Spring Sprung Sprang

Well, hello there, blogosphere! I haven’t seen you in a red-hot minute. After catching up on posting once I’d gotten home from my trip with Edie, I took a miniature break from blogging to regain my balance. I still hadn’t gotten truly acquainted with my new laptop, but now I can safely say that I feel at home and “settled in” – and I’ve named it Vladimir. Giving something a name is always a good sign, isn’t it?

As far as fashion adventures go, the weather has been steadily moving away from the cold and rainy side of things to the warm and sunny, which is always a delight. That means short-sleeved shirts! That means bare feet outside in my yard! That means impromptu photoshoots with Edie (although quite a lot of days in my life, regardless of weather, turn out to mean that). And if there’s anything I like better than all of that, it’s all of that combined with literature and music references. Take a look and see.

Edie’s Hunger Games T-shirt was actually made for her by her mother if you can believe it! I absolutely adore it. In fact, I want one for myself. The Hunger Games series has been a part of my life for quite a while now thanks to Edie, who first introduced me to the books. As a result, we have a huge amount of inside jokes pertaining to the various things contained therein – we’ve even dressed up as some of the characters. Here, Edie paired her shirt with a pair of Calvin Klein cut-off shorts and a mysterious belt that materializes into her life when she was twelve (we have no idea where it came from). Very summery, and very fun.

As for me, I wore a fun floppy shirt by Chaser which has a Journey album cover printed on the front of it (I’m a great lover of the song Don’t Stop Believin’. How about you?). I wasn’t feeling quite ready to bare my legs, so instead I merely rolled up my Aeropostale jeans and slapped on a pair of Steve Madden aviators. And then, as you might have noticed, I suddenly gained the power of flight. Who would’ve thought?

Is the weather getting steadily lovelier where you are? If so, I hope you’re outside flying off of trees. It’s an excellent hobby.

Is This My First Haul Post?

Goooood morning, everyone! Today’s post is going to be my tremendous haul, so hold onto your hats – it’s going to be a big one. I came back from my trip with Edie and Lou with a literal garbage bag full of clothing. There was absolutely no room in my suitcase for all of it, and we had to get it into the car in a somewhat organized fashion, so that was the somewhat ridiculous solution.

Basically, when I got home, I just dumped everything out on a big rug I have in my room and started dividing things up by categories of clothing, snapping photos as I went. There’s lots of summer clothes, loads of colours, and some interesting patterns and fabrics. Unfortunately, due to being transported back home in a garbage bag, some of the shirts are in a state of wrinkle mania, but I do hope you’ll manage to overlook that. I’m far too excited to share everything with you to sort out the wrinkle issues first.

First up, the dresses! I’m really excited about these, which is in itself an exciting thing because I haven’t been excited by dresses in quite a few years. But these? These are tugging at my heartstrings a bit. Here I’ve got a black and grey bodycon dress by Do & Be, a fun green and black patterned dress by Charlie Jade, a cute little multi-coloured sundress by XTAREN, and a white bodycon dress by Ark & Co. I’ve already worn the Charlie Jade one – just yesterday Edie and I had a wedding to go to, so I threw on that dress with a black blazer and nude heels. The white one is going to be my go-to item for my birthday celebration this year (more on that someday soon!). As for the other two, I’m seeing myself at a party in the black one, and on the beach in the sundress. Oh, yes, I’ve got plans. Imaginary ones, mostly, but plans nonetheless.

As you can see, it was the big floppy shirts that suffered from the wrinkle epidemic. Oh, well, I love them anyway. Giant shirts like these are one of my favourite casual items to wear in the summer. Here I’ve got a Navajo print shirt with a fringed edge by Truly Madly Deeply, a really fun Journey album cover shirt by Chaser, and a pink one by Guess. You can just see the tip of the sleeve of a neon green one by Michael Stars peeking in on the top photo, but I chose to cut it off because it was even more wrinkled than the rest, and because it really is just a plain neon shirt. I think I’m probably going to put it to use in a DIY project of some kind and make it more exciting. And oh God, I can’t get over the wrinkles. Wrinkle apocalypse.

