Eternal Masquerade

Ladies and Gentlemen

Hey Boys and Girls!

I'm back and hopefully here to stay. I had to take a brief break from my blog due to my hectic interning schedule. However, now that I'm all settled I figured what would be better for my first post back than a post combining what do I do for work and fun? For my internship at Philadelphia Fashion Week, I recently attended the Antoinette Westphal School's end-of-year fashion show to write about the event. For those of you not in-the-know, Antoinette Westphal is Drexel's Media Arts & Design school. To read my article on the show, check out Beyond the Runway. We can only post so many photos on the site, so here are a few of my favorites..

 
  

   

    

 

 
 

  

   
 

 

 
 

 

 

Get Ready...

Shoe Whore

For the past week I've been wearing flats and flats alone…and my feet kill. I honestly think I may be more comfortable wearing heels than ballet flats. Am I alone here? Slowly saving up for one pair of these pretties..

       

Can you tell I like Marni + Prada?    

*Photos courtesy of Jak + Jil

Golden Tendrils Down My Spine, Oh What A Red Red Wine

Good afternoon guys and gals!

Today’s post is all about shedding old layers..or lack there of..to make room to breathe in your life. I type this as I sit here in the airy Aveda Art + Science Salon on Main in Manyunk. Looking out the floor to ceiling glass windows that span the view of Roxborough and Manyunk crossing, one does feel a sense of freedom. The crisp crimson walls that frame the bright portals to the outside world are a breath of fresh air- literally. The entire salon here is completely green- figuratively, which makes you feel good and look good! I can't wait to make a trip back here for the final chopping.

I'm nearing the finish of my growing process in order to donate my hair to Locks of Love so I had to head in for a trim and cut loose all the dead ends. Getting a nice little consultation before prom was just an added bonus. I highly suggest getting your hair trimmed a month prior to prom just to make sure it turns out the way you like if you plan on getting it styled. The best part of it is instead of just blowing it dry, my stylist and savior, Jason Hallman, will practically style it and discuss with me what I'm looking to do in a few weeks so I know precisely what it's going to look like on the day!

While most aren't that pleased that I'll be chopping my locks soon enough for my hefty…HEFTY donation, I really am and I honestly believe that everyone should donate at least once in their life. About 6 years ago I was severely ill and unfortunately lost a large portion of my hair. While I can tell you it is not near the severity of the illnesses that the children who receive hair pieces from Locks of Love have endured, for a small moment in time I understood how completely altering hair can be to a person. Most of you don't know me personally but I can tell you, my hair is EXTREMELY thick- thankfully just my hair and not my head. And if I do say so myself, I have quite a large sum of it…even for the average head. So knowing that I can technically make about three separate donations based on my head alone, I'm absolutely ecstatic to do so. 

For the past three months, a PONYTAIL has pretty much been my go-to style. Not taking any advantage whatsoever of my lavish length.

At Art + Science..BEFORE-..clearly. 

AFTER- YAY! 

Have you ever donated to Locks of Love? Tell me about it in the comments section below or send me an e-mail! Photos are welcome

Cherry Bomb

Spring has officially sprung…for some time now actually. Just recently the weeping cherry in my front yard bloomed with all it's glorious might. Since the blossoms only make their appearance for a brief time, I found it an opportune time to take some photographs.

  
 
I personally find beauty even in what's considered the ugly..

(Weeds and petals blown across my driveway)

 In order to achieve most of these shots I had to place myself in quite a few Edward Cullen-type positions.
 

 

    
 
 

Barefoot.

For those of you who do not know, today is TOMS' One Day Without Shoes Day!

