Last night I had a dream about... ?

For the last week and half or so I have been having the strangest dreams...

I'd like to take some time and analyze them, but generally they slip away from my memory before I get a chance to begin to understand them.

I'll stick with my daydreams instead...

I want to making bathing suits all the time.

Rosa Cha [pictures #2 & #3] hire me please.

♥ Lini.

Like a butterfly floats its wings and Tokyo explodes or there's a tsunami, in like, you know, somewhere.

At my current job I was trained in Spanish. Typical, I mean I currently live and work in Miami. Mind you, I do not actually speak Spanish well enough to be fully trained for a job in it. I think they eventually realized this upon my look of sheer terror. So, I guess they figured they'd make it brief and get to the most important aspects of my position.

One of the girls told me [insert super chonga accent] that my job was to basically faciliate the customer's shopping experience and make it as aestically pleasing and easy as possible. Why? Because let's say if there's half a stack of jeans in one room, and another stack somewhere else, a poor unsuspecting customer may only find the one stack that happens to not have her size. Without the said jeans she won't have a thing to wear out that night, and will be doomed to sit at home for the evening. Had the jeans been better orgazined, she would have found her size. Voila! She would have hit the club looking stunning, and found her future boyfriend that night.

My job is to organize the store to insure people's lives become fairy tales and not nights spent watching VH1. Home. Alone. On their Couches. Binging. Because without THOSE jeans, you're doomed. Duh.

When she told me this, I just though to myself is she kidding? Is the language barrier that severe? If you know me, I will rage about how important fashion is, but even I thought she was going overboard. I kept and keep thinking about this everytime I go into work. Until I realized...

Maybe she has a point. I mean sometimes people stay in or don't do things because they aren't feeling their best, and I believe how you feel about your appearance has a wholeee lot to do with that. If you're in a bad mood you might give off a bad vibe preventing you from meeting someone or doing something which could change your life, or at least your day. And if you go into a store, and it's an unorganized disaster, and you can't find what you want... well, maybe that put you in a bad mood. Butterfly effect via ill-fitting skinny jeans perhaps?

I'm not saying fashion controls your destiny. I'm not saying I control your destiny by properly folding skirts into a manner which makes it easier for you to find just the right one. But maybe, just maybe, fashion & I shape it a little more than you care to admit.

Cause I felt like smiling this morning.

♥ Lini.

All men are created equal...until they get dressed.

We all have our guilty pleasures.

Personally, I secretly adore putting ice cubes in my wine, Youtubing Miley Cyrus, and brushing my teeth in the shower. For some, excuse me- for many, shopping and fashion represent the ultimate guilty pleasure... so I need to ask: WHY? I feel no guilt in fashion at all. I mean, perhaps if the sum of digits on your credit card bill add up to more then you can count on your fingers and toes a-la-Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic maybe a bit of a dilemma looms on the horizon, otherwise- shop, look, and lust away! Don't let your fashion habits keep you up at night, I guarantee your conscience has heavier things on it's plate.

I love fashion, I love fabric, I love design. I love the feeling of unworn clothes against my palms when I run them along stacks of folded sweaters in department stores. I love toying prices tags between my fingers and crumpling silk dresses in my fists. I love thinking about a single fiber pairing up with millions of other fibers to form a garment, a garment which will be worn and cherished, and made to flatter a figure. I think great design in any field elevates something-anything- to a higher, more elegant level, and fashion take us, people, the wearers, to our next level... when you look good, you feel good, where's the guilt in that?

So here's to NY Fashion Week and my favorite RTW Spring 2010 pieces... may you continue being guilt-free on the runway, and shamefully un-so at the after parties. Maybe I'll see you around sometime ♥

Erin Fetherson, by Erin Fetherson.

Proenza Schouler, by Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough.

Thakoon, by Thakoon Panichgul.

L.A.M.B., by Gwen Stefani.

Diane von Furstenberg, by Diane von Furstenberg.

Malandrino, by Catherine Malandrino.

Marc Jacobs, by Marc Jacobs.

I cut just like a knife, but I [look] just like a dream- hellogoodbye.

Are you fucking serious? This is FASHION.

One day, my fingers will tap at these keys until something interesting and pertinent results. This day has not yet arrived, and my lazy ass can only provide you with some random thoughts and visuals for the day.

1. I love Fashion so much I begin hate it. It's hypocritical, ugly, nasty, and rude. People in charge of it tend to be absolutely unreasonable heroin junkie bitches with god-awful taste. But alas, I still worship it. We may have our arguments. I may find myself surprised with Fashion's behavior, appalled something I believed was so genuine and so generous could be so fickle and so foul. I may swear I never want to see Fashion again, but next thing you know, I'm groping Fashion inappropriately in the fitting room, clawing at Fashion gasping for more. I can throw Fashion away, put my hands up and say "No, not today, thanks. We're over."...then I get home, and I type Fashion into an internet search engine, unable to resist seeing what Fashion has been up to. Damn you Fashion, damn you to hell for leading me on and allowing me to hope for us to finally be at peace with one another.

Being said, the Philadelphia University Annual Fashion Show is tomorrow! Tickets are still on sale at Kanbar tomorrow from 11 to 3, as are t-shirts. Academy of Music, 7 p.m. Definately a worthwhile show...at least from the right side of the stage (;

Also, check out StyleLine, PhilaU's own Fashion Lifestyle newsletter. And no, you won't be seeing it in the program at the show...because PhilaU funds are being used to offer students a wide array of customized socks available for purchase at the bookstore. Check back in a few days for the Spring 2009 issue.

Click. I take no responsibility for this.

