field of poppies

another blogging adventure

2012-01-17T19:24:00.000-08:00

hello fair friends,

I'm working on a new blog at the moment-- it will consist mainly of my preparations for more research in Ecuador this summer and you can find it here. It will be more writing-based than this blog has been, no pressure to read all of the word-things that I post there, but it will also (hopefully) contain some interesting linguistic and cultural ideas as well, so feel free to follow me there if you're curious about my rainforest adventures from last summer and what I'll be planning to do this summer as well.

and here's a picture of me painted as an "urku warmi," since that's what this blog is all about.

Henry Darger

2011-11-18T00:58:00.001-08:00

fascinating art pictures by this guy. There's a great documentary, In the Realms of the Unreal, about his life and work. photo source

Aswata Upiuni, Tyam!

2011-11-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Just found this picture of myself drinking aswa from the summer. As the cold weather closes in I wish I were back in the rainforest more and more. Hopefully I will get a chance to do more research next summer!

Aswa, by the way, is the Lowland Quechua word for what is also commonly called chicha or manioc beer. It's the staple in Runa culture and is made from mashed up manioc (aka yuca, cassava, lumu) that has been mildly fermented. Tastes kind of like kombucha. Is also incredibly filling, which makes drinking lots as a sign of appreciation for the host more difficult.

picture taken by my fellow linguist Kevin

The General

2011-10-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Genuinely funny movie. I was giggling at regular intervals. The screen shot below is just one piece of Keaton's genius; I would love for a gentleman to give me a similarly inspiring photo of himself.

Marlboro Baby

2011-10-24T01:22:00.000-07:00

This reminds me of Mad Men. Crazy how much things have changed, though of course I haven't been around for long enough to know firsthand.

my apologies for the lack of source on this picture, it was just sitting in an old folder on my desktop. sloppy of me I know.

Restrepo

2011-10-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Watched the documentary Restrepo the other day. Very humanizing. It was a good, thoughtful piece. I'm realizing lately what I like in a documentary and what I don't-- often the choice of a narrow subject and a focus on human drama over political or social agenda makes a big difference in how I feel about them. I used to think I didn't like documentaries very much at all, but it's a pretty diverse genre.

Also the countryside was eerily pretty in Afghanistan. Photo below is a screenshot from the film.

Lolita

2011-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

This classic by Nabokov is amazing, and there are two pretty great movies of it as well. Stanley Kubrick's version from 1962 is a little tame but definitely a classic, and the 1997 version with Jeremy Irons is great too.Here's a screen shot I took of the 1962 film:

more Rodarte...

2011-10-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Just so good. Same source for the photos.

Rodarte

2011-10-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

This fall/winter collection is perhaps my favorite. I'm wishing for heavy, luxuriously warm fabrics to wrap myself in for the coming season.Pictures from Style.com.

Valentino

2011-10-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Love the colors and the hair.Again, pictures from Style.com.

Chloé

2011-10-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

Chloé is always one of my favorite labels. Perfect pitch colors, and a sense of drama. Pictures from fall/winter 2011 runway show on Style.com

Paper Moon

2011-10-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Just a cool movie. Classic. And I wish I were as quick-witted and as good a negotiator as that girl.

An Angel at My Table

2011-09-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling uninspired in the fashion department right now, so here's another tidbit of a beloved movie. This one has everything going for it, set in New Zealand so there are beautiful accents and landscapes, directed by Jane Campion (The Piano), and the coolest ginger child actress ever.

Also this biography makes me want to go read a book by Janet Frame, apparently she's well known in her country but I've been missing out on her genius all these years...

Tulpan

2011-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

Just watched this film last week. Set on the Kazakh steppe, which looks like a beautiful and challenging place to live. The whole movie charmed and delighted me; it was such a great mix of sincere human emotion and an alien, almost absurd setting. Plus a healthy amount of humor.

Best and grossest animal-birth scene in a movie that I've ever seen. But it has many other merits as well, from the innocent joy of childhood depicted to the treatment of marriage as a survival strategy in a harsh climate. Listening to Kazakh being spoken and sung was a bonus as well.

