falling for fall/waiting for winter/french shiz

Hardcore. And HAND-PAINTED!? Freakout moment. Thou shalt bow down to the Proenza Schouler hand-painted jean. I believe that Tavi Gevinson of the Style Rookie blog was sent the blue ones. I'm jealin'.

From the Chanel fall/winter 2010 lookbook. Opulent rings and neckpiece + tweed + suit + CHANEL = one hundred percent class.

Marrrrrie Antoinette as portrayed by Kirsten Dunst. That "r" in "Marie" was supposed to be dramatically and obnoxiously rolled in a very French manner.

How did I never see these Valentino pieces? ^Are we drawing parallels to bird cages here? An interesting winter look, although i think the birds have migrated south. Therefore this may be rendered useless.

9 Ways To Confirm That You Care Too Much About Fashion (the number 10 is so overrated)

I know i'm a fashion victim. Are you? By the way, if all 9 things apply to you/you agree with the statement...i hope you know that you're kind of the coolest/most amazing person ever and why haven't we crossed paths yet? I'm not at all ashamed that i just said that.

1. You stop and stare at at least one shop window per block, whether it be to gaze longingly at something beautiful or gag uncontrollably at something repulsive.

2. It's über fun to sit by the entrance at Lord & Taylor with your grandmother and critique the outfits of every person who is unfortunate enough to pass by.

3. Thrift stores are totally retro and awesome as long as the owner of the store isn't some creepy old man with a mullet wearing a lumberjack-inspired ensemble. In that case, run and don't look back.

4. There's a fine line between a cropped top and a way too cropped top.

5. You like to set trends by using already created trends in your own unique way.

6. You have attempted to convert your extremely heterosexual brother to a metrosexual...and in my case, failed hopelessly.

7. There are many mornings that you have to try on at least three outfits to make sure that it's just perfect. And often end up choosing the first thing you began with. Therefore wasting time that could've been spent more productively.

8. You shed make-believe tears when you see a truly beautiful gown. For me, it's usually when i see an (rambles on) Armani Privé, Marchesa, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta (running out of breath), or a Carmen Marc Valvo piece. If you actually start to cry...then that's interesting?

9. You love to drool over clothing that you could never afford, nor wear comfortably.

Christian Siriano Spring 2011

Christian Siriano. Where to begin?...(pause)...(even longer, significantly more awkward pause).The guy is both completely insane, yet insanely talented. His collection actually jarred me a bit. And if you've seen it, you're probably wondering why in the name of all that is holy i would say that it jarred me (now i suppose that i'm obligated to tell you why). The things he presented were unusually subtle for him, minus the last few gowns which were so incredibly conspicuous that i'm sure that you'd be able to see them in a picture on Google Earth. But if we're comparing him to other designers, then i would still have to say he's, well, out there. And that's not necessarily bad. He's a risk taker; definitely an admirable quality in any good designer.

However, i do think that we lost a little bit of the real Christian Siriano. Most of his pieces were a little too understated for his norm. Ever since i began to watch him (with veneration) on 'Project Runway', i had come to expect only the most ridiculous things from him. The best part was that he could make a ridiculous garment, but also a tasteful one at the same time, which isn't very easy for many designers to do. I almost felt as if it needed a little extra signature Christian UMPH.

The three looks above were my personal favorites. I guess it's because i tend to be drawn to things that make you squint your eyes trying to piece the puzzles of the look together. And i like things that make you ask yourself questions, like "What kind of fabric is that?"or "How did he dream that up?" or something else entirely: "What kind of drugs was he on when putting this together?" I found the red pant and blouse ensemble to be very intriguing; at first i actually had no clue in hell what the pants were made of (they just captured my attention because they were shiny and i'm easily distracted by shiny things). I also noticed that the silhouette of the blouse was somewhat "renaissance-ish", but the print i found to be quite modern in comparison. Then, i loved the femininity of the coral-y maxi dress, and the pattern managed to be "fascinating" without being "obnoxious", which is often the case. Even though i do have to admit that i like obnoxious things sometimes, but i'm a little bit of a color junkie so that would have to make a slight amount of sense, wouldn't it? Anyway, before i completely veer off-topic, let's get back to my final favorite look. The sequined cocktail dress with tulle draped intricately over it. I particularly liked this one because normally tulle is something found underneath a garment. I'm really loving how he went against the grain and did that. It definitely paid off! Oh Christian, you really do intrigue me.

So what'd you all think of Mr. Siriano's collection? Solid or safe?

when we lose control

Katy in her "Dot Dress" and Snoop Dogg in his "Cupcake Suit". So adorable I could eat them up (literally).

Alright, I would LOVE to start this particular topic off with a question. What makes a terrific music video? Well, the music of course. But even some of the best songs out there are tarnished simply due to their overly-complex and misleading music videos. Oftentimes, I think that the issue at hand is that the wrong message is being sent out. For example, "California Gurls" by Katy Perry. Don't get me wrong, I'm actually a huge fan of this song (although I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it). However, I was a bit confused at why the prominent theme was candy. I mean, I guess I have to give the makers a little bit of credit for throwing in a beach shot, as well as the "daisy dukes" and "bikinis on top". But even some of the most puzzling videos have upsides. I gotta say, I was really diggin' Snoop Dogg's cupcake suit and Katy's Dot Dress. Which smoothly brings me into what I think contributes a great deal to a music video. The CLOTHES (but when do clothes NOT help matters?).

