Trends and Trading

I love clothing, and I love fashion. I like seeing all of the new trends, yet I never usually dress accordingly. Give me a dress, cardigan, and cool tights and I'm good to go. I've been told I over-dress for the everyday style, but I like my style. I believe it's better to be overdressed than under dressed. Besides, you never know who you'll run into.
I'm getting distracted, but the point is that I usually don't dress for the fashion trends. Recently though, there's one fashion trend that I've adored: Colored pants.

I love the big bold colored pants that I've seen, and almost every pair I see has made me envious. I know that this trend has been going on for quite some time now, but I still see it going strong. Even if the trend dies down soon, I still dig those pants.

On a different subject, when I was in high school, my friends always participated in one activity that I could never get behind. No, not that activity. They would always trade clothes/accessories/etc. This activity wasn't necessarily like the type that you always see in movies though. The clothes were usually something that another person left at their house, or in their car. Finders keepers? Apparently.
I don't know why I never got involved with this practice, but it might have been the fact that I didn't want to lose any of my clothes. I liked my clothes a lot more than any of the clothes of my friends. Might sound a bit mean, but they shopped thrift stores for fun. Not because of no money, just because they thought the hobo pants looked cooler. You might find that under a definition of a hipster (or a stoner). I tend to like Ross a bit better and plaid isn't my thing. Remember the Oregon uniform? Not my thing. Therefore, even if I didn't trade clothes it didn't bother me much.

You might be wondering why I suddenly changed topics on you, but I have my reasons. I may have not traded clothing in high school, but for the first time in my life I got clothes from a party. I did what all of my high school friends did. And they are red pants. Fantastic.
Alright, during normal situations I would not have gone home with a random pair of red pants, but the party that I went to included trading articles of clothing. I came with one pair of pants. I went home with two.

When I'm in my thirties, or even sooner, there's no way I'm going to wear an article of clothing around that I got from a party. Matter of fact, it'll be pretty ridiculous if I go to a party and end up taking clothing in the first place. But for now, when in Rome... I'll do as the Romans do. And end up with some red pants.

In other news, I'm spending less time in my room while in the apartment, and actually spending time in the dining area. I've been fine in the kitchen spending time cooking, but never much in the dining area. I think what has happened is that the smell in that area is bearble now. (When I first moved in, my sister came in for five minutes and wanted to hurl. It was awful.) I mean, I brought the table in! I should be using it! Goodness.
Have you ever traded clothing with someone for a long time/ indefinitely?

Life as a Duck: Fashion

Before I say anything else, I want to say something about what I said yesterday. My sister informed me that I sounded a bit harsh when talking about the sorority thing yesterday, and I did not intend to sound harsh. All I was saying was that sorority just costs so much for a group. I mean, I remember my sister paying at least $300 just to be initiated. It's just a bit much for me, I didn't mean to offend if I did. That's just been bothering me today, so I'm glad I got that out.

I've been trying to figure out a type of "Life at U of O" type of thing, but I'm not really sure what to call it. I don't think I'll do it on Saturdays either, but this is just an experiment. Let's start this one off by talking about Fashion!

Like any college campus, I've seen plenty of the sweatpants and shirt combo. However, at the same time I've been seeing a lot of fantastic clothes and fashion while over here. Here's just a sampling of styles that I've seen quite a bit of.

TOMS. Oh goodness. TOMS are everywhere around here, in every color you can think of. (Actually, mainly red for some reason.) TOMS are a neat shoe, but they're not the coolest thing around. Truth be told, they're kind of the new Ugg. As in, everyone has a pair.

Scarves. Scarves are a great accessory, and they can add a lot to an outfit. I need to work on this one, because I'm usually wearing a scarf just for cold. However, scarves are great and very popular around here.

Fitted jeans with a nice shirt. This is a look that I never really go for, but is very big over here. Honestly, it's a nice look. Simple, but put together.

Bold colored small purses. I have been seeing a lot of really cute small purses, and in every color. It's making me really want a cool, cute little bag for myself!

I know that there are a lot of other great looks from around campus, but for now I have to sign off. I'll work on this more later I suppose.

What type of styles are you digging?

Running Worries and Favorite Classes

Tomorrow is scary. Events are occurring, I need to do my long run tomorrow... Gah. But that's tomorrow, let's think about today, shall we?