Next, the sleeveless tops! These three are such an eclectic bunch. I love it. I’ve got an absolutely bizarre top by Armani that I like to call “the carpet shirt”, a jean button-up top by Stradivarius, and a sequined top by Design History. I can see myself getting a lot of use out of the jean shirt. It’ll be perfect as a casual item during the summer, whether I wear it buttoned up or open with a bright tank top or bandeau underneath. The sequin top would be perfect for wearing out to a mostly casual dinner with friends. And as for that carpet top, I really don’t know what I’m going to do with it. All I know is that I love it. It’s the softest, oddest thing I’ve ever laid my hands on.

These two big floppy tops are what Edie likes to call “boobah garments”. They’re huge, they have little to no shape, and you could probably use them to pitch a tent. I’m planning on wearing them as cover-ups at the beach over whatever bathing suit I end up with this summer (note to self: I do still need to shop for a bathing suit). The blue one here is by Joie, and the red one is by Millau. They’re super-silky and flowy. I’m thinking of getting either a metallic or a plain white bathing suit to wear underneath of them.

And lastly, there’s the lone sweater. It’s by RD Style and it’s got stripes, which we all know I can’t resist. If any more cold snaps come back before we transition into real warm weather days, I’m throwing this on. I’m counting on it to tide me over until I can wear all of the other things. Come on, sweater. Don’t let me down.

Now to fold and de-wrinkle and get all of these put away. Oh, boy.

X-Factor Report!

I’m just going to plunge right in here: I went with my muse Edie to support my little sister Lou in the X-Factor audtions in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Coliseum. It was an absolute blast and the kind of experience that I will never forget as long as I live – and this post is all about it! If you’re thinking about auditioning (or going along and supporting someone who plans to do so), I’m going to encourage you right away to DO IT. Don’t even question it. Just hop in the car or the plane or the train and skedaddle. You’ll be very glad that you did.

In my case, we happened to be traveling by car. The Nassau Coliseum is only about two and a half hours away from where Edie and I live, but the line for registration was starting at six in the morning, and we had to get there as early as possible because registration for this competition is on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you get there late, even if you do manage to register, it will affect how long you’ll need to wait to try out on audition day. Thus, Edie and I were up at three-thirty in the morning and out the door by four. My mother made us all breakfast sandwiches for the car ride, and surprisingly, we were all wide awake to eat them! Of course, that probably isn’t too surprising in Lou’s case – she was practically on fire with excitement since this was something she had been planning to do for several years.

Can you sense the excitement radiating off of her? It was intense.

When we got to the Coliseum, there were already huge lines formed, even though we’d arrived on time. Everyone was roped off into little sections, packed like sardines into a can. It was also grey, brutally windy, and freezing cold. Thankfully, we’d come prepared with a bunch of blankets, coats, scarves, and gloves, but we saw some girls who were there in mini skirts and open-toed high heels, which is ridiculous! If you find yourself heading off to registration day at the X-Factor, you have to understand that this day is not going to be about fashion. There are no judges there and no cameras watching you. You absolutely need to concentrate on your comfort, because you’ll be waiting in that line for a long time. Personally, we waited about seven hours! Despite the bad weather and the fact that we were bundled up so much that we were almost unrecognizable, we made friends in line, which made the wait much easier. Everyone we came in contact with (save for a very few rude exceptions) was friendly, excited, and happy to chat.

Yes, they were happy to chat with us even though we looked like that. That’s how you know they were truly kind-hearted souls. And that’s also how you know how desperate we were to keep warm, but after seven hours, who could possibly blame us for wrapping ourselves up like mummies?

When the line at long last started to move, we were very quickly herded into the Coliseum and over to a registration table, where we showed our IDs and got wristbands and tickets for audition day. That process took a very short amount of time – it was over and done with in less than ten minutes. We then said good-bye to the friends that we’d made and headed out. There’s actually a Marriott hotel right across from the Coliseum, so we stopped in there to rest and have a snack before continuing on our way to my elder sister’s house.

