Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Just so you know...

If I have to see one more java script I think that I might vomit. As you might notice, I have been doing some extensive formatting to the site… and let me just tell you…this is not for the faint of heart. Between deleting the site twice, discovering what a widget is, overlapping the post and the heading, and possibly installing a virus on my computer while activating a hit counter, my progress to date is documented by what you’re seeing now. I literally had zero idea of what went on in designing a website and I’ve gotten a major wake up call to my pedestrian thoughts on the subject. Forgive me for my naiveté…but honestly who knew that there is a code entered into every website with crazy computer jargon that has- to -be- just -right -or- your -entire- site- will- go- AWOL!?? I know I didn’t. I’m used to nice neat templates where I can cut, click, center, and shrink all with the simple drag of a mouse. This does not fly for anyone who wants a site that looks remotely original. Forgive me for beating this subject to the ground, but here is small taste of what I have been navigating through in order for this blog to look even somewhat cohesive:

!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1(DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"?
html expr:dir='data:blog.languageDirection' xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml' xmlns:b='http://www.google.com/2005/gml/b' xmlns:data='http://www.google.com/2005/gml/data' xmlns:expr='http://www.google.com/2005/gml/expr'
head
b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/
titledata:blog.pageTitletitle
.post h3 {
margin:.25em 0 0;
padding:0 0 4px;
font-size:140%;

Imagine a seemingly infinitesimal amount of that. SO BAD! Anyways, although there are still a lot of things I want to fix, as well as a lot of things I have yet to figure out…(borders and fonts that don’t change depending on what computer you get on anyone?) I really think that I’ve done a pretty good job for someone who had NO idea this sort of thing even existed in LIFE before yesterday. Nevertheless, I’m still far from done on the design front…so be prepared for some changes in the future. Oh, and if you click on here and it looks like a page from “Where’s Waldo?” I’m sure I’m deep into the system framework correcting some crazy java code I misprinted by one backslash.
EGS

p.s. if anyone is reading this...what do you think of the center silver background? Too distracting/kind of annoying? I can't decide.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Things I love right

I can’t believe that I’m already writing my second post! I am pleasantly surprised with how excited I am! For this first foray into actual subject matter, I’d like to share with you a collection of looks that I am really enjoying at the moment. However, before I dive in, I think it appropriate to take a few steps back and give you a little insight into my overal preferences towards apparel in general. I have always had a rather eclectic since of style, favoring everything from bight bold pieces to subtle, more feminine, delicates. Lately my tastes have centralized around a more clean, casual, put together look, personified mostly by lots of layering, while refraining from gaudy prints. This being said, I’m not exclusive in this mindset. Mixes of interesting, funky, statement pieces are always fun to whip out, and will defiantly be covered here. Alright, enough of that…lets do the dang thang! Below is a list of my current favorite themes in a variety of different price ranges. Lets get started!

Hello Red, White, and Blue! The first look I’d like to share is what’s called “Classic American.” This collective concept embodies the perfect marriage between being fashion forward and being timeless (oxymoron duly noted). Its clean and crisp attitude is a must for this spring….. or any spring. I love this look because it exuberates an aura of elegance without effort. With its casual undertones, another noteworthy aspect of this trend is the ease in which the wearer can make her transition from day into night. Here are some manifestations of this style that I thought depicted the theme perfectly…

This navy and white striped top from jcrew.com retails at $88 dollars. Proving that sometimes great finds can be a part of the opposite gender’s section, this item is actually located in Jcrew’s men’s collection. (Ha! I rhymed).





Adorable nonetheless, I’d pair this with jean (dare I say khaki?) shorts (untucked!) with a chunky necklace or bracelet (also jcrew.com $88), for a sophisticated, on the go, day.








From shopbop.com:

Although on the pricier side of the spectrum, retailing at $268, this Nanette Lapore piece is a beautiful staple to add in any wardrobe. Paired again with a chucky necklace and comfortable wedges, this garment is appropriate for almost any occasion one must attend.