Actually, speaking of running, I am oddly sore. Really, I'm all off on my running mojo. This may be the reason I'm a little spooked on my long run tomorrow. However, what really worried me is what happened after my run this morning. Apparently, I was a lot hungrier than I thought I was after my run, because I got really light headed. Usually, I have some fruit before my run, and that's enough until after my run then later eat something else. While waiting for my food to cook today after my run though, I started to get dizzy. It wasn't until I was over at the dining hall that this started to happen, which makes it even weirder. Luckily, I got some juice in me for a quick fix until my food was ready. Still... worrisome.

A question that I've been asked, as I'm sure many of you have been asked has been, "What's been your favorite class in college?"
Before recently, I had no answer to this. I also understand that my opinions on what my favorite class has been will most likely change because I'll have taken many more classes. Alas, I believe that I've come up with an answer to this:
History of Fashion.
I'm not even sure if the time spent during the class has counted as my favorite class time. It's not necessarily about that though. I love the knowledge that I'm getting from the class. There are so many different types of clothing, and so many things look quite similar. On the other hand, there are so many things that I'd seen before and did not have a name for.
Plus, if you've never heard me say it before, I'll say it again. I love spouting out facts. This class has been perfect for that.

"Did you know the only women who wore togas were prostitutes or fallen women?"
"That shoe is called a Chopine, and it looks like a hoof. It's from the Elizabethan period. Also, during the Restoration period red shoes meant you were of nobility."
"People have worn some weird outfits. Do you want to see pictures of them, and see what they're called? Because I totally have pictures."
"Geez I want to wear an Ionic Chiton. Also a Fontage. They are so ridiculous, it's amazing."

I feel like I've become such a costume nerd, and I love it. For instance, when watching POTC, I was seriously thinking (and muttering, 'cause I'm a little crazy and I feel like it's necessary I speak my thoughts), these things:
"Hmm, he's wearing a Waistcoat and a Cassock coat. Oh, there's a Tricorne. Wigs! Ha, no wonder we call the Restoration period the Pirates of the Caribbean period. Dangit, what are the women's dresses called again? (It was a Manteau gown. I keep on forgetting those.) I think that's a Great coat..."

See? Costume nerd. Now, I don't know if this fasination with naming off costume parts will continue on after this class is over. Will I care after I no longer require the knowledge? I hope so.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, this is a Fontage:



It's the hat. Yeah.

It's a hat that so ridiculous it was made fun of even when it was in fashion. I think an example of that today would be Uggs. Or better yet, pants with writing on the rear.

That's what has been on my mind for the day. I've got a packed next two days! Goodness. Starting to get super nervous about tomorrow... We'll see how that turns out.

What was your favorite class in college?

Naps, Surprising Tests and Things I Have Learned From Fictional Characters

I think there's something about college that makes you want to take naps. Before college, I was never one to nap. Now, I tend to doze off at the weirdest times. Don't worry, it's not during class!

That's an interesting way to start off a post, isn't it? Anywho...

As I've been talking about for the last few days, I had my History of Fashion test today! Last night I was terrified, muttering answers and thinking, "I'm going to fail. I should have never taken this class. I am going to fail." Needless to say, the positive energy was not flowing within me. However, when I got to the test I realized that I knew a lot of the information better than I thought I would! It was a tough test, but I think I did alright. Besides, when you've got to know the difference between this:

and this:

it can get a little stressful.
(The first one is a Himation, the second one is a toga. There's also something else that looks like a toga that I might not have gotten on the test...)

It's Monday, so that means I must look back upon knowledge that has been given to me from fictional characters. I can't really remember what show this is from, but I remember a specific lesson I've seen in a lot of things. One idea/style/trait/whatever becomes really popular. Naturally, the main character either wants in or can't stand whatever the popular thing is. By the end of the episode, the main character might get into the idea, or continue to shun it. Usually it's the former. Anywho, by the end of the episode whatever became popular fades into the distance and something new comes along. Which brings me to this:

Things come and go. You shouldn't stress out about one little detail, because for the most part things usually blow over.

I honestly have a lot of trouble with this, but I try to work on it. Sometimes there are things that I constantly fidget over, like if I took the right turn, if I accidentally came late/early to something, whatever. But honestly? Some things are just not big deals, and the only one making it a big deal is you. It's a work in progress. Besides, who needs extra stress?

No more tests until Friday! Woohoo! And the homework front isn't looking too scary for the rest of the week.

When was the last time you way over thought a situation?

Upcoming Tests and The Strange Ways of Fashion

It's nice to know that my guilt-ridden tendencies are not of the norm... Goodness. I really wish I knew how my sister got to me like that.

Anywho, hello all! How's it going?

Not much here, simply needing to get reading for a test coming up on Monday! Well, I suppose I have time to study tomorrow too, but still.

