what are you wearing?

I liked my outfit today, and my new layered cut, so I just thought I'd share. This may be a good outfit for the upcoming Stevie Nicks/Rod Stewart concert I'll be going to in a few weeks' time. Plaid for Rod, ruffles for Stevie. (Since I don't think the leather unitard with flannel and lace coordinates my friend suggested will pan out...) I could stand to use something other than Photo Booth in the future, but this will do for now.

The updated Cobain

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Who didn't love this book?

A Single Man

Recently my husband and I were watching a rerun of the Oprah show in which Tom Ford and Colin Firth were promoting their movie, A Single Man. My husband turned to me and said "I wish I could dress like that everyday." And I replied, "why not?" One of the things I love about my husband is his sense of style. This is not something a lot of (American) women say, nor is it something I thought I'd ever be able to say. Working as a chemist, he doesn't dress up every day, but when he gets the opportunity he seizes it. Those opportunities have been increasing as of late, and his appetite for stylish clothes has increased accordingly.

I've always loved clothes and fashion, even if from afar in my pajamas, so I feel incredibly lucky to have married a man who not only encourages, but participates in, looking stylish and enjoying some of the finer things in life. I can take him to a dressing room and he actually has the ability to give me solid advice on what looks good on me. He really does have impeccable taste, so this post is to celebrate him and kick off some future posts on menswear inspiration.

While we have yet to watch the movie together, I can already predict that I will like it based on these themes alone: period piece, 1960s, directed by a man credited with reinventing GUCCI, set in California, Colin Firth. Finally, there is this quote from Tom Ford's interview with Oprah on his switch from fashion to movies: "Fashion is a reflection of where we are in contemporary culture, but it moves, moves, moves. It doesn't last," he says. "In film, you create a world that's forever sealed. It lasts forever. You can put in an old movie from the '30s and you're emoting and living and breathing with these people. And if you're someone who likes to design things, build things, create things, that's as close as you get to, you know, being God in our world, and it's permanent."


How many fashion designers could make that leap so successfully? Not many.

 If only I could get my hair like this without a Bumpit...

(Image: Gentryman.com)

 (Image: Zimbio.com)

 Color-blocked deliciousness 

(Image: Flix66.com)

 How I picture my future-professor husband will someday dress on the job.

(Image: BrandsandFilms.com)

(Image: Zimbio.com)

 (Image: FilmmakerMagazine.com)

(Image: Londonoa.com)

Send in the Gowns - LA Times Magazine

I love this article from LA Times Magazine on some of the greatest gowns in film--complete with video links. 

Send in the Gowns - LA Times Magazine

I believe my favorite goes without saying...

The Runaways

A good friend of mine has been pestering me to watch "The Runaways". With good reason, since I have a thing for period pieces and 70s rock, not to mention chick rock. However, this film was also recommended to me due to my complaints about Kristen Stewart's acting. I don't often complain about actors/actresses. I generally don't complain about movies as I am pretty easily entertained. While I'm at it, I may as well contradict myself and say I will never get back the 2 hours I wasted on "Prince of Persia" recently. I digress, as is usual.

The verdict is in: while her acting wasn't as bad as it was in Twilight...it wasn't that great, either. It's official: I'm just not a Kristen Stewart fan. The Twilight movies were pretty pitiful and only redeemed in my eyes by a British man with lovely locks. (Did he have lines? I didn't notice.)

Right, this is to review "The Runaways".

Even though I had to endure Kristen Stewart (who did an OK job playing Joan Jett) this film was amazing thanks in large part to Dakota Fanning, whom I've never really liked or disliked. Since children should be seen and not heard in my world, she was always in the background of movies I watched. (Side note, second contradiction of the day: don't watch "Hounddog" with Dakota Fanning. That was too gritty a film even for me.) While both actresses were the spitting images of their characters, and while Joan Jett is the more recognized of the two, this film focused largely on Cherie Currie, the lead singer of The Runaways and was based on Currie's biography, Neon Angel. And thank god for that, since it gave Fanning the lead in this movie.

