Friday, February 26, 2010

Placeholder!

Hi everyone!

I promise I haven't died.

Tonight is L's big 21st birthday party, and I've been organizing some surprises for him all week. Tomorrow is his actual birthday; Wednesday was his big birthday present from me, which I'll blog about soon!

I've also been doing South Beach again the last two weeks, so I've been a tiny bit grumpers. But L. and I go to Hawaii in THREE WEEKS, so time's a ticking! I'd estimate I've already lost between 5 and 8 pounds; I'd like to lose 10 more before Hawaii.

We'll chat soon! I promise!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Spring Style & Wishlist

I know I still owe everyone the rest of my 21st birthday recap, but the thought of writing it seems daunting to me (I'm not really sure why...it's not like THAT much happened), and since I haven't really wanted to do it, I've been m.i.a. for much too long.

Thus, we're going to forget about it momentarily, because I have spent the last few days online shopping the crap out of my fave sites and thought, if I'm going to do it, I might as well be productive and share my finds with all of you!

Thus, here's what I'm absolutely craving for my wardrobe come spring...(ps...coral alert!)

1. American Eagle Pleated V-Neck T

This adorable t, in coral (which seems to be my go-to color in this Spring-wardrobe shopping) is great because it's a nice alteration on a fairly simple basic piece, the v-neck, which is essential in my wardrobe. The empire waistline is an extremely flattering fit on me since I'm...well, well-endowed with my girls and my waist is narrower than my hips. I think this cut is perfect for anyone with an hourglass figure. I also love the rouching in the shoulders/under the chest. At $19.50 for a staple tee, however, I might wait for it to go on sale.

2. J. Crew Blakely Wrap Blouse

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a love/hate relationship with J. Crew...their clothes are adorable but their prices are downright atrocious. I've taken it upon myself to go about finding cheap doppelgangers for the cute pieces that I find, and posted about it here and here. But I really fell in love with this blouse. Metallic greyish-purples are super hot right now (especially on your toes!), and this season I'm all about wearing the types of colors that I would wear in my makeup (coral on my lips, and dusty purple on my eyes.) Additionally, the wrap-tie around the waist is another great and flattering fit for those of us with some curves. Sadly, I don't think I could justify making the $98.00 purchase, but it would be such a versatile piece-- I could easily wear it to my job at the art museum with a cream-colored cardigan, and take the cardigan off at night/take out my pearls and add some purple dangly earrings that I love to go out for drinks after work. Sigh. A girl can dream...

3. Gap Mini Floral Henley Tank

Tiny floral patterns and embellishments are such a sweet detail this spring, and the great thing is they can also be paired with stripes and other non-solid pieces for a really cute and modern look. This top is also a great, versatile piece...I'd wear it to work with trousers and a blazer for a feminine touch to an otherwise traditional work outfit, and then change into skinny jeans and heels, with perhaps a long dangly necklace, for a dinner out with L. Too bad it's a rather shocking $49.50 (for a TANK!) Gap is moving further and further out of the affordability scale, and I'm definitely disappointed in that, since they usually have great and cheap staple pieces to build up a great wardrobe, when paired with some carefully selected pricier pieces.

4. Aerie Ruffle Dress

I was surprised to find this dress in the Aerie line rather than the American Eagle line, since the Aerie dresses are usually ones I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable going out in, due to skimpiness or basic lack of detail. But this dress is adorable--I wish I had it to wear out for Valentine's Day! For less than the cost of a, say, J. Crew weddings and parties (some of the dresses are pretty simple and perfect for a cocktail party or a special night out) dress, which usually run in the $200 range, you could get this adorable coral dress at $29.50 and buy some satin ribbon, perhaps in a shape or two darker than the coral color of the dress, and have it professionally sewn onto the hem and perhaps around the edges of those ruffles...how pretty would that be? It would kick the dress from casual daytime to something fancy enough perhaps to wear to my brother's wedding this summer...

5. AE Ditzy Skirt

I love the name of this skirt almost as much as the skirt itself! And the price, at $34.50, isn't bad either! Again, I'm super into teeny tiny florals, and this airy, floaty fabric looks so comfortable and sweetly sexy. Wouldn't it look so cute with a tucked-in white v-neck and some red strappy heels?