The class that I have the test coming up is History of Fashion. I'm surprised that I haven't talked about it more often, because it's quite an interesting class.

At the moment, we've gotten from the Greeks to the beginning of the Italian Renaissance. One of the biggest things I've learned so far? There are plenty of outfits that look extremely similar that all have different names. Am I a little freaked out about the test because of it? Why yes I am.
Still, clothes are such an interesting part of culture. It's amazing how certain outfits can mean different things, or how specific coloring means that you're wearing that outfit for an event at a certain level. For instance, the only women who wore Togas during the Roman times were prostitutes or fallen women. Now doesn't that give a whole new meaning to a toga party?

Along with some of the practical wear comes some of the illogical decorations that people wore. As I started to think about it, my mind went to the crazy things that we wear nowadays that aren't really necessary. Sure, some scarves are for warmth, but the thinner ones are more for decoration. And what about ripped jeans? What are the people of the future going to think when they look at that? All I know is that the world is crazy, and we're crazy along with it.

What's a fashion of today that you believe people are going to look at thinking, "What the heck?"

The Difference Between Fitting In and Standing Out

Four people who graduated from my high school in 2010 go to this college, and two of them are my room mate and myself. The other two I see from time to time around campus, offering a friendly hello. One thing that has happened quite a bit has been thinking I see one of them when really it’s someone I’ve never seen before in my life. I remember what these people look like of course, I grew up with them. Then why would I have so much trouble mistaking others for them?

It’s because they’re doing too good of a job of fitting in.

If you stopped by a college campus anytime soon, you would notice an onslaught of students in jeans and sweatshirts. This combo can also be mixed with workout pants, winter coats, and simple shirts. For the girls, you’ll probably see a lot of headbands with their hair tied up. On the feet, you’ll see tennis shoes or Uggs.
Sure, it’s comfortable. Sure, it’s what everyone is wearing. Alas, then you end up mixing in with the crowd too well. Think about it like this: You’re applying for a job. The other interviewees are all very similar to you in skill, work ethic, etc. Why should the business hire you?

Now I’m not saying you should go around dressing up in a clown suit or something bizarre like that. However, I’d like to think I’d rather be wearing a dress than jeans. Add a dash of color. Make yourself stand out, but in a good way!

Would you like to be well known in the way Leonardo Dicaprio is, or like Heidi Montag? That’s how it’s like standing out in a good or bad way.

If sweatshirts and jeans are the way you like to dress, that’s fine too. Just try not to fade into the crowd!

How do you stand out?

Internet Distractions, Adding Spice to Fashion, and Skinny Jeans

The Internet. What a creation, huh? Like pretty much the rest of the world, I enjoy the Internet quite a bit. However, the magical invention can have some downsides.
I have confession to make: I used to be an anime nerd. I would read manga, draw it, make ridiculous Japanese references... Yeah. With my addiction to anime, that meant I read a lot of webcomics. With the webcomics, I couldn't just start reading it from where they were in the story. I had to read all of the archives. I would become determined to finish, and very few times did I read only a few pages then move on.

Ouran, look what you have done!

I hardly even look at anime things, let alone webcomics. Of course, there are still a few I peek at from time to time, but I digress. The point leads to what my bad habit has come to today.

Blogs. Yep, I have the same, "Oh my gosh I need to read through all of the archives so I have an idea what they're talking about!" I'm not like the rest of my generation spending hours on Facebook, I spend forever blog reading.

That is what kept me from being as productive as I should have been today. Ah goodness.

In my fashion studies, I've discovered it's a lot of hard work! There are just so many different aspects to it, and trying to figure out ways to incorporate it to modern fashion is difficult! One thing I've realized through it all is that I need to add some variety to my wardrobe. I've always gone with the "If it works, stay with it" mentality. It's time to spice things up.
Speaking of staying the same with clothes, there has always been a favorite type of jeans in my heart: The skinny jeans. My favorite type of pants tend to have one problem though, and that is stretching out. After time, all skinny jeans become less "skinny", and more... something else. I was wearing a black pair of skinnies around my mom recently, and thought I looked like a hobo because they were loose. It's not size change either, because I'm the same size I've been. They just stretch!

Pretty much all of my skinny jeans are too loose now, except one. One pair is actually kind of hard to get on due to being too tight in one area. Which area, you ask?

My calves. My skinny jeans have a hard time getting past my calves. You can see my muscles through the pants!

What!

That's not the reason I run, but it feels like a pretty awesome reason to run anyway.

