♥ style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma.

images via we heart it.

when i grow up i want to be like lily allen.

i know, i know, technically i am already older than her...

but don't you know that stars age differently?

sort of like cats..

for every one year of our lives are two for theirs. but i digress...

she's loud, she swears, she flashes her tatas everywhere, she wears hot pink wigs,

she kicks paparazzi, she doesn't give a $#*t, she's a bona fide badass,

yet at the end of the day she still winds up in front row at chanel,

gets to borrow whatever she wants from their new collections,

& has been handpicked and hand.styled by the. karl. lagerfield.

for the latest chanel coco cocoon campaign,

a luxurious sporty nylon collection

set to hit stores in october.

jealous.

and i get it, the oversized tiara, the glasses, the ruffles,

the twisted up do, the long black gloves...

it all just screams modern day audrey in breakast at tiffany's (1961)

but if you ask me which audrey hepburn character lily allen is really comparable to,

i would say eliza doolittle of my fair lady (1964), over holly golightly, hands down.

with their all too similar cockney accents, unrefined manners,

love for flowers (allen studied horticulture for a little while), shameless banter, and quick wit,

these ladies are both a little rough around the edges, but they clean up very well!

so while some may think of lily allen being the new face of chanel as a step down for couture,

i like to agree with karl lagerfield, in his remark, that "she is fun!"

sometimes personality and playful presence make the purse.

in addition to the launch of the chanel campaign,

lily is also adding jewelry designer to her repertoire,

with an self.named collection that is due out this september in

yet.to.be.named stores. drawing inspiration from tons of books,

her gypsy lifestyle, and her lifelong love of jewelry, the lily allen collection

abounds with coins, fruits, diamonds, smiles, traffic signs & animals.

i can't wait to see what the girl comes up with next.

knowing her, it will definitely be fun.

i would like to end this post with a little food for thought....

if lily allen is the brand ambassador and fresh face

for chanel, one of the biggest and

most well known luxury labels in the world,

what the hell is she doing singing a song

that is against mass consumption and

pre.packaged starlets..that she wrote?

she gives new meaning to the term 'walking contradiction.'

♥ a fatal attraction to cuteness.

find kawaii goods here.

in this interesting new york times article, "the cute factor, author natalie angier contends that our collective tendency to worship all things cute: (i.e. youthful, round, soft, innocent, bubbly, helpless) is brought on by our unconscious and innately darwinian desire to protect and nurture our young.

when we are shown something cute, it pulls on our heartstrings in a way that cannot be easily explained.it beckons for us to love it and we cannot help but obey,we are suckers for cuteness. we are putty in its cotton candy coated hand. {or at least, i am!}

pinkhead hello kitty jewelry found here.

find jewelry on etsy here.

and find more jewelry on etsy here.



the japanese word for cute is "kawaii" and like angier's article asserts,

is meant to reflect the strong feelings of parental adoration

one may feel when presented with something adorably innocent.

since the 70's, the idea of cuteness has been interwoven into

the very fabric of japanese popular culture.

beginning with a cute style of teenage girl handwriting

(witten horizontally instead of vertically, using mechanical pencils,

producing thin lines with lots of curly q's, hearts and loops.)

kawaii has since caught on and become incorporated into

packaging for magazines, comics, etc.

ramen bowls via flickr

pikachu airplane found here.

sewer images via all things kawaii blog.

japanese water sign via flickr.



with cutesy faces and anime mascots

popping up on inanimate objects everywhere,

kawaii has taken japan by storm:
from mail boxes, condom wrappers and banks,

to fireman and police cars and household items,

airplanes, government publications, etc. (find more here.)

the japanese have certainly drunk from the fountain of youth,

and have allowed this cuteness to permeate through the entire culture.

and not only is cuteness a way of advertising and a way of life in japan,

but it is also a state of mind,

where young women act in a way that appears cute:

they speak in squeaky voices, pout, stomp, act silly,

and swathe themselves in the consumer trappings of ultimate cuteness:

bows, glitter, cupcakes, curls, fake lashes, black eyeliner, pink everywhere.

and while followers of the cult of kawaii are acting and dressing

in the fashion they feel they love and a unique style that reflects them,

and promoting what they believe to be a magical answer to the west,

they have also been criticized for propagating a society of

feeble.minded and weak individuals who take their life too much sugar
and as a result, may be walked all over.

