SCAD Fash: Oscar de la Renta

I finally come back from my Christmas hiatus of doing nothing but binge-watching poorly written T.V. shows (I really needed a break) with an exciting post. No, it's not that Christmas post I promised I would write a few days ago to all my followers on Instagram, it's something way more fascinating. Because I live so close to Atlanta, I have a lot of opportunities to do things other than live that boring suburban lifestyle, like go to art exhibits or concerts. Today, I used that opportunity with a few of my friends to go to SCAD Fash, a museum run by SCAD Atlanta. The current exhibit is a tribute to the wonder that is Oscar de la Renta, and being the fashion geek that I am, I had a little moment of clarity in that museum. 

Immediately as I stepped into the exhibit, I felt de la Renta's presence in every piece he created. Each design is so unique to the point where everything fit a different mood or style, but they were all connected by the same intricacy and detail he put into his creations. Before coming here, I was obviously a fan of his, but now I truly understand why people idolize him. Every time I entered a new portion of the room, the styles looked completely different than another portion's displays. It proves how talented the designer is, and also my overexcitement proves how obsessed I am with fashion. This might be even worse than the time I saw that fashion show during Montreal Fashion Week.

The museum was playing a video about the entire creation of this exhibit, and it explained how one fashion student at SCAD got to help put the entire thing together. She was able to sort through his pieces, decide how clothes would be displayed, and even organize the opening night, and her experience made me realize my own dream with fashion (I had one of those fashion epiphanies, like the one I had in Montreal). Being surrounded by just this one designer's work made me weak in the knees, and seeing how this one student got to do something so great yet so surreal gave me a strange dose of motivation. I'm still in high school, but this is what I want to do. 

I want to be surrounded by fashion every single day, and hell, I even want to walk side by side with Anna Wintour, just like the student from before. I want to be able to say that I touched the same dress that Bee Shaffer, Wintour's daughter, wore (the photo directly above), but being in the same room as it was enough for now. I want to be able to write about things like this, but I guess I already am, so am I already living my dream? 

All photos, except the one above (which was taken by my wonderful sister Kendall), were shot by me

Winter Solstice

On the first day of winter my true love gave to me....... yet another day of sticky, humid, mid-60s weather. I've gotten over the fact that we won't get snow this Christmas, but c'mon, weather! Science says it's winter now, so be normal and at least drop to 45 degrees, please. I may be the only one complaining because, I mean, it's the South and we think 50 degrees is freezing. But the weather's not going to stop me. It's Christmastime. That calls for fuzzy Christmas themed socks and turtlenecks, weather be damned. So let's change that first line...

On the first day of winter my true love gave to me...... a black skin-tight turtleneck. That's better.

And what's even better than a black skin-tight turtleneck? That layered under a retro grid funnel-neck shift dress. I told you this weather wouldn't stop me. 

Asos (which my last three posts have included, no shame) has this amazing set of turtlenecks, one white, one black, for a really cheap price (and with all the sales going on right now, even cheaper). Of course, with my obsession with turtlenecks, I had to buy the two. They're perfect for layering, go with just about anything, and are even comfortable just to wear around the house (I'm wearing the white one with joggers at the moment). The best part about these is they're tissue-thin (kinda like J. Crew's, which I want in every single color), so they're perfect to wear in this awkward weather. Winter demands turtlenecks, and this light top made the compromise fairly simple. 

I had yet another holiday party to attend last night, so I made a simple turtleneck formal by trying out the "layering with turtlenecks and dresses" trend. Also another reason I bought these tops -- I discovered that they are perfect for doing just that. I quickly grabbed my best party dress that I only save for special occasions (you may remember it from last year and way earlier this year) and layered it over the turtleneck and it ended up looking cooler than I expected (sorry for the boasting). This is proof that more than those courageous street-style bloggers with eccentric styles can pull off this unfamiliar style.  

Maybe the first day of winter was warmer than we hoped for, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate by grabbing our favorite turtlenecks and spitefully wearing them. Maybe my arctic house made this task easier than it should have been, but I also bet that it's not this warm across the world. Keep wearing those turtlenecks, because maybe the weather will actually listen to us and make it a real winter.

Dress by Urban Outfitters. Turtleneck by Asos. Shoes by Asos.

