Reinventing, Recreating, Redefining.

 

Hey guys!

So it’s been awhile since my last post, but here I am attempting to provide an update on my life for those of you who are slightly curious. Finding time to block out  a solid couple of hours to write has been a challenge, especially between all nighters, 5am trips to the ER, and my accidental glass of wine turned bottle episodes during the stress.

I am human. I think?

Anyway, If you don’t know a whole lot about me let me give you some bullet points:

-I live for shoes, vintage fashion, Happy Hour, matte nail polish, and pineapple mango salsa from Whole Foods.

-I believe women are all unique and beautiful in their own way- regardless of size, and if you can’t choose to see that we most likely won’t get along.

-I play a little guitar, and I have just begun singing and attempting to write music. Yes, attempting being the key word. This is something I am not great at yet, but life is too short not to try right? If you’d like to listen, check it out at My Channel

-If I could, I would dress like Elton John always.

So, the above statements don’t complete me as a person, but as time goes on I hope to write more in depth about what makes me tick.

Now what I actually want to share is this:

For as long as I can remember I have always felt the need to do it all. The desire to learn, succeed, and repeat is one that seems to always be tugging on my heart. When I was 18 I thought, “hey it’s ok, you’re learning, you’ll eventually find that ONE thing you want to do”. Instead, I am almost 24 and I have done everything from makeup artistry, to selling liquor, to event planning, to hair, and the list goes on, seriously. I may seem like I have it all together, but most times I am just accumulating anxiety in my head about direction, life, and WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO NEXT? I am now back in school, so you could say I am back at the drawing board.

And then I had a long talk with my mom, sharing my anxiety and worry, hoping she could give me some clarity. After talking for an hour or so, she just asked me, “Lauren, what do you love? “

It was the simplest question I’ve ever asked myself. In fact, if you know my mom you probably are just as surprised as I was by her question. This lady is full of complexities and daily worries, so for her to put it so simply made me think. 

Turns out, there is A LOT of shit I love. My whole life I’ve spent telling myself that I had to choose one road and go down it. But life isn’t like that, in my case anyway. You choose a road, and there is almost always an obstruction or something causing you to change course. Life never goes as smoothly as we would like, therefore we are constantly reinventing, recreating, and redefining. You may be different and way ahead of me if you’ve known this for years, but for those of you like me, the people who cant even keep track of how many dreams they have because the possibilities appear endless- we ARE allowed to do it all. No one should con us into believing we have limitations- not our parents, not our friends, not our husbands/boyfriends/wives/girlfriends/partners- no one.

I answered my mom as simply as I could and said, “I love a little bit of everything I guess.”

And then before she swiftly had to hang up (the gardener was apparently banging on the window), she said “Well just do it all then. One thing at a time.”

Yes, this may either seem very simple to some or very stupid to others, but to me- it made sense. I am going to do it all, and it may take until my 70^th birthday, but it is going to get done.

First order of action? Well, I have been toying with the idea for some time now because of my slight obsession and growing collection- but I am going to finally get started on selling vintage womenswear and menswear. I absolutely love the fashion industry (hate parts), and I love the vintage aesthetic- so naturally I have collected far more pieces than I should. My goal is to share my taste, positive vibes, and the beauty I see in fashion, with you.  So let it begin with a couple of items I will be putting up with the shop when I launch it!

XX

I bought a Unicorn today. Yes, I'm serious.

I told myself countless times last night, repeated to myself that today was the day I would dedicate all my sweet time to homework.

I failed (somewhat) and decided to go scour some vintage shops instead. When I am having trouble solving math problems, sometimes I think my time is better spent solving the sale price on a pair of shoes, or in today's case, a unicorn. 

Here are some of my majestic finds of today:

1. THIS

Yes, I know. I won at life today. 

2. Vintage Bolero/Blazer Jacket

I can not wait til it cools down in Savannah so I can wear this number out. What a dream. 

3. Late 1940's Black Lace Nightie

With a body suit underneath and some small adjustments, I'd wear it out in a heartbeat. Maybe even without the adjustments. 

Lady-post: I might die without these products.

Summer is amazing, is it not? Walking around in shorts at night in 80 degree weather is my personal heaven. Now along with the margaritas and late nights, comes heat. For most of my friends it is dry, dry, dry heat (shoutout California). 

If your skin is getting somewhat dried out, I highly recommend these products. Literally, I don't care if you think they're expensive. Don't buy your triple latte for a week and use that money, it's worth it. I wouldn't tell you to skip coffee if it wasn't. 

First is the Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask

I am telling you right now, your face is going to feel softer than a new Prada after this.