Here are some screen shots I took while watching the picture on Netflix:

La fille du RER

2011-09-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Watched this movie a while ago, it was pretty good. The main actress had such lovely hair, and the main actor was oddly attractive too.

This actress, Ronit Elkabetz, is so striking. I love her in The Band's Visit as well.

summer dreamin'

2011-08-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

I've been gone all summer, but here are some belated pictures of Spring/Summer clothing that I was dreaming of... more to come about my summer adventures. Sources below each set of pictures.

Charles Anastase
Perfect drape and colors too.

Rochas
These colors are a little strong for me right now, but I love the shapes of the dresses.

Sonia Rykiel
I love the lines, the bows, and the hair and lipstick with it. These colors and silhouettes also carry into fall for me.

This isn't even the best of my summer daydreams. I wish this season would stretch out a little longer...

Other Selves

2011-05-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

Naomi Campbell

Ajak Deng

Alek Wek

Sometimes I really wish I could be a black girl. Just sayin'. I will never possess a certain kind of beauty because of my genes. I suppose that's true in a larger way though, no one female can claim ownership to any type of beauty but her own.

pictures from the Thom Ticklemouse blog.

Paolo

2011-05-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

Romeo Gigli ads from the 80s that I found on sighs and whispers. Wanted to share because I've already established a love for Paolo Roversi, who also photographed these ads.

Resurrection (1980)

2011-05-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

A few shots from this funny little movie I watched recently with Ellen Burstyn and Sam Shepard. It seemed cheesy at first (and it probably is, objectively speaking) but I quite enjoyed it.

cleaning out the closet

2011-05-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Maybe I've gone a bit overboard taking screen pictures lately; it's just too fun not to when I'm watching things on Netflix instant play... Here are some images that have been sitting on my desktop I've been meaning to share:

Will Sampson aka the Chief, from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Such a great character.

a young Jane Krakowski (Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock) in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983).

Squadron leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shahrukh Khan) with Amitabh Bachchan in Veer-Zara (2004). My favorite detail is the sweater vest over the kurta, and Amitabh's sartorial masculine scarf and shoes.

A surprise hidden in the pilot episode of Roseanne: George Clooney in 1988. So beautiful.

blog browsing

2011-05-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

I've been overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful images at my fingertips lately. Here are two I found just today on yet another inspiring blog I discovered.

(Photographs by Tim Walker.)

I want to be this woman when I grow up

and I want to be this one right now.

my dear hometown

2011-05-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

"Where are you from?" is a surprisingly difficult question for me to answer, having grown up in a fair number of places since my dad was a C-130 pilot for the Air Force.

One possible answer is the town where I was born. I've never really lived there and I don't usually claim Utah as any kind of home, probably since I narcissistically like to think of myself as more cosmopolitan than that, but I was encouraged to get in touch with my 'true' roots recently by a friend taking advantage of my embarrassment. He claimed that the place where I was born is my true hometown, despite my lack of experience actually living there. So, ladies and gentlemen, here's a picture of Ogden, Utah from 1874 that I lifted from Wikipedia. This is my appreciation of my roots.

(And for the record I've lived in Georgia for longer than anywhere else in my life, so I still claim the South as more of a true home.)

Tout Près des Étoiles

2011-04-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Another documentary about ballerinas- Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet is the English title, though I like the French Tout Près des Étoiles better. "Tout près des étoiles" expresses the idea of being so close to the stars, which seems to describe the documentary more accurately.
There are lots of mini-interviews with understudies and other dancers on the periphery, and this documentary explores the pain and sweat and blood that go into dancing more than Ballerina. It spends more time on the difficulty of being an "étoile" (main dancer) for the opera, from training to retirement, and the sensation of being close to these "stars." The film also lingers on black and white stills and degas-like shots of the dancers, very lovely.

prague

2011-04-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Prague next Thursday; it will just be a short trip but I can't help daydreaming about it already, I've been perusing travel guides and anticipating Mucha's stained glass as well as the chance to visit a dear friend from high school.

image from here.

treasures

2011-04-09T21:32:00.001-07:00

People watching is one of the most intriguing pastimes, I've found. Even better is when I can peer into the lives of people from another time and place. Sometimes it's just through an old photograph, but other times I'm even more fortunate and can read an actual snippet about them. Such is the case with a few National Geographic pictures I found while perusing this weekend. Just lovely.

