i wanted to leave now, but the rain just suddenly poured, so i’m stuck here for a while. so i just put together some ensembles in polyvore.
if you have seen the farrelly brothers’ epic comedy there’s something about mary, then you would know one of the funniest moments in comic cinema is when mary (cameron diaz) brought the private investigator/con artist to the architecture exhibit and asked him to identify one of the works, whether it was art nouveau or art deco.
could you have distinguished one from the other? so, what is the difference between art nouveau and art deco?
art nouveau (french for “new art”) began in the later part of the 19th century. it extensively incorporated natural, organic elements and the female form in its designs. it is greatly characterized by softness and fluidity, its distinct feature being the asymmetrical sinuous, undulating lines. just by this description, one can probably tell that the style is known for its decorative aspects.
artist alphonse mucha is one of the best representatives of this artistic movement. a more common example is gustave klimt.
art nouveau in interior design
art nouveau in architecture
art deco, on the other hand, achieved its height in popularity during the 1920′s to the 1930′s. it incorporated cubist and bauhaus influences in its designs. as opposed to art nouveau’s flowing lines, art deco makes full use of streamlined geometric images. it utilizes symmetry and boldness in design and color. it is influenced by industrial shapes and by art from indian, egyptian and native american cultures.
art deco architecture
art deco stained glass design
tamara de lempicka is one of the finest artists during the art deco period. another is jewelry-maker rene lalique.
although these were art at the turn of the twentieth century, they are still, without a doubt, influencing designs of today.
dresses with art nouveau prints by prada, mara hoffman and tibi
art deco inspired dresses by badgley mischka, holly fulton and zac posen
can you tell them apart now?
this is the first time ever i used that heart symbol, and i am not using it again.
how are adam lambert and fanny pak similar? they are contestants to hugely popular reality shows, they are insanely talented and they are relentlessly gay. plus they both got robbed in their respective shows.
ok, i like kris allen too, so that shouldn’t bother me much. just as i like supercrew in abdc, but fanny pak should have taken at least second place instead of third. fortunately, judge li’l mama is a super class act and knows where talent lies: she had the fanny pak perform in her video shot early this year.
while many critics must have rolled their eyes at the sight of fanny pak’s fluorescent colors and unusual dance moves (reminiscent of the 80′s over-the-top musical culture), saying they are nothing but a novelty group, judge shane declares late into the season that when he was asked by peers before the live show started who he thinks would win the second season, he surprised them by saying fanny pak. in the end, the flamboyant group didn’t take top plum, but they did go further than initially expected. not too shabby for a group that had to battle it out with another bottom two contestant in the season opening, barely making it to an opportunity to let the viewers cast votes on their performance.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Az0R59H18&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfKe-6eMRQg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywpQSPKsat4&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca]
imaginative, unique and in-your-face hysterical. i think they should have at least taken second place, if not first. imho. what do you think?
polyvore is my hobby du jour.
see my widgets, click on the badge, join polyvore and let’s all drag and drop like stylists!
Having the power of the Playstation 3 at my disposal and constantly looking for a game that uses the full potential of a high def system frequently sets me out on a mission to find a visually breathtaking game.
Don’t get me wrong, game-play factor is important, let us not forget, but sometimes a game with stunning visuals can just blow your mind. Have you and your friends tripping out for hours, throw in fantastic game-play and you will be garbling about it for ages (e.g., LittleBigPlanet).
Katamari Damacy, a game I came across with a while back on PS2, did this for me. At first glance, I thought of it as another retarded weird Japanese collage of color and weird tunes. Eventually, it totally flipped me 360 and never again did i judge so quickly. The complexity of visuals and the fantastic game-play just wowed me. Who thought a game which involved a star rolling through a a landscape, like your bedroom, collecting everything from spiders to erasers a la snowball effect to create a world of its own would be so damn amusing? Since then, I have been hooked on the creatively weird.
Weird yet Wonderful
Now you have visually stunning games like Bio-Shock, Prince of Persia and so on. But action-based games usually are for the ultra-visual, and with the power of PS3 and XBox 360, this should come as no surprise at all. But what about the other quirky titles? Well, with that technology on their side, it just got a whole lot more interesting.
