tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50011089695743855342024-02-06T18:36:17.086-08:00Wear Your Invisible CrownTiarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14894476244807856920noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-30225350940518821242013-12-25T15:17:00.001-08:002013-12-25T15:18:27.160-08:00HIBERNATION IS OVER! AT LEAST FOR NOW...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Dear readers,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Wait, what readers? I don’t
have any readers anymore now, do I? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I have not posted since July. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">July, I
tell you!</span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">To justify
this lapse in blogging, I will employ the pitiful platitude of “life happened.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Below
is a series of events that recently transpired in my otherwise dull existence.
Each event served as a distraction from posting on the blog. Either that or I
was just being l-a-z-y. Three cheers for honesty! But, if you would like to know
more about the former excuse, then read on: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A SERIES OF RECENT EVENTS </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(IN MY
OTHERWISE DULL EXISTENCE)<b> THAT
DISTRACTED ME FROM POSTING ON THE BLOG:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Reason
1:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">
In June, I was bit by the spontaneity bug (and also by the
“I-need-to-escape-Brooklyn-now-or-else-I-will-die-a-metaphorical-death” bug), packed my suitcase, and rented an apartment
in Washington Heights (a.k.a Jewish Singlesville). The transition wasn’t hard;
I simply moved from one littered, humid, urban community to <i>another</i> littered, humid, urban
community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Unfortunately (or perhaps
fortunately), I did not experience the much hyped social dynamic of WH’s Jewish
Clique, as many of its members left New York for the summer. Instead, I was
simply left to my own devices. I explored the energized Dominican area (in its
full blaring glory of Latin music), took pacifying walks in Fort Tryon Park (one
of New York’s hidden gems) and spend long summer Sundays in WH’s sole, cramped
Starbucks (with its array of hipsters and increased foreboding of neighborhood
gentrification). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Reason
2:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">
During this past summer, I had also worked at a non-profit in Downtown
Manhattan. I was hired to assist with the organization’s Annual Golf and Tennis
Championship. I was assigned the humdrum, but still stressful, administrative tasks.
My employer flipped between being charmingly sweet and absolutely terrifying; I
never, ever knew what to expect. Of course, in the true spirit of one’s #firstjoboutofcollege,
I spent a few days heaving back tears in the ladies room and drying my mascara
stained cheeks. After that, I rolled back my shoulders and stepped out of the ladies
room with renewed poise. I forced myself to tackle whatever other sharp reprimands
Ms. Bossy-Boss stocked up for me, occasionally failing and making a second<i> </i>trip to the ladies room for the purpose
of catching all those black-mascara-tears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">After these never-ending days of work, I walked into my
apartment and greeted my devoted lovers: the previous night’s leftover pasta and
Netflix. And just so you know, after-work pasta and Netflix will always trump blogging
for <i>Wear Your Invisible Crown</i>. <b>Always. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGddiUGuqus8UYM5VNeHWvlu25Gxc_0escgAHSmM3IBU3s-wDOAXXz5-1br5MyUs6MGONGJtiHV17BFpyxV7NcK01X1vAWdrGfPH3380tP66zWnDxA31bDMzdt6Z-rujTLEaqYf6xEO1M/s1600/Netflix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGddiUGuqus8UYM5VNeHWvlu25Gxc_0escgAHSmM3IBU3s-wDOAXXz5-1br5MyUs6MGONGJtiHV17BFpyxV7NcK01X1vAWdrGfPH3380tP66zWnDxA31bDMzdt6Z-rujTLEaqYf6xEO1M/s320/Netflix.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Toward the end of July, the Golf and Tennis Championship
finally rolled around. Our organization and its slew of multimillionaires
guests were very fortunate; the weather was pristine and perfect for golf. I
met a few of the organization’s wealthy donors and scanned the golf course to
see whether they had any grandsons. It turns out they didn’t—or at least not
any that showed up. Boo!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Reason
3:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">
In mid-July, I applied to a graduate program in English Literature education. While
journalism and writing are my first loves, I was tired of interning for
low-profile companies that didn't pay me a blessed penny. When applying for actual jobs, I was tired of being blithely
ignored by HR representatives. Above all, I was tired of dispassionate unemployment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyl3TZRMceY9mEC4dRQYw45rg1Kw6wd20V0DwdfRGFaUpetMyXIid3p4GJemHB2BW2F46A5xOFCDQhURbZoYChVVYvPrvuyncKaoWxDCyPTWEDrJBA95_8iakK-55KQCJTwaeG7JN3OsY/s1600/Norman+Rockwell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyl3TZRMceY9mEC4dRQYw45rg1Kw6wd20V0DwdfRGFaUpetMyXIid3p4GJemHB2BW2F46A5xOFCDQhURbZoYChVVYvPrvuyncKaoWxDCyPTWEDrJBA95_8iakK-55KQCJTwaeG7JN3OsY/s320/Norman+Rockwell.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I craved stability, and thus opted to teach as a profession.
Currently, I am being trained to teach grades 7-12 in NYC Public Schools. I am
wary of parts of this job as well; the Department of Education is forever
punishing teachers and holding them accountable for stagnant test scores. And because
of this (and many other reasons), 50% of public school teachers quit within the
first two years. Ah well. All I can do is pray that I’m able to discipline hormone-raging
16 year olds and deepen their appreciation for Shakespeare, Bronte, and Fitzgerald.
Hahahahahahaha. Reality Check: I’ll actually
be chased out of the class with frayed copies of <i>The Great Gatsby</i> and an impressive collection of paper airplanes. Now,
<i>that</i> sounds more like it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Anyways, being that this was my first semester of graduate
school, I had little time for much else. Not to show off or anything (but
really to show off) I’ll say that I wrote exactly 134 pages of academic writing
these past few months. Hence, another reason for not posting on the blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpOTSe2otXb1a8-tNWykfpJml5nsUprRk-lW5zQm7tfaAdImvwkl5ACTd7747bXntyH_K7xWeEUJ771lUjEWZ4veoCDP9XBOtbY98DfhGjdquel7pRvl4Fd1ZUdvqJXrcJSiGv0SSMRY/s1600/finals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpOTSe2otXb1a8-tNWykfpJml5nsUprRk-lW5zQm7tfaAdImvwkl5ACTd7747bXntyH_K7xWeEUJ771lUjEWZ4veoCDP9XBOtbY98DfhGjdquel7pRvl4Fd1ZUdvqJXrcJSiGv0SSMRY/s320/finals.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Final Reason:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I recently
started to <i>loathe</i> the blogging format
(Google’s Blogger). I noticed that all the photos I posted in previous entries
have disappeared and that the layout somehow mysteriously gets out of sync. I
cannot deal with Blogger’s shenanigans. Some nights I lay in bed dreaming of
developing a <i>print</i> magazine that’s
geared just for 20-something Jewish singles—a heimeshe and kosher hybrid of <i>Marie Claire</i> and <i>GQ</i>. Until then, I resort to posting on this annoying blogging
format—or not. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Maybe I
will desert you all again. And if I do, then shame on me. You have written charming
and witty posts on your blogs, in spite of busy professional and personal
lives. I need to learn a lesson from you now, don’t I?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sincerely, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Beckster<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-85309842322529008892013-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:002013-08-27T12:46:47.828-07:00<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 36pt;">Are Blogs Narcissism
Amplifiers? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> After
a long break involving a move from one NY neighborhood to another and a frenetic
season at work, I have returned to the blogosphere in the height of a
skin-sticking, sweat-dripping July.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Absence
on this blog has left me with a fidgety, nagging feeling. Over
the past few months, I took self-expression by the hand and stuffed it callously
into a box labeled “daily grind monotony.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> At a
certain point, I began to look forward to returning to the blogosphere and sinking
my teeth into colorful fashion photos, summer makeup woes, posts about the rare
existence of available, good men…</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">You
know, typical fare for the 23 year old Jewish single female. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpL-R9tIQ8ljhUqvdko4LSDUwc_4DOwosuHDAgPu86DS1DWekIyhyphenhyphenBf6opqRCHh6N4FAeeDxvLnKDxCo9XmBxS9GM4koqKVvQMHYNYohulZ5fhiRSsnw7wkqs-Yz8IXO0RidHOjLonGc/s1600/girl+by+ocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpL-R9tIQ8ljhUqvdko4LSDUwc_4DOwosuHDAgPu86DS1DWekIyhyphenhyphenBf6opqRCHh6N4FAeeDxvLnKDxCo9XmBxS9GM4koqKVvQMHYNYohulZ5fhiRSsnw7wkqs-Yz8IXO0RidHOjLonGc/s1600/girl+by+ocean.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Then,
one evening, I came across a website that had an article titled “The 10 Most
Compelling Subplots on Your Facebook Newsfeed.” The author (who has a penchant
for scribbling bitingly sarcastic articles) listed different
types of individuals who grate his nerves on Facebook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> There
were plenty. And according to this author (let’s call him Sir Derisive), “the
blogger” is one of ‘em. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Why?
Because the blogger will annoyingly beg, borrow, and steal “likes” on social
media. He or she will desperately fawn for approval and coerce others to check out the blog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Sir
Derisive’s complaint against a blogger’s over-promoting on Facebook didn’t
bother me. In fact, I readily plead guilty for scooping a “thumbs up” from
Facebook friends like some tyrannical octopus with ravenous suctioning cups. I
can over-promote to the point of “Goodness, can we just take this blogger and
throw her into a pit full of snakes and scorpions already?” annoyance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> So,
yes, I understand the author’s frustration with bloggers on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> account. Social media is the way to
promote these days, and some of us (me!) take merciless advantage of it. Thus,
I accept this criticism with a humbled heart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Yet,
what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> irk me about Sir Derisive’s commentary
was his description of the blog as a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“personal
narcissism amplifier.”</b></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Before
I continue with my tirade, allow me to admit that yes, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am</i> generally a sensitive person. While others bloggers brushed off
Sir Derisive’s line with enviable nonchalance, I became offended. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> I
voiced my disapproval of this line in the comment section. I explained why this
generalization annoyed me and why many blogs are NOT “narcissism amplifiers.” My
comment received several thumbs down. Furthermore, a commentator by the name of
“Tiffany” claimed that “maybe I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> a
bit of narcissist” because I only defended “the blogger” (and not the other
types of individuals that Sir Derisive mocked).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Hold up Tiffany. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><em>I’m
a narcissist?</em> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> This
comment caused my already
self-conscious mind to fire negative thoughts about myself at a rate of 95 mph. The fact
that all I could think about for the next day was whether or not I’m a
narcissist proves that I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am </i>one!
Right? I mean, why else would I be so worried about what “Tiffany” and other
anonymous commentors of me? I <em>must</em> be the descendent of Narcissus himself; basking in
the glory of his perfect visage! (See just how cruel my mind can be to me?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj581bZ1nGVxQvDFEujGaL3juDL4ONJJOd_1eaQzW8Q5kl5gTdj0Oh__gAkUEp00J5ns_F2cf_HxHECXQbjfDN60PTb0k9XG0yrDn_VNcygLVRx1EHOwUhCzO5-JWwGUkTpiaKuBccKxg0/s1600/Funny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj581bZ1nGVxQvDFEujGaL3juDL4ONJJOd_1eaQzW8Q5kl5gTdj0Oh__gAkUEp00J5ns_F2cf_HxHECXQbjfDN60PTb0k9XG0yrDn_VNcygLVRx1EHOwUhCzO5-JWwGUkTpiaKuBccKxg0/s1600/Funny.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Eventually,
I gave my brain cells a well-deserved slap for believing the opinions of “Tiffany”
(and her accomplices: “Kevin,” “Peoplegetoffendedsoeasily,” and “James Bond
700”).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> For
all I know this “Tiffany” could be the stereotypical grump, typing a rebuttal with
oily fingers while reeking of whisky and the desperate need of a shower. Or
Tiffany could be Sir Derisive’s loyal girlfriend; quick to defend her man and
remaining pleasantly in denial of his consistently mocking tone. In which case, I
wish you lots of luck sweetie. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But,
back to the original point, are blogs truly a “personal narcissism amplifier”?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Nah.
They aren’t. Although they may have the potential to become that, many of the
blogs I come across contain are still things of beauty. I admire how my fellow Jewish
observant bloggers share their opinions on an array of intelligent, creative
subjects. They are open to hearing other people’s opinions, creating forums of
passionate discussion, and inspiring others to share their stories. The
blogosphere has united (albeit electronically) individuals with similar
interests and niches. Pray, tell me, what’s narcissistic about that? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> In
addition, when we curl ourselves up into the confining “daily grind monotony”
box, it’s ridiculously easy to tune out what our heart truly desires. We rise in
the morning, work to pay the rent, pick up the dinner, the credit card bill, and
blabbity bloop bla...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZDkuzcSwWni969VtJCaltMABQTcda1oWmqK9PHz9tDBm1CfwUhRJpZNHRdqWhYUq1waJLAVYvYuSzEXOeiKYlDhLFQvu3J337v49izqL0q-HDGXZ24phV7P7m5HyopQvP-llIQsJCQc/s1600/J.crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZDkuzcSwWni969VtJCaltMABQTcda1oWmqK9PHz9tDBm1CfwUhRJpZNHRdqWhYUq1waJLAVYvYuSzEXOeiKYlDhLFQvu3J337v49izqL0q-HDGXZ24phV7P7m5HyopQvP-llIQsJCQc/s1600/J.crew.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of us don’t have the connections or funds
that will allow us the luxury of living the life of creativity we crave. Hence,
the exhausted-to-death subject: pursuing your dreams vs pursuing a “practical”
job. Many of the glamorous visions that we nursed as children have faded into
oblivion because “practicality” won the debate. I can say that my love for art
has already been perched atop a death bed. I already dismissed that drive and
talent in favor of scoring A’s in high school. Was the sacrifice worth it? I’m
still not so sure. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIrTeBU0PsRj4EdRif2U4cAg2s2ae4vn6mnlW0Vu5uyTLqyym9EThUV5Qm-YGk-4x80gOBx7-Yzvmw38eQBTIILkGiiPeaZZRBsd0PfDZhC0uBzxQsXeG9CTBOtR2gncLxNwqeB7Y8BU/s1600/Girl+with+guitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJIrTeBU0PsRj4EdRif2U4cAg2s2ae4vn6mnlW0Vu5uyTLqyym9EThUV5Qm-YGk-4x80gOBx7-Yzvmw38eQBTIILkGiiPeaZZRBsd0PfDZhC0uBzxQsXeG9CTBOtR2gncLxNwqeB7Y8BU/s1600/Girl+with+guitar.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> In a
world that garners billions of people, it’s possible to feel that we’re melting
into puffs of vapor and restless invisibility. Blogs are simply a 21<sup>st</sup>
century invention to help contend that invisibility and celebrate the creative
potential in each one of us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> So,
on that final note, I am taking the “personal narcissism amplifier” quip and
flushing it down the internet toilet, where it can make itself a happy home in the
piles of rotting cyber sewage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Blog on my blogging pals! Blog on!</span></div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-44970359392086365232013-05-27T21:25:00.000-07:002013-08-07T18:57:58.356-07:00<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">“I Think When You’re Young You Should be a Lot with Yourself and Your Sufferings….”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxsdRGqLLu4SinbLHaZSR5yuapOrHOps_gyo12bxIdeiFUjYn9C20F2XX7ellcSNJ_TF_QdyuOdv7mrurOSxLvWVojuvScUATJKldpsFyd4d25p4kd5oC2x0u1YG0mQblH2nc2zV5DTs/s1600/s+2+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxsdRGqLLu4SinbLHaZSR5yuapOrHOps_gyo12bxIdeiFUjYn9C20F2XX7ellcSNJ_TF_QdyuOdv7mrurOSxLvWVojuvScUATJKldpsFyd4d25p4kd5oC2x0u1YG0mQblH2nc2zV5DTs/s1600/s+2+cover.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I never outgrew my girlish adolescent habit of sticking overtly sentimental quotes on bedroom walls. My collection is still there, hanging loud and proud, cramped between photos of Lucille Ball and Bette Davis. One of the quotes that I printed out says:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">“I think when you’re young you should be a lot with yourself and your sufferings. Then one day you get out where the sun shines and the rain rains and the snow snows and it all comes together.”</span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFuQI72EvJ0AYAgpfPwXpbfCeUZygpm94lxB0guE0nGzI44k43a90kNwalQx8Omq2p7qUG2NUxKX6DAd_Q8Bs3JhmvoSEfOicc3QULQm0vJsyU5jlRhej4hMo5wNdmjWEA12-wp5AONY/s1600/Diana+vreeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFuQI72EvJ0AYAgpfPwXpbfCeUZygpm94lxB0guE0nGzI44k43a90kNwalQx8Omq2p7qUG2NUxKX6DAd_Q8Bs3JhmvoSEfOicc3QULQm0vJsyU5jlRhej4hMo5wNdmjWEA12-wp5AONY/s1600/Diana+vreeland.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">–</span></b><span style="color: #632423; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) Editor at fashion magazines, <em>Harper's Bazaar</em> and <em>Vogue</em>. My personal heroine.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> This quote instantly resonated. It was a relief to discover a viewpoint that contradicts the societal assumption that youth is merely an exhaustive string of booze fests, promiscuous nights, and general blitheness. I craved to know<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even </i>if my existence failed to measure up to secular depictions of a 20-something woman—with a doting lover on one side and a white-hot career on the other—then I would still be alright. I ached to realize that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even</i> if I didn’t meet my community’s standards for the 20-something woman—baking quiches for her in-laws’ arrival and wiping the last traces of ice cream from her toddler’s lips—then I would still be alright. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlj23W6KFdPOr-uyJjowi-F6lDVBrn1LHrx2uY8BtGGA46VNb3TPSDTostmEIlMQpK87c_So_Mv_ADrZzJK3IJCFk9Z3_KTpruij4XVvpKNUiq2lPaUtEjA5rUcQwXTxsu3K4C-z5YuE/s1600/Adar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlj23W6KFdPOr-uyJjowi-F6lDVBrn1LHrx2uY8BtGGA46VNb3TPSDTostmEIlMQpK87c_So_Mv_ADrZzJK3IJCFk9Z3_KTpruij4XVvpKNUiq2lPaUtEjA5rUcQwXTxsu3K4C-z5YuE/s400/Adar.jpg" width="298" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYKqsZr0PPPmNbyE3NFaEPYAOjCIDc6hOI6itbLDFm6b9QD7fsknhDFngYUgvkw_HTTqBLRQvgbDRtl18tA7iu2D-YHyhVRdPrJJJpY44-18QBe3j0cCJEsDAj72OvBISZzIhW_ldMjY/s1600/mommy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYKqsZr0PPPmNbyE3NFaEPYAOjCIDc6hOI6itbLDFm6b9QD7fsknhDFngYUgvkw_HTTqBLRQvgbDRtl18tA7iu2D-YHyhVRdPrJJJpY44-18QBe3j0cCJEsDAj72OvBISZzIhW_ldMjY/s400/mommy.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Expectation of 20-something female # 1 Expectation of 20-something female #2</span></strong> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I was, as they say, “a mess of a gorgeous chaos” at the time when I came across Diana Vreeland’s words. I desperately needed reassurance that my young years weren’t fleeing me, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if</i> they were, then I still needn’t panic. Sunshine would eventually pour across my shoulders and penetrate into my tired heart…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> The problem was, however, that I was using Vreeland’s maxim as an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">excuse</i> for staying in the rut I was in. Whenever I lurched into the whirlpool of 20-something angst, I quickly aped Vreeland’s words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unemployment? Identity confusion? Alienation? Singledom? No problem! I was young and going to anticipate the day when “the sun shines and the rain rains and snow snows and it all comes together.” Until that moment, I would be with myself and my sufferings.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Silly me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Silly, silly me. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I did not truly comprehend this quote until the monotonous melody that was my life exploded into a rapturous string quartet of opportunity and joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, there was a deluge of excitement. My palms were thrust towards heaven, quickly becoming drenched in blessing. I was offered a stable occupation. It’s not in the journalism field, but at least it pays (which is not a small feat considering the amount of thankless internships I had to vie for up until now). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also found myself in a relationship with a man who was exceptionally kindhearted and sank a thousand and one ships with his dimpled smile. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1_XDOr-zm1WBp8RzWHKPhhoCvqctrkDdtD_ZR7Vlek0qBKJ13I5hxYPXvBMH0SonSbr6IS5pEswyJnsK-X7RRzOxMqhVgDMqVxsv2STHYb-CcN158VGTAuTPh8e6eXOh_Zb4e6AI-t0/s1600/laughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1_XDOr-zm1WBp8RzWHKPhhoCvqctrkDdtD_ZR7Vlek0qBKJ13I5hxYPXvBMH0SonSbr6IS5pEswyJnsK-X7RRzOxMqhVgDMqVxsv2STHYb-CcN158VGTAuTPh8e6eXOh_Zb4e6AI-t0/s1600/laughter.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> There were days (during this content interval) when I glanced at Vreeland’s quote, its paper crumbling on the upper right hand of my cork board, and shot it a self-satisfied <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>smirk. “This ‘suffering’ is finally over! Don’t you see? Youth doesn’t have to be synonymous with angst!” I trilled as I dressed for work and glanced at a sweet text from Mr. New Beau. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Days passed. Dates passed. My parents (due to complex reasons) demanded that I quit meeting this man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, aside from my parents’ overwhelming reproach, there were other brambles that grew and prevented the garden of love to flourish between us. With the grim closing of a car door and a sick-at-heart nod (no goodbye hugs for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shomer</i> observant), the relationship ended. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVznC92S1m8xVVXKcT90UgMNe_5uX_GSMAW16edSY_rVvsyNdu3opj0fadg0Td-SvsxSLXW6svbJ2eAipl5QGsshn1CmED-9-SQ3nMmd4NPFhro9sGlyDt-qc_AL2oYZ-GMihI7C1T9lk/s1600/date.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVznC92S1m8xVVXKcT90UgMNe_5uX_GSMAW16edSY_rVvsyNdu3opj0fadg0Td-SvsxSLXW6svbJ2eAipl5QGsshn1CmED-9-SQ3nMmd4NPFhro9sGlyDt-qc_AL2oYZ-GMihI7C1T9lk/s1600/date.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I watched in horror as I morphed into a post-breakup cliché. I steadily made my way through three packages of gummy worms; ripping off their heads in anger and then chewing them slowly in grief. I had Kelly Clarkson lyrics on repeat and jacked up the volume to 100. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> My work also grew to be ho-hum, humdrum. I was faced with a “do I laugh or cry?” scenario after spending two hours making one “perfect” photocopy to please my stickler of a boss. The machine was staunchly refusing to cooperate with me, and in the end, nobody used this precious, sweat stained photocopy…so I chose to cry. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> What have these past few months taught me? I finally realized that there is a sacred quality to my “first world problems” and to a deeper sense of suffering in general. I saw that there can be beauty in decayed love, as it can arouse an awareness that a soulmate’s duty is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> to complete you. I understood that I should try to complete <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">myself </i>without the vow of flirtatious winks, heart-shaped balloons, and Godiva truffles.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlucteYwvkPWtfvxAqt9whKrMKximJHTXw4llOb0IZ9nR5D4Hv865K9ImBXuZouclq_m05W6yM1Zw8pjr5zHvOc4B2mO9HkO6XIPDgV4YJlWOuLLfVV6iVgfrz4WqRhc0ssPX69B3uLIE/s1600/youthful+angst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlucteYwvkPWtfvxAqt9whKrMKximJHTXw4llOb0IZ9nR5D4Hv865K9ImBXuZouclq_m05W6yM1Zw8pjr5zHvOc4B2mO9HkO6XIPDgV4YJlWOuLLfVV6iVgfrz4WqRhc0ssPX69B3uLIE/s640/youthful+angst.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> I must remind myself of this frequently, as I have a tendency to press pause on my life until marriage. I often find myself saying “I will end foul habit X, pretentious quirk Y, and cruel tick Z<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> after</i> the Orthodox equivalent of Mr. Darcy arrives.” But, this is the proverbial recipe for heartache:</span> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Yes, love is transformative and enlightening and humbling and probably the most real thing</span> we can experience. It is responsible for a whole slew of miraculousness, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">but romantic love will not solve your problems</b>. The high you get from the newness of someone will eventually subside, as it always does, and you’ll be left even more raw than you were before, facing the brutal reality that the thing you were waiting for to fix everything didn’t. It’s for this reason that I believe we often see people undergoing self-transformations after breakups. Of course there are other reasons for these behaviors, but I do think that in many cases, it has to do with people realizing that nobody else is responsible for resolving their own issues.” –Brianna West, Thought Catalog</span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> There <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">isn’t a surefire way to flee from our soul’s tugging whispers. I don’t believe it exists. I used to think that suffering was only meant to be experienced passively. It was an ugly, dank, roach-infested tunnel in where we could only sit and wring our hands. It was a way to serve prison time until G-d threw in the bail. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> But, no, I’ve learned that suffering is meant to lead to an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">active experience</i>. If we allow it to, then it can kindle a fire. It can propel inner growth and pave the way for a glorious future. The only way we can allow the sun, rain, and snow to "come together" is if we use pain as an impetus.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbZ11wevDJwEjj-8dIuYcRCgc8hFDy08TjKdeCs4rqi_UBSAUfWY_vCQs-bJEH0PoaeZ-uibWwFHfPtpIA2hURBV04-2gv5sh2PkYaNH_WKdJaevXWjiCA0vHHHU0edAGT_olCUdV1Jo/s1600/S+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbZ11wevDJwEjj-8dIuYcRCgc8hFDy08TjKdeCs4rqi_UBSAUfWY_vCQs-bJEH0PoaeZ-uibWwFHfPtpIA2hURBV04-2gv5sh2PkYaNH_WKdJaevXWjiCA0vHHHU0edAGT_olCUdV1Jo/s1600/S+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> So, my dear Diana Vreeland, I think I know what you mean now. Draped in Chanel silk and pearls (do they even have that in heaven? I hope so!), you must’ve scheduled an appointment with G-d and said to Him: “You see, there’s this 23 year old girl named The Beckster, and she has my quote pinned onto her wall. You know, the one about youth, suffering, sun, rain, and bla bla bla? Well, she’s clearly missing the whole point of it. G-d, please tell her what I meant when I said that.” </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">And so He did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-77252255589326226762013-05-01T15:52:00.001-07:002013-05-01T20:22:26.126-07:00<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><strong><span style="color: #660000;">C</span><span style="color: #cc0000;">a</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #e06666;">l</span><span style="color: #ea9999;">l</span><span style="color: orange;">i</span><span style="color: #e69138;">n</span><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">g</span>
All <span style="color: #073763;">M</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">a</span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">k</span><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">e</span><span style="color: #20124d;">u</span><span style="color: #674ea7;">p</span> Geeks</span></strong></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<img alt="" class="image pinImage" src="http://media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/736x/2e/4e/06/2e4e06308587e51d5af8ae1c1b589b51.jpg" style="height: 700px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 40px 0px; width: 456px;" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> While <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wear Your Invisible Crown</i> may be an
online Mecca for modest fashion posts—or so we humbly hope—it has not dipped
its toes in the pool of skincare and makeup. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This is
quite ironic, as I used to be a makeup hoarder. If a community like M.A.A (Makeup
Addicts Anonymous) existed, then I would've be a supporting member. I would have proudly burst into M.A.As with my M.A.Cs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet,
after a couple of years, this fixation with eyeliners, lipsticks, and powders
dissipated and paved the way for an interest in sartorial style. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> As the
editor of this blog, however, I <em>still</em> wanted to have makeup articles for all XX
chromosome readers (or XY chromosome readers who find the female universe—brimming
with frills, lace, and nail polish—laughably ridiculous and bewildering).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> This
explains why when I met Talia Silver, from <strong>Silver Linings Makeup Artistry</strong>, I grew
excited. Talia is a talented makeup artist whose work on clients appears to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">both</i> natural and luscious. Neither
over-the-top nor too minimal, Talia’s artistry strikes the proverbial “just
right” balance. (Check out photos of her work on her Facebook page!) </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfRyoJpWUIVb-J6kmYVAr-Eebh8hwzqIqwEHAEFIchGt3IWSEqPCNPl_FbfATJ7QPPnkZRtCat-WL9zeQ113sshOi-z0-WoG9RDsOHyaF-bCb-GJ1zDEww0HBW29lF_NOkQvA6KrVRRY/s1600/Makeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfRyoJpWUIVb-J6kmYVAr-Eebh8hwzqIqwEHAEFIchGt3IWSEqPCNPl_FbfATJ7QPPnkZRtCat-WL9zeQ113sshOi-z0-WoG9RDsOHyaF-bCb-GJ1zDEww0HBW29lF_NOkQvA6KrVRRY/s640/Makeup.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Talia Silver applying makeup on a client</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> We are
delighted to have Talia Silver on board as the official Skincare and Makeup
contributor. Take a look at her first post below offering excellent advice on
"How to Protect and Nourish your Skin; Part 1."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a name='more'></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: #d5a6bd;"><strong>How to</strong> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Protect and Nourish your Skin; Part 1</b></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 1em 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 200%;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=ggMvGotbJyMAYM&tbnid=JR8Sorz48ex7qM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdailypix.me%2Fbeauty%2F15-simple-tips-for-clear-skin&ei=nJeBUaPOC--_0QG-ooDoBg&bvm=bv.45921128,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNHyvC1G-MOVJ50FPpjghZnE5htgEw&ust=1367533835371075" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://dsjvpv76ko1eo.cloudfront.net/uimg/2d372cc44e2728f7effd53a3737c1bb7.600x" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="491" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Everyone
wants great skin, but unfortunately, not everyone has an easy</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> time getting great
skin. There are many different problems that can affect us from dryness to
oiliness to sensitivity, breakouts and all kinds of skin conditions. The good
news? While we do not have total control over what our skin has in store, we
can do our best to keep it in good condition. Even slight changes can make big
differences over time. So what should be my skincare routine?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: #cc0000;">In
the Morning:</span></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wash your face with a cleanser. This will
freshen your skin for the day and get rid of the oils produced overnight. You
may then choose to follow with a toner. (preferably alcohol-free). Toners
remove dead skin cells, promote skin cell regeneration, remove anything left
over from washing and tighten your pores. Follow with an oil-free moisturizer
and let it sink in a couple minutes before applying your makeup. Please do your
best to get some SPF onto your face whether in your moisturizer, primer,
foundation or in a facial sunscreen, especially if you plan on spending a lot
of time outside during the day. But let's leave my rant about sun damage for
another time!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=3sQmteK0VXZOsM&tbnid=PCJnND0TVsQxwM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbecoming-beautiful.com%2F2011%2F08%2Freview-cliniques-3-step-routine%2F&ei=JpiBUfnXKq-70AGM9YCwBw&bvm=bv.45921128,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNHwUkr-XTYWzo6x62yoFyIU3_Rarg&ust=1367533984639158" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://becoming-beautiful.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/clinique02.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="590" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6; color: #20124d;">At
Night:</span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wash your face with a cleanser, making sure to
remove all dirt and makeup from the day. Use a makeup remover on a cotton pad
for any leftover eye makeup. You can then choose to use a toner. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> If you have particular spots you want to treat,
you can use a salicylic acid spot treatment - but be careful because they tend
to be drying. I like to use these at night over my moisturizer. Sometimes I dab
on some tea tree oil instead (you can buy the extract from a health food store
- beware the smell.)</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=NCTYIigP6XoscM&tbnid=7DUrXO21-iHR_M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FSpring-Valley-Pharmaceutical-Grade-Tea-Tree-Oil-2-fl-oz%2F10316901&ei=TZeBUcuJEoyC0QGkx4CoAw&bvm=bv.45921128,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNGeP1L3xIAcVxW0DipLNQdqe6WKpQ&ust=1367533768410714" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/60/53/88/81/0060538881745_500X500.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="393" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> If you feel like you need help with the texture or surface of your
skin, have a lot of blackheads or clogged pores, I would recommend a facial or
two between now and a special event. Facials do leave you red for a few days
after so I would suggest testing one out soon if you have never had one before
and book one no later than a week before your event day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="background-color: #d9ead3; color: #274e13;">That's all for now - all my love - Talia of
Silver Lining Makeup Artistry.</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>About Talia Silver:</strong> I live in Toronto, Canada and I am an artist turned makeup artist, with a scientific edge. From the beginning of high
school I have grown as an artist, working with all kinds of mediums, and done
projects from full scale wall murals to costume design and stage makeup. While
in seminary I received a full scholarship for GLOW academy beauty school in
Toronto and when I returned I went to get my certification in makeup
artistry (specializing in bridal makeup and airbrushing). Since, I have done
projects for <em>Miss Teen Canada World</em>, <em>Fashion Style</em>, <em>Hamilton's Theatrical
Supply</em>, and showcased at the IMATS (International Makeup Artists Trade Show).
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="369" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/480679_561238970573282_1412332812_n.jpg" style="height: 369px; width: 391px;" width="391" /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 12pt 0in 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Right now, I mostly freelance doing bridal and event makeup. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On my other side, I am fascinated by
science and I am working on my BSc in biology from York University in Toronto.
My hopes are to one day get my masters degree in Cosmetic Science, combining my
two passions. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Feel free to check out my work and
Facebook page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TaliaSilverMakeupArtist" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">www.facebook.com/TaliaSilverMakeupArtist</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I hope to continue to update you on
makeup trends with blogs and tutorials. If you have any questions, or topics
you would like addressed, then please ask! </span></span><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="350" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/574769_463123570384823_1756632428_n.jpg" style="height: 350px; width: 500px;" width="500" /></div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-32365714115880217682013-04-18T15:24:00.002-07:002013-08-27T12:55:03.877-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Algerian; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">BOOK REVIEW</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mRNt3-oLOG-UT08I83MntlGvw-Fup1GfGU9tcJ_IzBFYIjiZMUuW0igQ8c7kGs9EieYG42Lu56iR9ePsgCDgSpGVw1FJ8BMcgyMqzWxIH-rangnIgg1noB8WSNIth0zeCM2VkHYlXnQ/s1600/girl+reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2mRNt3-oLOG-UT08I83MntlGvw-Fup1GfGU9tcJ_IzBFYIjiZMUuW0igQ8c7kGs9EieYG42Lu56iR9ePsgCDgSpGVw1FJ8BMcgyMqzWxIH-rangnIgg1noB8WSNIth0zeCM2VkHYlXnQ/s320/girl+reading.jpg" width="260" /></a><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=gZtIzJB_EKZIjM&tbnid=cwnC1ehsI_d7RM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.antiques.com%2Fclassified%2FArt--paintings--prints--frames-%2FFigures---Portraits%2F19th-C-Artist-Adolphe-Piot-Young-Girl-Reading-A-Book-Excellent-Condition&ei=j2OWUam1O5W54APr3oDYAQ&bvm=bv.46751780,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNE4ej0-jwSPnX_5YlkoFoSnfkw14w&ust=1368896764477155" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="320" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.antiques.com/vendor_item_images/ori_903-14456-TL133-19th-C-Artist-Adolphe-Piot-Young-Girl-Reading-A-Book-Excellent-Condition-http-www-equinoxantiques-com-inventory-TL133-lg.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="263" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Wear Your Invisible Crown” would hereby like
to reinstate the Book Review section. (Tada! Did that sound pompous enough?) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although we’ve covered Motion Picture and
Indie films in the past couple of months (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mona
Lisa Smile</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Giant Mechanical
Man</i>), we haven’t cracked open a book on our blog since October (when we
discussed Libba Bray’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beauty Pageants</i>.
Please click on the label below to read that column). The book that we are
featuring this month is the #1 New York Times Bestseller <strong>Little Bee</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
back cover of <em>Little Bee</em> proudly asserts “Once you have read this book, you’ll
want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what
happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I initially read this, I scoffed the
cynic’s scoff. Will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little Bee</i> really
be the kind of book that elicits Twi-hard mania in me? Will it be the type of
novel that is so emotionally acute that I’m suddenly inspired to start my own version
of Oprah’s Book Club? Will I blog about it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=afI2dfpjbu7KCM&tbnid=p_o4LudbafsQdM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bookhookedblog.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fbook-review-little-bee-by-chris-cleave.html&ei=JW9wUbyaKOXD4APEmoGQBQ&bvm=bv.45373924,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNHt507augYwMQkcl8V1g1Yhzw-DQg&ust=1366409370967603" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFzghtpbzC_Gj9iCYmPy64untlU4sAN4DNyGUs64nK-g_E02TmJ9DJu2RHtfXCOyO1FQPvyx3I-QoMDdQhG-eJ1OCphXhJasC_iqucMyDvojDYHcWkPxBYkXyHls14GtJrkv2jnNO2U4/s1600/4078927.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="264" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Yes,
yes, and yes. If Chris Cleave, the author of this novel, hires me as part of his
Publicity Staff, then he’ll see an astronomical rise in sales. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Okay,
maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I still declare my <em>Little Bee</em> fandom. Here’s
why: This book has made me a little less self-absorbed. It analyzes “the vicissitudes
of British Imperialism,” oil wars in Nigeria, and ethical decision-making through
the eyes of an African teenage girl called Little Bee and a British mother
named Sarah O’Rourke. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> These
two characters “meet on a lonely, African beach and become inextricably bound through
the horror imprinted on their encounter.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Little Bee’s narration is what bolsters the heart-wrenching influence of
this novel. Her tone is a unique blend of pure naïveté and pitiful world
weariness. In spite of the exhaustive suffering she experiences in both England
and Africa, she is still surprisingly hilarious. Her narration (which fills
half of the book) is a joy to read. (Below is a photo of author Chris Cleave).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6zh6yHkZA8UEBiliujwZW3W3w6Ty1Zt2HSHAms5yiV7UivDzpSDqfeVDcOE4pgHUqJkKkmyfJ60OvxBNjy_50nS0wvMEpjGiLZein_p6ejYI8e-J3Ni8ZiXqWU9DqQpyA7IL0jTiXMrA/s1600/Chris+Cleave+Aschehoug-bilde.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="262" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
other half of the story is told by Sarah O’Rourke. Sarah is a suburban woman with a 4 year old son who is (perhaps clinically) obsessed with Batman. She
also has a tendency to be insipid and vain. Yet readers warm up to Sarah when
they discover her complex spousal relationship and monumental sacrifice. The
juxtaposition of ruthless African murderers with freshly mowed lawns in Surrey,
England is both deeply odd and intriguing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">In summation,
this is how <em>Little Bee</em> affected me:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1) It caused me to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finally</i> understand why Angelina Jolie is fiercely dedicated to
rebuilding Africa. An American mother’s age-old refrain of “eat your string
beans because the children in Africa are starving” has never been more credible
to me. For the majority of my life, I’ve shielded myself from war-laden,
politically complex, anguishing world news. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is clearly a half blessing/half curse
situation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=n-VB4SodEMLl2M&tbnid=cC-OE7-FlQnVsM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffuzeus.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F06%2F14%2Fcelebrities-volunteering-and-giving-back-angelina-jolie-7%2F&ei=j29wUdHlCIfC4AOvt4G4CA&bvm=bv.45373924,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNE_HgHz8KHZas4hix95FiPmKBikCg&ust=1366409482418209" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://fuzeus.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/angelina-jolie-dailynewschannels-com_.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="393" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Luckily
though, <em>Little Bee</em> poured chilled-to-the-bone water over my third-world
ignorance. The book is tinged with ugly, ugly violence. I will not lie. But, in
my opinion, a novel’s power to alter a reader’s life stems from veracity and
commitment to truth. This book would have little to no effect on me if I did
not know about Nigeria's sadistic circumstances. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">2) As
sappy as this may sound, the novel shows that humans are capable of developing
<em>formidable</em> inner strength. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">"Take
it from me," Little Bee says at the outset, "a scar does not form on
the dying. A scar means, <i>I survived</i>."</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Readers, true to the prophecy printed on the back of this novel,
I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">urge</i> you to hit up Amazon or head
to the local library for <em>Little Bee</em>. I’m actually on the way to the Brooklyn
Public Library right now. Someone has put a hold on the book for the past two
weeks, while I’ve been stubbornly hoarding it. Definitely racked up a bill by
now! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
(Caution: There is a bit of foul language in the book). </span><br />
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-49861041484178566222013-04-16T10:39:00.001-07:002013-05-19T09:48:57.443-07:00<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The Never-Disappointing O.P. and Her
Spring Style</span></span></b></div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/550x/14/bd/df/14bddfde967215e7a5549faf9de6ce58.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> In
the Jewish Girl World, socialite <strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75;">Olivia Palermo</span></strong> is heralded as the fashion
equivalent of Harry Houdini. She’s got more style tricks up her sleeve than the
rest of us. Olivia is admired for her refined yet contemporary aesthetic, and for
her feminine dresses laced with edgy urbanity. Above all, she makes modesty
look like the crème de la crème of all styles; highly creative but
unpretentious. Do you remember when we featured Ms. Palermo in October’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">Style Icon</span> </b>column? (If not, then please
click on the Olivia Palermo label below this post!) Although we already covered
this socialite’s fashion sense, we would like to reintroduce it in light of the
glorious spring season! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqpzNRLctZN6Ao2MjXkny3TJDB80EJl3JDOpDrstwGhyphenhyphenjf3lZfH2-jHcbF1Kp1Opx1YUEYPDRlLwzdsRMZjPuuuw226NiF5AZica0dgXAZv0jXQqabwFJxRfQdfACgPpuAnN2Pk3RQP0/s1600/OP+Maxi+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqpzNRLctZN6Ao2MjXkny3TJDB80EJl3JDOpDrstwGhyphenhyphenjf3lZfH2-jHcbF1Kp1Opx1YUEYPDRlLwzdsRMZjPuuuw226NiF5AZica0dgXAZv0jXQqabwFJxRfQdfACgPpuAnN2Pk3RQP0/s1600/OP+Maxi+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong>Take
a look below and see how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this </i>style
icon brings casual elegance to the warmer months.</strong></span></div>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong><a name='more'></a></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 24pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Opposites Attract, Baby</span> </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">If
you’re a loyal reader of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wear Your
Invisible Crown</i> (thank you by the way!), then you already know that we have
a full-blown crush on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;">clashing prints</span></b>.
