Independent Fashion Bloggers weekly link line-up

Part of the Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) community awesomeness is this weekly round-up of interesting and thought-provoking links. (Holy barnacles, that's a lot of hyphens.) As part of the community (a very lurky part), I'm very glad that IFB does this. It just further distances the idea many people have that fashion is solely vacuous and egotistical. There's some serious stuff going on there! Even if it is mostly in the blogosphere.

Here's this week's line-up. Enjoy!

When fashion teaches you a lesson

Edited by: Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista

As fashion bloggers, we are often the ones sharing and giving advice about fashion. But what happens when fashion turns the table on us and teaches us a lesson or two? From learning how to be thrifty, coping through a crisis, or the economy, these fashion bloggers took a cue from fashion's lessons and turned them into a delicious and delectable read- and I have rounded these up for you...

Links à la Mode: November 18th

• Almost Sober Mag: Pull It, Push It and Come Back When You Proved It: Direct experience from a newly established independent publisher: a week as a fashion editor.


• Beyond Fabric: On the relation between Body Language and Fashion Photography


• Dedicated Follower: To Write Love on Her Arms - I join the movement and write love on my arms in honor of a lost friend.


• Exiled from the City: Throughout the past few years, there has been a paradigm shift in consumer variables and the function of fashion.


• For those about to Shop: Society must take some responsibility for the dangerous obsession to be thin.


• Freeda Style: "Appropriate Attire" Are ALL the old rules of fashion dead? Or should some survive?


• Haute World: Grace Kelly Exhibition: How a royal style icon can teach us a lesson in thriftiness.


• Heathers Design Blog: Musings on fashion now and fashion then, based on the exhibit "Fashioning Fashion" at LACMA.


• Independent Fashion Bloggers: Self-Promotion 101: It's not about you


• LivLux Mag: ComfortZones: Even Fashionistas get insecure when trying new styles.


• Make the World a Prettier Place: History of Fashion: The New Look (1947)


• Miss Vinyl Ahoy: I've read some negative comments about the 30 for 30 challenge, and wanted to explain more of what it is and why people should care about it, from my POV.


• Modesty Theory: Welcome to Hijabi Fashion Week- showcasing the style of Muslim women for various occasions.


• Oh My Massila: Reflections on the crossroads between fashion and feminism.


• Previously Owned: The tale of the "00s" Vintage and the mockery of the consumer... Are we becoming victims of the mass media?


• RetroChick: Why Fashion isn't Frivolous


• Return to Sender: Sometimes life gets in the way of fashion. How I Survive A Crisis


• Searching for Style: Fashion 101: Who Owns What. The lowdown on the big fashion conglomerates and the companies they own.


• Socialite Dreams: Sparkly, glam shoes are a must have for the holidays! Twinkle Toes: The Holiday Shoe Guide


• Taste and Style: Keep Being YOU.


• The Curvy Fashionista: How to determine quality in plus size fashion

SPONSOR:

Shopbop Boots:KORS, Joie, UGG, Coclico, Frye, L.A.M.B, Hunter, Frye, DV, Ash, & 12th St.

Washington, Washington...

Six foot eight, weighs a fucking ton! Ok, sorry. No, not here to discuss the viral video. But! As you may well be aware, Damián and I went to the DMV (District, Maryland, and Virginia are) in September. We also took a short day trip to Philadelphia as well. Never really showed you guys the pictures, so I wanted to share some of them with you here.

The Philadelphia pictures are unavailable since Damián hasn't given them to me yet...they're on his computer, even though I took the pictures! The nerve of some men. No, but really, we're packing everything up so we can get the hell out of Dodge as soon as possible. So, a promise is a promise and I will post those pictures as soon as possible!

Old Navy Leather.

So yes. Several years ago, Old Navy release some leather hoody jackets, but I never got to see them in person, they sold out so fast. I don't know if they did leather again until now, but I'm liking what I see. So far, it appears that the styles are women only, but I'm really liking them.

I haven't seen the one available in-store in person yet (the motorcycle jacket and bomber jacket are online exclusives), so I can't tell you if the leather is supple or not. However, the reviews on Old Navy's website are all positive and several have commented on the suppleness of the leather. At only $199, if they are that good, then they might be worth the money. I for one, am drooling over the taupe one with the ruffles. It just seems so elegant. I can see it with delicate dresses, workwear, and jeans on the weekend. I will be keeping an eye out for you, my pretty!