6. Piperlime Etienne Aigner Vivica Slingback Sandals

Speaking of strappy heels, how cute are these slingback sandals?? They have everything I love in a good shoe: peep-toe, small heel, sturdy leather construction, and a bow to boot! (Pun kind of intended.) Bows, right up there with florals, are another big trend this season, although I prefer them in demure and cute ways, such as this, rather than, say, an 8 inch neckline bow. Also? The shoes are only $69.00, and Piperlime offers free shipping and returns. Love, love, love.

7. AE Embellished Cleopatra T


Another of my favorite recent trends is the necklace t. I love accessorizing, and with a top like this, the work is done for you! I love that the sleeves are a little drapey, since loose-fitting tops are really flattering on everyone and also very trendy now. And the price, as usual for American Eagle (which is why I love them so much!) is a reasonable $24.50.

8. J. Crew Cashmere V-neck Cardigan


I am the cardigan queen. I feel every girl shown own a cardigan in every color that looks good on her, because they're so versatile, classy, and can transform other pieces in your wardrobe. I loveeeee this cardigan. I cannot express how much I love it. I'm obsessed with the button detail. And the heather camel color is my perfect color--since I have medium brown hair and eyes, heather brown, which is two or three shades lighter than my hair and eyes--makes them go pop. Yet horrifyingly enough, I don't own any cardigans in heather brown! I thought I had found the perfect one in the fall, but eventually shipped it back. This cardigan is oh-so-expensive, but at $168.00, oh-so-out of my price range. If there were a cotton option, I'd be all over it.

9. Forever 21 Belted Casual Knit Dress


Most of the dresses I own are cocktail dresses, and therefore I only get to wear them when I go out to a nice dinner or a party. I've decided I need more simple dresses that I can wear everyday and not look overdressed (most people don't wear dresses on college campuses, sadly.) I really like this simple cotton dress. I especially love the elastic waist with the attached braided leather belt (which is the same color as my favorite Dolce and Gabana bag! Knockoff or real? I'll never tell.) It'd be great to just slip on and run out the door, with a cute pair of tan leather sandals and a braid!

10. Forever 21 Bead Revival Necklace

C. got me an adorable beaded chain necklace for my birthday, and I love it. It's gold with bright turquoise, yellow, red, and blue tiny beads, and it can really make an outfit that seems like it has something missing. I love layering up chain necklaces with v-neck sweaters. This one has two of my favorite colors, peach and coral (and pearls!).

I'm planning to follow this post up with some spring trends that I will NOT be adding to my wardrobe (cage heels or jumpers, anyone?) What trends are you dying to wear as soon as it's warm?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

A Long Overdue 21st Recap: Part I

Being newly 21 means many things to me, but I would never have it mean that I'm a bad blogger who shirks her blog for a week! I'm horrified it's taken me this long to fill everyone in on the deetz of my birthday. I'm also betting that since over a week has passed, the shenanigans will end up being decidedly less funny in retrospect. I'll let you be the judge of that.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010: A few hours before midnight, Michelle is gearing up for birthday celebrations galore, which at this point mainly involve heading over to our local watering hole, The Red Herring, at midnight. The Red Herring is staffed by essentially one bartender, Phil (who does all the bartending, cooking, and waiter-ing), and who has since become my new bff...but that's getting ahead of ourselves. After pigging out on onion rings, spicy fries, and regular fries, (and no protein, naturally), I headed to the bar with my friends P., and A. I realize initials are incredibly non-descript, so P. is one of my best female friends from South America, and she's amazing, and A. is one of my good guy friends from the bay area, who sometimes is basically me (pre-law, English major, snarky sense of wit) in a much nerdier Asian boy version (Love).

So, at midnight P. and A. and myself arrive with a flourish of trumpets at the bar, get carded, and sit up at the bar. I stupidly buy my first drink (well, technically L. bought it with the crisp Jackson he slipped me to buy my first drink on him), not realizing that, since it's my birthday, I have a LOT of free drinks coming my way. Phil tries to get me to take a Prairie Fire shot for my first drink (tequila and Tabasco), and P. and A. soon jump on the bandwagon, but I politely decline. I order a Long Island Iced Tea, deciding to essentially just throw a bunch of liquor in a glass and call it a day.

