Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Graffiti'd Damsel in Distress + Back to School DIY

Hello lovelies! I am finally all settled into my dorm and my closet is organized (that's the most important thing, right? haha) and my room is HUGE! I am so pumped because there is a lot of pretty natural lighting that floods in through the windows in the mornings and I have giant mirrors on my closet doors and my own armchair sofa. I pasted some inspiring tear-outs from Vogue onto my blank white walls and hope to fill up the "canvas" by the end of the semester.

Tomorrow is my first day of class. I should be more excited but it's 9 hours of a single class T__T Haha I suppose I did sign up for it when I decided to be a Neuroscience major so I will be in lab all day tomorrow. Is there a way to dress fashionably while you're poking rats? Haha only one way to find out :D

Today my boyfriend and I went onto main campus to run some errands and hit the bookstore. I wasn't able to find any of the books I needed for prices I wanted to dole out, but we did have a nice lunch at Subway, which is nicely situated on ground level instead of stuck away in a dark basement. We shared a footlong Turkey Jalapeno melt and I nearly burned my tongue off. I am usually pretty good with spicy things but I suppose I took a double dose of HOT and ended up gulping refills upon refills of sweetened tea, soda, iced tea, anything trying to put out the flames. Drinking sweet liquids does not help - only a packet of sugar desperately patted onto my tongue saved me. Whew. I'm not overdoing the capsaicin ever again xD

I am slowly transitioning to a life of high(er) fashion on campus, pulling out the big guns like my sparkly ruby Dorothy flats. I do enjoy compliments and the "hey, you woke up this morning and tried to wear something other than sweatpants; I commend you for your effort" looks - it makes me feel more cheerful, awake, and happy to be back at college. However, I don't want to draw the attention of crowds with my huge tripod and hour-long photoshoots so I am slowly but surely trying to find photoshoot locations that are more private and have good scenery. I am shy, too! It's a lot easier to do crazy poses in front of your neighbors than in front of people who isolate crystals during chemistry lab with you, trust me. I figured out that people aren't really awake between 7-8 AM on weekends but neither is the sunshine or me hahaha so I guess I will have to brave some probing eyes. There is a tempting nice hillside near my dorm that is just screaming "floral skirt outfit!" : )

Today's outfit started out with a nice loose button-up that is slightly reminiscent of the military trend that is going full-throttle into the fall. It comes with a nice super-adjustable weave belt in a dark brown that I can detach and wear with something else. I picked up this shirt in a grey-khaki colour at Forever 21 for $13.50 when I went to the Galleria earlier this weekend. This mall trip disappointed me - Urban Outfitters did not even know what scallop hem shorts were (quote sales associate that should not be working there: "You mean, with ruffles? Or folded over ...?) Forever 21 didn't have any jumpsuits or the peacock belt and trench that sold out on the website and no oxford shoes in stock. I did score a beauty at H&M - a size 2 floral skirt that could probably make the smallest of the petite blogosphere cry with tears of joy. For me, I need to do a lot of treadmill work before I can comfortably eat dinner with that thing on hahaha! It has the TINIEST waist I have ever felt - probably a legitimate XXS. I'm just impressed I can even manage to tuck a shirt in without making a nasty belly fat roll.

Little did I expect that my button-up would make me sweat an ocean today. St. Louis has been absolutely muggy and humid and hot this past week with moody weather. Today it even sprinkled a tiny bit and the sun came and went. Lesson learned: don't wear quarter sleeves with tights at the end of summer if you don't want to die a slow and painful death. I took out my proud DIY ripped denim shorts and layered some black footless leggings underneath so that it looks like I'm wearing some kind of pants. For comfortable school shoes, I slipped on my DIY checkered black Converse and headed off to campus.

I really like customizability (a word I invented today), so DIY projects perfectly satisfy my craving for creating and for fashion. I want to do a lot more than just tear up jeans and paint on my shoes, but here are my two DIY projects of late summer: Converse and denim shorts. For the Converse, I just used my faded black sneakers I bought in high school and a $1 bottle of fabric paint from Walmart and squeezed out a bit at a time and sculpted the paint blobs into squares. I messed up plenty of times but from far away the pattern looks quite nice. I did this over several days because I wanted the paint to dry but I usually painted for about 15 minutes at a time for each face of the shoe, so all together less than an hour of work. For my shorts, I didn't want to spend money on cutoff denim when I could easily remake some of my old unwanted pieces. I bought this pair in junior high and didn't really ever like them until now. I used one of those razors that you cut cardboard or anything with (it has a slide-up blade) and slashed horizontally a few times until I could tear a rip. I pulled out any white strings carefully and made many slashes close together. I cut off little tiny bits of the hemming to create more tattering and on one side even cut open the hemming completely. It honestly took only about 30 minutes of playing cautiously and ta-da! I really like getting my hands dirty and making boring pieces into little works of art that I will be proud of :D