This evening, I have played Hide and Seek in the campus library and watched some Improv comedy. Next I'm off to see a movie at midnight! I'm watching The King's Speech. Yes!

What distracts you on the Internet?

Running in the Morning, Dentist Appointments, and Grocery Shopping at Home

The day was quite eventful, but a pretty good day.

My 8:00 A.M. class was canceled today, so I thought that instead of running in the afternoon, I would try a morning run. It was good, but it just seemed so bizarre. I started to feel like it was a Sunday until I saw high schoolers on their way to class. They say that it's better to get your workouts in during the morning, and I believe them. I felt good already doing it in the morning, and since running always puts me in a good mood, I was ready to take on the world.

The other events of the day included driving back to C-town for a dentist appointment. Fun fact about me: Two of my front teeth are baby teeth. The adult teeth simply never grew in, so I kept the baby ones. One day, they will fall out though. My dentist has informed me of that, but they don't know when it actually will happen. They also say it won't be as freaky as I think it will be, but all I can imagine is one day randomly having it flop out.

Did you know Ed Helms is really missing that tooth? His never grew in either!

Since I was near home, I decided to stop by the house to grab some things. I believe that I am still at the age where it's socially acceptable to grocery shop from home. I needed some baking supplies for the Superbowl next weekend, and I didn't want to buy whole bags of brown sugar. I ended up grabbing a lot more than I thought!

So, if you're wondering why there are less of certain things in the house mom, this is why. Funny thing about my sister and I being at college? The house is a whole lot cleaner. Also, apparently my mom just bought this:

A Roomba? When did that happen?

I ended up seeing my dad right before I left, which was pretty cool.

Today I ended up wearing an outfit that in my opinion was fantastic! It got me thinking: Why do I like to wear cute clothes? What makes me what to dress nicely? Well, you know in those movies where the average girl gets all dolled up for one night? On that one night, she has that feeling of being amazing, and the world is her oyster. I like to feel like that everyday. Cute clothes tend to make me feel even more fantastic than usual. When I was feeling down, I didn't really dress in fun clothes.

Speaking of which, I'd like to say thanks. To all of the people who have even taken a peek at my little ol' blog, especially when I was being whine-y. Y'all rock. Even the strange amount of people who stumbled upon my blog from searching for "Fat Squirrels". Yeah, that's what draws people to my blog the most. I'm not kidding.

I have a reading for Costume class... I should probably get on that. Hm.

Do you like fashion? What do you like about fashion? Also, at what age is it not socially acceptable to grocery shop at home?

Messy Buns, Room mate Interactions and Fashion Habits

Can I just say that I should not be allowed to write anything when distracted by outside sources? Agreed? Good. Now let's move on.

For the past two weeks, I have been rockin' the messy bun all of the time. All my girls out there with the long hair, seriously consider it.  The messy bun is the perfect mix of laziness yet looking put together. Plus, all of your hair is out of your way. Awesome. (Underneath it all, buns always kind of give me the dancer vibe, which I love.)


Hopefully I'm not leaning toward the crazy schizo dancer.

 One of the strangest occurrences since I have been at college has happened. My room mate CLEANED. Not just pushed a few things under her bed, no. She literally cleaned. It's almost a little terrifying that our dorm is so neat, but I'm not gonna complain. Hey, if this new guy in her life is going to get her to clean, he's good in my book.

There are times that the room mate ticks me off, and there are times that she's cool in my book. However, there was something that she did today that most definitely did not put her on my good side. The funny thing is, she didn't do anything to me. She did it to her parents.
So, the room mate's parents stopped by to drop some things off for her. She also happened to be trying to keep this new guy in her life a secret from her parents... Doesn't work well when there's flowers from him in the room, but I digress. The thing that just ticked me off was how rude she was to them. She snapped at everything they said, didn't say thank you for anything and... Ugh! Here are some examples of what I heard:
"Oh, who are those flowers from?"
"None of your BUSINESS."
"So what have you been up to."
"School and whatever."
"Here, we brought you these!"
"Yeah, cool. Did you get that other thing?"

Now, I get that sometimes parents can get on your nerves and all of that. But geez, they're the ones who birthed you! Treat them with respect! I love my mom, and even though she can get on my last nerve I still at least try to be polite. Plus, the more you keep from your parents, the less they will want to trust you. Maybe that's why my room mate is so paranoid. My mom may say that you should look for a guy that respects his mom, because then he'll respect you. I believe that could work for girls too. If they don't respect their parents, will they respect their friends?

