Another Ms. X Blurb

This was my outfit. A Ruthie dress and matching belt, Fogal tights, (non-visible from this photo- Jeffery Campbell boots) and, of course, the Ralph Lauren suede jacket from the beloved Ms. X. I don't know why, but I refuse to take the tags off. It's like I'm afraid she's suddenly going to become a medical miracle and wake from the dead- demanding her jacket back. I wouldn't want to upset her by informing her that one of her pieces of clothing had actually been worn! (Gasp!) So the tag stays on.

I think I'm becoming a bit fixated on Ms. X. I'm beginning to become somewhat of a detective about her life, who she was, and why she bought so many clothes she never wore. I'm getting clues. Like, the other day- while going through her jackets for what felt like the umpteenth time, I found a hair. She had black hair. Not dark brown. Black. I've never met someone with pure black hair before. The only people I can think of like that is Harry Potter and Snape. Could this mean she was a witch????

It would make sense, when you think about it. She was interested in muggle clothing and bought copious amounts of them, to study. This explains why she never wore them. There's a conspiracy going on here, and I'm determined to figure it out.

One thing I don't want to know about her is her name. That would take away all the mystery and glamour of Ms. X. What if she had a common name, like, say, Kim Jones? That would ruin it for me. A muggle clothing -obsessed witch by the name of Kim Jones? I don't think so. She would become so much more real with that sort of name- and I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready for that. She's better left unnamed, it's far more mysterious and dramatic.

er... bonjour? i want...er...croissant

I now regret giving up on Fleur and Jacque, my bodiless French teachers. I'm just too ADD, honestly. There is nothing I can do about it. I must accept that I am- and most likely always will be- but a lowly American. Depressing, when you think about it. Well, when I think about it. I'm sure you don't mind in the slightest- my lack of Europeanness. But, at least, had I continued on with Jacque and Fleur, I could have lied a bit more convincingly.

I'm getting off topic with my meaningless mumbling.

I've been looking up rates to Paris ( for what feels like forever but must've only been a week or two), and it seems like that is becoming tangible. Needless to say, I'm beside myself with excitement, and I'm already beginning to plan outfits in my head for a trip that probably won't happen for months. It's a bit difficult though. Although I've never been anywhere out of the Americas, I have enough knowledge of French style to know that I can't dress a certain way, or I might as well wear a big sign around my neck that declares me a tourist.

The French have been blessed with many things I so dearly admire. One is that they have God-given style. It's not fair, and it's not right, but they have it- and we don't. I mustn't look like I'm trying too hard while I'm there, as none of them never have to try at all. They can just throw something together, jeans, a cardigan, t-shirt, and sneakers- and it looks mind-bogglingly fabulous. I'm sorry, but Americans simply cannot do that. We can wear the same thing as a French person, and it'll look fair, but we can't style it the same. It's difficult for me to explain, but it's easy to see.

For example: There were French exchange students that came to school today (I was more excited than I am ready to admit) and even the boys stuck out like a sore thumb- to pardon my cliche. They're so... so... European. And I will say, I'm jealous.

f and when I go to France, I shall be frequenting the tourist-y places such as the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower, even though I will try not to look like a tourist)

If you think I'm going to France without looking at the Chanel store, you are seriously mistaken

I also hear that there are marvelous little boutiques and consignment shops in Paris. I'd like to go in them- at least, but I'm not sure the funds are all in order for shopping. Still, I'm not leaving without something French. Not even if you dragged me by my hair.

(photos from the google)

bragging session- so if you're not in the mood for that, i suggest you go elsewhere on the inter-web

As I have previously blurbed, I'm going to Parsons this summer (August 2nd, actually) for their Pre- College Fashion Design program. I'm more excited than... well, I can't think of a proper analogy to describe my feelings. I feel this is justified. I mean, this is where the Project Runway people worked for months! This was where the likes of Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Anna Sui, Donna Karan, and MORE were educated! Those people have greatness (to speak the obvious...), and I am going where they got a bit of their greatness! For two weeks! What if I sit where Marc sat? I would die. D-I-E, die. What if his greatness rubbed from the table onto me? AHHH!!! I digress.

This is what it says about my program on the website, copy and pasted.

Fashion Design, Senior Level (Grades 9-12) PCAC0607
A 20 session(s). MTWRF, 9:00 AM-3:50 PM, beg. August 2.
CLOSED FOR REGISTRATION
Faculty TBA

In this course a professional designer helps students visualize and render fashion ideas from research to the final illustrations. The class discusses the fashion industry and students learn to recognize the qualities of a well designed garment. Field trips and visiting professionals inform students on processes, trends, and careers in fashion. (0 credits)

Visiting professionals, you say? I had a dream the other day that I was there and Diane von Furstenberg came- she proclaimed that I was her new apprentice. We then set off to get cappuccinos, where she told me her secret to success and we gabbed like schoolgirls. I don't think that it'll go like that though- and even if it did, I would have a total nerd moment like I did when Alexander Wang was ten feet away from me last year. I couldn't talk for an hour, I just kept staring like some sort of supreme dork (which, I remind, myself, I am).

I'm a little nervous about the actual designing of the garments though. I mean, I have a sketch book and everything where I draw stuff, but to actually share it with other humans? Bizarre. My drawing skills aren't exactly, err, masterful, and there are going to be high-school seniors there with a boat-load of experience! How to stand out among them??? I haven't a blessed clue.