If there's anyone that can play "runaway teen gone wrong", it's someone wise enough to break out of the child actor stereotype without audiences realizing it. She seems to be someone who has sidestepped the Lohan-Cyrus-Spears pitfalls of Hollywood and just does her job without catering to the "any publicity is good publicity" stunts. I think this foresight allowed her to play the role as well as she did, and will make her transition into adult roles more believable.

One of the best scenes in the movie highlights the band's popularity in Japan. Japanese society, and Japanese women in general, are often thought of as conformist, even prudish or buttoned up in a way, so that the band's popularity was more widespread in Japan than in the US is one of the most striking pieces of the their story, one that was likened to America's "Beatlemania". This is also the scene in which we see the completion of Dakota Fanning's metamorphosis into Cherie Currie. Just YouTube the movie scene and compare it to the footage from 1977's live show. 

All in all, that I love movies about music, the 1970s, and rock and roll isn't news. There's plenty more on that subject where this came from. However, the level of acting, at least by one actress in this film, was an added bonus to a film I already knew I would like. In the spirit of the film, I give it two middle fingers up.

(Image: http://www.ear.fm/Encyclopedia%20C/Currie_Cherie.htm)

British Invasion as Sung by a Choir

Tonight, I saw a fabulous concert put on by San Mateo's Masterworks Chorale featuring music by Gordon Sumner, Farrokh Bulsarah, and Paul David Hewson. You may also know them by their stage names: Sting, Freddie Mercury, and Bono. Masterwork's "BRITISH INVASION!" concert celebrated twentieth century tunes that made their way across the pond and into the hearts of Americans. Sweetening the deal was the fact that this concert was put on in a Lutheran church. I can't remember the last time I heard bass guitar in a church, let alone to the tune of Bohemian Rhapsody.

The crowd favorite soloist was the much accoladed Woodrow Thompson, who performed popular tunes like John Lennon's "Imagine" and Elton John's "Your Song", but the stand-out performer for me this evening was Nicholas Carlozzi singing the timelessly beautiful "Something", written by George Harrison...incidentally my favorite Beatle. When the tunes of the Fab Four weren't being belted out by these talented performers, they were being sung by the audience in the evening's sing-a-long portion.

Aside from the Beatles, Sting, Elton John, U2, and Queen, the performance also contained music that was not of the rock and roll persuasion. I will admit, tonight was the first time I have ever heard British music from early twentieth century composers like Roger Quilter and Geoffrey Bush. I was grateful for the informative program put together by the group which gave biographies of the artists, as well as detailed information about the songs being sung. I learned things about the composers I'd never heard of and even learned things about the artists I thought I knew everything about. Somehow, the fantastical previous life of Freddie Mercury didn't make it to my memory bank. Born in Zanzibar to Parsi parents...moved to India before emigrating to England...whole family practiced Zoroastrian religion. These are the things Magical Mystery Tours are made of, people. Now I am REALLY raring for that Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury MOVIE! Also, how did I never know that Sarah Brightman was married to Andrew Lloyd Webber?

Aside from adding "Zanzibar" to my to-do list, I've also penciled in Masterworks Chorale's April 17th performance "Love Songs & Chocolate". My husband and I decided this evening that seeing choir performances is "our thing" since our date tonight was reminiscent of a performance we saw on our honeymoon in the church in Prague pictured below. It was an excursion he talked me into and it ended up being one of the things we remember most fondly, seeing a concert under a roof that adds to the moniker "City of a Thousand Spires." Tonight was yet another reminder of how enriched my life feels when I listen to good music, and that even the rock and roll tunes we sing in the car can be sang in the houses of the Holy.

Editor's Note: Yup, I'm well aware that the inclusion of Bono in a "British" Invasion concert was inaccurate. However, the inclusion of U2's tune "MLK" in an evening that celebrated music from "across the pond" and its impact on America also demonstrated our reverse impact.

She's Climbin' in Your Windows...

A couple of weekends ago, I made an impulse purchase or two on a Friday night before bed. Coincidentally, my husband was out of town. (While the cat's away...) And in the morning when I rolled over to read my Blackberry, I had an "I bought what?" moment. Let's ignore the fact for a moment that I may need rehab and rejoice in the fact that I bought a hot Kate Spade purse via the sample sale for $145. That is with tax and shipping my friends. Its sticker price was $325. Pretty sure this is what Diana Ross meant when she was singing about her Love Hangover.

