spring semester; part uno.

Oh my Lord...somehow, I was under the delusion that I wouldn't be overloading this semester.

I was wrong.

But, it's been ok. I've gradually been finding my motivation, in little spurts, which is better than nothing, I suppose.
I've begun to really get involved with the designs for Mother Courage, and that will quickly be all consuming. But that will be a good thing. :)

As promised (although not EVERY day...shame!!), below are several weeks' worth of outfits from my...hallway?
Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but the full length mirror is essential, I feel like.
I have skipped out on a few days but, TRUST ME, it's for the best...




i'm adding more to this later...
xoxo

fash-ee-onn

In case you haven't ever visited it, The Sartorialist is a Blogspot blog that has received unending acclaim. The author/photographer has been named one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Design Influencers and his photography is incredible.

I don't normally include photos that aren't my own, but part of my new dedication to fashion is discovering other outlets and productions that are on the cutting edge. A friend of mine from high school (little shoutout to Katie, here) shared with me several fashion blogs that she frequents, The Sartorialist being one of them.

These are two photos from the month of February that I really enjoy (note: these are not my own photos!!):





Please visit the blog for more beautiful photos: The Sartorialist

I've been taking photos of my outfits every day since my last post!
My thoughts are that I'd wait about a week and post them all at once.
They're tiny because they're from my phone. :)

Perhaps I'll swing back and write a bit more later today, but for now...

new. blue. hoodie.

Ok.
So.
It's been a few weeks since I last updated.

I am, indeed, home- back in North Carolina. I'm several weeks into my new semester at school and am struggling to get back into the swing of what a normal class schedule is like.

I'm taking: Media Law and Ethics, Communications Research, Photography as a Social Critique and (the most exciting!) Costume Design.

I've recently been asked by a fellow student to help design costumes for her production of Mother Courage and I'm both honored and terribly anxious at the same time; what a big task! But one that I am excited and willing to throw my whole self into.



I also recently received some fantastic news regarding an internship for this summer.
I discovered, a few months back, a museum on Elm Street called Elsewhere.

Elsewhere is an old thrift store-turned-living art museum and it's absolutely brilliant.
The thrift store was passed down from Sylvia Gray, an avid collector of the most bizarre things- costumes, suitcases, typewriters, toys, cloth, books.

Now Elsewhere serves as a collaborative space, open for tours, events, and educational purposes. But they also house rotating artists and interns for each season.

I've just been accepted to work as the fashion and wardrobe intern, so I'll be working with costumes and fabric, organizing and pulling, and assisting with other documentary needs around the museum.
I couldn't be more ecstatic. It's going to be the perfect creative atmosphere that I need in my life and I have a lot to gain from it. I can tell.

Check out the link, if you're interested! Elsewhere

I attempted to do this in London and can't believe I didn't, but I'm back in my element (and in my own closet!) and have been creating some of the most fantastic ensembles of late. My style changed a lot since I've returned from London.
And I'm pretty sure it's time to start recording that.
So, with the help of my iPhone and my tiny point-and-shoot, I'll be documenting my outfits for the next few months EVERY day (so help me...).
It's so simple and it takes two seconds; I should have no problem doing it.

So I begin. American Apparel makes some pretty stellar zip-up hoodies in solid colors.
But so does Old Navy. For $12.99.
I got it in two colors.



I've been all about the hoodies since I got back- hoodies, hats, and my staple: the plain white, men's v-neck tee.
It's so comfortable.
And I practically never wear pants nowadays- I can't live without my leggings. I seem to have gathered quite a collection at this point!


Let me take just a moment here to list some items in the fashion world that I am currently obsessed with:
1. ANYTHING that is buffalo plaid!! (to date, I have a jacket, tunic, taffeta skirt, hoodie, scarf, and zip-up blazer. It could be an unhealthy obsession...but it's so fantastically "i just rolled out of bed and threw on my dad's old plaid shirt" that i really can't help myself)
2. leggings (every color. but it is essential to start off with black, brown and gray)
3. v-neck t-shirts (hanes. men's section of target. 5 shirts for $8. i LIVE in these shirts!)
4. flat boots (i have three pair now: "english riding boots" from Rack Room, slouchy, gray suede boots by Steve Madden, and a rather high calf pair of cream colored boots from Primark)
5. zip-up hoodies (the louder, the better.)
6. and large, oversized sweaters worn over tights (this is seriously the most comfortable I've been in my whole life, I think. there's something about the shapeliness of the legs, hidden under a warm, baggy sweater or shirt. it's so boyishly feminine.)



