Driving down the 101

It's in the bag

So I'm kind of a busy girl. I'm usually running around (late) to a meeting, to class, wherever.

Thus, I need a pretty good bag. I've been everywhere from nice, expensive leather bookbags to the various flimsy canvas totes.

But my black canvas and leather back from Lululemon is by far my favorite (This is an all leather brown version. Also really cool).

The bags are big, filled with lots of pockets and look great. It's essentially a backpack for those a little more fashionably minded

Like a Virgin

So I'm pretty new to The Virgins, but they're quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. For starters, they have a song entitled "Rich Girls," and I have already demonstrated my love of songs that talk about young ladies and money.

Apparently they played here in Boston at Great Scott a couple weeks ago, which I tragically missed.

But Nylon reports that Jimmy Falon is attempting to book them on the new Late Night. Which is kind of awesome.

You can check our their myspace here.

High and Dry

My friend, Danny reminded me that if there's one thing I really should be posting, it's Hall and Oats performing "Rich Girl." For reasons I could not even begin to explain, the song has pretty much become the college anthem of me and my amigos. I don't know why, but I'm pretty okay with it.

Welcome to ... Paradise

This is my amiga, Chels (and her friend, Jesus).

She lives in Cuba. She has a blog, too. It's about Cuba. It's pretty sweet.

Speaking of, did anyone read this article in the New York Times Magazine a few months back? It's really, really good and very interesting. Check it out.

Set me free

We can pretty much file this under "things I love but am too poor to afford," but I LOVE the Liberty Hotel aka the former Boston jailhouse.

It's seriously the coolest hotel ever. You walk into the first building and it has sort of this gothic castle-y feel to it. The key cards have printed reproductions of the actual cell keys on them, and all the doors have privacy cards that read "solitary" on them (seen left, swiped from the one time I actually got to stay there).

For added kitsch, the hotel features restaurants and bars with names like "Clink", "Scampo", and "Alibi."

In a hotel this chic, you might even get away with murder.

Oh, Ginger

So Ginger is my favorite flavor. I've possessed ginger perfume, ginger lotion, minced ginger, fresh ginger, sushi ginger, candied ginger ... You get the idea.

But my favorite ginger item by far is my Ginger Mint Marvis toothpaste.

It's spicy and sweet. Not unlike me, if you will.

(For more SWEET ginger stuff, check out the Ginger People. They're obviously people after my own heart. You can get a lot of their stuff at Whole Foods)

War of the Roses

Having good skin is fairly important to me, so I work pretty hard at taking care of mine. 

One of my essentials is Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel. It makes your skin really, really clean, without drying it out. Plus, it smells good.

All along the watchtower

So I haven't posted today yet because I spent most of my day in best reading The Watchmen. 

Now, this is my first graphic novel, and I have to say I came into it with a little bit of a snobby attitude. I will say that I enjoyed it, but will probably stick to regular old picture-less novels from now on.

I am SUPER excited for the movie, which opens next Friday. I'm a nerd, to be sure, but more of the I-love-history-and-reading kind of a way. But I definitely have a love of comic book movies, with my favorite so far being Ironman. HOPEFULLY The Watchmen movie follows in that vein, striking a good balance between humor, current politics and action. Plus, here's hoping it stays true to the comic novel.

Hello, Hello

Thinking about the Oscars brings me back to one of my all time favorite commercials from a few years ago: Apple's Hello. This was the first commercial for the iPhone and it debuted during the Oscars, showing movie clips of actors answering the phone. It's realllly cool. Apple actually got into some hot water for the commercial - it was accused of ripping off video artist Christian Marclay's 1995 film Telephones. I've actually seen the video, which hangs out at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, Calif. I can attest that they're very similar, but I still love the commercial anyway.

The envelope, please

Ten thoughts about the Oscars:

1. Loved the stage design this year. I read all over the place that it was modeled after Coconut Grove, which I thought was really cool.