 

TOMS is choosing this day to recognize how painful and difficult it is to live without shoes. Millions of children across the world go days on end without having the ability to protect their feet, which to most is difficult to even imagine. In an effort to raise awareness of this pressing matter, please kick off your Louboutins, Manolos, and dare I say-- Uggs for the day or even 20 minutes. Since I have the day off and I blog barefoot, I decided to take a stroll outside and enjoy the nice weather, and you should too. The risk of infection and disease is extremely high when going barefoot, and can lead to Podoconiosis which can easily be prevented with a simple pair of shoes. TOMS Chief Shoe Giver, Blake Mycoskie travels across the world to share the wealth that is TOMS shoes. For each pair of TOMS shoes that you purchase, a pair will be donated to a child in need. 

Besides, how can not want to snag a pair? I mean LOOK AT THEM!

 
 TOMS
 

 

Links à la Mode

Thinking Fashion

Edited by Retro Chick 

It never ceases to amaze me the quality and variety of links that get submitted to IFB each week and how hard it is to pick just 20. Fashion & Style Bloggers are intelligent, thoughtful and insightful people who really understand their subject. Whether it’s Second Hand Shopper questioning the distinction between fashion and style, Shrimp Salad Circus discussing how much of ourselves we should put into our blogs or a whole plethora of posts on the subject of body image. Of course, we also love a bargain and this week we have a DIY Pillbox Hat, tips on thrift shopping the Spring trends and a gorgeous giveaway. I really would urge you to take the time to check out the links that didn’t make it in the forums. I don’t think there’s a bad post among them….

Links à la Mode : April 1

• Alyson Is Neat – Revealing secrets on how to go into a store and not purchase clothing.
• Awakened Aesthetic – How to live green, without giving up the “unethical” stuff you already have.
• blackdog finds – How to Thrift Shop for Spring 2010 Fashion Trends:
• British Style Bloggers – A preview of the finalé of British Style Bloggers’ Body Image Season, including a random and rambling tour of BSB’s head office (aka my house).
• DailyDivaDish – Spanx for Men: Is shapewear for men really going mainstream? Why I think it’s a bad idea.
• Despising Life is So Passe – Pillbox Hat DIY
• Eternal Masquerade – Monroe Monday: A Look At What the Wardrobe Should Mean to Every Woman
• Grit and Glamour – A signature fragrance is your invisible identity—it becomes part of your brand
• High Fashion Girl – I write about Lady Gaga like you’ve NEVER read about her before.
• Idiosyncratic Style – A Peek at the life and style of illustrator Rachelle Scarfo
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – How to make your blog mobile friendly
• Oh, the Places You'll Go! – Fatsionable Art and Inspiration from Eva Hannah.
• Retro Chick – How every girl can be a Princess
• Second Hand Shopper – Second hand shopper pits the escapism of fashion against the expressionism of style
• Shoulderache & The Closet – The most expensive wool in the world!
• Shrimp Salad Circus – How much of yourself should you put ‘out there?’
• The Demoiselles – Graceful Empowerment Comes in All Forms (including that of eating the other guy’s tacos).
• The Greyest Ghost – Behind the scenes of the Chanel f/w 2010 ad campaign in NYC with Abbey Lee Kershaw, Freja Beha Erichsen, and Karl Lagerfeld.
• The New Wave – Going once, going twice, SOLD! A visit to the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection auction.
• The Well-Appointed Catwalk – Highlights and my impressions of “Health Matters: Weight and Wellness in the World of Fashion,” a panel discussion I attended featuring Anna Wintour, Michael Kors and Natalia Vodianova.
• True Queen – Examining the use of fur by designers on the runways of the Fall 2010 fashion shows.
• Unfunded – Unfunded teams up with the U.K. retailer NEXT for an awesome giveaway!

Monroe Monday

 

  

Taking inspiration from all things retro lately has given me a new perspective on style, how to shop for your body type, and what the meaning of an investment purchase should really be. From perhaps- a polka dot blouse to a new pair of black satin shoes, it's not only about what will stand the test of time, but on which occasions these new acquisitions will be worn. 

