Perfect affordable fall dresses

Posted by thewindup

After lusting over so many things during fashion week (which was really multiple weeks in multiple locations) I need to come back to reality…where I really can’t afford most of those things. But I’ve put together a bunch of perfect dresses to add to your wardrobe for fall that won’t take all the money out of your wallet. Add a pair of boots (or booties) and a sweater and you’re good to go for the colder weather ahead.

Here are a few from Asos.com

This red number is from Topshop.com

This cute shirtdress is from Anthropologie.com

This vintage inspired look is super romantic and from Kimchi & Blue at UrbanOutfitters.com

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Almost Wednesday art day

Posted by thewindup

I like to do art posts on Wednesdays because they give me warm fuzzy feelings about productivity and creating new things….while I’m stuck at my day job. Wednesdays are usually the days i need a kick in the ass the most to make it til the weekends but this week is feeling particularly grueling so I went in search of lollipops and unicorns to make everything shiny and bright. What I found is some really awesome art, does actually contain a rainbow so that’s pretty close. I have a tendency to be drawn to art that reminds me of my own personal painting style, because i’m a little narcissistic, but I’m also insecure enough to think every one else does it better. Like OMG I’m so ironic. Ok enough making fun of hipsters. Really really though, this guy does it better, his name is Antony Micallef. Found this on Dazed Digital. Check it out:

Prada; Love and Hate but never in between

Posted by thewindup

After cycling through a slideshow of Prada’s Spring 2012 collection I realized how diametrically opposing my feelings are for the designer….one season it’s love, the next it’s hate. And yet I never feel indifferent. I personally think that’s the sign of a truly great designer and artist; the ability to evoke emotion. With this season I felt both love and hate. I loved some of the flirty skirts and whimsical floral patterns. I hated the cars. I get it, it’s a statement. I appreciate that very much but from a purely visual aesthetic I like the other styles better. But as always, ~~I’m right~~ that’s just my opinion. Here’s a little of love and hate below, let me know what you folks think.

Peru, and other thing

Posted by thewindup

Well I returned from a two week jaunt to Peru, which took approximately 30 hrs of traveling each way. But totally worth it. Specifically I was in Cusco and then made my way up to Machu Picchu. Since I just had such a wonderful experience I thought I would share some of my wonderful encounters with you fine peeps. We stayed the majority of the time in a hotel called Libertador which was really nice, service was excellent and the food was good (I’m a tough critic because I’m practically vegan and in other countries I don’t think that translates the same way). The rooms were low frills but very comfortable and they went out of their way to accommodate. One of the things that you notice right away is the overwhelming alpaca fashion. That’s right; alpaca fashion. I couldn’t tell if it was just being pushed on tourists very heavily or if the locals were wearing it as well but it was everywhere. It’s very soft and extremely warm but I just couldn’t partake. It was a little too…..hippie? Or something that just didn’t strike me as what I wanted to be sporting. I probably could have used it several times though when I was shivering and cold but oh well, my sister purchased enough that made up for my lack of tourist spending.

This is a picture of one alpaca, which is probably not being used to make any clothes based on the dreadlocks but ones like this would be….the woman is dressed in traditional clothes that the farmers wear. If you see people dressed like this in the city though it’s because they want you to pay them to take their picture.

Next we took a train to Aguas Caliente where we caught a bus to Machu Picchu… word of advice; if you’re going to take the train DO NOT sit in the A car. It’s an old school diesel train that pumps out exhaust for the entirety of the trip so unless you want to breathe that mama jama in then i suggest the F car. Learned that the hard way. Machu Picchu was AMAZING, and the only hotel at the ruins themselves is the Sanctuary Lodge where we stayed. It’s worth the cost to be able to get out to the ruins when the bus loads of other tourists have left.

All in all it was a trip of a lifetime… wish I didn’t live at sea level so the altitude hadn’t been such an issue but 11000 ft is hard to fight. Drink lots of coca tea and water and you should be fine.

And something random cause that’s how i do:

This is by artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1967-1972) as part of a Istanbul Biennial this year.

I like it. And still totally relevant.

