Bleach Blonde

I've been wanting to do this for a long time, but yesterday I bleached my hair!

You can't really tell in these photos but it has a weird gray tint that I love.

Still getting used to it, but I'm really happy!

Also, from the pre-blonde days, I went on a short trip to Nashville. Lots of vintage shopping and eating. Yum.

I was going for a 50's tourist thing. (shirt: vintage Lacoste, jeans: sister's, shoes: mom's old Ferragamos, sunglasses: Forever 21, Diana camera)

(I enjoy standing in showers with good lighting)

(striped top: Russian sailor via Imogene and Willie's, dress: T by Alexander Wang, shoes: mom's, belt: J.Crew)

I have a bit of a striped shirt addiction (I brought 4 on this 2-day trip) and I picked up this new tanktop version at an amazing shop called Imogene and Willie's. It's in a gorgeous old gas station. All the clothes there have a story, which is why I loved it so much (my top was sold to them by some Russian sailors). They have a very refined selection of clothes, and they oppose labels so there's a lovely simplicity to everything. They also customize Levi's for anyone on a set of old sewing machines in the back of the store. I was a little bit obsessed.

(shirt: cut-off Marc by Marc Jacobs, skirt: BCBGeneration, bunny ears: Easter present)

The Easter Bunny knew I had been after the Topshop bunny ears for quite awhile and I found these little lace babies in my basket! I'm smitten with them, despite the looks of pity I got while wearing them the day AFTER easter.

-Ruby

Sunshine

I'm sorry for (more) absence, but it's been ridiculously busy-- between the crew team, marine biology expeditions, and ughSCHOOLugh my poor little blog was ignored. Of course, I followed all the fashion weeks, I just spend more time reading other blogs than using my own... Perhaps I'll do a little recap of my favorites later on.

It's a gorgeous day, so I decided I'd take a quick break from doing "homework" (lying in a lawn chair) to document a little change...

Pre-Spring weather:

(dress: T by Alexander Wang, jacket: Marc by Marc Jacobs, belt and socks: ?, shoes: cowboy boot warehouse, sunglasses: Forever 21, crazy eyebrows: Star Trek)

OKREALQUICKSTORYTIME: Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ruby who was in the basement of a thrift-y place. She saw a gray t-shirt sticking out of a box and so, considering her fondness for gray t-shirts, she pulled it out. Then she saw that the label said T by Alexander Wang, had a brief heart attack, fell on the floor, kissed the shirt(dress), did a little jig, and bought it for two dollars.

Ahem, back to the post...

Spring weather:

(shirt: Grandfather's, jeans: Abercrombie, bow and socks: Forever 21, shoes: Mom's)

A little denim-on-denim-on denim inspired by Chloe S/S 2010.

Now, back to my very important lawn chair...

-Ruby

Because I didn't like you enough already

Ya know, just a quick reminder to the world of the sheer greatness of Marc Jacobs.

The Marc Jacobs collection was nudes and vintage, almost office wear sort of things but made WAY awesomer. Also, some giant furs. And socks pulled up to the perfect awkward height above the ankle, which I love. Proof that Marc Jacobs is secretly reading my mind. After all the insanity he showed last season, it almost seemed like her was wiping his palette down again, but everything was so detailed and beautiful and managed to often be simple(r) without being boring.

Hey look, a shiny bow, GET OUT OF MY BRAIN. OR STAY THERE BECAUSE THEN YOU MAKE DRESSES THAT I LOVE.

Look at all those sheers and cozy-looking sweaters and wonderful socks but all done in different ways--in my mind it's something like goth, grandmother, and sensible work woman all gone Jacobs-style.

My favorite look from the collection! It's so mystical and elegant and lovely.

And the Marc by Marc seemed like something a younger version of the girl from the Marc Jacobs show would wear. Or that she would wear on the weekends.

The suiting especially references the Marc Jacobs collection. Also, same socks!

Mmmm, the lace! So pretty.

"Oh hey guys, you like my awesome polka-dotted top? Oh, you know what's even better? THE MATCHING PANTS WITH RUFFLES."

Also, I'd probably like to marry this guy from the menswear part of the show. Or at least have his hair.

In short, MARC JACOBS.

Plus, this is the most stylish Olympic snowboarder ever.

I don't know why his picture is so little, but he's wearing a floral jacket. Well USA, you just lost the sartorial gold medal to Japan.

photos courtesy of style.com and vancouver2010.com

-Ruby

Sweetheart

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

(tutu: Kaiya Eve, tissue paper bow: me, bodysuit: Topshop, tights: sister's, boots: random cowboy boot outlet in Texas, black sweater: J. Crew)

Hope everyone had a lovely day!

-Ruby

Today

What I wore:

(dress: Rodarte for Target; scarf: Marc Jacobs; tie worn as belt: Target; socks, glasses, and bow: Forever 21, shoes: Mom's, bag: thrift)

A multitude of cheetah prints...

And the shoes! I love these so much! My mom never really wore them, so she passed them on to me. They are PERFECTION. The straps are a really dark denim and they are so espadrille-y, so... They rule.

You may have noticed the photo appearance of my furry toy, Andre, in the background who is currently being used to block pesky winter drafts from coming though the space between doors. He's a hard worker.