PS3 is still due to release Katamari Forever, so we will just wait for that with bated breath…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDBksi0g-Us
Lets move on, shall we.
Enter, Flower
At first glance, serious male gamers might get discouraged as it looks girly and poofy (i said that once), but upon closer look, I was amazed at how the game unfolds. Who would have thought?
The story line is a little complex, however you look at it…Â it is a poem within a dream. And you start as a petal flying through a colorless landscape. As you progress, you collect more petals in a ribbon train, bringing color and life to the landscape, thus changing the dreamscape and allowing the poem to move on… Confused? Well i was, until i went on.
Playstation's Flower
After seeing the game-play and learning that the control system is not basic, I realized that the game is precise and seamless:Â if you turn your controller upside down, in comes your tom cruise top gun moment and your flower petal team does a full-blown barrel roll. Friggin’ mind-blowing!
Visually Breathtaking
Visit full review at www.ign.com.
I could write more about this game, but it is best seen to be believed. From the world of FPS and MMORPG and all the yadda yadda, a game like this will take you away from violence and gore, and bring about a sense of peace. The hippie in me is telling me to consume herbals and drift away in the beauty and tranquility of Flower…
* Thanks to IGN and all respective copyright holders for the visuals and videos.
although bratz has been reeling in a larger portion of the tweenie market, i still happen to like myscene, mattel’s answer to the doll phenom, better. first off, i think they look cuter. then there’s the issue of loyalty; i grew up on barbie and other mattel toys.
another reason to like myscene is their frivolous and fabulous website.
www.myscene.com
and since i feel as if i missed out on my teenage years because i was a wallflower then, i can make up for it by drawing vicarious pleasure from living the cyber-life of the myscene girls (frankly, i just want to play…).
you can meet the myscene friends, get to know them and sneak a peek into their bio:
get to know the myscene friends: kennedy, madison, nia, chelsea and delancey.
if you have valley girl fantasies, this is your chance to play out your inner teen diva:
go shopping with two friends. among other scenes, you can shop for going to a concert event, a winter getaway, or another, uh... shopping spree.
give a friend a makeover: hair, make-up and accessories.
be a fashion designer by creating clothes, shoes and accessories you can print out for your own paper doll.
or maybe interior design is more your avenue. unleash the artist in you by getting a room makeover.
sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it? plus you can get beauty and fashion ideas from the styles you create.
who said (cyber)dolls are just for kids?
last night, when allen threw us a curve ball and snatched the title from under adam’s feet, i relished the idea that my favorite underdog won the prize, especially since i’ve been rooting for him from the start (ok, honestly, since megan joy alienated herself from the american public and got eliminated; but i loved her until the end). but i can’t help feeling sad at the same time because i always thought adam deserved to win; but if he won, i’d also feel so sorry for allen. it’s a very complicated emotion, i can’t even begin to explain it. idol should have just declared a tie and made everybody happy, they’re both such nice guys anyway.
today, my husband went to work in a plaid shirt. i went to work in a leather skirt. if you obsessed over american idol the way we had, you’d think we were commemorating the fashion of the two finalists.
adam in emo-rock leather and allen in guy-next-door plaid
frankly, though, it was all just coincidence. no, really. i’m not kidding.
now that the silly fact had occurred to me, i think every girl should have at least one plaid shirt and one leather skirt in her wardrobe.
although plaid shirts have reappeared this season, they are now mostly big gingham checks in oversized styles over ultra-skinnies or tights, cinched at the waist with a wide belt. the other plaid style never really went away: the country lass tailored look over straight-cut pants and flats. neither of these, of course, comply with the corporate dress code.
these styles, however, take plaid away from its stereotypical casual weekend territory:
plaid shirt under a vest or structured tank; long sleeves with gathered ruffles; puff sleeves and wide cuffs; buttoned tube over white long sleeves.
leather skirts, on the other hand, have a different problem to surmount. they are so associated with party and porn, ladies hardly consider them part of a sensible outfit. plus many of its critics say they look uncomfortable and too hot for the humid climate. i have two of them and i have to say they have both served me well.
