HEY BOY

What's better than dressing like a boy?

GETTING TO PLAY DRESS UP WITH A BOY, duhh

Today's post is about how to be a mysterious boy...MY FAVORITE. 

Hunter is one of those boys I know who dresses like I would want to dress if I were a boy.  It's pretty basic (I've never seen him wear anything not solid black or white), but it works.  I mean, he wears "dressy sweatpants"...he obviously gets what I'm all about.

The other day when he told me he'd just gotten a "jedi wrap" I immediately let out a squeal and began plotting when/how I would steal it from him...just you wait, I'll be wearing it on the blog soon :P

This "jedi wrap" reminded me of something I saw a while back-- somewhere in the depths of an internet journey one day, I came across a tag for "goth ninja fashion".  After LOLing for a minute over such a hilarious name for a type of style...I became really obsessed about the look, and, I mean...

it looks very goth

and very ninja.

It is very much mysterious and moody and combines a casualness of street styles and takes in high fashion ques from the likes of designers like Mr. A Wang (with his dark, streamline looks) the obvious Rick Owens, and Yohji Yamamoto (the layering...all the draping...the fact Yamamoto is probably a ninja himself..)

Hunter's look is more toned down and sporty with his Flyknits than the crazy looks I've seen for A REAL GOTH NINJA...but his vibe is very right.  Casual but REALLY COOL.  

SO,

The question is: WILL U B A MYSTERIOUS BOY FOR ME?

I don't know, but I think boys are scared to wear drapey things....and I get itttt but hey let's try something new for once because honestly boys NEVER DO ANYTHING FUN when they get dressed, and dressing like a ninja (and maybe being one) makes the ladies swoon.  So wear more drapey things for me.

//SWOON

DEETS//

!*JEDI WRAP*!~ from H&M

DRESSY SWEATPANTS~ from ZARA MEN

KICKS~ Nike Flyknit Lunar

Hair How-To: THE TRIPLE TUCK PONY

If you can recall a previous post from a couple of months ago (a diy, in and of itself) you may remember me promising a little something....

I didn't think it would take so long to get to, however, but I am here to stick by my word--

Here's a how-to for a fancy little hair-do that only takes a few minutes!

1. Section your hair into three parts horizontally.  Keep the top layer a little on the heavy side and tie with an elastic as far back on your head as possible (it'll look weird when you "flip" it if it's on the top of your head!)

2. Once your parts are in order, we are going to take the flip!  Loosen your top section with your fingers, creating a gap right in front of your hair tie big enough for your ponytail to fit through.  This step is a little hard to explain but once you do it it's easy...you kinda just take your ponytail through the top of the hole you just created, and pull through.

You'll be rocking something like this!

 

3.  Move on to your next layer of hair, and created a gap like you did when you prepared for your first flip. 

4.  Instead of jumping on in with the second flip, take the ends of your first pony, give them a little twirl and slide then through the gap in your second section of hair.

5. Add your second flip!

6.  As imagined, repeat steps 4 & 5 with your third section of hair

And you're done!

* Of course,  you may want to consider small clear hair ties for your look, but heyyyy I'm lucky to have found 3 hair ties at all :)

* Try loosening your twists to hide the obviousness of the parts

* From my bracelet DIY post, you can see that the same idea works well with curled or wavy hair...this allows you to be even more messy when parting your hair...so I'm all about it

<3

<3

<3

1, 2 STEP

Shoes are very important.
You can, like, not get diseases and things if you wear them and whatever.
Also, they are beautiful and I love them more than I do many human beings I know

I haven't bought a new pair of shoes in FOREVERRRR (maybe 3 months, which is forever to a girl, okay?)  This past Friday I "treated myself" to a few new items because I was using the excuse that it was my birthday Sunday.  Two of them being some reall boring white t-shirts...and...a new pair of kicks!--

I've been plotting this whole "change everything and live my life as a tribute to all that Ivania Carpio does and wears"  and upon my recent purchases, I've realized I'm on a probable path to full enlightenment...but...

as I continute to soul search for white jeans that-

1. don't have fake distressing and gargantuan holes 

2. aren't thin as paper (seeeee-through)

- I have to figure out a different way to style things rather than playing white-out like I so wish

SO HERE WE GO:

What goes with white? A little black, maybe?

MHMMM, you know I am all about a little Ebony + Ivory

So let's talk things over:

I think the mid-ankle height of this shoe is of utmost importance when styling your outfit.  

- Socks are always good for balancing things out and connecting your footwear the rest of your apparel...in this instance I think they give a bit of an athletic feel to the look, which I'm very down for.

