Dear Anonymous...

All day I've been trying to figure out what to write about... I had all these ideas and I even made a list (I know, I'm a dork) but when I sat down and signed on, I noticed that I had a new comment on my most recent post. Someone who wished to remain anonymous asked me, "what inspires ur fashion sense?" Well Miss Anonymous (or Mr. Anonymous) heres all the things that influence my sense of style....

Audrey Hepburn, Italy, Ghost World, the 1920s, flappers, Lady Gaga, Arabian horses, black and white films, Broadway, Cary Grant, Adam (the movie), gerbera daisies, Paris, trench coats, clocks, macaroons, empty notebooks, The Smiths, James Bond, big floppy beach hats, Pretty Woman, GiGi (the movie), the list goes on and on and on....

Hahah I just realized that was more or less a list of my most favorite things... I guess that doesn't really matter though because all of them definetley influenced who I am today and therefore influenced the way I dress... Hope that helps Anonymous :)

xoxo Alexandra

(from one of my favorite books: "My Wonderful World of Fashion" by Nina Chakrabarti)

New School-bags, New Pencils, NEW STYLE.

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Four different seasons with four very different styles of dress... This current cycle of the seasons brought lace and patterned textiles to spring and stripes and the warrior look to summer. Now, with back-to-school upon us, all we can do is prepare our wardrobes for the impending change of style that comes with the return of autumn.

In order to help you prepare your own dressers and closets for this 'changing of the clothes,' I've compiled a list of things to look out for during your next trip to the mall. I found this list on style.com but all of their examples were from Marc Jacobs, Prada, Louis Vuitton etc. I don't know about you, but I cannot yet afford to shop from all of those designers... I can however provide a less expensive alternative to each piece style.com suggested...

Alexandra's Super Awesome List of Fall 2010 Trends:

• College Sweatshirts- Forever 21, $19.80

• Pleated Skirts- Forever 21, $19.80

• Nautical Themed Anything- Forever 21, $19.80

• Peacoats- Fred Flare, $68



• Loafers- J.Crew, $120





• Military Styled Anything- Forever 21, $19.80








• Schoolboy Blazers- Fred Flare, $64



• Jackets with Fur (sorry PETA) **Fur is very popular on the runways right now** - Fred Flare, $108

• Shoulder Bags- Forever 21, $25.80

I just would like to take a sec here and credit my sources- Thank you ever so much style.com for the info, Forever 21, Fred Flare, and J.Crew for the pics.

And there you have it. Hope that all helps...

xoxo Alexandra

Out with the old and in with The New.

If anyone reading this is familiar with Christian Dior, you more than likely have heard of his 'New Look.' For those of you who have not, 'The New Look' was a revolutionary silhouette (or shape) that came from Dior's 1947 Sping/Summer collection. The 'New Look' entailed a large bust, very thin waist, and full mid-calf skirt.

(this picture is from mariabuskez.com. it is not mine. i do not take any credit for it.)

This new style was extremley popular and influenced most designeres all over the world. Aside from bringing fame to Dior himself, the strong silhouette also brought Paris to the highest heights of the fashion world.

In the above paragraph I said that The New Look was extremley popular but I should have said that it currently is popular. The Fall 2010 runway shows have had many themes in common however, one in particular is the return of the ever-amazing New Look. And let me say, thank God. I love the fifties and I love Dior so the rebirth of this style (which never really went away if you ask me...) makes me feel like Christmas came early.

(i do not take credit for any of these pictures. as much as i wish i could have been there to take them, they are from style.com. in order from top to bottom the designers are as follows: Catcheral, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Fendi)

Even though I'm very anti-trend and wish that people would simply wear something because they adore it rather than because they want others to adore it, I am in love with the fities influence in these designers fall collections. If you really want to be "trendy" (or as my aunt likes to say "with It") then I suggest you go out and buy yourself some kind of full skirt, a new loooong coat, and for you men, a polo shirt or two. Hello Mr. Fities-Decade, welcome to 2010.

xoxo alexandra

Trucks and Myself

Alrighty heres my little story for today: When I was four my preschool put on some little show or something. When I was on stage my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I 'grew up.' According to my parents and our nineties camcorder, my response was as follows, word-for-word, "I want to be a truck so that I can turn on my lights and drive." At the time I probably seemed like some weird child nutcase. Even though we still laugh about it today, I think this quote perfectly symbolizes how I am now going to deal with this blog.