the epitome of cute is none other than sanrio's sweetheart,
ms. hello kitty,
whose wide set eyes, button nose, and round white body

will bid people like me to buy anything with her face on it.

i must admit, i am sometimes referred to as "miss kitty,"
i have the coffee maker, the toaster, the key chains, the stickers, calendars,

stuffed animals, cd players, pinkhead hello kitty jewelry.

sanrio has made millions by licensing out this pretty kitty

to tons of different companies, which is why you will see her cheeky little face

on products of all shapes and sizes.

she also comes in all price points..
(as you can see in this glam kitty collection available here at neiman marcus)

it was not until i read this intriguing article, "hello kitty has no mouth," that i began to think about what it is that draws me to this bewitchingly precious and precocious feline?

utilizing this thought-provoking poem, the author of the article delves into whether or not this mouthless kitty, who essentially has no voice of her own, or agency in this world-is helping or harming a society of impressionable young girls, who (due to their glorification of this cute character) may or may not be able to find their own voice and speak for themselves.

with my own childhood fascination with hello kitty,

which doesn't show any sign of slowing down as i

eek ever closer to 26,

i find myself

.all at once.

between

:a kitty and a hard place:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

i choose kitty!

♥ never break the chain.

image via style.com

is it just me -

or do the gloriously heavy-looking chain necklaces

from louis vuitton's fall fall 2009 collection

closely resemble the paper chains often

used in holiday decorating?

it makes me laugh to think that the

things we learn as children

can become so relevant once again

when the fashion world decides

to give it back to us in a flashier

+ more fabulous form.

images via flickr.

it sort of makes me want to break out this exciting necklace

given to me by my friend, timothy.

i mistook it at first for a glorified macaroni necklace--

but he assured me that it is an artpiece,

made entirely of glittered splattered and studded spools,

not uncooked pasta!

or maybe i will follow these instructions

and make myself a makeshift macaroni necklace

to tide me over until i can acquire the louis...

does anyone remember the toothbrush bracelet phase?

i never made one, but maybe i should get on the ball

and try this guide from gurl.com or buy one here.

before marc jacobs makes one out of gold and

sends it down the runway for his next

LV collection!

♥ i have often said that the lure of flying is the lure of beauty.

in 3rd and 4th grade i had to do a

biographical presentation of a famous historical person.

with the insistence of my mother,

-who is ever.the unsolved.mystery.fanatic-

i was

amelia earhart.

twice.

my outfit for both presentations

was nothing to write home about-

a pair of black pants and a white button up shirt,

my hair tied back in a tight ponytail,

a simple scarf.

if only my young self had had access to

the fall 2009 hermès collection

which is laden with leather gloves and goggles,

pencil skirts, sweater dresses and heavy leggings,

short aviator jackets with zippers and fur collars,

long flowing scarves and sky high boots:

the kind of stuff dreams are made of.

images via style.com

in an age when young women were bound

by corsets and manners and propriety,

earhart's mother encouraged she and her sister

to romp around in bloomers,

and to dare to dream big.

after taking her first flight in 1920 she boldly announced,

"by the time i had got to two or three hundred feet off the ground,

i knew i had to fly."

upon signing up for aviation training, she fully assumed the role of aviatrix,

cropping her hair into a short manageable style, and sleeping in her

leather jacket to give it that well.worn look.

amelia images via style.com

after becoming the first woman to fly solo over the atlantic,

amelia earhart became a media darling, earning the nickname "queen of the air."

with future husband, george p. putnam at the helm of publicity,

she authored a book, wrote articles for cosmopolitan magazine

and endorsed her own line of wrinkle.free, steam.lined

clothing as well as luggage for the "active woman" under her initials 'a.e.'

what i admire most about ms. earhart is that

her answer to adventure (of any kind) was always, "yes,"

while her answer to adversity was always, "no."

and the fact that that even though her life may have ended in tragedy

with her mysterious disappearance over the pacific

after an attempt to circumnavigate the world in 1937,

her independent spirit and her memory will forever

be preserved as

beautiful and triumphant.

anyone dare to see film with me?

i won't take no for an answer.