katia: (red)
Distracted by shiny things ([personal profile] katia) wrote2008-11-16 09:15 pm
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A post about fashion. Yeah, I know. I am sorry.

So, I have become a bit obsessed with fashion, and seeing as I spend half of my time online on fashion blogs I thought I should probably mention it (the other half is spend lurking in [livejournal.com profile] rahmbamarama and laughing hysterically and being pretty much in love with Rahm Emanuel, but that's a story for another day) I can blame London or Gossip Girl or the fact that when you spend an hour and a half getting to Uni, it seems worth it spending a little bit longer deciding what to wear in the morning.

I have always loved clothes but my venture into the fashionblog world is very recent and I can blame Gossip Girl on all counts, as I started off looking for GG fashion and things went downhill from there. So from my observation there seem to be two type of fashion blogs (broadly speaking, there are many many more), the type where rich teenage girls spend ludicrous amounts of money on designer labels and include hideous (and insanely high) shoes and lots of studs/leather/fringed things and insane layering and the other is where people use their creativity and combine high street and vintage to end up with pretty awesome stuff. The former reside more often than not in the US, while the latter are often British. I unashamedly love both, though for different reasons.

So let me qualify my love of clothes, before fashion the things that matter most are comfort and warmth. This doesn't mean I am making an excuse for Uggs, because I am not, there is comfort/warmth and then there is UGLY. The latter is taken into consideration. Mostly that means that I don't do heels, they can look hot (for a shoe rant see below) and all, but they also hurt my feet and at 5ft8 I love my flats in every colour ever and BOOTS obviously. Also I have no money so I am very careful about what I buy, though I have somehow acquired a pretty big wardrobe over the years, and love wearing something old and styling it differently than I used to, making it feel almost new.

My fashion loves/current obsession:
  • Tights. Okay my obsession with tights is still going strong and the fact that coloured/patterned/thick tights seem to be 'in' is so pleasing, as it was much harder to find the perfect shape of purple a year ago. I am pretty much in tights heaven right now.
  • Dresses and skirts I have always loved, but recently I have pretty much stopped wearing trousers, or at least long trousers, and when I put on the occasional pair of jeans I put a dress over it, so it doesn't really count. I love that it is perfectly acceptable to put on a summer dress over a black jumper and tights and have been doing that a lot lately.
  • I love this season when you can wear lots of layers and jumpers and warm things, combine this with my love of dresses you can guess that I am pretty fond of jumper dresses. Fantastic worn with bright tights and boots.
  • Belts, especially waist clinching belts are a huge current favourite of mine, have been using them to add to the highwasted 50s inspired silhouette I've been loving. You know high wasted full skirts, tucked in blouse? Yeah it took me a while to get used to the highwastedness, too many bad flashbacks to my childhood, but am so on board right now.
  • Bright colours, in contrasting/clashing shades and clashing patterns/styles, think biker jacket with a tutu, not that I have either.

My fashion needs/wants
  • Harlequin patterns, I would sell my soul for this dress, but since that's not gonna happen this skirt would do nicely.
  • Oxford booties, preferably vintage, definitely with a small heel. I want some so much, but am yet to find the perfect pair, that is with a 2 inch heel rather than 4, as that would kill me.
  • Tall black flat boots (rain proof a must) which fit snugly around my calves, seriously looks like I will have to splash out on some as the cheap ones I find are always really big on me and make my legs all stick like and upsets me, apart from that requirement I am pretty easy, lace ups would be fantastic, or buckles, though smooth would probably be most versatile.
  • A bandage dress, I need to find out where one can get good Herve Leger knock offs, preferably super multicoloured, (google Lindsay Lohan and Herve Leger to see what I mean)

My fashion hates
  • The recent shoe/boot hybrids, like open toed boots and the like, and the general trend of really ugly shoes, bulky, inbuilt platforms, what I used to call hooker shoes do not make pretty footwear. Lots os studs, fur and suede fringes and really futuristic/alien meet cowboy look is just really ugly. :( Really ugly and it upsets me. I know I am not into heels, but I like pretty shoes or kickass shoes but not open toed boots, because some things are just wrong. If you don't know what I mean, you are living in blessed ignorance, nonetheless go here to find out. Wow, that was a bit of a rant.
  • Leggings. Yeah the line between tights and leggings is fine, but significant, I am proud to say I don't own a single pair of leggings and I especially hate leggings as trousers worn with a short top. No. Just no. Though a secret part of me is sort of in awe of the shiny metallic and/or leather-like ones but not enough to buy any, but certainly to secretly admire from afar.
  • Jumpsuits/playsuits, whatever you want to call them they are 9 out of 10 times really awful. There are exceptions, and as much as I dislike Katy Perry, she can pull off a jumpsuit, but that doesn't meant that you can.
  • Dropcrotch pants (oh god, I keep saying pants instead of trousers, I am ashamed but will stop correcting myself) oh god, why? WHY? They are just so unflattering and hideous and never look good on anyone ever.
What else? Oh yeah I have crazy amount of work and so no time to go shopping ever, which is sad, I so long to go charity shopping in London, but maybe in December. Oh and some trends look good in theory and fail in reality, thigh high socks are one of those fails for me, as they kept slipping down, meaning I had to pull them up every few steps, making walking pretty uncomfortable. Also, I keep wanting to keep a 'daily wear' diary, but am not sure where my camera is.

