Thursday, September 30, 2010

Balmain vs. Isabel Marant. Conspiracy?

isimb I'm a huge fan of Isabel Marant, so I thought it was very interesting that I saw pretty much the same thing at Christophe Decarnin's Balmain this Spring 2011. Marants collection this Fall 2010, was very 50's reminiscent, but I saw the same thing at Balmain, the red jeans, the fitted leather jackets, the shoes!, and the cuff/fit of the jeans that walked down the runway. Is it me or am I just seeing something funny? Coincidence? Plus, how long can Decarnin keep up with the padded, sharp shoulders (not saying his dresses aren't fab)?

Straight from NYMAG:

Cathy Horyn isn't feeling it:

"The clothes were great for showing off the models’ long bodies, and so will produce sexy photographs, but punk is now a style cliché. That Balmain is one of the most expensive labels, with a plain undershirt (without holes) costing around $450, makes the notion of a safety-pinned jacket something of a joke — and not even a very clever one."

Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think:

Isabel Marant's Fall 2010 collection here
Christophe Decarnin for Balmain Spring 2011 collection here

I can't wait to see what Marant comes up with this season. I get a lot of Kate Moss when I see her collections, because everything is so chic, cool, and effortless like Kate. I hope not everything is gone at work so I can at least see Marant's Fall 2010 collection in person!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Disney nature: Oceans


When I was little, all I wanted to be was either an artist or a marine biologist. I was so fascinated with marine mammals all my stuff animals were either polar bears, seals, or penguins! To this day I still have this great curiosity to explore the wild life underneath what we call the ocean.

I was busy reading some material for my classes on Tuesday, when I got an email on my BB from the school about free events. I was quickly drawn being that it said "FREE EVENTS" on the subject line, so I continued and opened the email. To my luck, they were playing Disney nature's Oceans, the marine version of it's Earth counterpart, which I have yet to see. I quickly wrote the time, date and place where the movie was going to be held and I attended the movie. I didn't know what to expect, but I was ready to see some pretty cool stuff. Campbell hall, which holds about 860 seats, was packed with equally curious students and community members from around the area. I guess the movie was going to be epic, and it was.

My favorite part was the artic animals, although the whales were equally fascinating. But who doesn't love leopard seals, penguins, and polar bears?! I highly recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good discovery channel-esque movie, not to mention those who have an interest in marine biology. The movie was funny, sad, surprising, and beautifully made. Check it out for yourself!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Naomi Campbell for Interview October 2010

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How killer (pun intended) is this editorial of Naomi Campbell for Interview Magazine? It seems like it's very saw slash hostel inspired, no? I LOVE IT.
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Liu Wen for Numéro China October 2010

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There are very few Asian/Pacific Islander models in the fashion industry, yet when we do have a few good ones, they're absolutely stunning like Liu Wen. Check out this lovely editorial she did with Numéro China shot by the talented, Tiziano Magni.

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

UCSB Welcome Back Concert: Major Lazer ft. Diplo & Milkman

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I'm not entirely sure who the hell these people are, but I suppose their big if they produced the beats off M.I.A's album. I enjoyed the reggae/rave vibe I got from them, I found myself bobbing my head the whole time. Despite the students being on all sorts of drugs, the overall concert was contained, thankfully. Storke Plaza was filled with students jumping up and down, the atmosphere was a bit crazy, but I enjoyed myself overall. Plus, it's senior year, I need to make the most of it! I just hope we have a better line up of performances coming up this year, especially for extravaganza!
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The Buried Life.


New guilty pleasure, Duncan! Oh, and his MTV show with Ben, Dave, and Jonnie, The Buried Life. Watching this show is not only hilarious, but amazing at the same time. What a creative idea to do something bold before you die, and at the same time help someone accomplish something off their list of to-dos before they die? I cannot wait for season two, which means more Duncan. =)

On a side note, growing up I've always gave back to my community whether it was volunteering with my high school or my karate school. From the American Cancer Society, feeding the homeless, to assisting San Francisco Fashion Week, I've done a lot in my time. Now that I'm in college, I rarely find opportunities to give back to the community, but like DVF says, "You can't have it all until you give back." So..I'm planning on volunteering with the Dream Foundation which is here in Santa Barbara and who coincidently fulfilled a girls dream of meeting Lady Gaga when she failed two bone marrow transplants! I hope volunteering with them will give me back the drive to constantly give back, busy or not busy. Besides, what better feeling do you get when you give back? I personally believe that you haven't succeeded until you've helped others around you towards their own success, right?

Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Proust Questionnaire.

