O U T F I T

spent christmas in pensacola with the folks. a lot has changed and so much has stayed the same. i spent most of the holidays at a new coffee shop, the bodacious brew, or photo sniping places of my youth or old ruins on the beach. funny how much i wanted to get away from this place, but its dullness of activity is something i think quite fondly of now.

finally snagged these photos of me from the sister. we went exploring on well known spots in pensacola including graffiti bridge and bay view park.

coat :: hm

nike kicks :: dsw

purse :: forever21

shades :: forever 21

accessories :: hm

F A C E

i like to sleep as long as possible. and to the point where it leaves me very little time to spend time on my face. last year for my birthday i purchased my first mary kay products that knocked out at least two extra steps for me in the morning. yes i am lazy like that. but my face should not suffer for it. 

3 in 1 cleanser that tones my face, which i do twice a day. 2 part microdermabrasion is a twice a week sort of thing. its the only thing that hasn't created scars on my face like exfoliating products have in the past.

makeup is the same way. i have gotten it down to under 8 minutes with no more than the use of 5 items: foundation, mascara, blush, lip, and sometimes shadow. the point is not to look bedazzled like a MAC painting. minimalism is key with the purpose to look more put together than i actually am. all of a sudden, no body knows that i am wearing sweats with different colored socks.

foundation:: maybeline fit 355 eye shadow:: ulta lipstick:: mac "spirit" or "chili" blush: mac "sunbasque sheertone shimmer " mascara:: rimmel extra super lash

before

after

 there is not much difference between the two except that my face is half a shade darker in the after (the difficulties of finding an exact match for my skin tone). but it is enough to make me look like i am fully awake. my point is minimalism. and to not have to draw on any facial features of any kind, meaning lips, highlights, shadows (no contouring for me. don't have time) or brows.

i have been asked (and sometimes told) to get my eyebrows done. i have been prodded about this most of my life and have been told i have bushman eyebrows, that i would actually look pretty if i arched them, and many other things. it actually makes me laugh because they think i should pay heed to their advice and taunts. i am not opposed to a well arched eyebrow. but i am ok with my "bushman brows". jennifer connelly is my hero. i go to the salon maybe once or twice a year and spend the rest of the time trying to grow back my brows because too much was taken off. i want to avoid having vulcan-like eyebrows, thanks.

S H O E S

boot-boot-sneaker-boot-oxford-sneaker-sneaker. what is missing in this sequence? i have been neglecting my need for a good pump. time to hit up nine west. make my feet sing.

S P O R T

four days ago, i got to witness my former college win the national championship in football. a triumph only accomplished two other times within the last twenty years. they said we couldn't do it despite our perfect 13-0 season. four days ago we proved them wrong.

i screamed until i grew nauseous when we scored a 100-yd touchdown off a punt return with 5 minutes remaining in the game. and when we scored the winning touchdown with less than a minute to play, i went crazy. i cried. i was dizzy. i was buzzed. i even bought a not-worth-a-buck-fifty local newspaper just to have the article about my team plastered on the front.

to be honest, when i was younger, i hated football. but my dad liked to watch it and i liked spending time with him, so i started asking him what everything was. suddenly, i knew what a first down was, and now i could cheer with everyone else with purpose. the game was no longer dull. even golf became nail biting. golf.

 i know this means squat to most of my readers. sports on a girl's blog is not too common and i will spare you the play by play. i'll even throw you a bone and say i wore a grey monochromatic look with a boucle coat, heels and a splash of garnet and gold in my scarf to show off my team spirit. but this is me and what i enjoy and it should not make this a less feminine post.

go noles!

B O D Y

40.5. 34. 26. 38.

shoulders. bust. waist. hips.

just shy of a perfect hour glass,  but my shoulders leave my tops draping shapelessly off them like they were on a hanger. (now there is an understanding of why i abhor shoulder pads) more fitted tops draw more attention to them and i end up looking like an inverted triangle. most of the time i do not notice it, but when i opt for skinny jeans and a baggy top, it becomes apparent that i have cadillac shoulders, and from behind i give off the appearance that i am a slender man. 

no bueno.

but i like my loose fitted items. i also don't like looking like a boy. *le sigh*. more v-necks says one. full skirts says another. am i a fruit or a keeper of time or a pythagorean equation? they make it so complicated, and their suggestions of styles to wear do not suit my tastes.

mitigate the breadth of my shoulders (or look less like a boy from behind).

elongate my torso.

how can i make this happen in a state of simplicity and still keep my sweaters and sweatshirts?

oversized sweater that extends past my hips, but is slimming at the waist

 raglan. duh. why didn't i think of this sooner?

thin sweaters where the shoulder line extends past my shoulders

ok. i can breathe. change doesn't look too bad now.

