Trail Blazers

A wintry yet lovely morning, muffins! Noticing decades worth of fashion trends, it is safe to say that blazers [and broad shoulders, for that matter] are not leaving the runways nor the sidewalks any time soon. Seeing women rock this timeless jacket for what seems like forever, I thought about the origin’s of these pop tops just a few hours ago: Menswear.  Along with the blazer, the leather bomber, baggy pants, and pea coat also seem to be gracing the shoulders of both men and women alike. Speaking of menswear,  just feast your eyes on the attire from this season’s fashion week.

What’s your favorite classic clothing article? Do tell!

Have a fabulous weekend, lovies!

Bright & shiny,

Dani

P.S. A little random, but just an FYI: I. love. these. shoes. These Elizabeth & James pairs of prettiness [ …discovered them while searching Polyvore for blazers] are both chic and works of [sculptural] art.

Bella!

Golden

Good afternoon, cupcakes! Two summers ago, I visited the Textile Museum while exploring the District in search of an ideal venue for an upcoming event. While there, a friend of mine was kind of enough to buy me two exquisite Nigerian woven banglesfrom their gift shop in exchange for my vintage store plastics. It was a done deal. My newest TeMu darling? Vere Tyvek bags. In addition to being recycable, these stellar sacks are rather hardy, holding up to 20 lbs. of goodies. 

Ooh... pretty. Haha.

Another  fabulous feature? The sharp colors are so cool and cutting edge! I have come to realize that I am pretty much a sap for anything metallic these days, owing to my pet Christmas present last year.

I practically wear this bracelet everyday.

Have a super duper Saturday!

Optimistically,

Dani

P.S. I think if my Nigerian bracelets were to ever be converted into a purse, the following would be the end result […and it would be uh-mazing! Haha.]:

So cute. Summer ready, much? Haha.

As always, in order to visit the source of any of the photos above, please click on the photo.

Lights, Camera, Action!

A late morning hello, precious readers! Due a plethora of assignments that I need to finish, I cannot blog as long as I would like to today.

 As I looked at Asian Cajuns (These darling doubles are uh-mazing.  Their chic, clean blog is definitely a must-read for any fashion blogger. I love them!) former blog location the other day, I began to realize how essential lighting is to fabulous photography while perusing through a photo shoot that they styled awhile back. Whether warm and low-key or bold and bright, lighting is key to setting the mood.

Below are several of my favorite photos styled by this superb sister act. Enjoy, loves! (I know I did! Haha.)

I love the warm glow of the lights in the dim bathtub.

So prom-esque. I love it.

Simply lovely.

Have a beautiful day, muffins!

Hastily,

Dani

Lions & Tigers & Bears! Oh My!

Aren't these doll babies simply delightful? (Source: lotushaus.typepad.com)

Art is not a thing; it is a way. –Elbert Hubbard

A [bright and sunny] good afternoon to my digital darlings! Because the second semester is in full swing with two fabulous art classes in tow [Sculpture & Drawing. Yay!] , I am more determined than ever to blog daily. Yesterday afternoon, my sculpture professor asked us to bring in at least a couple of stuffed animals for next week’s class. I am super excited and curious to see what we, as a class, are going to do with them. Looking at the website of the ultra quaint Brooklyn boutique, Bird‘s current “baby bird” page, made me think of my upcoming art assignment. While perusing the site, I stumbled upon these absolutely adorable stuffed animals called, Arrow Kuma Bears. With their bold patterns and vivid color schemes, these bears burst at the seams with panache and originality. Certainly not your average bear, if you ask me. Haha. Constructed by Manhattan mastermind, Ross Menuez, these organic cotton cuties are hand silk-screened employing green […environmental, that is], soy-based dyes. Want a Kuma cuddly companion of your own? AREAWARE has got you covered.

In an incredibly interesting Spanish Literature class that I sat in on yesterday, the class discussed what constituted as art and what did not. What is the difference between “[re]crear” and “[re]producir“? Gosh, what a tough question!

When looking at the ArKu bears and pondering those questions, I asked myself if toys could be considered art. In my humble opinion, I would say so. To me, art evokes emotion and so do these, giving the classic Teddy Bear a fresh twist.

So the question[s] is are: What is art? Can it be something that can defined? I would love to hear read your thoughts!

Happy Birthday to ya, Dr. King [Me? A shameless Stevie Wonder fan? That I am. Haha.],

Dani

P.S. Have a wonderful weekend, lovies!

Twice As Nice

Happy, Happy Wednesday, darlings!  The week is officially almost over; and you know what today is. That’s right. “What Gives? Wednesday” (…based off of  Chicago Social Magazine’s article, “What Gives?”)! Smart trend of the sixteenth? Aviator Nation.

I must say, I have been waiting to tell you folks about this SoCal-based unisex clothing company for almost a week. On the lookout for stylish sweaters, I stumbled upon its website last week.

Created by Paige Mycoskie, Aviator Nation is the product of her love of aviator glasses, but I mean… c’mon, those shades are classics and always au courant. Haha.  From tanks to truckers, this business exemplies the Golden State‘s surfing culture through their items’ cool color schemes and casual cuts. Although not all of their clothes go to charity, Aviator Nation has a specific set of clothing articles in which a portion of those purchases goes to AIDS research. Isn’t that rad? Haha.

Ooh… and please take a look at this collaboration between Aviator Nation and TOMS! So neat!

Stay sunny,

Dani

MySpace

My apologies for the three-day hiatus, doll faces. I have been super busy with final papers, but alas, I am done for the semester! Yay! Haha. For all of my fellow students, I hope that all of you are wrapping up the nicely, which I’m sure that all of you are. Because I have left all of my beautiful readers visually high and dry for the past few days, I am going to post three posts in one day in an attempt to redeem myself. Haha.