1. Your most marked characteristic?
Being heinously funny, but also ambitious.

2. The quality you most like in a man?
I'd probably start off with intelligence, then affection, followed by charisma.

3. The quality you most like in a woman?
Confidence, strong sense of self, and vulnerability.

4. What do you most value in your friends?
Sense of humor, Non-judgemental, and trustworthiness.

5. What is your principle defect?
My big mouth.

6. What is your favorite occupation?
Hard Worker.

7. What is your dream of happiness?
Being able to enjoy the simple things in life.

8. What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
Being lied to or being taken advantage of.

9. What would you like to be?
Instead of wanting to be a "wise women" like Lauren Hutton, I would like to be a "wise man."

10. In what country would you like to live?
France.

11. What is your favorite color?
Yellow.

12. What is your favorite flower?
White hydrangeas.

13. What is your favorite bird?
Perhaps a phoenix?

14. Who are your favorite prose writers?
Does Aristotle count?

15. Who are your favorite poets?
Maya Angelou and Walt Whitman.

16. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Albert Camus' Dr. Rieux from The Plague.

17. Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
I need to read more books with women in it.

18. Who are your favorite composers?

Bach & Debussy.

19. Who are your favorite painters?
Hands down, Dali, Van Gogh, and Pollock.

20. Who are your heroes in real life?
My mama & papa bear.

21. What is it you most dislike?
Other than bullshit, rude people. Rudeness does not get you far.

22. What natural gift would you most like to posses?
Patience.

23. How would you like to die?
Naturally of old age in the arms of my lover.

24. What is your present state of mind?
Content.

25. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Living my life too much in the future than in the present.

26. What is your motto?
Believe in yourself, and according to Galliano, "Be Reckless enough to gamble all or nothing to follow your dreams."

27. Your Name of Pseudo.
Ish

What I'm into..

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A hypnotic cologne, a good smile, brains, the love for the outdoors, and musically inclined is all I need.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Web Design & Photoshop, rekindling an old flame?



I don't know why I stopped, but I wish I still continued web design and vectoring. I remember back in high school being practically glued to my old HP computer and vectoring and doing all sorts of HTML throughout the night. I miss and enjoy the creative process of developing something and waiting for the final product. HTML was always tricky, but pure success when I figured out how to do what I wanted. Developing websites is something I definitely want to continue in the near future, but I need to reorganize my skills and continue my practice with FTP and other website formatting programs.

I recently just got Photoshop CS from my friend, Megan (Thanks Megan!), and now I'm not only blogging again, but trying to create, vector, and design. Then again it's hard now that school has started, but I won't let that get into the way of my old passion. Perhaps I can light that flame again and create new things. What ever they may be, I'm excited. Look how good, well at least I think (lol), my vector was of Alicia Keys!

Women's Milan Fashion Week Favs Spring 2010

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Gucci// If you follow my blog, then you probably already know that I love Frida Giannini and what she does for the house of Gucci. She designs clothes so sexy and powerful it's as if she designs for glamourous rockstars. This spring, I've seen a lot of the Milan shows express bold color and that's what we got at the opening at Gucci's spring 2011 show. We had bold satins in purple and emerald followed by golds and copper. It was interesting to see the collection go from color, to nudes, to camels, and to dark navy's and blacks. I loved how Frida ended the collection with what looked like tribal inspired dresses with detailed beadings and feathers in rich hues like purple, blue, and gold. For more on the collection here.

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Fendi// After watching the Fendi Spring 2011 show I noticed Karl Lagerfelds play on wide sleeves with slits, the style over all was very seventies much like what Marc Jacobs show cased. I absolutely loved the sunglasses and how they were shaped and colored. The shoes were also well done, simple yet sophisticated which can practically be worn by any woman! For more click here.

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Prada// I enjoyed watching and checking out the Prada's Spring 2011 show online. Miuccia showed a beautiful collection of bold colors, stripes, patterns, and even black! Not only were the sunglasses giving a Willy Wonka vibe, but the sneakers were very Spice Girl reminiscent. It was cool, funky, and kind of classic Prada at the same time. Although you could incorporate some of these jackets or pencil skirts into your outfit, I also liked how the dresses were so bold that they stood out individually. That white dress with the print along the hips would be devine for the summer days! For more click here.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Milan Vukmirovic: Inspiration

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When i'm stuck with a brain freeze thinking about what I'm going to wear, I try put myself in Milan's shoes looking into my closet and imagining what he would put together. Not only is Milan the creative director of Trussardi 1911, but he's also the store owner of The Webster; editor-in-chief of L'Officiel Hommes. I learned about Milan after seeing his photos on Scott and Tommy's blog, who none the less take amazing photos of him. I'm in this weird phase, where I like to use my jackets as staple pieces in my outfits, and I can kind of see the same thing in Milan whether it me a military jacket or a cardigan OR EVEN A CAMO PRINTED WIND BREAKER. He's so simple, chic, and sexy at the same time, which is why I take pointers from him.
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ANTM cycle 15, yes I said 15!