Secondly, Ahava Extreme Night Treatment

This is a serum that is highly concentrated, so yes it is expensive for a small bottle, but the bottle lasts an extremely long time. Upon using this every night before I went to sleep, I noticed a change within a couple weeks. My skin was more hydrated, toned, and significantly smoother. Enough bullshit, this stuff is amazing, I swear on my mom's dog.

The Sartorialist

Beautiful film. My morning inspiration. 

XX

My Asos Must Haves

Things I give up for online shopping:

Cocktails at Bars (quickly replaced by box wine)

Groceries (sometimes it's necessary to live off of wheat thins and water for new shoes)

Friday nights out (who am I kidding, I am totally fine watching PS I love you and eating ice cream at home)

Eating out (The Filet Mignon must wait)

Summer is here! Meaning out with the old, in with the new garments that will takeover my summer wardrobe.

Asos continues to be one of my favorite online shopping havens for every season. With endless styles and the "runway" option for viewing the garments, this is the most user-friendly shopping experience! I am traveling back home to Los Angeles for June and no trip is complete without some new clothes. 

Here are my Asos picks that will be joining my closet very soon!

Linen Edge to Edge Blazer 

Midi Pinafore Sundress 

Swing Dress in Patchwork Print 

Pinafore Dress with Zip Sides 

Midi Dress with Kimono Sleeve in Floral Print 

And here are two separate looks I've already created with the Linen Blazer:

xx

Happy Summer

Asa

The Ever Stunning, Miss Moss.

When I first saw the cover for June's British Vogue, I almost fell out of my chair.

First off, does Kate Moss age? I think not. Secondly, she looks absolutely- irrevocably, stunning.

Shot by the brilliant Patrick Demarchelier, and styled to perfection by Vogue's Lucinda Chambers, Kate saturates the pages of the June 2013 issue with elegance, sex appeal, and a whole lot of 60's bombshell beauty.

The color palette of muddled rose, variations of green, brown, and bronze, add an exotic allure to the era that was the 60's. Lucinda, being the talent that she is, created such beautiful cohesion between the garments, adding a sense of mystery while maintaining class. In my opinion, these images drip sex appeal. Not to evoke a feeling of jealousy, but rather an overwhelming admiration for the woman wearing (and might I add, owning) the designer looks, flawlessly. 

See for yourself. What a dream.

More at Vogue.com

Designer Profiles: Balmain

I have to be honest, when people would ask me about my favorite designers or fashion houses, the name Balmain never once left my lips, until this year. I have never really taken the time to research the brand to be honest, nor did the designs catch my eye as those of Comme des Garcons, Dries Van Noten, or Tom Ford. Recently I have been reading, looking through editorials, and just about every time I look down to find the designer of a piece I love, wouldn't you know it, it read "Balmain".

This was reason enough to get me researching the brand. Here is a little profile of a designer and design house you should familiarize yourselves with; I am sensing an exciting future for this iconic fashion house and cannot wait until I can have one of the pieces for my own.

Pierre Balmain:

Born: May 18, 1914 (France)

Education: Studied Architecture, not fashion, at Ecole des Beaux Arts, in Paris.

1945: Opens first house of couture in Paris

1953: Expands to the United States market, where he shows his collections for the first time, under the name Jolie Madame.

1977: Sells his business, yet remains responsible for design

1982: Pierre passes away in June, leaving his former assistant, Erik Mortensen to take over as head designer of the brand.

1992: Oscar de la Renta becomes responsible for all the collections for House of Balmain

2011: Current design lead at House of Balmain- Olivier Rousteing

Also, Karl Lagerfeld studied under Balmain!


So I guess what really has begun to catch my eye, are the creative directions and designs of Mr. Rousteing. Though he is still fairly new to the house, in my opinion, he has done a seamless job of creating continuity and cohesiveness within the brand- most importantly, while maintaining his own sense of design. I will continue to mesmerized by this fashion house and Olivier's designs, and who knows, maybe one day I will have the pleasure of meeting him.

 Pierre Balmain

 Olivier Rousteing

xx Be sure to check out the collections if you haven't already, at Balmain

POP LE CHEVAL

Some nights, such as these, I stay up late searching through short film after short film on Vimeo. I love finding new beautiful artwork, in what I believe it to be, in it's most powerful form. Film captures emotions unexplained. A year or so ago I stumbled upon filmmaker, Kristof Brandl, from Montreal. I watched his film POP LE CHEVAL, and it has remained one of my very favorite art pieces to date. Take 5 minutes to watch it, you may even feel the same pull I did.

xx

POP LE CHEVAL