Fun In The Sun

Fun in The Sun by claracolleen featuring dollhouse shoes

I am going to Lake Tahoe Next week so i wanted to give a sample of, what I think, is trendy beach wear. each of these items are totally in style and go great with each other! Think about getting one of these cute “fashion-dos” for your next trip to the beach! 

A New Double Feature!

A new movie is coming to theatres with a compelling story about the difficult life of a woman married to a time traveler. This woman has it rough when her husband is always popping in and out of their life. Rachel McAdams and and Eric Bana star in this tear jerking movie called The Time Traveler’s Wife:

Chicago librarian Henry De Tamble suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to drift uncontrollably back and forth through time. On one of his sojourns, he meets the love of his life, Claire (Rachel McAdams), and they marry. But the problems and complexities of any relationship are multiplied by Henry’s inability to remain in one time and place, so that he and his beloved are forever out of sync.

 

 

 

Now this unique movie was actually a book created in the past; so go ahead and travel back through time and pick yourself up a copy of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger:

A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare’s passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger’s cinematic storytelling that makes the novel’s unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.

Richard Avedon!

I recently went to the Richard Avedon exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art or more conveniently called the MOMA! While there I noticed very many interesting photos; for instance, instead of taking pictures of only celebrities, he photographed a murderer, a murder’s father, his father, child labor workers, slaves, average Joe’s, writers, himself, etc. Seeing all of these pictures really opens the mind to come out of it’s own little world and see how other people are living or how they are feeling (Yes, his pictures did display all of that!). Now, as I was perusing through the amazing pictures, one particular photo caught my eye:

This is a very shocking yet very interesting picture of Andy Warhol’s Scars. I was intrigued by this picture, so I decided to ask my teacher about it. After I heard that she had never seen these scars and did not know the story behind it, I decided to look it up! Here is the story of Andy Warhol’s scars:

 On June 3, 1968, former Warhol film actress Valerie Solanos arrived at The Factory and waited for Warhol in the lobby area. When he arrived with a couple of friends, she fired three shots from a handgun at Warhol. She then shot art critic Mario Amaya and also tried to shoot Warhol’s manager, Fred Hughes, but her gun jammed. Just then, the elevator arrived. Hughes suggested she take it, and she did, leaving the Factory. Warhol barely survived. He never fully recovered and for the rest of his life had to wear a corset to prevent his injuries from worsening. Years later, his wounds would still occasionally bleed after he overexerted himself.

That evening, Solanas turned herself in to the police and was charged with attempted murder and other offenses. Solanas made statements to the arresting officer and at the arraignment hearing that Warhol had “too much control” over her and that Warhol was planning to steal her work. Pleading guilty, she received a three-year sentence. Warhol refused to testify against her. The attack had a profound impact on Warhol and his art, and The Factory scene became much more tightly controlled afterwards. For the rest of his life, Warhol lived in fear that Solanas would attack him again. “It was the Cardboard Andy, not the Andy I could love and play with,” said close friend and collaborator Billy Name. “He was so sensitized you couldn’t put your hand on him without him jumping. I couldn’t even love him anymore, because it hurt him to touch him.”While his friends were actively hostile towards Solanas, Warhol himself preferred not to discuss her.

It is widely believed that Solanas suffered from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the shooting.A psychiatrist who evaluated her shortly thereafter concluded that she was “a Schizophrenic Reaction, paranoid type with marked depression and potential for acting out.” As a result, many of her detractors derided her as a “crazed lesbian”.

The scars, just to clear everything up, were from surgery and the hole in the right hand corner of his torso is a healed over gunshot wound.

Casino Avenue!

Today, I am happy to introduce to you a band that will soon, with your help, be all the rage in the music world….. CASINO AVENUE! I recently caught up with my good friends Johnny Villar (lead singer and guitarrist), Gerard Cabarse (bass and vocal), Adam Leary (guitar), and Dante Bertana (drums) to talk about their musical career and what trumps what in terms of hobbies. We discussed biking vs. skating, hot chocolate vs. coffee, movie theatre vs. mall, and their inspiration/influence! One of the boys is related to Carlos Santana; find out who now!

