I'd skip watching the Oscars entirely this year if not for these two things.

1. Dresses



2. Nomination for a category no one else cares about.


Your turn. I promise I won't tell.

Remember what the Doormouse said.

SO OMG YOU GUYS I AM WAY BEYOND EXCITED.

First of all, Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" comes out THIS FRIDAY.

Also, the fashion world noticed!!! Consider the following:


Designer Sue Wong has partnered with Disney to create a line entirely inspired from the new Alice movie! Left is the White Rabbit (my absolute FAVORITE! I'd dress like the White Rabbit), right is Alice. View the whole collection here!




This was shot way back 2003 by Annie Leibovitz, but it features model Natalia Vodianova with some of fashion's most influential designers--including Marc Jacobs (as the Caterpillar) and Karl Lagerfeld!

Check out these awesome Alice inspired shoes:

These are by Nicholas Kirkwood and I think I need them in my life YESTERDAY.


These "White Rabbit" shoes are by Jili Allen, and are AWESOME. I adore the little rabbit ears and especially the clock!


Claire's has released an entire "Alice in Fashionland" collection. It's cheap fun Alicey stuff.

And finally, the beauty industry has taken note too!


OPI released a collection of nail polish based on the new movie. The names are so clever..."Thanks so Muchness" and "Off With Her Red!" I wish I was that clever!


Not to be undone, Urban Decay also released a special shadowbox based on Alice.

OMG GUYS. This is so cool. Who knew Wonderland was the new black?? I've personally assigned myself the task of making a few Alice-inspired sets for chicks AND dudes by the end of this week. Wish me luck and keep checking back!!

Though we adore men individually, we agree that as a group they're rather stupid.

I got points deducted off a paper for using "sexist language." I said "mankind." Oops.

Let me be frank here. I dislike men. I dislike more women than men, but that's besides the point (I like puppies and marine mammals best in case you were wondering). I believe in equal rights for women, for female empowerment, for females being strong and independent. The Feminine Mystique is one of my favorite pieces of nonfiction literature. And I see absolutely no problem whatsoever saying "mankind" or "for the good of man." I have no qualms whatsoever about "man" being used as a synonym for humanity as a whole. And I think it's absurd that I am being forbidden from using so-called "sexist" language. If I had said, "And furthermore, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley should've put down her pen and gone back into the kitchen to make a sandwich for William Godwin," I could see that being marked down as sexist. But "mankind" is what we are. Our species is man. Homo sapiens is man. Women are homo sapiens. Therefore, "man" used a whole, includes male and female humans.

{I just don't see the point. It's absurd. Seriously, I'm sorry for whatever unforunate men grieved you so heinously in your life that you are now reduced to marking down your students for using supposedly sexist language, but the best revenge is a life well lived. Which means being okay with the word "mankind," because regrettably, you're still a part of it. }




ETA: I really respect this professor and quite enjoy the class. They also exhibit a really admirable knowledge on their topic and seem to quite enjoy teaching. This rant is not so much about the individual teacher, but rather about the ridiculousness of this obsession with being politically correct, to the point that language which has been in use for ages is now being considered offensive. And I, being part of the so-called "offended party," am more offended by the PC-ness of the whole thing than anything else. Just so you know. :)

Engage.

Wassup, Holmes?

Photo Source

I was perusing some of the fashion shows and was THRILLED to see that the Galliano Menswear collection for Fall 2010 was CLEARLY inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Naturally, I was really excited, not only because I love Sherlock Holmes (seriously you guys, if you've never read any Sherlock Holmes stories GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND GO DO SO. NOW. After you're done reading this post. *_~), but because I think that more designers should look to literature for inspiration.

After seeing this, I decided that I wanted to design a couple of fashion lines based off my favorite books. I created a number of sets here, trying to keep the DIY looks affordable.

First of all, since Holmes was already done for the gents, I decided to do a Holmes-based look for fellow lady-fans of the Great Detective.

Sherlock Holmes by insidemypumpkin featuring Forever21

For this look, I decided to go with the menswear-inspired looks that are pretty hot right now. Bowler caps, pocket watch necklaces, Oxford shoes, and anything with suspenders (they call them "braces" in the UK!) I thought would work for this look. And naturally the British Union Jack t-shirt...obviously.

