[trendscending lookbook.nu]

Hi all,

After a long hiatus from fashion and writing, I'm back! I managed to weasel myself onto the very fashionable lookbook full of young girls with an inordinate amount of cash to spend on vintage brands and time to spend photographing themselves in interesting locations on the daily.

This was a personal favor for a friend at Santa Clara University, Natalie Lemas, who will soon be starting up her non-profit, selling Chullo hats. The goal is to create a business structure for Peruvian weavers to sell hats and the proceeds will be donated to Peruvian education. We want to start spreading around the popularity of the hats to get the ball rolling. :)

Thanks to Lawrence Ha (http://www.lthphotography.com) who generously donated his time to a great photoshoot out in glamorous Livermoore.

This is the kind of fashion I've been most interested in. Meaningful fashion. But this is not the case for many fashionistas, as I learned from the Cruella Deville of the Academy of Art, San Francisco. (aka the director of the masters program in fashion and marketing.)

Up to that point, I'd been doing intense searching to try and find a balance between my desire to create change and impact in this world and also my love for fashion. My happy medium was some semblance of bringing fashion, couture, art to the masses. I sat, sweating bullets into her black leather chair, as she proceeded to turn each of my questions around on me.

"Well what does it take to be successful in ANY job?....What makes fashion right for anyone?" and finally she got down to it...

"Why are you here?"

I muttered some uneloquent response about how fashion is art. How couture designers and their elite clientelle appreciate it but others are often slaves to trends. There is not a sense of creativity and ownership over their style. I'd like to create a movement which brings a culture of couture and art to the masses.

"You think a lot."

A compliment...?

"If I thought half as much as you did, I would get nowhere. You are not a designer. In fashion merchandising it's always go go go. Not think. Not stop. If something doesn't work out, another opportunity will come along! You are always moving. You can never get sick. You never slow down and you never stop to think. "

So there it was. I slid my sticky self off her leather chair and left her, and fashion forever.

- - -

A few years later, Target started selling clothing from up and coming couture designers at their store, H&M started selling Cavalli and Jimmy Choo. Toms came out with a buy one, give one program. Vera Wang sold a line at Kohl's. All to bring couture and meaning to the masses.

So eat that, Cruella.

[Cardigan Mania Spreads]

After issuing its decree on the 4th of February, I engaged in a good deal of marketing for National Cardigan Day, first via g-chat status and soon after, inter-office e-mail and facebook.

This morning, I returned to the hallowed halls of Santa Clara University to discover that National Cardigan Week had spread like wildfire!

Although it was the source of a few good jokes here and there, I was so proud to see my coworkers joining in to support my efforts.

Marta proves that motherhood can indeed be sexy flaunting her figure with a sassy twist on the traditional blue cardigan







Danielle pairs a lovely taupe cardigan with some blingy













Anticipating lovely global warming weather of 75 degrees, I flounced out of my apartment in a short pink cardigan...only to be greeted by chilly wind and spatters of rain.













Quick changed into a green cardigan from Banana Republic.
(So thankful I live 2 minutes from work)








Our cause may only be three strong today...but more have promised to join in on the good fight! I hope to have more photos of cardigans for you tomorrow. Nerd on, my friends, nerd on!

[National Cardigan Week]

Part of my job description dictates that I recruit the brightest, smartest students to my institution. My big yield event is approaching quickly and in the spirit of scholarly love, I have committed to wearing a cardigan every single day this week.

It seems strange to declare this mid-week, but it dawned on me today that I've worn cardigans every day since Monday. The fever caught on and my coworkers have also committed to wearing cardigans for the rest of the week.

My friend suggested I document said cardigan wearing so enjoy the photos!

We have successfully concluded (based on extensive research on google) that there currently exists no such celebration...yet. Maybe congress will one day decree National Cardigan Week. Until then...here is my shoddy contribution to the cause.



Featured above is Wednesday's cerulean cardigan. Yes cerulean, boys and girls, is where I insert my fashion plug.



Monday's Black J-Crew Cardigan sets the tone with traditionally nerdy prints of plaid with navy pairings.
Tuesday's boho Anthropologie cashmere cardigan

[inspire to be inspired]

Why is it that the best times to write are at the wee hours of the morning? The time when you should be sleeping but your thoughts are lucid with creativity and bursting to come forth through words.

It's at this time when we have no other distractions of friends, work or daily chores clouding our mind and we can take an honest and clear look at ourselves. A deeper look...to the soul. My soul is feeling inspired and it just takes one individual to simply highlight the great things we so often look over in our quest for an even greater goal. It's each battle which leads the way to victory, and too easily we forget that.

Nothing is more inspiring than inspiring others and this story from college reminds me that with passion, even in our weakest moments, we can inspire.

It's Just a Paper Cup

I have a plain white paper cup sitting on my desk labelled "minh" in pink with a yellow swirly sunshine and it means the world to me.

Meesh started laughing at me when I received my paper cup today "Oh my God, nobody understands that. Only board."