"MAY 1937 Arctic pioneers, members of the U.S.S.R.'s first scientific expedition to the North Pole, SP-1, lived for nine months on a drifting ice floe. Led by Ivan Papanin (second from right), the voyage proved that men on a drift station could collect mountains of data--and live to tell about it."

"FEBRUARY 1989 How to bathe on a floating block of ice? Russian scientists, like these on drift station SP-30, baked in a makeshift sauna, then dashed outside and rubbed their bodies with snow. Adrift for months at a time, Western and Russian ice camps were hotbeds of improvisation."

scanned images from National Geographic, February 1997

Picnic at Hanging Rock

2011-04-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be a good movie to watch because I heard it was beautiful, and I wanted to imagine wearing white Victorian dresses in the summertime and going on picnics with my friends...

I got more than I asked for. This film was brilliant and haunting, beautiful but also difficult to watch-- and surprisingly effective at creeping me out. I loved it.

ballerina

2011-04-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

Corps de ballet at the Mariinsky Theater (Kirov Ballet)

Ulyana Lopatkina, as the Swan and then with her daughter at the studio

Evguenya Obraztsova

At ten years old, girls audition for and begin in the first class at the prestigious Vagaonova Academy

Svetlana Zakharova without makeup, stunning.

Svetlana in costume for Swan Lake

I saw this 2009 film on Netflix Instant Play months ago, and still think about it regularly. It's not my favorite movie or even documentary, but it contained a ton of fascinating ballet info and interviews with some of Russia's most talented dancers in the Kirov ballet. To tell the truth, I've watched it over and over again just to learn more.

I can't get over the extreme dedication that this art requires, or the slightly troublesome element of seeing those 10 year old girls presented like prizewinning dogs or horses, or my girl crushes on all of these enchanting women.

All images are my own screen captures from Bertrand Normand's documentary.

ballet

2011-03-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

time to revisit an old obsession. unfortunately I didn't record the sources on these when I first tucked them away into my inspiration folder; the first is of Dhiagilev, French ballet composer, then the famous Anna Pavlova, a Russian Prima Ballerina from the turn of the century, followed by Ulyana Lopatkina, who dances today for the Kirov.

"Canción de otoño en primavera"

2011-03-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

¡Juventud, divino tesoro,
ya te vas para no volver!
Cuando quiero llorar, no lloro,
y a veces lloro sin querer...

Ruben Darío

I don't have the energy, much less the inspiration, to put this feeling into words. I can't translate this excerpt of Ruben Darío properly, but I will try to describe the feeling that it speaks to in me right now- I'm feeling as if I've run out of time, or as though there really isn't enough time to begin with, even though my life is still at the beginning; or even possibly at its peak. The title of his poem in English is "Song of Autumn in the Springtime."

Proenza Schouler

2011-03-17T16:28:00.001-07:00

From ITG at the Proenza Schouler Fall 2011 runway show:

In love with this hair right now. I love the absolute control and messiness at the same time, wish I knew how to achieve that look. I also like the fadey summer-heat in the southwest feel of the photo, it makes me want to go on desert adventures.

Verano

2011-03-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

haven't blogged lately, partly cause I think Miss Moss has perfected the whole endeavor. I want to share this video though- it's by a Chilean band that I think I'm starting to really get into, and it's increasing my longing for summertime to arrive. Lyrics included below.

Si el invierno te es muy largo, yo puedo acortarlo
Si te gusta los planetas yo te los llevo a tu puerta.

