What’s this foil thing about? Why is she so shiny?  What has she got on her head!??!

It’s kinda just fun to watch – to sit back and say “Oh wow, this is really, really silly, and I’m kind of into that.”  It’s one of the BEST worst films you’ve ever seen. (The soundtrack, which topped the charts totally makes up for the excess of camp and hilariously amazing musical numbers.)

Here’s to you, Photoshop glow tool.

You know what’s a little crazy about watching this movie?  How much the style they’re rockin’ resembles a lot of the street style I’m seeing today.  Batwing/dolman sweaters tucked into tulip skirts.  Harem-style, halter jumpsuits.  Harem pants in general!  Little flippy shorts and tailored tops.  Strong shoulders and swingy mid-length skirts.  STRIPES! Floaty dresses + slouchy boots and an over-load of fringe.  Big florals and fishnets.  Yellow and black dots.  CRAZY lycra jumpsuits.  The end montage shows off a wide array of animal print, and there’s even a tightrope walker that makes me think of all the hipster-y girls in their teeny, floral, micro print dresses and tights. All their 80′s-does-40′s (and just straight 80′s style) has been all-the-rage for the last year.

Maybe it’s because the 80′s just became vintage.  Because neon is cool, because we’re okay with tapered pants again, and because rollerskates are totally all the rage – right?  Well, aren’t they?

Okay, and there’s a Xanadu Marvel comic book?  Are you kidding me?

(Read the rest here)

As cheesy as this movie is, it’s definitely a cult classic and it’s one of MY favorites.

While flipping through June’s Elle last night, (I go through it a couple times, once for the pretty pictures, once for the articles and once to tear all my favorite images out of) I stumbled across a quote that seemed incredibly relevant:

“It just reminds us how different “real” women and celebrities are when it comes to their relationship with fashion.  Stars [and internet stars - my emphasis] use it to build an image; the rest of us look for clothes that connect with some inner part of ourselves – we need self expression, not a fan base.”

As the much-talked-about Blogger Beautiful post from Gala Darling points out,

“We all retouch our faces to be blemish-free, & if you only knew how many bloggers manipulate their waistlines or thighs in Photoshop! My point is, some fashion blog images are as unrealistic & idealistic as what is presented to us in magazines.”

Our relationship to the clothes, the platform, the photos are all different – but for many of us, it’s a form of self expression, not a means to a fan base.  And the beauty of that is that our self expression is what keeps us beautiful, relevant, shining, bright.  I sometimes wonder if, as fashion blogging becomes a bigger industry, it is becoming less creative – following the footsteps of the fashion world.  I wonder that and then I remember all the unique, down-to-earth, well read and amazing people whose lives I’ve been given a peek into.  And if they stopped blogging (and if you stopped blogging) and being them (your) selves, yes, fashion blogging would be less creative, less fun, and less intriguing.

When we give ourselves permission to be and feel everything we are – monstrous, large, loud, brazen, occasionally ugly – we age backward.

Translate that: when you love yourself regardless of your bad hair days, your outfit faux-pas, your gaffes in public (I’m a total goober in public, but I laugh, because it’s often hilarious!), you are nothing but inspiring – even on your non-fashionable days.  When you allow you to be you, when you’re not afraid to post images of yourself, and challenge others around you to do the same, you are courageous. That’s what style blogging is all about.

This is probably the cutest thing I’ve seen all day! Special thanks to David the Majestic and Beautiful Laura of Birdie Royale Adornments. The music is Ondulé by Mathieu Boogaerts. I love this video so much – and we had such a great time shooting photo and filming! Yay!

Thanks again to Laura and David (especially since Laura was one of our models too!), to Gorgeous Kirsten for being one of our models, to Mitsy for modeling, and to Kimberlee of Deco Modiste for designing all the clothing and for letting us raid her house. More photos will come, eventually… Stay tuned!

