For Real Friday: So Not the Drama

Surprisingly, I've been really happy living with my family. I don't want to do this forever, but it's nice to pick up my little sister from school, take my sisters out to the movies or dinner and watch a movie with the family or ESPN with my dad.

The downside is that I forgot about the people I grew up with who haven't yet learned what it is to be an adult. I had the privilege to go to school and have experiences that really matured me, including going abroad. Thankfully, all my friends who never really left have grown up and they do take responsibility for their actions. It's crazy that some of them are moms and wives, but I'm just happy they're not still the same people we were in high school.

I had an experience a few weeks ago where a close friend withheld a really serious situation from her life because she thought I was the same person I was in high school. (Unfortunately, I was a little judgmental. Now, the only thing I judge is celebrity fashion choices and that's because they have no excuse to act that way when they have a team of people dressing them and can still find a way to look bad. C'mon, people.) After seeing and dealing with some people I knew during my adolescence, I'm not surprised she thought that. I've been constantly surprised by some of the actions they're taking to resolve conflicts. While I've learned to handle my issues through conversation and finding middle ground, they haven't. It's both scary and, frankly, sad.

The past year, I haven't really updated Change Starts Here because I've reached a point in my life where I don't deal with the issues most young women deal with. When I say I hate drama, I actually mean it. I avoid it like the plague by never letting people in my life who will bring drama into it. But living in the town where I grew up, it will be hard for me to avoid because it's everyone's favorite pasttime. And I'm also constantly seeing so many things women are going through via social media. I'm going to try to get back into doing my self-esteem stuff and I have some ideas of how it will be different. But I just need to make sure I have the time to be consistent. My life's a little crazy right now, honestly.

But be looking out for updates. I did post a video on Feather last week about inner beauty, so you can get an idea of where things will go from here.

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Editorial: The Teen Queen

I went to Versailles during my short week studying abroad in Paris. (I could imagine and year spent in Paris isn't enough, so a week was over in the blink of an eye.) It was a beautiful place, but the sadness is what really struck me. There were just so many things all over the place and so many rooms had been constantly renovated to make them more and more extravagant. When you see people who are always trying to get more and more things to that point, it means to me that they're not happy. They're hoping material gratification will fill whatever hole is inside of them and it'll make them feel good for a while, but when that fades, they'll just have to do more and more. I don't think happiness can be cultivated in that type of environment, especially when you add on the pressures of feeling you need to please the royal court. 

I saw Marie Antoinette for the first time when I was in high school and I remember telling all my friends they needed to see it. Historically, it's really accurate, but it's also visually striking and one of Kirsten Dunst's best performances. Pretty much any time she's in Versailles you can really see that sadness that surrounds the place, no matter how hard they try to conquer it. This editorial from Vogue gives you the same vibe. (P.S. You can watch the entire film on YouTube because some naughty person uploaded the whole thing. Thank you, naughty person, for breaking the law so I can have this film at my fingertips.)

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House Envy: Wallpaper Patterns

The wallpaper of today is not the same as it once was. The wallpaper lining your mother uses in her woefully dated bathroom because those little ducks on the wall still remind her of your childhood is my nightmare. Since I was old enough to know better, I've avoided that wallpaper like the plague. (It only takes one wallpaper lover to infect another before we're all sticking tacky designs to our walls. Keep yourselves protected, people.)

But today, people practice covering full walls and I've grown to like it. I'm not sure if I'd ever indulge in a full-pattern wall, but I have a healthy respect for the aesthetic. It can really bring some character to a room, especially in an era where all nice rooms are starting to look the same. (If I see anymore stacked books with cute bowls on top of them, I may scream.) But they're all better than any room decor I've ever had, so I can't really judge.

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Color Story: Orange

 

It's really hard to find colorful photos right now for some reason. Well, at least colorful photos that I can connect with. So, I may just be picking a color I really like at the moment and finding photos featuring it that I like.