Olivia Palermo shares our fixation too! Clashing prints is instantly
fashion-forward and allows you to remix your clothing easily. Two perks for the
price of one. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong><span style="color: black;">The
ubiquitous rule for mixed prints:</span></strong> they should share a similar color palette but
vary in size</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj6VoWgyiUBxX6yc9274CCHgSeRP_o-JRAwYaXOPwb9ybDgRdleBVZiToXnDr94frTO-8M6-BCUjFTG7TNfnFsKGpNxUYhj2-XFBaZ2N1TQihqavi_MHxPsYUtKt7bARrpvzR_h0bg5k/s1600/OP+print+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj6VoWgyiUBxX6yc9274CCHgSeRP_o-JRAwYaXOPwb9ybDgRdleBVZiToXnDr94frTO-8M6-BCUjFTG7TNfnFsKGpNxUYhj2-XFBaZ2N1TQihqavi_MHxPsYUtKt7bARrpvzR_h0bg5k/s400/OP+print+2.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8_Egky33M9rFavaKCTmoutUqV8IdvQxoGf7lrhRq9DAXV8FgYrKVgWU9PE21Zjf5typ10SVzwr1UIaXMsynEXDm_TX0SVyaEEWKU_MdLcDs8Doi9z2UCMbKryG1cCUaUZTEOuSXqsUE/s1600/OP+print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8_Egky33M9rFavaKCTmoutUqV8IdvQxoGf7lrhRq9DAXV8FgYrKVgWU9PE21Zjf5typ10SVzwr1UIaXMsynEXDm_TX0SVyaEEWKU_MdLcDs8Doi9z2UCMbKryG1cCUaUZTEOuSXqsUE/s400/OP+print.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. A leopard accessory (like Palermo's belt) is viewed as a neutral and can be worn with </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">many of your clothes. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.daily.newlook.com/">www.Daily.Newlook.com</a> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pairing <strong><span style="color: #e06666;">Stripes</span> </strong>with <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Florals</span></strong> "is both adorably kitschy <em>and</em> polished" says Lucky Mag.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 24pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #e06666;">To the Max<o:p></o:p></span></span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6-3tmdKocpja7IaexyumXvekF8jxWNI83BhERLY3PPoZ3f6t_AytvK8ftU647Yu1jeI9yDyVR2MnWt6YW3_ZkRbyUL0TWp_l6GD8qZ1MnA9FGYOT2VZMgO6q4IcpNJ1fVZfdORq6bY8/s1600/OP+maxi+skirt+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx6-3tmdKocpja7IaexyumXvekF8jxWNI83BhERLY3PPoZ3f6t_AytvK8ftU647Yu1jeI9yDyVR2MnWt6YW3_ZkRbyUL0TWp_l6GD8qZ1MnA9FGYOT2VZMgO6q4IcpNJ1fVZfdORq6bY8/s1600/OP+maxi+skirt+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Maxi
skirts are equal parts modest and trendy. They add a “no sweat” element to
summer dressing. Take a look at how Olivia translates the maxi skirt for work,
weekend, and a night on the town.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><u>WORK:</u></span></strong> Worn
with a <strong>crisp button down</strong> (tucked in/belted or knotted at the waist) and <span style="color: black;"><strong>ladylike</strong>
<strong>pumps</strong></span>, a maxi skirt is elevated to a professional level. This look is definitely
unique and has effortless panache.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgZAENm_BMPEU9F8tombutdNkXmTLmYZ4j5WK6A1WxHybGdEmSKjPC5umHpGnXoVSYzr7dyaiN1KH4qlAXFMx1J1AKjhcliDAC5WkoIZAuSqVXtDwlhd54hmZ2Q82BQII5qScy501Onw/s1600/op+maxi+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgZAENm_BMPEU9F8tombutdNkXmTLmYZ4j5WK6A1WxHybGdEmSKjPC5umHpGnXoVSYzr7dyaiN1KH4qlAXFMx1J1AKjhcliDAC5WkoIZAuSqVXtDwlhd54hmZ2Q82BQII5qScy501Onw/s400/op+maxi+6.jpg" width="258" /></a><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/77/b7/c5/77b7c513cb63fc62683ae24fb6ebece3.jpg" width="225" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong><span style="color: #a64d79;"><u>WEEKEND:</u></span></strong> These
images of Olivia conjure the romance and vibrancy of spring <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">perfectly</i>. When paired with a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">lightweight sweater</b> or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">silk blouse</b>, maxi skirts epitomize
breezy allure. Bonus points for a colorful, spring themed purse!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn56UFMcgZJ6V5SU43qC3lU1Fm4UcgtcH5DzEmkmMvC7iARZ_fiuQsrex-2l4vIppqvSYZVhO8QhG10K81kq2VB_gUqwKEIpfpE6X5Xt5QCd1WZiYSk-PNsv0FgcnSqRXHbv7gXGINjY/s1600/OP+Maxi+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn56UFMcgZJ6V5SU43qC3lU1Fm4UcgtcH5DzEmkmMvC7iARZ_fiuQsrex-2l4vIppqvSYZVhO8QhG10K81kq2VB_gUqwKEIpfpE6X5Xt5QCd1WZiYSk-PNsv0FgcnSqRXHbv7gXGINjY/s1600/OP+Maxi+5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><strong><u><span style="color: #674ea7;">NIGHT ON THE TOWN:</span></u></strong> No
girl wants to sweat it during a humid summer date night. Acquire the "maximum
out of your maxi," and wear <em>this</em> skirt for evening as well. A maxi skirt can
be elevated from casual to formal in a cinch by pairing it with the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">right accessories</b> (a special clutch)
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">shoes</b> (perhaps wedge sandals or
pumps). Palermo contrasts the feminine skirt with a bad- a$$ <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">motorcycle jacket</b>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlEOOiQxHpNDNPaVmxQD2T6APxFqdV7XgvbOHhqCW9bOKOFkqpWK2slaoobV3GuqR7uW1UgzOQbEW5RGf8vxxl-1OwqhyphenhyphenJox2627q5dPDh0zmYxuhnxA21VWIcHBFofNj6AwTZzspprc/s1600/OP+Maxi+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlEOOiQxHpNDNPaVmxQD2T6APxFqdV7XgvbOHhqCW9bOKOFkqpWK2slaoobV3GuqR7uW1UgzOQbEW5RGf8vxxl-1OwqhyphenhyphenJox2627q5dPDh0zmYxuhnxA21VWIcHBFofNj6AwTZzspprc/s400/OP+Maxi+1.jpg" width="266" /></a><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/09/b1/fe/09b1fed113557e3c5f6568de35fd02b6.jpg" /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 24pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #134f5c;">Office Cool</span> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">When
it comes to dressing for a summer job or internship, I am usually at loss. I tend
to stare at my closet with a slight sense of despondency. What outfit will fend
off sweat stains <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> </b>appear professional? Olivia Palermo seems to have the
answer.</span></div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/59/0b/e4/590be4704d136895371fe69c4f11ee0e.jpg" width="266" /><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/6a/00/53/6a00530532cb9c0772a53e368074465b.jpg" width="266" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q8iaHeSvZPc4iVaXtQW3ICZzv3kVWrvD7EUWY7QBUfYW00hZapk73kRlEgwue6PVwYtUgBBlfVxEYJtvJFNhGFS_26oey1FTm3hm7ygaelyN7ljQZRXyMbF_qWzhv-GumkhvCPN3OSs/s1600/op+work+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8q8iaHeSvZPc4iVaXtQW3ICZzv3kVWrvD7EUWY7QBUfYW00hZapk73kRlEgwue6PVwYtUgBBlfVxEYJtvJFNhGFS_26oey1FTm3hm7ygaelyN7ljQZRXyMbF_qWzhv-GumkhvCPN3OSs/s1600/op+work+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Notice how she opts for simple ensembles in
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">neutral palettes</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">relaxed fabrics</b>. Silk button downs,
flowy skirts, and cotton dresses seem to dominate her spring/summer wardrobe.
When she adds a necklace, belt, or heel she hits the corporate stride with
style.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 24pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">A Spring Affair</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">For
those of us who are looking for fashion inspo in terms of spring weddings and
summer soirees, we need not look further than Olivia’s exquisite taste. She either goes all-out 'feminine' (with lush floral patterns and delicate material) or she creatively adds a dose of edge by tossing on a blazer over a dress.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-WIaFsyNwGnMZXnZ_Ie1U8N3-yfvei__oo5cLOz9ktwAncjdB0lTtcJ2EdFgBcKPanehMphTssgv8ImlVluJ2XjRHPdXcSlR0q5vAPWJY4SpYj14kNWlttEIRxyqxWdhsgzLzvE6_zo/s1600/op+gown+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-WIaFsyNwGnMZXnZ_Ie1U8N3-yfvei__oo5cLOz9ktwAncjdB0lTtcJ2EdFgBcKPanehMphTssgv8ImlVluJ2XjRHPdXcSlR0q5vAPWJY4SpYj14kNWlttEIRxyqxWdhsgzLzvE6_zo/s1600/op+gown+3.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cGYEvBfnzzA-fGop1Lh_2827r7dUtWy2KzR1NEpPIMVPXKPhegf7CrgUINCddBDXGoPN7Uja4xfl_mMAzkbXqaLJSdiAUvP20CaDis0d6-7yozysL0WFyMB0CKBWFs1qtsTKCUBFkLk/s1600/OP+gown+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cGYEvBfnzzA-fGop1Lh_2827r7dUtWy2KzR1NEpPIMVPXKPhegf7CrgUINCddBDXGoPN7Uja4xfl_mMAzkbXqaLJSdiAUvP20CaDis0d6-7yozysL0WFyMB0CKBWFs1qtsTKCUBFkLk/s400/OP+gown+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> As mentioned in October’s Style Icon column, Olivia is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">addicted</i> to slouchy or tailored blazers. And why wouldn’t she be? They can easily add boyish nonchalance or masculine structure to the most dainty of dresses. This kind of ensemble is both undeniably cool <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>romantic.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEUp8ui4DirELy2hrOVLrqzMH3uTErzukAQjH1QQ98F-reyL_3FTN-BigLeEX1Wfe-6cnuS2DeaK3OSAp8HGssK2yMjNNWE9a7eRu2dtmyouvEwTATLX9iL6ZC3EYzyp_26o0U-DS3Zs/s1600/OP+blazer+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEUp8ui4DirELy2hrOVLrqzMH3uTErzukAQjH1QQ98F-reyL_3FTN-BigLeEX1Wfe-6cnuS2DeaK3OSAp8HGssK2yMjNNWE9a7eRu2dtmyouvEwTATLX9iL6ZC3EYzyp_26o0U-DS3Zs/s400/OP+blazer+2.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4X5ytQZZ-C-thOmlH3NoAYrSm86znJygHne021TmRSLh332uYAyxmj8PlmcsA8NjEwR7ABRXLHNIzpAta0Wbn_h91_VZGgu2zjpkErCVFDtmtliWqSZhQWz2_dEiMWpjQXcflFtsq56A/s1600/OP+blazer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4X5ytQZZ-C-thOmlH3NoAYrSm86znJygHne021TmRSLh332uYAyxmj8PlmcsA8NjEwR7ABRXLHNIzpAta0Wbn_h91_VZGgu2zjpkErCVFDtmtliWqSZhQWz2_dEiMWpjQXcflFtsq56A/s400/OP+blazer.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Olivia Palermo clearly has an enviable knack for mixing
prints, colors and textures to create trendy but polished looks. It’s no wonder
that we Orthodox women stalk this Upper East Side socialite and follow her
every voguish move. She consistently proves that modesty, comfort, and style
can merge in harmony. This spring, Olivia is our ultimate fashion muse. <strong>Will
she be yours? Let us know in the comments below!<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-51393256690264074812013-04-04T14:21:00.001-07:002013-05-19T09:56:08.153-07:00<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 26pt;"><span style="color: #990000;">What’s the Best Part
of Writing? <strong>Writing</strong>.</span> What’s the Worst Part of Writing? <strong>Writing</strong>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=fR2xbHg-Jd-QkM&tbnid=MjCcfHRl60MwaM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcommons.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%253ABrowne%2C_Henriette_-_A_Girl_Writing%253B_The_Pet_Goldfinch_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg&ei=HWSWUbaAFer84APnq4CQAg&bvm=bv.46751780,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNFxZ_6KTa76jK_Kmnan3BFh5wcTJg&ust=1368896910877641" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Browne,_Henriette_-_A_Girl_Writing%3B_The_Pet_Goldfinch_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="501" /></a></div>
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Photo via <a href="http://www.thedailyfemme.com/">www.thedailyfemme.com</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> I
recently received a letter of critique from an acclaimed Jewish female n</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">ovelist.
I do not know her personally. My brother shares a mutual friend with this
author and when meeting her said “My sister is an aspiring writer, perhaps you
can take a peek at her writing samples and guide her a bit?” Thank you, dear
brother.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> I was
willing to send this writer (let’s call her Madame W) a few college thesis
papers to evaluate. Well-researched and analyzing Bronte, Faulkner, and Grimm’s
Fairy Tales, my college essays are certainly more refined and *ahem* grammatically
correct than my fashion-centric blog posts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Or so I hope. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Yet
unknown to me, Madame W had already glanced at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wear Your Invisible Crown</i> with the austere, Judge Judy-ish eyes of
a creative writing professor. Oy vey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a name='more'></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Her
e-mail was the first one I saw in the morning. My right pointer shakily clicked
on the tab, while my other hand clutched a coffee mug for much-needed soothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I opened the e-mail, my eyes frantically
jumped from terms like “writerly self-consciousness” to critiques like “misuse
of punctuation” and “language exuberance.” </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=OP3g9wV39SEpXM&tbnid=ec96Tg1S8oX9VM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmarilynburgess.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fwrite-a-letter%2F&ei=HGWWUc-9E87i4APkqIGQDA&bvm=bv.46751780,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNEd53LzLa6SGFgsVBhXOaDz4EO6iQ&ust=1368897129152668" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://marilynburgess.com/images/2010/03/images_mini-20x24-Young-girl-writing-a-letter.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="336" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Pitter. Patter. Thump. Thump.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> My
heart was having an energizing field day—and not the good kind. I took a sip of
my mucky instant coffee and breathed in deeply. I read the e-mail again. Okay,
Dilemma 1: “Writerly Self-Consciousness.” What the heck does that mean? Okay,
next—Dilemma 2: “Misuse of Punctuation.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Oh,
Grammar, how I hate thee. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> I
certainly realize that my punctuation can use polishing and honing. In fact,
I’m convinced that my current syntax is hate-fodder for Grammar Nazis worldwide.
What can I do to alleviate my spiteful relationship with semicolons, colons,
and G-d knows what else? I ought to pick up a “How To” grammar guide from the
library. Apparently, studying English Literature for three years hasn’t done
the job.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Dilemma
3: “Language Exuberance” Now, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i>
dilemma is one acrid pill that still needs to be swallowed. Supposedly, my
speech is a bit too florid and overdone. I tend to choose words like
“kaleidoscopic” instead of “colorful” and “don” instead of “wear.” </span></div>
<div align="center">
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=AUXQ4Iuhf-8k6M&tbnid=ryGZpzu9QX5NRM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwordslingergal.com%2F2013%2F02%2F07%2Fquick-news%2Flittle-girl-writing%2F&ei=m2SWUanyMfWg4AOs8IDwBg&bvm=bv.46751780,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNFxZ_6KTa76jK_Kmnan3BFh5wcTJg&ust=1368896910877641" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://wordslingergal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/little-girl-writing.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="397" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Can I
make a confession though? I can’t help it. It’s like I have this malady that
makes me cling on to posh and possibly pretentious-sounding vocabulary. I think
they call it “Fancy-word-culosis.” In fact, my love for the English language
(excluding its annoying grammatical rules of course) is what made me want to be
a writer. I love how words like “grandiloquent” and “myopic” sound on the tip
of my tongue. I swish these words around in my mouth like a cupful of
Listerine. Gurgling them and allowing them to cleanse my palate from the
vapidity of terms like “nice” and “thing” always feels good. But according to
Madame W, I should quit using this particular brand of mouthwash and switch to
a simpler, organic one. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> After
reading this e-mail—three, four, five times—I felt distinctly hollow. For the
rest of the day I was a languishing shell of a girl. What’s the use of writing?
I pouted over and over again. The only compensation is a barrage of criticism
from authors and editors. (Madame W, if you are reading this, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am</i> thankful for your critique although
it may not seem like it). </span></div>
<div align="center">
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=3QGOmEJiCF4YpM&tbnid=slkGKpO7cdtXEM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allthingswhisky.com%2F%3Fp%3D847&ei=eGSWUZjvNtOz4AP8hIG4Cw&bvm=bv.46751780,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNGyuiGvp26bYCgrT2w-wyJBfwBG2A&ust=1368896978935248" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRhTtweaIchhmbJGBYihXBxJoi7A3sP2CbmLEJ5L5XJsnLZcGcAMg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="590" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Madame
W signed off her e-mail with this line: “I expect that this is not what you
wanted to hear but welcome to the writer’s life. It’s a tortured profession.
Sometimes I wish I was better at math and science so that I wouldn’t have to
deal with the inherent hardships of being a writer.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Don’t
we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> feel that way Madame W?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Nevertheless
my fellow authors, artists, musicians, dancers, journalistic photographers, and
all other creative-bound hearts, we shall not fall into the accursed cage of
despair. Instead we will continue to work on our respective crafts with the
fiery determination of Van Gogh, J.K. Rowling, and Susan Boyle. Each one had to
contend with a hurdle of killjoys but eventually gazed at the crowd with
gloriously triumphant eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">P.S. Notice
the choice of words “accursed” and “gloriously.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">There
are some things I am not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">quite</i> ready
to give up on. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Sorry
Madame W. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-57215930630624537832013-03-18T11:41:00.002-07:002013-03-18T11:41:59.849-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Wear Your Invisible Crown</span></strong> will
be taking a blogging break until after Pesach. What’ll be after that? LOTS of posts
on Jewish Talent/Events, articles for the Jewish 20-something girl, and of
course Modest Fashion/Style. Stay tuned.</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="624" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/599108_10151269096606237_1130037716_n.jpg" style="height: 624px; width: 636px;" width="636" /></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Until then…happy cleaning and have an excellent Chag!</span></strong></span></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div align="center">
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-36085615991860918212013-03-11T15:42:00.000-07:002013-05-19T10:31:37.431-07:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>A Study in Contrast
Part 1:</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<strong></strong> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 28pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Skirts</span> + <span style="color: #0b5394;">Combat Boots</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
</div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 24pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>Or “How my Ex-Prof
Influenced my Style.”</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 24pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><img src="http://static.feber.se/article_images/26/70/28/267028.jpg" width="100%" /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Photo via Stockholm Street Style</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 28pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></o:p></span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"</span></b><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why
would you want coherence and harmony from youth? Youth is about mashing, breaking
and reassembling life to find new answers for your generation. That’s one of
the reasons youth moves fashion, they haven’t found their harmony yet, and I’m
thankful for that.” –</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.1pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scott Schuman, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Sartorialist</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Welcome to our NEW monthly column on <strong><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Wear Your Invisible Crown</span></strong>
called <strong><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“A Study in Contrasts.”</span></strong>
(Please click on the “Study in Contrasts” label below to view our introductory article).
This column will examine ensembles that may <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">seem
</i>atrocious-looking on paper, but in reality, exude pure intrigue. The ‘philosophy’
behind this column is that youngsters often turn to fashion to mirror their
befuddled identities and subconscious quirks, thus resulting in outfits that juxtapose
a variety of aesthetics and stylistic influences.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="IMG_9538.JPG" border="0" src="http://cdna.tid.al/dda1d806786e02a55f52805dc4dbc0e0b656ae11_600.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo via <a href="http://www.luckymag.com/">www.Luckymag.com</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> I personally have a tendency to pair oxfords or combat boots with
flared, floral skirts (hence Alexa Chung is one of my favorite style icons).
