, all in shades of lavender, pale pinks and blues,
greens, with a few accents of gold and rose red, felt as if they were coming
out of a dream. </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
to be precise. I could just imagine Titania and her crew of fairies dancing
around the forest being mischievous in these striking gowns. Yet at the same
time, these dresses belong on princesses waltzing with princes until dawn, or
on a turn of the century duchess, or on a 1930’s film star.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">It is the timelessly classic beauty of these dresses that make them stand out in my mind. Not only that, but the extraordinary craftsmanship–it is evident that a lot of work, hand work, was put into making these, and I have great respect for that. Above all however, what is most remarkable is the amount of imagination that surrounds these pieces like a cloud of dust (the fairy kind). Not only can I see the amount of imagination that Posen put into his work, but after only a moment of looking at the collection my imagination began to run rampant–fairies, princesses, naiads and dryads. When something is imaginative enough to spur my own imagination, and has not already used up all of its potential imagination in the making, that is when it strikes me as an amazing piece of work, that is when I remember it. </span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">xoxo</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Justice</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">What were your favorite collections from New York Fashion Week? </span></div>
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Justice http://www.blogger.com/profile/11430214695258235526noreply@blogger.com0