Etsy Purchases

I bought three pairs of earrings this morning! The first two will complement my NPS uniform, and I thought the third was awesome for daily wear in industrial Baltimore:

Desert River Delta earrings from lunedesigns = $21.00 (incl. shipping)

Hydrangea post earrings from sammi84 = $23.50 (incl. shipping)

Bell Tag earrings from industryabandon = $10.00 (incl. shipping)

I've updated budget totals on the right! --------->

Vogue June 2010 Inspiration

Although it is nearly eclipsed by disturbing articles about surrogate motherhood (a bioethical nightmare that has no place whatsoever in a fashion magazine, in my opinion) and expensive vacation destinations (??) in the June 2010 issue of Vogue, the feature "Two If By the Sea" offers some summer inspiration in the form of a photoshoot of Glee's Matthew Morrison and model Raquel Zimmermann. Here is the photo that jumped out at me from the issue as a whole:

(Photo from Vogue via chungkit)

I love the use of a simple white blazer (this one from Tommy Hilfiger) as a swimsuit coverup - it is very different and adds a surprising contrast between work and play. Another photo in the shoot shows Raquel using a tiered skirt rather than a sarong to cover up. What do you think of the trend?

Head over to Vogue via the link above to see more pics from the shoot!

n.b. As an aside, I will say that I am unhappy with Vogue magazine and am not likely to renew my subscription once it runs out next year. It favors celebrities over models in the shoots (a definite turnoff for me) and features articles like those mentioned above that not only have nothing to do with fashion, but are also offensive.

Thank you for your patience!

I know I have been horrid about posting lately, but I promise my inspiration is back and I will be posting soon! My new job started this week and I will be taking a break soon to give my blog a little TLC. Love you all!!!

Life Changes

Psst...guess what? I have some awesome news: assuming everything goes smoothly, I am slated to begin work as a seasonal park guide for the National Park Service on May 23! I am more than a little nervous about the change from the lab to a park, so prayers are much appreciated during the switch. But how does this affect me as a budget fashionista? Well, I will be wearing a uniform in the colors of the great outdoors five out of seven days of the week. It is going to be an interesting challenge to express my own personal style while still paying respect to and not drawing attention from the uniform.

Searching etsy for subtle inspiration in green...

brown...

and gray...

May Budget Update

Just updated my budget totals to add $10 to the book budget and reset the clothing budget!
($51 carries over from last month and now rests in my clothing account for a rainy day...)

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In other news, my oxfords shipped yesterday.

Creative Layers

(From The Sartorialist)

I actually had a conversation the other night with Fr. Mark White (recall: the priest with the cufflinks) regarding where the best fashions are coming from these days. Although I have a great deal of affection for vintage and vintage-inspired clothing like that we are seeing on the runways, is it really new? I wonder. Anyway, after some thought we concluded that Asia is really producing some new and creative fashion these days.

To my delight, the Sartorialist has been in Japan recently (the above pic was taken in Toyko). Don't you love the layering that the girl has in the photograph? Layers of lace over cotton skirt, with colored stockings...my roomate is from China and she has the same sense for lovely layering that I wish I possessed. Even the dude in the photo has an awesome aesthetic, with the vest thrown on over the t-shirt (so effortlessly cool!) and the hat.

(p.s. ack! where did all my old pictures go?!? I will fool with that later...sorry!)

Blog Review: Young, Fat, & Fabulous

Have you been thinking about the so-called "curvy" model controversy? With my sisters, myself and my mother, there are four girls in all living at my house, and the issue has definitely come up around the dinner table. The questions we've discussed involve whether catalogs should use "regular" women as models for their clothes, whether designers should use curvier models on the runway, and the definition of "plus-sized" and "curvy" in the fashion world today.

While I think I prefer to see designer clothes, and clothes in general, modeled on very thin models - giving me a blank canvas to help me appreciate the designer's art so to speak - I have at the same time a problem with the fact that the fashion world would call a normal body imperfect, a curvy woman fat, etc. What do these words mean? Would I be considered merely imperfect, curvy, plus-sized? The size of the vocabulary necessary to navigate the world of fashion makes the head spin.

Yesterday I discovered this fashion blog, Young, Fat, & Fabulous (via WORN). And let me tell you, Gabi has the right attitude and taught me volumes in the first few minutes of reading her posts. First of all, she throws the confusing body-image vocabulary out the window, replacing it with an acceptance with and love for the body one has been given in life. One thing in particular that she said really got me thinking and exemplifies her awesome attitude, so I thought I would share it here:

I still have friends who call themselves fat to get others to argue that they aren’t - something else I refuse to do. Be warned: if you call yourself fat, I’ll probably just agree with you, even if you’re a size 4. Because, what’s fat, anyway?

Too true.

Anyway, hop on over and take a look at her site. Add it to your Google Reader. Not only does this gal have a fabulous fashion philosophy, but the fashion sense I wish I had!