But seriously, if I can, then I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will </i>wear
this kind of ensemble. Overtime, I became addicted to mixing the masculine with
the feminine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> One morning in October, I
unexpectedly paused during my mad dash to college. I was in middle of tying my
laces, when the dancing light of an epiphany blazed over my weathered combat
boots. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The reason why I was drawn to masculine + feminine pairings was suddenly
revealed (albeit at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very </i>inconvenient
time of trying to catch the Q train). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This epiphany involved one of my ex-college professors. Let’s
call him Mr. K.I.A (which stands for “Know-It-All”) </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://images.thesartorialist.com/photos/62310longdress_5608Web.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 590px;" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo via <a href="http://www.thesartorialist.com/">www.TheSartorialist.com</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Mr. K.I.A harbored a slightly bizarre animosity towards me. He
would often croon the praises of the other girls' gutsiness and ambition, while
devaluing my effeminate nature and soft-spoken persona. He would dole out
approval to each girl, and then he would pause at me: "You, Rebecca, have
a dominating feminine side. You barely speak up in class. Your presence is as
weak as your voice." I simultaneously appreciated and despised this
critique. I realized he was correct, but I loathed that he mortified me in
front of the class. Still, I walked back to my house dwelling on this thought:
was my sheltered past and natural girlishness hindering my success?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnTgFDbvs26gN0S1oaDcebsEpJUTbi3nW8LO8XOAHJc-A81FoeBPT2manwnRhxAwHHBLsgC97GrG_veHpeYsy9tI1ND5Mzyh94QV7WSOPErfLPlb-epxwZosrnPq1oa5NEUET5jzBz3E/s1600/CB+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnTgFDbvs26gN0S1oaDcebsEpJUTbi3nW8LO8XOAHJc-A81FoeBPT2manwnRhxAwHHBLsgC97GrG_veHpeYsy9tI1ND5Mzyh94QV7WSOPErfLPlb-epxwZosrnPq1oa5NEUET5jzBz3E/s400/CB+3.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCIjhNvb6Ooop5zhZlp1gJOr97fC8qsw2JTc-QTiknWtJV5cFWplFmXuuDSM9Rv6XmTpbL53Ib74b_FywFaXxKOo3bAzatz7k8z9Al8qIuaFnORquN5jBgAKFiOUZGaNj0oRF24j5Cb4/s1600/cb+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCIjhNvb6Ooop5zhZlp1gJOr97fC8qsw2JTc-QTiknWtJV5cFWplFmXuuDSM9Rv6XmTpbL53Ib74b_FywFaXxKOo3bAzatz7k8z9Al8qIuaFnORquN5jBgAKFiOUZGaNj0oRF24j5Cb4/s400/cb+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/550x/ad/07/38/ad0738abffe039c30bdfb995d213ff1d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><div style="text-align: left;" unselectable="on">
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</a></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Soon after this incident, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unconsciously</i>
turned to clothing to become the symbolic torch of the “masculine” pluck I so
desperately craved for. The kind of pluck that my professor said I “needed.” As
an observant Jewish girl, I knew that I couldn’t rely on a pair of trousers or
ripped jeans to represent my newfound backbone. So, instead, I chose a pair of
beige <em>Steve Madden</em> combat boots. I would wear them with knee-length skirts in chiffon
material or floral prints. The dichotomy of manly shoes with womanly clothes,
in its uniquely sartorial way, embodied my personality.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiysUF4pTRE5mQleJp6LMkNuYuAbG5NwbOcC4ZwgHtZN_HyGvV1s6AAXd89zVaALnl8FOgMxE6eMwBEfz_vMzq4HfoAPxw_Gqr7QIjgj9YJWZZnW8Y2MTW2f6HRBk-9_76O_m3XV4lkUo/s1600/boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiysUF4pTRE5mQleJp6LMkNuYuAbG5NwbOcC4ZwgHtZN_HyGvV1s6AAXd89zVaALnl8FOgMxE6eMwBEfz_vMzq4HfoAPxw_Gqr7QIjgj9YJWZZnW8Y2MTW2f6HRBk-9_76O_m3XV4lkUo/s1600/boots.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> My combat boots also began to enliven the
inherent rawness and daring that were formerly smothered in uber-femininity. They
were my weapon in unleashing the delicious boldness brooding beneath my
otherwise satin-bowed, pink frilled self. In time I became increasingly
confident, voiced my opinions more frequently, and became resistant when others
chose not to take me seriously. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'Whatever happened to Professor
Know-it-All?' you may ask. When I encountered him again, I simply stamped on his criticisms with the sole of my ballsy
combat boot and watched his eyes flash with surprise. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYuoHSPBYnrw-AYiiu_yX9K6W0w5eT83weS4-0tZs0yUpIaqGm6hTIGZOLJ1db0zqhmlPLHCk27CrNZM2DxolwGU3nT6_aJ9lwoyq9W69c6lLnWSwEHu1T5dT7kqu74RLovBJo9yW6g0/s1600/cb+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYuoHSPBYnrw-AYiiu_yX9K6W0w5eT83weS4-0tZs0yUpIaqGm6hTIGZOLJ1db0zqhmlPLHCk27CrNZM2DxolwGU3nT6_aJ9lwoyq9W69c6lLnWSwEHu1T5dT7kqu74RLovBJo9yW6g0/s640/cb+2.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> So, there you have it my dear readers. This
intensifying truth became apparent to me as I was casually stringing my laces
on that October morning. I realized at that moment, more than ever, that </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“style is a simple way of saying
complicated things" (Jean Cocteau). </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Furthermore, fashion is not only a
visual portrayal of who we are, but also of the kind of person <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we would like to become</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My <em>Steve Madden</em>
combat boots are a loyal testimony to that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-4894923462745772402013-03-08T09:55:00.000-08:002013-05-19T10:45:42.859-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">Happy
Women’s Day Dear Readers!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElhkiAh3Min1XNVrpnaw3eCRn24rUihlCIY_lWwe3Rk8Y4WpTRxb79Bu-a0QVDkSMJEQFEUb-Z9Doinie1q9lcMsZRQ61bW_PgAL5xw0vkwRv5qDn1MPmyW-n8Xy_-yfE83K8_D7qnEo/s1600/women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElhkiAh3Min1XNVrpnaw3eCRn24rUihlCIY_lWwe3Rk8Y4WpTRxb79Bu-a0QVDkSMJEQFEUb-Z9Doinie1q9lcMsZRQ61bW_PgAL5xw0vkwRv5qDn1MPmyW-n8Xy_-yfE83K8_D7qnEo/s1600/women.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">-Wear
Your Invisible Crown</span></div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-62830673587884457852013-03-07T11:42:00.003-08:002013-05-19T11:09:25.982-07:00<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Andalus","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">Wear Your Invisible Crown’s
<span style="color: #c27ba0;">Spring 2013 Faves: </span></span></strong></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Andalus","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">Part II</span></strong></span></div>
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=vpWfq7qewX9b3M&tbnid=S9E49FmZjc-mcM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fabsugar.com%2FDries-Van-Noten-Spring-2013-Pictures-25168566&ei=0sc4UfrFO4qx0AGv6oF4&psig=AFQjCNFnHVO954MjX7D8mTquwsNIrYdzvg&ust=1362762058220779" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="550" id="irc_mi" src="http://media2.onsugar.com/files/2012/09/39/3/192/1922564/Dries-van-Noten-Spring-2013.xxxlarge/i/Dries-Van-Noten-Spring-2013-Pictures.jpg" style="margin-top: 5px;" width="550" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> In line with our recent post “A Study in Contrast,” we enthusiastically introduce <strong>Dries Van Noten’s Spring 2013</strong> collection. This collection married two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very </i>different stylistic genres—Kurt Cobain grunginess and frou-frou florals—in order to create unpredictable beauty. More than any other Spring 2013 collection, <strong>Dries Van Noten’s</strong> perfectly embodies “A Study in Contrast.” </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Belgian-born designer, known for his humility and innovation, generally thrives on idiosyncratic taste and style</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“that reroutes us from the ordinary.” This season he fashioned plaid, which is usually associated as boyish, into airy chiffon and taffeta. Van Noten continued to investigate “masculine + feminine” intrigue by pairing plaid with floral appliqué skirts. He also styled plaid skirts with leopard print clutches. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The more clashing there is, the more I like it!</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">” </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">said Van Noten.</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrk9O0s5l_RtsW1j-CIkIDoRLesAppLGNT4Mpy1gZE7tI96Sd_Mb4FOZ-7eDnn3cyAPApozKdO5Uh9W-RQ4ssHMY5XlTeZKvmeoRkLfBzF6PvVgkzLaZEu7ypA3fS1e56aXYBWiJLZyk/s1600/D+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrk9O0s5l_RtsW1j-CIkIDoRLesAppLGNT4Mpy1gZE7tI96Sd_Mb4FOZ-7eDnn3cyAPApozKdO5Uh9W-RQ4ssHMY5XlTeZKvmeoRkLfBzF6PvVgkzLaZEu7ypA3fS1e56aXYBWiJLZyk/s400/D+3.jpg" width="265" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHfFvKpvg5SHMNQh9n9LK9xWE9iR0BP0qJPCQ8Kx5FigGqw6S3UJZiS7lWZyGnrCfwU8dKKlDJTqGvQKyO3hrxpac_eXapR_qZ-7ZKCO6eJSDtyGldJENJiffoMGBJLGqLnvQYiCbpcU/s1600/D+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHfFvKpvg5SHMNQh9n9LK9xWE9iR0BP0qJPCQ8Kx5FigGqw6S3UJZiS7lWZyGnrCfwU8dKKlDJTqGvQKyO3hrxpac_eXapR_qZ-7ZKCO6eJSDtyGldJENJiffoMGBJLGqLnvQYiCbpcU/s400/D+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Scroll down to see how YOU can easily adapt the nonchalant elegance that defines Dries Van Noten Spring 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; font-size: 28pt;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"><strong>Strangely Romantic and
Seasonless</strong></span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRrpw9oalyqDPa2DCC9jiXRu4jzDB9_5QahVKTkve4nldCrr4DT2joIb4h-VLCqegmwA4MPSQFMd8V-f4KMUiU4xYaWLOR7ifoF1WuJqzsjy5ztjnaJddfKB5framp-ox4NQMwUw74wg/s1600/dvn+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRrpw9oalyqDPa2DCC9jiXRu4jzDB9_5QahVKTkve4nldCrr4DT2joIb4h-VLCqegmwA4MPSQFMd8V-f4KMUiU4xYaWLOR7ifoF1WuJqzsjy5ztjnaJddfKB5framp-ox4NQMwUw74wg/s640/dvn+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The reason we chose to feature <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> collection in March is because it offers
a smooth transition from winter to spring. The dark colors allude to winter’s
farewell, while the lightweight fabrics allow us to spring to the future. There
is no awkward “which season am I in?” phase. We are in both, and so we should
embrace it. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=KpojQnM_0M2rKM&tbnid=KaCjYSFhazbBlM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fabsugar.com%2FDries-Van-Noten-Spring-2013-Looks-25207856&ei=W4xrUfbbKK-l4AOI2IH4Cw&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNE8Kqz-ypyc9mgimKosENDh8o6v1g&ust=1366089180021419" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2012/09/39/5/192/1922564/96ae4f4ea5cb47da_DRIES-EDIT2.xxxlarge_1.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="393" /></a><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This “Style How-To” is from <a href="http://www.fabsugar.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.Fabsugar.com</span></a>. Wearing a plaid shirt with
a sequin evening skirt is both broodingly romantic and subversive. We would
happily wear this during a night on the town—maybe even at a Bar-Mitzvah or engagement party. Let’s
rethink “formal wear,” shall we? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; font-size: 28pt;"><strong><span style="color: #783f04;">Metallic Must-Haves</span></strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOkXT-eqNfuIDdGdmkn_TYgQhr-c0CLdj-KnzVFeNz98gh8N6PoNaK90G1tWs9cTkogH7_wRoJyzfLTIjQwAPrQUWKe3CJnMrBDI7PA4n7uOxUd6BrJIfD2H7ieMxBooTeTve5-XVq1E/s1600/d+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOkXT-eqNfuIDdGdmkn_TYgQhr-c0CLdj-KnzVFeNz98gh8N6PoNaK90G1tWs9cTkogH7_wRoJyzfLTIjQwAPrQUWKe3CJnMrBDI7PA4n7uOxUd6BrJIfD2H7ieMxBooTeTve5-XVq1E/s400/d+5.jpg" width="266" /></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVxfSDzi6bkiaHIkKX_iwFv-xHotbIL0tBoMwXbxYFWl-NQ_p6RBGxQ_WpQfvSWWw0vhgBXxEZ525xzBwOEOUKoiqjrrL3bmUoHBXoFdiSPt2TbImDXkTvh8_yCbPHXY4hTDHa7wpWXU/s400/d+4.jpg" width="265" /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Spring 2013 is presently having an affair
with Metallic. As I type this, gold and silver are becoming fashion’s
full-blown neutrals. One can wear metallic with anything. It also lends a cool,
futuristic twist to even the most classic of designs, such as peplum and
sheaths. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; font-size: 36pt;"><strong><span style="color: #c27ba0;">It’s All in the Deets…</span></strong></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Accessories here were kept minimalistic.
Necklaces arrived in the form of simple, versatile chains. Because, let's face it, who would <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>ever</strong></i> want to detract from the artfully
crafted clothes of Van Noten?</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5Zp6XktTEwu1Aj5jl_OqSPSokTYAlqNtUCwV1cif1nGGC1stDRb3ESnLsp1ph1CejTNQGAwvaW06fDsimedv9nnxeJfIA-55AJkBLhQxUi2eRdzXgozVkDlAwbdfySBAAuPHw-AFsiA/s1600/necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5Zp6XktTEwu1Aj5jl_OqSPSokTYAlqNtUCwV1cif1nGGC1stDRb3ESnLsp1ph1CejTNQGAwvaW06fDsimedv9nnxeJfIA-55AJkBLhQxUi2eRdzXgozVkDlAwbdfySBAAuPHw-AFsiA/s400/necklace.jpg" width="305" /></a><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec1.pinterest.com/550/9a/34/c9/9a34c9a572fdc30f0c03956166af82cb.jpg" width="265" /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">THIS. SKIRT. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDBEZRo4ciI5IKGeSIElM3UaeXryFsdwigy8_UZ3pxoUPDE_cYqeyUoVkYG74QQqSbeVEnysJO26eZrCYD4ncDAdC7PbqRyVUCdzqZx1okB_A4GX-wuQPZfvo9Y3cl0r1Ckg8ZymIiDw/s1600/skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDBEZRo4ciI5IKGeSIElM3UaeXryFsdwigy8_UZ3pxoUPDE_cYqeyUoVkYG74QQqSbeVEnysJO26eZrCYD4ncDAdC7PbqRyVUCdzqZx1okB_A4GX-wuQPZfvo9Y3cl0r1Ckg8ZymIiDw/s1600/skirt.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Leave your reservations about “print mixing”
at the Dull House. Here at Van Noten, we inhale dichotomy and exhale pure
style. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJDtBiXTNAykZr_GKkR-AIQwPXaBcUUXZPFv-8t-_Q9vYly5FiBwyvv3kXaBp9jfZil_XjH-Mx7cuOsv3t0lW-15akVq58wfItBGtWF01ZnsGTS8TJudbo6RXIfvBIqaEO40gJFjlHDI/s1600/bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJDtBiXTNAykZr_GKkR-AIQwPXaBcUUXZPFv-8t-_Q9vYly5FiBwyvv3kXaBp9jfZil_XjH-Mx7cuOsv3t0lW-15akVq58wfItBGtWF01ZnsGTS8TJudbo6RXIfvBIqaEO40gJFjlHDI/s400/bag.jpg" width="281" /></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZyVc9FCI1wJ2FBMC9piAwk1Endgg_34lhOpiD1DnjobdN6G8P1umTomgQ3PABmT1YHy_65WeLA5O3bGvH9NMMC4R6C0bbC5q8qQQAe3frmlqGOQLejGUV_A_00ZKXlL6K-4acxTDIaQ/s400/leopard.jpg" width="282" />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’re thankful that checkered prints are ubiquitous
this spring, especially when they appear on the timeless pump. Reinventing a classic
is always great fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipSi_v-tLuKL45tw_uaJ34lNvuideK7oPVSYHFHBz6ye0w-U_Atz9KIwJR6yF8pc1wreIRxsYfntNaImSS_bk-LaQoCvDocZj9h1qYEVU02Tl4Qc5O79FBQDVzMvZYGm2nzmoXV3bpno/s1600/dvn+shoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipSi_v-tLuKL45tw_uaJ34lNvuideK7oPVSYHFHBz6ye0w-U_Atz9KIwJR6yF8pc1wreIRxsYfntNaImSS_bk-LaQoCvDocZj9h1qYEVU02Tl4Qc5O79FBQDVzMvZYGm2nzmoXV3bpno/s400/dvn+shoe.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=OocNfpYjsnoSoM&tbnid=PYFrVuc1KsOaIM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fheelchorus.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F33482178738%2Fdries-van-noten-plaid-pointy-toe-pumps-spring&ei=CYtrUeqyDanb4AP3o4DYDg&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGGREsDkKTkE6iH4PrMUzV80Awcew&ust=1366088841612368" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbtkdeQaUx1r6o4eto1_500.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In our opinion, Van Noten’s masculine/feminine aesthetic is
youthful without being pretentious. Its ode to 90s grunge with hints of modern metallic
offers a unique blend of nostalgia and futurism. Its airy fabrics encapsulate Spring’s
freshness. In other words, we think it’s perfect. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Enough about what we think. Do YOU like this collection or
not? Would you incorporate its aesthetic into your wardrobe?</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Please click on the <strong><span style="color: #c27ba0;">“Spring Trend”</span></strong> label below to see our
past coverage of 2013’s collections (We already covered <span style="color: #741b47;">Tory Burch</span>).</span><br />
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-79126821941185303822013-03-04T16:04:00.001-08:002013-05-19T16:55:24.677-07:00<span style="font-family: "Cooper Black","serif"; font-size: 26pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cooper Black","serif"; font-size: 26pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cooper Black","serif"; font-size: 26pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;"><strong>The Giant Mechanical Man</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 26pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Andalus;">A Movie about Postmodernism, Struggle & the Power of being Genuine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I usually experience the abrasive reality of postmodern
life during the Subway’s rush hour. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> You see, at my previous employment, the commute
from my house to the Upper East Side was utter agony. I’m the official “Priestess
of the Non-Morning People Population,” (that’s a mouthful, I know) but I would
attempt to unglue my body from the bed anyways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> When I boarded the overcrowded train, my lethargic
brain had difficult time processing information. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t
mumble Tehillim. All I could do was slink my body against the train’s door and
examine my fellow commuters. Who are these people? As a writer, I yearn to know
another’s story. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why is he dressed like
that? What country is she from? How did that couple meet? What is he reading on
his iPad? </i>I will never know their story. They will also never know mine.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a name='more'></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=q4IYbeVq3FCL1M&tbnid=PgY1beFk5DoPNM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fneilochka%2F7930296070%2F&ei=LS81UYvQKMSQ0QHOtoCYDw&psig=AFQjCNG_s6rjMiicHIe7Nk4gCr8tnoE4SA&ust=1362526238088686" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="560" id="irc_mi" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8461/7930296070_848b45c2da_z.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="560" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> On 14<sup>th</sup> Street, I switched trains. Yet
prior to switching trains, I had to walk through a tunnel. In this tunnel, an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">avalanche </i>of humans would overwhelm me. Immaculate
Wall-Streeters, scruffy hipsters, bleary-eyed college students, the ancient,
the babes, the beautiful, the ugly…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span> <img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/02/11/opinion/2112013subway/2112013subway-blog480.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We throb with a harried heat; rushing and pushing
against each other. Wait…Where are we rushing to again? To the jobs that we
despise? To the salary that’s laughably low? Or ridiculously high?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> It was during these moments that I felt paper thin
and miniscule. Men and women scurry and glance through each other. Didn’t
you know? Us humans aren’t worthy of kindly eye contact. iPhones are. Kindles
are. Macs are. Oh and if we have a spare minute, we’ll cast one to our friend
too.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> This notion prompts me to write a review about a
film that brings an element of warmth to our otherwise oppressive modern
existence. </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I discovered the better of two worlds (escapism <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> intellectual nourishment) in the
Indie flick <strong>“The Giant Mechanical Man.”</strong> This Tribeca Film came out in April
2012 and was added to Netflix “Instant Play” quite recently.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/550x/b9/dc/49/b9dc49998beef4c6c7568573dcc48bc4.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> The movie includes two central characters <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Janice</b> (played by Jenna Fischer) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tim </b>(played by Chris Messina), who
attempt to overcome alienation and solitude in a postmodern world. They’re in
their 30s and can barely hold on to a meaningless job. They struggle to feel a
sense of belonging and understanding. Janice has a sister who constantly belittles
her (albeit with good intentions) and tries to set her up with Doug Duncan, a
successful yet terribly cheesy author. His book is called “How to Have Winning
Conversations” and he’s the type of person who always chants “Think Positive!
Think Positive!” Tim experiences his own misery when his girlfriend leaves him
because he lacks ambition.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Predictably—this is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">movie</i> after all—Janice and Tim discover each other. The reason
their relationship is successful is because they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">allow </i>themselves to be raw and vulnerable. In a society, where individuals
are susceptible to being cold, competitive, and masquerading a sense of happiness,
Janice and Tim are self-aware and genuine. They are able to access their
emotions—even if their emotions include despair.</span> </span></div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec7.pinterest.com/550x/4a/25/e6/4a25e6041d7dd5395481f729011c2a33.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> In addition, the dialogue in this film is natural.
