i’m in japan?….i’m IN JAPAN!!!

so, here’s the thing: i got to japan. basically the second my feet hit the ground, i got sick and don’t remember much after that. there was a trip to the hospital, some nights where i couldn’t swallow, and a few days where i didn’t eat- and then there was the morning that i shed some tears and was just about resolved to purchase a very expensive ticket for a flight home…but then, somehow, between not passing out after getting out of bed this morning and being so upset that i couldn’t remember one measly reason why i had even wanted to come to japan in the first place, it got a little better. i talked with some of my best friends at home, saw some familiar faces greet me this morning and ask me how i was doing, opened my windows and took a walk around the block (somehow…my legs still worked!! imagine that.), and did some research- i actually ate a full meal. two of them. and here i am. updating my blog for the first time in 6 days, eating the best dessert i’ve ever had, and preparing for a full night’s sleep so that maybe, just maybe, i’ll be able to join my group tour of a samurai movie set tomorrow. keep your fingers crossed…

anyway, from what i can remember, here’s what’s happened so far (the highs…and the lows):
-i bought a neck pillow and an expensive new book.
-i boarded a plane and refused to check my watch for some 14-odd hours until it landed on the other side of the world, in japan.
-converted every last american dollar i had to yen in the airport.
-spent a lengthy amount of time, twiddling our thumbs in said airport.
-met my sweet, lovely roommate and spent the first night in japan, in a hotel not far from the airport.
-was tempted, the next day, with the promise of visiting Hello Kitty World (HELLO!! is that not what i came to japan to do!!??)…which we didn’t.
-visited, instead, the high fashion shopping district of tokyo (oh God…)
-attempted to buy a protective lens cap for my camera at, literally, the largest electronics store i have ever encountered in my life. bought the lens cap. tried it on. had to return the lens cap. should i remind you here that i know a total of 6 japanese phrases, none of which involve “camera” or “can i have my yen back because it’s worth a million US dollars??”? ouch.
-bought a teen fashion magazine! brainstormed. discussed with my japanese professor.
-crashed (HARD) at the hotel that night. the only thing i remember about the next day: a piece of toast for breakfast. an imperial palace that i stumbled through. train stations?? new hotel. cab ride to the hospital. hospital. IV. back to the hotel. hotel bed for what seemed like days? yogurt! bananas. brown gargle-y liquid (that, somehow, did quite a job without ever actually feeling like it was working?). some skype conversations that may or may not have involved some tears.
-AND THEN: “Coming of Age” Day. 2nd Monday in January, of the new year, in Japan. Part of the Happy Monday System. National Holiday. Young male and female 20-somethings who are pledging themselves to be official, respectful adult members of society. Kimonos. Photographs. Lots of shrines and temples. Akin to a “class reunion meets Sweet Sixteen birthday party”. There was an assignment involved, and although I couldn’t drag myself out on the street, into a bus, and across town to witness it firsthand, I did stay back and research. And ate (finally). Japanese-Italian food! What a mix. Then we wrote a paper, had sushi from a conveyor belt, and here I am.

So. Now you know what I’ve been up to.
The long and short of it, anyway.
In many ways, my experience here is just starting even though it is nearly a third of the way through.
Laying in bed, I purposely kept my mind off of dates and times and…my life back home, as much as possible. It would have been unbelievable upsetting to me to fully realize any and all of the above, so I attempted to stay as present as possible and focused on getting better (which, at times, felt like it was nowhere in sight).
At any rate, I’m here to tell you that it was (I think). I have to thank you all for your thoughts and your wishes, both before I left, and since I have arrived, and I would ask that you continue to think of me as I will do of you, while I attempt to make the most of this last leg of the experience.

And I will bring you back souvenirs.
Once I figure out ONE THING to bring back for myself, too.