Is the green color scheme supposed to make me "feel lucky"?

Because it's definitely working.

I present to one of my favorite music videos stylewise. Here we have an already über-talented duo whose songs have both memorable and catchy lyrics. I found this video particularly interesting because multiple styles are represented throughout the video. We've got André 3000 and Big Boi sporting the "classy prep" look with the suspenders, blazers, bow ties, and collared shirts. However, I couldn't help but notice "two worlds colliding" in André's (yes, we're on a first-name basis) outfit. His upper half was classy prep, and his lower half seemed to be leaning towards old-school golfer, what with the madras pants and golf shoes which I surprisingly adore despite my lack of interest in anything golf-related. And then we have the backup singers showing off an equestrian side (i.e. the helments, riding boots, and jodhpurs). Normally, I would dismiss this level of juxtaposition as insane, or just plain strange. But much to my awe, everything seems to work. From the colors to the styles, it somehow ALL ties in together, and one thing compliments the next. And just getting off track a little bit, I love the nostalgia in the beginning of the video with the antique television and old-fashioned setting. To sum this up, I would say "genius".

parlez vous français?

Lumières! (lights)

PARIS. Now, how to go about explaining Paris without rambling on and on for 800 paragraphs. This will definitely not be an easy feat. I'll keep the sentences brief. So, Paris. City of lights. Center of all things fashion. Stoic natives. Obviously it's a little more complex than that, but let's face it, anyone who's been there could go on forever. I would highly recommend this trip for any foodies, fashion fanatics, art freaks, etc. Everything about this city is just magnificent in beauty, from the stylish clothes, impressive architecture, and even the people themselves. The one downside: it's a real diet buster. When your breakfast consists of "pain au chocolat" (chocolate bread) and a capuccino, it doesn't exactly bode well for the rest of the day nutrition-wise (however, you certainly won't be lacking in the physical energy department for quite some time.) But trust me, every bite was well worth it. And I do think that the outrageous amount of walking we did compensated for that! My words when I returned to New York: "Ugh, everyone here speaks English." I would say that that was a HIGHLY successful trip! Quite possibly my favorite one ever.

Rue de...something?

So how does one go about covering an entire city filled with breathtaking sights in just one short week? Surely not with ease (or blister-free feet). My family and I attempted to cover as much ground as possible. We managed to see most of the paramount sites that Paris has to offer: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc (and "Farc") de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, and the Louvre to name a few. I was especially glad that we got to see the Eiffel Tower during the day as well as at night. As you may or may not know, there's a light show that takes place at the Eiffel Tower at the beginning of every hour. While not at all lengthy, it really is a spectacular spectacle (that was how we celebrated the last night of our very lovely vacation)!

La Tour Eiffel: me and the "broski".

"Farc" de Triomphe.

Arc de Triomphe.

If you're reading this and you happen to be a lover of art and have not yet been to the Louvre, I sincerely think that you should get there as soon as humanly possible because it is truly unlike any pieces of art I have ever seen before. But no one, no matter how long they stay at the museum for, could ever dream of seeing everything there is to see there in one day. It just can't be done. One of the best things about it is that picture taking is, in fact, allowed (but no flash, ladies and gentlemen). And it is also the home of the world famous "Venus de Milo" and the "Mona Lisa", or La Joconde. It is far smaller in person than one would imagine, yet it is still guarded with the help of a large glass case as well as museum security. And in addition to that, you're only permitted to stand about 15 feet away from the painting. I was also expressing how bad I felt for the other paintings sharing a room with the Mona Lisa; they probably get little to no attention at all (maybe that's why they put a 30 foot mural on the wall opposite).

Another fantastic museum we visited was the Musée d'Orsay. The paintings were all executed meticulously and beautifully (as most other things in Paris are done). And the museum itself looks far smaller from the outside than it actually is on the inside (it kind of reminded me of that scene in Harry Potter with the little tent that turned out to be a full suite on the inside). If you're looking for something a little less, oh I don't know, time-consuming than the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay is "très magnifique"!

The Musée d'Orsay.

The show-stealing "Mona Lisa".

"Venus de Milo".

Some of the greatest things about coming to Paris in the summer are the stunning parks that are constantly at your disposal. One of my favorites was the "Jardin du Luxembourg". With its lush gardens, picturesque fountains, and luxurious palace, it was the perfect place to sit, relax, and "get your bearings" (as my dad would say). Oh, and something I found somewhat funny there. I couldn't help but notice the smattering of security guards that were placed all around the palace to ensure that no criminals could enter the building. That kind of indicates that that was once a little bit of a problem. Now, what I wish I had done was rent one of the sailboats that people were racing in the fountains!

Palace at Luxembourg.

The beautiful "jardin".

crêpe stand!

One final attraction. The palace at Versailles. Let's just say we were very adventurous while we were there. There's a pond in the back of the palace where you can rent a canoe and paddle around for a while. So it was just a little embarassing when we went in ours and ended up pressed against the side of the pond! I suppose I'm still glad that we did it though, and finished in [more or less] one piece. As for the palace itself. BREATHTAKING. That King Louis had quite the setup.

Boating fail.

Gardens of Versailles.

Le palais.

Entrée (entrance) to the palace at Versailles.

Oh, and before I end this. If you're planning a trip to Paris anytime in the near future, feel free to buy an extra plane ticket. I promise I'll pay you back. Au revoir! :)