Y si quieres ver a dios tengo su foto en un cajón
Si te molesta tu padre, mejor dile que se prepare.

Y si quieres suicidarte yo podría dispararte .
y también acompañarte al infierno, a cualquier parte

Y si no quieres nada...

Y si quieres matar a todos aprende hacer bombas nucleares
Si quieres ganarte el cielo yo me arreglo con san pedro
Si quieres un mundo nuevo yo ya te lo tengo hecho
O si has caido alas pues revisa de inmediato tu espalda

Lo que quieras, lo que quieras

Fire in the Sky

2011-03-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

I've been drawn to science fiction lately, it's kind of an indulgent form of escapism but, as with any storytelling, it's ultimately about people and I think people are the most interesting subject of all.

Here's an old favorite of mine featuring Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, both brilliant minds and inspirational ones too.

The Angel Murkurker

2011-03-02T00:15:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty swamped with school and life lately (who can do both of those at the same time?) but here's what might be the most brilliant pancake-based short ever made:
Pancake Breakfast

and a preview

MacDo

2011-02-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

roommate brought me softserve and a diet coke. she knows the way to my heart. (ie through dairy desserts that mysteriously don't upset my lactose-intolerant tummy...)

ألْعَرَبيَّة صَعْب (Arabic is hard.)

2011-02-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

This is what I sound like when I'm speaking Arabic:
"wuh shumps kubeerra, shughalishit, andee itlem, mooshkeeluh, il humdu lillah... ahna mish mumpkin" etc...
(it's gibberish in Arabic too.)

In contrast, Arabic script and I are getting along famously.

I'm no expert yet, but now I know the whole alphabet and it's so much fun! I feel that my left-handedness and my habit of writing in cursive have both prepared me for this task. In fact I have been looking forward to really learning this beautiful language for years. My first attempt at Arabic script is still one of my fondest creations from high school art classes.

In any case, I'm in love. here are some images of real Arabic calligraphy in different styles.

source

source

main source

smoke and flowers

2011-02-02T22:51:00.001-08:00

had a lovely play date with a brilliant photographer friend a while back, here is some evidence and here are some of the results.
Also, I fell in love with Garden Roses the moment I saw them. Unfortunately roses don't usually interest me more than any other flower, but these are just too much, in the best way possible.

first attempt

2011-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

I need to work on my teasing skills, but here's what happened when I first tried the Gibson on myself. Unfortunately it took several days for my hair to feel completely smooth again so I haven't tried a second time yet. Some of that was in my technique, better teasing should come out more easily.

one in real color for good measure.

Evelyn Nesbit

2011-01-14T01:28:00.000-08:00

I can't say I didn't discover this charming nymph without the help of a dear friend, but I certainly rediscovered her while researching gibson girl style. To me she is a symbol of pure, ethereal feminine beauty. Her life's story, however, fits all the requirements of a classic greek tragedy, with her beauty as hamartia. This makes her even more fascinating to me. I would really like to read American Eve as I've heard it's a good explanation of her fame and the controversy that surrounded her.

one
two
three

Gibson Girls

2011-01-11T23:13:00.000-08:00

I learned how to do the Gibson Girl hairstyle in makeup class today. I'm not very good at it yet but just the idea has rekindled my love for the turn of the century and romanticism.

Camille Clifford in this photo reminds me of a mischievous girl I know...

More Gibson Girl talk later. Perhaps even some photos of my first attempt at doing the style on myself. By the way, who knew that they teased hair back in the 1890s? Why did my association between teasing and the 60s or the 80s make me think that it belonged firmly in the latter half of the 20th century?

ps some source sites:
one
two
three
four

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2011-01-11T00:31:00.000-08:00

Not only did Jack Nicholson have an amazing performance in this movie, but I fell in love with the whole ensemble cast. All lovable characters, and the movie itself was rich in humor and meaning. The whole film was pleasingly well made too.
The story reminded me somewhat of Cool Hand Luke- mostly in the sense of Jack Nicholson's character playing a role similar to Paul Newman's in relation to the other men. The stories also both deal with authority and sanity. And the wardens' uniforms reminded me a little of Party Down, which made me smile.
Next I want to read the book.

more ballet love

2010-12-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

this is mesmerizing, a reminder to fight my vacation slothfulness at least long enough to do some ballet exercises of my own (beginner's version of course).