For the past few weeks I've been posting what I think Tavi would post, I've been writing what I think others would write, and I've been treating my blog as if it deserves to be read. I now realize that if I want anyone to actually read this blog, than I need to write for myself. I need to be the random kid who wants to be a truck instead of a nurse or lawyer.

I know I've said this before, but now I actually am changing this blog up. Don't worry, its still going to be about fashion but instead of trying to focus on one thing in particular, I am going to make this blog as scattered and as random as actual life. I write because it helps me understand myself. If others enjoy what I write, that would just be an added bonus. If you read all this, youre very paitent and also pretty awesome :)

xoxo alexandra

I Hate Having to Think of a Title for My Entries.

Oh boy. Everyone, I am troubled... I know I sound dramtaic, and lets face it- I am, but I really do have somewhat of an issue. As you may or may not have noticed, I have been struggling with this fledgling of a blog. Should I write about my day? Shoul I write about good outfits? Who knows...? Certainly not me... I keep switching and it is so pull-your-hair-out-while-biting-your-nails-at-the-same-time frusturating. Honestly, I have no idea what to dedicate this blog to.

As much as I hate to admit it, I think I'm a bit of a follower. I've always thought of myself as different and somewhat unique. However, I am starting to see that I'm more a sheep than a shepherd. Woah, that was a killer analogy. I guess what I mean is that I've been trying to make this blog as amazing as all of the most popular ones. In doing so, I've lost track of what I want to write about and have started to mimic what I see around me...

I am definetley nothing special right now. For these past few weeks I've somehow convinced myself that I am the next Tavi Gevinson. I've been so blinded by her extreme and amazing success that I've failed to realize that she not only has a strong and clear purpose but that she also has been building her blog for multiple years. I guess I just thought that I would be the one exception to the 'Rome was not built in a day' rule. Woe is me.

If you have any ideas or comments please help me out. I feel like I'm writing with no purpose, to no one in particular, and without any idea what to do. I know I just complained a lot but it needed to be done.

xoxo alexandra blahhhhhh

"Great Looks for Less!!"

God my post title is disgusting, isn't it? Hahahah I feel like its an ad for a bargain basement or something... Don't get me wrong, I love bargain basements; I just hate their ads ;) Anyways despite how annoying the title is I really like the idea I just had. I don't know about you guys but I'm always looking to wear clothes that look like they're from Vogue but pay reasonable prices at the same time... To solve this problem I always think about everything before I buy it. And as much as I love clothes, this whole thinking thing becomes a real pain.

Since I love you all so much, I'm going to save you that pain by posting pictures of pieces I buy and outfits I wear (and where theyre from) so that you can go shopping with a specific image already in mind. Brilliant, I know... Hahahah I'm so modest :P

Anyways, sorry about all the wordy-ness but here is todays outfit!!

Dress: Floral pattern with slightly padded shoulders (don't worry theyre not as distracting as you'd think)- Forever 21, $17.80 "Colorful Flora Dress"

Bag: Vintage from my Grandmother... Black beaded, can be turned into a clutch, small sized (beaded part measures 5.5 by 6 inches)

Headband: Black Flower from J-Crew Outlet... Since I got it at an outlet I dont know the original price but it cost me $7.50

Shoes: Old Navy sneakers on-sale for $10

I hope this gives you some ideas for the next time you go shopping... Leave me comments if you have any questions, suggestions, or just for 'overall friendliness' :)

xoxo alexandra

New Leaf

Hey everyone! So I posted a question on yahoo answers asking how I could improve this here blog... These were the overall responses: proper grammar, more pictures, better background, more mature, do's and dont's of fashion... I totally agree. I read through some of my past posts and thought to myself, 'Ohmygosh you sound like a 13 year old dweeb. Self, its time to change.'
So here I am. I'm changing. From now on its going to be a lot less wordy and a whole lot more awesome :P Dont worry though, I won't lose my 'sparkling personality' (as someone said and you know who you are), it will still be the same old me but I'll just be more appealing to all you readers out there (I have sooooo many, I know)...