Wearing:
Khaki-grey button up quarter-sleeve shirt w/ brown weave belt, F21 (size S)
DIY ripped denim shorts, UnionBay (size 3 juniors)
Black footless lace trim leggings, Claire's
DIY black checkered Converse All-Stars (size 4)
Silver metallic foldover clutch, BCBG Generation (thanks ReallyPetite!)
Orange multi-coloured bead string bracelet, gift from Mrow Mii

Photography in Bowles Plaza by my boyfriend, most pictures using Vibrant Colors mode

People were quite amused with my clutch today haha. A lot didn't know that a clutch is a purse and of course this shiny metallic thing drew a lot of attention :D
Crazy wind. In case you're wondering, that huge pile of papers attached to the circular column on the right side of the picture is a classic advertising place at my university. Of course there's so many ads it's very difficult to read them xD
 Details: This purse reflects so much light my camera can't even handle it hahaha
Adjustable weave belts are every small-waisted girl's best friend
A gift from my boyfriend : ) Isn't it pretty?
Here comes the DIY picspam :D
Shorts: BEFORE
Shorts: AFTER (I forgot to throw bleach on it but that's okay. Ripped and tattered is distressed enough for me. I left the bum untouched too for my sake of propriety haha)
Converse: BEFORE (fading from Oklahoma sun exposure)
Converse: AFTER
Right shoe, outward side: I tried to make the squares get progressively smaller but I failed xD
Right shoe, inward facing side
Right shoe, back
Left shoe, outward side
Left shoe, inward facing side: my absolute favourite
Left shoe, back
Slurping up iced tea to save my suffering tongue. Never again am I eating that many jalapenos at one time hahaha (I must have had about 15-20 slices in there)
Suggestive picture of bread at Subway
I hope everyone has/had a great first day of class! Enjoy your back-to-school outfits and add some personal flair to your pieces. Rip them up, paint on them, add little chains, studs, sew on patches. I know some school dress codes can be completely lame like mine were but you can always make a simple common outfit your own. I need to cuddle my pillow soon and catch some zzz's or I will be crazy tired for my 9-hour first day tomorrow. My goal is to dress fashionably every day and to snap some pictures to show you guys :D I will get busier and busier so I probably won't have as many pictures and poses as I did during summer but 30 minutes a day isn't too much to sacrifice for fashion, right? ^__^

32 comments:

Anonymous August 31, 2010 at 2:25 AM   said...

Can you do that to my black converse shoes too? (:

Diana Lien August 31, 2010 at 2:31 AM   said...

I hope you have a great first day tomorrow! :)

Oh, how I DON'T miss college. Hehe. BTW, I really love what you did to your chucks! ^^

PetiteXXS August 31, 2010 at 4:42 AM   said...

Glad to see u back blogging again! How nice of your BF to serve as a slightly less embarassing tripod :P I hope you find a good photoshoot location soon or else we might not see any more jumping pics! :)

Sydney's Fashion Diary August 31, 2010 at 6:19 AM   said...

Good luck with school! I know you always have fun no matter what you do. You have a great personality.

KittyBonkers August 31, 2010 at 6:25 AM   said...

Wow your room sounds so nice!! No pics? I want pics haha!! And I am sure there is someway to pull of stylish while prodding a rats liver!! And ouch, your poor tongue!! Mine can't handle spicy at all so I tend to stay away from the stuff ;)

I am loving your outfit in this shoot, its casual college look but still totally cute and you are rocking it!! Great customisation job on the shoes and shorts!! Its a shame the weather was a bit to warm for you though, the photoshoot looks great!! Hahah windy shot!!

Everyone loves a bit of suggestive bread ;D

Kitty x

Thanh Thao August 31, 2010 at 8:52 AM   said...

Congrats, now you're a universtiy student!! Can't belive I just finished my B.A. while others just start their campus life yet... makes me feel so old right now even though 23 is not old yet, right? XDD

Lovely fotos! And I wanna see your dorm room!

Oreleona August 31, 2010 at 9:55 AM   said...

NIIICE!!! awesome post ANgie! I love the outfite too!! the diy projects were good. I'm gonna try the converse DIY!! I have an old pair of sneakers that i need to do smth with :)

Panda ♥ August 31, 2010 at 10:35 AM   said...

loving what you did to the converses =)

Banhannas August 31, 2010 at 11:00 AM   said...

Wow, I can't believe that you did that to your shoes! I see you are going back to school with your own personal fashion. =0P

hevn August 31, 2010 at 11:29 AM   said...

Me likey what you did to your shoes!! o.O
So you're taking neuroscience? *hats off to you*

I'm interested in seeing your dorm room too, I'm so jealous, I never went to such a cool uni :P

s August 31, 2010 at 11:52 AM   said...