Missing you all an incredible amount and counting the ways I am thankful for you,
Alexa

christmas moccasins.

my mother bought me a pair of minnetonka moccasin boots for christmas!
they were a bit late arriving, but no matter- this is the way our family works best.
they are wonderful. honestly, i haven’t been this in love with a pair of shoes in a very long time.
there is worker at my favorite vintage store in greensboro, design archives, who is there regularly. i’m always anxious to see what she’s wearing; she’s very clearly a free spirit, with big blue eyes and extremely long red hair. she prefers vintage maxi dresses, and happened to be sporting one when i entered just a few days before christmas. below the hemline of her dress peaked a boldly colored pair of tights and…the boots. they had multiple layers of fringe and they were that delicious camel color that you can wear with nearly everything.
i had to ask.
and her response: minnetonka.
minnetonka has been around for many years creating trusty, durable moccasin-style shoes (sidenote: if you need a pair of kick-around slip on shoes, buy a pair of their fur-lined moccasins! they’re heavenly. multiple people in my family own them).
these are legit shoes.

and my favorite part: there’s this incredibly satisfying swishandflap motion of the triple layers of fringe every time you walk.
talk about putting a little spring in your step!

went to exchange some items at the mall today (forever 21, you’re my homie, but your exchange policy is utterly preposterous) and practically bounded out of the house in this:

oh! i finally found a leather jacket. it’s a cheaper compromise of the one i lusted after at urban outfitters for months. but it’s this nice rust color. and it has a hood. which was a necessity (for some reason). now all of my summer dresses can find their winter voice!

and there are another new pair of shoes in my life, too!
i’ve been eyeing a variation of them at urban outfitters for a while, but spotted a cheaper pair at…dare i say it?…rue 21.
i know. they will fall apart in the amount of days equivalent to every dollar i spent on them (only $20!) but i had to figure out if i could actually sport them regularly to warrant spending the big bucks on them (which, let’s be honest, i won’t do…because that’s just not what i do).
anyway. they are oxfords!

and i am still at a loss as to how i should wear them.
i am really open to any suggestions you may have.
this is all i’ve got so far:

still working on how to wear my blazer, too.
in theory, i like women’s blazers a lot. in theory.
but i just can’t get it.

another little christmas gem i found, two days before the holiday:

it sparked conversation at a local pacsun outlet with the boy behind the counter who rang up my multi-colored flannel shirt (from the boy’s section, obviously. i was pretty offended when Sir McHair Gel glared at me from the opposite side of the rack and asked me in a disgusted tone, “is this the GIRL’S section?!” followed by a look meant to imply “perhaps you should take your ugly polyester dress at least 30 feet away from me and this clearly ultra-masculine rack of flannel shirts, to the neon zebra print thermals, where you belong!”). he told me i reminded him of his sister, who bought all of her clothes from urban outfitters. i reminded him that i would be broke should i choose to purchase all of my clothing from urban outfitters or, certainly, wouldn’t have such a selection of things in my closet to choose from and that urban merely inspires me to go out and thrift till the cows come home.
he understood.

also found a spectacular(ly cheesy) bright red christmas dress…from the little girl’s section, of course. which i donned on christmas day, obviously.
these are some of the charming women in my life. and my red christmas dress.

there’s a white, lace collar and ruffles on the cuff of the sleeves. and a bow that ties in the back.
i think the appeal was there because i, quite frankly, was never really forced into christmas or easter dresses, for that matter, and i feel as though being forced to wear frilly, frighteningly uncomfortable dresses at an early age is an essential milestone that i never really got to participate in. i just wanted to make sure i had the opportunity to do so before it was too late.

i had my friend Graham Morrison snap a couple photos of me for christmas donning my faux-fur coat i mentioned in my earlier post.
Graham’s a camera magician.

i realize i’m backtracking a bit, but i mentioned in my last post that i’d taken some photos of some inspirational fashion in new orleans…turns out, i only took one. the other one i was imagining was blurry and i ultimately deleted it.

check out the female on the right.
so classy, right? i loved her tights. and the booties. it really does look like the entire ensemble was flawlessly put together and then placed on her, just so.

my grandma really was working her little ear-warmer band during our stay.

i was really proud of her.
she looked adorable.

and! i never thought i’d admit it until the day before my wedding…but i found my wedding dress?
kinda.
this is what it will look like:

it. is. STUNNING.
with some pumps from ALDO, with that square/pointed toe stiletto? and some lace gloves? i love it.

