Blizzard of Love

I would just like to thank Ithaca for the lovely Valentine’s Day gift. It was very sweet of you. But I have to break it to you: girls do not really want two feet of snow for this holiday.

Next time, try raining candy (Reeses Pieces perhaps) or how about giving us a few UV rays so we are not deathly pale. At least coordinate with Cornell so we get the whole day off and not just the afternoon. A half snow day? That is not nearly as good as a real one. Think about getting half a pair of socks. Same concept.

Stay gorges,
A Cold Student

PS- You had better watch it or I might have to end this relationship in a few months.

Phillip Lim Goes to School

Some collections hit very (maybe too) close to home. Watching the 3.1 Phillip Lim collection was like déjà vu. Didn’t I see these same looks every day? On my professors? Even if you cannot TA during your time at school, Phillip Lim can at least help you to dress like a professor. Some easy steps include:

1. The Classic Trench

It is a classic for a reason. Plus they are always handy to have around if you want to go as a flasher for Halloween.

2. A Top Hat

There is a professor I see all the time sporting this retro headgear. Who knew he was on the cutting edge?

3. A Bow Tie

Nothing says ‘I am better than you’ than a bow tie. Have you ever noticed how people either passionately hate or love these things? I am always surprised by the strong reactions.

4. An upscale version of the L.L. Bean tote

Very inventive huh? Breaking new ground by making the straps leather instead of canvas. (Sorry Phillip looks like L.L. Bean already covered that too.)

I suppose you have to give those Arts and Science professors more credit. Maybe they are hipper than us hoodie-loving students ever knew…

Grammy Glitz

I have made my feelings about award shows clear in other posts. The Grammy Awards fall into the same category for me. Let’s put it this way, I find my readings for class more interesting. I just do not understand why some people love this mind numbing programming. In terms of fashion, music people are usually the worst. It seems they have to prove their incredible creative talent by donning a bizarre outfit. Yeah, that is they way to get me to download your single.

Ok Go is a band that I like… to listen to, not too see. Apparently, they do not like to see themselves either and decided to cover their faces with red pantyhose material. Right.
Then there are the PCD. They seem to be in a competition to see who can dress the most like stripper going to an award show. Congrats girls, you are all winners. I wonder if the lead singer made all the other members wear short dresses. How bossy!
The Duffster went tragic, adopting the heroin chic/slip dress look of the 1990s.
Again with the random odd attire, Imogen Heap showed off a big poof of frizz, white boots, and oddly shaped dress. She even thought ahead and brought a parasol to ward off, um, indoor showers?
I usually like Mandy Moore. She is normally adorable but this combo threw me. Mismatching polka dot belt and floral dress? Hm, pass.
The biggest surprise in my book was that Fergie arrived actually looking nice. A new stylist in the picture? I thought her silver dress was perfect for the red carpet. Way to sparkle!
All and all, not a very inspiring show. I will just have to wait for the Oscars…

Rest in Peace

Life is filled with losses, some minor, some giant. Losing items like pens or socks falls on the relatively trivial side of the loss spectrum. You tend to get over these occurrences within a few minutes*. (*Unless you are one of those people who is convinced that the dryer is slowly eating your socks. Then you obsess over each lost sock like a single-minded detective. I never understood that version of pseudo-OCD.) At the opposite end of the spectrum are events like someone’s passing which can lead to months, if not years, of grief. Somewhere in the middle is the loss of a favorite possession.

My materialistic loss is my favorite pair of jeans. I bought this specific pair back in the early fall of 2004. The two and a half years seems simultaneously extremely short and long. In some ways, the time has truly flown. In many others the same time dragged on from one hour to the next hour… sometimes every excruciating minute seemed like a battle.

I bought my favorite pair from the lovely jeans section at Neiman Marcus. I was shopping by myself. If you need someone else to confirm that a pair of jeans looks good, you should not be buying them. I was cloistered in a spacious dressing room surrounded by a mess of denim. Some pairs were on hangers, others folded neatly in piles, and still more were haphazardly strewn across the neutral carpet.

Some times the best thing about shopping is that it can distract you from whatever is bothering you. I am sure I was obsessing about a lab report or some such nonsense when I walked though the doors. The calm, air conditioned, well-lit dressing room was completely removed from the sweltering Texas day outside. That particular dressing room even had a small stage-like area surrounded by mirrors so you could ruthlessly scrutinize every angle. Eventually, I tried on a pair of slightly flared, medium rise Citizens in a dark wash. They were perfect to me.

Today that dark wash can be only be found on the insides of its pockets. The bottom leg hems are in decent shape still. Only the slightest fray has formed near my heels. (This is a good thing about being tall; those super long jeans actually fit you.) My favorite jeans are now broken in and even more perfect than when the NM girl first placed them in that yellow butterfly-cover bag.

But I have caused the loss of my jeans. I am guilty of wearing and loving them to death. I have worn them to countless classes. They have tagged along with me to frat parties, dates, church services, trips across the globe, smoky bars, smoke-free bars, museums, fashion shows, family dinners, and every other event under the sun. During these two plus years, I have discovered who will stay your friend when distance makes it hard. I have also found there are those who will turn on you in a split second and never looked back. This is the pair I wore when I had to break someone’s heart. I have also worn them while falling for someone new and wonderful who makes me feel more loved than I can express. I wore my favorite jeans during all these occasions because they made me feel comfortable, beautiful, and confident.

Now the holes in the denim have told me that it is finally time to let go. After all, it is the memories not the jeans that I really want to keep. I will jealously guard the both joyful and miserable memories of the past two and half years with my life. So until a time when age causes my memory to also become worn and holey… I will remember it all.