This season, cycle 15 (yes, it has been going on for this long!) of America's Next Top Model has rosen the bar in terms of prizes and what is in stake. Not only is the winner going to get a contract with Cover girl cosmetics, but she gets to land a spread in the every so prestigous Italian Vogue, the cover of Italian Vogue's make up/art magazine, and a contract with IMG models (which houses some of the best top models in the world..think Gisele, Tyra, Sasha, Lara, Karolina, Kate, Jessica, and Liu)! Although I stopped watching the series seasons ago, I had to watch this season because of it's more high fashion approach. I think I stopped watching the show because it started to get a bit repetitive, but this season is jam packed with some of the biggest photographers such as Demarchelier himself, designers including Diane Von Furstenberg and Zac Posen! So not only are the models forced to be more high fashion, but they are literally around high fashion during their challenges and photoshoots. There has only been three episodes so far in the season, but there definitely is some high fashion potential amongst the candidates. Here are my favs (starting from the left):

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Kayla: This new fiery red head has a cut exactly like the amazing Abbey Lee Kershaw, but other than the similar hair cut, the girl works. Personally, Kayla is the one that constantly delivers pose after pose and I see a lot of high fashion in her. I can't wait to see what else she has in store. Plus, she's gay! Will she win and be the first gay top model...I'm rooting for her!

Chelsey: When you strip this girl down, you've got a model. So far, she has done quite well in the competition, but I'm not too sure if she stands out from the group. What does stand out his her lovely gap which is very remniscent of Bianca Jagger, Lara Stone, Lauren Hutton, and Vanessa Paradis. Not too sure if I'm fully confident in her, but I hope she at least makes it to the top five.

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Ann: Standing at 6'2, this amazonian beauty has more than long gambs. She has won over the judges with her quirky, yet quite persona, and her consistency in the competition. She continues to win picture of the week over and over again delivering each time she sets foot in front of the camera. I really hope she becomes the winner of ANTM, simply because I believe in girls like her. Season 2 had the amazing yet very similar, Shandi. Hopefully she'll be able to break through her shell and conquer the competition.

Kendal: I love Kendal, because of her long and cocoalicious gambs. She definitely got a Naomi Campbell makeover, but I love the look on her. C'est tres fierce, no? I hope she also makes it to at least the top five, but will she be consistent? One's thing for sure and it that these ladies are consistently high fashion potential, well in my opinion.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Barbie herself, Nicki Minaj

I don't know what it is, but I have got this huge obsession for new comer Nicki Minaj. Maybe it's the way she spits her flows or the crazy impersonations she does while she spits her flows, but what ever it is, it definitely works. After reading her interview with both Out and Complex magazine, I instantly fell in love with her, because not only is she a crazy rapper, but she's a different artist in terms of her style and the people/issues she represents. Plus, if your an advocate for the LGBTQ community, you've got my vote.

Other than her crazy colored wigs and outrageous style, her presence is a bit addicting. She always has me singing along too and when you know your singing or rapping along in this case, then you've gotten addicted to the song. Here is a few excerpts from her interview with Complex Magazine:

Complex: Everyone has this image of you as a cartoon character with outlandish wigs, but at our shoot today you were much more low-key.
Nicki Minaj: [Laughs.] Every woman is a character—but people need to see I'm a regular human. It's like you wear a pink wig and you're no longer human all of sudden. You're a thing. Like today [the photographer] was like, "Where is that Nicki Minaj smile?" But this shoot doesn't call for the Nicki Minaj smile. You guys wanted me subdued, so I'm gonna give you a different side. I'm not gonna pull a string and be like, "It's Barbie, bitch!"

Is it intimidating to know that, besides The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, there are very few indisputable classic female rap albums?
Nicki Minaj: I want to do well, but I don't think I'm intimidated. People's expectations of what I'm capable of doing are very low. People have been used to hearing little one-liners and me play around.

You think people still underestimate you, even with the success you've been having?
Nicki Minaj: Absolutely. A lot of people don't know I wrote all the hooks on the album. I arranged the music, did the transitions. [Other female rappers] are told what to do, but I run my entire empire; I don't think people would expect that.

Was it hard for you to get that latitude from the label?
Nicki Minaj: My generation is creative; all we need is a Baby or a Slim to back us. We don't need you to tell us what to do, but we need you to nurture our decisions, and I think Cash Money understands that. I didn't have Wayne obviously, since he's been in jail, so there wasn't anyone I could have called and asked for help. Actually, when I've relied on people in the past is when I've made the biggest mistakes. When I trust my gut, I win.

What are some of your biggest mistakes?
Nicki Minaj: I won't say.