PEACE
xoxo alexandra

the end

haaay guys!! sorry its been a few days since i last was on here but ive needed time to recover from friday hahaha jk. not really though, friday was crazy. heres the day:

it started off when i woke up at six to load all my stuff into the car. oh joy. i then rushed off to breakfast and then to my final class. hahah i call it class but it was to crazy to count as that... the fashion show was at one so basically from nine until twelve thirty all we did was rush around fitting models and doing hair and make up. i know it doesnt sound like much but we had twenty four models so multiply everything we had to do by 24 and it becomes a real miracle that we were ready by one...

i just want to give a big shot out to all our models- they were absolutley amazing and im so happy that i could to meet all of them and spend those few days with them :) :) :)

the show itself actually went pretty smoothly... i think one girl tripped a little and another forgot to pose at the end but other than that it went great! we left right after the show and had a looooong five or six hour drive home. luckily i didnt even notice the length because i slept the whole way :P we got home kinda late and had dinner, then i went to bed and slept for like thirteen hours hahaha
THE END.

great story, huh? the summer started out a little rocky, not gonna lie, but in the end it was def a greaaaat experience. way awesome, loved it.

the next night after i got back was also awesome. i saw a few of my friends, kristen and lindsay, and we went to see 'eat pray love.' AMAZIIIING MOVIE. really was great. yall know how im takin this year off? well i mentioned to my parents that i may want to do a cultural immersion program in indonesia and now after seein that movie (where the main character goes to indonesia) i now want to even more!!!!! she went to italy, india, and indonesia (whoa all those begin with 'i,' just realized hahaha) and even though i wanted to go to all those places before, i have made a pact with myself to take the year off when im 26 (random i know but thats my plan) and go to those three countries. its going to be sick.

alright well i realize how completley scattered this post was and how crazy i must sound but sorry, i guess thoese 13 hours of sleep werent enough cus im still pretty tired. tomorrow im hanging out with shirley and jen so expect a post about that tomorroww

xoxo alexandra

day 39

i cannot believe that i thought yesterday was crazy busy because if yesterday was chaotic than today was simply unbelievable. honestly i dont think i've ever been so frazzled...

today was the day where we finished fitting our models, decided on hair and make-up, and practiced walking the runway... to top off our busy schedule there was a huge amount of people... with teachers, models, designers, and extras we had more than 35 people running around.

just imagine a small room filled to the brim with people, each one yelling to another, carrying things around, pushing mannequins every-which direction, pinning up dresses, looking for lost shoes, and practicing their runway walk. that description doesn't even cover half of what went on today....

i am so tired i can barely write any more... im sure that this writing is really bland and that when i read what i wrote tommorrow i'll be annoyed with myself, but whatever. stay tuned for tommorrows FASHION SHOW POST.

night night yall
xoxo alexandra

day 38: chaos ahhh

haay everyone. so as the post title suggests, today was totally hectic and chaotic and crazy. it was madness MADNESS I TELL YOU. hhahah but seriously it really was insane. our fashion show is on friday and we still have tons to do... there wasn't one minute today where i had nothing to do... if i wasnt sewing i was putting together a look for the show, if i wasn't doing that i was picking music for the runway, if i wasn't doing that i was arguing over the order of the pieces for the runway... there was always something to do and i really didn't stop to think about it till the day was over. at first i was like 'oh geez, that was stressful' but then about three minutes into doing nothing and resting i thought 'what can i do now to get ahead? what can i work on?' it kind of gave me this awesome high where all i wanted was to keep working... it was a great feeling, kind of hard to explain, but great all the same.