a leather skirt, as opposed to leather pants, would not detoxify your rump like a sauna would, for very obvious reasons. and leather is so flexible and so creamy, it will allow you enormous freedom of movement.
the real challenge is making a leather skirt appropriate for the boardroom. that’s simple: mind the length and don’t let the material mold into contours like a glove.
leather skirts can come in conservative lengths; match one with a tailored top, a sweater, a silk blouse or a knit.
going back to my claim: like the lbd and the crisp white top, one plaid shirt and one leather skirt should be staples in every girl’s wardrobe. trust me, they will both come in handy.
as you can see, i’m not over it yet. and i’ve been fascinated to the point of obsession for years now. there’s something about chandeliers that i like, the victorian or elizabethan styles more than the modern art deco/art nouveau ones. they’re opulent, garish and some of them may even be downright grotesque (like this one we saw in a chinese restaurant last weekend), but i gravitate towards figures or art that depict their general form. my notebooks, sketchpads and office journals have doodles of them swarming the margins. perhaps i need psychoanalysis for this. a shrink might even say i have a deep-seated longing for wealth and attention, but i can explain very clearly why i like chandeliers.
morbid fear of the dark + interest in historical art and artifacts = chandelier fetish. makes sense, right?
since our flat cannot accommodate a real chandelier, i wrote in a previous entry that wall decals can serve as a suitable illusion. but aside from dressing up the house, chandeliers can also dress up an outfit.
www.trenddelacreme.com
plastic pendants from betsy blonde and fuzzy design workshop
locally, i found the following in the multiply shops of bijoux de lou and shop wanderlust:
www.shopwanderlust.multiply.com and bijouxdelou.multiply.com
i get dibs on the beaded black one!!! unfortunately the one with charm cluster is out of stock. the other two have been sold to you-know-who… they still have similar designs though, so if you like them, go now before someone else beats you to them (that would be me).
i could certainly go for these:
from etsy, shopbop and eva franco
but i don’t think i could get away with this:
just one of the things you'll see at the glass fashion show in new york
i might as well swing from the rafters if i wear that. i’m not that deeply involved. though i would love to see someone wear it in this year’s halloween party.
what are mary janes? shoes with straps, originally with low heels, round closed toes and just a single buckle. these are traditionally made with black patent leather.
current shoes of this type now come in a variety of colors and materials, even in a wide array of styles like platforms, high heels, pointed, peep toe and so on and so forth.
who is mary jane anyway? mary jane is a character in a comic strip called buster brown created by richard outcault in 1902. two years after its initial publication, outcault attended the st. louis world’s fair and sold licenses to use his characters to advertise products from different companies. one company, the brown shoe company, bought the license and had actors tour the country as characters from the comic strip.
mary jane brown, buster’s sister, wore the strapped shoes which have since come to be known by her name.
did you wear mary janes as a child?
girls' mary janes. one of the most timeless of shoes.
i sure didn’t. i’ve always wanted to as a child, but i relied heavily on whatever parents and aunts wanted me to wear, and that did not include mary jane shoes for one reason or another. or maybe i did when i was way too young to remember, but that doesn’t count. i’m talking about school-age, semi-clothes-conscious decision-making age. so i ended up just staring all forlorn and sulky at the shoes of other girls in class.
if you have the same memories of envy as i have, you can more than make up for the lack of mary janes in your youth by getting the baddest grown-up versions you can find now.
stella luna. 1" hidden platform, 5" heels. wide strap and chunky buckle. black satin and leather with red insole.
nine west. peep toe with 1" hidden platform and 4.5" heels. slim strap with button. black leather.
they’re so bitching, you can even fantasize about crushing the grade school bullies’ trapper keepers underneath those spike heels.
this is my entry to the contest posted by posh pinay.
as i normally select which of my personal items would be useful for certain days, then leave behind the rest which won’t be of any purpose, i maintain a general weeday pack and a general weekend pack.
this is my weekend junk:
my favorite red bag
weekend pack
this is my weekday junk:
my typical weekday bag
weekday pack
what’s in your bag?
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