Aw your hair looks so pretty and wavy! Wow, muggy, humid, AND hot! Weather outside Cali always seems so extreme to me! Though, I am a bit jealous that you could get too hot in a loose button up >_< I wore a cardigan, scarf, and jacket to work this morning!

beneath the glass August 31, 2010 at 12:09 PM   said...

you look so cute Angie! i wanna see pics of your room :D your DIY is cute. haha, i love how much detail you put into your post, it makes them fun to read! have fun at school :)

ps. milk tames the heat :D unfortunately i don't like milk, lol

Kat August 31, 2010 at 2:25 PM   said...

great blog! I love what you did to your converses!

please check out my blog and enter my giveaway :)

katslovefashion.blogspot.com

Ping August 31, 2010 at 2:30 PM   said...

aww angie the blogosphere misses you. you look so cute as usual! awww school....how i miss those days. hahah enjoy it!

noone August 31, 2010 at 3:33 PM   said...

I like the belt! your bf picks out great stuff. And the shirt looks nice on you too. Love the background you picked out for these shots!

cocoabee August 31, 2010 at 4:35 PM   said...

what you did with the converse is amazing! it looks really good ;D & i love your bcbg purse (:

Libby August 31, 2010 at 6:35 PM   said...

Wow, your Converse are amazing! I can't do that kind of stuff :(

Cute casual outfit ^^ And poking rats is the best time to be a fashionista! hahaha

Princess Feef August 31, 2010 at 10:18 PM   said...

i love the shirt
and the purse <3

Unknown August 31, 2010 at 10:26 PM   said...

teehee! I SO RELATE TO YOU! I LOVE IT! bahaha i know all about isolating crystals in chem lab :P i love how we are in science and also love beauty and fashion :) wish i knew you in real life! i am actually sort of embarrassed about this side of me? like my real life friends do not know i have a blog. only my bf, bbf, and sister knows :P!

and you are so dedicated! waking up between 7-8 to take photoshoots :p and i suddenly have a F21 craving after reading your post.

LOVE CONVERSES! and how creative! i want to paint rainbows and butterflies on mine…do you think anyone would look at them funny? and black tights + denim combo are super awesome :) my university also had that advertising post, it looks exactly the same as the one on your campus :P

can't wait for your next post!

Jean August 31, 2010 at 11:18 PM   said...

How I miss college!! Sigh. I love the look of your campus (or what's in the photos anywyas). Glad to hear you are settled in back at school and reunited with the bf.

Georgina September 1, 2010 at 4:50 AM   said...

hi angie! nice clutch! so chic :) i like your braided belt too! :)

im amazed, i dont think i can pull a DIY project like you did with your sneakers! it looks great! :)

enjoy school! take care :)

arsyparsy September 1, 2010 at 5:33 AM   said...

cute DIY's!!!!!!!!

♥Bunny♥ September 1, 2010 at 7:09 AM   said...

hehe so cute! Love your DIY items and you are just so creative! I bet you must have been so happy to see your boyfriend again! You should just ask him to take the shots for you so that you don't feel too shy taking pics by your self! You look so adorable as always :D

Hana Tralala September 1, 2010 at 12:08 PM   said...

in slovakia we are starting school from september the second...so i hope you had nice day :) and i wish yiou luck in school :)
andyou look so pretty :) as always :)
xxx
Hanka

Sarah September 2, 2010 at 12:49 AM   said...

I never knew what your major was exactly, but I think its cool that your majoring in neuroscience because I want to major in that! (Or in biology!)...I guess I have 9 HOUR CLASSES TO LOOK FORWARD TOO?? :[ Ohh, the things they don't tell you on college tours x_x.
I love the modded converse heheheh :) I can't believe they used to be black, I totally thought they were gray! Anywho, I LOVE EM. I wish all people were creative with their sneakers, it's so much fun and a great way to show uniqueness. Good luck in your classes!

Ken September 2, 2010 at 12:46 PM   said...

messy hair =]

Unknown September 2, 2010 at 4:22 PM   said...

Yay for school! I hope it's going well. And yay for getting your own domain name. :)

Thank you for your lovely comment. Have a great weekend!

junghwa by amy stewart

Nicol September 2, 2010 at 5:17 PM   said...

awwww you always look so happy in your pictures ^^

☆RabbitoBonbon☆ September 3, 2010 at 12:15 AM   said...

Cute pictures!! o(^-^)o
Where is your school (college?) actually?? (o.o;;)

Anonymous September 3, 2010 at 10:38 AM   said...

this is such a cute, wearable "student" outfit!

i remember barely trying to look nice for lectures! lol

OHH i love your denim customization!!

Unknown September 5, 2010 at 8:31 AM   said...

God Luck with college! :) And you're poking rats? I'm a bit excited for you, at the same time, aren't rats disgusting? I LOATHE RATS!
:) I love what you did to you shorts and shoes!

xx, Channie

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