Why do you call yourselves Casino Avenue?

Johnny: It’s never been used, it’s catchy, and it’s easy to remember. CASINO AVENUE is the ideal band name.
Adam: It is the name of one of the wings in the hospital Gerard works at.
Gerard: Well, after being locked in the board room and several thumb wrestling bouts, we decided that this was the best name.
What is your music genre?

What is Casino Avenue’s music genre?

Johnny: I don’t know what you’d call it precisely. There’s so much different influence thrown in, it can only be called one word: Pop.
Adam: Pop/Punk
Gerard: Pop-Punk, but it draws from a lot of different other genres like hardcore or indie.

How would each of you describe your personal style?

Johnny: Original. I try to be only one style: myself. And performing is the best way to express that.
Adam: Artistic
Gerard: I dress pretty simply. Jeans, plain t-shirt, and a button down shirt is my usual look. But that’s just when I’m out. At work, I usually wear a tuxedo, outfitted with various gadgets.
Dante: Tight syncopated riffs from drums, mainly keeping the band going with great grooves.
Has your music affected the way you dress and how?

Movie theatre or Mall?

Johnny: Tough question! I’m not big on shopping, but it’s fun to chill at the mall. Movie theatre is cool too, but these days they are making some of the crappiest movies I’ve ever seen! (Transformers, anyone?)
Adam: Mall
Gerard: Mall, because I’m not one to sit still for very long.
Dante: Either.  I’m pretty easy going.

Has your music affected the way you dress and how?

Johnny: Yes. I dress in distinctive attire onstage with a hat, black suit, Godfather shirt, and white shoes.
Adam: Yes. I somewhat dress like our genre of music now.
Gerard: Oh, definitely. I can remember in 8^th grade when I was heavily influenced by hip hop music, so I’d rock a shaved head, baggy jeans, and a tall tee. Now, five years later, when I’m listening to a myriad of artists of all different kind of genres, I’m wearing slim jeans and plaid shirts. It’s strange how something like that works out.
Dante: I dress relaxed and professional, so no, not really.

What is one interesting fact about each of you? (Stories, facts, personality tidbits, anecdotes, etc.)

Johnny: I love old movies and old music. That classic kind of entertainment is gold. I also am totally anti-drugs. I never have and never will abuse drugs of any kind.
Adam: I am related to Carlos Santana!
Gerard: I love learning random facts and I like reading strange books. I just finished How To Kill a Vampire and I’m looking for a copy of The Monster Hunter’s Guide To Killing Mythical Beasts. Is that two facts?
Dante: I like meeting new people, but I’m really shy when people first meet me. I’m also really, really into computers.

Where do you perform and why?

Johnny: We try to stick to big public events like county fairs because you get tons of listeners and it’s a safe environment. But night clubs are even better because no matter how bad the music sounds, the whole audience is drunk and it sounds fine to them! We perform because it is a rare thrill to be able to stand on that stage and show everyone what you’re made of.
Adam: Wherever is a good venue.
Gerard: We perform wherever we can. We wanna get more people aware of us as a band and there’s no better way to do so than by spreading our music to as many venues as possible.
Dante: I like how much fun it is to perform on the stage in front of people.

Skateboarding or bicycling?

Johnny: Bicycling. Skaters are punks.
Adam: Skateboarding
Gerard: Skating. It looks way easier than it actually is. Trust me.
Dante: dirt biking FTW!
Who has influenced your music?

Johnny: Frank Sinatra. Elvis and MJ come close, but there is no one like “Ol’ Blue Eyes”. “My Way” is also the greatest song ever written.
Adam: My father and many other famous artists.
Gerard: A wide variety of artists really have inspired me to write the music I do. The list goes on for quite some time, but the heaviest hitters would be Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie, Stephen Christian from Anberlin, Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes, and Elvis Costello.
Dante: various jazz artists, Neal Pert, Travis Barker, and Tre Cool.

Who do you consider your inspiration?

Johnny: Again, Frank Sinatra is my idol in terms of how I perform.
Adam: Slash
Gerard: It’s not so much of a who, but a what. I’ve written songs about love, personal issues, having fun, or even songs just to tell a story.
Dante: The above guys^

Coffee or hot chocolate?

