as if you needed another reason...

I have been sitting in a courtroom a lot lately as part of my internship. I see a lot of prisoners come in for their hearings. Some of the local jails issue Crocs for their inmates...enough said.

Hey, J.Love--

YOU ARE NOT AUDREY.




that is all.


"explanation" here.

spotting a trend

Yesterday I embarked on my first shopping trip since moving here to Utah. Well, second- I went to the local American Apparel earlier since it isn't attached to any other stores. Surprisingly, there is an AA closer to me now than there was in Florida. Like, 2 hours closer. I got 2 of the pocket skirts that I have been wanting for so long. I have to say, they really are amazingly comfortable, flattering, and go with everything! I broke it out for my real shopping excursion yesterday with an ancient white button-up from American Eagle, a woven orange belt, and my jeweled Target sandals.

I spotted a very disturbing trend while I was out & about at a very, very busy shopping mall. Tons of girls, ranging from Jr. High-age to my age and beyond, were wearing outfits anchored in athletic shorts. It wasn't your average (and forgivable) post workout I-need-to-run-out-to-the-store-and-thats-why-I'm-wearing-this outfit. These girls (and women) were fully made up with styled hair and wearing very workout-inappropriate tops.

Usually worn with flip-flops, although I did see one girl wearing her matching running shorts/dressy shirt combo with some type of heeled sandal.

Is this something common in Utah? This is new to me and I couldn't believe how many times I saw it. Maybe it's just because it has been so hot outside? Let's hope.

if you want to keep your faith in humanity...

don't click here. It's already too late for me.

Why would anyone let this girl near a microphone/drawing board/camera is beyond me.

Found through fashionista.

update:the song is effing stuck in my head. today sucks.

rage & zen

I am still hopping mad about my termination experience yesterday, but I am trying to forget about it & move on. Well, maybe tomorrow. Today was my excursion to Plato's Closet, aka the only consignment store in central Florida. If you can call it that. I took my 4 big bags bursting with clothes that were still wearable, just not by me. While waiting to hear what riches I would be bestowed, I browsed the next-door Old Time Pottery.

After I got lost & found zen in a forest of fake flowers, I found that awesome tiki ceramic-ware that I wish I had a reason to buy. Maybe my consignments will yield so much that I will treat myself to something silly like that, I thought to myself.

I strolled back into P's C., head held high. "So, what's the verdict?"

A whopping $28. They handed back my 4 bags, still quite stuffed to the brim. "this is what we're passing on," they said. "Some of the labels are outdated, and there is some wear evident on some items". Outdated? I guarantee nothing was older than 3 years old, and yet I see, in the store, clothes that were in Hollister when I worked there 7 years ago when they still had 2/4/6 sizing as opposed to 3/5/7? And clothes from Express when I worked there 4 years ago?
Wear is evident? Some of it was brand-new. And please, first how about explain all the ratty/nasty clothes being sold here, and the overwhelming smell of cigarette smoke coming from the clothing racks? But, I digress. I took my 28 bucks and dropped the rest of my clothes off at Goodwill. I tell you what, Goodwill smells better inside than does Plato's Closet. I'd also wear anything in Goodwill before anything in P.C. That place is plain confounding. I won't be back.

In the end, I can't live off of the bounty from my clothing sales for a couple weeks as originally hoped. Back to the world of job-searching. sigh.

ew. ew.

Does anyone else hate all the old navy commercials this winter? The new one is so bad (besides the puppies) that it just makes me angry:



The entire store is one nautical-fest right now, with bright spring colors. It doesn't feel like Christmas at all in there. And rugby polos a la Abercrombie '03? I don't get it.

EDIT: the bow tied onto the basketball?? doesn't it totally look CGI'ed? lol.

I can't decide, though, if it's better or worse than last week's commercial:



Yes, that is a shirtless guy playing with a baby. Plus, 3 girls hanging out, one in her underwear. I'm sorry but I can't stand that pants-less model. She is up all over the store and I'm sure she's beautiful, but the art directors just make her look insanely creepy/alien-like (and not in a good Gemma way. Just a bad, scary alien way). It doesn't help that the clothes she's wearing are, um, butt ugly. I don't know if I've just been around them now for too long, but I can really see how shoddy the quality is in that store. There are a few exceptions here and there, like that Mike & Chris knockoff or this blouse, but everything else just falls apart so quickly, some of it even disintegrating right in the store. We have loads & loads of cotton sweaters that already have gapes between the weave and they stretch out as soon as you try them on. Their pants fit horribly, their "dressy" fabrics are thin, bunchy, and wrinkly, and they try to portray a whole image of good quality.