Photos taken by my wonderful dad

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

And I'm serious with this title. I'm positive that everyone, or at least the majority, loves the holidays. There seems to be no wrong that can occur during such a wonderful month. People seem to forget about finals and other dreadful responsibilities because the idea that winter break is dawning upon us makes us only think about what we'll be getting under the Christmas tree or how we'll be spending such a happy few weeks (to all my non-Christmas celebrators). I may have said in October how Halloween is the best holiday, but the turn of the month made me realize that this season has to be my favorite. Peppermint hot-cocoa, holiday lights everywhere, and those huge ribbons you find on gifts are a few things that make me unconditionally happy. I love everything about this season, except for maybe that overplayed Christmas music. The most exciting thing, however, are the Christmas parties. I was never really into them until this year, but the one I attended this past Saturday completely altered my feelings toward them. Forget those tacky Christmas sweaters (no matter how much I love them), and go all out for the holiday events you go to this season. That's what my outlook was, and it definitely worked. Dressing up is half the fun of these parties, so of course I had to show off my skills (and my new buys) through this event.

Dress by Asos. Boots by Asos.

Dressing up for the holidays is almost too simple. Find that dress you've been dying to wear but didn't know when you'd be dressing formally, and slip on some tights. Glam out your face with more makeup than you'd usually wear, and finish the look with bright red lipstick. The key is to overdo everything, because, well, it's the holidays. There is still a way to overdo your look in a subtle manner (I apologize for the inconvenient paradox). I only went the extra mile in my makeup, and then followed a simple yet formal style for the rest of my outfit. Sometimes, the most well-put together outfits are the simplest. It's true that the effortless always carries the most effort.

I started the outfit by wearing my new black and velvet turtleneck dress (my dream dress, basically) with sheer tights, black boots, and mistletoe socks (I had to incorporate Christmas into my outfit somehow). I then applied my signature winged-eyeliner for the first time in months (four tries was definitely worth it), and I added a red lip that only screams Christmas. Voila. All ready to rock around the Christmas tree.

My sister and I posing for the holidays

Photos taken by my talented dad

I weirdly felt at home in this outfit at the party. Christmas music ringing in my ears, lights sparkling in my eyes, soft velvet against my skin... it was truly a magical experience. No wonder they call the holidays a miraculous time.

The party was a mix of christmas sweaters and "sexy cocktail dresses" (what my friends liked to call them), and I'm glad I went with the second route (are turtlenecks deemed "sexy" yet?). I'm the type of person to dress up for a normal school day, so of course I went all the way that night. Other than fashion, I brought the party to a whole other level by setting up a photo station with my camera, tripod, and even lights, including my colored ones. We were able to show off our Christmas wear and holiday cheer, and it made the already-successful event even better.

A few of my photo-station photos (with my wonderful friends)

Maybe I'm being a bit too cheery and even cheesy while talking about this topic, but I do believe the holidays brings out the best in people. Usually I'm a cynic, but I have to admit that the peak of my happiness occurs during this season. Wear those velvet turtlenecks, hang up those shimmering lights, and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year.

Your Little Fashion Box

Most of us, even the fashion-lovers who constantly want to attempt new style-feats, like to stay inside our four-cornered area of comfort. We know our style, we're confident with it, and because it works out so perfectly, changing it would just be pointless. Why alter something that already works out alright? Well, that's just no fun. Even I am hesitant to step outside this box, and I love expanding my style to new horizons. Maybe I do change my sense of fashion yearly, but there's still a part of me that's comfortable with the familiarity of what works best for me. Simple shift dresses with statement accessories, check. Boyfriend jeans with a simple top and a few more layers, check. Turtleneck sweater with a mini and tights, check. I always have these go-to outfits for every season, and it's nice to know what looks and feels good. Sometimes, however, these outfits get boring. There's only so many ways to mix and match the items in your closet to fit these molds, so I decided to step outside those four walls a few days ago.

Dress by Asos. Top by Urban Outfitters.

Photos taken by me, sadly inside my poorly-lit room.