Note our pink wristbands! Supporters got pink, performers got purple, and guardians of minors who were auditioning got blue. We had to leave these wristbands on until audition day and were told that if we lost them, we wouldn’t be allowed in. Mine was actually put on loose enough to slip off, but I was a bit too paranoid to leave it off.

So, wristbands in hand (or wrist), we hopped in the car and drove to my sister’s house in Connecticut, where we’d planned on staying. That was a much shorter and much less eventful drive: we were all exhausted from waiting in line, and I slept for most of the way there because I just couldn’t keep my eyes open. The rest of the day (and all of the next day too) were spent relaxing at my sister’s house and playing with my little niece. It was really a wonderful time – we went out for lunch, had sushi, shopped, got our nails done, and slept as much as we could. And of course, Edie and I had our little photoshoot.

On Thursday morning, we had to wake up incredibly early again to head off to the audition day. Even though we woke up a bit later than we had on our first day, it felt worse. Our exhaustion was catching up to us. When we got back to the Coliseum, I was half-dead. It was even colder out that it had been on registration day, and this time it was actually raining! Of course, everyone wanted to look their best for the cameras and for their auditions, so people were freezing and getting rained on in their nice clothes. Lou only had a sleeveless dress and tights on underneath of her coat – I’m not sure how she survived. However, we were only suffering for a little while, because when the cameras came out, so did the fun. They had a DJ get up in front of the packed crowds, playing music and encouraging us to dance around for the cameras that were panning over the giant crowd. It was like one big rave. Not only was it fun, but it warmed everyone up fast. Soon everyone was taking off their jackets and jumping around. Out of nowhere, it was a party of 16,000 people. Braving the cold was definitely worth it for that.

Edie put Lou on her shoulders so that the camera would catch sight of her. We were told after the camera had finished with us that Long Island’s crowd was the largest that X-Factor had so far, and therefore, they’d be using the footage from our rave for the opening of the television show. So keep an eye out for us! There’s an unbelievably good chance that you’ll be able to spot us if you take a look.

After dancing around, the rest of the outdoor wait wasn’t so bad. We were eventually let into the Coliseum around lunch time, showed our wristbands and tickets at the door, and found our seats in the main area. Luckily, since we had signed up very early on registration day, Lou only had to wait a few hours to audition. Other people seated further up in the stadium had to wait until eight at night or later! The way that this part of the audition worked was that you waited for your section of the stadium to be called, and then filed down into the center, where they had black booths set up with producers waiting inside to hear your audition. Everyone can see who comes out with a golden ticket and who does the walk of shame out the other end of the stadium. We were seated right in front of the exit which people who had gotten a yes were told to walk out of, so we got to watch and applaud as contestants came out screaming with excitement.

They asked people not to take any pictures inside the stadium. Oops.

When it was time for Lou to audition, she was extremely nervous. Tensions were high. Edie and I weren’t allowed to go with her down into the center by the booths, but we watched as she went down and disappeared into them. I took a picture of her descending the stairs, although you can barely see her. She was wearing a bright green dress from Delia’s and purple tights.

See her? Squint. Go on. Find her. Find the Lou.

Edie and I were going mad while waiting to hear the results of her audition. Sadly, it turned out to be a no, but I am extremely proud of her in any case. She is only twelve years old, and it takes a lot of bravery to do something like this. She’s not sure whether she will try again when she’s older, but she enjoyed the experience just as much as Edie and I did, and I’m as proud of her for that as I am of her singing. Not many twelve-year-olds actually go through with trying out for a big competition like this. Now she can say that she was there and tried her best, which is definitely a brilliant thing. After we left the Coliseum, we went out to lunch to celebrate. Even though it was a no, doing this at all was certainly an achievement.

I will say, however, that the X-Factor definitely isn’t how it seems on television. Even if Lou had gotten through, she wouldn’t have seen the famous judges unless she managed to get through three more rounds of auditions in front of various producers! That’s partially why she isn’t sure if she wants to audition again. The whole thing does seem a bit fake now that we’ve been through the real process, but that’s the nature of reality television.

