my name is ferdinand, i have told you enough!

For those of you who know me, you may already know that I have an affinity for French films. I absolutely love to watch them, even though I don't understand a word and have to spend a good portion of the time reading the subtitles. My favorite French film is 'Perriot Le Fou' starring Anna Karina. It is one of the few foreign films that I can almost watch completely without looking at the subtitles because I have seen it so much. Ever since I watched it the first time, I've been entranced by Anna Karina. Her big eyes (nearly always lined with the most fantastic eyeliner), her bangs, the delicate way in which she speaks and sings. If there is anyone that I could be, I think that it would be her. So I decided to point out a few things that represent her classic style.. Anna Karina, to me, always gives off this soft look even if her eyelids are often covered in dark eyeliner. As you can see in the above photographs, she often wore very delicate, girly dresses. Lace, ruffles, bows -- her dresses had them all. I have been searching for graduation dresses (which I may make another post on next month), and these are the type of dresses I have been looking at the most. They are both modern and classic, I especially love white dresses with collars and high necklines, and Anna Karina embodied all of those current trends back in her day. Another outfit that Anna Karina seemed to have used repeatedly was the combination of a cardigan and a knee length skirt. I feel like this could be my inspiration for moving into career-appropriate attire, as I have yet to truly purchase clothing that falls into that category. The buttoned up cardigan can be reserved or sexy depending on the neckline, and depending on the tightness of the skirt? Well, you catch my drift. This look can be demure or naughty-librarian depending on how you wear it and your attitude, which is something I think I'll love to play with in the future. In the past few seasons, all we have heard thrown at us is POPS OF COLOR! Whether a sock, shoe, clutch or pant, I think we have all embraced this trend full force. If I were channeling Anna Karina for the day, my pop of color would definitely have to be something red. A bold red tight or dress, or maybe a more tame red sweater or stripe pattern. Ms. Karina adored big, boyfriend-type sweaters as can be seen in many of her photographs and films, but she also adored skinny jeans (often cropped), so I think she would love the more modern red denim that we have seen so much this spring. I could see myself wearing any of these items, but for those out there that are afraid to wearing something so eye-catching, I would suggest to simply go with a red nail! It's a statement without screaming "look at me!" Last but not least, accessories are key when channeling the incredible actress. It was rare that she was seen without any accessories at all. In fact, I think her most popular was for her to be wearing something on her head or in her hair. She often wore the basic black beret, but also toyed with more colorful fedoras and flower crowns -- all of which fit perfectly into anyone's spring style. Round glasses are something that have often been associated with her as well, and I actually just purchased my own pair from The Caravan, but the site has even more options that even have her namesake. Click here to check out the different styles! Along with these accessories, she seemed to be a very literary type and like most stars back then, a smoker. But don't worry, the cigarettes I included in the image above are candy!

what i wish i was doing this weekend.

(photo by tiger-photography on flickr)

All of my favorite blogs are filled to the brim with posts about Coachella. My Twitter feed, Instagram list & Tumblr dash are all full of the same thing. I, unfortunately,will not be attending the festival and never have, but I really hope to next year or at least sometime in my life. I have attended festivals before; in fact, I was an avid Bamboozle fan for years, but this year is my first not going to that one either. (I feel like I should have a broke girl problems hashtag somewhere around here.) But one day, I truly want to attend an amazing weekend festival that involves traveling, sleeping in a tent, sweating my butt off and such incredible music that changes my life. Is that too cliché? Either way, someday I will be one of those annoying people that are posting what they are packing for either Coachella or Bonnaroo. In fact, I have gone as far as to think of different outfits that I would wear when my time does comes along…
Clearly, there would not be enough room to pack all of these outfit changes, but since there are six days of Coachella total this year, I thought six different choices were appropriate. I think that both sides of my fashion personality shine through these choices. Part of me always wants to be a bit classy or buttoned up, while the other half of me wants to channel my inner "free spirit" (note: this side of me is why I am desperately willing my hair to grow back to where it was). A lot of people wear dresses to festivals, but I opted to go with tops and shorts for all of my choices because I just see it as more practical. Who the hell wants their sweaty thighs rubbing together all day anyway? Give me a cute bathing suit, tank and cutoffs and you have my perfect look. There's more variety in the shoes I gave, but let me tell you one thing: no matter what shoes you wear, you will be uncomfortable, so pack those bandaids and don't be afraid to go barefoot here and there to give your feet a break. A lot of bloggers opt for ankle boots, most girls go for flat sandals, but I think the best bet for longterm comfort is a good pair of Toms or canvas sneakers. Two more tidbits I've learned from trekking around Bamboozle and London for hours on end: do not wear a cross-body bag, it'll kill your shoulder no matter how light the bag is and don't bother bringing your Karen Walker sunglasses, bring your cheapest pair instead because at some point, you will lose them.Last year, my favorite look at Coachella came from Kate Bosworth. So I'll be watching her the closest this year, along with the large skew of models that are attending. While I may not be at the festival myself, I will be refreshing for photos like crazy in between watching some of my favorite bands on the live feed, so don't be surprised when I act as if I was there all along.

disappear here.