- The length of pant or (in this case) skirt you are considering is also very important. You don't wanna chop your legs into small bits and pieces.  Anything that hits at the knee is ideal, and midi-length things are even better with the height and hefty chunk of heel we have going on.  Consider cropped skinny jeans if you are going to do a pant.

- You may remember this hot topic from a couple of months ago. Side slits r fun and if you are wearing all black it will *literally* split things up and add some interest

shoes r like art

pretend u r art too

Deets

KICK_ASS_KICKS from H&M

BOSS_HOUSE where I am officially squatting

<3

FASHION: AN EXPERIMENT

As I’ve defined my idea of what “style” is many-a-time, the most encompassing and poignant way to identify style is to merely deem it as... AN EXPERIMENT.

Today we experiment with how to wear a sweater. Sounds really uneventful, right?

Sometimes experiments can go wrong, but sometimes you can cure your cold with a mixture of strange elixirs and home remedies that don't make sense.  Does fashion make sense? More often than not, no. So let's get to experimenting:

Today's blog post is inspired by a look (above) from Christophe Lemaire's Fall RTW collection seen in Paris just a couple of weeks ago.  I know there's huff-and-puff about the change of seasons in fashion-that the shows are merely projections of what will be happening come Fall (in this case).  Is it wrong to draw inspiration immediately?  I don't know, but I also do not care...today it is 40 degrees and I can wear fall-like things if I want.

One of my favorite ways to change up my wardrobe is figuring out new ways of wearing things I already have.  
A good example of such an idea that immediately comes to mind is the Alexander Wang Spring 14 RTW collection where regularly structured button-downs are only buttoned at the very top...creating a whole new thing--

I have a dress that I only ever wear backwards now.  And doing weird things like that excite me.

So, although my wardrobe is highly limited (as I still find my clothes living in three places) I couldn't get that look by Christophe Lemaire out of my mind.  I had to try it.  

Wanna see the results of my experiment

?

?

A sweater as a scarf?

I CAN VIBE

There are many people out there that are "Scarf People"while I find myself in a mess of knots when I attempt to "rock a scarf."  The sweater-scarf may look a little silly when people figure out what you are doing....but they also know that you know that you just did that--you are wearing a damn sweater as a scarf...THEY BETTER RESPECT U

Most importantly, in the whole scheme of things is...you have a sweater with you if it gets too cold out :)

You bet I looked a mad fool when I was trying out different sweaters to "wear" but if you want to try the look yourself, it is going to take some trial and error.  This sweater is cropped and very bulky so it didn't look much like the inspiration, but I think it still worked.  The cool thing too is you can use the sleeves in different ways, leaving them loose to hang over your shoulders in front (v. preppy!) or tie them up for a more finished look.

...and maybe scarf people must just be hat people, too.  It makes sense now.

For kicks and giggles and the sake of experimenting, I decided to try out the sweater-scarf idea with a basic crewneck.  It doesn't look too stupid, ~~~only maybe just a little ~~~

What's the conclusion? That I'm here for your entertainment, per usual

--Alex

THE ART of THROWING SHADE

Today I’m going to be blogging about one of my favorite pastimes…

THROWING SHADE 

To most easily explain the concept of throwing shade, if you aren't educated on the masterful art, let me begin by quoting Dorian Corey:  

Shade is I don't tell you you're ugly but I don't have to tell you because you know you're ugly 

... and that's shade.

This is exactly where my outfit today comes in:

don't fuck with me

*

*

*

Shade is very much about attitude.  You don't really need to say anything (which is great, in this case, when you are trying to throw shade with the aid of your apparel).   One of the most effective ways to throw shade may just be by presenting yourself to others in a manner that lets it be known that you are far superior.

Octavia St. Laurent does this very well....don't fuckk with her.

What says -I don't give a shit about your measly life?- more than a basic grey crewneck

 with such an in-your-face statement. 

HELLO U SHADY ASS BITCH,

I'll be rocking this in the club

I am also really excited about this sweatshirt in general, because I know I'm probably the only human out there wearing it.  That gives me even more power to throw shade.  Needless to say I will be making much more custom clothing in the near future.