As for me, if Lou did end up going again, I’d happily accompany her once more. Despite the weather and the early wake-up calls, there’s a lot of fun to be had. And I don’t pass up fun. Not now, not ever.

Springy in Connecticut

As you can probably tell, my plan for blogging while I was away didn’t go as planned. Edie and I were away for just three days and it was a non-stop whirlwind of chaos and activity. Whenever I had real down-time, I just wanted to rest instead of pull out a computer and start typing away. Therefore, now that I’m home-again-home-again-jiggety-jig, I’m going to be updating everyone over the next few days with a few different posts summing up our little trip! I’ve got a lot to say. There’ll be a post documenting the X-Factor audition experience and how it went for my little sister, and another post which will be a clothing haul.

But first, I thought I’d give you a glimpse of what Edie and I were wearing on the second day of our trip. We spent this day mostly at my elder sister’s house in Connecticut, although I did run out with her in the morning to pick up her dog from the groomers and she did take us out for shopping and manicures later. Thankfully, it was a warm, sunny day – which meant we got a break from being bundled and covered up beyond belief like we’d had to be for standing outside in the early morning X-Factor lines. Wearing these outfits felt unbelievably good.

I wore Aeropostale jeans with a Tiny blouse over a Forever 21 tank with my infamous no-name rose-gold wristwatch. I’ve got O.P.I.’s Oh No Not Another Polish Joke! on my fingernails and Essie’s Butler Please on my toenails. I was inspired to put on red lipstick by Edie, who was also wearing some on this day, and I’m so glad that I did put it on. I feel like this outfit wouldn’t be the same without that pop of bright red.

Edie wore a striped Forever 21 sweater over a black tank with a pair of American Eagle jeans, and her Icing peacock feather earrings. She has O.P.I.’s Suzi’s Hungary Again on her nails, which is a super-summery coral that isn’t done any justice at all by these full-length outfit shots. Her handbag is by Emma Fox, and she bought it while we were out shopping with my sister. Let me tell you: Edie had been eyeing this bag ever since our three-day Marshall’s marathon which I posted about a few weeks ago, so she was thrilled to finally get her hands on it.

Keep an eye out in the coming days on this little blog – I’ve got more coming! If you’re curious about how the X-Factor auditioning process works, I’ll be posting a full report of my experience supporting my little sister at the auditions in Long Island, New York. And of course, if you curious about all of the swag I’ve dragged home, there’s a haul post on it’s way. That’s far less exciting than X-Factor auditions, though, I assure you. Stay tuned!

Pre-Adventure Hooplah

As of three in the morning tomorrow, Edie and I are going to be off on a grand adventure! My little sister is trying out for the X-Factor, and we’re going along in support of her. We’ll be standing in ungodly long lines, wading our way through a sea of singing talent, and cheering on my sister with all of our might. This is going to be quite the adventure, and none of us are quite sure what to expect. Naturally, I’m planning on blogging along the way if at all possible. I want this journey to be documented, and I want to share it with the Internet!

Does anyone go absolutely insane when they have to pack for a trip? I flip just the tiniest bit of a wig. Usually, OCD sets in and I began throwing miniature hissy fits over the fact that pants have to touch shirts and so on and so forth. Today, however, I packed in record time, with an impressive lack of drama. You can’t see much from this photograph, but I’ve got three pairs of jeans, four tops, pajamas, socks, underwear, a makeup bag, and my nude heels crammed in there, along with my mint Eos lip balm and my daily journal – not to mention everyone’s presents! When I travel, I like to buy gifts for those who are coming with me. It’s a little tradition of mine.

And of course, Edie’s already opened her gift: long peacock feather earrings from Icing! My favourite part about these are the little gold birds; I think they’re so adorable. I’m sure we’re going to be seeing quite a bit of these earrings over the next few days. If the fact that she immediately pulled off the earrings she was originally wearing and put these on is any indication, I think she really likes them. Just a hunch.