Then free drinks arrive! A fellow Record editor that used to work on the newspaper with me came in, and when she heard it was my birthday she bought me a Hurricane, followed by an Amaretto Sour. Note: THIS IS NOW MY NEW FAVORITE DRINK. I order it everywhere I go. Have you seen those Dissaronno commercials where the girl seductively orders a Dissaronno on the rocks, and the bartender guy with blonde hair and green eyes seductively pours it for her, and then she reaches into her glass (um, put some Purell on those hands, girl!) and takes out an ice cube and, yup, seductively sucks the Dissaronno off it? Well, before I had tried Dissaronno for myself I may have judged these commercials, but IT IS SO GOOD.

Then we got a round of free drinks and at first had no idea where they had come from, but later Phil told us they were from the owner of the local sandwich shop who recognized us as regulars and heard it was my birthday. This is one of the only reasons why you should ever go to a school as small as Williams in a town as small as Williamstown: people know you and, if they like you, they will probably give you free stuff.

Then the night got strange. A herd of football players came in and one guy was proclaiming that it was his birthday. Getting territorial, I announced that it was my birthday, as well. It was discovered that he was turning 22, AND that his birthday was on the 20th. Well, guess what, large running back senior? NO ONE CARES about 22nd birthdays, and it was YESTERDAY anyways, so it's my time to shine! And yes, that is basically what I said to him. Guys, okay, I'm really big into my birthday. In case you couldn't tell. So Running Back Senior decides that I'm super adorable, snarky, and probably buzzed enough for him to hit on at this time, so he attempts to chat me up for a few minutes. I'm all, hey, good to meet you, and then I turn back to P. and A.

THEN, RBS takes my ARM and TURNS me around and says, "Is that it? Are you just done talking to me now?" Okay, another thing you guys should know about me is that I'm super nice, and super-nonconfrontational, and super awkward in situations like this. Which means that I get stuck talking to RBS for a good 45 minutes. P. and A. notice my predicament and, as they told me later, start brainstorming ways to get me out of it. Meanwhile, RBS's friends get bored and decide to leave...but RBS STAYS.

Okay, so here's the deal. I hate those girls that, even if a guy just taps them on the shoulder to get by, are all like OMG I HAVE A BOYFRIEND. However, I also know that it's super awkward to have to wait until the end of the conversation, usually when a guy like RBS is in the midst of inviting them back to someplace or another, and then they have to drop the boyfriend bomb. Ideally, as C. told me later, it has to find its way organically into the conversation, in a seemingly casual place, thereby eliminating any awkwardness.

Well, friends, that did not happen, and after a long and winding talk with RBS about our mutually discovered love for Entourage and both of our secretly harbored dreams to move to LA and become screenwriters, the following conversation ensued:

RBS: So, do you wanna go hang out?
Yours Truly: Oh, I was actually going to head home soon.
RBS: Oh. Well, do you want to hang out before that?
YT: Ummm, well actually I should probably get home to my boyfriend.
RBS: You have a boyfriend.
YT: Yeah.

Long awkward pause. Finally A. brings the cockblock, although just a tad too late, and engages RBS in a conversation about painting, or something.

RBS sits awkwardly, clearly having no other reason to remain at the bar, but not wanting to seem like he was only there to get me to leave with him, which is clearly what was happening anyway.

Phil picks up on the awkwardness (part of why we're now bff's) and engages RBS in a conversation about tennis (it was on tv). Finally, RBS tells me he's heading out.

Me: Okay, well blah blah blah, something about it was great to meet you, see you around, blah blah blah, damage control.

At this point the bar has closed, things have gotten awkward, and A. and P. and I laugh uproariously as we debrief RBS situation. We get ready to go, and Phil asks if I had a good birthday. I say that I did, and ask him to take a picture of the three of us. He has to clean up, but he says that if we'd like, we can go behind the bar and stage some bartending shots.

UM, YES PLEASE! I squealed with delight, ran behind the bar, and bartended the shit out of those bottles. P. and A. alternated posing with me and capturing the beauty of the moment.

And that is the recap of Birthday: the wee morning hours. Stay tuned for Part Two: the afternoon-evening, and Part Three: weekend celebration a day later at home with C. who arrived via train from New York! Oh and Part Four: L. takes me to California as a bday present.

(Told you my birthday was a big deal).