Sunday, January 30, 2011

Spy Fox

This is a little different from the types of outfits I usually do, but my friend and I were talking about this the other day and he said that I would earn some major cool points if I did this topic. So here it goes: Spy Fox. Yep. Like Spy Fox: In Dry Cereal. The computer game for 5 to 10 year olds. I don't know about the rest of you, but I loved this game when I was younger (along with Putt Putt, Freddi the Fish, Pajama Sam... actually Pajama Sam might make a good topic - keep a look out for that one :P). For those of you who never got a chance to play the game, it's basically a James Bond computer game with animals. In the first game, Spy Fox, with help from his colleague Monkey Penny, tries to stop the evil William the Kid, CEO of Nectar of the Goats (N.O.G.), and his partner Russian Blue, from stealing all of the world's milk supply in order to replace the cow milk with goat milk. As weird as all of that sounds, it was actually a really fun game (and the only one of the series that I can remember playing).




"A spy without a gadget is like a shopping cart without a broken wheel" - Spy Fox





Blouse - Debenhams, Pants - Donna Karan, Shoes - Urban Outfitters, Necklace - Peter Lang





Monkey Penny





Top - Cushnie Et Ochs, Jeans - Clemens en August, Shoes - ZARA, Watch - Calvin Klein, Ring - Jewelry Adviser








William the Kid




Blouse - Elie Tahari, Skirt - Jaeger, Jacket - Hobbs Rubens, Shoes - Christian Louboutin, Bracelet - Vanity







Russian Blue




Dress - Patricia Field, Shrug - black.co.uk, Shoes - Paris Hilton, Bag - MyTheresa, Bracelet - Charm & Chain, Necklace - 1928




*With credit to Marcus because he's cool enough to still play Spy Fox.

Friday, January 28, 2011

7 Deadly Sins

Finally, here's the blog based on my Halloween outfit last year: the seven deadly sins (I was wrath). I'm really not sure why I'm so fascinated with them; it's probably because they're pretty much committed by every single person (unless you're Jesus), but God still forgives us, even though we do these horrible things. Plus, there are all these really cool takes on the seven deadly sins with movies and books - my favorites are the movie SE7EN (terrifying psychological thriller about a mass murderer who bases his crimes off of the sins) and the poem "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins" by R. S. Gwynn. For those who don't know much about the sins, here's a quick overview: There are seven deadly sins (or "cardinal sins" or "capital vices") - pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust - which correspond with the seven virtues. According to Dante in his Purgatorio (the section of the Divine Comedy which describes Purgatory - where those who commit the seven deadly sins are thought to go, if you're Catholic), those who commit these sins will receive their punishments in Purgatory, and the farther down on the list of these sins (like lust, for instance, is the last one) one commits, the smaller amount of time one has to serve in Purgatory. All of the outfits on this post are in the order Dante devised, starting with the worst (closest to Hell), and going to the... best of the worst, I guess (closest to Heaven).






My friends and me as the 7 Deadly Sins (along with the Devil and the Devil's advocate)
I was wrath.. so I got to have a mohawk :)







PRIDE: Excessive belief in one's own abilities
Punishment in Hell: Broken on the wheel
VIRTUE: Humility

Blouse - Classique Entier, Pants - Joan Shepp, Shoes - Qupid, Necklace - Fantasy Jewelry Box, Ring - 1928, Earrings - Kate Spade, Bag - Valentino Garavani, Mirror/brush - Sephora





Dress - Paprika, Compact - BKE, Shoes - Westfield, Earrings - Rue 21, Bracelet - Butler & Wilson, Clutch - Dazed Dorothy




ENVY: Desire for others' traits, abilities, status, or situation
Punishment in Hell: Put in freezing water
VIRTUE: Love

Cardigan - John Lewis, Cami - Nordstrom, Shoes - Bruno Magli, Jeans - Dolce & Gabbana, Bag - Ghibli, Earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box





Dress - DiscountDressShop, Shoes - Net-A-Porter, Necklace - White House Black Market, Earrings - Boscor's, Clutch - Lori's Shoes





WRATH: In the individual who spurns love and opts for fury
Punishment in Hell: Dismembered alive
VIRTUE: Kindness
Jeans - All Saints, Jacket - Dolce & Gabbana, Top - Twenty8Twelve, Boots - Start, Bracelet - Burberry, Ring - Old Glory, Earrings - Anita Ko



Dress - Halston Heritage, Shoes - Miu Miu, Bracelets - H&M, Earrings - Overstock.com, Clutch - Nordstrom







SLOTH: Avoidance of physical or spiritual work
Punishment in Hell: Thrown into snake pits
VIRTUE: Zeal
Pants - PJ Salvage, Tank top - David and Goliath, Slippers, Forever 21, Hoodie - Victoria's Secret




Sweatpants - Juicy, Tank top - Old Navy, Hoodie - Juicy, Socks - Rue 21, Shoes - Converse, Hair tie - Yesstyle





GREED: Desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring spiritual gain
Punishment in Hell: Boiled alive in oil
VIRTUE: Generosity
Blouse - A.F. Vandevorst, Jeans - All Saints, Shoes - bebe, Necklace - Janis, Earrings - Christian Dior, Clutch - Stuart Weitzman