All images belong to Old Navy. If you are interested in any of the jackets, here are the links:

Buckle-trimmed leather jacket

Motorcycle jacket

Ruffled leather jacket

Do you slump?

And by that I mean fashion slump. Do you have times when you just don't care about what you wear? You might've even been wearing the same jeans and shirt for two weeks and it doesn't give you an ounce of grief. You don't try to make an outfit, you just stick your hand into the closet and are at the mercy of random picking.

You. Don't. Care.

Right now, I'm in a fashion slump. I do care, but I just can't be arsed into trying. And it all can be boiled down to one thing: stress. Stress has caused me to eat a lot therefore gain weight and not fit into my old clothes. Stress has made me sleep in, just stick my hand in the closet, and run with what I got. Stress has also made me into a disorganized pile of goo, but Damián would argue that I'm disorganized most of the time anyway. Grr. But, the biggest problem is that it's not stress' fault. It's my fault for letting stress win. So now, I'm fighting back.

I've made Damián promise to make me work out, even when I'm feeling lousy. The one exception has been on a particular stressful day dealing with the the neighborhood burglary stress that Damián just let me sit it out. But for the most part, I've made an effort to be more active. It's helped me so far, I'm not as out of shape as I was before, but I still have a long way to go.

The next step is to try and bring it up a notch in regards to fashion. But should I? Should I force myself to pick outfits when all I want to do is sleep? Or should I just ride it out until one day I woke up with the fashion sass again? I don't know.

What would you do?

To grad or not to grad (school)?

On 10.10.10. I crossed off a very important bullet from my life list. I graduated. I finished my Master of Arts in English, after three and a half years. Well, four, thanks to the system-wide strike. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to me and how much that ceremony reflected the culmination of a long while’s trials and tribulations.

I am finally graduated. Twice! From the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, better known to us locals by its acronym: RUM. Why yes, we do have drinking tendencies, thankyouverymuch. We are one of the few schools that can boast about being right next to a brewery! Anyway, I am now a third generation Colegial, as my grandfather and both parents attended the school. It seemed only natural that I go too.

I started my Masters Degree not necessarily because I wanted to, but because I needed to. I had been offered a job as an editor for a relatively high profile journal and I needed to be enrolled to work. Oh well, why not? It’s not like I had something to do anyway. I had planned in coursing graduate studies, but this had happened in one fell swoop. This degree wasn’t necessarily the one I wanted (it is mostly education based; I got away with focusing on literature), but it could help me get where I want (writing & editing).

So I did it. Was it wrong? Probably. Do I regret it? No, not one bit. Even though you can ask everyone that ever knew me throughout my MA tenure that I hated a good chunk of it, what I enjoyed was even more. My MA research took me to Oxford and Harvard, it gave me a chance to sit down and make myself write. It made me find my own voice and stick to it, no matter what. After all, it was my project that was going to determine if I graduated, not some fool who didn’t want to let me go on.

Which is why I bring to you some dos and don’ts of graduate school. These are just a few that I’ve lived by; I’m sure there are other perhaps even more helpful guides. These are just my two cents. I think a handy guide might’ve helped me avoid massive disasters, but then I’d be different. I wouldn’t be the same. Faults and all, I’m happy this way, and this experience has given me many things to remember.

First of all, do it because you need it. I don’t mean need it for a job; I mean need it for yourself. You’ve got to do it because you’ve got a fire in you that won’t be satiated until you get this done. Don’t do it for money or because you think you should. That ‘s just going to guarantee you years of pain. And excessive eating and drinking.

Second, do it on something you enjoy. Really enjoy. Otherwise, you will regret it. You will be living, breathing, eating, dreaming, screaming about this subject for at least two years of your life, so it’d better be something you’re fond of.

Third, have fun. Above all, have fun. You’re starting out on a whole new adventure. Of course, you have to take your grades seriously (graduate degrees demand a continuously high GPA), but don’t let it consume you. Go out for drinks or dinner with your friends from class. Make fun of the library website. Play scrabble during that one boring class you all loathe. Above all, build memories that you’ll be fond of in the future. It’s going to be better to recall that than whine for life about Ms. Carruther’s lame copyright and plagiarism jokes.