This is due in part to the script and in part to the acting skills of Jenna
Fischer (a character from “The Office”—Holler Pam Beasly!) and Chris Messina. Part
of natural dialogue is stilted awkwardness and characters’ insecurity, yet that
is what makes it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">relatable</i>. As we
know, conversations on Planet Earth are a medley of uncertain pauses, lingering
sentences, and comebacks that come too late. “The Giant Mechanical Man” is truly
able to reflect this trait.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, more than the natural dialogue, excellent
casting, humor, and heart-warming romance, I applaud this film for embracing the inherent plights of
postmodernism. “The Giant Mechanical Man” not only validates the alienation that
is inherent in 21<sup>st</sup> century living, but also allows us to believe that
we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can</i> genuinely find ourselves and
others. Maybe even on the NY Subway.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Below is a trailer of "The Giant Mechanical Man." It does NOT do the movie justice at all. Keep that in mind!)</span> </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/1YUjp4zK5nE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-2476522386547944402013-03-03T14:04:00.000-08:002013-05-19T17:11:14.083-07:00<br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">A </span><span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Study</span><span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> in </span><span style="font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Contrasts</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2013/02/22713Rochas2713Web.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-39324" height="885" src="http://images.thesartorialist.com/thumbnails/2013/02/22713Rochas2713Web.jpg" style="width: 590px;" title="22713Rochas2713Web" width="590" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo via The Sartorialist</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> A week
has passed since Purim and I’m still contemplating it. I was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">going</i> to dress like a gypsy. I wished to
embody that free-spirited woman; fresh from the fight and raw with restlessness.
I envisioned my dark hair gloriously unrestrained, bangles creating music with every
moment, a folkloric patterned skirt sweeping the floor. Yet, waking up on Purim
morning, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and mumbled “nah—not in the mood.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> What to
do? What to do? I initiated an invasion of my mother’s vintage-laden closet. There
was a psychedelic top from the 70s, a few flannel shirts from the 90s, and wait
a minute—what’s this? I excitedly eyed a hat perched on my mother’s shelf. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It was
a round straw hat with a dainty veil attached. Made in England! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Very</i> Duchess Catherine. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Very </i>“Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I
swooned at the hat’s effeminate beauty. All I needed was a quintessentially
British suit and I would be all set. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Ma, do
you have a tailored, ladylike suit? I need it for my costume.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“No, I
don’t” she said perusing her closet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hey! What
about this one?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She pointed at a mustard-yellow
power suit with shoulder pads the size of my face. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This monstrosity</span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">? I
balked. If I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were</i> to wear this outfit,
then I would look like the hypothetical love child of Princess Diana and
Superman. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF87uSI3r-OZlXqGTQ_D7sEkSh0PN0NlAIDhvVuQDejSztaxf0QHmFO7xu3SA_xX6xHI-VSmJul_wn4ayTEuQiQ4ZrtOLy44XRyqhfwq6YfmZJjpxcAnv1SBV3ExJiE3xXNWCiL5xPwu4/s1600/princess+diana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF87uSI3r-OZlXqGTQ_D7sEkSh0PN0NlAIDhvVuQDejSztaxf0QHmFO7xu3SA_xX6xHI-VSmJul_wn4ayTEuQiQ4ZrtOLy44XRyqhfwq6YfmZJjpxcAnv1SBV3ExJiE3xXNWCiL5xPwu4/s400/princess+diana.jpg" width="263" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdJtvC_ovONMdnNzTjAiMqDQoclKb7ofx3cONM5ALvaN3Ru-xOeJWQxO63-ctCddRwrZoKoO7PKyjEBg8A2vrYwHj2kUh5Gn0E-KaPTnC2j-i_M_QUXKt6p0GUGGQKG7GUH1LY1b38Tg/s1600/superman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdJtvC_ovONMdnNzTjAiMqDQoclKb7ofx3cONM5ALvaN3Ru-xOeJWQxO63-ctCddRwrZoKoO7PKyjEBg8A2vrYwHj2kUh5Gn0E-KaPTnC2j-i_M_QUXKt6p0GUGGQKG7GUH1LY1b38Tg/s400/superman.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: left;">
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Wear
it! Wear it!” She coaxed.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Ma, I
don’t think so. I’ll frighten all the Jewish boys and besides this 80’s suit
doesn’t match with the 50’s hat.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> I began
to trudge wearily to my room, saddened by the fact that this Purim I would be
ironically dressed as “Me” (yet again). </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Then I halted.
What if I wear that 80’s power suit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with </i>the
50’s hat <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with </i>my<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>90’s Doc Martens? Then I could be “a-woman-who-traveled-through-time-and-returned-to-2013-dressed-as-a-mélange-of-different-decades!” Booyah! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> So,
that’s</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">what I was. I happily
welcomed my contradictory identity for the day (even if it <em>did</em> frighten unsuspecting Jewish bachelors). I was neither here nor there. I
was not Old Hollywood. I was not Whitney Houston from the 80s. I was not a
Nirvana hopeful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I was
everything. I was nothing. It depends on how you look at it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Which
leads me to the concept of this post: As a perplexed 22 year old—one who still
has her pulse on the ubiquitous “I need to figure my life out” manifesto—I’m
drawn to wearing clothes that reflect this confusion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">On a
daily basis and not only on Purim. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3lBSBf7rZsqnOEyv5PMxkAC-X6Ciq3_EsSPquxjQPngMPWd2it9QfZ9r11_S6ebIpN8uXsdm6fldVsZOxL6ytPJC82P2BXADYF6LYSed6vOurO4GgBrUHXXj-rx4G1UhMzJRMXnEG10/s1600/marie+claire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3lBSBf7rZsqnOEyv5PMxkAC-X6Ciq3_EsSPquxjQPngMPWd2it9QfZ9r11_S6ebIpN8uXsdm6fldVsZOxL6ytPJC82P2BXADYF6LYSed6vOurO4GgBrUHXXj-rx4G1UhMzJRMXnEG10/s400/marie+claire.jpg" width="300" /></a><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Mr57gUtN6cbqtM&tbnid=FoBIoaTt9mkNpM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcrossroadstrading.com%2Fgirl-crush-preetma-singh%2F&ei=28AzUffBFYPO0QG_gIHYCg&psig=AFQjCNGkR3-qZDI1Squ8HwE1DzM7vaukhA&ust=1362432598801429" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="400" id="irc_mi" src="http://crossroadstrading.com/wp-content/uploads/preetma-singh-11.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Photo via <em>Marie Claire</em> London FW 2013 (left) & The Sartorialist (right)</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> The
illustrious street-style photographer Scott Schuman (from The Sartorialist)
once stated that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he enjoys snapping
photos of youngsters because their angst and unknown identity create the most intriguing
outfits</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> In his own words: <strong>"<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"><span style="color: #444444;">Why would you want coherence and harmony from youth? Youth
is about mashing, breaking and reassembling life to find new answers for your
generation. That’s one of the reasons youth moves fashion, they haven’t found
their harmony yet, and I’m thankful for that."</span></span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> He’s absolutely
right. I’m a dazed 20-something—brooding over work, relationships,
spirituality, and my general emergence into adulthood. If the present psychological
research is correct, then 20s are the new teenagers, and as we’re well-aware,
teenagers are blessed with befuddled identities and inner turbulence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> This
explains why over the past year, I’ve been reaching for an array of “it theoretically
shouldn’t match” kind of clothing from the hangers. My muddled identity is to
blame. I don’t usually look at my closet and say “what artistic statement
should I make today?” Mainly, it’s my mood and subconscious that guide
sartorial decisions.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-5PuuBZA9z0O2DzBbfc9EkYlcgvqu_tsJWe60qKkrFR1aBTZjiggK5qiWFA4kMSItxsvuX9HzVknU-bX8Wd68bfimqdU1znisUyOvXXP3Pr5paqYRIw6DtzUsdH3F0FcjcdCeVjMZKI/s1600/mickey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-5PuuBZA9z0O2DzBbfc9EkYlcgvqu_tsJWe60qKkrFR1aBTZjiggK5qiWFA4kMSItxsvuX9HzVknU-bX8Wd68bfimqdU1znisUyOvXXP3Pr5paqYRIw6DtzUsdH3F0FcjcdCeVjMZKI/s1600/mickey.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo via Elle.com</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> My subconsciousness
can influence my style in the most bizarre way. For instance, I could be
feeling like a grandma (with an unexciting social life, knitting on a Saturday
night) but my party girl alter-ego demands to have the last word. What’s the sartorial
equivalent of this paradox? A "Wool Grandma Cardigan + Sequin Pencil Skirt." Similarly,
my “Jewish girl naiveté with an affinity for punk-rock music” self can result
in a “Pleated Skirt + Subversive Doc Martens” pairing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Strange?
Perhaps.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Yet, when
I dress this way, I release my (at times aggravating) dichotomy into the folds
of a silk dress or the frayed edges of a denim jacket. It feels good to
breathe out that tension. A<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">s French
filmmaker, Jean Cocteau, once stated <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“style
is a simple way of saying complicated things.” </b>Truer words in regard to
fashion have yet to be said.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSaY06k2gJTgpECB3RCphnVMTJ9cFTVgLe0Cgeae3RgbG6hjd2LM8HhNqBivGgpT4OKe2LiXe-UQSU6I7Q1fqmlrgkoKpHfdC0YBdZfXh0xqTD_K0h6Yrnmegml9xVtNKn0AVi989Xrg/s1600/sneaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSaY06k2gJTgpECB3RCphnVMTJ9cFTVgLe0Cgeae3RgbG6hjd2LM8HhNqBivGgpT4OKe2LiXe-UQSU6I7Q1fqmlrgkoKpHfdC0YBdZfXh0xqTD_K0h6Yrnmegml9xVtNKn0AVi989Xrg/s400/sneaks.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixV90BPc-2BoxlmegB1NsIjxqH-RMr_NszreTUEcCuzmiklGEEne345zDtP8eBlVjispif57IaETZZpP_83YEL9wvoSgVy9B78WVTuorliT-STjUwxLfw7y97h5blmfNf7iwe76-oc-0/s1600/marc+jacobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixV90BPc-2BoxlmegB1NsIjxqH-RMr_NszreTUEcCuzmiklGEEne345zDtP8eBlVjispif57IaETZZpP_83YEL9wvoSgVy9B78WVTuorliT-STjUwxLfw7y97h5blmfNf7iwe76-oc-0/s400/marc+jacobs.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Sartorialist & Street Style (left) and Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2012 (right)</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> It is
in this vein, that we would like to introduce a NEW monthly column (in addition
to “Style Icon” “Color Coding” and “Would You Wear?”) on <strong>Wear Your Invisible
Crown</strong>. It will be called <strong>“A Study in Contrasts”</strong> and it will examine ensembles
that seem atrocious-looking on paper, but in reality, exude pure intrigue. Tulle skirts with blazers, leather with lace, military camo with chiffon...You get the gist. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajGgqsyF3Xwt9OYwnxbAzrXQdjopeoVp6Vti9eEsTfUzw4rXypZwPZcu_KvMRy9VeYH_MLIKR3u5hj6u9XfzcfTQSIhHvMZarAUFq1uYWY_SX06Ua72VP5DpmXWI9UJ7b8S4xCjUA2lY/s1600/elle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajGgqsyF3Xwt9OYwnxbAzrXQdjopeoVp6Vti9eEsTfUzw4rXypZwPZcu_KvMRy9VeYH_MLIKR3u5hj6u9XfzcfTQSIhHvMZarAUFq1uYWY_SX06Ua72VP5DpmXWI9UJ7b8S4xCjUA2lY/s1600/elle.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Photo via<em> Elle Brazil</em><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: black;">In
conclusion, I’m quite happy that I shrugged off my gypsy costume in favor of
being a young woman experiencing an identity crisis. Because of it, I was
prompted to reevaluate my definition of fashion and style. <strong>For all the hyped materialism and intimidation that fashion imparts, it
still is—at its very core—a reflection of creativity and of the (often baffled)
“self.”</strong></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong></strong></span></span></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-87884944175569472232013-02-26T14:49:00.000-08:002013-02-26T14:49:01.044-08:00<br />
<strong>
</strong><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="color: #20124d;">Is Everyone on Facebook Having Fun Except Me?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/550x/c6/a0/6d/c6a06db14e57e3d3e425e747447b3afd.jpg" /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Have
you seen yesterday’s article dubbed <strong>“We Need to Quit Telling Lies on Facebook”</strong>
by Sarah Emily Tuttle-Singer (a guest contributor on Kveller.com)? </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sarah’s
article is hilarious and saturated with truth. She coaxes herself, and other parents,
to paint a more realistic portrait of their life on social media:</span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><strong>“My life on Facebook is an
airbrushed and<em> </em>instagrammed image of my real life,”</strong> Sarah claims<strong>. “I
edit the suckage because I want people to think I have my act together. I give
everything a hipstacular filter to make the drudgery look interesting. Most of
the time, I think I’m a decent mom, and I think I’m giving my children a pretty
good life. But I also think I’d be a better mom if I stopped pretending, and
making friends on Facebook feel like they have to pretend as well.”</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/550x/68/43/38/684338226d7441efc7c84819411cb614.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Since
this blog is geared towards (mostly) 20-something singles, here’s a post that
carries the same theme and relates it to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our</i></b> age-group. It may come across as
a bit of a downer—but it ends with a single line that brings our Internet-absorbed,
Twitter-lovin’, Facebook-fueled selves back to earth; a place where we must
take off our synthetic masks in order to breathe.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is from Thought Catalag at <a href="http://www.thoughtcatalog.com/">www.ThoughtCatalog.com</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Brad Pike</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Each time you check your Facebook
newsfeed, you are confronted with a terrible truth: everyone</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">is having more fun than you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone. Their joie de vivre vastly exceeds
your own, renders it mort de vivre by comparison. They are all self-actualized.
They are achieving amazing things. They are living the lives they always
dreamed of living because they deserve it. They are in a perpetual state of
intense, mind shattering bliss that never ends, but only grows. Meanwhile, you
sleep on an air mattress, use Starbucks for internet, and your dinner was
dinosaur egg oatmeal and 2 day old coffee (no icebergs of mold, so it’s
probably safe). Yes, you’ve always suspected your life was a half-life, a
shadow of what constitutes the typical human experience, and Facebook has
confirmed your worst fears. Compared to your friends, you are a sad pale
Gollum, peering out of the darkness at the bright shining multitudes, doomed to
eternal loneliness and mediocrity.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></span> </div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> What did you do today? Read a snarky
Gawker article about Taylor Swift? Walked to the kitchen, remembered you didn’t
need anything in the kitchen, and then walked back from the kitchen? Ate the
aforementioned dinosaur egg oatmeal? Everyone on Facebook just published their
novels, each one a 900 page magnum opus, and they’re all bestsellers, all
complex statements about the American Dream, the ontological state of being,
and the struggle against societal tyranny. Where’s your book, huh? You should
write about walking to the kitchen and then walking back from the kitchen and
then playing Temple Run on the iPad in the dark because everyone is desperate
to read about the Sad Banal Life of Mid Twenties White Male.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com/550x/fa/af/a2/faafa201f39eed7445afae154c5aa32c.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Where did you go today? Besides the
kitchen. All your Facebook friends visited Paris, Kenya, and Tokyo, and they’ve
posted 14,000 gorgeous photos of their life-changing experiences. They’re all
worldly cosmopolitan people now, more cognizant of other cultures and able to
speak fluent Cantonese. One of their photos shows them feeding an elephant. An
elephant!</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Today, you fed a dust mite in your sleeping bag your discarded
fingernails, and even if you did own an electron microscope capable of
photographing it, no one on Facebook would want to see. Subsistence farmers
travel more than you; even death row inmates go outside from time to time. Your
fantastic voyage consisted of a walk to the kitchen to see the wonders of the
broken dishwasher.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> How far along are you in your career?
Do you even have a job? Everyone on Facebook is a social media director for a
prestigious ad agency, racking up six figure salaries, and steadily assembling
the components of a stable comfortable life so that as their bodies
deteriorate, a trained medical professional will care for their soon-to-be
corpses rather than quietly euthanize them. They’re posting statuses about
work, posting photos of the new cars they all purchased. They put as much
thought into buying a house as you put into whether or not to buy a peppermint
long john from 7/11 (‘It’s $1.19, but the iced cheese Danish is $1.29, and the
cupcake is $1.65, so how do the good feelings elicited by each pastry correlate
with price?’). Their lives are so far ahead, they’re popping out dozens of
infants, hundreds of infants, thousands of infants because, unlike you, they
have the financial and emotional maturity to care for another living organism.
If you reproduced, you would immediately transform into one of the sad
desperate children on <i>16 and Pregnant</i> even though you’re 24.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span> </div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘But is my life really that terrible,’ you
wonder, <strong>‘Or is Facebook some kind of
platform for people’s idealized, carefully curated versions of themselves in
which they’re talented, successful, hilarious,sophisticated professionals?’</strong></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>--</strong>Article from Thought Catalog by author Brad Pike</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ec2.pinterest.com/550x/de/28/3d/de283db311ffda1d52730f391a434f37.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My personal answer to that is “yes, yes, and yes.” Facebook is the 21<sup>st</sup> century version of the wicked stepmother’s Magic Mirror. It hurled itself into a secretive time machine and shed its purely glass-skin in favor of pixels. In essence, however, it’s the same contraption: A way to deceive ourselves and others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">What are YOUR thoughts on this?</span></div>
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Tiarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14894476244807856920noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-19867951748657350682013-02-20T18:58:00.000-08:002013-05-19T17:45:38.036-07:00<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 48pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">St-EYE-lista;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Editor’s
Edition</span></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo via </span><a href="http://www.citizencouture.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">www.citizencouture.com</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>Welcome back to our bi-monthly column: <span style="color: #674ea7;">The “St-EYE-lista”!</span></strong> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This column features an individual whose personal style captured our EYE and whose fashion sense can be reinterpreted for the modest dresser. From talk-show hosts to socialites and from Creative Directors to bloggers, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Wear Your Invisible Crown</span></i> prides itself on revealing the kaleidoscopic gamut of fashion ingénues and icons. <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">From January until March we will specifically focus on style icons who are (or once were) Editors of prominent fashion publications.</span></strong> We look forward to presenting our audience with an array of style and information regarding our featured Editors. <strong>Enjoy this special one!</strong></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> There are certain runway clothing that will make your face contort into a “who-on-G-d’s-green-earth-would-wear
that?” kind of expression. They just will. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em> Alexander McQueen</em> can send a gown down the runway that will
make your eyes voice shock and your nose scrunch in disapproval. Well, while
you’re sitting in the Front Row and clutching your poor heart, there is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">someone</i> out there whose eyes are expressing
rapture and whose lips are positively dancing. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“Bellisma!”
she exclaims, clapping her jewelry laden hands together. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">That someone
is Editor-in-Chief of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vogue Japan</i></b>, <span style="background-color: white;"><em><span style="color: red;"><strong>Anna Dello Russo</strong></span></em>.</span> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Described as
a “Fashion Maniac” by legendary photographer Helmut Newton, Anna Dello Russo
approaches style with the sheer enthusiasm of a 5-year old girl playing
dress-up. Her frocks, skirts, and shoes (she has 4,000 of those!) are ridiculously
ostentatious. Exaggerated silhouettes that remind one of a vulture, hats shaped
like eggs, fiercely colored shoes—this woman owns it all.</span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHs-MdFO_6KhAydaLZxekIWSmlelGI277qdR9yBNJLwUsGuBsM_QRSB0W0Hvt_f2cqHzHMqQPDTQIm0e0k5A-r8q3b4dnD3BaRUtnpBiHaIatZ1KNs-FkIy6Akhx75jHYJZ4r15X757oc/s1600/AR+cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="565" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHs-MdFO_6KhAydaLZxekIWSmlelGI277qdR9yBNJLwUsGuBsM_QRSB0W0Hvt_f2cqHzHMqQPDTQIm0e0k5A-r8q3b4dnD3BaRUtnpBiHaIatZ1KNs-FkIy6Akhx75jHYJZ4r15X757oc/s640/AR+cover+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In addition,
if the name "Anna Dello Russo" rings a bell, there’s a chance you heard it this
past Fall. In October 2012, Anna designed a delightfully gaudy accessories
collection for H & M. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>We specifically
chose to feature Anna Dello Russo prior to Purim, because perhaps HER everyday
wear can potentially inspire YOUR costume. Who knows?</strong></span> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">CAUTION: </span><span style="color: black;">You’ll need just a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bit</i> of humor to appreciate this enamoring lady.</span></span></strong> </span><br />
<a name='more'></a> </div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">She dons Art
with a Capital A</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Anna gravitates towards clothing that exudes ART. She cannot seem to resist floral appliqués, carefully painted colors, or idiosyncratic pattern. The stranger the pattern is... the better.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">(Left: HarpersBazaar.com and Right: via photographer Anthea Simms during NYFW Fall 2013)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Birds
of a Feather, Baby</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">All you PETA wanna-bes, please don’t lash out on Anna.
