til the world ends

 

Substance leather jacket from Selfridges // vintage paisley dress // Dolce Vita jamison boots

Refinery29 had a cheeky little post about what its contributors would wear if (and when) the world ends in 2012. Lots of McQueen, specifically in case there are aliens involved. As for me, I think there's bound to be some leather involved, as the majority of my searches over the past few months have involved leather jackets, leather pants, leather bags, and suede boots. This is pretty much what I wore today except with tights and scarf thrown on. I finallyyyyy took the elastic out of this long-sleeved mini dress and it fits so so so much better that I can't believe I waited this long.

Yesterday I registered for the GREs. I'll be taking them in less than 4 weeks on January 26th, so expect my posts to get potentially more erratic until then. >_<

The end of a year always means the start of something new, yet I find myself making lists of all the things long past that I have yet to do. For starters, a list of movies that I have been meaning to see for the longest time and yet have never gotten around to watching:

1. The Virgin Suicides and 

2. Lost in Translation

3. Once

4. Barry Lyndon

5. The Straight Story 

Lists, lists, and more lists: the only way I keep my head on straight these days. I'll be flying home in two weeks and I cannot wait to see my parents and friends. 

photos that sort of say "happy holidays"

The semester is winding down and I can't help but feel some sort of blogger guilt as I now have to spend most of my time preparing students for finals and preparing myself for the GREs in less than 4 weeks. So just a picture post for now. Finally made an instagram account, so expect to see more from my iphone in the future.

tempting, very tempting

But at half the price of a new macbook, which I'm dearly in need of, I have to just say no and hope that Barneys will have them in stock again next year. Curse you Isabel Marant boots for never going on sale.

a little secret

"Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it, just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair or two cups of good hot black coffee." 

will 2012 be the year i finally buy an "it" bag?

I believe most bloggers have seen these bags enough this past year that they need no introduction. Clockwise from the top they are Dolce and Gabbana's Miss Sicily, Cambridge Satchel Company's leather messenger, Phillip Lim's Pashli, and Proenza Schouler's PS1. As per my earlier post about Filson and Fjallraven, I'm not really an "it" bag kind of gal. My staples are canvas and sturdy leather in rather masculine forms, so why am I thinking about caving for one of these bags now?

The Cambridge Satchel Company's bag is the only one that really fits my usual criteria. Utilitarian and built to last, I wanted this bag desperately in either navy blue, red, or (forest) green a few months ago. After stalking the website and then seeing the slew of complaints on their facebook page, I decided waiting 2+ months for a bag that had increased 150%-200% in price and 10000x in production was really not worth it. I was especially put off by the fact that much of the hype was due to the fluorescent versions, which I found to be totally unappealing as they popped up on my bloglovin' feed every single freaking day during Fashion Week. I ended up buying a vintage Coach "Colebrook" 5181 briefcase, made in the good ol' USA out of beautiful navy leather instead.

But somehow the simple, sturdy, and well-made leather bags I already own are unable to fill the void I feel when I see the Phillip Lim Pashli. The Pashli is traditional in satchel form, but if you sent it through a time machine out of 1960s Britain into 2011. I love pretty much everything about this bag, even though I can imagine the handles being impractical for wearing over the shoulder, and the lack of zipper closure and detachable shoulder strap impractical. Still, priced at around $800-$900 retail and sometimes on sale (I just saw it in messenger form in taupe for 30% off at La Garçonne), this is the only one of the four that I'm really really considering buying. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily?) the bag seems to be out of stock everywhere except in patent leather, which isn't an option at all. Ideally I'd want it in black, but I'm sure if I saw the green or taupe in person I could be persuaded in either direction too. Susie Bubble's close-up shots of it in taupe are pretty swoon-worthy indeed (and her comments about It Bags are pretty discerning, too).

The PS1 and Miss Sicily bags are on opposite ends of the satchel/messenger spectrum, and yet I feel myself drawn to both. The Miss Sicily would be much more useful for formal occasions, but the PS1 seems perfect for everyday wear. And its name reminds me of the PS1 warm-up events at the MOMA, all of which I sadly missed out on this past summer. I think some of the colors that the PS1 comes in are truly horrendous, but I'm particularly fond of the black suede, tobacco suede, and dark grey shades. The only thing that I really dislike about the Miss Sicily is the gold label on the front--it's a little too conspicuous for me.

Perhaps one of the things that turns me off about "it" bags like the PS1 is that I can't do a google image search for the bag without turning up thousands of photos of celebrities schlepping the bag around as if it were a nylon duffle on the way to the gym. I'm all about using things that you love, but  the elegance of even a casual bag like the PS1 is totally lost on me when I see it paired with Uggs.

A bag that I did not include in this collage that I would be more than happy to own is the Céline classic box bag. I think the black, camel, red, and green tones are all equally beautiful, and the design is so perfectly simple and elegant. Unlike the PS1, I've liked at least 95% of the outfits that I've seen it paired with. But plunking down thousands for one is only something I can daydream about, for now.

edit: after writing this post I just came across this image and it kind of shows the contrast between the Filson carrying girl and the It Bag carrying girl. That is, assuming her bag is not vintage :)

2011: a year in concerts/shows/parties

2011 was a year during which I decided upon some favorites and stuck by them. I guess in a way it follows my wardrobe mantra of late: if you love it, why not wear it all the time? If there's music out there that you love, why not find every possible opportunity to experience it?