Fourth, things will get odd. If you choose to continue your graduate degree in the same school where you pursued your Bachelors, things will get awk. Or as my friend Zeynep says, shit got awk. People you’ve known for the last years may suddenly change and become assholes who will cut your throat for an assistantship. The people you used to loathe? They may become your best friends. Some will stay the same, but the pressure to live and let die in a highly competitive academic environment may get to some people’s heads. Stick it out, things will get better!

Fifth, always remember. You don’t have to do this. If you start it out and then realize it’s not for you, quit while you can. As some would say, cut your losses. Take the time to re-evaluate your decision. Why are you doing it? Why didn’t it work? Is it just this program that you’ve chosen or do you simply desire not to proceed with graduate or post-graduate studies? Whatever your feelings are, make sure to listen to them. Starting a graduate program doesn’t mean that you have to finish it or follow through. Specially if it’s something you’ve realized you abhor.

Finally, this too shall pass. If you’re feeling fed up with your project, professors, classmates, whatever, but you still care about what you’re doing, take a deep breath. Count to five. Punch a pillow. Go for a jog. Hell, eat a Twinkie if you have to. Just relax. If you know that graduate studies are for you, this is just a blip in the radar. Focus on something else for a while until you get back into your groove.

I hope I helped some of you decided whether or not graduate school is for you. It's not a choice for everyone; it's something that required deep thought and consideration. But once you know it's for you, you've got a great thing going on!

10.10.10 Graduation

10.10.10 was a heady day. Not only was I lucky enough to attend a friend's wedding, but I had some gradumacating of my own to do. Yes, I am finally done. I am now a Master. Of Arts in English (and Education) at least. It was a long and funky journey with it's ups and downs, but it was worth it. I have so many experiences and friends that wouldn't have been gained if I didn't pursue this, so I don't regret it. A post on grad school will be up soon, but for now, I want to share some pictures of the day.

I'm not going to lie, I cried. I know a lot of people don't care about commencement, but it represented so much for me. The end of a chapter, the start of something new. How did you guys feel upon graduation?

Moving on out!

Good news! We've found a place. Hopefully, we will be moving there soon. Now for the piles of paperwork, boxes, and sundry that have to be done in order to get the heck out of our old place. That said, finding the new place has me all worked up. I'm energized! I am fantasizing about what we can do to the new place. Also, I am combing through my closets for things to keep, sell and revamp. I already have a neat (well, not so neat) little pile of stuff to rework. I also have a pile of fabric meant for dresses and skirts. We'll see how soon I get to that, since now I'm all excited about reworking what I've got.

Just wanted to share the good news with you all. I'm so excited about this! Also very nervous. Can't wait for the next couple of weeks to fly by!

10.10.10 A Wedding

Not my wedding, mind you. It'll be awhile before that ship sets sail. But! Friends Charlenne and Josué got married on that auspicious day and Damián and I were happy to be a part of it.

Getting to the wedding was quite a mess since my graduation ceremony was that very same day! A mere hours apart! So there was a lot of rushing around to get there on time, but we did. And so we had a mellow afternoon watching two friends marry. And took pictures, of course.

Sassy bride!

Once again, many congratulations to the bride and groom. Thanks for inviting us to share such a special day with you! And nothing but the best for you both. :)

When will I get my ducks in a row?

So I finally changed the blog layout a little. Okay, a lot. This is a temporary change until Damián can properly work the code and make it look nice. I just make the design. Anyway, since our image hosting went kaput (I have no idea why), we'll figure it out later. For now, simple is the way to go. I need to twiddle around with the font though because this one is driving me batty.

In other news, I'm trying to get myself together due to a series of situations that have been going on lately. As some of you may know, Damián finally moved in with me! The process has been great, but it sort of feels like an endless vacation since I get to have him around the whole time. (This isn't a bad thing! :) Unfortunately, this awesomeness has been marred by work woes (stress, drama) and one other thing: crime.

