Sunday, November 30, 2008

Oh yeah... duh

I'm such a head case that I completely forgot to post an interview that I did for Monique of Your Style Star. Read it... it's about me. 

It's sweet when someone wants to share the blog love. 

Leah<3

Gray Nail Polish

After finding out that both Flavia and I coincidentally have gray nail polish on our fingernails, I decided to make a post about it! It's my new favorite.




I've heard Rescue Beauty Lounge is awesome nail polish but I've never actually used it. Has anyone else? I always just buy OPI or Flare nail polish from Urban Outfitters because its cheap and they come in weird colors that no one else has. My gray is actually from Urban and it's like a dark gunmetal gray. I think gray is a pretty, toned-down alternative to the black nails that were popular last fall. What do you guys think?

The Flavs and stuff

Here are some random photos of Flavia, my darling lovergirl, that I've been meaning to post and a couple others:

Nacho is stylin'
Just working... you know
The new bike
at Art Bash
A bracelet I received as an early x-mas gift
a shirt I went a little too crazy on... I plan to make the holes smaller next time

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I had an awesome week-long break in Orlando and I spent way too much money. Maybe I'll make a post of my findings. The Prime Outlets (Betsey Johnson, American Apparel, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Juicy Couture, etc.) are the jam if you're ever in Orlando! 

-Leah<3

Monday, November 24, 2008

T-shirt shredding

Here's some stuff Flavs and I have been doing on Saturdays when we can actually spend time together! Shredding t-shirts takes a lot of time and tough fingers so beware! but the outcome is worth it. 

In the process 



Shes's an exhibitionist. 


Ok so if you want to shred a t-shirt, watch the video made by Camille of   Childhood Flames and it will give you a step-by-step tutorial. it's what we used to get started. 


Here's some of our own tips. 

1. use a new shirt because old shirts seem to be tougher from multiple washes. i found this out the hard way and that's why my shirt only has two panels. it really hurt my fingers.

2. be careful not to pull too hard because the threads will rip. you'll get holes, but they look cool so who cares.

3. just use your fingers to do it because a seam ripper is kinda pointless. 

4. it will take you a while to get a feel for it, so just keep trying different positions and you'll get the hang of it. i had to ask flavia for a lot of help because she got it way faster than i did. 

5. the fibers are actually very strong even after you shred it so feel free to wash. i did and it turned out fine. 

good luck! let me know if you have any questions.

Leah<3

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Interview with Brooklyn stylist Julie Williams

Just to be clear, you styled the models in the pictures...right? 
Yes, I styled the clothing, accessories, and often times the scenery and props. 

Is fashion styling your day job or do you have another job as well? 
It is supposed to be a day job, however times are slow so I do odd office 9-5 jobs more than half the time to make rent/bills. It's a bummer but it's pretty typical.


How did you get involved in styling? 
I had been assisting (personal and administrative) high profile executives and a couple of celebs for almost 8 years and finally just freaked over the lack of creativity involved in my day to day. My boss at the time and I clashed in a major way and hating my then job was the final push I needed to just do some thing, anything creative and fun. I save a bunch of money and started meeting stylists to get advice from. I had no idea what I was doing, all I knew was I loved putting visuals together and producing gorgeous images. Eventually I learned about all the logistics, like fitting and prepping garments or pulling from showrooms, etc. 

When did you start? 
August 07, not so long ago. 

Was it your dream or did you just fall into it? 
See #3 for part of the answer, but it's not exactly my dream job to be honest. It's extremely taxing, physically exhausting to an almost unbearable degree at times, and there's a lot of difficult challenges that come with the job in general such as dealing with rough characters, or waiting 90 days or more to get paid from jobs. 

Did you have to overcome any obstacles? 
Many, and still am. The financial part is difficult. Jobs pay quite low when you're starting out and some times it can last that way for years til it finally starts to click. I am making less than half what I made at my 9-5, though the freedom and creative aspects are nice. It's hard to get paid very little (or not paid at all) and work so hard on a project. It makes it challenging to figure out how to get by and still do what you enjoy without killing yourself on a night job. NYC is an expensive place to live, but is also the best place to be a stylist in terms of the talent, designers and general access to a million inspirational and amazing things. 

Did you go to school or are you just naturally talented? =) 
I did go to school, but for theater (haha) and communication/media. This was 7 years ago and obviously is unrelated to my current choice of employment. 