Sure, this lady has enough fur to build herself a fur teepee, but she’s also
down-to-earth and hilarious. Need proof? Watch the video clip on the bottom of
the page.</span></div>
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Photo Credit via Stockholm Street Style (Right)</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 26pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 26pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Everyone Occasionally
Yearns for Simplicity. Yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">even </i>Anna.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREMTKjHso-Yd4ohuy3gtJe2zcrbOfKPq1qmm7UBX2EsASjfAQj2JMVCHHKO1srmLIRQLf766xSAqB1t72ps0SdtsXQE8p1ErDxQ-6lpKgSZAYRdXdOdwMt6j64sJI7rT01H0RZtz0qfM/s1600/ar+simple+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREMTKjHso-Yd4ohuy3gtJe2zcrbOfKPq1qmm7UBX2EsASjfAQj2JMVCHHKO1srmLIRQLf766xSAqB1t72ps0SdtsXQE8p1ErDxQ-6lpKgSZAYRdXdOdwMt6j64sJI7rT01H0RZtz0qfM/s400/ar+simple+2.jpg" width="250" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOeD7qjmh1hWXu_jr0MHV-12K6lDDDUK3SvL07J0GIIGpO5_JHg2FzIj3btXvjVK2kw0wwvWvnMRiE18I0G0owmGfCaz7k66TJOZBPXxnLJopMR5TYyu7ro0FbYf3PeXC9mTXnx9tAfE/s1600/anna+simple+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOeD7qjmh1hWXu_jr0MHV-12K6lDDDUK3SvL07J0GIIGpO5_JHg2FzIj3btXvjVK2kw0wwvWvnMRiE18I0G0owmGfCaz7k66TJOZBPXxnLJopMR5TYyu7ro0FbYf3PeXC9mTXnx9tAfE/s400/anna+simple+3.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
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Photos via Elle.com and Style.com</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; font-size: 26pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Ten Fashion Rules According to Anna Dello Russo</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwL0xuWraRbIdqxxVIeUBKiAcspzBIJapHx6V7C1blaUeN-gFCA0UVhCR2iafeg0RoX9XnRfnzcuMgt89Mok5wjEuoSTIzTGiTnVSEIKI6PstE530MNnNVeAJpjVdYMgEEOxwD91jNcM/s1600/anna+bye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijwL0xuWraRbIdqxxVIeUBKiAcspzBIJapHx6V7C1blaUeN-gFCA0UVhCR2iafeg0RoX9XnRfnzcuMgt89Mok5wjEuoSTIzTGiTnVSEIKI6PstE530MNnNVeAJpjVdYMgEEOxwD91jNcM/s1600/anna+bye.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Berlin Sans FB Demi","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtesy of </span><a href="http://www.style.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">www.Style.com</span></a></span></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>Don’t carry a big handbag—it makes for a lot of
trouble. A small bag is more personal, more about you.</strong></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wear night clothes in the daytime. This is my
favorite rule to break, because every day is a fashion day. Every day you have
to be an optimist.</span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Be bold—always a provocative message. Don’t
think about what people want from you. Have the philosophy of children. They
don’t put limits on their fantasy.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I like to go to the airport perfectly dressed
up. Then on the plane, I change into my Abercrombie pants.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #45818e; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you’re not that important, you cannot be
wearing sunglasses inside.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I prefer to go barefoot rather than wear cheap
shoes.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Take the best from every woman that you know. I
always copy women I see who dresses well.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Take inspiration from books, magazines,
literature, poets. Fashion needs a lot of culture.</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: red;">Don’t eat or drink during a fashion show. It’s
not polite</span>.</span></strong></span></div>
</li>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></ul>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #282828; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> It’s
commonplace to misjudge Anna Dello Russo as a highly materialistic and flashy Fashion
Editor. Yet, in reality, her “superficiality” is a child-like fascination with
art and clothing. There is a quality that is endearing about her; a rare
innocence and a sweet playfulness. Rather than an expression of narcissism and
pretention, Anna Dello Russo utilizes fashion “as a means to escape the banality
of everyday existence.”</span> </span><br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/emgwpZTmg74?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: blue;">UNTIL NEXT TIME!</span></span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><strong>PLEASE CLICK ON OUR <span style="color: #6aa84f;">"STYLE ICON"</span> LABEL BELOW TO SEE PREVIOUS STYLE ICONS.</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7avoXghHktJ2h0tExeqZmL2dxQs2RPEMZirsePPeC-EAWU1-F06Xum6jHfKAgX3euDJ4TNJuXrtd5t73FEu2d9hZRs7rENidgjHed9ANeypT3H2vnhZffukWTumtEaqJUQ5Wezl3GGU/s1600/anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7avoXghHktJ2h0tExeqZmL2dxQs2RPEMZirsePPeC-EAWU1-F06Xum6jHfKAgX3euDJ4TNJuXrtd5t73FEu2d9hZRs7rENidgjHed9ANeypT3H2vnhZffukWTumtEaqJUQ5Wezl3GGU/s400/anna.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe09HcSAxJuqombUvP-7yp_2CLJGtYFHo-ILlwoPiQ27BqIC4FpGhCWoXnOIs8ZVgs0HkFXCU0aKGcarxCIhzabBXxwkQzMlKWaNjHrYTp5-bOiKathSVWYDtcVeNjPuxrlavmIFFi3g/s1600/Ar+bye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPe09HcSAxJuqombUvP-7yp_2CLJGtYFHo-ILlwoPiQ27BqIC4FpGhCWoXnOIs8ZVgs0HkFXCU0aKGcarxCIhzabBXxwkQzMlKWaNjHrYTp5-bOiKathSVWYDtcVeNjPuxrlavmIFFi3g/s400/Ar+bye.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><strong><span style="color: #e69138;"> </span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #e69138; font-size: large;"><strong>AND DON'T FORGET TO LIKE "WEAR YOUR INVISIBLE CROWN" ON FACEBOOK!</strong></span><br />
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-13489937638335960192013-02-19T10:14:00.000-08:002013-03-12T10:08:36.049-07:00<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">Mona Lisa Smile</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A Movie of Female Empowerment </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/550x/8b/7e/d5/8b7ed5db7b102bd9aa0b05cf42e66e10.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This past Saturday night, during a trip to Miami,
my friend and I chose to stay in. (Yes—we’re prone to dullness at times). Our
hotel *cough, cough* (a 1 star, mind you) barely offered 15 TV channels (7 of
which were in Spanish and 1 in French). Oh, and did I mention that a remote control
was non-existent?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We took turns to drag our lazy backsides off the
bed and be the official “channel switcher.” Eventually we succumbed to a laptop
and Netflix. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My friend and I opted to watch a film called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mona
Lisa Smile</i></b> starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, and Julia Stiles. (My
friend likes Julia Roberts and I like the “Mona Lisa.” Thus, it was a fairly easy
way to compromise).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mona Lisa Smile</span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> is about an Art History professor named Ms. Watson
(played by Julia Roberts) who arrives at Wellesley College in 1953. This professor
notices how the all-female student body analyzes art. They utilize rigid textbook
methodology. The way they approach their personal lives is not that
different either. These young women are expected to marry young and become
homemakers extraordinaire. Once married, they are to vacuum, iron, and cook
perfectly—with lusciously lined lips and coiffed curls of course.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; mso-spacerun: yes;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/550x/a9/93/df/a993df2c090bbb359d7692a14cc96607.jpg" /></span></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> What makes Ms. Watson indignant is seeing how her
students’ sole drive is to marry well and embody the stereotypical 50’s
housewife. She watches how her otherwise intelligent students shrug off their
talents in favor of a purely domestic lifestyle.</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Predictably, Ms. Watson’s feministic philosophies are
quickly upended by fierce opposition (from both teachers and students). It <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> the ‘50s after all. In spite of this,
Ms. Watson continues to bulldoze over “a woman’s boundaries” by telling her students
that they have a choice: They do NOT have to belittle their ambitions because
of marriage. They can do <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">both</i></b>—career and family. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> This subject is obviously exhaustive <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>hackneyed: “Women and Work,” “Women and
Family,” “Women and Societal Expectations.” We’ve seen and heard and read it
all. Right?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/550x/2b/4b/b1/2b4bb148beebe2e8e1fb167010009e5b.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Vogue December 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But four days later, and I'm still contemplating
this movie. The characters reminded me of my former classmates, my fellow Synagogue-goers,
my neighbors, and of....yours truly.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Here’s a dialogue from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mona Lisa Smile</i> that simultaneously made me erupt in laughter <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> feel chills zip through my back:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Ms. Watson</strong>: It says here that you’re Pre-Law. What Law School
are you going to go to?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><span style="color: #e69138;">Student</span></strong>: I hadn’t really thought of that. After I graduate,
I plan on getting married.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Ms. Watson</strong>: And then?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><span style="color: #e69138;">Student</span></strong>: And then I’ll be married.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec8.pinimg.com/550x/3d/67/bc/3d67bc10df341505fc54b6ceaf53955b.jpg" /></span></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> As Orthodox women we’ve been raised with the
precept that familial life is unequivocally important. Our homes are a sacred Mini-Temple.
Our hearts firmly echo the beat of our husbands and of our children. With dough-encrusted
fingers and orange-juice stained skirts, we proudly march to this drum. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i>
is a vision for my future.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I, along with most women, have an inherent yearning
to be a wife and mother. It’s a blazing fire that spreads from our souls to our
aching feet as we chase our toddlers in the park. It’s the reason why the Torah
does not command Jewish women to marry. In contrast to men, familial life is as
natural to us as is the concept of, say, breathing. We’ve nursed this flame
since we were 4 years old and crooning lullabies to our baby dolls. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But, then there’s another kind of fire; a heightened
crescendo that begs for one to release her inner strengths and talents. There is a fervency
to become a musician, a mechanical engineer, a financial analyst, a filmmaker.</span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec7.pinimg.com/550x/07/88/26/078826011ace65f468bf90d10f5be307.jpg" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> I recently met a lady during a Shabbat dinner. </span>When she asked me what I’d
like to do professionally, I said “write.” She offered me the sharply crinkled
forehead that I’ve (sadly) come to expect. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Oh, you mean for magazines like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Binah</i>? Or newspapers like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hamodia</i>?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Oh no” I responded. “Although I’m aware of reality, I
dream to write for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vogue</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Times</i>. Perhaps I’ll write my own
novel. It’s always good to dream, right?” I heard my voice hover uncertainly in
the air, and subsequently threw in a nervous laugh for good measure. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Well, you know it’s the not the best career move
for a Jewish woman. Don’t journalists always have to be on the road? Did you
ever consider one of the health science fields like Speech Therapy? How about Nursing?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My right leg began to shimmy in aggravation under the table. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Yes, I did—and it’s not for me."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Why did I say this with the petulant shame of a Madoff-ian
fraud caught in the act?<strong> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why?</i></strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> A woman’s strengths and professional objectives (especially
when they’re unconventional in the Orthodox universe)
can be easily buried under a heap of grocery lists, cookbooks, and laundry
detergent. Of course having a family is a desire that pierces my very marrow.
But you know what? So does the desire for self-expression and creativity.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec8.pinimg.com/550x/ce/84/7c/ce847c974c2348f000ae8ad06ff98476.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Maybe as a writer I won’t be making the requisite
salary to purchase expensive toys for my children. Maybe as a writer I’ll be consistently
clubbed by neurosis and spend hours trying to perfect a paragraph. Maybe it’ll
be taxing and littered with publishers’ rejection letters. But,
maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to show my children that tapping into your inherent
calling can animate life with meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
I’ll be fortunate enough to unclog parts of that unwinding road for my children.
If my childrens' hearts ache with passion for their craft, then I can show them how to jerk their heads away from the naysayers and societal conventions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Just like Ms. Watson did in <em>Mona Lisa Smile</em>. And
just like I aim to do--that is if I ever encounter another busybody who likes to view my life through the narrowest of lenses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Be
warned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-38501117681125397662013-02-12T19:55:00.001-08:002013-05-19T17:47:06.621-07:00<br />
<div align="center">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/upload/196680708696918686_3qWqkbL9_c.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It all began when my older brother was able to get
greatly discounted tickets to this year’s “Disney on Ice” at Barclay’s Center. He
gathered his little brood of boys and offered tickets to his nieces and nephews
as well; it was a sweet Chanukah present for all the children. An extra pair of
hands was needed to chaperone, so they gave the ever-dutiful Aunt (me!) a
ticket as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">To the outer world, I like to pretend I’m a trendy yuppie
with a hopping social calendar. I meet the girls for drinks, then I attend some
swanky East Side professional-networking event, and finally, I freshen up my lipstick
to meet a dashing date. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Yeah right.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My reality is more “with the kids” than “with the
band.” More “Dora the Explorer,” less 22 year-old exploring. Of course I love
being with my nieces and nephews, but whenever I attend a Sesame Street Show at
Madison Square Garden (3 times so far) or toddlers’ amusement
park, I’m reminded of how “un-adultish” my existence truly is. When my friends
are too occupied to meet me (which is usually the case), I’m left with no other
alternative but to color, er, paint the town with a trio of 5-year olds. If
it involves a stash of Care-Bear DVDs and Mott’s apple juice on a Saturday
night, then so be it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/550x/2c/4b/18/2c4b1861a8f04a227716f62cd1ed244b.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As far as this “Disney on Ice” situation? It <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> different than the usual “Oh-my-G-d,
why-am-I-here?” sentiments that Uncle Moishe concerts brew in me. I haven’t
seen a Disney film in years, but when Sebastian sang “Under the Sea” while
doing Triple-Axels that evening, I felt very happy. You read that correctly. Happy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a name='more'></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> If your childhood—like mine—was defined by Disney, then
you’ll realize the irrevocably cheerful effect it has on you. Even if life has
morphed you into a jaded creature who gobbles sarcasm for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner, as a 90’s child, your heart is still bound to turn all soft at the
sight of Rafiki lifting Simba at Pride Rock, or Aladdin taking Princess Jasmine
for a magic carpet ride.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/upload/125045327123550888_odNdSrZb_c.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Aside from the inexplicable sense of joy that Classic
Disney offers, I’ve learned quite a few lessons from my favorite Princesses: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #8e7cc3; font-size: x-large;">PRINCESS JASMINE</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: x-large;"><img alt="Pinned Image" height="640" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/550x/3d/a8/a5/3da8a5606deef2593c750d9f82b16318.jpg" width="428" /></span></strong></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Her ability to bravely defy the status-quo is
awesome</span>. She protested to her father that she shouldn’t be forced to marry. She had little tolerance for idiocy or conformity—and she showed it. Jasmine in two
words: Beautiful bad-a$$.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;"><strong>PRINCESS BELLE:</strong></span></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/550x/de/dc/32/dedc3221fe9197dc3694efe04761ea2b.jpg" /></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Belle motivated me to read when I was growing up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, the local townsfolk and simpletons
thought she was peculiar, but she proved them dead-wrong in the end. <span style="color: #a64d79;">Reading
has taught her not to judge the proverbial book by its cover. She was able to
see the good-hearted man crouching within the Beast’s deformed self, and thus
bask in true love</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p><strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">PRINCESS ARIEL:</span></strong></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec8.pinimg.com/550x/12/28/b0/1228b0c4de7ab8f2b86e119d2916207c.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A melodic voice and beauty do not always guarantee
happiness. At times, the answer to contentment lies in another world. Ariel had
a “deeper calling” (a euphemism for teenage hormones) and she didn’t let anyone
prevent her from reaching it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">In all
seriousness, I admire her relentlessness and sheer guts.</span> (Even if what she was
fighting for <em>was </em>just teenage lust).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>OH, AND I ALSO LEARNED <span style="color: #0b5394;">THIS </span>FROM DISNEY...</strong></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec8.pinimg.com/upload/202310208230475526_OmpDZ64w_c.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">AND THIS...</span></strong><br />
<br />
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec8.pinimg.com/550x/2e/c8/f6/2ec8f65ea681f9bac59a260889f8025b.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> My love for Disney was clearly latent and had to be
woken by a ticket to Barclay’s. Shrouded by tedious schoolwork, heart-suspending
races to the subway, a co-worker’s mean jibe, and the general daily grind, my inner
child loses her way and eventually slips into the quicksand of time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> So, dear nieces and nephews, your Auntie may no
longer go with you to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sesame Street Live!</i>
or Uncle Moishe, but say the word “Disney” and I’m there in a jiffy. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com/upload/134474738843030179_8Nz1mYFf_c.jpg" /><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">UNTIL NEXT TIME!</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-69520315463305860982013-02-10T12:33:00.000-08:002013-05-19T17:50:27.891-07:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Color
Coding</strong></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/550/e8/d4/68/e8d468886ac59992ef97abdbe5cd1098.jpg" /></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Miroslava Duma in a Dior Coat </strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #333333;">Our monthly column "COLOR CODING" is baaack baby! Click on the <strong>“Color Coding” label </strong>below this article to see <span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">our previous Color Coding posts</span> </span>(if you haven’t seen them already).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">February’s
color is <strong><span style="color: magenta;">FUCHSIA.</span></strong> Sure this color may be reminiscent of all those cheesy, jaunty
hearts plastered in every store in honor of Valentine’s Day. But I assure you
that is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>why I chose this color
for February. I care not for this holiday. Firstly I’m single, and secondly Saint
Valentine has Christian roots (did the term Saint give it away?).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/550/92/be/d2/92bed2defe74cd70e7fdc8840a1716cb.jpg" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Diane Von Furstenberg Fall 2012</strong></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Valentine’s
Shmalentine’s aside, I chose fuchsia because it’s a perfect bridge between winter
and spring. Its jewel-like tone suggests winter depth, while its undeniable buoyancy
alludes to sunnier months ahead. <span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Simply stated, fuchsia works beautifully in
all seasons, as it does on all complexions.</strong></span> This color is able to suffuse warmth into every skin tone...from ivory to ebony. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What I
especially like about fuchsia is that it’s feminine without being overtly
girly. Unlike a paler pink, fuchsia is more ballsy. This color possesses
the “characteristics” of the woman I’d like to become. Fuchsia also made an appearance on <strong><span style="color: magenta;">Zac Posen's Spring 2013 runway</span></strong>. Check out this beauty!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4OWj_noWfBYJQTJfbg37NXMat0X6N4605bsM9KMA51_pO05EWXw3bG1uV-HCVtiYkh_fd85cCB65UGmbt1jFZcACmnExiePNKv4CCCEYUOEo_cyMV8WAZq70gg4sDknfjo54C-XZDls/s1600/pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4OWj_noWfBYJQTJfbg37NXMat0X6N4605bsM9KMA51_pO05EWXw3bG1uV-HCVtiYkh_fd85cCB65UGmbt1jFZcACmnExiePNKv4CCCEYUOEo_cyMV8WAZq70gg4sDknfjo54C-XZDls/s640/pink.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Zac Posen Spring 2013</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">Here
are a few ways to don this hue</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;"> in the upcoming </span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;">months:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: magenta;"><a name='more'></a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: magenta;">Fuchsia </span>with
Black or White</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The striking
color is accentuated when paired with these neutrals. Black provides an
excellent canvas to fuchsia in the winter, as white does in the summer. </span></div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/550/6c/71/fc/6c71fc8bb5c4b6c67903dcc4b8249197.jpg" width="266" /><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=pimyXCz2PSQEpM&tbnid=dkONV6ixU4gBLM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thestyleup.com%2Fstyle%2F2eg6v&ei=LY1rUfI3y6HgA8KwgYgC&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGdzRMhaagzBeMNmaRY6A54teK3zw&ust=1366089389330467" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://thestyleup.s3.amazonaws.com/cache/prod_cb275c84-1beb-4f42-aa4a-5c25c5699bdd.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="262" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo Credit: VanessaJackman.blogspot.com (left) and Stockholm Street Style with Caroline Issa (right)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/550/c6/7f/0b/c67f0b20aa9574d5dd5223fb7783f5d6.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Model is wearing a Rag and Bone skirt </span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: magenta;">Fuchsia</span> with
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Blue <span style="color: black;">or</span> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Green</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Being
that fuchsia is a blue-based pink, it looks splendid when worn with—you guessed
it. Unite these two colors if you’d like to don a creative, energetic outfit.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/550/49/41/9b/49419ba37e3976c2da15f205465f5569.jpg" width="266" /><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec9.pinimg.com/550/2b/2a/13/2b2a138969c98c1676e9de8b2f16f9b1.jpg" width="236" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">And
surprise! Fuchsia is even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more </i>versatile.