Touched, I ran to hug Minh and held the paper cup delicately, examining it through bleary eyes, as Linda looked on, a bit bewildered.

Let me explain.

At the very last MCC Programming board(MCCPB) meeting we all received a cup for a celebratory toast. As part of the toast, each of our cups had our name on it, and we were to present it to a person who had been an inspiration to us this year.

Meesh asked "Have you guys seen A Beautiful Mind? Its like that pen thing." One of the most beautiful parts of the movie...

Minh approached me today and presented me with his paper cup, saying "Do you remember that one night in the MCC?"

I remembered. The night I was at a personal low, completely utterly hopelessly frustrated with the organization I'd poured blood, sweat, and tears into drifting off into nothingness...and my biggest fear, future leadership--no one to assume co-chairship...no returning officers or members because of APSU's failures the previous year...and the show...the show seemed to be falling apart at the seams...It was the first time I'd cried openly...and in front of Minh.

"I saw passion."

I smile looking back. My fears were unfounded. Our leadership board sustained the organization for two more years. And I had a paper cup.

[A Passion for Words]

Moving can be a sad and frustrating affair but undoubtedly refreshing and often necessary. It forces you to clean out the cobwebs and clutter you've been holding onto so that you can approach life with a fresh perspective.

While I'm not moving across the country, or to another country as I've done before... I rediscovered this speech while moving offices. That's, honestly, my favorite part of moving. The rediscovery of inspiration from the past. The interview for my position in undergraduate admissions involved a phone interview and a 3-5 minute speech about something I'm passionate about. I was fortunate enough to present it in front of a daunting committee of 10 colleagues from directors to deans and yet, it was the best interview I've ever had. It doesn't pertain to fashion, but it does relate to writing. Enjoy.

The challenge for today is to present something we're passionate about. I say challenge because the word "passion" can be broad, encompassing entire lifestyles. And yet, it is also that very specific push from good to great.

In order to speak on passion, I took a moment to deconstruct the word. To me, passion is an intense emotion encompassing enthusiasm, fervor, and love. It's important in carrying us to the next level of understanding a topic, hobby, job...it goes beyond knowing facts. Passion leads us to root out their impact upon history and what they mean for society.

I'm passionate about so many things...the development of our upcoming generations, ethics, multicultural affairs...but why lecture the experts? I figured you'd heard about these topics from several candidates so I wanted to share with you a personal interest.

I love things that make me think. This makes me passionate about literature. The very idea that we can transfer the influx of thoughts and dreams onto a two dimensional medium is amazing. There is so much power behind words.
There is the power to escape, in which authors transport their readers through time, space and the brink of fact and fiction. We can teleport to the mechanized 31st century or Heathcliff's brooding moors of England all in the same day.

Words have the power to stretch our minds to not only empathize with a character or culture so different from our own, but to encompass their experiences in our views on a global society to make educated and informed decisions about our future. This leads to the power of change. Words can enlighten our minds to the struggles of invisible voices in our society--as well as the more prominent ones. They can shape and mold young minds to understand how invaluable their decisions are to their future and our future. Words change lives.

Thus, I am passionate about how we can continue to use words to enrich the lives of others. And I'm not only referring to the written word now, but spoken word as well. The work done in admissions is so important in helping students realize how invaluable a Jesuit education is and that is exactly why I applied for this position, and how it relates to my passion.

[It's Time to Try Defying Gravity]

Tip of the Day: Fashion is a state of mind, not a set of rules.

The moment my foot hit the grass, I lost an inch off my height. Cursing my stillettos, I pulled them out of the mud and tip-toed my way to the gazebo. Notebook in hand, I lifted my face to the sky in anticipation...head tilted, awaiting inspiration on the meaning of life to shine down upon me. After thirty seconds, my eyes wandered from the swaying branches to my shoe. As I surveyed the tortise shell heel for signs of damage, I realized the irony of the situation.

Fashion versus nature.

Fashion has become the aesthetic by which we cover our bodies to represent our personality to society. Society itself represents a sophistication which separates man from beast.

Coming from 17 years of wearing uniforms daily, I was ecstatic to finally engage in this world of fashion. To me, fashion was an exciting new prospect, like playing dress-up. While the rest of society takes it much more seriously as a statement and reflection of your views on society. I recognize that and also utilize it to creatively express my many points of view.

There's an interesting phenomenon-a set of social laws which govern the upper echelons of our society, pulling together such a sphere of inward looking individuals with its enticing gravity. Rules which dictate scheduled helpings of life-graduate by 22, engaged by 25, married by 26 with a solid job for which you aimed for freshman year of college, interned with junior year and have been faithfully chained to ever since.

Fashion, too, has its rules...no white after labor day, match your belt to your shoes, wear black to a funeral but never to any other daytime function unless you're in New York...The laws categorize individuals into their appropriate function in society and measure their level of sophistication. Fashion then becomes a function of society and like the laws, restrictive and unnatural. Its heels and corsets bind, mold and shape women into a standard of beauty fabricated by this same society. So don't go by rules, but like other aspects of your life it requires a blend of logic, creativity and keeping an open mind to the advice of others.