Johnny: Hot chocolate is rather good. How people can become so hooked on coffee is beyond me.
Adam: Hot Chocolate
Gerard: Neither. Tea.
Dante: coffee, with French vanilla creamer.  No sugar.

Is there anything else you would like me to know?

Johnny: Our first gig is this Friday, July 24^th at the Gilroy Garlic Festival from 1-2:30.
Adam: Nope
Gerard: Bears can climb faster than they run and apples are 25% air.
Dante: Is there anything else YOU want to know?

1980′s to 2009 and Back Again!

| View Show | Create Your Own

This slide show illuminates the fact that fashion repeats itself. The “fashion do’s” of the past march into the future and at least try to make a comeback. There aren’t enough ideas in the world for for designers to think of and have something new every season. It is just to hard! So I have created a little slide show to illustrate how the 80′s have influenced present fashion!

p.s. DO NOT forget to turn on your speakers because there is a song that goes with it!

Say Hello to the 80′s… AGAIN!

The 80’s are BACK!

            People may say that they thought the 80’s was the worst fashion decade in history. Most of them thought it was due to shoulder pads and guess what… They… Are… Back! However the shoulder pads Akiko Ogawa sent down the runway for fall are A LOT more fashionable than the boxy suits ladies used to wear to their nine to five jobs. Another 80’s trend that has been slowly inching its way back into all of our closets is bows! Bows are now quickly showing up on Verrier coats, E.Y. Wada shirts and skirts, J. Mendel belts, Custo Barcelona’s dresses, and in the hair of the Erin Fetherson models!

            Eighties trends have actually, whether we noticed it or not, been coming back for a while now. We have trends such as legwarmers, skinny jeans, long necklaces, high waisted skirts, over-sized bags, vests, and leggings that have already completely come back. We in fashion haven’t acknowledged these as a part of an 80’s comeback, but since everyone associates the 80’s with shoulder pads we have now got ourselves a comeback!

            When I think of the eighties, I think of, for work: neutral colors, but then for parties: bright neon colors. I see that a lot in trends today. In some collections I see neutrals such as brown, black, green, white and gray. In others though I see nothing but neon colors: pinks, greens, yellows, purples, you name it! Now thankfully not all of the trends are coming back. I am happy to say that I haven’t seen anyone wearing a neon workout leotard 80’s style. However it is in swimsuit form lately. I am overjoyed that the ever so popular side ponytail and gelled bangs are not sneaking back into the picture as well. Luckily we are not being confronted with a person who looks like they are always at a dance class: side ponytail, legwarmers, sneakers, neon leggings, high waisted shorts, some sort of metallic leotard, and a neon sweatband across their head. We also have the new and improved, high-waisted, neon-colored, jersey skirt. It is a new version of the dance wear for today. It provides the ultimate comfort in a skirt, while looking cute at the same time. Speaking of comfort, baggy sweaters are always a cute 80’s way to go!

Please Don’t Leave Me

 

P!NK’S ever so popular song “Please Don’t Leave Me” features interesting clothes with sort of a carnival theme! This particular type of clothing reminded me of a designer’s style in his new fall 2009 line. He goes by the name Leifsdottir and his new line will be unforgettable. The clothes have a sort of Alice in Wonderland type look and I have to say they are very cute. No other designer took as bold as a step as this amazingly talented designer took. This designer is so unique not only for his clothes but also because all the pictures from fashion week were not on the runway but actually on a set of a modeling shoot.

The cane emphasizes the carnival theme

As you can see he uses bright reds as we see in many carnivals. There are always bright reds blues and whites. All these colors make very bold statements and together they all POP!

P!NK also wears a lot of hats in her video!

This is another example of very different yet working color schemes and patterns. It is apparent that these patterns are very interesting and definitely unique, yet when paired with new, cute color schemes they totally compliment each other!

Again the colors really bring out the personality of the clothes!

The whole line is very cool and new. Please check it out: http://www.mbfashionweek.com/newyork/fall2009/designers/leifsdottir/index.html