Can you explain the environment at a photo shoot?  
They're all different. Some times when it's for a big editorial, ad or catalog job it will be in a gorgeous studio with many people, and tons of yummy catering. Everyone is busy playing their part to make the results fantastic. Some times it will be a small operation and we'll work in my apartment and shoot out on the street and take a break with some deli sandwiches. It varies each time. 



Do you usually work with people you know or do you just stumble upon projects… Essentially, how do you find work? 
It's becoming difficult with the woes of the economy. Some times people find me through sites like dripbook. Some times people I assist will pass on jobs to me that they don't want or can't do. And from there you build relationships if the first time clicks and they call you back. 

Do you have a favorite designer? If not, who do you enjoy the most? 
It's hard to chose just one. And because of my financial situation I can't really shop but some times I get stuff for free. I have to be creative with my personal style and I wear a ton of vintage, and often times will find sick things at forever 21 that look really high end. (shhh!) If I could afford to shop though, I love matthew williamson, sonia rykiel, and Rachel Comey. 

If you could work with anyone, who would it be and why? 
If I could work with anyone, it'd be all my friends - every day - because they're all wildly talented and inspiring to me. Otherwise, I'd love to dress some music icons like Grace Jones or Bowie! 

I really enjoyed "Riding Dirty" and "Get Some Colors On." What were they used for? 
Riding Dirty was shot for a spanish magazine called Clone. It came out over the summer. Get Some Colors on should appear in Dujour Magazine soon. 

What advice would you give to those who aspire to work as stylists? 
Be passionate!!!! It's the main thing that will keep you going. Also - find odd jobs or a night job at first, you'll need it. :)

I see that you live in Brooklyn, which I fell in love with this summer and hope to move to after graduation. Do you like living there? 
I love Brooklyn! I'm a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn, raised on Long Island and have been living in the city and BK for the last 10 years. It's the only place to be for me right now. I'd love to experience other cities perhaps in the future, but NY has me consistently hooked. There's an almost overwhelming amount of inspiration, music, art, style and energy in Brooklyn, I feel thankful every day to be here.

-Leah<3

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Things to check out in Gville this month:

Sometimes it's hard to find new and exciting things to do around here, BUT, this month is showing great potential! Hopefully I'll see some of you at:




Store101: admiring the art of Gainesville's own Ted Lincoln. 
His "Lost in Perspectives" exhibit will be on display at Store101 until Nov. 21, so check it out! Rumor has it that there may be a closing party, I'll fill you in on all the deets. 


Art Bash:
I went to Art Bash last year and it was so much fun. You can check out our friends in the art department and get to see everything they work so hard on. There's art displayed everywhere, graphics, sculpture, live art, performance art, and all kinds of other entertainment. I have to say, I look forward to seeing my favorite Gainesville band, EVERYTHING IS OK, play that night!! 
Go to UF's College of Fine Arts area on Friday Nov. 14 from 7:00-10:00 pm. Trust me it'll be amazing. 


The Rocky Horror Show:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my absolute favorite movies, so when I heard that it would be performed at our own Constans Theatre this month, I couldn't help but do the time warp. There aren't too many performances left, so get your tickets soon! You can buy tickets at the University Box Office or Ticketmaster.com. 

Here are the dates: 

Nov. 12- 7:30pm
Nov. 13- 7:30pm
Nov. 14- 7:30pm
Nov. 15- Midnight Show!!
Nov. 16- 2:00pm Closing Show

See you around!

Flavia<3

Inspiration

Hey there!
Well, between school and our two jobs, Leah and I are constantly blogging and shopping, searching for new inspirations. We really want our blog to flourish. Being so busy these days, you can really get stuck in a fashion rut sometimes, but here are some of my findings that hopefully you will enjoy too: 



Fashion Books:
Both of these are in my Amazon.com shopping cart as we speak. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's long anticipated book is finally available, and if you lurk sneak peaks online it's really irresistible. I think fashion is all about inspiration and experimentation, and the twins exemplify this through the gorgeous imagery in their book. 
For all of you Style.com fanatics out there, their own Candy Pratt's book is full of images of gorgeous accessories that are not only aesthetically beautiful, but also very artistically inspired. 