::My Advice for fool-proof fashion::

1) Don't wear like colors together (ie. dark purple and purple, navy blue and black) if you must...use contrast (ie. lavender and dark purple)

2) Unless it's an intentional suit, don't wear like materials together, especially if they are of different shades or washes. (denim jacket and denim pants...khaki and khaki...corduroy on corduroy)

3) Skinny girls:: Knobby knees are not attractive (especially in short skirts, know your strength)

4) "Healthy" girls:: Too tight is never good. (If I can count your rolls...you need to hide them better. Similarly, if I can count your muscles, wow. I definitely admire you but know that spandex is not a material people find attractive for situations outside of the gym.)

5) Too many primary colors together=too much. (You're hurting my eyes! Mix some pastels, darks or neutrals up in that business.)

6) Seasons:: Pastels in winter are fine as long as it's not head to toe. All black in the spring/summer is a little too chain smoking NYC unless it's nighttime and you're going out for a swanky night of drinks...in that case, the little black dress and clutch=timeless.

7) Nobody needs to see your underwear. (ie. thongs or coin slots creeping up from low riders, and VPL-visible panty lines)

8) Too much of anything is bad (ruffles, beading, mesh, netting, sequins, studs...refer to rule 2)

9) Height: Be aware of how this impacts certain types of clothing you wear. Shorties-be aware anything that grazes your knee or mid-calf, this includes capris, skirts, coats, etc. To our lengthy friends-avoid shortening your midriff unless you're intentionally going for a lanky giraffe type look, also be aware of how a very mini a mini skirt looks on you.

10) All the rules of fashion can be broken if you play to your strengths, apply the appropriate creativity or experience a shameful period on the fad timeline.

However...my byline and motto is of course...fashion is art. And like nature, creativity and art cannot be contained or governed by rules. We see a current movement into pairing bohemian with studded leather, vans sneakers with suits, and sporting outlandish t-shirts with the formality of tuxedo vests or pants.

Breezing by those laws, disheveling the neat and tidy categories in our wake, true artists who refuse to accept gravity's governance also refuse the acceptance and comfort of "selling out" by following trends. Instead, they create trends and from this group come our Coco Chanels, Valentinos, Ferragamos and Christian Lacroixs, etc. Their blinding boldness in the face of adversity bypass the law-bound to pioneer new style and this endeavor certainly is not easy.

My contribution...utilize fashion as a function of nature, not just society. To help others recognize the true artistry and capacity for self expression within fashion not only to look good, but to reach a new level of self awareness and ultimately feel confident inside and out.

And as Elphaba says..."Today I think I'll try defying gravity."

[bad teeth, bad fashion]

When people ask me about living in Japan they look at me to expel the stereotypes...

"Do they really sell underwear in vending machines?...Do they really have spray on nylons?...Do they wear skirts with the image of a succulent thonged derrière printed on the back?"

My answers are yes, yes, and no...but they do wear dirty shirts screaming vulgar obsceneties like "SEXY B*TCH HORNY LETS GO!"

And of course there is the age old question.... "Are their teeth really that bad?" I've heard the tragedy time and time again..."There was this really HOT chick on the train...I mean she had it going on! Then she opens her mouth to smile and WABAYAM! Messed up teeth! Like piano keys or something ridiculous. I'm tellin' you it was naaasty."

Yes, the teeth are pretty bad, but I experienced my own personal Japanese tragedy. I was sitting in Ootoya, awaiting my nice Japanese set dinner when a group of four guys walked in and sat down at a table across from me. Of course, being a writer, I do my fair share of observing, scoping and yes, checking out guys at restaurants.

One of them, in particular, could have passed for Andy Lau's-much younger-in his mid twenties-Japanese nephew. (see Andy held at gunpoint in "Infernal Affairs") He sported a pair of dark red framed glasses which actually worked quite well for him. It was all working quite well for him....the khaki green eddie bauer-ish outdoorsy jacket and the casual leather shoes...not pointy, studded, or made of that snakeskin leather so many Japanese men particularly enjoy. He held a casual but confident demeanor and as he sat down, I caught him glancing over at my table and he continued to do so throughout his conversation with his three other companions.

My food arrived and as I began to eat, I saw his friends sneaking looks through my miso soup. Ah, the little pleasures of romantic exchange at a restaurant with complete strangers. Andy Lau's nephew proceeded to shed his jacket and as he did...it slowly emerged.

A bright-fushia-fleece jacket.

It was that hidden flaw every woman dreads discovering in her well-cherished companion-- spelled out en vogue. There are a lot of things a woman can put up with....maybe he spends more time in the bathroom than you do, and gets a little too excited about the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale....but in the relationship there is only ONE person who should be wearing bright fushia and goddammit, its gonna be me!