I’m not sure what my posting schedule is going to look like over the next few days, but I’m going to try and go with the flow as best I can. Right now, I’m sitting on the floor of my living room with Edie next to me, eating Lucky Charms marshmallows and drinking a homemade coconut-berry smoothie. The perfect way to spend the night before getting an early start on a trip, don’t you think?

And a note for those of you who knew about my computer woes: as of yesterday, I’ve been blessed enough to be able to get a new laptop! The blogging goes on. As does my heart. On and on. 

Stripes and Sweaters

I’m just going to come right out and say it: today is not the best of days. I’m birthing out this blog post at my mother’s computer, because mine has rolled over, curled up, and died. It did so right before my eyes, all of an hour ago. I knew it was on its last legs of life, so I did remove the majority of my writing files from it yesterday, but three years worth of music and irreplaceable photographs remain left behind. Currently, I’m not a happy camper. Actually, there’s a lot of water coming out of my eyes right now.

But in the meantime, I wanted to pop in and share the outfit I threw on this morning before all the tragedy hit.

I am wearing a Mossimo Supply Co. romper with a Carole Little sweater on top. My nail polish is Butler, Please by Essie. This outfit makes me feel all nautical, which is nice because I’ve always loved nautical fashion for summer. Nautical nonsense- it’s something I wish, but it’s hardly ever something that I manage to experiment with in my own fashion. Is anyone else out there going to incorporate nautical-inspired style into their wardrobe this summer? I’m already obsessed with stripes, so I’m half-way there.

This upcoming week is going to be a big one for my muse Edie and I! We’re going on a week-long adventure that I hope to document here, as long as I can get my computer situation in order. At the moment, I’m really at a loss as for what to do with myself, aside from going laptop shopping tomorrow before Edie and I embark on our journey.  After all, the show must go on!

Year of The Snake

A few months ago, my sister and I were looking through bins of drawings we’d made when we were little. One of the pictures that we unearthed was a pencil drawing by my little sister of a smiling girl with three or four little equally smiley-faced snakes crawling all over the place, which was captioned in all capital letters “ME FOR SNAKES, SNAKES FOR ME.” I joked that it was a representation of everything I stand for, and it’s actually not far from the truth. Anyone who knows me in real life knows that there’s not many things I love more than snakes. When I was five years old, I carried around a five-foot-long king cobra plush toy everywhere I went. I’ve always enjoyed wearing (faux!) snakeskin pieces and snake-themed jewelry. And when I turned eighteen, I started living the ultimate dream: I went to the pet store and got a baby ball python named Nagini. She’s now two years old and definitely deserves her own post to shine in, so keep your eye out for her around here.

But before I start blabbering on about my reptilian baby like some people gush about their dogs or children, I’ll get back on track. The point is that this is the year of the snake! Snake-themed things are tremendously big in fashion right now. No matter where I look, I see snakeskin prints and serpentine jewelry. I couldn’t be happier about that. I’ve been enjoying snake fashion for years and years, and the fact that it’s now on trend delights me. So, in honor of all the snakes, I thought I’d share some of my own snakey fashion.

When summer rolls around, I have a feeling that this snakeskin-patterned dress from H&M is going to get a lot of use. It’s light, airy, and comfortable, and can definitely be dressed up or down depending on what shoes and accessories one wants to pair with it. My personal favourite thing about it aside from the pattern are the little rectangular gold accents on the drawstrings around the waist. Even though I think gold jewelry would be much better suited to this dress due to those accents, I couldn’t resist throwing on my little delicate silver snake ring that I got in my Christmas stocking a few years back.

Another snake-themed item that I’m really excited about lately is this perfume that I bought at Marshall’s during my shopping marathon there with Edie. It’s Serpentine by Roberto Cavalli, and as soon as I saw the bottle, I knew I had to get it. I would have purchased this even if I hated the scent, just because it’s gold and it has a snake on top. Luckily, this perfume smells as lovely as it looks! It’s got sandalwood, amber, mango blossom, and black pepper – all mixed together to form a very sultry scent. Apparently, the mango blossom is included because according to a Brazilian legend, snakes eat mango blossoms. The more you know.

Is anyone else out there as excited about snakes in fashion as I am? Talk to me.