rambles

7 days left until I go to Japan! To be honest, I was somewhat mentally ready to go this past Tuesday, but circumstances had me stay otherwise. It’s been difficult yet comforting to stay for these extra 2 weeks, but I don’t want to be too comfortable. The sense of urgency is slowly going, and I’m too easily forgetting what God has called me to do and why. Home can be a dangerous place to live sometimes.. not in the sense of security, but moreso for the mind. My summer feels like it’s been elongated, and I don’t exactly know where I am. It’s a bit discomforting. I want to go, but wonder if I will really go. And then I remember that it is God that is sending me. This is my only hope and strength, especially as it gets closer to the day that I’m leaving.

Another old outfit, and the September issue of Marie Claire (which is good, btw).

With Sonia Rykiel, you can always expect fun, colorblocking, big knits, and feminine menswear pieces. I love that she isn’t pretentious about fashion and her strengths. She’s always true to her aesthetic, her style, and her brand, but never boring. I thought this was one of the most cheerful collections of the season, and she didn’t have to try and buy into the whole seventies, minimalism, long/sleek thing because she was already in it. Boom.

An oldie

Wearing: Rodarte x Target cardigan (lol), AA sheer tank button-down, Uniqlo jeans, J. Crew belt, and Fab Fanny frames

AND — the first Paris collection that I really really like: Junya Watanabe-san!!!!

Source: Vogue.com, obvi

Everyone’s obsessed with

sunglasses for spring.

1-4: Fendi S/S 2011, 5-7: Jil Sander S/S 2011, 8: Missoni S/S 2011, 9-10: Diane von Furstenburg S/S 2011, 11: Proenza Schouler S/S 2011 — Vogue.com

THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR

Here’s my obligatory-but-so-willingly-and-adoringly written entry on Rodarte’s Spring 2011 collection. I was getting tired of seeing white, sheer, flowy, “minimalist” pieces. Everyone’s been using that word way too liberally. And I don’t know if I’m being insensitive, but seriously.. what are designers doing? I mean, I understand when .. a trend, for a lack of a better word, almost takes over the industry, and people do their own interpretations of it. But to this extent!? Where is the creativity? Okay recession, investment pieces, blah blah… but… I don’t know, it’s been a couple years where I feel like NYFW has kind of.. lagged. But not my Rodarte <3 Never.

Source: all images from the new and improved Vogue.com

The Mulleavy Sisters said they were inspired by the landscape of Santa Cruz and redwood trees, which explains the beautiful wood prints. They also used the armorial aspect of samurai outerwear, which you can see in that close-up of the leather piece. At first, I was kind of surprised because I was slightly underwhelmed. I guess I was expecting their usual fairy-like, fantastical dresses and mix-and-match swirls of crazy prints, which they did here but in a much more refined, structured, and mature way. I hope it’s not Vogue’s influence telling them to make more practical pieces because there were a lot more wearable separates in this collection than usual, but I also can’t deny that the heart of Rodarte’s creativity and eccentric beauty is still there. I didn’t want to put the whole collection in the entry, but I would!

Wow, first collection

that stood out to me from NYFW so far.

Okay, so floral isn’t anything new for spring, but I loved the colors and the vibrant boldness of the prints. And the tassels and strings here and there were a very cute addition to the symmetric nature of the looks. Normally, I’m not a fan of greens and blues and reds and yellows and oranges all together… unless it’s a rainbow.. but Chris Benz does it just right. Basically, it doesn’t look like Henry Holland’s past collection where all the stripes were different colors of the rainbow, but looked.. like a crayon box.