Friends Flora Wolpert and Nick Bourland of Holy Holy Vine at Olde Club, opening for Sam Amidon and Vio/mire. I think the musical collaboration has been put on hold for a while since Nick decided to move to Germany and get married, but still worth a listen.

Salem at Johnny Brenda's in Fishtown, Philly. I'm pretty sure I had some part of my thesis due the next day that I subsequently shirked to go to this. Short set, but still pretty epic. 

J*DaVeY at Worthstock...not much to say about this except that I got to dance in my space footy pajamas (best Target purchase ever, from freshman year) on stage and they complimented me on my sunglasses (Karen Walker Helter Skelters special edition, another great purchase).

Vio/mire, again, at Legion Bar in Brooklyn. It was finals week and I was feeling a desperate need for escape, so my gal pal Jessie and I took a lovely daytrip up to NYC that involved Central Park, sushi, and thrifting by day, and this concert by night.

James Blake in 1) Philly (First Unitarian Church), 2) NYC for a DJ set (???), and 3) Chicago (Pitchfork). 1) and 2) were again instances of irresponsibly ignoring finals work. Beautifully haunting every time, and his case of Joni's "A Case of You" still brings me to tears. 

Also at Pitchfork, of course, was Animal Collective, reunited at last. I saw them headline during Pitchfork '08 and felt the hour+ long set was too short, and I felt the same way this year. They are a band I could honestly listen to for an entire day or more, and this was the fourth time I'd seen them live.

I'm a repeat offender for Gatekeeper, Teengirl Fantasy, and Pictureplane, who played at the best Making Time ever at Voyeur in Philly. 

I used to think that DJs did nothing but hold up headphones to one ear and move records a little bit while bobbing their heads up and down to the beat of the music. Skream and a number of other artists changed all of that for me, but Brenmar is the DJ/producer who makes songs I listen to on repeat everyday and still get excited about when he comes out with a new song or mixtape. Check out his soundcloud and you will not be disappointed. The above was at one of Ghe20 Goth1k's summer "Clear" warehouse raves, alongside Nguzunguzu, Total Freedom, and Ghe20 Goth1k's own Venus X and $hayne.  During one of the hottest days of the summer in a basement without windows or air conditioning. I wore a bathing suit/playsuit and was still sweating my butt off. 

Not a concert, but one of the most charming experiences one could ask for: playing flute in a little marching band for the cutest damn couple's wedding in the most idyllic New England setting. 

One of the most epic lineups of the summer: Araabmuzik, White Ring, DJ Rashad, DJ Assault, DJ Godfather, Le1f, Laurel Halo, Blissed Out, Mykki Blanco and more. All at Santos Party House. Actually an exhausting day/night because I ended up running a few errands for the promoters, but worth it in the end.

Also worth it was getting up at 4AM to take a 5AMish train from New Haven to NYC to see Stevie Nicks perform in Central Park for Good Morning America. Being less than 20 feet away from one of my personal icons was only made better by the motley crew of a crowd and bacon biscuits being cooked for a demonstration behind us. 

I have doubts that 2012 could get any better than this, but who knows, maybe the threat of Doomsday will even send some of my favorite retired/on hiatus bands out of retirement. 

All photos my own (iphone or disposable) except for the 13th and 15th, which are from friends' facebooks.

all i want for christmas...

Argh....polyvore has an annoying way of posting whenever I don't intend to. But to finish the post title, all I want for Christmas this year is really to be at home with my family and friends, but since that's not possible for another 3.5 weeks, I made a wishlist instead. Filling the hole in my heart with:
1. baggu zip pouches - I love the bright animal prints and the fact that the mid-sized one will fit item #2 on this list.
2. kindle - still have not decided on the Kindle 4 or Kindle Touch...more on that in another post.
3. suede ankle boots - yeah, I know I'm supposed to be on a shopping ban, but I've been quite bad as of late
4. asics gt-2160 - to replace my asics gt-2100's from 5 or so years ago that have seen thousands of miles already. This is the only true essential on the list as I can already feel my shins, ankles, and knees caving a bit when I'm at the gym everyday.
5. a lace or mesh bralette - likely I'll be getting another mesh cross-back bra from American Apparel in nude or black, but maybe I'll settle on a lace one that I like instead
6. a big ol' box of macarons - I'm making a beeline for Laduree (and Magnolia Bakery and Bergen Bagels) once I'm back in the states

sweater weather

from Kinfolk Mag

Is there anything better than the perfect knitwear for long winter months? The only thing that's not so perfect about these sweaters and styling from La Garçonne is the pricetag. Ho hum, even a Christmas miracle can't overcome the $400+ cash needed for some of these beauties. So I've decided that I'm going to make it a winter project this year to knit the perfect crew/o-neck sweater. My grandmother is a sweater knitting pro, and under her guidance, hopefully my hemlines and necklines will turn out a lot better than they have in the past. 

These three are the closest to what I want to knit. 

la garçonne moderne // le mont st. michel // steven alan

The rest are just icing on the cake. 

acne // a.p.c. // a.p.c. // a.p.c. // boy by band of outsiders // hope // la garçonne moderne // les prairies de paris // lou // margaret howell // phillip lim // phillip lim // vanessa bruno