My favorite part of this Rodarte for Target dress is the bows on the back because:

a) I LOVE BOWS!

and

b) They have a sort of vaguely skeletal effect because they go up my spine, which I like.

That's my mom in the background now. She's also a hard worker.

When I went to look at the Rodarte stuff a Target, my reaction was something like "HEY! OHMYGAWDOHMYGAWDOHMYGAWD IT'S FINALLY HERE!" followed by a blank and slightly pitiful look from the woman who was in the next aisle. I was really excited for this dress, but they only had it in a size 7, so I have to belt it which kinda gives it structured hips like that Balenciaga S/S 2008 collection that everybody loved, so it's all good.

Anyway, I can't believe fashion week is here again! It feels like everybody is still talking about fall's shows, but I can't wait to see new ideas! I wish I could be back in New York with all the excitement. I mean, with all this (sweater skirts, grandma/schoolboy button-downs, arm warmers, and grey boots) going on at Richard Chai Love already, it's looking to be a good week.

Eagerly awaiting.

-Ruby

Bow Tie

So I've decided that I NEED one of these bows from the Marc by Marc S/S 2010 show... Not to mention all the clothes, but, uh, maybe I could get an allowance?

I LOVE YOU BOWS! Why don't you just jump off the runway on to my head? Sounds good? Okay, see you soon.

My feeble attempts at making one:

(kimono belt worn as bow: mom's, shirt: John Paul Gaultier Jr.)

Not quite the ultimate perfection that Marc crafted, but an old lady in a cafe told me she liked it and asked if my mother had put it on me so, score for me?

Well looky here, two posts in one day... I think I deserve (dramatic pause) a Marc by Marc Bow!

-Ruby

Surprise, surprise!

Well, well, well. I have been blog-ishly absent for quite awhile. Shocker. Disappointingly, I have such a bad, bad child that all my posts turn into brief, narcissistic recaps and outfit posts. Saddy face. So I promise that this will be the last one! (Umm, for now.) Let's play "Pretend it's the Holidays again so that these outfit posts make sense!" Or not, you choose.

Christmas Eve:

(top: Mom's from Sonia Rykiel, skirt: Thrift, headband: me+Hobby Lobby fake branches)

You can't really tell in this picture, but the skirt is actually plaid. And, no, I didn't go barefoot--I wore some studded heel-boots that I have yet to post pictures of. Oh, and my lovely sis is wearing a handmade hand-me-down from a friend.

Christmas:

(shirt: John Paul Gaultier Jr., tutu: Kaiya Eve, faux-pearl necklace (worn as belt): Marc Jacobs)

Speaking of which, how was your Christmas? Mine was splendiferous. Oh, what's that in my hand? Oh, nothing... JUST THE DIANA CAMERA I HAVE WANTED FOR SO LONG. NO BIG DEAL. Is it wrong that a camera is my new best friend? I SURE HOPE NOT.

And New Year's Eve:

To end 2009, I made an elaborate headpiece inspired by a futuristic beauty shoot in V Magazine. It was time-consuming (do you know how many magazine have black and white pictures? Apparently not that many!) but totally worth it. I attached the image to flimsy cardboard and then to a head band so that I could get the whole coming-down-over-my-ear effect. It kept sliding over my eyes, but I liked it so much I was willing to impair my vision. Small price to pay. And, yes, the Griswolds from "Vacation" are hanging out somewhere above my right eye.

Oh yes, yes. I got a haircut!

These were taken right after I got it cut so it looks nice and shiny and straight (not like I spent about 3 seconds on it and then frantically ran out to the car, like most mornings) but it's all together more like a bob. Very flapper-style. I like it a lot. Also thinking of dying my blonde bangs light pink after seeing a ton of pink hair in this month's Vogue. Opinions?

Well, my absence ended with a fun weekend with my lovely friend who also happens to have a very lovely camera... I wanted to share some of the pictures we took!

And a full shot of that outfit...

(jeans: sister's, t-shirt: DIY-ed Blondie+Marc Jacobs, peter-pan collar button down: uniform store, sweater: Rugby Ralph Lauren, shoes: Liberty Fabrics for Nike, green coat: Christmas gift, white coat: friend's)

I have barely taken off this Rugby Ralph Lauren sweater since I got it on Christmas, especially because I was DESPERATELY in need of something with varsity letters... Okay, maybe not, but this sweater has my initials and a bee patch-- LOVE. Also, this is a rare outfit because I am wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which almost never happens. The other day, my friend who I've known since I moved here about 2 years ago said that she had never seen me wear plain blue jeans... Ha! I am strangely proud. Also, I'm not throwing a snowball, but a shiny, white plastic apple which I plan on making into a headpiece. Very exciting. That's all for now-- and I promise the next post will be about inspirationz and lots of other not-so-much pictures of me stuff.

-Ruby

P.S. In my last post I mentioned black-and-white day with my sister. Here it is:

(on me- shirt: DIY, skirt: thrift tailored by me, leggings: sister's, hat: my Grandfather's hand-me-down. on my sister- shirt: Gap kids, pants: H&M, headband: Forever 21)