On a completely separate note, I also have a few more photos from our last days in Mile End and around London that I wanted to share. I wish I had a more appropriate segue into them...but I suppose this will just have to do, as a final farewell.

Mile End tube


From the street


Final visit to the market




My final presentation for London takes place on March 3.
I compiled my best photos and created a powerpoint presentation for my individual portion of the final grade, but the final presentation is a culmination of our group's best work.



I'm at a place in my life where I'm really trying to focus my attention to creative endeavors and harnessing my creativity.
I've begun reading a book that was given to me by my Aunt Melissa called "Living Artfully" by Sandra Magsamen.

The author has such a refreshing way of viewing life- by living artfully, we add meaning to our lives.
Magsamen defines are in the broadest sense: "it is every possibly medium of human expression. It is in what you say and how you say it. It is in using the rich resources of your senses to connect with the beauty in life. The art is in the message an in the medium you use to express it. Art is simply the name for how you live your life and how you tell others what you think and feel".

She reminds us that, at our core, "the messages contained in our hearts are universal...we all wish the same basic things".
And that love "is the essential ingredient and to live fully engaged with the heart, our ultimate expression".


I've been trying to live artfully. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've always tried to live artfully. But, now, I'm consciously living artfully and it is, indeed, very fulfilling. I handmade my valentines this year. It took a long time, but I was really proud of the result. I created homemade feathered headbands. I found similar ones at Urban Outfitters for $24. I made two for about $4 each.



And I'm really trying to focus on fashion and take some initiative to research some things myself and begin branching out. I'm learning a lot in costume design, but I want to start reading other fashion blogs regularly and reading more about the history of fashion, design and material. There are, really, very many thing I'd like to do and realistically not that much extra time.

But I will try. Because I owe it to myself to delve even deeper into what it is that I think I might really want to do, in the long run.
Which is, in a way, for me: living artfully.

i bought a pair of suspenders.

It's both upsetting and unbelievable for me to type, right now at this very moment, and know that I have only two more days in this fantastic city left to accomplish a whole list of things that haven't yet been accomplished: there are still so many museums, performances, markets, shops and streets that I haven't been to and, at this point, will certainly not get the chance to do this time around.

That's why there's always next time...I hope?

Many of the people we've met here have insisted that we return someday. Vanessa and I were even offered a free plane ticket to return to Mile End! But it's true, I think: you can't do everything you want in London when you're just "on holiday". You have to come and really spend some time here to be able to do both "tourist-y" things and live as the locals do, so to speak.

At any rate, my time here IS coming to a close and I suppose I'm finally coming to terms with it. And it will be nice to return home.


I mentioned, I think, that the fashion here in London is exceptional (and if I hadn't, you would've been able to gather if you're aware of the fashion industry at all today). A personal goal of mine, coming here, was to snap photographs of people or outfits that inspired me while I was here, but that was quite a bit easier thought than done. Not only would my camera have to be out, on, and ready to snap at any given moment, I'd be putting quite a few people on edge, no matter how discreetly I could have taken the photo. Needless to say, I haven't got one photo of a male or female whose fashion inspires me.

But:



I have been documenting my own fashion evolution, if you will.
In retrospect, it would've been great to have gotten a shot every day. But, as fashion goes, some days are better than others.
These were a few of the more inspired outfits I've worn here.
The first one is with my new suspenders, from H&M.

I'll have to snap a photo when I return home, displaying my fashion wares that I've purchased here. My goal, as far as purchasing clothing here is concerned, was to purchase clothing items that were distinctly European, that I more than likely wouldn't be able to find as easily in the States. This includes a new pair of boots, multiple pairs of tights, a few skirts and a few tops, and a gray beret. I've made my purchases in some pretty unique locations, as well: chain stores on Oxford Street, markets, vintage stores on Camden Road (incredibly bizarre punk/vintage section of London), and antique malls. I'm ecstatic about coming home and assembling some incredibly eccentric outfits.




I took a day to walk through the parks in Mile End a few days back; many of the boroughs in London make incredible efforts to keep communities spruced up, clean, and constantly involved- planning events or building new community centers or parks.



A few years ago, The Green Bridge was built to connect multiple parks, or "green spaces", in the Mile End area.




























A few more shots from some well-known spots in London:

Parliament









Westminster Abbey:


























Tonight is our final, celebratory dinner. All of us have been wrapping up our community work and squeezing in the last few tourist ventures that we can.

We'll be sure to make the most of our remaining time here.


Be home soon!
xoxo,
Alexa