But look at the times! Every day for two weeks, from 9-3:50! I'll be in the city all day! This is exactly what I want- I'll get to explore Manhattan properly! Dear Lord, a break from suburbia will be nice.

loves diamonds, platinum, and sky-high prices

To come out and admit it, I am a Tiffany's junkie. It's one of those masochistic loves, a single sided adoration. You see, no matter how much I pour my heart out to Tiffany's, how many times I stare at the web pages, checking for new products, or wander mindlessly around the store, the prices remain hopelessly out of reach. I know that it is unattainable, yet I continue to stalk those pieces of jewelry like a serial killer.

I, as any other respectable Tiffany groupie would, use their website to find the perfect engagement ring every few days (in case the opinion changes...), but the one that I typically stick to is this one:

It's an Edwardian, cushion cut, platinum ring with graduated side stones. I will pair it with the 2mm platinum band with diamonds all around, for an absolutely stunning combination.

There is one problem with my plan. You can't get engaged to yourself- so I will actually have to wait for someone to propose. And God knows how long that could take. Also, even if, by some miracle, that happens, how am I supposed to stamp it into the unfortunate man's mind the ring he needs to give me? I know I won't be too cheery for the rest of the marriage if I have to look at anything else on my finger.

Please try to bear my dramatic outburst

Rodarte. No matter how many times I watch it, there is always something else that I don’t totally understand, or at least, something new that keeps me interested. It seems new and fresh every time.

The tribal-arms thing is quite interesting. At first, I was under the impression that all the models had tattoos down their arms, like boho- biker chicks (an odd combination, when you think about it…), but then I realized that was stupid, and fifty-something models wouldn’t all decide to tattoo their arms all the way down- before the same show. So now I can’t decide whether they had some arm-pantyhose type thing, or if the marks were painted on. If they made tattoo pantyhose’s, I'd want some. I’d be fabulous. Fabulous.

It is also my understanding that the pieces are made from materials that have been destroyed. They were sandpapered, burned, aged, and quite a bit of other things to make the poor fabrics a shadow of what they used to be. But I liked it, oddly enough.

Typically, I don’t go for the gothic look, (it just looks pitiful when I try, or why bother?) but this had me intrigued. The women coming down the runway looked primitive, and angry, like they were going to eat me, but to use the most cliché word in fashion, it was chic. There was passion, and a story behind this collection. They all flowed together mysteriously, making you hunger for more, and want to understand why, why in world would these beautiful women be dressed in tatters and patches? Had they once been African queens, but been dethroned and exiled to the badlands where their ornate robes were reduced to rags and they were forced to scavenger for scraps of dead meat? Like in The Lion King? Were they so irate-looking because they were on a mission to retake their throne and kill the worthless scum that took it away from them? How could they possibly do this while wearing those Nicholas Kirkwood heels???? I want answers.

moral issues.

The majority of my day was spent in the car on the way to Delaware and at the rest stops in New Jersey, so there really isn't all too much for be to comment on about that, fashion wise, at least. But- I was thinking about counterfeit designer clothing. I have some thoughts.

Everyone has copies, whether they are prepared to admit it or not. I for one probably have more than ten fake Tiffany pieces drifting all over my room, and knockoff D&G glasses hanging around everywhere. Honestly speaking here, I hate copies, even though I have loads of them. They give you this dirty feeling inside wearing them, even though they look pretty and people believe they are real, you know that that ring on your finger was bought for $8 on Canal Street, not the boutique it appears to have hailed from. Nice as they are, you can never expect a knockoff to give you that fuzzy feeling inside when you know you have something that looks nice, because it's a lie that only the most keen can detect. Copies make you feel like you've cheated, on yourself and to the designer who slaved over it in the first place. Of course, I'm only speaking for myself, the rest of you may feel nothing.

Then there is the factor that mainly dictates why people buy knockoffs in the first place: they're cheap. There is no way on this earth that you could even dream of buying the newest Marc Jacobs bag for $40. It's ludicrous. To even voice the thought is simply batty. But then, you caaan get one that looks EXACTLY the same for that price! It even says his name on the bag! Everyone will believe you are the rightful owner of the $500+ purse that you didn't even need to use a Franklin for! Ahhhh, then the fake and yourself will go skipping into the sunset....

Well, when you think about it, that's kinda botched. All the people responsible for that handbag should be getting the money that they deserve from people buying it. But if people go and snatch their designs to make a cheaper, lower quality product that they privately sell, they aren't going to get the money for what they made, what they deserve. So really, when you think about it, you're stealing from Marc when you buy that bag.

But then, you think about the people who earn their livelihood by selling these products. To take them away from them would take away their money and business. They do have to make a living too.... But could they do it selling legal products of their own design? The designers do get a lot of money from the people who buy legitimate pieces anyway...

This is the moral struggle that goes on in my head every time I think about wearing my knockoffs.

Outfit:

What I wore today...

See by Chloe t-shirt, cardigan from Anthropology, Lucy Love skirt, Donna Karan socks, Ralph Lauren oxfords, and fake D&G glasses from Chinatown.

I've had that shirt for months, but for some reason, I have been forgetting to wear it. To tell the truth, it's probably my favorite t-shirt, especially because of the tie-dye ness of the letters and then the white shirt background. My mom brought home the sweater and it was exactly the same one that I honestly considered buying when I went there last. You can't imagine my joy when I saw it. The jersey is so soft, and the lace brings it back to that vintage feeling, but not so much that it's obvious.

Today, in social studies, since we're learning about the 20's, and it is the last day before spring break, we were supposed to dance the Charleston in social studies. Well, clearly, my lack of coordination and rhythm kept me from even pretending to do that, but I felt appropriately dressed for it! And although I do hate dancing, I love being appropriately dressed... so it wasn't too bad.