Normally, I don't impulse shop. You can ask anyone that's shopped with me. I'm a hem-hawer and I usually have to make many trips to the mall because I find myself saying "why didn't I buy that?" But I've wanted a Kate Spade for YEARS, so I'm happy to finally have one. Anyone remember her boxy Sam bags? Those were also in the sample sale, and I was tempted, but I feel I've outgrown them...oh, if only I'd gotten one in 1995.

But regardless, she's here...and she's hiding under my side of the bed. She's a little to fall/winter to make her debut, though I should take advantage of using her during this rainy west coast weather. However, she's quite large, so I'm not sure the "this old thing" line will work. Hide your cards, hide your wallets...UPS, is coming for YOU! (I had this shipped to work...sneaky trick I learned from my best friend's mom who was my high school teacher.)

So, aside from this rehash on old news (to some of you), I wanted to mention that katespade.com is AWESOME and has free (or super low) shipping. I usually get free shipping, but for the sample sale, they charged $5 shipping.

That's kate, hiding at my job.

I made a Facebook fanpage.

I am doing a trial run to see if this is a useful way to interact with my friends. I don't have a wares to peddle, but I do often find myself sending links over and over to people, or forwarding sales or juggling the two. I want to funnel a lot of the consumerism through the "fan" page, especially for short blurbs, get more friends interacting, and get more two way traffic going from here to FB and vice versa. So while I put myself in the "products" category, it's because that's what I'll be discussing a lot.

I'll try to be diligent about keeping the content from going too stagnant. I also feel Facebook will help me to keep things more brief. I get so wordy with my blogs and I get so wrapped up I have to drop it to do something else before I finish...

I would ask if you think the page is useful, but it remains to be seen, doesn't it?

Regardless, I do a lot of online shopping, a lot of shop talk with my ladies, and get an obscene amount of sale alerts and it need to be shared!

Plus, if you're reading this with Google reader or similar, I highly suggest you mosey on over to the actual blog and check out the pretty new background.

Best Christmas Present

This is a hands-down, no contest answer. The best Christmas gift I ever received was my Samantha Parkington American Girl doll in the sixth grade. This was around the same time I had stopped believing in the flesh-and-blood existence of Santa Claus (Santa is about the spirit of the season, so yes I believe in Santa.) I had begged my mother for one of these (expensive) dolls for years. I also was skilled in the art of snooping for my gifts, so I pretty much knew what the line-up was going to be each holiday. However, in the sixth grade at Christmas, low and behold Santa brought me my SAMANTHA PARKINGTON DOLL complete with school desk, school accessories and lunch box!! This was one of the more fanciful gifts Santa had brought me...probably ever. So the fact that I didn't find the item in advance when I'd pretty much sniffed out the rest of my gift line up was...suspicious. It made me really start to second guess myself on this not believing in Santa business. I'm not sure when my mom finally divulged that she sent it to my grandparents' house (why on earth would she do THAT?) but it had me going for a second.
For a couple of reasons, Samantha reigns supreme on the best Christmas gifts EVA! One, she made me believe in the magic of Christmas. (Macy's helps keep this spirit alive in me, but Samantha started it!) Second, you are never, NEVER too old for these wonderful dolls. I'm not a doll or toy collector, but I could take each one of these home and have a high old time brushing their hair and reading their corresponding stories. They are fabulous toys for any child and serve to educate children on important points in America's history by bringing it to life in their homes.
I am sad to report that they have since "retired" Samantha, as well as my other favorite, Felicity, from their doll line up. (HOW can you retire your Revolutionary War doll, American Girl?!) I had long planned on getting Felicity for my unborn daughter because she had the prettiest outfits...and is educational!!...and has red hair. Which, on a side note, I always thought I'd have a red-headed child. The retirement of Felicity as well as my marriage to a man of Indian descent has brought me to the realization that this probably is not going to happen...
On a final note, if you are ever looking for an (expensive) gift for me, may I suggest the Julie Albright doll? Around the time I received my Samantha doll, I had also pined for American Girl (then Pleasant Company) to make a 60s/70s inspired doll. So inspired, I wrote them a note detailing why it was an important time in American history and letting them know that their fan base (a 12 year old me) would like a hippy doll in the line up. I got my wish, now I need the doll!! To top it all off, she's from San Francisco and has a Chinese best friend. She was made for me!!