You see, I don't know if I've told you guys before, but ever since I moved in I've had problems. A little less than a week into the move, someone tried to break into my apartment. Less than three months later, my neighbor's car had it's wheels/rims stolen and I had to call 911 because she had hit herself and passed out from the shock. Yes, I planned to move out, but I wanted to wait for the contract to expire so I could keep the security deposit. Well, this week it's all come to a head. The straw the broke the camel's back, definitely.

I received a call at work from my neighbor, which caused my immediate concern. If she has anything to tell me, she usually waits until we coincide while arriving home. Her calling me in the middle of the work day? Not a good thing. Her apartment had been broken into and that was not all. A neighbor tried to stop the burglars and was met with a gun to his face. Fun. So now we are officially freaked out. Being in and leaving the apartment is an exercise in strength and bravery because I'm honestly in a constant state of panic. This was heightened last night when the downstairs neighbor told me to never be alone outside since the burglars have not been caught and they are still scouting the neighborhood for possible criminal opportunities.

Now, I know this isn't the usual optimistic (perhaps even materialistic) fare for this blog, but I've been processing all of this and neglecting myself the simple pleasures I once enjoyed. I just wanted to let you all know what's going on so you don't feel left out or forget this little corner of the web. Hopefully we'll find a place to move out soon and we'll be able to relax. Hopefully.

Stay safe everyone.

Home is...

...where the heart is?

I've been very wistful lately. The randomest things set me off and remind me of particular instances of my childhood. Smells, noises, words will remind me of vivid childhood memories that I've treasured for so long. Why exactly is this happening now, I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm still, in a way, getting used to this process of being away from home. Or should I say, my parents' home now since I've moved out. But does home stop being home? Or can one have many homes?

I think it's the latter. My fondest childhood memories will always come from this, my parents' home. Waking up late at night to listen to cars driving by on the then faraway main road. The smell of jasmine in the middle of the night. The early morning sounds. The past midnight breeze. My dad listening to the jazz station until it went out. All of these are precious to me and I've been recalling them more and more lately. I think it's because of going back and forth so much.

I know that in the mainland United States, it's common for kids to go away to college. Over here, not so much. Yeah, you may board at the school, but usually, everybody goes back on weekends. It's tradition. I never went away until I was 26! That's when I scored my first job on the other side of the island. Of course, I was looking forward to it, like any self-respecting young adult should. But it's also made me realize how much I miss my parents. I mean, we are not perfect. Let's just say that we're perfectly imperfect and meant for each other. I've been quite lucky to have them, I've got no complaints now. But it's time to move on and grow up, and this move is a very important part of that.

So now I have a home. And a home with my parents. And I also have a home with Damian because when I'm with him, I feel at home anywhere. (Yeah, you can go ahead and barf!) So I've got more than one home and I'm okay with that. I'm going to have lots of homes and I'm going to keep on building memories that I will remember fondly as I grow older. Because home is where the heart is, and these places are where my heart goes.

27 on the 27.

Today's my birthday and I'm feeling pretty good about myself. I found out a couple of days ago that there will be a commencement ceremony for the grad class of 2010 at my university, complete with toga! When I found this out, I almost burst out into tears since I was told that we would have no ceremony due to the strike and the financial crisis. I'm very happy about this!

I'm also glad I am staying with my family for my birthday. I wish I could spend it will all my friends (both stateside, metro area, and islander amigos), but unfortunately that's not possible due to logistics. But! I will spend tomorrow vegging out, hopefully get some thrift on, quality time with my loved ones and getting my toga! Toga, toga!

I've been really hippie-dippy lately thinking about the past few years. Grad school, friendships, jobs. Health. Despite everything, I feel I've been very lucky, what with the good and the bad. My parents have been great to me and so has my boyfriend. I've got great friends who've stuck with me through the good and the bad. I've been lucky to travel and to finish my thesis, a project that was consuming me for a while, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Now I've got a slew of other things (amongst is which fixing this blog layout) that I want to do. Hopefully, getting in shape will be the next one. Right now, graduating is my top priority right now! And getting a certain someone to finally move in with me!

Anyway, just wanted to drop by and wish you a lovely day! Hope you have a great one. I'll do my best to pop by more often. I want to update about my DC/Virginia/Philly trip, complete with Lady Gaga concert and finally meeting blogger friends. Till then, peace out!

And I'm off!