Wearing Tights Under Everything:
It's been surprisingly nippy in Gainesville recently. If you're like me and still want to sport your onesies, high waisted skirts, and shorts, then just throw a pair of opaque or patterned tights on under your signature pieces and not only will you feel adorable, but people can still admire your legs while not having to lurk your goosebumps. I really love how a temperature drop can lead to great fashion experimentation. Mix textures and colors!




Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton:
So impressive. I almost bought this gem of a film on impulse at the MJ boutique in soho last year with Leah, but it was around $35 dollars so.....no. Thank the fashion heavens for Netflix. This documentary is fantastic because it really makes you appreciate the creative process that goes into putting together collections. If you've ever said to yourself "Why is high fashion so damn expensive?!", then watch this. Not only will you have an epiphany as to how talented Marc Jacobs really is (and how surprisingly hot he is), but you'll make a separarate savings account for your own LV gear. Thanks to our reader who recommended it a few posts ago, you were so right!






TOPSHOP:

Why is the Euro such a strong form of currency? I should know that from macroeconomics but what I just don't understand is why I can't dress in Topshop merch every day. Their collections are so on point with what's hot right now. Essentially, everything that is on your mental fashion wishlist you can find at Topshop. I might have to splurge...
Check out their look book here.

Hopefully you've been intrigued. Some things to look forward to: Mine and Leah's shredded tee adventure. I'm really interested in writing more posts about fashion finds for girls and guys on a budget. It's difficult having Louboutin and Marc Jacobs dreams with minimal funding, I know first hand. So I'll be looking out for must-haves that you can actually look forward to owning. Just a reminder: please wear your cutest outfits to school and around town so that Leah and I can take your pictures. We are in desperate need of more Street Style material! Comment on any of your own interesting fashion findings or projects, we'd really like to get to know what our readers are interested in. Good luck with school/work/life <3

-Flavia

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Here are the pictures we took of the Bobby K fashion show. I love when there are fashion shows in Gainesville because it makes me feel like... I'm not in Gainesville. I have to praise him for having the guts to show his work in front of his peers. It would be difficult to expose yourself so easily to criticism. We tried to get a good spot for pics but it was packed in there. And forgive us for the poor quality. We used iPhones to take all the pictures and it's not the best camera. My favorite motifs in his work are the black and white stripes, huge bows and ruffles. duh! I would buy the black and white asymmetrical/ruffle strap dress in the last picture if I could! 



Click the picture to see larger versions of the full album.

Alexander McQueen for Target


I just found out that Alexander McQueen will be collaborating with Target in March 2009. The collection, call McQ Alexander McQueen for Target, will be separate from the Go International line. Pictures have not yet been released but I'm super excited to see what McQueen's ideas are for Target. Alas, I can finally own something designed by one of my favorite designers... or at least his creative team. 
Edit: McQ Alexander McQueen for Target will feature lightweight sweaters, slim and cuffed shorts, skinny jeans and bubble dresses. Specific pieces include a black trench, gray denim studded cropped jacket, a tuxedo blazer, swimwear and cotton print scarves. exciting! 

McQueen's muse for the collection is lead singer of the band The Duke Spirit, Leila Moss.


P.S. I will post pictures of the Bobby K fashion show soon... been trying to get an interview with him but I guess its not going to happen. Also, mine and Flavia's shredded t-shirt adventure.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Some proposed changes...

So, I know that posts have been few and far between this past week or so... but it has been hell week for the two of us at school... not to mention we both have two jobs. Regardless, we apologize for the lack of posting and we promise to start back up soon. Flavia and I have decided to make our blog a bit more personal. We plan to take pictures of one another's outfits for the blog. Let me be honest here, Flavia is my best friend and best style inspiration and she always has me on my toes and planning what to wear next. Thus, look forward to some pics of us and ours clothes and recent purchases. We both shop quite a lot so we shouldn't have a lack of posting material. So please continue reading and we promise to come through with some interesting things. 

One quick tip before I go: 



This jacket is amazing and we had it at Wolfgang and I'm seriously kicking myself in the ass for not getting it when it was $75. You could get this jacket at urbanoutfitters.com for $98, BUT fredflare.com has it for only $80! and FredFlare has a bunch of cute accessories and trinkets for your home. I've purchased a ton of stuff from there and they always have discounts. If you type "mountain" into the promo code box at checkout you get 25% off until 11.17. 

p.s. if you have a twitter account, we should follow each others' tweets. my twitter name is lsouth.

-Leah