a final note: i leave for japan in 5 days.
i’m in shock.
i’m terribly anxious and really nervous.
but this is something i’ve been waiting to do my entire life (granted, only 21 years at this point, but i hadn’t expected to be able to go so soon!).
quite honestly, i’m worried i won’t be able to take it all in! i certainly won’t be able to snap enough photos, quickly or adequately enough.
but i’m determined to experience and learn as much about lolita and harajuku fashion as i can (in addition to the actual academic curriculum) which i think i have mentioned before on this blog but if i have not, do yourself a huge favor and check out this website: lolitafashion.org
this will explain the basics of what lolita fashion is and may give you some insight into why i admire the lifestyle so much.
if you’ve got some free time, i would even suggest hopping over to flickr and typing “harajuku” or “lolita” into the search engine and browsing through some photos. they will blow your mind.
i save the ones i find most inspirational and file them away in a folder i created specifically for style and look back on it occasionally and grin.
and if you’d like to become even more involved in the styles, check out the “Gothic and Lolita Bible” or “Fruits” magazine (both should be available at Barnes & Noble).
these are two styles that have really started to affect me in the past several years and i can’t believe i’m actually going to get to see it in person.
and for those who think the styles are totally outlandish and unrelateable, let me ask you: do you know or have you associated with kids who identify as “emo”, “scene”, “hipster” or “indie”? more than likely, almost all of them (whether they know it or not) have been affected in some way by the harajuku scene in japan.

at any rate, i’ve got lots to do before i leave.
i hope everyone had a really wonderful holiday and have an incredible, stupendous start to your new year!

alexa

NOLA

in just a few hours, i leave new orleans to return to nearly a foot of snow in NC.
i’ve been in new orleans since the 16th, visiting my mom’s sister; i traveled here with my mom and grandmother.

the four of us have taken new orleans by storm!……kind of.
we have certainly experienced our fair share of authentic cuisine (gumbo, crawfish eutouffee, oyster po’boys, 3 different kinds of bread pudding) and a bit of music (highlight: Kermit Ruffins at a local bar that he’s played at every thursday night for the past 16 years!) and even some of the more touristy attractions (french quarter, IMAX theatre, Magazine street).
and at the very last minute, i caved in and bought a mardi gras mask.
why?
i’m not entirely sure. but it’s a tiger mask and it’s pretty regal.

i was surprised by the attire in new orleans; as a bigger city, i should have assumed that i would see some unique ensembles but i somehow wasn’t expecting it. i managed to snap a few shots of some lovely outfits and (unexpectedly) even snagged a photo of my future wedding dress!
i’ll post them here as soon as i get them uploaded.

after seeing some of the outfits here, i’m even more inspired to find myself that great pair of lace-up boots i’ve so desperately been hunting for.
sure, whatever- i could buy them from urban outfitters but i was so hoping i could find them secondhand and that takes out the fun in it.

recent exciting purchases/finds:
-fabulous faux fur (let’s make this clear right now: TOTALLY anti-real fur!!) 3/4 length coat from Goodwill. $7. so toasty! it’s almost a little too much, which is really saying something. i’m not used to that level of swankiness that a fur coat almost always suggests, but it does make me feel a bit like a movie star from the 30s.
-LBD from Ann Taylor Loft (on sale!) with a scoop neck, high-waisted pleats and pockets (bonus points!). there’s an exposed zipper that runs all the way down the back; i feel utterly unstoppable when i’m wearing it, like someone who just has it all together.
-heather gray stirrup leggings. love ‘em.
-liz claiborne cloche hat (TJMaxx)- gray with a red/blue band. wasn’t sure if it could handle it but it’s quickly become one of my favorites
-gold locket ring with a delicate floral design (Avon, purchased at an antique store)
-made a Hello Kitty necklace because i couldn’t find one i liked. purchased two keychains from hot topic and attached them to an elastic band with gaudy, neon beads i’ve had since elementary school.

these and so many more that i’m sure i’m forgetting, but will catch you up as i continue to don them in my everyday wear.

on a more personal note, i have completed my final fall semester at school and am attempting to wind down and enjoy my break with my family and old friends. i designed costumes for another production this semester and feel so honored to have worked with the team i did; the final product was beautiful and i still think about it daily.