Vera Karalli doing a very naturalistic portrayal of the dying swan, supremely gorgeous.

and to follow the old, a video of Uliana Lopatkina doing the dying swan much more recently. it's interesting to see how different the interpretations are, though both hurt my heart equally, from the emotion of the scene to the sheer beauty of it.

The Red Shoes

2010-12-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

the Winter break is always so deliciously lazy, I haven't been up to much except watching movies and reading books, and of course playing with the family and cuddling with the cats.

One of my new favorites is The Red Shoes. Not only full of ballet inspiration, the movie also has that charming color-saturated Technicolor look and lots of makeup inspiration too. It will probably take me hours of practice to figure out how to reproduce the stage makeup... but that's what all of this free time is for right?

And I would highly recommend The Red Shoes for its merit as a movie too. The story was well worth it, and Moira Shearer is charming as a red-headed ballerina- something you don't see every day.

The distress caused by the shoes that won't stop dancing...

Ribbon in the hair, stripes, and a little bit of attitude in her rehearsal outfit too. Girl crush.

Some extra makeup shots

2010-12-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

I wish I were one of these cats. not a care in the world, soft fur and someone to cuddle up next to.

Photo from Pedro Florentini's photostream, which I found via one of my favorite blogs, Gatopoder.

oh and here's an even cosier picture taken by someone or other in my family shortly after we got kittens for Christmas last year:

last day of finals

2010-12-16T22:38:00.001-08:00

this is what I keep telling myself so that I can make it to the end of the semester and finish my last two (hardest ever) papers:

also it's a screen shot from Better off Ted, which is a pretty good show if there aren't any new episodes of 30 Rock to be watched...

2010-12-15T23:33:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist, here are some more Paolo Roversi gems:

the first is from a blog, and the second is my own scan of an image from the December issue of W, to which I recently (indulgently) subscribed.
soon I will share some more ballet love, it's been on my mind even though finals are killing me...

paolo roversi and inspiration

2010-12-15T23:13:00.000-08:00

I realized today that I only posted one picture of Guinevere van Seenus when I originally discussed my bleached brow venture but I was very much influenced by her haunting look and her dark locks. So here are some more, they were taken by Paolo Roversi for the Spring issue of AnOther. I got them from this website.
I love that some of the pictures are blurred and most of them have inside out and incomplete ensembles. Usually I think it could come across as trying too hard, but I think the beauty of her figure and the colors in the photos make it work anyway.

And while we're on the subject, I am very much looking forward to a play date with Natalie Neal this week, she is a gifted photographer and has asked me to pose for some pictures with my own bleached brows. I'm flattered and delighted because as you can see by Natalie's work if you look here or there, she does a fantastic job.

procrastination

2010-12-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

procrastination is a disease. just when I thought I was getting somewhere on this paper, carolers from church trying to pull off a complex a cappella harmony drop by to share guilt-laden christmas treats. this of course set off a series of distractions of my own choosing to follow up the uninvited interruption. this will not end well.

eventually I am led by my lack of motivation and willpower to a new low. the internet is so pervasive and effective in insinuating itself into my mind that once I thought of it I couldn't resist looking up pictures of my namesakes to share with you.