PS – Don’t forget to enter the Haute Summer Night Fashion Event Giveaway! There are only a few entries so you have a very good chance of winning. Please, and Thank you! xoxo.

On my second visit – to get the same lush waves for a concert date that evening, I had a chance to ask the Swink crew how to get that same big-bouncy hair at home…

Birdie: Do you have any amazing tips to getting big, bouncy, luscious hair?

Swink’s Alanda Siefert: If you want big bouncy hair, Spray Davines’ Defining texture spray throughout the whole head. Then zap the blow dryer on your hair to lock in the product. This will give you that plump power you need to achieve this look. Next, use a 1 ½inch curling rod and curl the hair in 1-2 inch sections while spraying the Davines’ Structure spray through each section. After the whole head is curled, run your fingers throughout the ends with Moroccan Oil…. And BAM! Victoria Secret Hair 101!

Birdie: What are your favorite volume-enhancing hair products?

Alanda: When volume is an issue we use Davines Volumzing Mousse! This is one of our favorite products to create thickness in any type of limp or lazy hair. Another great “on the go” product is Kevin Murphy’s Powder Puff. You can sprinkle this phenomenal product into your roots anytime that you’re wanting just a little bit more vavoom!

Birdie: What is your favorite style-of-the-moment, offered at Swink?

Alanda: To be on trend, go with the rod wrapped fingerwave curls. Loose flat iron curls are out, be fashion forward and spring into summer with fingerwaves combed then touseled out. All the celebs are sporting the style!

Birdie: Can you give readers a tip on how to get that style at home?

Alanda: To Achieve: Wrap hair around an ENZO Malano curling rod (sold at Swink),  set the curl in pincurls with double prong clips, then brush it out with a boar bristle brush and tousle where desired.

Birdie: What is your favorite non-hair product/service that you offer at Swink?

Alanda: Pure Vida bracelets are simple, unique, hand-made bracelets that have a great story. Each one has a unique and different color combination so coming across someone with the exact bracelet will be a tough find. The Pure Vida bracelet is a member of “1% for the Planet” and donates a portion of it’s proceeds to the Surf Rider Foundation – which is a grass root foundation dedicated to cleaning up beaches and oceans around the world.

Thanks to Alanda and the Swink crew for keeping us on trend, and offering tips to beef up the body in our hairstyle!

For those ladies who aren’t in town, you can pick up Davines on Amazon, along with the Kevin Murphy Powder Puff that Alanda mentioned.  I LOVE Powder Puff, both as a dry shampoo and as a volumizing powder. I also picked up a Spornette Little Wonder brush at Swink, and have enjoyed giant boufs ever since. They’re also available on Amazon, and they’re great for big-hair-backcombing, or adding just a little extra oomph.

Swink’s University District location opens next week and there will be “Swink Week” events all week.  I’m a fan of the curls and waves, so I’ll definitely be dropping by the new location to check them out.  Let me know if you go, or if you’re out of town – have you tried any of the Kevin Murphy/Davines products?

FISH BUBBLES! That’s totally what they’re called and they’re kind of awesome.  The blonde in me wants to ask, “How did they get the water in there!?!” (There’s a trap on the top, of course) and the 6-year-old in me is like, “Cool, they look like space fish, or something from Star Trek”.

Now if I had some wall-space, I might make Mister buy me a Beta fish.

I found out that there are a few rules when attending this event that one might follow if one is so inclined… Actually, we made these rules up for giggles (why so serious!?).

Fragrance Festival Rule One – you pay $25 to be there.  Therefore, we decided it’s equitable to drink at least 5 drinks and taste every snack that comes around to break even – even the rhubarb pastries.  (I don’t generally eat rhubarb, but these were pretty good.)  By the end of the night you’ll be having a hilarious time with the lady you met in the bathroom who totally just bought the Dior scent you’re wearing.  Or you could just purchase a yummy new scent and get your money back on the purchase!  Everybody wins.