Cyber Monday, which happened only a couple weeks ago, inspired me to get outside of that familiar style and try something new. I guess the amazing sales (30% off everything at ASOS!!) pushed me to do so. A tiny part of me has always wanted something overall-related. The full on pants, a dress, or even just a pinafore dress would do. However, I never actually went out and tried the trend because, well, the item was not familiar enough to my style. (I could also talk about awkward fitting, but that takes away from my point.) For about four months, I occasionally wondered if I should just go ahead and attempt the style, and I finally did after realizing that it was that time of the year where my style begins to slowly transform into something new. I was browsing Asos for who knows how long, and I finally came across the perfect dress -- the one I'm wearing in the photo above. My regular readers should know that I would never pick a pair of basic denim overalls. Of course I had to go with the olive green, corduroy, button-up with a raw hem overall dress. Everything that I don't wear, but envy on others (except for maybe the corduroy, I already have a few items in that material). So instead of just stepping outside of my "little fashion box" by buying overalls, I stepped outside of it on three other levels. When I'm on a mission, I go all the way.

To be honest, I was nervous when i got these in the mail. It looked awful when it wasn't on a person, and I struggled trying to find a top to wear with it. I almost wanted to return it, but I stopped myself -- the dress was cute, fashion-forward, and something different. So I kept it. And I continued to wear it the next day, where I got several compliments from complete strangers. I guess this dress can be a metaphor for the rest of my (and your!!) fashion endeavors. Step outside that little fashion box. It can be cozy, but at times, it gets too cozy, and familiarity can get to be dangerous. Associate yourself with the unfamiliar, in fashion and in all things. Life will be so much easier. Plus, you're bound to get noticed more often (if you're into that). 

One Year "Blog-versary"

And finally, it's been a (little over) a year of writing for this blog, and I've seen one thing: self-growth.

This post isn't going to include any extraordinary fashion tips or ideas like my others. It's going to be similar to that one time I got personal on here.


Anyways, it's been a year. A full year of me writing for something that carries no requirements except for my own personal ones. Something that I do for me, and only me, and it's allowed me to realize so much about myself. I started this as a joke. Well, maybe not to that extent, but it was never supposed to become anything. But it did. I'm so thankful that it did not collapse after the first month because without it I feel like I would have nothing in my life that continuously progresses into something bigger each day. That sounds almost depressing, but when I look at how far I've come in the past year, I can only smile at what I've accomplished.

Having a fashion blog may not sound like an outstanding accomplishment to some. Maybe I should have gotten a perfect score on the SAT or gotten into some prestigious pre-college summer program. Those may be greater than mine, but all that matters is that this accomplishment is important to me. Not anyone can just create a fashion blog and maintain it for a year successfully, but I did that. And I hate to sound like some entitled snob, but I realize I'm the opposite. I'm nowhere near fashion-world fame, and I'm okay with that.

I like to think that I've made it somewhere with this blog. Before, all I did was obsess over fashion in that materialistic way: all I wanted was the most coveted and expensive thing in stores. It was almost obnoxious, and I never say that about myself. Now, I realize that fashion isn't about the material world, but about the self-expressive world. I'd like to think that most fashion-lovers realize that by now, but unfortunately, some still think that money means quality of style. Yeah, I would love to buy a Valentino gown and have my entire wardrobe be by Alexander Wang and Dior. But that's not how the real world works, and that's definitely not what fashion is about for me. And this blog has  finally led me to the conclusion that fashion is art, not money.

I love writing for this blog. It's not something I dread doing weekly just to please my readers. It's not even close -- I actually look forward to writing my posts. It's the highlight of my week, maybe next to watching reruns of That '70s Show and America's Next Top Model (no shame). If I could write posts for this daily, I would, but my schedule is just too busy to come close to that. I used to be able to write 2-4 times a week, and I miss that. I'm hoping that I'll be able to increase my frequency next semester, but I'm still thankful that I get to write about my passion once a week. I'm still in high school, and I'm already living my dream...

Obviously, it can't be realistic for me to think that this blog can become my career. I have plans to pursue my dreams in alternative ways, but this blog just gets me one step closer to reaching my dream. This is starting to sound like a motivational speech, so I'm going to end soon, but I'm just glad that I've been able to keep up with this blog for a year. Many could have quit in the first week, but I kept writing even if I only got three views on my first few posts. It has taught me that things take time. This one surely did.