That is all, not that anyone cared. But I have been thinking a lot about these things recently and needed to say them in order to get on with my presentation.

ETA: What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Think I am the shallowest person ever? (I am a bit ashamed about posting this, in fact wasn't going to when I started writing it, was meant to be just for me, but then there were bullet points and I had to share)

[identity profile] seshat1.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Fashion blog links please? :D I love that you posted this, I completely agree with all of your dislikes and am loving tights as well. I have funky purple ones and loads of thick black ones to go with my beautiful monsoon calf boots (I am in lust with them, I really need to stop wearing through shoes so quick as I will CRY when they die) and some patterned black ones though I want more of those. Am super tempted by tartan ones as well!

I think my fashion obsession is also stemming from Gossip Girl though. That program is like crack. I hate that I am so poor. :(

ETA: Which charity / cheap shops in london do you go to?

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay! :) Okay, I shall copy links from my (mostly recently added) favourites, as it's too soon to have real favourites yet, these might explain my rants but are sometimes pretty awesome too. :)

http://stylebubble.typepad.com/
http://www.fashiontoast.com/
http://karlascloset.blogspot.com/
http://kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk/my_weblog/
http://ambugaton.blogspot.com/
http://wishwishwish.net/
http://hipstermusings.blogspot.com/
http://bohememusings.blogspot.com/
http://handmeover.blogspot.com/
http://seaofshoes.typepad.com/sea_of_shoes/

I don't, not yet. I only just started studying in London and haven't had time/money to go shopping, but Oxford Street scares me and there must be pretty awesome charity shops in rich areas, which with the help of google I will somehow discover!

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Had a quick look and how are they all so pretty/rich?!

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
And on top of them the vast majority are aged 16! Makes me feel positively ancient :(

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
*that* Need to get a paid account so I can edit and get pretty icons of Merlin and clothes.

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-17 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
I know, it's depressing. I don't mind my age, just when I think of how unaware/geeky I was at that age compared to them... wow.

This post=A++++++

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
This doesn't mean I am making an excuse for Uggs, because I am not, there is comfort/warmth and then there is UGLY.
This made me giggle far too much, I am SO WITH YOU. Uggs=urgh.

I neeeeed a bandage dress too, though as per usual I want a nice, simple, plain one. No idea where to even look for an affordable one but yesssss.

Jumpsuits and dropcrotch pants fail. Complete and utter fail.

Lastly, I thank you for linking to that Rahm community. I am a tiny but obsessed too.

Re: This post=A++++++

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
I knew you would appreciate my shallowness! Yay! :D

All the knock offs I've seen are ugly, which is sad, but I still have hope!

That community is made of so much win, I still can't really believe Rahm is real. You'd be pleased to hear that it has made me watch youtube vids of Josh Lyman. Now that real world is the West Wing, I really need to watch it, if only to get advance warning.

Re: This post=A++++++

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I really like these two: http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/stylewatch/blog/080218/sophia_bush_300x400.jpg Guessing they're the real deal (ie ridiculously expensive) though.

You've seen http://rahmfacts.com/ right? The more I learn about him the more fictional he seems.

Re: This post=A++++++

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, most definitely real, and look at how bad the fake ones are: http://www.asos.com/search/pgeSearch.aspx?q=bandage+dress

I know. Every time I look at the art in the rahmbamarama userinfo I laugh for about 5 minutes.

Re: This post=A++++++

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-17 01:41 am (UTC)(link)
There are no words to describe their awful awful awfulness.

I know, I love how grumpy cartoon!Rahm looks!
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[identity profile] jacinthsong.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Get high socks with ribbon ties at the top? I looove them.

This post is awesome <3 We should have coffee and talk clothes at some point, I would love to be shallow. You've cried tiny tears of joy at the clothes exchange on Notting Hill, right?

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh, I should! I still love the way they look, but the constant pulling up totally goes against my comfort rule!

We should! Now you are in London! (hope house hunting is going well, btw!)

And no, I don't know, tell me more! I have cried tears of joy over this however: http://www.angels.uk.com/sale.html Apparently you go in you buy a bag for £5/£10/£15 and you get to fill it up with anything you want!

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, we have to go to that Angels sale thing. Can anyone go?

[identity profile] kuteki.livejournal.com 2008-11-16 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes! It will be worse than Oxford St Primark on the weekend before Christmas, but oh so worth it! We must absolutely go!

[identity profile] lauds.livejournal.com 2008-11-17 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
Definitely! :D

[identity profile] femalequixote.livejournal.com 2008-11-17 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Not shallow, I don't think. I'm kind of interested in fashion in a vague, purely theoretical way (too much effort to personally get out of my jeans and converse) and have enjoyed some of the blogs you've linked to here. I would definitely be interested if you were to do a daily/weekly wear thing!