2. I miss the movie clips.

3. Baz Luhrmann's number could have been the coolest thing ever had it not featured the kids from High School Musical.

4. I don't really care for when actors get all political at the Oscars, but I found Sean Penn's speech about Prop 8 to be moving, truthful and totally appropriate. I think it is what Harvey Milk would have said.

5. I am the only person on the planet who has not seen Slum Dog Millionaire.

6. Natalie Portman's Rodarte dress was my favorite of the night. It's pretty and fun but the color and bodice make it about as fashiony as it gets at the Oscars.

7. Huge Jackman really is dapper

8. Why can't Tina Fey and Steve Martin host the Oscars?

9. I found several moments particularly awkward, especially Jennifer Anniston's presentation. Poor thing was standing ten steps away from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Even if you have managed to be friends with your ex, presenting the animation awards at the Oscars while inches away from your nominated ex-husband and the nominated (and stunning) woman he left you for kind of sucks.

10. Yay for Man on Wire! When the film's subject, Phillipe Petit, balanced the Oscar on his chin, I cheered. It was definitely my favorite moment of the night. 

Sunday, Sunday

No posts due to midterm tomorrow, two articles for the Huntington News and dah dah dah! The Oscars aka my favorite television event of the year. I'm watching E!'s coverage right now. So far, the dresses are pretty delightful. 

We would be so happy to be together

This is my friend, Maggie. She has a blog, too. This is it.

You should ch-ch-ch-check it out.

Wag the dog

Spike's Junkyard Dogs on Newbury Street makes my life worth living. That is all.

Have a cuppa ...

I'm going to go ahead and contend that there's nothing better than a really good cup o' tea. Most of my cup drinking used to consist of various Celestial Seasonings:  Sleepytime, Lemon Zinger and the like. 

But I have to say, Tealuxe's Earl Grey with extra bergamot to be absolutely top drawer. For those who don't know, bergamot is actually an orange native to Southeast Asia. It's really delish. To brew my tea, I use a really cool Bee House tea pot. Stellar.

Squeaky wheel ...

My Saturday night consisted of making delicious pasta with amigo (and loyal blog) reader Eric Allen, who makes an appearance in the photo to the left. More amigos made appearances and we all pondered the implausibility of Grease.

Oh wait! This is all leading up to an actual fashion-related statement! The whole point of the movie is essentially that you should change how you are in order to scoop up the man of your dreams. But all of Sandy's black leather, cigarette-smoking, big hair and garish lipstick kind of don't do it for me. I know she's supposed to be hot and all, but her big skirts and collard shirts are more visually appealing to me.  Guess Danny and I have different tastes. 

Polish and Circumstance

I love nail polish. It's just one of those things, like if I'm wearing nail polish I'm just ever so slightly cooler without really having to try. Lately I've been wearing this cool OPI grey from it's Paris collection, and I always paint my nails myself.  Just me?

ps, I wish Americans called it "varnish" and not "polish". For obvious reasons, I feel.

Let's get together yeah yeah yeah

You can read my Madewell review here. It's my first official store review. I'm kind of proud.

Dog Days

So when is it okay to look like a mess? I'm happiest when wearing something I like - I feel good about myself, and in turn, share the love with everyone else. But let's face it. You can't look like a model every day. Here are my slob exemptions:

1. Hangover. Having to get up to go to class is bad enough, I'm not going to put make-up on to boot.
2. Weather. Anytime the temp drops below 15 degrees, forget it. Ugg-wearers unite! Ironically, I feel like getting dressed up in the rain.
3. Sleep. 5 hours or less yields ratty jeans and flats.

Busy

Sorry, dudes. Really busy today ... more tomorrow!

Made well by name ...

J.Crew's hip little sister Madewell opens today at 329 Newbury Street. Stop in for mini cupcakes, vintage style soda, cleverly named outfits and free Boston-themed totes (after today, they will be free with a purchase of jeans). For my full review, check out Thursday's issue of the Huntington News.