I hate oranges as a fruit, but I really like the color orange right now. It just seems to be an appropriate transition color from summer to fall. It's also a naturally occurring color, not one of those random hues Crayola makes in their evil lab. (That's right, Crayola. I'm onto you!) It's also a bright, which means it can either blend in with a room full of similar colors or pop as an accent color.

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So Fetch: Leopard & Peplum? Oh, My!

This skirt can be mine (And yours, too, I guess.) for $37.94 from ASOS.

If I hit the lottery, the first thing I'm doing is spending a small fortune at ASOS. Like, seriously. When they've got peplum skirts that all of the sudden make me not hate mixed fabrics, that means we're just meant to be. It's fate, you guys. Of course, I'll need the play the lottery first, but those cards you fill out remind me of Scantron and then I have horrible high school history test flashbacks.

As you can see, today So Fetch is back to just a fashionable item. Next week, who knows? I love this new free-flowing format I've given it.

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Spring 2013 RTW: Alice + Olivia

It's sort of ironic that I'm always calling Taylor Swift a grandma when I'm probably as guilty as she is of dressing like one. Unlike her, I like to think I bring some youth to the look. And I don't have a personal stylist, so BOOM!

When I was catching up on NYFW stuff, I was really struck (as always) by Alice + Olivia's newest line. What I love most how non-cohesive this is compared to other lines I've seen. This looks more like you're going through someone's closet by using the same style without constantly repeating patterns. I'm also always a sucker for retro 1950s or 1960s inspiration.

I'd like to dress like this when I have my first big-girl job. I won't have Alice + Olivia money, but I'll do my best.

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New Chapter: My First Vlog

Here's my first self-esteem vlog for Feather Magazine, in conjunction with Change Starts Here. This should be a fun new chapter in my life. Enjoy!

I actually filmed this when I lived in my apartment. Ah, the memories.

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House Envy: Bed Head

My love affair with the how-to living series from The Everygirl continues with these features on how to style a bed. Since I'm sleeping on a futon these days, I'm a little obsessed with thinking about what my next bed will look like. I'm leaning toward something akin to the bed above. I hate matchy-matchy sets and I love the idea of using shelves next to the bed.

I don't think I'd put the head of the bed up against a brick wall, though, because I'd stretch my arms above my head and break a knuckle. But I have wanted an apartment with a brick wall in it every since I saw Beetlejuice and they used it to get to the world of the undead. Yes, I did just divulge that bit of geekiness.

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Color Story: Pops of Paris

Alex Chung in an ad campaign for Jaspal. I really don't know how she gained her fame, but I do know the girl can rock an outfit like no other. The colors in this photo are just absolutely gorgeous and really pop.

I don't know if this was shot in Paris, but it reminds me of Paris. For some reason, I feel homesick when I think of my time there. Maybe when I'm old, I'll just buy a house in the French countryside and sip tea on the veranda every night.

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So Fetch: The Change-Up

Lana Del Rey can do no wrong in my book. She's a classic beauty who can also pull off
a more modern look. Her music is also a daily must-listen for me.

I guess it's been a while, but I have good excuses and they all involved Feather. Let's just say that although I've been doing three different jobs on top of mine, we've also been getting a lot of emails from PR people about exciting partnerships. I'm really excited about them, but it's cramping my blogging time.

It's also getting in the way of any time I have to look for stuff I like in online shops, so I'm just going to turn So Fetch into a collection of all types of things I love right now. Sometimes it will include specific items, and sometimes just photos. Obviously, there will always be fashion involved.

I'm happy about nothing way more than I'm ever happy about something.

Of course, florals are a staple at a Spring/Summer show, but Peter Som made it
seem new all over again.

Holly Golightly in this photo is everything I aspire to be. Minus the cigarette.
With my breathing issues, it'd kill me years before it did other smokers.
Like, right after I took the first puff.

You tell 'em, Honey Boo Boo!

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