the cocoon
On the way to Florida, I made a very important discovery--the articles in Elle magazine are surprisingly beautiful, even poetic at times. Compared to Vogue, which I find often esoteric and often intimidating, the writers in Elle draw upon a lot of real life moments to capture the art of fashion. Still, Elle sits between In Style and Vogue on two counts: it's not as accessible as In Style, but it's not nearly as much fun to flip through as Vogue.
I'm sure it will take me years to become as articulate as professional fashion writers, but here's my take on this fall's trends:
1. Skinny jeans: I will NEVER, EVER own a pair of these. I tried on a pair of skinny black 7s, and they made me look so lopsided that I almost ripped them during my frantic attempt to peel the denim off. They may work for Sienna Miller, but for the average person, they'll most likely look ridiculous (of course, I may just be saying that because I'm bitter, and so I'll assume everyone's as fatassed as I am).
2. Leggings: to be honest, it'll be really nice to have some extra covering during the winter when I'm feeling brave enough to wear miniskirts. It seems like this trend is practically over though, but I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of it for at least a few more months, or at least until people figure out that frilly necklaces, corset belts, and beads are no longer "in."
3. Metal jewelry: here's the problem--how do you keep these things from rusting? As much as I love wearing sterling silver and 18-24 carat gold, I want somethign that looks a little more vintage and affordable for the average college student. I have a feeling this is just something I have to collect slowly, perhaps when I go to NY on saturday. Hit up a few antique shops, etc.
4. Tunics: again, will probably be out with the leggings, but I do love the whole layering thing. It's nice knowing that instead of "hiding extra fat with clothing," it's now called "going chic with layers" or "the seduction of not seeing." After eating so much during vacation, I think it's best if I left more to the imagination...na mean?
I'm pretty sure I'm obligated to write at least one entry on my vacation, but it's always harder to narrate than to wax philosophical on plain matters, like clothing. I could say something like, "We are all pieces of artwork and should behave as such" or "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's Marc Jacobs," but in the end it's all about surrounding yourself with things that make you feel more comfortable. It's not good to become a fashion slave and follow every trend indiscriminately, even if it's totally wrong for you, but it's even worse to become fashionally apathetic and give up and use the "inner beauty" argument. Trust me, none of us are really that beautiful on the inside, so we should at least dress up our outsides a little better. Or so I tell myself whenever I pull out that little piece of plastic, swipe it fast with my eyes closed, and tell myself that money's nothing but a number in my bank account.
the japanese are weird
"Tenrankai no E": if anyone just happens to have a copy of this, please let me know. I've been looking everywhere for a place that sells it, but it's kinda obscure and from the 60's (don't know if that has anything to do with me not finding it). I have the movie on VHS, but it's starting to age and play static at inappropriate times.
The movie is like, my childhood. It's a cartoon sequence of a Japanese studio's take on Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," and it's soooooooo trippy. Seriously, some of the sequences involve a plastic surgeous putting a woman's thighs in a pencil sharpener to make them thinner; a "beatnik" version of the "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" with a chick smoking a cigarette; and zen priest who does nothing but sit still the entire song, then breaks out into a yawn.
Actually, I can think of one more movie that I've watched more times than "Tenrankai no E," and that was "Allegro non troppo." It's like a European version of "Fantasia" but far more sexual and weird. For instance, Ravel's "Bolero" is portrayed as the beginning of existence, starting with a slimy worm thing evolving into the species we see and know now. One of my favorite sequences is a really kooky interpretation of Adam and Eve in which the snake eats the apple and learns about sex and how to dress appropriately. He gets eaten by this weird monster figure and comes out in a suit and tie and actually kinda cute.
When I watched these two films for the first time, I was still in elementary school. Even though I was probably still taping "Power Rangers" and "Ninja Turtles," I was somehow aware that the two movies were important in some way or another. So I watched them--over and over and over and over such that if I think hard enough, I'm pretty sure I can replay the entire movie in my head.
I'm also pretty sure "Allegro non troppo" is the reason why I never understood why kids cried over Bambi's mom or Mufasa's death. For the Sibelius piece, we see a particularly heartwrenching sequence of a starving cat who wistfully haunts an abandoned building in search of company and food. I think that was the first time I became aware of the concept of "loneliness," which is so hard to describe when you're a kid. And for some reason, the ups and downs in the piece--paired with the cat's ghostly fantasies of family and acceptance--made me realize that compared to loneliness, maybe death really isn't so bad.
So again, if anyone happens to have the DVD of either movie (or knows where to buy it), please let me know, and I'll be eternally grateful.
manly bonding
So I watched The Wedding Planner for the third or fourth time, and it was the first time that I noticed that the guy who plays the Italian dumb guy is actually Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy!! Who'd have thought?
I want to start interning for a wedding planning place starting next summer. I think I fantasize more about walking around with a wireless walkie-talkie in my ear whisper-shouting at the caterers than I do about actually walking down the aisle. Maybe I haven't mellowed out quite as much as I've convinced myself.
Speaking of which, I'm still going to keep the promise I made to myself a few years ago: never do anything unless it's truly what I want. Now that I've significantly slowed my life down, I can clearly see what it is I want to do as opposed to what I think would be good for me.
So far, I've figured out three important things:
1. Poetry makes me fucking depressed, and I don't want to spend my life picking at my old wounds just to come up with something to publish. Even so, it's still something I like, so I'll continue taking classes for fun.
2. Law school is still an option as long as I keep my GPA exactly where it is right now. Plus, you get to wear really cute suits and briefcases (huge plus).
3. I'm a confident yet non-competitive person. In other words, I know I have the ability to do anything I put my mind to, but I never feel the need to compete to get what I want. I just work my hardest, and if that leads to somewhere good (whether I plan it or not), then I'm cool with it.
I've also figured out some "housewife" themes for the tea parties:
1. Trailer park housewife: short shorts, bad bleaches, and frito pie.
2. Gothic housewife: harajuku style dresses with blue lipstick and jugs of sangria.
3. Metrosexual "housewife": because there's nothing sexier than a man who can serve a good cucumber sandwich. I'm sure we can bribe a few guys to do this.
4. Golddigger housewife: bring your own Anna Nicole Smith costumes (and keep all speech at an exaggerated slurring).
