Work-Rest-Play-Die

Columbus Day...what a useless holiday (especially in the minds of the Native Americans). Though I do enjoy the day off from both work and school, I can't help but wonder why Columbus Day was deemed any more important than, say, Arbor Day or Talk Like A Pirate Day. I figured today would be a lovely day to sleep in, watch Sex and the City, and maybe even do a bit of extra school work or do the dishes. Of course that quickly turned into a busy day of creating a total inventory list of items for the Fashion Show (we're talking in the hundreds), all the while wearing earplugs/not speaking as part of a Deaf-Simulation project for my Intro to Deaf Culture class.The lack of audiological distractions are actually quite nice, but these ear plugs are giving me the worst headache.

So I finally meandered onto my new roof today to take a gander at picture taking. While far less daunting than our previous South Philly "roof top" (which wasn't so much a rooftop as a large ledge), I've now got to contend with our adjoined next-door neighbors spotting me, plus the random Penn student walking on the street and seeing some girl striking ridiculous poses over and over again.

I suppose when it gets too cold, I won't have to worry about spectators but today is just too gorgeous to not take advantage of the fleeting warm weather. We're now in mid-October, folks. That means freezing temperatures, waning daylight hours, and snow are right around the corner. Let's live it up in shorts and tank tops while we still can!

Tank Top: "Art is Freedom" by Rainbow Alternative

Shorts: DIY Abercrombie & Fitch

Tights: Forever 21

Shoes: thrifted Report (Retrospect- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: street vendor in the Italian Market

Philadelphia Fashion week

So, Philly Fashion Week was....to be honest, a bit underwhelming. I realize Philadelphia isn't exactly Milan, Paris, or even New York. But still, last I checked we were the 5th largest city in the United States. There's tons of stylish designers (though I must admit, I wasn't a fan of Kristin on this season's Project Runway), we've got some fantastic bloggers like Hal and Kimberly. Our vintage and thrift stores are some of the best out there. So, I guess I'm just a bit confused. Maybe I went on the wrong night, as I attended boutique night. I was just hoping for a bit more. The Drexel senior fashion show I attended in the spring was pretty much mind blowing, not to mention had adequate seating). Overall, I had a fun time, and I'm optimistic that next year can be even bigger and better.

Little Bit (in love with you)

Where does a fashion faux-pas end and a trend begin? Yes, I did indeed wear these Oxfords on Wednesday. And yes, I did indeed wear them again Thursday. It's official: I'm obsessed. If only they were more comfortable. After a full day at work and school, accompanied by a long walk to a farther-than-usual parking spot, I was more than happy to swap them for a pair of comfortable moccasins at the end of the day. Overall though, this is one of my favorite outfits lately. I've been super into the rolled-at-the-ankle jeans look, which bizarrely seems to actually make me look taller, despite my worries that cropping my pants at such an odd angle would dwarf my already short stature. I'm also loving how a monochromatic palette makes my new hair color pop even more, allowing for a relaxed yet dramatic look.

Shirt: H&M

Pants: Forever 21

Belt: thrifted (American Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes: secondhand Anne Michelle (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: street vendor in the Italian Market

Feast or Famine

Ok, so here's that long awaited post that I probably should have gotten to weeks ago. Not that I'm making excuses, but to give you an example of what my life has been like lately, here's my schedule for the current week:

• Monday
  Work- 8:30-2:00pm
  Class- 2:30-4:00pm
  Model fitting- 7:30-8:30pm
• Tuesday
  Sick! No work, but still had to go to class
  Class- 2:00-3:30pm
  Generally being a lump after I got home from school. Total waste of a day
• Wednesday
  Work- 9:00-2:00pm
  School- 2:30-4:00pm
  Fashion Show meeting- 5:00-6:30pm
  Philly Fashion Week- 6:30-10:00pm
• Thursday
  Work- 9:00-1:30pm
  School- 2:00-3:30pm
  Fashion Show meeting- 5:00-6:00pm
  Philly Fashion Week- 6:30-10:00pm
• Friday
  Work- 9:00-2:00pm

And somewhere in between all that, I've got to find time to do school work, create the program for the fashion show, take photos for the blog, do more fittings,  and host a friend whose visiting from Buffalo for the weekend!

 

Oh yeah, I guess somewhere in that time, I must have bleached and cut my hair. Funny how Saturday night seems like ages ago. I'd been itching to do something fun with my hair, but at 23 with a "real job", I'm no longer able to purchase bottles of Manic Panic or Special Effects while still taking myself seriously. I think this is a nice compromise though. I originally planned to do a light orange-y red, inspired by that adorable model  with the pixie cut that Mod Cloth has been featuring lately (come on, you know who I'm talking about!). I bought the bleach, bought the dye, and crossed my fingers that everything would turn out right. After the bleach, however, I decided to leave it as is. I know it's a salon's worst nightmare, but it's so perfectly imperfect that I really love it. I then updated my boring blunt cut with the only hair cut I know how to give myself (really chunky layers ala Joan Jett). I love how something as simple as brightening up my hair completely changed my appearance. It's like a permanent accessory that brightens up any outfit and gets attention without having to obnoxiously beg for it.

So this is the outfit I wore to Philadelphia Fashion Week last night for the premiere night. Nothing too fancy, mainly due to the restrictions of this freezing weather Philly's been experiencing lately. I've finally had to bust out my leather jacket and gone are the days of shorts and dresses without tights underneath. I admit, I was a bit jealous of the girls who dared the weather in gorgeous sundresses and miniskirts, but I'll take tweed and mohair just fine. Not to mention these great suede Oxford heels I stumbled on at Buffalo Exchange. They're a bit pricey for Buffalo Exchange prices ($26), but still a steal and exactly what I've been searching for, though I wouldn't mind if they didn't have the side zipper. Something about a side zipper just seems tacky...

(obligatory cheesy telephone photo)

Leather Jacket: H&M
Sweater: H&M

Shorts: thrifted (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Tights: Walgreens

Shoes: thrifted Anne Michelle (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: sidewalk vendor in the Italian Market

Philadelphia Fashion Week

Cripes, talk about being a bad blogger. I could rattle off the usual excuses (work at Bike & Build, increasingly time consuming classes, finishing our move, the Philadelphia Bike Expo fashion show growing ever closer...). Or I could just promise to be a good little blogger and start posting again. Believe it or not, I actually managed to snag some pictures this morning before I dashed off to work. I'll try to get those up sometime tonight/tomorrow.

And I should have even more new content, as I was somehow able to snag complimentary passes to Philadelphia Fashion Week for tonight and Thursday! Ok, I should say that my boyfriend was able to snag the passes because PFW shares the same venue as the Philadelphia Bike Expo and we're "doing research". But hey, a pass is a pass. I was so bummed to miss New York Fashion Week because of a cycling obligation, so this will actually be my first fashion week ever!

More soon...