Socially Responsible

It must be nice to be a socialite. Sit around sipping Manhattans? Try your hand at working? The choice is really up to you. I am glad that Tory Burch has picked the latter option. Even if you do not like every outfit she creates, you can at least see someone wearing it. (As opposed to some designers that produce for some unknown character.)

Case in point, this smart number.

I could see any college girl wearing this to class. How many of us already wear ballet flats, jeans, and fun blouses already? Welcome to my standard uniform.

And who doesn’t like a little glitter?

Here Tory has another sweetly bowed dress and gold cardi. I like that she kept it classy by only showing off the legs. No one wants to look like a decked out Vegas showgirl. Okay, at least I have no desire to!

If you have to work, there are some ideas as well.

I love the scarlet pencil skirt! The gold details on the toes and heels of the shoes are a nice touch too. The whole outfit is still conservative enough for most offices. Unless you work in a ridiculous land where you can only wear black or navy suits, boo.

Speaking of working, I suppose I should focus on getting a job so I can splurge on these clothes! Until then, hopefully Tory Burch will not turn into a lady who merely lunches.

A True Ally?

So yesterday it was announced that the FDA had approved the first nonprescription weight loss drug called Alli. Basically it is just a half dose of Xenical, which is only available with a prescription.

The Good News: The drug could help many people lose weight. Helping overweight/obese people decrease their risk of weight-related diseases (like diabetes, heart problems) is obviously a great result.

The Bad News: Since it is over the counter anyone can buy it. This means that someone who does not really need to lose weight could potentially abuse the drug. (It brings to mind all the girls I know who are thin but still think they need to lose ten pounds. You already look beautiful!) Another con, it is expensive. The prices for Alli can range from 50 to 100 dollars a month. According to one expert on NPR, the drug will only cut 100 to 300 calories a day from your diet. For your money you can buy a nice gym membership instead.

The Gross News: Alli works by blocking fat absorption in your digestive tract… and that fat has to go somewhere. So basically prepare to run (fast!) to the bathroom if you eat anything with too high a fat content. Ick.

So Alli is far from a cure-all. Some people will definitely benefit from the drug. I, for one, will be sticking with the tried and true way of losing weight!

One in a Million

Every once in a while I am pleasantly surprised by a store I had completely written off. Today I ventured into Gap to see if the conditions had improved. Unfortunately it was the same mess of bland merchandise.

But low and behold, there was a cute item… a sweet baby doll. Lacy? Pink? Polka dotted? Sign me up! I could suddenly see why some of my friends swear by Gap Body. Then my vision cleared and I looked around at the rest of the lingerie. The store was brimming with neutral bras, basic undies, and uninspiring sleepwear. Sadly it was just an outlier.

If only they could learn how to replicate this phenomenon more often. Gap Body, please promote whoever designed this and try to stop putting me into a coma.

Clothes V. Boys

It is no big secret that a lot of ladies love clothes. But just how deep is their adoration?

A new study out confirms every guy’s worst nightmare: girls may like their clothes more than you.

Some findings included…

-The average woman surveyed would forgo sex for 15 months in order to receive a brand new wardrobe of clothes. (Ouch!)

-About half of the women said that an article of clothing was better at making them feel sexy than their guy. (I can understand this one. I instantly feel better when I am wearing a flattering outfit.)

-Apparently, a full 70 percent of the participants thought that love at first sight with clothing was real. Only about half thought the same for falling in love with a man. (I get this one too; clothes do not really have anything to hide. No pair of shoes has a crazy mother waiting in the wings!)

I suppose the guys of the world had better step it up… before clothes take over. Haha!

Roses are Red...

It is officially one week until Valentine’s Day. Depending on your situation the holiday can trigger any emotion from glee to misery. If you are really fortunate, you do not care a lick about it and just write it off as another Hallmark holiday. (Like you need a special day to say I love you?) If you subscribe to the holiday, the typical thing to do is to go have a lovely, romantic dinner. And if you are unattached, it is always amusing go out with friends and tell tales of the single life. (“He did what?!”) In either case, Valentine’s Day is a great excuse, if you need one, to go shopping.

To me, wearing red for V-Day is about as unique as wearing green for St. Patty’s Day. Why discriminate against all the other colors possibilities out there!

So instead of sticking with red, how about orange? The sweetheart neckline is perfect for Valentine’ Day. To be honest, most guys will think it is red anyway. They always pay so much attention to these details. And since it is only 58 dollars, you will have some extra cash to buy all the post-holiday chocolate you want. Can anyone resist candy on sale?
If you are on a budget, you can always looking into this violet dress as an option. It’s only 40 dollars, you cannot beat that price. Bring a cardi so you don’t freeze though!

This blue dress is definitely a tad warmer. I love jersey because it feels like you are wearing your favorite pajamas. Mmm, that makes me want to take a nap…

There are lots of us who just cannot resist a cute pair of shoes. Sound familiar? These printed green shoes (for 80 bucks) may be just the item for your Valentine’s Day plans. You may need to plan on valeting (or having someone nice drop you off at the door) so your new pumps are not fouled by the slush.

If your main goal is to stay toasty, I would go with this happy yellow cardigan. All my favorite sweaters are cashmere, why suffer through scratchy wool, right? You can wear this sweet little tied number through the rest of spring. Or even in the summer if you end up in one of those horribly over-air-conditioned places.

Never underestimate the power of a good pair of jeans. These indigo beauties are all you really need to keep your V-Day date’s full attention. Guaranteed! (FYI: These Citizens are on sale.)


And if you just cannot go out without wearing black, look into this lovely noir DVF number. Yes, it is not cheap (about 365 dollars). But given the number of times you wear a LBD (uhhh, all the time), it seems a little more reasonable.

So in advance, Happy Hearts Day!