The next book on my list was Wuthering Heights.

Wuthering Heights 2 by insidemypumpkin featuring Pixie hoodies

In my mind, the runway show would feature models with BIG hair: crimped, permed, some updone in a quasi-Victorian style, some just totally wild and windblown. The collection would be more gothic in nature (since it is a "gothic novel"). Details would include corset lacing, studs, lace-up boots and accessories featuring spiders and spider-webs. Fabrics would be lots of chiffon and tulle...I wanted the look to be interchangable with a sort of "Corpse Bride" feel. Anything flowy and cob-webby in shades of white, black and gray.

Wuthering Heights 1 by insidemypumpkin featuring Forever21

This is the everyday set. Again, flowy, loose fabrics coupled with structured silhouettes and gothic details to give that "haunted house on the moor" feel.

And finally, one of my all-time favorite novels ever, Pride and Prejudice, could not go unnoticed in this fanciful little project of mine (P&P, but technically anything else by Austen as well).

P&P 1 by insidemypumpkin featuring Dorothy Perkins dresses

Sorry for the potentially seizure-inducing set there. That's how I start them all out, is just a giant collage of pieces that might work. Usually I narrow it down to three or four that I really like but I REALLY like everything that's there. I wanted there to be lots of chiffon, lace, tulle, ruffles...TONS of feminine detail. All the colors are neutral beiges, dusty roses, Colonial blues, lacy whites...just very pretty and antiquey. In my imagination, all my dresses would have longer sleeves and this would be a totally pants-free show. All skirts and dresses...sorry jeans-lovers! My models would have subdued makeup, focus on rosy cheeks and lips, and curled updone hair with loads of accessories (like headbands and flowers and the like).

Pride and Prejudice 2 by insidemypumpkin featuring Forever21

For the DIY version, I toned down the prices and toned down pretty much everything else. There are still lots of girly details (pearl and cameo jewelry, lace, ruffles, etc.) but in a much more wearable way. And yes, I did throw a pair of jeans in there just because I KNOW people would be all like, "Ugh, I love Pride and Prejudice but I love my jeans more." So there you go.

Again, I tried to keep the second sets more "you could maybe find this in a store, afford it, and wear it if you'd like." I love taking my fashion cues from books and want you guys to be able to as well. What's your favorite book? What books would you make a line of clothing out of? I'm dying to hear, so let me know!! And I hope you enjoyed. :)

The whole town's talking about it! It's not RIGHT for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking...

I have absolutely no domestic skills. I can bake and I'm pretty decent at cleaning (as in scrubbing. Keeping things clutter-free and organized is another story entirely), but that's about it.

I can, however, talk to animals, tell you what you're thinking, crack codes like an agent and shop with the best of them. I think my set of skills are far more interesting than preparing Cornish game hens.

The rest I'll learn out of necessity once I move out. Which for the record, I am entirely unprepared to do anytime in the near future. And don't you dare judge me for it.

"Fools," said I, "you do not know. Silence like a cancer grows."

I still think this is how it should be.

Britney and Justin, not the head-to-toe denim, obvi.


What dirty little secret do YOU want to confess?

Space: the final frontier.

I'm currently taking a break from doing my science fiction midterm, and thought I'd share with you some of my favorite retro-futurist art.





I actually think this one (above) is from the Electric Light Orchestra's "Out of the Blue" album art. I adore their album art and predict an ELO revival sometime in the near future (it's like Muse with more 70's harmonizing, for those of you interested.)


Also, I desperately want a dance party ON THE MOON!






I just really like all the bright colors and the kitchsiness of it all. There was such an optimistic view of life beyond Earth long ago, and it saddens me that we're now done with the shuttle program (like we're regressing backwards. Now that we know due to gravity and lack of oxygen that we can't hold a party on the moon, it's like we stopped caring.). I feel like the anticipation and excitement in discovering the unknown portrayed in these pictures has long since died with the artists.

Anyway, I highly recommend googling retro-futurist art and pulp science fiction covers. They're very awesome. =)

Better late-ish than never-ish.