I know that my family already doesn't like my room mate, and I try to defend her all of the time. Alas, my argument is slowly starting to falter.

On the fashion side of the world, the last few days I have not been wearing very much color. What is this madness!? Usually, I tend to wear a lot of color. If I'm wearing a lot of black, I throw in some bright pink tights or something. That's something I try to avoid a lot. Unfortunately, that's what I've been doing so much. I need colors, dangit!

Well, time to prepare for another week at school. Woo.
Do you treat your parents with respect? and What's your favorite fashion habit?

Library Visits and Fashion Through the Ages

Oh my goodness! If I didn't have today off, I don't think I would have been able to get all of my work done for tomorrow.

Today I was just really tired. Gee, I wonder why? Nicely enough, nothing has been really hurting me. I'm quite sore in the hips, but no pain. When I went to the physical therapist, he said it would be alright to run the week after the race if I didn't hurt. So... I think I might try and get a little run in tomorrow. We'll see!

Since today was a day of homework and such, I ended up wandering over to the library for some studying. This also meant that I was going book exploring, despite the fact I probably won't have time to read them. I'll make time! (Probably not the best idea.) I picked out three books:

These are the type of books I read for FUN. What?

Books are like people. They come in every shape, color and size. Books are diverse, with interests in any subject imaginable. No two books are really alike... well, except for reprints. You get what I mean.

With my books being mostly about fashion, I started brainstorming some fashion ideas. Then I thought of something that I think would be really cool. What if you created an inspired stylized look from every decade for a week at a time? Such as, wear outfits that were inspiried by 1920s fashion for a week, then 1930s the next week. That made me realize that could cost a lot, and I don't have the money of a movie star who has a walk in closet. However, I still want to do something with that idea. I just don't know what yet. (I know my favorite outfits would be inspired by 1920s... I love that style!)

Or it could just be that I like flapper dresses.

On the subject of brainstorming ideas, I've been thinking of a lot of mini goals that interest me. Things to improve health, happiness, all of that jazz. Right now all of my ideas are blurred together, but maybe I could make something out of it.

The week begins once again, and I'm not ready. I better pretend I am.

What is your favorite decade for fashion?
(I also love the fashion from the sixies just because there's such a huge range of styles. I did a group project on the sixies once, and so I have a pretty decent idea of the fashion.)

Quirky Habits and Finding Out Things for Yourself

Ah... Today was such a chill day, it felt good to relax after a chaotic week. Slept in, aw yeah.

Since I've been thinking about my major again, I've started noticing odd things that I enjoy/do everyday. Oddly enough, I think I like writing notes when they're not for class. My special "What are you going to do with your life" notebook is basically notes and lists jotted down. Things like information on dates, requirements for programs, and financial plans. Maybe it's not so weird, but it seems a little odd to me.

Yes, lately I've also been writing down my outfits. Just 'cause.

The other habits I noticed were with clothes. I never thought about how much I enjoy clothes. I love putting outfits together and going out into the world in them. One of the first things I notice about people? Their outfits. I scope out something about one person's outfit and think, "Ooh, that's cute!" If I'm staring at a person, this tends to be the reason why. This makes me wonder if I should think about something with fashion, but I'm not sure how good I am with brands. Just because I enjoy clothes does it mean a career? I enjoy a lot of things, clothes are just part of it. I know that peoples' style does make me want to live in the city more. People in small towns dress boringly.

I've been considering maybe if I want to transfer, as I believe I've said before. Sure, there are many things I like about here, but I'm starting to feel like there's less and less I'm excited about here as well. I've been studying up on information on other school, and if I'm seriously considering transferring, I'd better start deciding soon. Some people are so lucky to know what they're doing. I wonder who else is as lost as me?

The last thing I've been doing lately is I've stopped letting what other people think I would be good at be my deciding point. That may sound odd, but let me explain. Do you ever see a person walking down the street and think, "I bet that person is a *insert career here*?" Of course you have, but my room mate thinks she's the only one who does. For me, if she didn't know me, she thinks I'd be a teacher or a nurse. Usually I'd think, "Maybe those would be what I should be." But now, I realize that's not me. I'm pretty squeamish, so I wouldn't be a good nurse. I've learned more and more that I would not make a good teacher. I've started to think more and more about how I work, and what careers fit me. Sounds simple, but humans are easily influence, ya know?

Well, what a mouthful, huh? I guess that's what happens when I get time to breath, I ramble. Other than that, ran 8 miles today and been extremely munchy all day. I'm going to go to midnight movies tonight!

What are peculiar habits you have?