Two of our previously featured style icons (Blair Waldorf from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gossip Girl</i> left, and Ulyana Sergeenko
right) showcase how well fuchsia works with green. It represents invigoration
and playful style. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec5.pinimg.com/550/a7/41/57/a741576c083d0937b644bbd789b68018.jpg" width="271" /><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=wiL6cWEDNElsGM&tbnid=UVbNGiFVKf2V5M:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoitlikecoco.blogspot.com%2F2013%2F03%2Fmy-new-crush-ulyana-sergeenko_2461.html&ei=wo1rUb7ALO3j4APZ8oC4Dg&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGBa6-Q_seo891nYS2h5Ws0By_bUA&ust=1366089539332904" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXulZxs6EIulimFdeKn4W9qfsUXqOpSoDUlaEgtatFlDmX5jz1aNQC-trQINNBsyucpSTX5UKRVdNL-ANP9dKlODE42nvWRGhAmDyqm_Cw3kFXLtfsRRz6Vn_tPy0dTcFNl_LwrvGkOxZI/s1600/69542af8ef3b6b5d86cf6b31909a980e.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="296" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR BERKLEY"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: magenta;">Fuchsia</span> with
<span style="color: red;">Red</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This color
match is not for the faint-hearted. That’s why when it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i></b> worn—it paints a
portrait of pure exquisiteness and shocking beauty.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupfbxqoKlOPTrDEKGfboGWg3EsKJtRdLMKjOLUaolS0YfGEXOObGq4JCBacrGAqTlwv4IDyX6sqrG4PBqxJ5rOcQruxg5tGQYDX0aaX9___RpSZom1mb5xz6ResKhvOEkY6QX0e7kH6g/s1600/pink+and+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiupfbxqoKlOPTrDEKGfboGWg3EsKJtRdLMKjOLUaolS0YfGEXOObGq4JCBacrGAqTlwv4IDyX6sqrG4PBqxJ5rOcQruxg5tGQYDX0aaX9___RpSZom1mb5xz6ResKhvOEkY6QX0e7kH6g/s400/pink+and+red.jpg" width="306" /></a><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec9.pinimg.com/550/1b/b5/6f/1bb56f6047b21415696b2410b1d22d3c.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Who cares
that (along with red) fuchsia symbolizes gooey, gushy Valentine’s Day? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luxurious, feminine, and powerful, fuchsia has
become a perennial favorite for many women. It transcends the season and adds a
glow to your skin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong><span style="color: magenta;">Tell
us: Is fuchsia one of your favorite colors? What would you wear it with?</span></strong> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 18pt;">Don't forget to like “WEAR
YOUR INVISIBLE CROWN” on Facebook. And please click on the the “COLOR CODING” label below to see our previous posts: <strong><span style="color: #38761d;">Emerald</span></strong>, <strong><span style="color: blue;">Cobalt</span></strong>, and <strong><span style="color: #660000;">Oxblood</span></strong>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Until Next Time!</span></strong></div>
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</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-28657983045531642732013-02-10T10:10:00.001-08:002013-05-19T17:51:40.856-07:00<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "AR DARLING"; font-size: 48pt;"><span style="color: magenta;">Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar dear readers!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltJcIzNCwUkpMTLGqmzSDb1Esqu0rP_mUQK81tfBE5m6-Ary-_sdn3ikQOFwOgcQE8bxQr3uiTLJE79-j2q6cbD2LkJkbK_SKghc6oJzFMHdLeoHcTnDm7Ht83zxd4u6rVRfwrV9HnFs/s1600/Adar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltJcIzNCwUkpMTLGqmzSDb1Esqu0rP_mUQK81tfBE5m6-Ary-_sdn3ikQOFwOgcQE8bxQr3uiTLJE79-j2q6cbD2LkJkbK_SKghc6oJzFMHdLeoHcTnDm7Ht83zxd4u6rVRfwrV9HnFs/s1600/Adar.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Marie Courroy for L'Officiel Photographie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR DARLING"; font-size: 28pt;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">May we be able to tap into
the inherent joy of this month and experience it to its fullest potential.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR DARLING"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Love, Wear Your
Invisible Crown</span></span></div>
</span>The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-9792282672151346042013-02-06T18:10:00.002-08:002013-05-19T18:09:48.772-07:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 48pt;"><span style="color: #ea9999;"><span style="color: #ea9999;">Wear Your Invisible Crown’s</span> Spring 2013 Faves</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 48pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 48pt;"><span style="color: #e69138;">Part 1</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fJivsLa4kax1Ots6vbxfRmBhJssaSsjIeBHHUr8puYWm5pMGrCLfENwDQtCjtXfMwZMHh2xnLhuTcsk2aJiLgXH11kCyoMAP4dnpc5wsSaCXM73BwVUCSk1U-_D555B6bG_mat_kjyU/s1600/tory+burch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fJivsLa4kax1Ots6vbxfRmBhJssaSsjIeBHHUr8puYWm5pMGrCLfENwDQtCjtXfMwZMHh2xnLhuTcsk2aJiLgXH11kCyoMAP4dnpc5wsSaCXM73BwVUCSk1U-_D555B6bG_mat_kjyU/s640/tory+burch.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s
preposterous how feverishly fashion moves. It’s like they’re running—not strolling—across
those already zipping airport walkways, while the rest of us weary passengers
are barely trekking our luggage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we know <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why </i>the Fall 2013 Fashion Shows have to be debuted even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before </i>the arrival of Spring. Barneys
and Neiman Marcus have to order and ship in fall collections months in advance.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vogue </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elle </i>need to write columns on autumnal trends while it’s still a 97
degree day in July. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know the drill. Modernism
demands one to be ahead of time, to always look for the “next big thing”
(boy, I’ve been watching too many of those Samsung commercials). At any rate,
this ravenous hunt for the “next big thing” applies just as accurately to fashion
as it does to technology.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, while the rest of the fashion <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">velt </i>is kvelling over Fall 2013’s
mega-hot collections at Lincoln Center, I, the puny Jewish blogger, will focus on the present: The
impending arrival of fresh, glorious spring. In honor of that, I would like to
share with you a few of my favorite collections from Spring 2013. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 36pt;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Tory Burch Spring 2013</span></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec4.pinimg.com/550/1a/5e/2b/1a5e2b583f09f06590009e3a899c3c83.jpg" /><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/550/49/df/89/49df8928f97f735b6f2418399ff257db.jpg" /></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">“The Spring 2013 collection is about the American prep remix. We were thinking about a stylish magpie who picks up special pieces while traveling around the world and always mixes them with classic sportswear.” --Tory</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><a name='more'></a></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">Indeed,
there is no better way to describe this runway. Bohemian detailing and fluidity
coupled with conservative structure makes this collection both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">youthful</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wearable</i>. The
woman who gathers her inspiration from Tory Burch 2013 will strike the crowd as
a suave Wall Streeter who is suddenly lured by spontaneous adventure. She’ll
tell her employer “Listen, Mr. Bossy-Pants, it’s July and I can’t stand NY
humidity. I’m heading to Brazil for a month. Adios!” She’ll return with an
enviable tan and a relaxed glow, and as Tory Burch said, she’ll also “pick up
special pieces while traveling.” Who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doesn’t</i>
want to be this phantom mademoiselle? She is reassured by classic style but
also willing to experiment with globe-trotting trends. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">Meanwhile,
in reality-ville, I’m strumming my fingers because I cannot (yet) afford to buy
a Tory Burch shoelace...nevermind a skirt. No matter though.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">I’ll try
to snag the collection’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">theme</i>
anyways. How? Take a look.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="color: #e06666;"> </span></strong><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><strong><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: x-large;">Work:</span></strong> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong>Tailored jackets</strong> and <strong>pencil skirts</strong> are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">enlivened </i>by <strong>fringe detailing</strong>, <strong>mixed textures</strong>, and <strong>exotic necklaces</strong> and <strong>purses</strong>. <strong>Tasseled loafers</strong> add prepster coolness. Shop your wardrobe or hit the bargain stores to create this look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/550/42/6e/ee/426eeee457c17a582e5ea6ff4327af28.jpg" width="166" /><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/550x/95/0b/da/950bda90fc717db81ef2e47e541dd0aa.jpg" width="166" /><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="http://media-cache-ak1.pinimg.com/550x/4e/0f/c7/4e0fc736246a2f02aa7bc605c4a225b4.jpg" width="166" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Weekend:</strong></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">Pair your (preferably patterned) <strong>maxi skirts</strong> with <strong>airy tunics</strong>. Try to purchase a few <strong>artsy accessories</strong> as well. They bring <em>just</em> the right amount of whimsy to an otherwise simple ensemble. The result? “Easy, breezy, beautiful Tory Burch girl.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 36pt;"><span style="color: #b4a7d6;">It’s All in the Deets…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "AR CENA"; font-size: 36pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">The
detailing and craftsmanship that went into this collection speak for themselves.
I will not elaborate on the exquisite needlepoint, beaded sandals, and cheerful pop-poms…All you have to do is take a peek and let your eyes revel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;">We hope
you enjoyed <strong>Part 1</strong> of our <strong>Spring 2013 Review</strong>. We’d love to hear your thoughts
and opinions. Stay tuned for more!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong>Oh, and
remember to like us on Facebook at “Wear Your Invisible Crown”</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong><span style="color: #a64d79;">UNTIL NEXT TIME!</span></strong></span></div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-2250191037153381292013-02-05T13:31:00.000-08:002013-05-19T17:53:02.888-07:00<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Andalus","serif"; font-size: 36pt;">HOW THE INTERNET CAN RUIN THE LIVES OF
20-SOMETHINGS</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAGAyCumXX3iNCnzcLLZ8apEEpIXeQao9js2ohOwX8-BHu61tCgaE5Ohkt8qLxxZwQHplOmhfMrLANbOohzWsAsghHGU7oNw5Cp6GL_6lvAbXzqVBkGeDUJFOFw7lKBvhII9jiDuc8H8/s1600/office+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAGAyCumXX3iNCnzcLLZ8apEEpIXeQao9js2ohOwX8-BHu61tCgaE5Ohkt8qLxxZwQHplOmhfMrLANbOohzWsAsghHGU7oNw5Cp6GL_6lvAbXzqVBkGeDUJFOFw7lKBvhII9jiDuc8H8/s1600/office+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>I couldn't resist in sharing this article. It embodies truth; albeit a very dismal one. </strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article is from Thought Catalog at </span><a href="http://www.thoughtcatalog.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.ThoughtCatalog.com</span></a>.</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong> The author is Ryan O'Connell.</strong></span> </span></div>
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<span class="tc_mark"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Think
about how much time you spend each day making sure no one thinks you’re crazy.
You follow all the social rules, you don’t send your crush a text message
unless it’s been seen and processed by a team of experts, you don’t leave the
house until you’ve changed at least four times. “I’m wearing this new
designer,” you tell the imaginary crowds. “It’s called InsEcUrIty by Insecurity
For ‘Nsecurity…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> You
dedicate so much of your energy into reassuring near-strangers that you are
totally normal. You are not weird! When you enter a house party, there’s no
need for a record scratch. Promise! Check out your Facebook and Twitter too.
It’s completely fine. The right amount of funny and smart. You’re not posting
pictures of you drunk eating tacos in an alleyway. You’re not tweeting mean
things about your ex because that would be nuts! Talk about oversharing….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Right,
right, right. But you know what’s perhaps more nuts than posting unflattering
pictures of yourself on Facebook? Caring so much about what COMPLETE STRANGERS
think of you. We’re not even talking about your best friends, your significant
other, or your family—people whose opinions really should matter to you. We’re
talking about you stressing out and losing sleep over complete randoms. People
who, despite never having played a major role in your life, still, in some
small way, dictate your daily life decisions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com/550/8c/e1/50/8ce1506432af67076c81e1b975c17bc9.jpg" /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> The
whole thing makes me think: were our parents’ generation ever this concerned
about their image? Probably not. Growing up with the Internet and using social
media as our main source of validation has definitely left our self-esteem on
permanent shaky ground. We willingly live our lives under a microscope now, our
every move having the potential to be criticized by everyone from exes to
acquaintances to our weird aunt who lives in Ohio. It’s no exaggeration to say
that social media has completely changed the way we think about ourselves—for
better and for worse. As I mentioned before, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">a “like’ on an Instagram picture or a retweet is one of our main
sources of validation.</b> It’s basically someone’s way of telling you, “Go
you. Your life looks excellent today. Your brain is in tip-top shape. I am
jealous!” However, it can also work against you when you put something out
there that garners no response. Then your insecurities rise to the surface and
push your hubris aside. All of a sudden, you go from thinking, “My friends and
I are so cute. I am so funny!” to “Do I look hideous in that picture? Was that
a really dumb thing to tweet? AM I JUST REALLY DUMB AND UGLY?” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span> </div>
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<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec8.pinimg.com/550/37/f6/ce/37f6ceed30ded8bd0054951f6b21f060.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lauren Hutton and Karen Graham, Vogue US, July 1973.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> With
the Internet, we’ve all become obsessive curators of our own lives, which
doesn’t seem particularly healthy because, for one thing, it doesn’t help us
with the whole “being spontaneous and living in the moment” thing. For another,
it’s turned our generation into one big raw nerve. We’re so self-conscious. So
paranoid. We’re constantly comparing what our lives look like to those of our
peers because, well, we can. The Internet serves as a giant Other People’s
Lives buffet. At any given moment, we can go and snack on someone else’s life
and either feel terrible or overjoyed that we’re not them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> In your twenties, people
typically possess a strange intoxicating mixture of self-doubt and confidence.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Coupled
with technology, though, everything has become magnified. For someone who
already struggles with insecurity, websites like Facebook can worsen it. </b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> Here’s
the thing about the Internet: it can be great. It can be an amazing tool. It
can make your day. Blah, blah, blah. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">If
relied on too heavily, though, it can just turn you into an insecure wreck.</b>
Life is already weird and hard on its own. There are a myriad of things that
are out of our control that will make us question our outfit choices, our
relationships, our so-called sanity. So let’s not have the Internet and social
media complicate things any more than they have to be. Try to live your life
strictly for yourself and for the people who really matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF THIS?</span></strong> </div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-68117577367016320552013-02-05T10:34:00.002-08:002013-02-25T11:13:29.264-08:00<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sounds Cool!</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></strong> </div>
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<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" height="741" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/529296_10151576994608296_1689519386_n.jpg" style="height: 741px; width: 599px;" width="599" /></div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-34083944913726215662013-02-03T11:50:00.001-08:002014-12-29T18:08:34.709-08:00<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;">Back to Basics</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 48pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Aharoni;">A Foundation in Bitachon</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In this
week’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parshat Yitro</i> we receive the
Ten Commandments; the canon that defines us as Jews. The first commandment is
G-d stating His Existence and Oneness. This commandment is obviously pivotal,
because without it, we would not have to heed the other nine. The first
commandment is the Jew’s raison d’être; it points to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gravity </i>of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bitachon</i>. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Bitachon</span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">, or trust in G-d, is
THE ingress to fulfilling every other mitzvah in the Torah. With genuine belief
in G-d’s existence, our lives are likely to be permeated with direction and
meaning. Yet, stripped of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bitachon</i>,
we flounder in this baffling universe, where suffering courses wildly through
our veins, and where we meander through the banality of our everyday existence,
devoid of the proverbial shoulder to lean on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Trust
me; no one comprehends the criticalness of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bitachon</i>
better than the one who disregards it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bitachon</i> was always a spiritual romp for
me. It was a trial and my clichéd “Everest.” Perhaps this began when I was in
kindergarten and my childish imagination spewed a bunch of theological
theories; that G-d had other god buddies, or that G-d looked like King Triton
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Little Mermaid</i>, or that
(forgive my 4-year-old brazenness) there was no G-d at all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=BXXjZn3PcpHoTM&tbnid=dmYQGZdUJi_WBM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffmaonline.net%2Ffma%2Fwho-we-help%2Ffaith-based%2F&ei=ZJprUeL8Kc_e4AOpiYFA&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGAQ9GjRDwOVcsmrxznfG6IfpRc4Q&ust=1366092772912850" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img src="http://fmaonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/faith-road-sign-with-dramatic-clouds-and-sky.jpg" height="393" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="524" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Of
course, as one grows older, this particular subject can become even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more </i>enigmatic and difficult. When a
girl in my high school died from cancer a mere few days after Purim, a day
that ensures G-d’s mercy and receptiveness towards prayers, my heart shrouded
itself in a cloak of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>doubt and distrust.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who is this G-d and why did He do this?</i>
This question is the definition of tiresome because it entered the gates of
every person’s mind since the beginning of time. Yet, the ubiquitous and immortal
nature of this question still does <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>take
away from its inherent frustration or hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The
angst still exists and, at times, it pours down in fiery pellets. Clearly, I am
not yet perched atop my Everest with a flagpole digging into the stone,
shouting “I did it! I did it! I finally mastered <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bitachon</i>! ” In fact, I'm still grappling with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I know
that a person is shirking off adulthood until he/she can accept full
responsibility for his/her actions. I do not want to point a castigating finger
towards anyone, but I do feel as if there is a genuine problem in many Jewish
education systems, namely that <strong>there isn’t a</strong> <strong>central focus on teaching
bitachon</strong>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In my
high school, we learned what the <em>Ramban</em> had to say on this <em>Pasuk</em> and what the
<em>Ohr HaChaim</em> had said to refute the <em>Ramban</em>. We were chin deep in the Tanach. We
immersed in a Chumash, Two Navis, One Ketuvim, plus a load of other subjects
every year. I could brandish the wand of my Jewish knowledge at a Shabbat table—causing
everyone to blink in disbelief and drop their jaw a little. What does <em>Rashi </em>say
about Avraham in this Parsha? I knew it.
What does the Vilna Gaon say about Dovid HaMelech in this Perek? I knew it. I <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had<strong style="font-style: italic;"> </strong></span>to know it—otherwise I would fail my upcoming exam. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Of
course, learning the Tanach is a holy quest. Soaking the words of Torah is
a personal growth tool. But what about the very <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fundamentals</span> of Judaism (i.e. emunah and trust in G-d)? Sadly, I
can neither tell you what the <em>Ramban </em>or <em>Ohr HaChaim</em> said anymore, nor can I
apply it to my daily life (even if I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i>
recall their sayings). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Everyday
vicissitudes call for a faith that runs deeper than hours spent memorizing
<em>Pasukim </em>from Navi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why didn’t we focus
on studying that? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Aside
from poring over various technicalities in Tanach, my school doused us with
tzniut speeches as if <em>our very existence relied on it</em>. My teachers’ slogan was “You
are a Bas Melech. Your beauty is on the inside!” On days that they
became tired with that phrase, they would trill on about “No movies! No TV! No
Goyish books! Tumah! Tumah!</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Tumah!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=BM8lkEaJFrtwbM&tbnid=O5NJYWWYgO-WhM:&ved=&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FPrayInFaith&ei=ZJprUeL8Kc_e4AOpiYFA&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGAQ9GjRDwOVcsmrxznfG6IfpRc4Q&ust=1366092772912850" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://twimg0-a.akamaihd.net/profile_images/1549689037/got-faith_t_-_Copy2.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="393" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Please,
can somebody explain this to me? We wore uniforms day in and day out; fastened to
our throat, caressing our ankles. And we were so overwhelmed with homework and
studying—who on earth had time for movies or TV?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">We also
learned way too many <em>“Midah K’neged Midah”</em> examples. It was enough to
frighten even the most valiant of souls. If one sins with fire, then G-d
punishes with fire. If one sins with his tongue, then—you guessed it. At one
point, I firmly believed that if I got a paper cut in the morning, it was because
I “cut” my soul with the "tumah" of the television I watched the night before.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Why
couldn’t we revel more in the subject (faith and bitachon) that stands at the
very core of our religion? Why couldn’t we be taught that G-d loves us unconditionally
instead of envisioning Him as a punishing Being? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The very first commandment of the Torah is
to be completely aware of Hashem’s existence and the active, loving role He
plays in our lives. </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, who’s up for revolutionizing the Jewish
education system with me? Anyone?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-49083157909248953042013-01-29T17:21:00.000-08:002013-05-19T17:59:59.830-07:00<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Would You Wear…?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 48pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Snakeskin Print</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Welcome
back to our <strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Would You
Wear…?” </span></strong>column! This column introduces trends that would
perhaps challenge the status-quo (as far as wardrobes are concerned). It will
usually feature a style that is either unfamiliar to you or requires a bit of
daring on your part. If you haven't seen our last "Would You
Wear...?" post, then please click on the label below THIS post. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Today
we’re zeroing in on the <strong>PYTHON PRINT/SNAKESKIN.</strong> </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></span> </div>
<div align="center">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/upload/254805291387497723_2hZFIrIn_c.jpg" /></div>
<div align="center">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Formerly,
I would shrink away from the python print because it clearly reminded me of the
species I detest the most. Watching a snake slither, pounce, and kill on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">National Geographic </i>clouded my childhood
with hair-raising nightmares. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Well,
in time I learned to forgive the snake—all in the name of fashion of course!
