harmony & chloe

balenciaga

If you were coming 'of age' and developing an interest in fashion during the past 5 years, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Balenciaga, is probably the motorcycle bag. However, if you got yourself schooled on the house of Balenciaga, which is more than whatever Nicole Richie, Mary-Kate & Ashley, Lindsay Lohan, every girl in Hollywood, etc. toted around with their XXL Starbucks coffee, you'd know that there is so much more to this brand than what you think. It's an iconic, classic French fashion house that has been around since 1914 but it has definitely been a trail blazer in the industry rather than a 'play it safe' brand.

I have a hard time 'summing up' what Balenciaga means to me, especially what it means to fashion. It is ready to wear fashion that currently represents a very structured, architectural, forward thinking aesthetic. It walks the line between being a bit much and being just right. I think it's kind of impossible to accurately describe Balenciaga in simple words like "classic", "colorful", "chic", "feminine". From it's start all the way until now, it's been a bit unpredictable in a good way. When you view a Balenciaga collection, you know you're going to get blown away whether you like it or not. It'll make you think a bit and it will most likely be something that you haven't seen before.

the lovely universe

finally i have a tumblr. follow me/ill follow you! it'll be fun! tons of pretty thangz! less words more visual stimulation. click click click

thankful.

happy thanksgiving everyone. i think that this is one of my favorite holidays, if not my actual favorite. it's just a cozy and low key holiday. there's no pressure, you can eat delicious food & drink & be merry without the pressure of giving/receiving gifts. the weather is always my favorite. November rules. Everything just feels right.

i'm thankful for a million things but to get specific, i'll list a couple. how ready are you for it though? ~kidding~ anyway. here goes.

-my family - obviously. didn't see this one coming, did you? i have a big and wonderful family that is pretty untraditional (what the fuck is a traditional family, anyway?) and spread out but i would have it no other way. my three sisters & one brother are the best people to look up to for different reasons & my nieces and nephews are just these special little people that melt my heart every time i see them/think about them. especially my parents. they are my best friends & heroes. my mom and dad are my two favorite people in the world.

-friends - i may not be the most popular girl in every situation with millions of friends but I have really great people in my life. Each person is there for a reason and brings specific things to 'the table' that make everything completely better. I'm a homebody and don't mind being alone a lot, but without my friends I would never be able to enjoy..anything? They make me laugh, think, share experiences with me and make life a lot cooler. Both in Savannah and New Jersey, i've found a great little group of humans to love. There's nothin' like having hilarious friends that make you laugh even when you're away from them, when you can just remember something and smile to yourself. I love my friends.

my brain- i really just like my brain sometimes. i may not be a straight A student, obsessing over everything but I get by pretty well and improve with each step. I like how i operate, even if it's not perfect. I like my interests, my sense of humor, my heart and my overall outlook on things. Seeing how my creativity has grown and how my ability to process new information over the past year is kind of astounding (not to toot my own horn er nuthin' y'all) It's just amazing what we as humans are capable of when you try something new. Our brainz are kinda crazy.

my apartment/savannah/scad- seriously though. what would I be doing if I wasn't in Savannah, attending SCAD, in my own little old lady cave? Would I be happy? Would I be thinking the same way I think now? Probably not. I don't know. I don't even want to think about it. The little path that lead me to Savannah was a twisty, turny one but it lead me to this really beautiful life. Where I am right now makes me less scared of the confusing, weird paths that are to come (because they always show up somehow), because..this sounds cheesy...but they always lead somewhere amazing and leave you feeling thankful. If I just went to Savannah right out of high school, I don't think I would appreciate it as much as I do right now. It's still dreamy that I'm even there. Thank you Savannah.

music- i'm really not sure what i'd do without it. it's one of the most powerful loves in my life that is constantly growing and my knowledge/ability to talk about music is something that I'm proud of and thankful for.

honorable mentions: good design, thrift stores, babies, dresses, good beer, dancing, mascara, beards on boys, scorpian tea at hangfire (cynthia i copied you), hangfire in general?, texting (im 13), my little bb mac laptop, flat boots, blogs, facebook (i went there), bad yet good reality tv (real housewives only), iced coffee with coconut, mint, or pumpkin flavoring, funny humans, mexican food, meeting new people, human fun, sleeping, not fighting the feeling, sarcasm, my car, 30 Rock, did i say dancing? okay yeah i did. that's all for now.

also- i'm thankful for you. yeah you! the reader. who are you, by the way? i mean..i have an idea. google analytics literally tells me what's up. so many different countries. how do you find me? what's up? have a good holiday? i'll never know.

they'll make a whisper out of you.

you're irresistible when you get mad

favorite lanvin moments

when someone asks me "who is your favorite designer?", it stresses me out. Just like the "what's your favorite album/favorite band?" question. To someone who is passionate about those two things, those two questions are a headache. I don't have just one answer. I have many. With those many answers, I have many reasons why to help support it. Memories, moods, phases in life, levels of favoritism, etc. My 'favorites' of anything are listed in a big, over-sized, over-stuffed, bursting-at-the-seams notebook that exists only in my head.

As far as designers go, my list truly is a bit all over the place. Chanel is a classic choice, and one that automatically pops into my head but so does Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, Karen Walker, Rick Owens, and Anna Sui. All are very different, obviously, but that's the fun part. Rodarte is an ultimate favorite, but so is Lanvin. Lanvin and Rodarte relate because their designs represent the contrast between quiet femininity and eery darkness.

Lanvin is a classic French fashion house that has been around since 1909. With each recent collection there is a sense of nostalgia, the ode to the vintage woman of the past but there is a sense of edgy darkness that looms over each piece that gives it the perfect finishing touch. Every woman has that darkness in them whether they want to show it or not. They can cover it up with a bubble dress made of the most beautiful silk, in a vibrant and whimsical mustard or rose color but it still shows somehow. A darkness that might not necessarily be sad, but more wise. A sense of "i've seen it all, i've learned a lot, i've felt it all" exudes, which I think is a reason why you can see a 20 something year old woman in a Lanvin piece and you can also see a 70+ year old woman in a Lanvin piece.

It's classic and age-less but it certainly appeals to a certain type of woman that's not going to be bouncing around in a Betsey Johnson frock spilling champagne all over her cleavage. She's probably never done that and never will.

Recently, I read somewhere that Alber Elbaz (current head designer) stated that women always tell him that anytime they wear a Lanvin piece, somebody falls in love with them. This is interesting because the pieces don't give off a fun, sex symbol, flirtatious feel that a lot of mainstream womenswear tend to give off. Lanvin designs are smart and interesting with a little something mysterious that's hiding. The only women (and men) who can pull off Lanvin properly are the ones who fit that exact same description also. Smart, interesting with a little something mysterious hiding. I can't think of any decent person that wouldn't fall in love with that.

klute

1970's jane fonda

boca mocha, y'all

a little obsessed with my new shade of nail polish. usually i like something dark like maroon, black, or very brown. However, during the past two or three months, I've been wearing almost all black, or atleast 80% black (gothic princess rebellion prep lol jk..kinda) so I need a lighter color on my nails.

But really..who am I kidding with all of this analyzation of nail polish vs. wardrobe color? I'm probably the least feminine when it comes to taking care of my nails. In fact, the way I applied this color looks as if I have the fine motor skills of Tommy Pickles (or Dill) and I give it 5 days before it's completely chipped away.

I just loved the color. The end.

my favorite Rodarte moments