A visit to American Girl Place in Los Angeles for my 27th birthday.
You are never too old for American Girl dolls!

Photo of Yourself Without Makeup

Well, this is cruel and unusual punishment. I have flat hair (the price one pays for not needing a flat iron and the ability to wash and go), dark circles around my eyes (not just under them, and the circles coupled with the bags are an inherited trait), and really blonde lashes. Really long, but really light unless I'm wearing mascara, which I don't need a lot of. If I put on mascara, I get stopped on the street by women who tell me I have beautiful lashes, so it's an even trade. On the plus side, I don't color my hair. I don't have to, it's a decent color on its own and has some natural highlights to it. I also (finally) have decent skin. I also won't be having children because my skin is all to the credit of my oral contraceptive. And I like my eyes. I play them up the most when I get made up. I am also OK with my giant schnoz. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my looks. 

Talent I Wish I Had

I wish I had a couple of the talents my husband possesses: the ability to argue/debate and the ability to absorb information as quickly as he can. I have a decent memory, and I am an intelligent person, but he's one of those people that knows everything about everything because he read it once. He's also a fast reader, which makes me even sicker that he can absorb information that quickly. I'm a pore-over-every-word-and-puncutation-mark person.

He can also argue until he's blue in the face...only he never turns blue, he just keeps yakking. He doesn't care that he's wrong, he just wants to take the opposite stance and argue for it. My favorite example of this was when we were with a friend of his who can really get him debating. They're colleagues, so they argue over everything at work. This guy is really laid back, and my husband is always wired. This friend and I liken these arguments to shaking up the baby and handing it back to the parents...he always presses my husband's buttons and then leaves me with him, continuing to spout his arguments. My problem is that I just don't care enough to argue with people. I have my views and I could give two hoots what you think of them...I also hate arguing over anything remotely factual for fear that don't know all the facts. I like to think before I speak...this puts me in a minority of the population. Anyway, this friend was saying that so-and-so at Stanford should have won a Nobel Prize. My husband's immediate response was "well they did!" The friend, knowing that this was completely false, said "they did?" My husband, realizing that there was no way to argue this incorrect fact tried to backpedal by saying "well, no, but they should have!" His friend and I laughed so hard, I nearly had to pull the car over. My husband was completely sour grapes about it, saying that it wasn't that funny, but it was! I wish I had half the guts he did to argue with people. As you can see, it just comes naturally for him.

And if you'll indulge my wild fantasies: time travel, the ability to be in two places at once, and anything supernatural portrayed on I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched.

Meaning Behind My Blog Name

Clearly, my blog name is a play on the word blasphemous.

When I started this blog, I was inspired by blogs on fashion, beauty, shopping, etc. by females (and sometimes males!) with full-time jobs and lives. It was inspirational to me that these people had careers in fields unrelated to their blogging topics and wanted to look good when they showed up to the job. I went through a long slump post-grad school and post-major health issue where I didn't care about my looks anymore. I didn't think that was "allowed" if I wanted to be taken seriously. Nor did I feel like caring when I was sick. However, after reading these blogs and finding out how many of my Facebook friends (from all walks of my life) shop at the same stores I do and are investing in their wardrobes now more than any other point before in their lives, I realized my weekly trips to Sephora didn't need to be my dirty little secret. Everyone else really was doing it, too!

I don't intend for this blog to be as large-scale as some of the great blogs I read. It's basically a place to socialize among my friends and serve as a catch-all for my superficial mental diarrhea. (Once, twice, three times a LADY.) Plus, I enjoy writing and they always say to pursue what you would do for free. If this had to become my part-time job like it seems to be for other prolific bloggers, I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much. However, I'm grateful for those out there who do put in the time because they really have revolutionized the 'fashion world' for real people. It's fun to see REAL people wearing the trends (and setting them) or swatching make up colors so we can see how these things look without having to rely on the magazines. Plus, I'm not happy with my body type, which is a constant battle, but for the first time, thanks to these blogs, I am happy with my wardrobe and have figured out what my individual 'style' is, eclectic as it may be. (Again, I live on Eclectic Avenue.)

