Eternal Masquerade

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!