Dressed to Impress

This dresser was profiled today on Design Sponge. I love it. I have a white dresser in my bedroom that is a little taller than this, but otherwise similar. I've had it since I was a baby--it was a mustard yellow originally, until my mom painted it white and put gold knobs on it. My plan has been to buy some funky new knobs to give it a little bit of personality, but maybe I should commission someone to paint it with an awesome scene too!

When a problem comes along, you must whip it

I saw Whip It, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, this weekend. Surprisingly, I was not disappointed--I pretty much got what I was expecting, which was an all-out fun celebration of tattoos, sass, girls beating the crap out of other ladies, and general hipster disillusionment set to an enjoyable soundtrack. Yes, it was predictable. Yes, some of the dialogue was completely twee. But can you really go wrong with a movie that centers on a roller derby team called the Hurl Scouts, whose members feature names like Smashley Simpson, Bloody Holly, and Rosa Sparks? No, no you cannot.

Bliss Cavander (Ellen Page) is a timid teenager stuck in backwater Bodean, Texas, forced to compete in beauty pagaents to please her mother, played with empathy and warmth by the lovely Marcia Gay Harden. When Bliss takes a shopping trip to Austin, she gets her first glimpse of roller derby, and goes to try out for the team on a whim. What follows is pretty much your standard underdog team sports movie montage of wacky hijinks--the Hurl Scouts are the worst team in the league, but the women are fun and they lose with panache (chanting "We're #2!!" after losing yet another derby match). Inevitably, the scrappy novice Bliss is a flash on skates, and soon, the team is coming from behind to claim victory. Though the movie's trajectory here smacks of The Mighty Ducks in fishnets and eyeliner (the team even has two deaf players, The Manson Sisters, who are ringers for the Ducks' infamous Bash Brothers), there are some pleasant surprises: Alia Shawkat (Maebe Funke from the brilliant Arrested Development) crackles as Bliss's best friend and fellow Squaler-slinger, Pash; and though Marcia Gay Harden's character walks a dangerous line toward being a typical Texas pageant mother stereotype, the movie dials it back, never making a caricature of her. In fact, the mother-daughter relationship was one of my favorite parts of the movie, and I think it was portrayed realistically without getting too schmaltzy.

One of my major issues with the movie was the requisite romance element. Bliss falls for the "dreamy" Oliver, who in turn falls for her after they share a deep moment over a record (isn't that how all good hipster romances start?). Obvi, love ensues, complete with games of Marco Polo in a cornfield, sharing pickles/making out at the movies, and having sex underwater to a Jens Lekman song. Swoon! Ok, number 1, he's not cute at all. Number 2, why can't relationships be more clearly developed than "oh hey that chick is checking me out and she's cute so of course I am going to stalk-I mean, go to her place of work in a tiny town that no one ever goes to just so I can hang out with her" in movies? Is that too much to ask? However, I liked how the whole relationship scenario ended up, so the movie gets points for that.

In the end, the movie isn't completely cliche, and it's fun to watch, regardless of the pitfalls. It's even mildly empowering for the ladies, which is always nice to see. So grab your best girl friends and treat yourself to a movie that won't make you hate your life--I'm glad I did!



*cross-posted to Fringe Magazine

Inspired by Joan Holloway

I stumbled on What I Wore just this morning, and LOVE this outfit:



{image source}

The color, the cut of the dress, the tights, the scarf--everything. Perfect.

I'm also sort of loving the haircut. I wonder if my hair would do that....

Sky High

{Cupcakes and Cashmere}

Now, I'm the girl who always has a spare pair of flip flops in her bag and doesn't wear any heels that are higher than 1 inch, but oh my word are these YSL heels not absolutely gorgeous? I would most likely fall and knock out a couple of teeth if I ever attempted to actually wear them, but they are so beautiful I might just put them on a shelf and gaze at them, like art.

Bellezza

These two images caught my eye this week as being quintessentially Italian. It makes me want to go back in a bad way...(but what doesn't?).

{Garance Dore}

The dark hair, the olive skin, the red lipstick, the gorgeous green silk, the clutch, the newstand...perfection.

{The Sartorialist}

Again with the dark hair, that red purse, that skirt, that scooter....sigh.

Please note....

I just realized my last two posts have been tangentially wedding-related. This does not mean I have suddenly become enthusiastic about weddings. I just thought I would clarify.

Thanks for your understanding in this matter.

Sweet Dress

I saw this in the New York Times' Pursuit of Happiness blog, and I just think the dress is so sweet for a wedding. It's cute and fun, but still pretty. I also love the colored sash. Maybe not so much the tattoo, but we can't all be perfect.

The Wedding of the Century

As much as I've complained about Jim and Pam's relationship as of late(it's too cutesy, they never fight, they're sort of boring when not star-crossed), I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to their wedding and this Entertainment Weekly cover makes me smile. Also, even though I still maintain that the show could benefit from a little creativity with the relationship, executive producer Greg Daniels makes a good point in the accompanying cover story: "We didn’t want to do the soap opera-y thing and cheapen it. Besides, our ratings keep going up, so I don’t think anyone minds them being together.”

The special one-hour long wedding episode is set to air October 8, and I'll be watching (and let's be honest--I'll probably even tear up a little bit).

Vintage Esquire Covers

Grain Edit had a post today about vintage Esquire covers, so I popped over to their cover archive to check them out for myself.

Below, some of my favorites:











The most incredible thing about Esquire, more than the fantastic art direction, was the amount of quality writing in each issue. As far as I know, Esquire still has great articles--why can't a magazine for women feature the same calibre of literature and cultural commentary?

Back in the Saddle

I've been a blogging delinquent lately. In fact, I've been delinquent in nearly every area of my life these past 2 months. But I'm reasonably confident that, starting today, I'm coming back swinging.

I moved into a new apartment 3 weeks ago. So far, I love it. Most of the common areas are set up and unpacked, but my room is a disaster of haphazard cardboard boxes and piles of half-unpacked shoes, laundry, and other random detritus from my life that I can't quite bring myself to scrap(a pink wing from two Halloweens ago, floppy discs full of college papers, two Starbucks barista action figures [yes, two] I got as gifts back when I was working there). Furthermore, the walls of the apartment are that blank, creamy vanilla color that screams for something, anything to free it from its own boredom, and my roommate and I have yet to hang our art. In an attempt to feel less like a transient camping out in my own home, last night I sifted through the large still-to-be-unpacked box of my CDs and chose my favorite album art to hang on the sloped wall above my bed. I then carefully lined them up in neat rows, sticking globs of Scotch tape to the backs and pressing them against the plaster with my palms. This process took me about an hour, after which I proudly stood back and admired my handiwork.

It was about 30 seconds after I snapped this shot with my cell phone that the first liner note detached itself from the wall and quietly fluttered down. I resolutely plastered the backing with more Scotch tape and pressed it back into place. I then repeated this when the second booklet fell. And the third. By the time I went to bed, I had resolved myself to the fact that music and lyrics would be drifting down to cover me in my sleep, and I did wake this morning, the glossy pamphlets surrounding me like discarded flower petals. But I won't give up--I will get better adhesive (suggestions welcome), and by god, that album art will stay on my wall!

Even though it was ultimately a failed experiment, I had a fun time doing it. As I pored over those dusty plastic cases and bright album covers, and somehow managed to use up almost an entire roll of Scotch tape, I was transported back to high school, a time when I spent most of my hours in my bedroom, listening to those CDs and cutting pictures out of magazines to tape to the impressive full-wall collage I had adorning the bare plaster there in lieu of wallpaper or paint. Sometimes it’s good to get back to your roots, even if just for a little while.