So, as for how I came up with blasFEMMEous, it was a way to blaspheme, if you will, at those who naysay any of these topics and or write them, or me, off as trivial. Giving a damn about what "people" thought (short-lived as it was) didn't work for me. It fed into the NOT giving a damn about myself, which REALLY didn't work for me. Rock bottom? Going to work in a Chester Cheeto tshirt...more than once. Covered by a ripping hoodie with OLD NAVY emblazoned across the chest. Call me frivolous, but that's no way to represent myself or my employer. Nor was it any way to pull myself up by my bootstraps after a round with my chronic medical condition. But most of all the name serves as a little reminder to myself that not caring about what other people think really is flattering on me.

The Last Item You Purchased

Well, I'm supposed to say "shoes". With the way I walk, I wear holes in the toes of my shoes. I just wear shoes out, period, into an unrepairable state. The last time I purchased everyday shoes (tennis shoes and shoes that qualify as something I can wear to work) was October 2009. I wore holes into the tennis shoes by the following September (I did a charity walk and trained for it pretty hard) and by the time winter started, I had worn out the work shoes pretty badly as well...and I'm still wearing them and it's spring. Lord forbid it rains. I still wear the tennis shoes to walk the dog. I may keep them to do that, so I don't ruin the next new pair.

I have found the exact same work shoes online, all I need to do is reorder them. As for the tennis shoes, I'd like to get something slightly more stylish than these ones that I had, though they actually gave my foot the support it needs. Which means in order to (hopefully) blend these 2 requirements, I'll have to shop around.

My husband asked me yesterday (after purchasing himself a pair of Italian leather loafers) if I'd bought my new shoes yet. No, but I did take the paycheck on a small Etsy and make up run. Priorities! Shoe buying isn't fun for me...it's just a reminder of what I can't have. Jesus help our credit if bionic legs ever become a viable solution for me, because I'm thinking I am owed at LEAST $50K in back stylish footwear. Imelda Marcos will have nothing on me. (When my mom told me about her when I was a kid, I was instantly fascinated, in a train wreck sort of way. Guilty as charged.)

What did I purchase as of late? Some eyeshadows from Lily Lolo in the UK (a set for a friend, and 1 jar of Miami Taupe for me...I'm trying to pace myself on the shadow addiction.) A BUNCH of goodies from my latest obsession, the Etsy shop Epically Epic Soap Co. Their scent Basmati Rice is my fave. I have it in the solid lotion, and I also just ordered it in the hydrating hair/body mist and perfume. Then I got it in a custom lotion with mango scent, like mango and sticky rice. And I bought a lip balm for a friend for St. Patrick's Day (shamrock shake flavor) and the Bullfrog (peach/cherry flavor) for me. (I also have their Turkish coffee lip tint. Love it.) And finally, since they're known for soap, I got a lychee scented bar soap. All in all, very Asian goodies! And then this other blog I love, Phyrra, did a review on Original Moxie hair products and gave a coupon code. I'm on my last bottle of conditioner, so I got the Featherweight conditioner and a sample of the Get Fresh shampoo. I need squeaky clean shampoo that clarifies and conditioner that is light and detangles. Plus, this company is Ypsilanti, MI based. Go figure! (Check out the review and coupon code here.)

So that is exactly how much time I can waste perusing for products. I'm hoping by having shiny hair and a made-up face, that it will draw the attention up from the holes in my shoes. Seriously, I will rectify it soon...I have to, or I'll look like a hobo next to my Italian leather loafer man.