i am preparing to spend 3 weeks in Japan in january, which still blows my mind. i get more and more excited about it every day. i get the opportunity to experience lolita and harajuku street fashion firsthand, incredibly historical architecture, disciplined tradition and fresh sushi- i am incredibly fortunate and blessed. i will take as many pictures as my camera (and pointer finger) will allow, until my head aches from certain glee-overload.

i will update soon, and will most certainly recount details of my journey there on this very blog.

thanks for sticking with me,
alexa

-licious!

in one day, i had two separate people (professors, no less!) called me some variation of “-licious”: my photography professor told me this outfit was delicious:

only minutes later, another professor told me i had gone and gotten “all funkylicious on her!”
i had a third professor tell me that my eyes look tired, but that’s beside the point…

want to hear a funny story about these tights?
really cute, right? they’re Betsey Johnson; a fashion genius, in my opinion (the woman has no fear).
i got them at TJMaxx (YAY great deals!!). i put them on this particular day for the first time and they split directly across the crotch. even better? every time i touched the tights to readjust them, they tore.
i took them back, so they are no longer in my possession.

things are going well!
i cry almost daily about missing my long hair (not really…but, kinda); i find myself looking longingly at old photos, cringing when i think of how long it will take to grow back.
so i wear hats most of the time now.

i’m on the hunt for a perfect leather (but really, pleather) jacket for the fall. i’m terribly picky, so i’ve found a few that just nearly make the cut…but i’m still searching.
on a side note: did you know that “Members Only” went of out business?? news to me.

in the meantime, i’ll just get as much use out of my pleather vest as possible:

new dress from Forever 21. tights done by yours truly. boots from London…but i cut them.
they used to be awkwardly tall and i much prefer ankle boots. they were cheap so i didn’t feel badly about it.
please take note of my very exciting new spiderman watch! it displays the date as well as the time and doubles as a stamp.

discovered this new (?) store in the Burlington Square Mall the other day that has a lot of urban chic clothing.
found this on the sale rack and was so excited about all of the potential it held!
so excited, in fact, that i promptly held an outdoor photoshoot!

later that evening, i took the tights and the boots away and wore a plaid shirt with pumps.
it was a super easy transition, and those are the types of garments that i looooveee.

one final note: my senior sem professor recommended a site to me that i’ve become a little hooked on.
Spezify
it’s a search engine, but the format focuses primarily on photos and videos.
i’ve found some incredible flickr accounts through it, and i’d like to share a few of those with you here.
for now, here was my favorite from yesterday:

yyellowbird’s photostream

if you happen to spot the perfect p/leather jacket around, let me know!
love always,
alexa

let’s try for once a month.

school started. can you tell?
things haven’t even really started to pick up yet…ouch.
but, to be fair, i was allowing myself a few weeks to get settled in before i updated again.
i’ll attempt to update as much as a can during the semester, but it literally may only be once or twice a month.

i haven’t been taking photos every day, just every now and again when i feel like i have a “daring” outfit to share.
as far as my list of actual dares goes, i may have to wait for longer breaks to be able find articles that will work. the search is the most complicated part and i don’t exactly have the time during the school year to execute a detailed search.

with that said, please do continue to send your dares my way! if i own it already, i have no problem incorporating it into my daily wear!

my style is continuing to change every day. this summer affected me in a way that i can’t exactly verbalize, but one thing i am really attempting to do is to curb my desire to purchase clothing that i consider to be “a deal too good to pass up!”
because of this idealogy, i have accumulated, well…entirely too many clothes. i’ve made a pact with myself that the things i buy from here on out will only be pieces that i forsee truly contributing to my style for many years to come (which, in itself, is challenging for someone whose style changes essentially every day). but i’ve been very successful so far!

classes are going really well, and i’m finding that i have so many outlets to explore fashion as a way of life and as a career over the course of the next year which is not only what i need but it’s also what i enjoy. my senior seminar meets once a week and culminates in a 12-15 page research paper on a topic of our choosing, within the field of communications. i’ve chosen to focus on how the artistic values of clothing are translated (and if they are translated) through modern advertising, primarily in magazines. if you have any materials that you think are interesting or would like to suggest, please let me know! my performance studies class is really interesting and is allowing me to explore clothing as a performance piece. and, thinking long term. i’m preparing for both an independent study and a legacy project that involve fashion and body image in the spring. this is a very exciting time!