Skirt - Ashish, Blouse - Saks Fifth Avenue, Shoes - Net-A-Porter, Bracelet - Yves Saint Laurent, Earrings - Biba, Bag - Zagliani










GLUTTONY: Desire to consume more than is necessary
Punishment in Hell: Force-fed rats, toads, and snakes
VIRTUE: Faith and temperance
Jeans - Dolce & Gabbana, Top - Forever 21, Shoes - Dear Fieldbinder, Cupcake bracelet - Amy Secrest, Cupcake earrings - Yesstyle, Bag - David and Goliath


Top - Modcloth, Skirt - Modcloth, Shoes - Modcloth, Dino eating fried chicken ring - Verameat, Bag - Lazy Oaf




LUST: Inordinate craving for pleasures of the body
Punishment in Hell: Smothered in fire and brimstone
VIRTUE: Self-control
Blouse - Debenhams, Skirt - Black Halo, Shoes - Anne Michelle Colada, Earrings - Kate Spade, Ring - Kate Spade, Bracelet - Charm & Chain, Bag - Marc Jacobs



Dress - John Lewis, Shoes - Christian Louboutin, Earrings - Lee Angel, Bracelet - Nordstrom, Clutch - Monsoon
Sources:

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Little Mermaid

Here's my last Disney movie for a while: The Little Mermaid (I have a pretty time consuming project I've decided on for the next one). Disney came out with its animated version of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale in 1989. This movie follows the same basic plot of every Disney movie: girl falls in love with boy, couple must face obstacle put in front of them by the evil villain, and in the end, SPOILER: the girl gets the prince. Now that I think about it, and since we just talked about this in my British Literature class, Disney movies tend to follow the typical marriage plot - the prince is handsome, the girl never has a job or any independence after the marriage, and the man is the provider in the relationship (except in the case of Aladdin; although, after he marries Jasmine he becomes a prince, the future sultan, and the only one with the power in the relationship). But I digress. The Little Mermaid follows basically the same plot, except the princess is a fish, and you know, she kind of needs to get rid of her tail in order to marry her true love.





"I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty/I have whoozits and whatzits galore/You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty/But who cares? No big deal/I want more" - Ariel




Dress - Julie Haus, Jacket - Talbots, Shoes - Balmain, Earrings - Belle Noel, Bracelets - Forever 21


Dress - ShopThreeDots, Jacket - Junya Watanabe, Shoes - Karen Millen, Earrings - Tacori, Necklace - Peacocks









"It looks just like him. It even has his eyes. 'Why, Eric, run away with you? This is all so - so sudden...'" - Ariel (to statue of Prince Eric)




Jeans - PRPS, Corset - Love Burlesque, Shirt - Fat Face, Shoes - ZARA, Headband - Juicy








"Up where they walk/Up where they run/Up where they stay all day in the sun/Wanderin' free/Wish I could be/Part of that world..." - Ariel






Shorts - Athe-Vanessa Bruno, Tank top - Alexander McQueen, Shoes - Xhilaration, Bracelet - Marina Fossati, Earrings - Aurelie Biedermann








"If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet/You've got to pay the toll/Take a gulp and take a breath and go ahead and sign the scroll!/Flotsam, Jetsam, now I've got her, boys/The boss is on a roll/This poor unfortunate soul!" - Ursula






Jeans - Twenty8Twelve, Blouse - Frida, Shoes - Christian Louboutin, Bracelet - Kenneth Jay Lane, Earrings - Ice.com, Bag - Kate Spade








"Don't you take that tone of voice with me young lady. As long as you live under my ocean, you'll obey my rules!" - Triton (to Ariel)



Dress - Matthew Eager, Shoes - Jimmy Choo, Necklace - Charm & Chain, Bracelet - Heavenly Treasures, Clutch - Cleobella










"Believe me, Grim, when I find the right girl, I'll know. Without a doubt, it'll just-BAM-hit me. Like lightning." - Prince Eric (as lightning flashes in the background)




Skirt - Clemens en August, Blouse - Dorothy Perkins, Shoes - Pour La Victoire, Earrings - Overstock.com, Necklace - Kendra Scott







"Flounder, don't be such a guppy." - Ariel
"I'm not a guppy." - Flounder


(It would have been way too obvious for the guys' outfit to be Triton or Eric.)