Fragrance Festival Rule Two – Make best friends with the ultra stylish, very awesome guy who’s working the Chanel table – he has the hook up.  While they have the best scents, they don’t always offer gifts with purchase.  But because your Chanel guy is a sweetie, he may slip a trial size Chanel Rouge Coco lip color in Mademoiselle into your shopping bag if you pick up a bottle of N^o 5.  This is my new favorite lip color.  OH and did you know that the French government reports that a bottle of Chanel N^o 5 is sold every thirty seconds and generates sales of $100 million a year?  Also, he might let you set your bags down while you go retrieve another drink from the bar.

Fragrance Festival Rule Three – Are you a blogger?  Did you bring your camera?  Leave it in your bag.  I took ONE lousy photo.  LOUSY.  The lighting is no good… But the film grain on the Chanel bottles looks romantic, right? Trust me, don’t even try.  However, do carry cards because there are a million billion interesting people to talk to.  Also, you’re more interesting when you’ve got a drink in hand, right?  You know the bar is free?  (And it’s nice to discreetly tip your bartender).

I made this photo extra small so you couldn’t see the horrible lighting/graininess of the photo.

Fragrance Festival Rule Four – Try and buy.  But try it on a card… or spritzed in the air or… anywhere not on your bod. Trust me, if I had let them actually spritz me I might have hurled after about 10 minutes.  There’s a LOT of fragrance in that little room and you don’t want to spray something on you that might turn sour in an hour.  Oh, and if you think you like it?  Just put it in your bag (along with all the samples and free gifts).  You can sort it out later when you’re a little buzzed and trying to add up just how much cash that bag of pretty bottles is going to cost.

Fragrance Festival Rule Four… The Sequel – The one thing you DO want is that bag with the Donna Karan Cashmere deodorant in it because it’s hot, and you’ve been drinking, and I felt the need for an emergency application about halfway through the night.  I know nobody will notice, because you’re in a room full of perfume, but peace of mind is priceless.

Fragrance Festival Rule Five – Bartering… that might work?  Maybe if I retrieve a drink from the bar for this nice lady standing next to the Gucci table….

Rule Six – You’re never going to be able to use all the little samples you got, so share them with your friends!  Mitzi hands them out at parties (and I’m in the process of giving a bunch away).  Sending out gifts?  Great addition if you know someone’s signature scent.

So, tell me – whats your favorite scent?

Last year I took on a couple new projects – Totally Blown Glassworks, Recycled LOOT! and Bird & Belle to name a few.  The work load was agreeable, but these projects required space.  I needed a worktable to set up my sewing machine, I needed a space for my light box, I had to have somewhere to store the catalogue items pre- and post- photo.  I needed a place to stack photographed items.  I made do as I could – things I didn’t need right away were shoved in the closet, trays of suncatchers were stacked in the corner.  I took in a bust form to take photos of the pieces for LOOT.  All the Bird & Belle goodies were stacked in bags under my worktable.  All of the sudden my workspace had grown out of control.  I had knit goods to store, I had craft bins out that I couldn’t put back in the closet because I couldn’t get to the closet.  It seemed like almost overnight, our office space became unusable.  There were shoe boxes spilling out of the closet, and bins pulled out with old paperwork piled on top.

So one day, after not being able to find the bin that stored my pliers, I decided we REALLY needed to do something about our workspace.  We zipped down to IKEA, picked up a shelving system and a couple bins, and got to work.