All bottled up

Boylan seltzer water is kind of the best thing ever.

Carrying the banner through it all

The magazines at Barnes and Noble looked boring, so I bought a newspaper instead. I like feeling as if I saved somebody's job.

I'll tell you everything I know

Recession shopping is a barren wasteland, not unlike the empty reflection pool at the Christian Science Center.

Sales at Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and LF Stores failed to move me to purchase anything. Is anyone buying?

Me, I play

I know this video is old news, but it makes me so sublimely happy every single time I watch it, that I can't not post it. Plus, I would like to shout out Brigitte Bardot's vocals in the commercial (directed by Sophia Coppola in the same vein as Marie Antoinette), since I'm wearing perfume inspired by her and all.

Ooo oo oo, Fashion

As a college student in Boston, I don't exactly make the top of the invite lists for Fashion Week in New York, New York.

Luckily, we live in the internet age, where even if I can't quite get close enough to see Anna Wintour's facial expressions in person (should she make any), I can keep up with the best and worst of the newest fashions. 

Here are my favorite sites for Fashion Week coverage:

1. Fashionista, for insightful criticisms, general silliness, and the most knowledgeable writers around.

2. New York Magazine, for complete photos of every show to judge for yourself.

3. The Moment, high brow analysis from The Times' fashion writers.

4. Style.com, because, really, who knows better than Vogue.

5. The Daily Beast, for Tina Brown's interesting what's-behind-the-clothes stories

A perfume by any other name ...

I have a bit of a problem. I can never seem to find the right perfume. To me, the right perfume is the very definition of a lady - the waify kind, who wears full-length fur coats with big sunglasses, lives in the Taj hotel and employes a driver named Alfred.

I've been through them all, Marc, Moschino, Burberry, even a special perfume I bought in Florence made for Catherine de Medici on the occasion of her wedding to the King of France. Nothing seemed to fit ... until now.

Tocca's Brigitte - inspired by Bardot - is a rich sent of ginger and rose. It's not so strong that it's cloying, but not clean enough to be virtually undetectable, either. Plus, I'm pretty happy to have the bottle on my dresser. Now all I need is the funds to get the fur and I'll be well on my way...

You can get it at Sephora.com.

Bowled over

I pretty much love jewelry and have made it my life's work to collect it. As such, it's really important to have a good storage system to keep your jewels clean and safe - a large box with a lot of compartments is ideal. But sometimes I'm too lazy to put everything back in its spot.

Enter:  the pearl bowl. The bowl itself is actually a paper mache find from the home sale section at Anthropologie and is covered with fish (trout, perhaps?).  My friend Chels named it the pearl bowl because I keep a strand of really fab fake pearls in it, but I also use it to store my daily jewelry until I get it together to put it away.

Making a state(ment)

As a SoCal expat living in Boston, I often feel the need to show my pride. Luckily, Rhode Island-based jewelers Alex + Ani have given me a slightly more subtle way to rep California (I was getting a little tired of carrying that surfboard around with me...)

 All 50 of these bad boys are made from Russian gold and are adorned with each state's official seal, and at $68 each, they're not terribly priced, either.

 I just bought one (Vermont) for my roommate for her birthday later this week (shhhh).

To order, call 800-725-7822.

ps, the people there could not be nicer!

The LIVE manifesto

5. Apply the time and intelligence into your style as you do your professional life and you can't go wrong.

4. Luxury is not a dirty word - well-made clothes are the best investment. That $1,000 Burberry trench will last for the rest of your lifetime.

3. Live within your means - Luxury is a dirty word when you make $300 a week. Buy the trench at H&M.

2. Bring whimsy into everything you wear.

1. Having good style is important, but at the end of the day, having fun is what matters most.

The only real thing a girl needs...

... is the ocean.