For those of you that want to become more knowledgeable about ballroom culture, throwing shade, being the ultimate diva, here's a few things you should consider watching:

Octavia St. Laurent Interview

THEY PUT THE CHEESE ON THE MEAT

Diana Ross Making The Greatest Entrance Ever

And please, if anything watch Paris is Burning (it's on Netflix right now)

"Having a ball...wish you were here"

Until next time,

Alex

LADYBOY

 TODAY WE R GOING TO TALK ABOUT BOYYYZZZ <3___<3 BUT NOT RLY

I think that boys that dress well are veryyy attractive.  Not all people feel the same, but, that’s good because then I can have all of the well-dressed men to myself.   For me, fashion and personal style are an important (not crucial, by any means) commonality that I think makes a guy more compatible for me--- basically-- that we like the same shit, and that he won’t judge me for squawking on and on about a pair of liquid gold nike air max that I will never actually own. But alas, they are still men, and why am I still talking about them right now!

The thing about being attracted to something is that, more often than not, you find the desire to try and emulate whatever that attraction is in yourself.  A very long story, short, I like dressing like a stylish boy because I'm attracted to that.

Q: WHAT IS A STYLISH BOY THO?

A: What is a stylish girl even? Give me a break

I think stylish people, no matter gender, look like they just kinda have their shit together.  Even if they have a "messy look" you can tell that they know exactly what they are doing, they playin' with you.  It's mostly about being confident in what you are wearing...confidence is sexy.  Confident boys in nice clothes r sexy.

OOPS WE AREN'T TALKING ABOUT ME RIGHT NOW//

I grew up inheriting a lot of hand-me-downs from my two older brothers.  I was such a little tomboy, I was always much more excited when they grew out of something of theirs so i could have it than getting a cute new dress.  I also just thought my brothers were cool (being older=cool) so getting something of their's meant I was the coolest.

I feel very confident when I'm dressed like a dude, and you should, too:

The nice thing about clothes and styling looks is that you can choose to balance or off-set a look.  While I enjoy my dude clothes, I like to subtley preach my femininity to the choir.  A face of makeup and the fact I (sort of) have hips and a chest let's me be something different.   Let's hope the boys agree.

So, just to be clear-- Who runs the world?

GIRLS IN DUDES CLOTHES

DEETS

Geo-camo print pants: Cult of Individuality

Boots: Timberland

Cotton Cubs jersey: A little boys

In closing, I would like to note a few things:

1. I'm A Flirt

2. I have finally added the option to follow my blog via email!!! Just add your address in the bar to the right of my blog & voila! Friends forever!

WINTER WHITES//OFF-WHITES

The whole "no white after Labor Day" argument doesn't really apply when you never really remember when labor day is anyway.  To protest such an outdated (and frankly, dumb) fashion do/don't, I'm going to throw myself into a sea of whites this winter season and NO ONE CAN STOP MEEE!

I will be honest, I think that there are many many ways and good reasons white shouldn't show its true colors in the winter months.  As I mentioned previously in my all grey everythang post, you must make the entire outfit (in this case, we will be talking all white/off-white) become the statement, not a singular piece.

For the look it will just take a lot of trial and error.  Like greys, whites vary drastically in tonality--some are almost yellow, while starchy blue tones often appear, too. 

 Here are some more suggestions for pairing whites and off-whites:

1. TEXTURE per usual. A big bulky sweater may be your new best friend.  Do not be afraid to really go for it here.  It's winter and you can go with a heavier fabric on bottom, too, like i did with this quilted skirt.

2. Consider the number of pieces you have.  Evens are better than odds if you are pairing a very bright white and a very off...off-white. This way, no one is overpowering the other.  Unlike the monochromatic grey look, you can get away with just two!

3.  White tights don't look good on anyone.  They might look acceptable on me because my legs are already ghostly white (altogether, terrifying) in the wintertime, but I'm not going to chance it, and you shouldn't either.

4.  You can't find white jeans/pants anywhere (probably because of the post-labor day haters) but they will surely be appearing soon for the spring collections.

5.  This would look very very nice with all white Nike Air Max 1s (anything would look good with all white Nike Air Max 1s) just ask Ivania, THE MASTER of all white.

6.  If you opt for a skirt because you are like me and spent endless amounts of time searching for white pants and came up empty handed, you may want to keep your lower limbs warm with some opaque black tights and all black boots.  The black will not draw much attention and keep your shiny white threads in the spotlight.

7.  DON'T SIT DOWN... EVER (the number of nightmares I've had solely about sitting in something while wearing light pants)

And don't you just love this room?  I am staying at my friend Tyler's family's home for a while in Overland Park while job searching here in Kansas City.  Tyler's mother stages rooms and blogs as well-- their home is so so lovely!  Please check out her blog Beaux R'eves <3

Thanks for reading, xx

Alex