How we improved our work area in almost 5 steps:

1. Sort everything out!  We realized that we had piles of this, mixed in with piles of that.  Important paperwork was mixed in with crap that comes in the mail.  We sorted out all the junk from the good stuff, and started a recycle bin.  Anything that looked important went into a pile to sort through a second time…
2. Once everything’s sorted, decide if it’s important to keep.  Do we really need all the light bills for the past year?  Probably not – I kept the most recent copy that said our bill was up to date, and shredded the rest.  I went through the sorted piles and did this same thing.  Credit card statements from closed accounts?  As long as I have the account closed/paid in full sheet, I really don’t need to keep the statements.  I pared down 2 divider boxes of “semi important paperwork” into one.  That left one box free for other stuff – like my sewing kit!
3. Stackable bins, shelf storage systems, tupperwares, etc – these are great for organizing small stuff that you use regularly!  We got a GORM storage system from IKEA – we can stain or paint the pine shelving to match the furniture in the room we’re storing it in.  We also got some of their folding media boxes because when you’re not using them, they fold right up!  They also look nice, if you’re going to have company over, or use the room for anything but work.  Clear tackle boxes are great for storing miscellaneous nails, craft tools and other small items.  The cables we decided to keep (ethernet cables, cable wire) went in a small clear tupperware bin.  All our paint supplies went in another small clear tupperware bin.  Everything was stored on a closet shelf, or on the shelving unit if it needed to be easily accessible.   If the boxes you use aren’t clear, an index card taped to the outside will give you a good idea of what’s in it.
4. Create a system.  In our space, it’s best if I can see all the glass goods so that I don’t have to dig through a box to ship out a candle holder.  We created tall shelves for the suncatcher trays, and some not-so-tall shelves for single items.  All the glass sits on one set of shelves, craft goods were on another shelf, shipping supplies were on another shelf.  All the glass that hasn’t been photographed is marked, and has its own shelf.  Bird & Belle items, got a tall clear tupperware for storage.  Everything got labelled so it was easy to find.
5. Maximize your large work areas.  My sewing machine sits next to our shelving unit, when it’s not on my worktable, so that I have my worktable if I need to cut patterns, box up items, or set up the lightbox.  The only necessity I need on that table is a good desk lamp – nothing else is stored there.
6. Toss anything that isn’t necessary to keep – optional.  I know some people are stackers, and some people are tossers (haha) – and by that I mean, there are people who keep things, because they have some sentimental value, and there are people who say “this isn’t useful” and throw all the non-essentials out.  I’m somewhere in between – but generally if it’s not a photo and not SUPER essential, I don’t need it.  That’s not to say I throw everything out; I have a couple small trinkets like a little Eiffel tower statuette on my dresser.  BUT!  Any books we’d already read that didn’t have some sentimental value went in a box to be taken and sold or traded.  Old textbooks were re-sold.  Clutter was eradicated and the room felt much more open.

We created space, created a system, used creative storage bins, and made sure everything was organized. It was really just that simple.  We only spent about $70 at IKEA and have an organized system where we’re able to use our office again.  Next giant organization project?  My closet.  DUNN DUNN DUNNNNN!  It will be exciting.  I will tell you all about it when it happens. �

I officially love:

1. Sunshine
2. (Granny) Lace – skirts, tops, jackets
3. Lady-like dressing
4. Tailored waists
5. Stovepipe pants
6. Maxi Skirts in micro prints
7. Metallic eyeliner – in aubergine!
8. Feathered hair – FARRAH FAWCETT FOR REAL!
9. Studs and grommets
10. Feathers – hair, earrings, etc
11. Espadrilles with ties that wrap around your legs
12. Wicker box-frame bags (vintage preferably)
13. Bright Colors
14. Oversized vintage jewels
15. Little clutches
16. Camera Bags
17. Moleskines (where you hand-draft posts, or keep dates)
18. French Sailor Stripes
19. Learning new languages
20. Ballet sweaters
21. Phone calls – nothing like a little face to face

Lose:

1. Faux equestrian chic – jeans tucked into riding boots? Only if you’re on a horse! Or wearing jodhpurs…. HMMMM!
2. Soggy Uggs (EEW)
3. Teeny Minis – chocha madness!
4. Skinny jeans (Hey, there are girls still doing this, though, and they’re fab!)
5. Black fingernails (It’s spring youguys!! C’mon! Break out the electric yellows!)
6. Faux fur
7. Blackblackblack!
8. “I don’t read” or “I only read Elle” – expand your miiind.
9. Television
10. Overpriced iPad/iPhone/Droid accessories
11. People who are glued to their phones
12. Magnetic underwear - WHAT!
13. Too much RSS
14. Oversized, overstuffed bags – bad for your posture!
15. Over-criticizing magazine covers (more on this later)
16. Fashion Bashing (it’s about as fun as body bashing)
17. Lipstick Faux-Academia (I can’t see over your ego!)
18. Snark!
19. Only shopping online (where’s the fun in that!?)
20. Overdone foundation (When the sun’s out, your face color often changes)
21. Cynicism – Horoscopes are fun!  Believe in the magic!

Sometimes the best inspiration is a list post!  What are you loving right now?  What do you think this lifetime could stand to lose?  Let me know!

Edited by Fajr of StylishThought.com

With so much going on in the world, the Japan earthquake, the upheaval in Libya, the aftermath of John Galliano’s actions and the social phenomenon that is Charlie Sheen, it’s great to see the fashion blogging community talking about the issues and bringing a little light with the fancy of fashion! Included in this week’s amazing links: Shopping to Aid Japan Relief, an outfit post for Charlie Sheen, exploring the new neon trend and behind the scenes of how Hermes scarves are made!

Links à la Mode: March 24th

• Arash Mazinai- Bling Bang: Exploring the Blood Diamond Trade
• Cheap & Chic Living- For Japan with Love
• Dress with Courage- Do you dress older or younger than you really are?
• Fashion Evolution- Ups and Downs in my Fashion History
• Fumiko Kawa- Two Patterns of Minimalism
• FOTW- When did Fashion become porn?
• Juliette Maxwell- How to Take Runway Pictures
• La Rouge- How to Live in Two Places at Once
• Missemmamm- An Ode to Charlie Sheen
• Miss Viki- Chat with Russian Art Illustrator Lena Ker
• My Heart Blogged- Blogs from the Heart: Citizen Rosebud
• Obsessive Coolness- Should Talent be Boycotted in Favor of Morality?
• Snappy and Snazzy- Rules of Flattery
• Style Bizarre- Beware of what you Wear
• Sugar Coated Style- Cherry Blossoms in the Breeze
• Tres Awesome- Hermes Festival of Craft
• Try It On Me- The Bright Stuff~ A neon color palette brings back memories of 1990′s fashion and fun!
• The Button Owl- DIY Fishtail Braid Tutorial
• The View from 5 ft 2- Aldo x Julian Louie x Spring/Summer
• Stylish Thought- 5 Fanciful Frocks for a Swinging Spring

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Shopbop Sale: Jen Kao, Maison Scotch, Free People, Tibi, Jil Sander, Herve Leger, Tory Burch, & Alexander Wang

Holly Spring 2011

Enter the sweeping, almost ballooning sillhouettes of fun frocks.  Enter long, lean and wide palazzo style pants.  Enter citrus, raspberry, orange crush.  Enter the flavors of summer and a look towards a brighter year.  Enter a little bit of sparkling excess, and a whole lot of fun…

Image via Refinery29

And in a word, can we just say we’re going to also strive to make this our best summer ever – not just on the outside but on the inside as well? Let’s start our own summer of love?  I know, I know, it seems a little late for a “this year let’s…” post, but with today being the second day of spring, and all, I’m feeling quite refreshed!

So, things we all love for the coming season!?  Mine are:

• Big fun wedges
• Bright color
• Crazy-big sun hats
• Oversized sunnies (again, still!)
• Volume (hair, dresses, music!)
• Vitamin D (orange colors, SUN!)
• 70′s inspiration
• Colorful vintage bags
• Oversize jewels

What’s on your list?