aside from all the design and sewing techniques, im learning one major thing; there will always be someone who is against what you do. it feels like no matter what i made someone always had something negative to say about it. at, not gonna lie, it was insulting. i took the criticism personally and for the first few days i was kind of angry. then one day i realized, 'these are my designs and i'm happy with them.' yes, my teacher is always saying, 'you aren't dsigning for yourself; youre designing for your boss and client' but honestly, i disagree.

of course if my boss asks me to design something in keeping with a certain trend, i will totally follow his or her orders. i will not, however, abandon my own personal style. no matter what trend or technique my 'boss' asks me to use, i will always include some ideas of my own. if my 'boss' doesn't like it, than i guess i'd have to find a new job. this is how i will always be, im stubborn, deal with it :P

anyways, i'm exxxxxhausted so im gonna go catch some serious zzzs... i'll catch up with you tomorrow, byeeee <3
xoxo alexandra

oh i forgot something!!

rats, i forgot to tell you guys about something really awesome. i've made a little bet with myself that by this time next year, my blog will have become almost as popular as The Style Rookie, by Tavi (READ HER BLOG, google it cus it is soooooo flippin frickin amazing. and yes, i did just say flippin frickin.) i plan on doing this by creating a sort of web of advertising... while i've been here at school i've showed my blog to several people and asked each of them to show it to their friends... hopefully this will create a domino effect with each person telling another person.

one person in particular, my-awesome-possum-fashion-designer-bff Kiera, will really be helpin me out... we have a sort of agreement where i advertise her blog, she advertises mine and in the end we all win...

fingers crossed people, this blog WILL become successful
xxoo alexandra

day 37 blaah blaah boring

hey there!! okay so this is my last week here at school and although i'm excited to go home, i'm really going to miss it here :( this last week doesn't really give me much time for sadness though, it is craaazy busy! friday is our fashion show and between now and then i have to finish a cocktail hat, a jewelry set (necklace, bracelet, earrings), a pair of skinny jeans, and organize my portfolio for display. on top of all that i also have to help organize the show (plan hair and makeup, styling etc.). luckily we've already figured out the model situation so i can cross that off the list... ill keep yall updated on how this week goes and then expect a majorly long post on friday because i have a five hour drive home hahah plennnnnty of writing time ;)

so despite the amount of work i have had to do, today was a super slow day... i think its just the class that i've been taking. this design program was organized by weeks and topics.
week 1: figure drawing and actual clothing design (sketching techniques)
week 2: graphic design (photoshop)
week 3: garment construction
week 4: garment construction (continued)
week 5: accessories
week 6: accessories/fashion show production
last week and half of this week has been accessories... dont get me wrong, i love most of what we've made and i adore accessories in general however, our teacher's teaching style is not to my liking (to put it nicely). i just don't really agree with her on a lot and that makes it very difficult for me to work... everyday has felt very long and very monotonous in this accessories section... blaaahhhhhh :/ my favorite part of today was tonight when i went to the gym (<3),>great workout, had a fantastic time.

well anyways, sorry this post was kind of boring, ill try to spice it up tomorrow ;)
xxoo alexandra

day ___: i dont know, i lost track lol, maybs 30???

wow so i just read my most recent post and i would like to apologize on behalf of myself for all the weirdddd things i said... "i love those jimmy dean commercials" was i out of my mind? i know that it says i posted that at 8:04 but the times must be off cus it was really like 3:30 in the morning and i guess i was more tired than i thought i was lol :P

movie review section:
soo anyways, like i said in that post i was going to see 'dinner with schmucks' the next day but instead i saw 'salt.' if i had to describe it in one word it would be this: "eh." dont get me wrong it was entertaining and totally action-packed but it seemed like it was all 'is she a spy for America or is she a spy for Russia?!?!' and i feel like that was the only thing going on the entire time... def go see it, but dont get your hopes up :/

haha howd you like that little review i just did? pretty cute huh? haha so yeah that was my weekend.

ill be back on later but for now, ill see yaaaa

xoxo alexandra

also: PROJECT RUNWAY TOMORROW <333333333333 be there or be square.