Jeans - Diesel, Shirt - American Eagle, Jacket - ORiSUE, Shoes - Raf

Friday, January 21, 2011

Feminism

I'm taking a small hiatus from Disney movies (not to worry, eventually I'll finish out the 3 or 4 more I planned on doing) to talk about, and show outfits for, something I've only recently realized is extraordinarily important: feminism. Now I know what you're thinking: "Oh my gosh. Here's another psychotic, man-hating, hairy, stinky, bra-burning feminist." Actually, that's completely false. Like this comic ---->



it wasn't until I came to college that I met anyone who was a feminist that didn't fall into any scary stereotypes. Well, I didn't actually meet a feminist at all until college. Because I've vehemently been against feminism my whole life (thinking that the girls who believed in it were only doing so because they couldn't get a man so they didn't know that it's actually fun to cook for a boyfriend or be treated like a lady), I never thought that it would turn out that one of my best friends now is a feminist. Or that I would realize that I am one. In all of my almost twenty years, whenever someone has asked me what I want to do with my life, my automatic response has been, "I want to be a housewife." This post won't be about me telling you how my idea has changed and that I now want to be an astrophysicist - I'm terrible at science, so that will never be the case; it's that's I now understand why I want to do what I want to do with my life. I want to be a housewife because I love cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, and making people happy. I want to make sure that when I have children, I can be involved in their lives. This sounds like something straight out of the 50s, but even with all that, I'm still a feminist. Why? Because I CHOOSE to do this. I CHOOSE to be in college to major in what I want to major in, not what will make me rich, help me gain fame, or even provide a stable job after I graduate (English isn't the most predictable field to go into). I CHOOSE to be with the man who loves me and makes me happy, and hopefully, one day, we'll get married. If there's another woman out there who wants to be a missionary in a third world country, good for her. If another one wants to become President, she's got my vote (assuming she's competent). Basically, women have been gaining power continuously since we gained the right to vote, but what makes a woman extraordinary is her ability to choose what she wants to do with her life: having goals and fighting tooth and manicured nail for them.





"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as much as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties; and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to play on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex." - Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

Stereotypical Feminist
Jeans - Current/Elliott, Tank top - Forrest & Bob, Shoes - Vans, Gauges - Hot Topic, Love/Hate rings - UL 13






"I've yet to be on a campus where most women aren't worrying about some aspect of combining marriage, children, and a career. I've yet to find one where many men are worrying about the same thing." - Gloria Steinem

Stereotypical Anti-Feminist


Dress - Blue Velvet Vintage, Necklace - Ben-Amun, Earrings - Ben-Amun, Oven mitts - Jessie Steele, Apron - Vera Bradley, Shoes - Sergio Rossi, Ring - Dorothy Perkins

(Please don't take any offence from the stereotypical outfits - I actually like both of them, and I don't think I'm really stereotypically either.)







"The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me." - Ayn Rand







"I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naive or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman." - Anais Nin


Blouse - Debenhams, Skirt - Dorothy Perkins, Shoes - Charlotte Russe, Bracelet - 1928, Bag - Lodis Audrey






"A feminist is a woman who does not allow anyone to think in her place." - Michele le Doeuff



Pants - Alexander McQueen, Blouse - Bailey 44, Jacket - Express, Shoes - Dolce Vita, Bracelet - Max & Chloe, Bag, Michael Kors



"Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt


Jeans - Seven for all Mankind, Blouse - Yves Saint Laurent, Shoes - Dorothy Perkins, Bag - Kate Spade, Necklace - Dabby Reid, Bracelet - Tarina Tarantino









"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels." - Faith Whittlesey

Dress - Unique Vintage, Shoes - Yves Saint Laurent, Bracelet - Avalaya, Clutch - Badgley Mischka

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Aladdin

Finishing up my roommates' favorite Disney movies is Aladdin. Aladdin was a 1992 Disney adaptation of "Aladdin and the magic lamp" from One Thousand and One Nights. After reading the book, the story is much different than the Disney version - for starters, in the book, Aladdin is Chinese, not Indian. Also, Jasmine, as we know her and in regards to name, does not exist in the story. Well, the Disney version is better anyway, right? A street urchin finds a magic genie, meets a beautiful princess, falls in love, defeats an evil sorcerer, and becomes a prince. Sounds like a Tuesday, doesn't it?

"A whole new world/A dazzling place I never knew/But when I'm way up here/It's crystal clear/That now I'm in a whole new world with you." - Jasmine






Dress - Temperley London, Shoes - Giuseppe Zanotti, Necklace - Kenneth Jay Lane, Earrings - Kenneth Jay Lane




Dress - Temperley London, Shoes - Isaac Mizrahi, Earrings - Fantasy Jewelry Box, Bracelet - Fendi



"Riffraff, street rat/I don't buy that/If only they'd look closer/Would they see a poor boy? No siree/They'd find out/There's so much more to me." - Aladdin






Pants - REVOLVEclothing, Shirt - J. Crew, Cardigan - Precis Petite, Shoes - Modcloth, Bag - Forever 21, Necklace - Ugo Cacciatori, Earrings - Max & Chloe







"You're speechless, I see. A fine quality in a wife." - Jafar






Cardigan: Maison Martin Margiela, Jeans - Goldsign, Tank top - Vanity, Shoes - Cole Hann, Headband - Eugenia Kim, Diamond ring - Judith Ripka, Snake ring - Loree Rodkin




"Yo, Rugman! Haven't seen you in a few millenia. Give me some tassel." - Genie



(I figured guys deserved at least one outfit out of all of the ones that I've done so far.)

Jeans - American Eagle, Blue t-shirt - Splendid, Jacket - Asos, Burgundy t-shirt - American Eagle, Brown shoes - Converse, White shoes - Vans, Watch - Sturling, Leather cuff - Yesstyle