Hey kids! Bloggage will continue to be spotty as I'm off to a well-deserved week off in DC to meet up with friends and just all in all have a good time with the boy. Expect shots of me freezing when I come back! (I'm a spoiled tropical bum; 70 or lower is cold for me!)

Let's just hope these silly hurricanes don't catch up to me up there...grr.

Later!

Fully unprepared (AKA My first hurricane).

So. Um. I live in Puerto Rico, right? I know a lot about hurricanes. Of course I do, I've lived through a couple in my short life. All with varying degrees of "dammit, nature!". But I'd never dealt with one alone.

Hurricane Danielle is coming for us. After meteorologists had said that it would pass over 400 miles away from PR, Danielle decided to keep us on our toes and change her course a little. Wee! So I will be on the opposite side of the island with Genghis when the hurricane passes. Fun. I guess part of me sees this as an adventure, but I'm kind of worried since Damian gave me a hurricane checklist he picked up at the gas station and I'm...needless to say, woefully unprepared.

I have a lot of canned food and I have flashlights. I have big trash bags and first aid kits (which I bought because Damian and I go hiking, well used to). And Genghis has nothing to worry about foodwise. However, all my kitchen stuff is electric. My stove is electric! No gas! I'm kind of wondering what the hell am I going to do if the power goes for more than the time of the hurricane's actual passing. Crap!

Well, I'll let you know what happens. Hopefully, I'm just overreacting.

ETA: Change of hurricane. It is now Earl, not Danielle, who I should be afraid of.

Stella B. Demented

Hi there! Remember me? I run this here blog. Unfortunately, life's gotten (ridiculously) in the way lately and I've barely had time to even breathe. Just to give you a sampling of what I've been up to, here's a list:

1. Prep for thesis defense.

2. Smash knee with steering wheel lock.

3. Limp for almost three weeks.

4. Deal with mad dog.

5. Come down for thesis defense.

6. Defend! Successfully!

7. Fix formatting and typographic errors.

8. Drive back to apartment. Work. Drive back for signatures.

9. Chase everybody for their signatures.

10. Battle Table of Contents formatting.

11. Work drama!

Now that I look at it, it's not as terrible, but it's all been very time-consuming. And the knee, ugh, let's not even talk about it. I haven't worn heels in weeks, I've had to rest and be disgustingly inactive (because inactivity is good when you're willing, not when you're forced). My physical condition is a disaster! Let's not even talk about the pain I'm in, though it's gotten better, much better.

All in all, this is just a quick post to say that I'll return soon with more posts and hopefully changes around these here parts! I want to update the shop too and work on my outfit pictures because I'm seriously lacking in the self-portrait skill area. Stay tuned and I'll see you soon!

Axis of Cute!

Genghis finally achieves the "tripod" pose, as Damian calls it, while he tries to eat the camera's remote.

Genghis has a fan club at my office....

Keepin' it lazy.

So yes. There are some times I just don't care. I mean, I don't want to look craptastic to work, but I just don't want to make an effort. Here, I record some of these times. I took the easy way out. I wore something that I know matched or worked and ran with it. Zero effort from my part. I should be ashamed, I know.

You guys know I usually show everything here, but my face here was just...yeah, we'll leave it at that.

Dress: Rave

Belt: Salvation Army

Shoes: Façade booties, Nine West

Sunglasses: Fakebans? Salvation Army

Necklace: Anniversary gift from Damian

Shirt: Old Navy

Skirt: Rave

Shoes: Payless Shoesource

Casual and formal work outfits.

I had an interview that ended up not happening. Grump. But we won't talk about that. I needed to look fancy. So I did! Other than that, last week's outfits were relatively uneventful. I really liked the coral top and zig zag skirt, though. The brightly colored top cheered me up during the day while dealing with certain situations at work.

Wednesday:

Dress: Primark

Blazer: Thrifted

Shoes at left: Yves Saint Laurent St. Germain Pumps

Shoes at right: Sears

Monday (whoa, boobies?):
Top: Gap

Belt: used to be my mom's

Skirt: Thrifted

Bracelet: Gift from mom

Tuesday:

Dress: Sears

Necklace: Gift from Damian, New Orleans

Bracelet: Gift from mom

Shoes: Payless Shoesource

All by myself: cooking for one.