No, I’m kidding. I still despise this reptile, but I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did</i> grow to marvel its mesmerizing skin patterns. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Calvin Klein Resort 2013 (above) and Erdem Spring 2013 (below)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=k0WGNhvTkI-fLM&tbnid=6PvKFyQ5YgBl1M:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wmagazine.com%2Ffashion%2F2012%2F09%2Ferdem-spring-2013-runway-ss&ei=m5NrUY69DYe-4APBrYD4Cg&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGX-amyrvGYDvH6ldgea0H0tO1FDA&ust=1366091035543769" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.wmagazine.com/images/fashion/2012/09/fass-erdem-spring-2013-runway-01-v.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="284" /></a><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=7xJjr2EGBmPq2M&tbnid=ZWnUt4Sgbt9aoM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffashionemia.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F09%2Ferdem-spring-2013-details_26.html&ei=m5NrUY69DYe-4APBrYD4Cg&bvm=bv.45175338,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNGX-amyrvGYDvH6ldgea0H0tO1FDA&ust=1366091035543769" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="393" id="irc_mi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_ZxU7877-QvPgY6ONaML9_EgurC-nGgloFiBESR2S4ocr7VsVZhyphenhyphenyWVV-uuvEzV8fqMhUJa74Xm60YDfS3rQT2Tgz8UKymNOsPJicS6LZOgyT8Ud6YQ5y5AjuaubGMa9Rznbf8WebO0t/s1600/erdem-rtw-ss2013-details-10_140521117168.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Since
a genuine snakeskin clutch or handbag can be very expensive, I tend to gravitate
towards faux-snakeskin or simply a graphic version of it. After purchasing a
few snakeskin items, I quickly realized that this print is
extremely<strong> versatile</strong>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" height="396" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/upload/17944098486648452_KY6QXZPy_c.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.j.crew.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.J.Crew.com</span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong>Here’s How to Incorporate it Into Your Closet: </strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Black-and-White Snakeskin</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">
<strong>Python Print is the Leopard Print’s unassuming cousin.</strong> It’s equally as
versatile as leopard yet not as "fierce" or ubiquitous. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Wear a python print skirt like <em>Tank </em>Fashion Editor Caroline Issa (below).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec7.pinimg.com/upload/154600199680231684_i9hLTslk_c.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong>Neutral hued snakeskin (especially in black-and-white) provides the <span style="color: #f6b26b;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">perfect</span> </span>canvas for cheerful colors</strong>.</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Colored Snakeskin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong>Colored
snakeskin</strong> is quite unique and lovely. It’s such a refreshing decision to wear a
snakeskin frock in hunter or mint green (as seen below). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec9.pinimg.com/upload/40321359134822951_o1nvF3EZ_c.jpg" width="266" /><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec6.pinimg.com/upload/123637952241527570_PnzZjZYW_c.jpg" width="293" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dress (left) is from Net-A-Porter and the photo (right) is from Elle.com</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Snakeskin + Pattern</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Don’t
believe that you can wear another pattern with snakeskin? Well, you can—and it’s
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">uber-stylish</b> if you do. Apply the “pattern
mixing” principle to this print, as you would for any other.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec9.pinimg.com/upload/133489576425791438_moxhTS4r_c.jpg" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">J. Crew
works the python print in the summer AND winter by experimenting with colors
and textures. <strong>Their final results are sophisticated and utter genius</strong>.
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec9.pinimg.com/upload/253186810272521399_9mKF4eX9_c.jpg" width="363" /><img alt="Pinned Image" height="400" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec7.pinimg.com/upload/23784704251922303_25sZpBhM_c.jpg" width="269" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Style Icon </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elisa Nalin (left) and J. Crew (right)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Script MT Bold"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Snakeskin Accessories </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If
you haven’t yet been lured by the appeal of snakeskin, then perhaps experiment
with this pattern through accessories? A <strong>python print</strong> <strong>clutch</strong> or <strong>shoe</strong> is usually seen on
a Fashion Editor’s “Must Have” list, because it adds an instant “cool factor”
to whatever you’re wearing. And like we mentioned before—<em>it’s one of the most
adaptable prints out there</em>. Wear it with denim or a little black dress, and hit
the streets!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec3.pinimg.com/upload/97249673174349728_rz0tg13J_c.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jakandjill.com/">www.JakandJill.com</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pinned Image" id="pinCloseupImage" src="https://s-media-cache-ec1.pinimg.com/upload/160722280421803998_UWhfGWFP_c.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, even in the most abhorred species, there
lays an enigmatic artistry. G-d took out a few pencils, oil paints, and
charcoal from His art box and delicately sketched the snake’s bold lines and deep
shadows. I do <em>not</em> encourage the murder of these reptiles for fashion’s sake,
but I’m definitely glad that there are faux-alternatives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong>What
do you think? Would you wear a python print? If so, what would you wear it
with? Let us know!</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Please
click on the <strong>WOULD YOU WEAR </strong>label below to see more from this monthly column!
(We covered Velvet and “Mixed Plaids” in the past).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">UNTIL NEXT TIME!</span></strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5001108969574385534.post-62096432637206820952013-01-28T18:01:00.002-08:002013-05-25T22:46:45.005-07:00<div align="center">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 48pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The St-EYE-lista; </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Editor’s Edition</span></strong> </div>
</div>
<div align="center">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8cwM4xv9El0BErt6Ow8uyStVaOF7INAku3nNCKuWWB5P9s9-0mYr3Fa6SXfVVyozSU2pcn7OCbtcwLsQbogsUElAkYXpN1pxoM_-PxxblrQhBfQAovBjSF09otiiQCje17PDFaOBZXc/s1600/gb+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8cwM4xv9El0BErt6Ow8uyStVaOF7INAku3nNCKuWWB5P9s9-0mYr3Fa6SXfVVyozSU2pcn7OCbtcwLsQbogsUElAkYXpN1pxoM_-PxxblrQhBfQAovBjSF09otiiQCje17PDFaOBZXc/s1600/gb+cover.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Welcome back to our bi-monthly column: <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">The “St-EYE-lista”!</span></strong> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This column features an individual whose personal style captured our EYE and whose fashion sense can be reinterpreted for the modest dresser. From talk-show hosts to socialites and from Creative Directors to bloggers, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Wear Your Invisible Crown</span></i> prides itself on revealing the kaleidoscopic gamut of fashion ingénues and icons. <strong><span style="color: #674ea7;">From January until March we will specifically focus on style icons who are (or once were) Editors of prominent fashion publications.</span></strong> We look forward to presenting our audience with an array of style and information regarding our featured “Editors.” </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Our second <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">St-EYE-lista
(The Editor’s Edition)</b> is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Giovanna
Battaglia</b>. Giovanna is the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">editor</b>
of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L'Uomo
Vogue</i></b> (otherwise known as Vogue Italia) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">contributing fashion editor</b> to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">W
magazine</b>. Prior to her editorial role at highly prominent magazines,
Giovanna was a model for Dolce and Gabbana. With drive, talent, and a sartorially
keen eye she was capable of shifting her professional role and becoming the
well-established fashion editor that she is today. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EKq2EsPhku2VU8UIxjhkMd8YsW5NpF9FQU_mzLBv4fhXJYBNiwr82tu-QHZ7ohg1uf4jF7j98Mh9amGi1ejPXl2mmJ0SipVZ4GCDmGEDFXJuGgT2Ti-ebbElKnD7aV8DJKNij4hORRs/s1600/gb+cover+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EKq2EsPhku2VU8UIxjhkMd8YsW5NpF9FQU_mzLBv4fhXJYBNiwr82tu-QHZ7ohg1uf4jF7j98Mh9amGi1ejPXl2mmJ0SipVZ4GCDmGEDFXJuGgT2Ti-ebbElKnD7aV8DJKNij4hORRs/s1600/gb+cover+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Giovanna’s personal style is influenced by two icons; <strong>Monica
Vitti</strong> and <strong>Audrey Hepburn</strong>. The former was an Italian movie star and the latter
was a British one. Indeed, Giovanna draws inspiration from fashion-conscious
Italian culture as well as British classicism by mixing risk-taking
accessories with tailored, timeless clothing. The juxtaposing fashion sense of Vitti
and Hepburn motivate <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">this </b>magazine editor
to create a style that is all her own. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>READ ON TO SEE MORE!</strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>It’s Not Just Black-and-White, Part 1</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_hTnExtdkD7yxup7x1i-IGtMoEMh9sb69GEqVzLRIhzQ37N-BxcTbTBHlvptqLg2p5cDZtW4aQ3jLIy5VCdPzu7L-8tjKxV5Ja-EvNmU6d4LpowYLgVThrggMLxWcS1R1LagHWL9yZA/s1600/GB+BW+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_hTnExtdkD7yxup7x1i-IGtMoEMh9sb69GEqVzLRIhzQ37N-BxcTbTBHlvptqLg2p5cDZtW4aQ3jLIy5VCdPzu7L-8tjKxV5Ja-EvNmU6d4LpowYLgVThrggMLxWcS1R1LagHWL9yZA/s1600/GB+BW+2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Photo Credit: Stockholm-StreetStyle</span> </div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">What do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> like
about Giovanna’s P.S.? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">She offsets the
enduring appeal of black-and-white outfits with a touch of eccentricity or rebellion.</b>
Her ensembles are undeniably elegant, and by adding a pair of edgy
booties, hot slingbacks, or a scarf, she earns a dozen more “style points.” Easily. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Speaking of Scarves...</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyT8OA_dvS_yV1wsilMXGds5-p2Yk_TThEqW5r54aNmpxTTvvrkU5pM0AK3uN6ASUQGZOmKGWcBmvukv78d1LHmzZRjboqUGBMyTfN1EezM8f63VVtr9AY8XsGHZAwLRbEZDZoTCAUTI/s1600/gb+scarf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgyT8OA_dvS_yV1wsilMXGds5-p2Yk_TThEqW5r54aNmpxTTvvrkU5pM0AK3uN6ASUQGZOmKGWcBmvukv78d1LHmzZRjboqUGBMyTfN1EezM8f63VVtr9AY8XsGHZAwLRbEZDZoTCAUTI/s1600/gb+scarf.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A scarf is essential—whether it’s a heavy Pashmina in the winter or a gauzy floral in the spring—if you'd like to imitate (forgive the tired phrase) a “model off-duty” or a European citizen.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Well-Fitted and Tailored</strong> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WSraW28U0Bn1em383zvQGyPEu7c00Wltt6ZGF_q8Ee3sG0nrFzy8CPip5cxsqYUuR8UbmQIGbSa2MZJG8U6Qb66Q-49H72hGs49sQhKDcjnLAZpEluR8h_LIgGj0bXC0ktYS5uNEH-s/s1600/GB+tailored+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WSraW28U0Bn1em383zvQGyPEu7c00Wltt6ZGF_q8Ee3sG0nrFzy8CPip5cxsqYUuR8UbmQIGbSa2MZJG8U6Qb66Q-49H72hGs49sQhKDcjnLAZpEluR8h_LIgGj0bXC0ktYS5uNEH-s/s1600/GB+tailored+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>This </strong>is where Ms. Hepburn's influence sashays its way into the
picture. At times, Giovanna will lift her palm upwards and say “WWAHW”? (‘What
Would Audrey Hepburn Wear?’). </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The response is usually a 50’s inspired coat or tailored suit.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6cVB2ySLGY0HxvCK_526OChyphenhyphensqMUq7y_LuI7wws9muVf1CYxCqvlbpGYOFV6op6qH9x1uADWM6MJ08pn5gvmp-GU-ylqZmMWVu28WcP3jleM2-MavDh-z9c6zdRuBzKit3aKB7E8N-I/s1600/GB+tailored.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6cVB2ySLGY0HxvCK_526OChyphenhyphensqMUq7y_LuI7wws9muVf1CYxCqvlbpGYOFV6op6qH9x1uADWM6MJ08pn5gvmp-GU-ylqZmMWVu28WcP3jleM2-MavDh-z9c6zdRuBzKit3aKB7E8N-I/s400/GB+tailored.jpg" width="233" /></a><a href="http://images.wikifashion.com/uploads/5/55/Giovanna_Battaglia_47.jpg"><img alt="File:Giovanna Battaglia 47.jpg" height="400" src="http://images.wikifashion.com/uploads/5/55/Giovanna_Battaglia_47.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Giovanna's Evening Wear, Part 1</strong></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Black-and-white is at it again! This time—it’s evening
wear. The modest dresser ought to give a round of applause for Ms. Battaglia
over here. This Vogue editor knows how to dress impeccably without being revealing.
She usually experiments with edgy textures or different prints to keep her evening wear <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">au courant.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvVpqARRBmkJE-t_07wUnUyRlJUNKeeFzqY-JPwc6xi-B8kkL21MccUPwXZdHEDUztLkCebFg-vKWDJd1ZDoJC-1PVNlJ7iXBi0iBYNMRc2DopC6bMoj0umvlwD0-lRHXSTq2u5HVEQo/s1600/giovanna+white.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvVpqARRBmkJE-t_07wUnUyRlJUNKeeFzqY-JPwc6xi-B8kkL21MccUPwXZdHEDUztLkCebFg-vKWDJd1ZDoJC-1PVNlJ7iXBi0iBYNMRc2DopC6bMoj0umvlwD0-lRHXSTq2u5HVEQo/s400/giovanna+white.jpg" width="288" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g47M95YuNQX1xOqRmb1RN7CiEEiHYGGtSGTtb7qXW8oXYTZ3TmIRXCsATDaiVV7wWEfjHs0UmyJ0Oz24_1YMD4PzQnxSg8Nbugl7nVGcZh2YXN8JpvEo-0RebUlqxjt-KlHsWbMYek0/s1600/dior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5g47M95YuNQX1xOqRmb1RN7CiEEiHYGGtSGTtb7qXW8oXYTZ3TmIRXCsATDaiVV7wWEfjHs0UmyJ0Oz24_1YMD4PzQnxSg8Nbugl7nVGcZh2YXN8JpvEo-0RebUlqxjt-KlHsWbMYek0/s400/dior.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Giovanna’s Evening Wear, Part 2</strong></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Sometimes Giovanna can abandon her sleek and sophisticated aesthetic
in order to indulge a girly, frou-frou side. I love how her style seems quite
predictable—and then suddenly it’s “SURPRISE! I wanted to look like a ballerina
today, and so I did.” </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ5_WmCnAayqkRa_Va0Tq8Rc2bMNF2Vr87xLDhUarMCiYdfzBPaKPngbIbLGS3syugtdxKpv7DLwcD_15v1tTi8lx0F7Ek6drTIZmkPPSYCeh_moyWRUTbfh9gKxEEhrqsrNtpivWrLQ/s1600/gb+e+g+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZ5_WmCnAayqkRa_Va0Tq8Rc2bMNF2Vr87xLDhUarMCiYdfzBPaKPngbIbLGS3syugtdxKpv7DLwcD_15v1tTi8lx0F7Ek6drTIZmkPPSYCeh_moyWRUTbfh9gKxEEhrqsrNtpivWrLQ/s400/gb+e+g+2.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_p5H0Ad0fnk7ioyInKUlWPiNGUtKJfWWcuS8bNK55tAV8p748CrFDlHJtlvUKKCOYDnhB3l7EY_IpHv3yPTheq_N8PygQmLqrkka4mdlvnIj7NxptNbdFpiMdYRwTznabvZ_JVn7qL0/s1600/giovanna+girly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_p5H0Ad0fnk7ioyInKUlWPiNGUtKJfWWcuS8bNK55tAV8p748CrFDlHJtlvUKKCOYDnhB3l7EY_IpHv3yPTheq_N8PygQmLqrkka4mdlvnIj7NxptNbdFpiMdYRwTznabvZ_JVn7qL0/s400/giovanna+girly.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>How to Look Like a Fashion Editor, Step 1: Texture</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpvsFb8o6PEBJyeC0dPNOxvHP-dDYcyZKQKBmDJO1TQLeY7ceunu754bgJlEcyOFeTGg4q6gb5Q91ajJbT1-SE3z0ISRSashyphenhyphenK4o5ikTeIuwPAOIKrzSC9_OAMOiXhMiDYbBqzs4bxE8/s1600/gb+metallic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpvsFb8o6PEBJyeC0dPNOxvHP-dDYcyZKQKBmDJO1TQLeY7ceunu754bgJlEcyOFeTGg4q6gb5Q91ajJbT1-SE3z0ISRSashyphenhyphenK4o5ikTeIuwPAOIKrzSC9_OAMOiXhMiDYbBqzs4bxE8/s1600/gb+metallic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Enliven a 9-5 wardrobe with <strong>texture</strong>. Don’t just settle
for polyester or rayon! The rest of your outfit can be “no-fuss” if you’re
wearing a sleek <strong>metallic</strong> or <strong>leather</strong> dress.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Step 2: The Surprise Element</strong></span><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_IAIPsUXng95kW-ndKnkmbqCBD_Z3EMqeOexBEA_cP2SvMf26g1vjU-BX1QFkvJSIpHZWcIGUrTc0BOrcx9Tdkn80PzatDr_OGe2_5MOAJMCgaM81wU_xu9v709CNZIyFmhT5vE-YdI/s1600/surprise+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_IAIPsUXng95kW-ndKnkmbqCBD_Z3EMqeOexBEA_cP2SvMf26g1vjU-BX1QFkvJSIpHZWcIGUrTc0BOrcx9Tdkn80PzatDr_OGe2_5MOAJMCgaM81wU_xu9v709CNZIyFmhT5vE-YdI/s1600/surprise+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Ensure that you have ONE standout accessory or garment
on. You can wear an ordinary pencil skirt or sweater but add a renegade
heel. Conversely, your simple nude heels can foil an extravagant dress or
coat. The key, of course, is balance. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKTuXmlWltCXJM44v6ImyBizJMdvjLjBbMRFupFspgjmRv5zSlQIIURJSSKs1COjWpkMSc0tYRKmYVf2LSeqg3LsiUT8wGHKaTI5XxNUPvoRjqaE-ufO7_sku2oSkZ0qEWFml7y_u5GU/s1600/surprise+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKTuXmlWltCXJM44v6ImyBizJMdvjLjBbMRFupFspgjmRv5zSlQIIURJSSKs1COjWpkMSc0tYRKmYVf2LSeqg3LsiUT8wGHKaTI5XxNUPvoRjqaE-ufO7_sku2oSkZ0qEWFml7y_u5GU/s400/surprise+3.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT6hz4hSzHOCglYVG8xr4bauHzHRPZBpdUA5X8hE4nVOIyotVc_vcoSy2zNjg3mIcJh0w94olAHKhQ1gbT_TuhgEFbswB49XCyds05Uy9Vy3p5TiBvxz32ciH4FyXA9PFmeTp6MKEJsI/s1600/surprise+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyT6hz4hSzHOCglYVG8xr4bauHzHRPZBpdUA5X8hE4nVOIyotVc_vcoSy2zNjg3mIcJh0w94olAHKhQ1gbT_TuhgEFbswB49XCyds05Uy9Vy3p5TiBvxz32ciH4FyXA9PFmeTp6MKEJsI/s400/surprise+2.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdKyBO6IF2Do5cUlYNuBywMhoBGSMjXKEwP9uoY32FT9fH7nO-3pCcVoQNARc5XkH1jEYRxFfdqp8gsJQC1KWtDtD4O9nJ6Pt21Wc1eodOtLtfxeS_1CinwUmAgq8crRKblP42s7g0HU/s1600/surprise+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTdKyBO6IF2Do5cUlYNuBywMhoBGSMjXKEwP9uoY32FT9fH7nO-3pCcVoQNARc5XkH1jEYRxFfdqp8gsJQC1KWtDtD4O9nJ6Pt21Wc1eodOtLtfxeS_1CinwUmAgq8crRKblP42s7g0HU/s1600/surprise+4.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; font-size: 36pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Step 3: Color</strong></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviztVi2LNHRW5RIP610X6gXJv6DVw02s2rcOjLQqt10M8jEL1vDqSxspswpWvVd7JijEpHuOIoeOr8w1EHDmc2z7CKyYDIqvbJeNZuHrQJ819IhHSu0yltoKV0tm-LSunAVGynXCVtPY/s1600/gb+color+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviztVi2LNHRW5RIP610X6gXJv6DVw02s2rcOjLQqt10M8jEL1vDqSxspswpWvVd7JijEpHuOIoeOr8w1EHDmc2z7CKyYDIqvbJeNZuHrQJ819IhHSu0yltoKV0tm-LSunAVGynXCVtPY/s1600/gb+color+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong>Clean-Cut Silhouettes + Vibrant color= Perfection. Nuff
said.</strong> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-ke7KhwCfJ8cn2hpzIkfl6sqeYP01RY71gbYgsqat5HDp_ePbh22RZrvYMv4RZKhf5bPivZ1NPvWsWRBg9uyRCY-oi4YXjeiRf-uebcc4kakCJMZK0ItWJJrhtrWSrTgM8zumuhACak/s1600/GB+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-ke7KhwCfJ8cn2hpzIkfl6sqeYP01RY71gbYgsqat5HDp_ePbh22RZrvYMv4RZKhf5bPivZ1NPvWsWRBg9uyRCY-oi4YXjeiRf-uebcc4kakCJMZK0ItWJJrhtrWSrTgM8zumuhACak/s400/GB+color.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjspLZSvfPZAGOBLMaRWm-OAhsMJdGQRVMe82LWCGvlHCggyM2kGMY46kr9s-Ratso_-pT1x4DsuVczarg2KR5rsA67Q_gvXbj0G6uLmGEIrMpUtQWtG2OShC701ZIgEjvt6hcx2GJgo/s1600/GB+color+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjspLZSvfPZAGOBLMaRWm-OAhsMJdGQRVMe82LWCGvlHCggyM2kGMY46kr9s-Ratso_-pT1x4DsuVczarg2KR5rsA67Q_gvXbj0G6uLmGEIrMpUtQWtG2OShC701ZIgEjvt6hcx2GJgo/s400/GB+color+2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">That’s all for now folks! We truly hope you enjoyed this
St-EYE-lista post. We believe that Giovanna’s style is an indication of the
fact that modernity and modesty are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>not</strong> </i>at
odds. Adding personality to your clothes does not necessarily diminish
tastefulness or refinement. My former Bais Yaakov teachers may beg to differ
though...Oh well. If they saw Giovanna Battaglia photos, then maybe they'd agree with me.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>UNTIL NEXT TIME! </strong></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Remember to like Wear Your Invisible Crown on FB and check out the "Style Icon Label" below to view our past St-EYE-listas.</strong></span></span></div>
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The Becksterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14202901128833946034noreply@blogger.com1