I do love my name, but especially when someone pronounces it "roseanne" [ɹouzæn] instead of "roseannA," [ɹozænə] this lady comes to mind:

and if I think of her, the other famous lady who shares my name is lurking somewhere in my subconscious as well...

all of this increases the shame associated with irresistible free christmas-themed desserts, unfortunately. and this is also when Ritalin finally starts to sound like a reasonable solution. as terrible as it is to take such drugs, wouldn't it solve my problem of not being able to focus? I know the real solution is that I just need to have some self control, but I can't seem to find it in myself. cue the spiral of regret and self-loathing that is bound to accompany stress over major papers and projects when I inevitably fail to do the work in the proper time frame...

some pictures

2010-12-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

I have no new words to add to this world for the moment, so here are some pictures. Some are from this summer in Spain, one is the Golden Gate Bridge.

reino de españa

2010-11-22T01:12:00.000-08:00

the combination of bleaching my brows and taking vitamins to make my hair grow faster means doing touch-ups every few days. however, since the bleach is cheap and the process takes only a few minutes, this is no bother. also, for the record, if you're looking to grow your hair out quickly, I do recommend taking Biotin, I have seen a noticeable difference in my hair's strength as well as growing speed. as for the fact that this doesn't only apply to the hair growing on my scalp... I suppose there is always a cost for something so effective.

in other news, I'm in spain, but only for the weekend. what a charmed life I lead. I have no pictures of spain yet, but I will share a couple of the kittens that were born at my house the other weekend: what we first thought was only 3 babies magically turned into 5 after the mother hid under the bed for a few days.. now the kitties are growing bigger by the minute and have opened their eyes. I'm kind of sad to be leaving them for a week because I will miss all of that time watching them grow.

some days

2010-11-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

Some days I would rather stay in bed and watch movies than do my homework and go to school again tomorrow. I like school in the end, but it's so delicious when it's cold outside to be between the covers.
Snapped a shot of a very cute girl with barely-there eyebrows during A Woman in Berlin. Regrettably, I didn't get to finish watching the movie because I put it off until the end of its time on Netflix's instant play and in the middle there was a glitch with the website... Once that was over it was past midnight and therefore too late. The movie was so good that I will have to wait and get it on DVD soon. The movie was full of beauty and ugliness both at once, very captivating.

successss!

2010-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my lovely friend Cate for sharing her eyebrow bleaching cream, I now have that otherworldly look. It draws a few stares from the kids at school, but I couldn't be more pleased.
The first picture is from last week when my eyebrows were drawn in darker than natural, just to show a contrast between before and after. And following is a picture of Nars makeup being applied before the Marc Jacobs runway show I mentioned before.

More Bleached Brows

2010-11-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

Now that I've decided to bleach my brows I keep finding more and more inspiration popping up, such as a "trend" article on Fashionising with lots of links to translucent-browed beauties, and the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011 runway show with dark eyes and lips featured in the makeup without many eyebrows in sight.

The runway show is also good inspiration in general; I love the idea of the bandeau bra under a jacket with highwaisted pants, and the flowing dresses.

the show
the article

bleached brows

2010-11-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

I have a problem; I'm limiting myself. If you've ever flipped through Vogue with a coed group and pointed out all of the attractive models, there tends to be a stark difference between the chosen favorites-- and the demarcation of opinion usually falls right down the line of gender. To me, this illustrates a difference between what girls find interesting and attractive in each other and what boys see as alluring or repellent.

I see myself as adventurous and possessing many non-gender-specific interests and hobbies (riding bikes, playing outdoors, books, movies, music, etc). However, I believe my decision to wear skirts and dresses about 90% of the time may be holding me back in the realm of making new (straight) male friends. Not to mention attracting suitors.
Add to that my continually increasing obsessions with Marie Antoinette, ballet, French, and other objectionable feminine habits such as wearing 2-4 varying outfits per day, and you can see why I'm concerned that I may come across as too much of a princess.

My solution, however, is to take this (potential) weakness and run with it. Instead of trying to focus more on all of my attributes and concern myself with attracting boys, I'll just continue to narrow their scope. I'm aiming to be the girl who walks into the room and all of the other girls wonder, "why is she still single?" while none of the boys are surprised in the least.

My next step in this process is to experiment with bleached eyebrows. This is an attempt to embrace ethereal beauty and repel as many dating prospects as possible at the same time. So here are some of my inspirations: Lara Stone for Prada, Alexander Wang with some lovely models, and a Gucci ad, all from the November 2010 issue of Vogue.
Oh and a BIBA girl for good measure.

halloween update

2010-11-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

there are so many things I want to say right now, but as I don't have the time, I will content myself with some post halloween-in-nyc pictures and some quick notes:
-BIBA girl is in fact a terrible costume when it comes time to tell people what you are, especially at loud parties where you don't know anyone.
-next year I'm going to be The Dude from The Big Lebowski. Now how to remind myself of that come next October?
-the sexy ballerina is my friend Cate. all the boys were on her like kids and candy on halloween night.

More Costume Inspiration

2010-10-23T22:26:00.000-07:00

Notes
Perhaps the lips from Rodarte's Spring 2010 show could add an interesting element to the skull makeup.

Twiggy is divine in this Biba dress, sorry the resolution is lower- Biba pictures from the Nothing Elegant blog once again; skull inspiration from various sites.

(Also please excuse the odd formatting; this will improve as I learn how to use html. The fact that I don't already know makes me feel very out of touch.)

Hallowe'en dilemma

2010-10-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

Every year the same thing. I want to have an great costume for the 31st, but I'm not an ideas girl. It should be something clever, something iconic, and possible to pull off without draining the pockets.

So I never really think of something good, and in the end I throw together something obscure and/or boring from mostly what I have already in my closet.

This year will probably be no different, but at least I have two (two!) ideas already (already!) (This only seems amazing because I usually have none until the 30th, when someone else suggests something doable.)

So please help me decide-

choice 1: BIBA girl.
pros: I already have most to all of the materials necessary, it's historical and fashionable, and really I just secretly wish I had as much style as these ladies. it's also a good excuse to wear over-the-top makeup- to be honest, that's my number one goal halloween night. (BIBA is a boutique popular in London in the 60s, based on a bohemian/flapper aesthetic.)
cons: it requires explanation/ no one will know what I am, and it's too costumey for everyday life, but not quite extravagant enough for a halloween party. does it count if I do a zombie version?

Biba logo

Kate Moss as a Biba girl, thanks to my makeup artist idol Kevyn Aucoin

choice 2: día de los muertos sugar skull thing
cons: the name doesn't really roll off the tongue, how to describe it? I would have to buy makeup, and really the makeup is the only part I'm sure about, since I don't know what I would wear clothing-wise. a mexican peasant dress (of which I have two) seems boring. oh and the makeup would slide off my face over the course of the night.
pros: it has extravagant makeup (though it takes forever to apply), it's seasonally appropriate, it's iconic and cultural.

a very Mexican design for a "sugar skull" (yes the photo is from iStock apparently, I just swiped it from google images.)

this illustration by janice found at http://suzuwars.tumblr.com/post/303931061

cool old-timey version

can you tell which I would prefer? I'm just a sucker for costumes that I think will make me come across as elegant, for which cause I sacrifice all of the good qualities of halloween- creepiness factor, recognizability, looking crazy, etc.

bonus: Twiggy in Biba, and more makeup inspiration for this idea... to come soon.

sources:
some día de los muertos images from here http://www.tincan.tv/features/lifestyle/362/el-dia-de-los-muertos
and most of my Biba girl info and inspiration from this lovely blogger http://nothing-elegant.blogspot.com

chloé

2010-10-02T01:42:00.001-07:00

anniversary

2010-10-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

Visiting some memories from about a year ago. Back when I had a nice camera, though I didn't use it often enough.

2009-12-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

there is no sound to go with this video, it was

recorded on my camera without a microphone.

I have no idea what she was talking about.

Olivia

2009-12-14T17:01:00.001-08:00

This picture perfectly represents my little sister around age 7.
Beautiful, athletic, stubborn and quite possibly angry.
I wonder how she will be in 5 and 10 years.

2009-12-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

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some of cómpeta

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2009-11-26T16:55:00.000-08:00

my aunt Bonnie amidst tulips

2009-11-26T16:46:00.000-08:00