Fashion week so far: an assault on the senses

Posted by thewindup

I don’t know what kind of psychedelic drugs have jumped in to the oatmeal of the designers this season but there is something going on here. I was excited to see what was going to come down the runway this season, being spring it’s always one of my favorites, but I couldn’t stop noticing the awful after awful that came out instead. Garish colors and unflattering shapes galore. So instead of doing my favorites (it would have been a short list) from what I’ve seen thus far I’m doing some of my least favorites:

Thakoon

Jason Wu

Alexander Wang

Monique Lhuillier

Zac Posen

Victoria Beckham

Custo Barcelona

Derek Lam

This last one looks like a popsicle, I guess that’s spring-y. ugh.

Art Wednesday

Posted by thewindup

Last week I (finally) saw Midnight in Paris, which I really thoroughly enjoyed. I do have a tendency to adore a certain amount of neurosis in characters which I suppose is why I am drawn towards Woody Allen movies, and Owen Wilson was totally charming as an Allen stand in, more than that though I was so in love with this nostalgia (and meta nostalgia) and completely unexplained time travel. It was just beautiful and made me yearn for that time, when there was such a camaraderie and friendship between the artists of the time (which I realize is missing the point of the movie but…), even though I’m sure that community exists between contemporary artists and writers and filmmakers(as a matter fact i’m sure it does) but I’m not a part of it so I feel entitled so a certain nostalgia allowance. So with that being said, today is about art, old and new. As usual let me know what ya’ll think:

This first one is by an artist that I quite adore, Egon Schiele from 1910

Next up is some work I found on Flaunt Mags website from the artist Julie Verhoeven, who I think is a very clever contemporary artist:

Another oldie but goodie is Kokoschka, from the early 1900s

And another contemporary artist I found on Artnews.com, Mira Hecht, Sensation, 2010

Ok folks that’s it, happy Wednesday!

One more day until Zara online:

Posted by thewindup

Finally Zara is launching it’s US e-commerce campaign. Starting tomorrow you’ll be able to buy their chic and affordable goodies online in the US. Many US cities already have stores but you haven’t been able to purchase online outside of Europe until now. Happy shopping ya’ll. Here’s a peek at their fall wears:

What do you all think? Yay or Boo?

6 movies I really want to see coming out this fall

Posted by thewindup

I have this terrible habit of saying I want to see movies in the theater, but then when it’s time to actually go I usually postpone…indefinitely and end up watching them on demand at home. Sad I know. But I sit in the dark in front of a computer all day so it’s hard to convince myself to do that in my free time. That being said, here’s a list of movies coming out this fall that I will ~~definitely~~ maybe go see in the theater.

1. Ides of March:

A political thriller directed by George Clooney, and starring Clooney along side Ryan Gosling…and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamattie and Marisa Tomei (and lots of other people). I read that it’s takes itself a bit too seriously but I can seriously watch all of those people be kick ass actors any day.

2. Drive:

Figured I’d get the other Ryan Gosling movie out of the way right off the bat…I do want to see it partially because of him and partially because I think this is one of a few movies that my husband and I will both appreciate. Yes he’s a stunt driver (point for husband), but other things happen too that don’t involve driving (I hope). Drug heists and love and noir. Can’t be bad.

3. J. Edgar:

A Clint Eastwood drama about the founder of the FBI starts Leo DiCaprio and sounds pretty good in my book

4. 50/50

A comedy about a 27 yr old who is diagnosed with cancer (Joseph Gordon Levitt). Cancer could be funny…let’s see how this goes. Also has Seth Rogan and Anna Kendrick

5. The Big Year

This is a movie about competitive bird watching with Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black. It’s either going to be the funniest movie I’ve ever seen or the worst movie I’ve ever seen. I’m willing to take that chance.

6. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I can’t help it, this is a visually compelling movie to me and I love a little bit of Robert Downey Jr being drunk and neurotic.

What are you guys out there looking forward to seeing? Thoughts?

Fall Ad Campaigns…good or bad?

Posted by thewindup

I was recently perusing the largest magazine I’ve ever held in my hands, the Vogue September issue, as I was shuffling along on the treadmill and it struck me as so bizarre that it’s basically an entire mag for ads. It’s not just Vogue either, all the other mags are almost as behemoth and equally as void of actual magazine content. Or maybe it’s the same content but it’s drowning in ads so it’s hard to find. Either way they had a forced captive audience since I didn’t have anything else available to read as I exercised and I figured I might as well make the best of it. So I found amusement judging all the ads. I thought you might enjoy some of them as well! Let me know which ones are winners and which are losers in your book: