don't give me no lip!

from the things that i have been eating to my long absences on this blog i know that it if officially fall. i tend to go into hibernation mood. what does that mean for dear old charlie? it means i sleep at 2 or 3 in the morning, wake up only when needed but make sure i have two hours to actually get up and get productive. and when i am working on a project i get super invested to the point i don't realize my back is starting to ache or that i am neglecting other things...other important things like keeping a healthy diet and um, hello, my blog!?

what have i been working on? well, other than going to work (which is where the title of this entry comes from. one word=kids) i finally cleared out the basement and turned it into a makeshift studio, with my sewing machines, clothing rack, and all. i even went to home depot, picked up some wood and gorilla glue, and built myself a tapestry frame. and from that you should have concluded that i have been back at work. working on a tapestry and trying to mass produce some simple design tanks for a benefit event. whether or not i will be able to finish everything? let's let time and my currently nonexistent willpower against my hibernation habit answer that question.

but as i have opened up this entry, it is officially fall weather and what do i begin to notice? well, the pet peeves: girls wearing cute, chunky sweaters, relaxed white tees, their summer cutoffs and then BAM without the transitional tights knee high or OTK boots. especially the ones with some heel, gah. hello? you look strange! it is totally awesome to take your pieces from season to season but just like the seasons we need some transition. you can't have the best of both. 

other than this and a few others i have noticed my hibernation habit take control of my styling choices. inevitably lots of black, but i seem to be living in my black skinnies and black laceless wingtips, just alternate between black tees, grey tees, and an assortment of knit sweaters and button downs and there's my outfit of the past week. it's weird because in the morning i'll put on something cute. for instance, today i put on a camel colored knit sweater tucked into my high waisted polka dot linen shorts, sheer pantyhose, and my almond toed, heeled ankle boots and of course because iam always colder than necessary, my camel colored blazer jacket. cute right? (just picture it) nope! i took everything off and threw everything on the bed, reached for my black tailored work pants, a black knit sweater, my Steve Madden leopard print loafers, my bronze spike studs, the same blazer jacket and that was it. 

on my way back from work i was asking myself, wait, wasn't i wearing something cuter?

but, and here is my point, because i am aware of what the colder seasons do to me, i have another habit, a better habit that actually helps me. i don't drink enough water throughout the day. i also have an insanely cold room and so my lips are chapped and cracked as can be in the fall/winter. therefore, i balm up every night and every morning and almost every thirty minutes. and to make sure my lips stay silky smooth?

i add a little color. some lipstick action. i have found that putting some color on the lips actually exentuates all the cracks in your chapped lips. i know weird right? why would you want that? that is essentially my point. i don't want that and therefore i try harder to keep my lips as presentable as possible. load up on those EOS egg lip balms because these colors are totally fab and will cheer up your tired filled faces and spruce up, if you are like me, your all black ensembles:

talk about drama! i mean i hate drama, any kind. small, big, significant, trivial...oh except Korean dramas. love those. but this color is just so great for the fall. iam wearing color 425: Plum Paradise by Maybelline.

i know you can't see how marvelously bright this color is but just stop by the Maybelline section of any drug store and look up color 515 Coral Crush. seriously, talk about a transitional piece. it's like bringing the summer lights, glimmer, fun, and party all in one!

last but def not the least, this color, i know, can look really drab but it's just beautifully romantic. i don't really like sparklies in my lip wear but a little never hurt especially when it's mixed with such a great mauve. maybe that's why they call it On the Mauve, color 445 by Maybelline.

so what habits do you guys fall into this time of year? and why do i always want mac and cheese this time of year?

charlie.

charlie!...awwwkward...

oh dear me. i haven't posted for four days. FOUR DAYS! what's the matter with me? well, i have been kicking around some ideas as well as putting together some images of me to share with you all. 

sometimes guys match their underwear with their outfits. why? because guys, whether they sag their pants or not, their boxers/briefs/white-y-tight-y's (and yes, that's what i call them) show, whether it is just the elastic or a significant amount. so it is nice, visually, when their is a pleasant surprise of a plain outfit and then BAM. a little pop of color or maybe a fitting, contrasting print. like, hello? business in the front, party in the back. ehhh, ohhh, ehhh, ohhh...oooo never mind. no underwear showing is always cleaner and more professional. 

my point, and my secret until now, is that i match my underwear to my outfits. whether it is to mix up my all black ensemble or just to play up some prints or to just to have fun or just to feel sexy. yea, i do it. let me demonstrate.

the classic: my favorite black, dolman sleeve, high low, knit sweater over a cotton black and white striped shirt paired with black skinny jeans, my prada glasses, a messy bun, and laceless wingtips navy blue with lavender trim, floral cheekies. how fun! you may not know from my usual black ensemble but iam actually a very happy charlie on these days.

the mix master: my rust with white polka dot, knitted, short sleeve sweater over a heather grey, oversized cotton tee paired with crisp, fitted, above the ankle work pants and black patent leather oxford pumps white cotton boyshorts with navy blue polka dots. the key to being a mix master, especially with prints is that one of the prints should always be larger in scale than the other. look at the polka dots on my sweater and the polka dots on a undies. large, small, respectively. take a look at the whole thing together. polka dot overdose or a strangely perfect fit? (or does it just make you wanna polka?!)

the master of disguise (the mix master part zwei (that's two in german)): a bold, vertical, charcoal grey striped, high low, button down shirt, rolled up sleeves paired with fitted red work pants and black pointy two pumps horizontal black and white striped, cotton bikinis. crazy how many types of undie styles there are, no? (btw, bikini is a style. iam not wearing bikini bottoms as undies.) the stripes are different widths as well as different shades. the top has grey slightly thinner stripes while the undies have slightly larger black stripes. and if that isn't obvious, well the vertical to horizontal perpendicular that is going on also helps. so do i look like a prisoner or a prisoner in a clever disguise, ready to break out?

ahh, the superhero: an emerald green, velvet, high low, cape shirt paired with high waisted, ankle length, black skinnies accessorized with red patent leather pointy toe pumps, my oversized geeky glasses, and my superhero emblem necklace bright coral hanky panky's. now, i think it is obvious why i call hanky panky's superhero's. they are no unexpectedly (at least for me) comfortable and might i add sexayy and COMFORTABLE! undies that are comfy and sexy are made of what superhero's are made of.

the baywatch hipster: a colorblocked lavender and magenta-ish purple tank top, blue and white eyelet bra-lette paired with dark wash, boyfriend jeans red nylon/spandex thong. yes, very baywatch inspired and yet hipster-y. why? take one generally agreed upon notion of   (insert notion here: sexy)   (aka. thong, in any color really) pair it with simple, minimalistic top (aka. the tank top) then add another element of said notion (sexy) that isn't quite generally agreed upon (aka. peek-a-boo bra-lette. more the peek-a-boo part than the bra-lette). hipsters, in my opinion, have a way of taking one accepted trend or notion and adding another trend or notion, whether it is the same trend or notion or another. for example, going eighties head to toe from the scrunchie, chains, bright.ass.colors versus taking one element (let's pray you don't pick the scrunchie) and putting a modern, more refined twist. hipster, fashionista, respectively.

finally, the ... ???: crew neck, heather grey sweatshirt, black, oversized, high low, cotton tee, or cherry red (although the image says otherwise) button down paired with black, high waisted, wide leg pants, dark denim, flared jeans, polka dot linen shorts over black stockings, respectively Betsey Johnson mesh leopard print with pink trim boyshorts. i honestly didn't know what to call this one. leopard print has become such a neutral that, while still sexy, it just goes with everything, while still making everything and anything it is paired with sexy. maybe, the one-size-fits-all?

when i get home from a day of work and take my pants off, it makes me feel happy and satisfied (and sexy if i'm wearing leopard apparently. oh and hanky panky's) to know that standing there, in my room, searching for my hot pink, terry cloth pajama pants, i still match!

so undies ladies. we definitely choose our style of underwear according to what we're wearing but do you have fun with them? or are they just something you assume no one will see so you just throw on whatever is clean in your underwear drawer?

charlie.

ps-the mix master: polka dot edition was my outfit on sunday.

pps-those Betsey Johnson mesh undies were my first pair of designer undies. i still have them. i break them out on special occasions. (more on this later)

perspective.

today was a funny day. like a small child who was conflicted. it whines and sheds a few tears, then at a funny face brightens up. but a second later it tears up, lets out a tearing scream and allows a waterfall to fall from its' eyes. that was how the weather was like today, no? and with the weather went my moods. (let me answer the pms question here and now. no iam not pms-ing.) i woke not here and not there. by the time i got in the shower i was grateful for a beautiful new day. gloomy weather, after all, is a great inspiration. i got out of the shower, put my clothes in the hamper, and put my contacts in. as i was brushing my teeth, my right eye felt irritated but i just told myself it was nothing and that it had just moved a bit. but putting my makeup (or shall i saw warpaint lol) on, i couldn't help but notice how pink and irritated my eye looked. had it been halloween i would have been costume ready. but no. so my mood changed once more to frustration as i went to take out my contacts. would i need to change my eye makeup? what would i wear now? i wanted to wear my combat boots but there would be conflicting elements in my outfit? sigh...i felt defeated as i sat on my bed and starred into my stuffed closet. black, black, black, grey, royal blue, camel, dusty rose, creme, taupe, beige, black, black, black, black, rust, nude, nude, tan, camel, dark camel, army green, royal blue, black, black, black, black and white stripes, black and white stripes...iam going to eat breakfast and then decide.

so after breakfast this continued, until i grabbed a pair of jeans and my favorite oversized, dolman sleeved sweater (which is black) and looked at myself in the mirror. 

 that was it. no, don't imagine i said that angrily. i mean, that was it. i just needed to look in the mirror and realize, i looked different with this babies on.

turn my face, put my hair up. turn my face again, put in some stud earrings. turn my face again, put my hair down. 

finally, i settled on a black cotton tee, a black cotton cardigan, and some distressed boyfriend jeans (my studio jeans actually, that have dye and paint on them) and a black and tan, color blocked cowl scarf with my hair all tucked in it and that was it. of course add my go to laceless, patent leather wingtips and that was it. i was happy again. i was getting stuck in this wearing-the-same-outfit-in-different-colors-and-different-shoes rut that i forgot that iam more than one dimensional. i just needed to regain perspective. and now iam sitting here happy as a clam after a happy as a clam day. 

perspective can bring surprises huh?

how was your day?

(featuring my prada glasses. this babies always remind me to challenge my current mindset, every way you look at and through them.)

charlie. 

happy place=happy time.

 quick outfit of the day: 

black blazer with satin lapels-h&m, black cotton tee- f21, army green skinny pants-buffalo, red patent heels-bcbg

and on this rainy, gloomy day and any day, i get to come home to this cutie:

 meet Wunderkind! i picked him up in a pinocchio shop in Vienna. he lives smack dab in the middle of my inspiration wall and he's my happy place. and...

...he always has a happy time!

what's your happy place?

charlie.

blingin' spikes v. hot pink

i know what you're thinking...

because iam thinking the same thing...

finally a real outfit of the day!

i do keep promises...even if it takes a week (or two). but here it is and that's what matters. because it was a drizzly day i decided on simple. so i'm wearing a white button down, black skinnies, my laceless wingtips, my BCBG watch and this fantastic statement necklace that i snagged at f21. i know i couldn't believe it either. it is beautiful and i love it.

but after a long day of work and this beautifully gloomy weather, this is how i really felt:

charlie, get to knitting. iam obsessed with this sweater (maybe without the super duper long sleeves).

what did you all wear today and what did you really feel like wearing?

charlie.

every day smile.

i went to a nearby morning glory store that is going out of business and as a continuation of all the creative inspiration surrounding me and soaking into me through my skin i thought i'd drop in and see if they had anything cute (of course, it's morning glory). 

and behold the cutest pencils and a beautiful sketchbook for 50% off! these girls are so cute and have the most darling outfits. not to mention their peter pan collars just remind me of my obsession with collars. mini charlie's? perhaps!

and this notebook? very Stella McCartney RTW fall 2011, no?

(just love this. the oversized fabric-blocked jacket and the polka dots!)

iam ready to start designing and conceptualizing again. how could i not with this mini-charlie's telling me to "every day smile"? haha.

what's inspiring you?

charlie.

photo credit- style.com

no can do.

agreed?

charlie.

a digression.

click on the images above to go to Garance Dore's blog.

miu miu round toe glitter pumps. 

are shoes really a digression? a digression from the series of fashion week posts i was supposed to post, but i have been meaning to post these shoes for such a long time. these are my dream. they are just perfection in every way. the glitter, the curved heel, the rounded toe that doesn't expose toe cleavage (which i have no problem with). sigh, if only i had $630 as pocket change.

but! guess what i did get my hands on...

a pair of Missoni for Target pumps! 

these pictures don't do justice to the shoes but iam sure you have all seen them. they are very comfortable and cuter than i imagined.i also don't usually like round toe pumps too much. i prefer my almond or pointy toed shoes to elongate my legs but hey! here are two pair of round toe pumps that i do like. and since on an everyday basis i go to work and wear mostly black, this will be great fun.

also click on the first two pictures and you'll find yourself on Garance Dore's blog. specifically the entries about her pair of black Miu Miu. everytime i see these pictures i die a little inside. they are just beautiful (the shoes and the photos). Garance Dore is one of my biggest inspirations. she has spunk and passion and creativity and pure honesty. everytime i read her blog, i feel like iam having a conversation with her. i wish!

what shoes are you guys dreaming about?

charlie.

photo credit-http://www.garancedore.fr/en

extraordinary.

it may be cliche of me to begin my reviews with a few of my favorite pieces from the extraordinary Alexander McQueen collection by Sarah Burton, but it was one of the most inspiring, intricate, and just all around powerful collections for me.

so let's begin.

extraordinary.

charlie.

photo credits: style.com

kick'em.

dreams don't come true. dreams are not reality. its pointless.

this is how you respond:

ahem...dreaming is my reality. 

and in my reality, reality is the dream. 

impossible doesn't exist when it comes to matters of the heart, the soul. 

dreaming is the only way of living.

and then tell them your amazing dreams.

then kick'em.

what are your dreams? let's dream together.

charlie.  

charlie, what are you wearing?!

now, i didn't actually wear this funtastic outfit today, but what's not to love about jewel tones, black faux fur striped separates and infamous baby blue eye shadow?

what fashion no-no's or uh-oh's do you feel like breaking today?

charlie.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

iam now on Bloglovin'

charlie.

signature style.

    

   

will post individual outfits in a separate entry.

charlie.

clown couture? sure.

haha! clown couture you ask? why not!

how did this lovely ensemble come to be well, it's simple really.

the first challenge of this season's Project Runway was to make an outfit out of the clothes on your back (their pajamas) and one bed sheet. 

i sleep in men's boxers (more on this later). and that night i was wearing blue cotton boxers with orange polka dots. so i thought what would you do charlie?

initially, with my background in textiles and the "in" factor of polka dots right now, i thought...DYE it!

but that would be so expected and not fun!

so why not take crazy boxers and crisp white bed sheet and make the most basic, simple silhouettes? 

a princess cut bodice and wide leg pants. 

crazy. yes.

unexpected. yes.

fun. yes.

wearable. maybe.

what would you guys do? what do you sleep in?

charlie.

the greatly anticipated.

so like everyone else, i've been greatly anticipating Dw, the Kanye West women's collection that debuted at Paris Fashion Week. i scoured the internet for some pictures and i have to say that iam not too certain about how i feel about this collection. there were some pieces that are just beautiful and in my eyes quite tasteful. here the looks i would wear in a heartbeat: 

 the leather, the fur, the slit in the shorts. love.

this one with pants. iam a lady. tehe.

but i do love the beading detail and the silhouette of the top

i can't say i would be able to pull this off but i do love it. i would probably wear the two separately.

and i think this look will end up being pretty popular amongst the masses:

it has the Herve Leger bandage details, the length it just so appropriate and sexy, i personally love the long sleeves and the higher neckline, and while i could never expose my body this way, there is a certain appeal to the cutouts. it's a very whimsical dress. there are contrasting feelings, a tension between the beautiful and the haunting. and don't get me started on the color. (LOVE!)

but there were pieces in the collection that made the entire collection confusing. mainly, the elements. there were so many. and you could definitely identify and attribute them to other big names.

also, i personally wasn't comfortable with a lot of the cutout pieces. they brought taste level into question.

still Mr. West had something there. (perhaps something there for everyone?)

and iam curious to see what he produces next.

what were your thoughts?

charlie.