R E V I S I O N

i had a conversation with a friend several nights ago, while my car ran for hours in her driveway. the journey of becoming a woman. being a woman, well i am not sure what that looks like, but i do not think it is all frills and dolls.

i want to be comfortable being woman. the natural flirtation. the strength in my form and not just my words. being okay with being pretty. i have shunned this part of myself for so long, and i am embarrassed to draw attention to myself.

i have come a long way from baggy clothes. from hiding. from invisibility. but i still haven't quite stepped out, all eyes on me. unnerving. but i can merge the two. i can be the woman in a sports sweatshirt and a pair of heels.

so this is the new chapter of my blog. the new chapter of me. on becoming.

here's to looking forward.

C O U N T O W N

gutes neue jahr! may 2014 be a year of expected givings rather than of expected gettings. see you all on the other side.

LIFE l Cabbage Patching

Italian baguette. Giant baby bearing cabbage. Secret gardening among the peppers, the tomatoes, and herbs. All at the East End of the world.

THE TOMGIRL SERIES | Polished Pioneer

This Thanksgiving I got to fulfill one of my childhood Frazier induced dreams of visiting Seattle. I honestly had no idea what to expect. I did no research on the place, took no one's word for it and pioneered through the Oregon trail (not really but I did take a train from Portland to Seattle and I am happy to report no wagon wheels were harmed during the process of this adventure).  I was brilliantly surprised. It solidified in my mind that I was born for colder weather. All those layers. Makes a girl like me swoon.

TOMGIRL SERIES | Polished Pioneer by andiaschehera featuring a leather purse

LIFE | Fashion Show

I cannot believe it has already almost been a week since the fashion show (sorry I did not keep you ladies as well informed as I wanted to. The last month got really crazy and hectic)! There were some hiccups before, during, and after the show, but otherwise the show was amazing. I set the bar at 100 and all those involved decided to take it 100 steps higher and exceed even my own imagination. There were tears. And almost an ugly cry. But I made it through to the end. I got to style Great Gatsby, which is not what I would have liked to have done with the million hats I had on (yes next year I am locking in on an assistant). Here are a few photos from last weekend that was with Great Gatsby. Special thanks to Holly Harris, Jessie Sander, The Originative, Carilee Spence, Demarco Films, Andre Bohrer on lighting, Ariel Clarke, and all the models and volunteers who helped make this all possible!

DESIGNER | Suzanne Rae

My heart just melted. Into 85 proof creamy dark chocolate. So rich. So simple. Suzanne Rae. Wwwhere have you been all my life? I was pinning away this morning on turbans (I don't care if they have gone with the wind, I still think they are doable) when I stumbled across this little Philippina gem. Her entire collection for FW13 just proves that simplicity can be so striking.

BOOK INSPIRED LOOKS | The Great Gatsby::Jordan

The Great Gatsby | Jordan by andiaschehera featuring floral tank tops

Although I didn't care so much for the new version of Gatsby (I haven't seen the older versions but I heard they are no better) I couldn't help but drool over Jordan Baker's wardrobe. She was my one consolation to enduring to the end. Jordan was a golfer and from the book a not so decent golfer, but an athlete non-the-less. Florida winters are normally northern states' fall, and normally you would see people walking around with their favorite college sweatshirt, shorts/pants and flip-flops. Never quite understood the concept, but here's something way more sophisticated if you must indeed wear sandals in the winter Floridians. A thin bomber or varsity jacket with a nice boyfriend coat draped over it and underneath it all some high waisted pants and mid-drift top to make you less toasty.

BOOK INSPIRED LOOKS | The Great Gatsby::Daisy

The Great Gatsby | Daisy by andiaschehera featuring a raffia hat

Can you tell from the last look and this look, that I am in love with quilted things? After buying my first quilted jacket in Germany last year (geeyah I can't believe tis almost a year!) I have been looking for some good quilted jumpers to pair with slim pants and flowing skirts. I went a more traditional route with Daisy's look with a chiffon pleated midi-skirt and a straw cloche, but broke away from it with the geometric quilted jumper from Topshop. Florida summers can be brutally unpredictable and our autumns are only slightly cooler summers. I am indoors mostly where it is cold, so a top like this doesn't bother me so much. Plus lighter colors reflect the light, so the thought of a light jumper doesn't seem quite as agonizing.