the clothes 2011

These pictures were taken in Meteora at the stone formations and monasteries there. I can hardly do the area or it's history justice, so if you want to know more I suggest you just research it!
Instead, I would like to talk about the difference my "style" has made here. I'm in a large group of over 30 students and I came knowing no one. We are all American and only a few schools are represented and it is very easy to get lost in the crowd. With my devotion to skirts and ballet flats I stand out a bit amongst the sea of blue jeans and flip flops--and I am learning I stand out in a good way. Already, a number of times different students have come up to me and said they wanted to get to know me, because they could tell something of my personality from my clothes! It's so flattering and sweet to hear, but it really affirms what I believe about clothes being a form of self-expression and extension of yourself. When you dress in a conscious manner people will notice this and it gives them some insight into who you are before you even open your mouth.

It may well be known by now that as well as being a blog addict, I am an online community addict. (I swear the sketchy Internet access I am stealing from friends' computers is causing me to go into withdrawal!) One of the latest addictions has been Modepass.
While it is a fashion social network, each person also creates their own personalized page which includes uploads, favorites from other users, and articles they write. In addition to your own page you all join groups of people with similar interest, browse by photos, or read articles other members have posted.
The latest Modepass creation has been Flair, an online magazine. Flair explores trends in beauty and hairstyles, highlights hot designers or photographers and posts frequent mood boards with trends noticed among its members.
If you weren't convinced of the Modepass radness yet, it was founded in France. And we all know I am a francophile...

I have some pictures to share from my first official day in Athens. We went to an area called Syntagma Square (correct me if I don't spell something correctly!) which has a number of shops and some good places to eat. My first official and completely delicious gyros in Greece was consumed here. I can still feel the party in my mouth...

Also, there was an Eco World exhibit going on that was really amazing. From wearable clothes made from trash bags, to shoes made from potato sacks, and chandeliers made from plastic water bottles--it was a neat way of looking at living green without sacrificing the visual.

It really almost goes without saying--but I am having a marvelous time.

Outfit details: dress- H&M, cardigan- H&M, bag- Ruche, shoes- Urban Outfitters

Since graffiti and other forms of streetart art are modern artistic expressions that I find fascinating, I have been posting on various sites, artists and creations since the beginning of this blog over a year ago. So, it gives me so much joy to be able to post pictures of graffiti that I have humbly snapped myself around the city of Athens. I have only just begun to explore this city and have mostly been on the same streets of late, but already there is a wealth of graffiti (as well as classic architecture) for me to feast my eyes upon!

After nearly three straight days of travel (yay, layovers!), I am safely ensconced in my sweet, little apartment in Athens. I am rooming with five other girls and while Internet connection is sketchy the apartment boasts a lot of fun personality: from the pink tiled bathroom to our balconies, this is a place I think I will live very comfortably.

There hasn't been much time to snap pictures or develop ground-breaking fashion just yet, but here is what I worn for my flights. The pictures were snapped in one of the airport restrooms.

You're hearing it from the (clothes) horse's mouth: My Little Pony turns 25 years old this year. In honor of the blessed occasion the company has enlisted 25 designers, celebrities, and artists to create 25 one of a kind My Little Pony figurines. The entire collection will be unveiled later this year and auctioned off with proceeds going to charity. You can visit their site now for the full story and a sneak peak at these stylish fillies.

P.S. The wonderful people at Weardrobe just featured my humble wardrobe on their site and on The Fashion Spot. There's a full interview and a small selection of some of my personally favorite photos.

P.P.S. This post is timed being typed up in the USO in the Philadelphia airport.

Today is officially my last day in Washington State. I am taking a red eye this evening across the country and then later tomorrow I will be flying up and away to foreign lands. Excitement is swirling with nerves right now to make a rather giddy, emotional cocktail. I'm rather more nervous about failing to find my group in the airport than I am about my actual time in Greece!

Enough about what will come though, here are some glimpses of my final days in the States:

I went to the Point Defiance Zoo for a touch of nostalgia; the last time I visited this zoo was seven years ago and zoo trips always take me back to childhood. It was a gloomy day and the autumn chill was in the air, making it a perfect day for the zoo since the animals are more active in cooler weather. The tiger was exceptionally up front and right before I snapped this picture of the curly-headed girl, she and the tiger were staring each other right in the face...it was actually rather creepy.

Outfit details: dress- H&M, jacket- Ralph Lauren via eBay, bag- secondhand, shoes- Urban Outfitters, leggings- We Love Colors tights that I cut off

This outfit should surely cement the fact that blue is my favorite color. Really, wearing so much blue tends to make me ridiculously happy inside...perhaps that explains the strange faces? I thought this might be one of my last opportunities to take very silly pictures--while I am in Greece I might depend on others taking them (I generally take all of my own photos using a self-timer) or an audience, so I decided to be as free with them as I willed. Behold the pigeon-toed wonderousness.

Outfit details: dress-secondhand, scarf- secondhand, sweater- Banana Republic Outlet, stockings- Target tights I cut off, shoes- Nine West via Amazon.com

Artist Tim Fraser Brown created this reproduction of "A Bar at the Folies-Bergere" solely using Pantone chips. Perhaps the most amazing part: the work was created in the course of four nights. I'm suddenly feeling extremely lazy... Also, further proof this artist is too cool for school, his site says it "acted as the centre piece for a boozey party."

Do you need an excuse to smile today? Faces in Places always cheers me up and makes me want to look at the world in a different way.

I've been keeping myself very busy these last few days in Washington State--I want to squeeze every last bit out of this state before I fly away (after all you can sleep when you're dead). I went to Kopachuck State Park the other day while the tide was out and was able to admire beds of sand dollars, water worn and gnarled tree branches, and various other beach lovelies. I do prefer sandy beaches, as I have mentioned before, but there was something nice about all of the colors at this beach. Since the tide was out the stones were different colors from their various depths and exposure to sunlight: strips of seaweed running along the shore changed the tone completely. This is pretty much the only time I will wear flip flops and I did get rather muddy. I just prefer more pulled-together shoes such as sandals or ballet flats.

While I have an inspiration folder on my computer (our age's scrapbooking) full of outfits to look at, I usually take a sense from each of them, rather than a copy. I save looks I like and capture the spirit with my own clothes, whether it is wonderfully mixed prints, or a sense of proportion and layering, it's about using someone else's outfit to create my own. It's very rare I just want to copy something from head-to-toe...this McQ by McQueen outfit is an exception. If I could just afford to I would buy the dress and sequin (!) leggings in an instant. Unfortunately, I can not, so instead I'm curious about re-creating it for myself.

I love Grecian draping (have forever basically), but it is so hard to find good draped pieces at affordable prices. If anyone knows where a dress like this is at, feel free to share...

P.S. Wouldn't it look brilliant with a DIY bodychain like Lulu's layered on top?