{Pink Darth Vader Helmet, Petit Fours, Cherry Blossoms, English Bulldog Puppies, Drew Barrymore in Vogue as "Beauty and the Beast," Marie Antoinette, Cuppycake, Pink Converse & Tiara, Victorian Valentine, Rainbow Heart Lollipop. These are a few of my favorite things.}

Oh, Valentine's Day. Named after a Saint and the bane of so many people's existence.

I have no idea WHY.

"Single's Awareness Day" seems like a right lousy excuse for people to throw themselves a pity party, when really, there are so many worse things in the world. Trust me. You would rather be single and happy than stuck. And if you're single and unhappy, don't you dare delude yourself into thinking that someone else will make you happy. It is the biggest lie that society has ever told you--that you need someone else to love you, complete you and make you worthwhile. What rubbish. Don't you know that you can't REALLY love someone else until you love yourself?

So for all you singles out there. Don't be sad. Be excited and ecstatic that you don't have to make the obligatory nightly phone call, that your Friday nights are always free for you to do as you please, that you don't need to recount your day to anyone but your journal (and if you elaborate there, no one will call you out on it *_~), that your friends and family and pets will ALWAYS love you for whoever you are, no matter how geeky or quirky and wonderful that may be. Go out and buy yourself flowers (whatever kind you most prefer) and candy (because only YOU know that sour gummy worms are highly preferable to your palate than those hollow chocolate roses and candy heart samplers). Do what pleases you most, and realize that it's not arrogant or self-centered, but rather prudent, to love yourself a bit.

And to all of you who have someone with whom you're spending tonight, ENJOY IT. There is nothing more fortunate than having that one person who understands you and laughs with you and puts bubbly feelings in the pit of your stomach, and what better day to appreciate them in all the fullness of your capabilities than today?

So for people on both sides of the love fence, a very Happy Valentine's Day.

This haunted face holds no horror for me now...it's in your soul that the true distortion lies.

{Picture courtesy of LA Times}

This past weekend my Mom and I went to see Phantom of the Opera (Happy Early Birthday to me!). I was THRILLED. When I was little, I used to sit and gaze intently at my mom's album (yes, as in, record players and those massive black discs). The inside of the record case was a photo album from the Broadway play, and Mom used to listen to it while cleaning house when I was little. And she'd tell me the story and point out the pics that went along with it. Needless to say, I've been a HUGE fan of the story for a long time, and FINALLY had the opportunity to see it at the Bob Carr!


A pic of the stage from our seats. Taking pics during the performance is actually illegal (silly copyright laws!), so that's why I only have intermission pics.



Lot 666, then: a chandelier in pieces. Some of
you may recall the strange affair of the
Phantom of the Opera: a mystery never fully
explained. We are told ladies and gentlemen,
that this is the very chandelier which figures in
the famous disaster. Our workshops have
restored it and fitted up parts of it with wiring
for the new electric light, so that we may get a
hint of what it may look like when re-
assembled. Perhaps we may frighten away the
ghost of so many years ago with a little
illumination, gentlemen?

They did a really great job putting it on. All the singers were incredible, and the acting was wonderful. They said that the actors who played Christine, the Phantom and Raoul had just finished their SEVEN THOUSANDTH performance together. Singing like that is EXHAUSTING. I can't even imagine doing the whole thing once, much less that many times. And the special effects were incredible. At the opening of the play, the chandelier really is on the floor, looking all broken. And then the Overture starts playing and it swings up and right over the audience to its fixture in the ceiling. It went RIGHT over us. Very cool. Just one of many instances where I was left saying, "OMG how did they do that??" There were a lot of optical illusions used, too, kind of like a half-musical half-magic show.

I think the art of performing live is severely underrated in our movie-obsessed age. In a movie, yes, you can have even better special effects and better acting and more close-ups. But the art of acting and putting on a show well live is extremely difficult, and audiences cease to be amazed by live performances, especially in a show like this where a really fantastic movie adaptation was just released. And while I adore the movie version of "Phantom," I couldn't help but be more amazed by seeing it on stage, right in front of me, of seeing candles rise out of the floor and a boat glide its way on a stage just feet away from me. Stage shows (plays, ballets, musicals, WHATEVER!) are incredible, and if you haven't been to one lately, I highly recommend doing so (Hamlet is playing at the Orlando Shakespeare Festival. Just sayin'.).