My last post, featuring stringed lighting, paper decorations, and wool reefs, really got me thinking about interior design, specifically bedrooms. My ideal bedroom looks as if it came straight out of a summer IKEA catalog with a brightly adorned bedspread, miniature Babushkas, track lighting, and several discrete pieces of chic white hot furniture (plus, a dash of Dani to doll it up a bit: fashion mag photos, ancient art projects, mammoth-sized posters, & porcelain dolls(?), o’course. Haha.). I really like the clean yet creative vibe that IKEA has going on in their bedroom photoshoots.

This thought leads to the next logical question: what is a bedroom? Along with being a cozy cove for sleeping, I feel that it should be somewhere one is free to relax: a serene oasis, a nest. Sound familiar, muffins? Haha. Below are a few of my favorite bedrooms on the IKEA website. Want to puruse one of the following gorgeous rooms? Simple click on the photo and wander away! Haha.

See what I mean? Simple yet elegant.

This bedroom just screams fun! Just look at that comforter! Haha.

I am totally digging the vibe of this room. Not only is it mature, but it has a funky edge as well. This bedroom has to be one of my favorites.

This room looks like it belongs to a cool and free-spirited person. I like it.

This bedroom is a perfect example of what I meant by chic white furniture. The clothes in the closet really pop.

For some reason, this room reminds me a super modern bed and breakfast. Haha.

The lime hue of the walls really make this room come alive!

Another favorite of mine. Definitely.

Very clean design.

So, what is your favorite place to relax? Please, do tell! Haha.

Stay nice & toasty,

Dani

 

Knit Pick

Hello, fabulous readers! I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend filled with oodles of rest between manic spurts of writing and studying for finals! The Amazing Shannon recommended a Norwegian website that I should visit all about Norwegian knitting called, Pickles. Cutest title ever, right? (Norway + Yarn = Super FUN! Haha.) …and boy, was she right!

Along with how-to posts on any knitting item from fashion to interior design, this incredibly ingenious blog also  dishes up loads of eye candy in the form of delightfully creative cupcakes (…and muffins too!). I mean: cupcakes are a girl’s best friend. Yum! Haha.

Below are some of my absolute fave pieces on the blog. Want to see the original post of the following items? Just click on the pic! Haha.

Apparel

This bolero looks so comfy and chic at the same time!

Strike a pose!

This hat looks so luxurious! I am totally digging the pom pom. Haha.

This pom pom makes me feel all "warm and fuzzy."

How gorgeous is this color?

I love how bows have the ability to make anything cute.

The contrast between the neon tank and the pastel sweater is simply divine!

This close-up reminds me of cotton candy.

How cute and innovative is this friendship head band!

A double take: But now it's a bracelet. How versatile, eh?

So stylish.

This adorable accessory totally deserves a close-up!

Interior Design

How gorgeous is this space; and that lamp(!): to die for. Very IKEA. Haha.

Close up!

Let there be light! Haha.

It's that time of year again: Christmas! I love how colorful and fun that wreath looks.

You know how I love my CUs. Haha.

What a great way to perk up a room right up!

Toys

What do you get when you put cotton, yarn, cloth, and golden buttons all together?

Surprise! It's a teddy bear! Haha.

Aren’t these pieces absolutely adorable? Thank you so much, Shannon! You’re the best!

I hope that everyone has an absolutely terrific evening! Now, please go get some rest… I’m sure that you totally deserve it!

Good night,

Dani

Inspired Attire

Today's Attire. The description can found on the left. Pardon the "Polly Pocket"-sized hands & massive "line backer" shoulders. While I do have super broad shoulders, I doodled in ink, which is very unforgiving but very worthwhile as well.

Because I was so inspired by Rachel‘s wicked style that I blogged about yesterday, I decided to play with legwear a bit today myself. I was so happy with all of the positive feedback I received today. It made me happy about trying some new this morning. Today, I wore:

– Spectacles from Urban Outfitters

– A forest green, navy, & white flannel shirt, a white v-neck, and a white tank top from Target

– White & navy seersucker-esque shorts from Old Navy (It was on clearance for only $3!)

– Charcoal tights from Target

– Black UGG-esque boots from Payless Shoes (Love!)

So what do you think? Yea or nay?

Happy, happy Friday,

Dani

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

For the past few weeks, my art class has been focusing on self-portraits, which is super exciting, because people are such fascinating art subjects. Our professor recently gave us a list of artists that she wanted us to research.

This particular piece looks quite modelesque.

These artists included:

-Rembrandt

-Chuck Close

-Mary Cassatt

-Lee Krasner

-Jacob Lawrence

-Henri Matisse

-Kathe Kollwitz

-Vincent Van Gogh

-Egon Schiele

-Eva Hesse

-Frida Kahlo

-Judith Leyster

Some of their self-portraits in particular stood out to me. My favorite self-portrait was that of Egon Schiele (to the left), due to the brilliantly assorted yet appropriate use of soft colors. His androgyny in this piece of artwork fascinated me as well.

Nevertheless, after this informative assignment along with my art history-centric Spanish class and my third grade teacher’s love of impressionism and pastels (she took us to art museums and labeled our work tables by artists’ names… so much fun!), I am really ecsatic about taking my very first Art History class next semester. I think that the course will be truly enlightening and allow me to see not only artwork but also other subjects  in a different light.

Well, I am now off to my lovely Studio Art class for some R&R. Until my next post,…

Ciao,

Dani