2. The world contracts and expands... I find myself appalled at how small it can be, and how uncomprehendably large it is as well. Not much makes sense, and much less is fair. Who is justice? I'd like to shake her hand and ask her a question or two.

3. Milan. Milan. Milan, je t'aime.

4. Kid Cudi. iTunes this man, I feel some real potential. I'm digging some "Dat New New" right now.
Press play.

5. Katvan. Two photographers with a banging sense of humor and intuitive feel for composition.
When everything feels like the movies.

6. Pier Nicola D'Amico. This man went to Cooper Union. He's a spray-painting, skateboarding city boy. Enough said.
You bleed just to know you're alive.


7. Saverio Truglia. This man's photography is so beautiful I could cry. You know when you see someone's work and you think, Hey, I'd so do that, I wish I had thought of it but unfortunately some infinately more talented fucker beat me to it? That is this man. Bless his heartsoul.

I'd give up forever to touch you.

8. Hannes Kutzler. Sprechen eie Deutsches? I will for you Hannes.

The closest to heaven that I'll ever be.


Now that sufficient time has been wasted, I must depart. Fashion's calling.

♥ Caroline

The good life, it feels like Philly?

I have conflicting feelings about Philadelphia: constantly gray, filthy, home of possibly the WORST traffic engineering in the world, and with a nightlife leaving quite a bit to be desired, I sometimes write off Philly as a black sheep amongst other amazing urban cities. Easier said than done, I believe we should refrain from judging anything before giving it a decent chance. Being said, I owe an apology to Philly. If you look hard enough, you can find gems unique to Philadelphia, and I can honestly say I look forward to stumbling upon more. So here's to Filthadelphia, may you continue to be endearing grimy.

A few of my favorite Philly finds and claims to fame:

1. The Fabric Workshop and Museum.

Believe me, textiles don't exactly get me jumping for joy. When I heard about this, I figured I'd be showered with yellowing relics you wish you could forget once and for all. I found instead an admission price so cheap it's almost unheard of ($3) and some really impressive artwork. Currently a Robert Wilson exhibit is on display, and definately worth looking at pretty closely. Amongst other things, I saw an actual flea circus, and LIFE-SIZE INFLATIBLE WHALE, and some really inspiring prints. The Fabric Workshop and Museum offers apprenticeships for high schools students, an impressive group of resident artists, and a girft shop with the most adorable and unique pieces I've seen in awhile. Definately a worthy Philly find.

VOOM- Robert Wilson

The Fabric Workshop and Museum

1214 Arch Street

215.561.8888

2. The Roots

Hip-hop artists...with a band? I still don't understand why more artists haven't experimented with this brilliant combination! Looking at my poster bearing Questlove as I type this, I can fairly say The Roots, hailing from Philly of course, are one of those groups which allow me to respect and love hip-hop regardless of the particularly heinous concoctions we hear overplayed on mainstream radio. Check out "Here I Come", "Break You Off", "You Got Me", and "The Seed".

3. First Friday

On the First Friday of each month, the 40+ art galleries in Old City are all open for free to the public from 5-9. F.U.E.L, my personal favorite, has great talent both musically and artistically. They promote young artists (the U standing for "Undergraduate") and if you're a pop culture junkie, the site is where MTV's Real World Philadelphia was filmed.

the f.u.e.l. collection

249 arch street

.215.592.8400

4. Ms. Tootsie's

Words cannot describe the experience I felt after eating at this soul food cafe- and as a vegetarian I didn't even taste their very best dishes.. Beyond their gorgeous interior design and friendly and helpful staff, the food is completely scrumpious and ecstasy inducing. The setting is upscale, but the mood is so pleasantly casual and you can't help but be drawn to the laughter and dancing in this South Street restaurant. The tropical iced tea is basically the nectar of the gods, and their coconut cake is flawlessy...and don't even get me started on the entrees.

Ms. Tootsie's Soul Food Cafe

1314 South Street

215.731.9045

5. Street Art

I love street art. I feel happy whenever I accidently stumble upon some, it's so ambiguous and raw: I love the energy. On my most recent assignment for my photography class, I was instructed to to find and photograph street art in its various forms. I ventured to Cecil B. Moore Avenue...one dead rat and a handful of loud-mouthed car mechanics later, I found some interesting images. Though the endless R.I.P's are a constant reminder of the neighborhood's history, the colors are so vibrant and the locations so unconventional (sidewalks, fire hydrants, windows, etc.) they still felt thoughtful, hopeful, and potent. Personally, I like wondering who made this art, why, and how they get to some really awkward places to work. No matter how simple the design, the stories behind them are so complex they become something more. And not all of it is simple- I have a lot of admiration for artists who can manipulate such difficult media and still produce ornate, wild creations.

je rêve en plastique

This being my first post, it seems appropriate to go to where it all began: childhood. I'm sucker for all things nostalgic: Furbies, Nickelodeon, and Dunkaroos will always have a special place in my heart. That being said, I have to admit I have never quite moved on from jelly sandals. Though no longer for sale at the Gap, Melissa, a Brazilian shoe company sold worldwide, still
produces plastic shoes you wouldn't even dream of dreaming of. The white ones on the left are super-architectural and modern, and the Vivienne Westwood pair on the lower right are absolutely irresistable (but verrry unfortunately not available for purchase yet). Personally, I have a handful of different pairs and I still find more to lust after. Check out the American site and get a kick out of these throwbacks: http://www.melissaplasticdreams.com


If you want a little more practicality, SWIMS offers galoshes you can slip on over your shoes during rainy days, or wear by themselves (they certainly are cute enough!) http://www.swims.com















Good luck exploring the infinite abyss, Caroline.