Here are some other items connected to this look that are located at shopbop:


I am loving khaki blazers so much more than navy blazers for spring... I feel the former definitely adds an element of distinction.
This is my absolute obsession. I'd love to wear this with some gold or brown leather flats

This dress by Ever ($328) is an example of the layering I illustrated in the previous paragraph


American Apparel:

A favorite of mine for 3 seasons now, I can't decide if I am tired of chambray or not. However, I still think that paired under a khaki jacket, a top such as this one would be a winning look.




















One fabric I can’t get enough of right now is Gingham. This is strangely surprising to me, being that I am bored to death with its cousin, plaid! Excluding these heinous trousers, (and not to be rude but quite honestly the model as well…can we all just say in a collective voice…Really American Apparel? Where do you find these girls!?) this collared top is a perfect for an “anything goes” sort of day. I’d suggest tieing the shirt into a knot at the very bottom and pairing it with some dark skinny jeans.




And from anthropologie.com

Add s gold belt and you have one heckofan outfit!




















From modcloth.com:
These range from $52-$57! What a deal







What do you know? Gingham again! This inexpensive jumper is simply precious with the cut heart detailing on the back making the outfit.












I love this form fitter in both colors!

Ok, so I didn't realize how long this post was going to be! It looks like I'm going to have to break it up into parts... Until next time
-EGS
My second year of preschool my mother forgot it was picture day. That morning, a particularly self aware four year old walked into Westover Hills sporting a simple top and Gap blue jeans thinking it was just a normal day on the job. When I discovered what yearly occasion was taking place, my teachers must have forced me down on the photographers chair because although I have no recollection of taking the actual shot, I keenly recall the sheer rage I felt towards my mother for forgetting to put me in nothing short of my BEST, as well as the mortification of knowing I would be forever documented in a Sea World tshirt.

As this story somewhat illustrates, I have been in a conscious pursuit with how I express myself for quite some time, particularly through the vehicle of clothing. Simply put: I have been in love with fashion for as long as I can remember. With that being said, urged partly by curiosity and partly by the need to show prospective employers my dedication, I felt it fitting (...or even a tad late) on my twenty-first year to start documenting this interest.

I am a Marketing major at the University of Arkansas, and therefore a lot of my days are centered around the "New Consumer." All I have to say is congratulations everyone, because academia of late have proclaimed this generation of shoppers to be the smartest, most informed, no nonsense bunch to date. Being a member myself, I believe them. My mother will buy a white t shirt for $70. I'm not joking. $70 dollars. She has no concept that higher price does not mean higher quality. Nor does she realize that a viable substitute for this $70 dollar shirt is as close as your local Target. I blame it on the lack of information her generation could get their hands on, after all, Al Gore had not invented the internet yet. However, on the reverse side, our generation has been given the gift (or the burden... however you want to look at it) of SO much content. The plus side to this flood of data is that I feel we have shaped the market in our favor. The hard part, is to decipher through it all, and thats where I hope to help. I have come to realize that we all can keep the shop-a-holic inside us and be active functioning members of society too! My personal montra for this topic, is, for the most part... to splurge on the timeless pieces and find a cheap substitute for the trends (and yes like every rule....there are exceptions). Luckily, as I have just described, in today's society this can be possible! Hopefully through this blog I can show you both categories. Plus some extra junk I throw in here and there ( I honestly am not 100% on this theme yet) With that being said, my two chief goals for this blog....

(1) To express/ illustrate my views on the category
(2 ) To hopefully help others find expressive, practical, clothing without spending any unwanted time, effort, or money.

Ok....so first post? CHECK!

Oh, and as a side note, I am usually not this formal...I just thought this was important to get my overall thoughts for the direction of this project written as clear as possible...if in any case, for me! (because I really don't expect many people to read this) .

Until next time!
EGS