The Last Book I Read

Books are an occupational hazard for me. I work with them, so many migrate home with me and clutter up my shelves. I constantly have to purge. They clutter my desk at work. I can't purge there, I have to work with them. I spend a majority of my day with books, and spent the majority of the last decade hitting them in college and graduate school. So to say that I have very little mental capacity for pleasure reading is an understatement.
Because I work with books, I get a million book suggestions for my pleasure reading list. I have simply been unable to keep up with what other people want me to read. Granted, I don't mind getting book suggestions for work (makes my day easier!) nor do I mind getting books as gifts. What I do mind is when people brashly suggest that "you don't read" or "you won't read it" or "you don't have time to read it anyway" because I haven't read what they want me to. For this reason, I have stopped discussing books and swapping titles in general. I have enough mental clutter when it comes to pleasure reading thanks to my job, I don't need to get it elsewhere.
I will say that grad school and the nature of my job feed into this mental block as well, as both required me to be detail oriented. Read: OCD. I don't read as fast as I want to (I live with a Stanford PhD student and the rate at which he devours boring-to-me-information literally puts me to shame) and I constantly find myself stalling out halfway through books. I hate doing anything halfway and letting info get stale. I just rewatched an entire season of the Tudors to refresh my brain before proceeding. In addition, I always pick up books I "should" be reading rather than what I WANT to be reading. I feel guilty if I actually get enjoyment out of a book. It means I'm not working hard or slaving over it.
So, to not leave you completely hanging, I will say that I love biographies and memoirs. I like books that take me back in time (and I also love films that are period pieces.) I don't read a whole lot of fiction, but when I do it tends to be a bit on the macabre side. I loved learning about Edgar Allan Poe and Sylvia Plath in high school English. I revisit them now and again. I like a lot of things from the New York Times Bestseller lists (celeb tell-alls, current events, hot new fiction titles hitting the book club circuits.) I love it when books are turned into movies, even if the movies aren't as good as the books. (I'm looking at you, Twilight.) And, like most aspects of my life, there isn't a whole lot of cohesion to my bookshelf...what can I say, I live on Eclectic Avenue.
With the debut of the iPad 2, which I'm pretty sure I'll be purchasing as an even-more portable alternative to traveling with my laptop, I hope to find the enjoyment in reading again. For now, I'm mum on the last book I read, the current book I am reading, and what I plan to read next.

Something I refuse to do.

I thought long and hard about this one. There's not a lot I outright 'refuse' to do. I'm open-minded and I generally try anything once. I have a long list of dislikes, but I've generally done the science to conclude why I dislike something. However, the issue of conformity comes to mind.

 

With the exception of being a law abiding citizen, save for a few instances with my speedometer, I don't really conform well to social norms. Or any norms for that matter. I distinctly remember an elementary or middle school assignment in which we had to come up with an adjective that described us for each letter of our name. After playing around with my dictionary, I decided that N was for Non-conformist and aptly described me. When you're a mini-adult, there's not much you can wish you knew then what you know now. It seems I knew myself well even then.

 

When you grow up in a town of hundreds of people (and I guess it's not really a town then) conformity can kind of be expected. One would think that being born different is what gave me my natural affinity for doing the unexpected, but it was my mom's no bullshit, no nonsense attitude that really shaped my independent nature. There are a lot of families who spend time caring about their public image (say, political families) or conforming to social laws they subject themselves to for a bevy of reasons (say, religion). With the things I went through growing up (which, at this point, you're probably sick of hearing me detail, or in fact even sick of hearing that be the root cause of why I am the way I am) we simply didn't have the time to care what people thought. We had a day to get through, and following societal rules (religious, political, or whatever) just had no place in our lives.

 

I suppose in the eyes of some, this makes us lawless athiests. We're actually Catholic Democrats. Politics and religion are just two examples I used of things I don't conform to, or adhere to strict definitions of. They're 2 out of 3 things you're not supposed to talk about at the dinner table, so I found them to be useful examples. I suppose to complete the trifecta, I will say that I believe homosexuals should be allowed to get married, and that conformity is the reason why we have to talk in terms like "allow" and "believe" when talking about this issue.

 

Unsolicited advice is also part of this post. It seems a sudden jump, but for example, that I take birth control and "believe" in gay marriage and also consider myself Catholic really throws people. They then feel the need to tell me what Catholics en masse believe, or Christians, or the Pope. Advice really pisses me off. So does being told what I am, or am not, in terms of a definition that is used to describe a mass of people, much like a cultural stereotype. It's an insult to both my intelligence and individuality. 

So, in short, I don't conform well. I don't do what's "expected" of me on a societal level. I'm a free-thinker and I don't ascribe to every point on the spectrum of a belief system just because I am "supposed" to. I think before I speak, I don't do what I'm told (unless you sign my paycheck) and I think for myself.