I understand that some of it will work in a pinch, and sure, it's an okay place for athletic socks, undershirts, and dog toys. But the more I'm there, the more I realize that it's just not good clothing. It seems like the company was on the up-and-up, with better things flooding the store during the last couple years, but maybe it was just a phase. I don't know why this makes me so angry, but I just feel like so many of the customers are getting ripped off. Plus, at every turn there is an associate cramming a credit card down your throat. Can't be a pleasant experience.

Could it be that I am almost cured of quick-fix shopping? Well, maybe, except for that Forever 21 moose sweater, haha.

a few reasons

going from a blond to a dark brunette was a big change for me. I was a blond Florida girl for the last 3 years, my man only knew me as a blond, and I felt that it totally went with my identity. But then it grew boring, and many girls such as:



...made me want to change my image. It was really hard to get used to at first, but I have grown to really love it over the past couple weeks. I think it compliments my skin and eyes, and I can even wear different colors! Bright yellow now looks ok on me! A change of hair can always boost your look and your style more than clothing ever could. I always feel infinitely better about myself after a good haircut. It becomes part of your style and can make or break your image.

Even more importantly, now I have absolutely nothing in common with Heidi Montag, not one thing.

losing it

...Inspiration, that is. The past few days have seen me not caring about my outfits, looking like crap, totally sick of clothes. Why? Probably because I have spent 24 of the last 48 hours helping to unpack approx. 80,000 boxes of clothes at my new job. We're opening a new store, and obviously it takes a lot of work to go from an empty warehouse-like building to a friendly, fully stocked, diverse retailer. It has been a long week, and the more clothes I've seen the more I hate them all. After folding and sorting clothes for hours on end, I had to come home and do laundry and it made me want to puke. I can't bear to look through my closet.
In the last few days, my daily aspiration has gone from this:


to this:



Ok, not that bad. But I did stoop to wearing *GASP* running shoes today with jean capris. I know, I know, it's gross. I just couldn't be bothered, and the concrete floor was totally killing my feet yesterday. Well, I only have a couple more 12-hour days left and hopefully my fashion sense will come back!

a frightening sight

Heaven help us, these shorts are sold out. What does this mean? It means that there are hundreds of girls running around out there wearing these shorts. They don't even flatter the model, I am scared to think of what they look like on anyone wearing above a size 2...with so many pairs of shorts sold, I'm sure I'm bound to run across someone wearing these things.

high-waisted, buttoned, corset-ish shorts from urban outfitters

frustration/review

Ugh. This was as the worst shopping day I can remember. So much anticipation, so much letdown! The outlets were a bust. Completely crowded, completely picked over. I spent about 2 hours there and all I have to show is 2 pairs of running shorts from Adidas. I thought going to Target to see Patrick Robinson would make me feel better. Not so. I was so disappointed by the line. They had one dress (pictured below) left, and it was my size, so I thought it was destiny. Not so--it feels like heavy, stiff burlap and fits like a potato sack. The linen vest looks cheesy with its ugly, poorly sewn buttons.
The cute looking bubble skirt Was completely shapeless and not at all bubble-y. Some of the blouses and pants were totally see-through and flimsy. I tried on this swimsuit and loved it- great fit, great drape, cute knot detailing. I looked closer and the fabric was already worn out where the hanger clips had gripped it...and it had only been on the sales floor for 1 day. I couldn't believe how cheaply everything had been made. It seems like even Mossimo clothing has better quality than this stuff.
So, I didn't get a shopping pick me up that I had hoped for today. I will just keep saving up my money until I can get the really good stuff...a shopping trip to Neiman's & Nordstrom!

multiple choice

The name of this product by Thayer is the Rachel Dress/Skirt. So, are they asking me to choose? In that case, my answer is Skirt. Definitely skirt. The model even looks uncomfortable with that skirt band hiked up around her chest, like "guys, no one is going to believe this is a dress. Who are we trying to kid?"