My Mom and I look NOTHING alike!

Outfit Post 2/6

Tutu shirt: Target, Jeans: F21 (via Plato's Closet), Shoes: Converse, Jacket & Purse: thrifted, Necklace: American Eagle


(Sorry for the blurry pic! Out of a set of about 15, only ONE turned out clearly! Still figuring out the whole self-portraiture thing.)





I loved this jacket when I saw it for a number of reasons. It has the classic Chanel tweed/Jackie O. look. It has turquoise satin lining. And it has STUDS. Every time I wear it someone compliments the studs. Definitely the selling point for me.



I also really like this bag. It was one of the best thrift buys ever. It's made of really cheap material, but it's SO comfy and holds everything. It's also metallic blue, thus making it awesome.


Future Posts to Look Out For:
-how to wear your geek heart on your sleeve and look cute while doing so
-literary fashion
-more Quotent Quotables
-how to score at thrift and discount stores

If you have anything you'd like me to write about or any questions about anything (fashion, my relatively uninteresting life, whatever!), let me know! I'd love to hear what you've got to say. =]

Nobody puts Mary in the corner.

Here are a couple of videos to share with you while I work on making a REAL post.


At first her voice really grated on me. Now I love this song. Mostly I just think it's visual decadence. I want to run around her nifty 80's-futuristic-geometric set.


This is my cousin--no joke. If you like the song, you should go to iTunes and buy it.

In other news, my life is wasting away while I sit here and read nonsensical stuff day after day.
Okay, so it's not entirely nonsensical. I just fail to find Caleb Williams very interesting, and doubt you would too.

Anyway...whine whine whine about school, sorry for this BS excuse of a blog update, and hopefully within the next day or so I can have something decent up here. I've got loads of ideas swimming around up there...


{PS! Some of you might have noticed that I have an icon on the right-hand side of the screen for Freekibble.com. It's a really awesome charity. You just go to their website, answer the trivia question, and right or wrong they donate 10 pieces of kibble to an animal shelter for hungry dogs. They also have a site for kitties. But it's such an easy way to help a suffering animal that there's no excuse NOT to do it.}

You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.

Some of you have been asking how Sherman is doing.







He's doing really well! Getting bigger, which is really good. I still think he's only about 2 months old, which is about the age when they SHOULD be taken from their mothers and sold in pet shops. But I've taught him how to drink from a bottle and eat fruit and play with his various toys ("toys" here meaning "empty paper towel rolls"). So he's doing well! Once he's fully grown, I'll take some more pics, although I doubt he'll ever be a MASSIVE guinea pig (which, as was so eloquently pointed out to me by a friend, are neither pigs nor are they from Guinea).



RANDOM USELESS TRIVIA QUESTION!

You win absolutely nothing if you get it right, except for the knowledge that you are STELLAR.

My home has a flight of seventeen steps just like what other fictional residence?
a) Pemberly (Pride and Prejudice)
b) 221 b Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes)
c) Gateshead (Jane Eyre)
d) No. 4 Privet Drive (Harry Potter)

Great kid! Don't get cocky.

(I can't believe this is my first outfit post. I will look back on this one day and go, "What on earth was I thinking?" But that's half the fun, isn't it?)



Jeans: F21 (via Plato's Closet); Shirt: Target; Vest, belt: thrifted; Boots: Ross



(The sun shone through the window for about four seconds, and one of them happened to be when the pic was taken! Shiny.)



So, as you can probably gather, I've been on a Star Wars kick lately. And for those of you who share my geekery, you can probably gather that this outfit is based on everyone's favorite badass, Han Solo. Something I love to do when getting dressed is take my inspiration from different and random places--movies, books, TV shows, characters, stories, historical figures, music, magazine ads, colors, objects...I find inspiration in the weirdest places. While this one is pretty obvious, I try to integrate little pieces of my various inspirations and make it wearable. I have to keep myself in check so I don't get too costumey (for example, I LOVE Marie Antoinette, and it's SO HARD to keep her style wearable for day-to-day business!). Anyway, expect more of this. And if YOU have anything you'd like to see me do, let me know! I'm always up for a fashion challenge. :)

I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie.

Photos credits: Distracted by Star Wars and timeofyoursong.