at any rate: here are some pictures of me wearing clothes.

hat from Target but i bought it at goodwill. score.

snow leopard board shorts from target. $3. and, let me clarify: these were not purchased only because they were such a steal. they were also purchased because the snow leopard is my spirit animal. look it up.

also: welcome to my new room! and by new, i mean new to you. this is my room at school, in the same house i lived in last year. it’s really…pink. surprise, surprise.

another staple piece: i wasn’t sure i could “pull off” the biker chic look, but punk has always excited me. and i thought that if i always paired the vest with a frilly dress, i would have just the perfect balance of femininity and, well…zippers?

new fly sneakerz. i love them.

i just want to reiterate that right now is a really influential time in my life; if there are websites, books, or documentaries that you can suggest for me in my studies and in my personal journey, please feel free to share! and, also, please feel free to dare me.

with love,
alexa

Xcellent surf.

sorry for the delay; i had a birthday, and was finishing up my last week of my internship (which was terribly bittersweet).
so i have one week of summer left.
yuck.

there’s something about aviators that, i’m convinced, make anyone look so cool. i think i love the masculine shape of the frame, especially when females wear them because it’s such a juxtaposition. i was feeling so particularly tough this day that i actually teased my hair AND wore aviators. i almost intimidated myself.

i’ve had this skirt for a while and it’s really beautiful but i’ve never been able to figure out how to wear it. i saw a picture recently of a t-shirt paired with a really fancy skirt and i thought it looked really great. this shirt literally stops about where the skirt starts; i’ve had it since i was 4. it’s one of the coolest shirts i own. obviously. just look at those animals, who are ready for a day of riding gnarly waves! i love them.

this is a hoodie long shirt/short dress type deal that i’ve had for a while, too. i never know how to wear it because it’s so tight that i usually feel really uncomfortable wearing it at all. but i’ve taken care of that by covering everything except the top half- and that’s really the best part of it, anyway.

this is one of the most exciting outfits i’ve worn in a while. i did the leggings myself- i don’t have one bit of remorse for shredding $5 leggings from rue 21 that are, otherwise, completely see-through and fairly useless, unless you find a more creative purpose for them. i saw a real version of these “shredded tights” for about $20 and scoffed. it’s so easy to do, if you have a pair of tights you can bear to, well, kinda ruin.

i also bought new shoelaces for my sneaks. i didn’t love them at first, but they’re growing on me. they’re pink and yellow but the pink is a tad off. but it makes my sneakers a bit more versatle, as far as color coordination goes. which is fantastic.

finally, the necklace: i labored for hoursssss on this necklace!! much of this time could have been cut out had i been smart about the construction.
a good rule of thumb: NEVER try to complete a project without the correct tools! it’s such an obvious statement but i didn’t want to pull out all the heavy duty equipment so i started hot gluing…and it was a mess. the necklace started falling apart before i had even constructed half of it. i was such a zombie at that point, i had to put it off until this morning. after a rejuvenating night’s sleep, i pulled out the drill and constructed something that i can wear confidently, without having to worry about many more steps i can take before another trinket falls off.
i began the necklace with a completely different intention; i had seen a short chain necklace with a giant fabric bow that sat nicely right around the neckline but it was $15 and i knew i could make one much cheaper. so i went to buy the chain and used to fabric i had at home. but the end result was so floppy and terrible, i couldn’t dream of wearing it.
so i deconstructed it and quickly began searching for another alternative. somehow, i ended up on my hands and knees, crawling through my attic at 2am and retrieving some of my oldest toys. i surrounded myself with small boxes of them, and picked out about 50 tiny trinkets that would eventually adorn the double chain that i had created.
i really wasn’t sure what the final product would look like or if it would even work…but it did!
and i love the finished product, mostly because every toy has a really special significance and makes me smile just to think of that time in my life. most of them are animals, but i threw in aladdin’s lamp and prince charming for good measure.
i call it: “i used to have a zoo”

i’m buying some new shoes for back-to-school and they’re really exciting. i haven’t ever really been a shoe person, but i’ve been dying for a pair of booties. i find it really ironic that, this time last year, i loathed ankle boots and thought i’d never be able to pull them off and was actually pretty indignant about the whole trend.
and now they’re at the top of my wardrobe want list.
go figure.