As Diane Von Furstenberg so eloquently put it back in October, 2009, "My clothes are friends. So when you wake up in the morning and you feel lousy and you open your closet, you go for your friends." Each piece you purchase should be a friend in some form. So I'm taking a vow right now, to never purchase clothing or shoes that I don't truly feel comfortable and beautiful in that I can't dress up and down. Clothing should be easy and not stressful. Everyday women everywhere work incredibly hard to fit other's standards, so why should they work just as hard to fit a certain designer's size range or body type? It's not worth it. 

I suppose not all of these topics are completely relevant to one another but after some hefty dressing room distress this week, I felt the need to rant a bit. With iconic, screen siren, Marilyn Monroe as my inspiration for today, I just felt obligated to say that what inspires me about this woman, is not her so-called "perfect measurements" but her undeniable confidence with every single step she took. Which is precisely why I will now ask WWMD?

  

Prints Galore

Taking a cue from DVF, Rebecca Taylor, and J. Stuart this season with prints in all beautiful shapes, sizes, and styles.

 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

Links à la Mode

 

Rants & Raves

Edited by Ashe Mischief

I was taken aback when going through the submissions this week– there were so many powerful, strong, opinionated pieces that I felt really taken aback. With overwhelming positivity or negativity, the fashion community is finding it’s voice– and making themselves heard! The fashion community is great at sharing the voice of others, and we’ve got several fabulous interviews to prove it. From Derek Lam at Poetic & Chic and White Rabbit’s interview with Irish woman Sinead Doyle (along with my own interview with Amelia Arsenic at Dramatis Personae), there are voices for everyone. We’ve got bloggers ranting on the lack of premium denim in plus-sizes at Denim Debutante (hell yeah!), and some showcasing inspirational figures like KOOS (at M.I.S.S.), Philip Crangi (at Eternal Masquerade), and Maria Felix (at Jewelry Whore). There were so, so many great links this week, it really was hard to narrow it down to 2o. Check out the full listing of Links à la Mode here.

Links à la Mode : March 18th

• Bachman's Sparrow – DIY post on how to use bleach to revamp your “unloved” clothes!
• blackdog finds: – How To: 10 Creative Ways to Revive Less-Than-Loved Clothing
• Denim Debutante: – Guest Blog: Is there Size Discrimination in Premium Denim?
• dramatis personae: – Amelia Arsenic’s Miss X Aesthetic Laboratories & Interview
• Eternal Masquerade: – How I Met Design Duo of Giles & Brother, Philip and Courtney Crangi
• Fashion Hippo – Win Marc by Marc Jacobs Leola Bow Wow Handbag
• Fashion Pulse Daily: – Not Your Daughter’s Jeans: Fit for a Mother AND a Daughter?
• fete a fete: – Whiisical spring designs from Camper shoes
• Forty Not Out: – Louis Vuitton – Fall Winter 2010/2011
• Grechen Blogs: – are you incorporating video into your blog? how is it working for you?
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – A New Map of the Two-Way Street: Why Giving Back to the Blogosphere is Key to Growth
• jesse.anne.o: – How do you swap, thrift or buy resale and NOT get bedbugs?
• Jewelry Whore: – “The Fabulous Jewels of Maria Felix, La Dona”
• M.I.S.S.: – Eyes To The Sky: Before BOHO There Was KOOS.
• Oranges and Apples: – Sustainable fashion part 2: thinking about speed
• Poetic & Chic: – A candid interview with Derek Lam, fellow San Franciscan and fellow high school alumni!
• Pretty Shiny Sparkly: – It’s leather. It’s quilted. It’s a computer, for fashionistas.
• Style Symmetry: – Interview with the Stylish Sisters of Beckerman Bite Plate
• The Thinking Fashionista: – An in-depth, critical look at the Russian Futurist themes of Viktor & Rolf’s Fall 2010 show.
• The Working Man: – Incorporating Spring Into Your Working Look
• White Rabbit: – An interview with Irish fashion Designer Sinead Doyle and the inspiration behind her S/S 2010 collection.

Thanks so much to Ashe Mischief and The Coveted!