Were they recent mistakes?
Nicki Minaj: Yeah.

Recent as in "Massive Attack"?
Nicki Minaj: [Laughs.] Next question.

What has Wayne's involvement been on the album?
Nicki Minaj: He really hasn't had any involvement on it. But to be honest, the album doesn't sound like Wayne. I mean, he's my biggest influence, but it doesn't sound like Wayne's stuff. It sounds like Nicki.



Senior Year

I'm currently going a little Rev Run status and enjoying a lovely bubble bath while sipping on a Stella and writing via my bb. Anyways, senior year officially starts tomorrow and I do not look forward to my 930 to 430 back to back schedule. Although it will be a long day I do look forward to starting my last year as an undergraduate! I cannot believe the time has come, then again I am more than ready to start my life post grad. I have a lot of things planned post grad and of course I have come up with plan B-Z if all else fails, but I am more than confident I will succeed...hopefully.

I look forward to working back at Diani with all my fabulous girls. I also look forward to working for Akilah again for CBS. There is only three interns this fall so I'm sure the work load won't be so light, but I'm ready to juggle and multi task despite my 16 unit schedule at school.

There is still a few things I need to do before I gradte from this lovely college such as the undie run during finals, IV loop, and OTT nights! Even though I know I will burn myself out at some point, I need to make sure I enjoy this last year of college. I practically can't take anything for advantage, cause who knows, I may not end up in such a pretty beachy area again. Santa Barbara is definitely something else, but I still can't wait to start my life post grad and post SB! But until then, bring on my classes and let my senior year festivities begin!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

FNO and NYFW with Coco Rocha

Coco's Fashion's Night Out Show from Americana Cinema on Vimeo.



As I'm sure you all know, I follow Coco Rocha's blog religiously being that she is probably my all time favorite supermodel. After posting her wedding video, I was lucky to find this little clip that was directed by her husband James who pretty must documented Coco's journey during NYFW and FNO in New York. Check out how fierce she poses, she definitely works the camera and kills it! Check out Coco's blog here

Monday, September 20, 2010

Women's New York Fashion Week Favs Spring 2010


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Rodarte // One of the things I enjoy most about NYFW is seeing what the Mulleavy sisters come up with. While their signature style is easily recognizable, I love seeing the different versions and styles they do to their signiature techniques. In this case, I love the more serene colors of blue, white, and browns. I'm used to seeing a lot of dark colors from them, but I'm also glad to see that some things in this collection are more wearable in terms of red carpet. For more click here.

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Proenza Schouler // Even though I am Lazaro's number one fan, I still adore his line with Jack. This season they went for more softer looks combining lighter knits with skirts and dresses that look so light they might fly away! I enjoyed seeing the necklaces as well being that I usually look at PS for their bags and shoes. Love that lime greenish dress! For more click here.

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3.1 Phillip Lim // Just like his men's collection, his women's collection is on point in every way. This season must haves includes leather shorts and lighter knits. Plus I've seen Kanye's twit pics of him rocking out Lim's leather shorts. Need a pair now, look how cool they look. For more click here.

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Marc Jacobs // Who isn't a fan of the genius himself, Marc Jacobs? This season he opted for a bold colored seventies styled collection. After viewing the collection live via his website, I was absolutely hooked! From the bold dresses with high slits to the floppy hats. The collection screamed spring chicness and I couldn't get enough! I'm not surprised that he was able to pull another rocking collection together especially after he said on Fallon's late night show during his little visit with Anna Wintour that he wasn't too sure what his collection was going to be even though it was just days before Fashion's Night Out! For more click here.

Water for Elephants


It's been awhile since I read a good book and before leaving for Paris I decided to pick up Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love. With it's motion picture out already, I wanted to see what the buzz was all about and unfortunately after chapter three, I found myself abandoning the book in it's entirety. I don't know what it was, but just did not engage me..at all.

Anyways, I was on search of a new book and my friends Anna, Amy, and Sophia just finished reading Water for Elephants which is in the process of becoming a motion picture and to my surprise, I loved it! I guess I like more fiction than non-fiction books, but this book totally got my attention from the first chapter and I know that's what I need in a book in order for me to stick around it. I instantly fell in love with the characters and even the animals in the circus (being that the book is about a moving circus trying to survive during the days of the depression). I wonder how Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon will do in playing the leads of Jacob and Marlena. The movie better do justice although it never does.. -_- On the other hand, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a great read.

Now I need new suggestions for books! Perhaps another Camus novel, he's always enticing. I was also thinking about reading one of Chelsea Handler's books, because I practically love that biatch and I read the first few pages of her book, "My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands," and I was instantly hooked! Ahh, we'll see, with school starting in less than four days, I'm not too sure if i'll have time to read a book.

Sunday, September 19, 2010