xoxo

cheetah-print bow tie.

errands day!
i opted out of the cheetah-print bow in my hair and applied it where all good fellows apply their bows: on the neckline.
i quite like it there.

haven’t worn those shoes in a while; i can’t ever decide what they look good with.
that’s my favorite yellow dress that i have in 2 other colors. i watched and waited ever so patiently for them to go on sale at Old Navy years ago and when they finally did, i was so excited that i promptly bought it in every color i thought i might wear.

tonight was an artist conversation at elsewhere, and the theme was florals.
how delightful!

my lovely cashier friend at blockbuster today told me that she liked all of my “wrist accessories”.
ring from Forever 21. bought it in cream and peach. so gaudy, so cheap- obviously, i couldn’t pass them up.

have a great weekend!

i wore a bumblebee costume out in public.

on a day that was NOT halloween.
friends, this was certainly one of my more uncomfortable dares…

the outfit, on its own, might have been completely fine (with the possible exception of the neon green leggings but whateverrr).
but it was the tutu.
the tutu, attached to the bumblebee top set it all off.

the challenge: neon tutu, neon leggings, and a vest.

Marisa, this one’s for you:

and, in case you’re wondering, although i did want to hide indoors all day, i did travel from my car into my work x 2 on a very busy street and i walked two blocks away to purchase a stamp and back. multiple people almost wrecked their cars. i heard someone audibly laughing. someone asked if i was going to a play. another person related me to her granddaughter who regularly wears her cinderella costume around.
it was an interesting day.

abundant love,
alexa

surprise party!

my mom turned 46 on friday!
my dad and his sister planned this elaborate surprise gathering at my home on saturday that was quite a success, i’d say.
happy birthday mommmmm!!

today, mom and i made a pilgrimage to the fabric store- a completely hazardous space for both my mother and i to be in at the same time. we have no way of restricting one another because, really, who can argue with a creative project??

i mentioned to my mom that one of my favorite conversations that always, without fail (i swear to you!), occurs in line at the fabric store is sparked by that human curiosity and catalyzed by the generally lengthy wait in line to have your fabric cut: “oh! and, so, what are you making??”
as predictable and silly as it is, i find myself wanting to ask the people behind me the same question…

at any rate, i picked up some fantastic new fabric samples for the start of my floral fabric headband trial-business-type adventure!
please, please, pretty please check out my “handmade goods” page for prices, photos, and fabric samples!
in addition to the fabric flowers which i am so recently fond of, i have also been making feathered headbands for a good while and have also harnessed my mild obsession with ribbons into a ruffled headband creation.
i’m really open to (and eager to receive) custom orders, so if there is a particular color you are interested in, let me know, and i’ll whip something up for you!

i can’t wait to hear from you.
xoxo

floral headbands.

inspired by the severely overpriced versions at stores like anthropologie and urban outfitters, i decided to make my own floral headband with fabric flowers.
i’ve been used to making feathered headbands for so long that it had never occurred to me to switch over to another medium that hits so close to home.

i practiced and work yesterday and, in the evening, rummaged through all of our fabric goodies in the basement to find just the right combination.
it’s time consuming, but really easy to do. and the end result is so great.

i feel like these are such an inspiration piece for so many outfits; it works really well all by itself or with a really overdone ensemble as well.

which i will demonstrate for you below:

new tights! from H&M. they’re pink and purple floral and totally remind me of something i would’ve worn when i was 5 or 6. in fact, i’m more than sure i had a pair that was nearly identical…
this outfit would’ve really done well with a pair of ankle boots, which i’m currently searching for.
thoughts?

in the next few days, i’m going to put up some images of the feathered headbands i have for sale and of the fabric ones as well. i’m really excited about custom making them, so please let me know if you’re interested!!

p.s. got some bubble wrap this weekend. a WHOLE roll. guess what that means??

best!
xoxo