I try and read one book a week, and this week that book is Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis. This is actually the third time I've read the book, as Bret Easton Ellis is my favorite author. I started to read it again because I have been contemplating what to do my thesis on in Graduate school (I just applied!) and knew that I would have to do something with Ellis and possibly even this novel. Even though the story is pretty tragic, I have always found myself wishing that I lived in California in the 80s without a care in the world like the characters in the book and movie. I think Blair is such a great female character, and I love that Jami Gertz played her in the film adaptation.. She had such excellent style and personality… and the fact that Ellis was a bit obsessed with her in real life makes the casting so much better!If I were recasting the movie to reflect today's actors and actresses, I know that I would start with Amber Heard. While Gertz was fabulous with her dark curls, I think Blair is meant to be more of a beach blonde. This pick is biased, of course, because Amber starred in The Informers, another film based upon one of Ellis' novels and now I cannot get her out of my head when thinking of any of his books. She has the ability to be vulnerable and high strung, which is exactly what the character of Blair needs. The guys were definitely more difficult, so I just chose two actors that are semi-popular at the moment (at least, in my opinion). Liam Hemsworth would be a great Clay because I think that he would be able to step back and let the other characters have the light when it was their turn. He also has that look about him that makes both men and women swoon, which is necessary. The part of Julian was easier to pinpoint. At first, I wanted to go with Aaron Paul, but I think he's just a bit too old for the part (then again, so was RDJ). But Sebastian Stan has the ability to be dark-yet-likeable and could make Julian the hero of the flick just like RDJ did once upon a time.…And now for the part you must have seen coming. I have not seen Less Than Zero in a while, so I don't remember all of Blair's outfits, but I do remember them involving lots of blazers, shoulder pads, as well as a couple more casual outfits. So I threw together one outfit suited for a party and another more suited for lounging with Clay. All of the items are under $50 and I might have to have some of them! How fabulous is that dress? And that Barbie band tee? Definitely a must have for summer! Click the photo for all the details.

windy days and mondays always get me down...

(photo from tumblr)
Have you ever had such an awful night's sleep that when you woke up, you just didn't feel like getting dressed? I think I can hear a resounding "YES" from every single person on the planet. This morning was one of those days, and I fully blame the tornado-like winds that took over last night. Somehow they managed to blow papers around my room, as well as cause my blinds to move, despite the fact that my windows were closed! How does this happen? I'm not sure, but I do know that it has always been about 10 degrees colder in my room than the rest of the upstairs, so I think that there is a leak in my windows…

But back to what is important -- getting dressed! I felt lousy this morning and leaving my blanket was not ideal, so I did not feel very inspired while searching through my closet. In fact, I changed twice before settling on what to wear. It was definitely a day for sweats and a t-shirt, but since I'm not the type to wear sweats to school (all the power to the ladies that do though; I envy you!) so I went for my own version of sweats. My favorite skinny jeans - the 'diva' by Old Navy (no really, I wear them so much that I desperately need a new pair), a cropped cashmere sweater - the 'queen' by Stylemint, a tank from H&M, and my usual black flats. (Maybe keeping this blog will force me to shake things up and not wear the same staples everyday!) I also usually wear one of my two watches everyday to school, and today I chose my Michael Kors rose gold watch.



old navy cropped sweater, splendid slouchy sweater, mango skinny jean, h&m white tank, american vintage tank, michael kors watch, tillys crotchet backpack, chinese laundry flats
I threw together some options to recreate my "sweats" for those of you who are also on a budget. Normally, I wouldn't have spent $90 on a sweater, but it was a gift. I included the Michael Kors watch only because it is something worth splurging on because it is something you will use for years! I definitely think rose gold has become a classic look, but if you are a little more traditional, get it in gold or silver! You won't be disappointed. I chose a backpack because I brought my ASOS floral backpack to school today (as per usual) and I think a great backpack is a must have for students, especially when you don't want to bother coordinating a bag on top of carrying your laptop or notebooks. And finally, rather than my black flats, I included the same pair in a rose color to better fit the scheme. I may even have to purchase them since I wear their counterpart so often!

what i wore & what i wish i wore: easter edition.

bar III dress, alloy cropped cardigan, avenue shorts & chinese laundry flats (not pictured).
I absolutely had to have this dress when I tried it on at Macy's about two months ago. I'm very curvy, but I have a small waist, so I love anything that accentuates that feature of mine! Unfortunately, I don't have a tripod so I don't have any non-photobooth photos of myself in it, but I swear it looked better than the photos! The only thing with this dress is that it is pretty short, and I had planned on wearing tights but -- shock -- I don't have any! I couldn't believe it! I found these shorts in the back of my drawer.. I'm guessing they are supposed to be similar to bicycle shorts or spanx but they are way too big on me for that (which always makes me feel good, haha!) but I figured they looked decent enough for an Easter dinner at my house. If I was going somewhere fancier, I definitely would have worn tights! I also planned on wearing a pair of heels, but my legs are sore from working out the past few days so I took them off after about five minutes and switched for my go-to flats of the moment!


skirt by anomalous, shirt by topshop, shoes steve madden
Normally, my family goes out for brunch rather than stay in like we did this year. I love brunch because I can wear a mix of classy and casual -- I never have to be too dressed up, but I usually over do it by wearing heels that are probably too high for a holy holiday (oops!). When I spotted this skirt on Polyvore, I knew that this would have been the ultimate skirt for today. I'm obsessed with the high/low trend going on right now! I also really love shirts with any kind of ties or bows or collars, so the shirt from Topshop is another on my most wanted list. I try to keep everything I look for on Polyvore under $100 to be realistic for my price range, but I felt that these accessories would be classy without screaming THIS WAS CHEAP! I especially love the clutch and the hints of lace! I wish I could find out who made it.

it girl: gillian zinser.

(photos from tumblr & tfs)

From the second that she stepped onto the screen on 90210, Gillian Zinser has been on my fashion radar. She instantly became my favorite character as Ivy, and I always admired how different she was from the rest of the characters. Her style both onscreen and off is cool, relaxed, and looks like she just stepped off the beach. She's the perfect style icon for the rising temperatures and the best inspiration to get my butt to the gym so I can get myself a pair of high-waisted cutoffs to wear hidden under an over-sized tee!

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