Picspam... Because I Can.

Posted at Hand it Over.

I was going over the starred entries in my Google Reader to try and find something specific, but I got distracted by the various pretty pictures in the rather large volume of entries I've marked off. So, as another sort of end-the-year summation post I'm going to post a bit of a picspam. These were the various things that caught my eye for at least a fanciful moment this year.

Flowers and a gritty setting. Contrast is always fun. Posted by Luphia.

Oh yes, they are a bit ADD or here and there, but I figure inspiration is always like that when it comes to even vaguely creative pursuits - which style certainly is - and no person should ever feel constrained to one type of inspiration in anything.

From Jak and Jil. 

Posted by Little Bow Prep. P.S. Congratulations on all your success. Hopefully you can relax this coming semester!

Posted by Luphia, who always digs up the most lovely pictures to share.

I love how stylized this shot is. From Style Bubble.

I also love colors in what you'd think would be ill-advised combinations when they end up not being so. From Models.com.

Anyway, this is in no way exhaustive, and not even particularly representative, since the slight majority of my Google Reader stars go to outfit posts from various blogs dedicated to that sort of thing. I'm most inspired by how regular, but fantastically stylish, folks put together their clothes in new and interesting ways. I just feel odd most of the time posting those on my blog!

This is most likely my last post for the year, which isn't saying much, though I will obviously be back quite soon in 2010. Happy new year!

Yet Another Year...

So much love for the people in my life!

Happy holidays everyone, whatever and however you celebrate (or not) during the winter season. I can't believe another year has passed us by so quickly. This time last year I'd just come back from a semester in London and was beginning to go full tilt into my summer internship search, which would end pretty quickly once I'd secured my stipended position in Hong Kong. I was five months away from finishing my junior year. It has been a sometimes ridiculous, but always amazing, year. I've learned a lot about myself and the people around me, made a lot of big decisions, and have a clearer idea of where I want to go and who I want to be. As I enter 2010, the year of my college graduation, I have resolved to pursue everything I want with all the energy and effort I can muster. I will achieve all of my goals. That's a promise.

If and when you get there, or if you've already been, I think you will know what I mean when I say that senior year in college is an uniquely difficult but exciting time relative to everything that came before. This is the time when you stand up to make your own decisions about the direction of your own life.

Oh My.

Call it my Christmas present...

I've been very well-behaved this semester when it comes to making sensible (and very few) purchasing decisions, slipping up only the weekend right after my Longchamp was stolen from outside our kosher dining hall (I swear I wasn't being stupid! Wellesley's honor code is usually well-observed, we're not allowed to take bags in, and I was only in there for five minutes.) and only to the tone of two sale T-shirts at Madewell. I guess this particular purchase is also the proximate result of the theft.

Needless to say, I made my first Gilt Groupe purchase yesterday, and it was the Rebecca Minkoff Morning After bag in Navy leather. That definitely fills, if not exceeds, my shopping quota for the winter season.

I Want That.

$19 dollars for a fabric bag is a bit much... but I like the way this design mixes prints.

I'm presently studying for two midterms tomorrow because two of my professors are cruel and unusual enough to assign midterms for the eve of Thanksgiving break. (I'm kidding, particularly in the case of my economics class, this is probably the best time in the weeks we have remaining for the second midterm.) I'm interrupting my studies to comment on how I think this particular Marc by Marc Jacobs store-exclusive/special/cheap fabric bag is adorable. In person it might not be as nice if the fabric is too thin or flimsy, but from online it seems like it would make a great small-ish gym bag or take-along grocery bag, both of which are fine things in my book. One of the things I noticed in London and Hong Kong that I really hope becomes common practice here is the way people predominantly use bring-their-own grocery bags. Then again, that works a lot better in a walking/public-transportation-ing city than in a suburb where one is limited by what they can carry.

My other favorite print. These are only two of many!

Maybe I'll check it out on Tuesday when I head to Boston early to relax and walk around a bit before my last LSAT prep class of the year! Then again, I've never had good experiences at the Marc by Marc Jacobs boutique on Newbury street. The staff always get a bit snooty, unfriendly, and generally unhelpful when they peg you for someone who probably won't buy anything from the regular line.

Imagine That.

Something vaguely interesting in an American Vogue editorial? (Via Jezebel.)

I can't say I'm a connoisseur of editorials in general, but even I can generally tell that the ones in the US edition of Vogue have been generally... lacking in spirit in recent years. I do like this shot quite a bit, though, and I believe it is from an upcoming issue.

Staying in tonight to go over stuff from my LSAT prep class I didn't actually learn properly in earlier weeks. I can't complain too much about my filled-up weekends plight since I did sign up for (and pay) for the privilege, but it does put a bit of a dampener on this part of my senior year.

Back to the Grind.

Part of my fondness for winter comes from seasonal treats, and I don't particularly care that its not even close to Thanksgiving yet. (I have a major soft spot for the most mass-produced of Christmas foods and beverages.)

Long time no blog yet again! I'm finally starting the writing process on my senior thesis, and while I do so dearly love research in my field, it hasn't been the easiest thing to settle down and write after thinking too much about just one topic all semester long. Although I do admit, my topic is a bit more sprawl-y than my thesis advisor is comfortable with. I hope the fact that he takes a backseat role with most of the decision-making so far means that he's confident in my abilities and not that he's just a fairly laid-back professor. We'll see.

Anyway, I just wanted to write about a few of the things that are helping me get through this last leg of a ridiculously busy semester. Not all of them are strictly fashion-related, but there you go.

1. The first thing is all manner of seasonally-themed beverages and snack foods. This semester, even as my clothing and magazine expenditures have diminished to fairly close to zero, I've realized that it doesn't really matter where I am, food is still among the things I'm probably going to end up spending money on (even when on a full meal plan). Whether its the Macdonald's of coffee shops or not, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes are almost a must-buy every Sunday when I go to six hours of LSAT prep classes. I know I should indulge a bit less, but caffeine is always nice for a class or other task that long!

Then there are Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares (which also come in chocolate bar form)! I usually save that particular craving for the post-Christmas slashing of prices on seasonal candy, but I don't think I can resist this year. If you've never tried one and see it at your local grocery or drugstore, I highly recommend them! They have a perfect balance between chocolate and mint. Apparently, though, the red bits aren't actually candy cane.

2. Half the blog entries I "star" on Google Reader are from the lovely blog Nancy and Marco. I love her art style, and I love her outfit posts even more!

Everything about her blog is just ridiculously adorable.

I can't believe there's only a little more than a month left to this semester!

Happy Halloween!

From a very recent Harper's Bazaar shoot. This one's my favorite! I believe this shoot was done by Tim Burton, which just makes it that much cooler.

I just wanted to say a quick Happy Halloween to all my readers! I know things have been a little quiet lately, and well, what can I say? School is still the same, as in excessively busy. This seems to be true for a lot of the student-written blogs I follow too.

This shot is quite haunting too.

It does seem like this year is a touch better on the job-hunting for college seniors front than the last. At the same time, the industries I'm really looking into don't tend to start their application/recruiting processes until later, so I'm still on pins and needles. Anyway, I hope everyone has a fun Halloween! I will mainly be staying in to write a paper and an application essay this year, sadly.