Blazers

Words to associate with blazers:
cool, sexy, statement, menswear, jeans, easy



I mean, you clearly can't go to school in that (if you can, I envy you) but this is the sort of thing you should be going for. When choosing a blazer, let me recommend you pick one (or several, god knows I have) in interesting fabrics with workable colors. Tops that go under the blazer should complement it, not necessarily being a blank slate. Please don't try to put any ruffles under it, as this is overkill and will result in something that goes way close to J.Crew yuppie and Little Lord Fauntleroy.

Dresses with blazers work well: I recommend not overwhelming the clean lines of the blazer with a too-heavy purse. My favorite route is a girly top, low-rise jeans (probably not dark and NO LEGGINGS), some well-chosen earrings, charmingly messy hair, and a well-chosen belt to make the outfit.

But my other favorite way to do this is simple: Dress as girly as possible, find the most masculine blazer (extra points for a cool tuxedo jacket) you can, and just sling it over your shoulders as an afterthought, as if you got cold and borrowed it from your lover. Simple and attractive.

Fall-to-Winter Trends

It's about 70 degrees where I am, (so not fall yet! not fall yet! not fall yet!) but I thought I'd round up what I'm seeing that I like.

THE GORGEOUS:
Plaid. I love plaid. I have always loved plaid.
Doc Martens. !!! I already own four pairs, and I am looking to buy another pair. They are amazing, and comfortable, and DOC. MARTENS.
MGMT. I love this group. Especially Electric Feel. I mean, I know what you're thinking (I thought it too), but I mean, those hipsters are really on to something.
Five O'Clock Heroes. They're really taking off now, which is something. I will tell you more about this as soon as I can get "Skin Deep" out of my head.
Obama. I doubted that the Americans would pull through and get their act together, and then they did. Dole and Sununu are out, as well. Not bad (though gay rights took a hit, as most people expected).

THE NOT-SO-MUCH:
Straightened hair is still in. I mean, people. Seriously. Can we be done with this now? It's not very environmentally friendly, for one, and two, too white-centric. Also, flat irons are too 70s.
UGGs. When will you be done and go back to the hardworking Aussie sheep farmers, where you
belong? Thou art banished from US high schools, due to the fact that you make otherwise stylish and attractive people look like they absentmindedly left their bedrooms wearing their grandmother's least stylish pair of orthopedic slippers.

Sights and Sounds of the Past Week

Sorry for the delay...

-NEW DOC MARTENS. Knee high cherry red leather lace up boots. Divine! I also got two thumbs up (not one, but two. Yes, people actually do that. I didn't know either, but now I do) from this one guy in the hallway, whose name I don't even know. He's hot, though.

-A TEN YEAR OLD WALKING OUTSIDE HIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL WITH A MOHAWK. Okay, it's cute and all, but seriously, is *nothing* cool or edgy anymore? Does nothing shock people, even for the briefest time before it's destroyed by soccer moms? Downsides of the Internet, people. Downsides.

-FALL! IT'S HERE. And fall clothing. I have taken to wearing my boots with a short skirt and a long coat. And man, do I get attention for it. In a good way. Next: lace up flats.

-ELECTION SEASON. I love it. I love politics, and the whole backstabby pigs-fighting-at-the-trough thing that MAKES American politics.