Let me tell you, I love to cook. I do. Which is something my mother finds hilarious because I picked up cooking when I got into university. Before that, I could only make scrambled eggs and toast. But now, I have over 72 cookbooks and love to whip up a storm. Often I take food for my coworkers. I'm sort of a mother hen.

However, this doesn't extend to home. Back in the apartment, there's only Genghis and I, which sucks. I mean, when Damian comes over on the weekend, I occasionally cook, but we usually end up going out to take advantage of the food that's seriously lacking on the Wild Wild Boricua West. Though the Western side of the island's cuisine is picking up, we usually have to drive at least half an hour to get to an awesome spot other then the ones that are readily available (like the Mayagüez classic Don Quijote).

So when I dine alone, I usually just make myself a sandwich or some cornmeal, which pisses Damian off because he says I'm not feeding myself properly. True, I guess. But I guess I just don't like cooking for myself. Even if I get to take the leftovers to the office the next day and save money on lunch.

I'm trying to wean myself off that annoying habit and forcing myself to cook dinner. For myself. I tell myself it's a challenge to improve my cooking and take on dishes that I haven't really done before. Like this. A very basic Boricua mofongo.

I had never made mofongo before in my life. This is a blasphemy if you're a Puerto Rican. Seriously! I decided to go all out and make myself some mofongo stuffed with garlic shrimp cooked in butter.

Interested in making mofongo? Here's the basic recipe.

Mofongo for one (as my mother taught me):

Ingredients:

1 green plantain

1 garlic clove

olive oil in non-stingy amounts

salt to taste (I never add salt, but everyone else does...)

(There's also the option of adding bacon! Many in PR do this, so feel free to include bacon into the mix.)

Add some oil into a frying pan and heat it up. In the meantime, open and chop the plantain into several slices around .5 of an inch thick. Carefully drop them in the pan and cook them until golden.

When golden, take them out. The garlic: you may cook it or leave it as is. Mash it up in a container and then throw in the cooked plantain and mash it up as well. Mix until garlic is evenly spread around plantain. Eat as is or shape it in a bowl to add filling! (Like I did with the garlic shrimp.)

(Note: Plantains are normally deep fried. My family's alternative is a bit healthier, as it uses less oil. You may deep fry if you want!)

Let me know if you try this! :)

Neighborhood Stonehenge.

I think some of my neighbors have lost it. I mean, that's my theory. What else can you think when they just start randomly piling up rocks on their yard and street?

On the other hand, I do hope they're not aware of some secret alien plot and that's the way to keep them at bay. Because if it is, I'm screwed! Bad neighbors for not sharing the key to save ourselves from impending doom?

But seriously. My neighbors are freaking me out...

Shoes, shoes, thrifted shoes!

Genghis muzzle!

I'm a germophobe. Which is hilarious because I thrift like a madwoman. However, there was one thing I wouldn't do and that was shoes (and underwear). I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole. I don't know. Of all things, shoes seemed the most unsanitary to me. Then my mother, who is perhaps an even a worse germophobe than me, went ahead and bought herself thrifted shoes.

With relish.

Even though my mother went ahead and bought shoes, I still had a lot of hesitation about that. It wasn't until I mom and I were at the CR flea market that she saw a pair of flats and insisted to buy them for me. After not having mutant 'shrooms grow out of my feet due to wearing them (and a militant cleaning of course), I figured that thrifted shoes were okay. After all, shoes in stores?They're tried on by even more people than a thrifted shoe until they're bought and given a proper home.

Add to that the fact that with my shoe size, it's not easy to find shoes, well. I buy shoes when I see them. So yet another world of awesomeness was opened to me tanks to thrifting.

That said, the thrifting in the metro area hasn't been as great as back home. I'd repeatedl

y check the OSJ SA and nothing. Overpriced and understocked. I was about to give up until I swung over to the Cataño SA and found these puppies! The most expensive one was the velvet pair for $5.00. All the other pairs were just a mere $2.00 each. Needless to say, I will be back for more soon!

And here I thought Genghis was happy with my purchases...I mean, he was winking!

Only to later give me this: the glare of disapproval. I think he's taking his dad's side of my having too much shoes? Which is utter bollocks if you ask me. A girl could never have too many shoes.

Bad dog! No biscuit!