I have been wanting the immensely popular Nine West Heech sandals for months.  I had all but forgotten about them but on a whim decided to search for them, as I need brown shoes (I don’t think I have ANY).  Much to my delight, I found them in brown AND black for only $26.99 each!  I ordered them in both colors — I don’t absolutely need the black ones but the price was too good to pass up.  Of course now I have to wait months to wear them properly… although perhaps I can get away with tights and socks…  Anyways, if any of you wanted a pair of these beauties this summer, but were put off by the price tag, now’s your chance!  Click here to shop — they also have them in “natural” and “taupe” in a few sizes.

With the dark and dreary weather we’ve been having in Boston lately, it’s been hard to drag myself out of bed. It’s depressing to look out the window and see an enormous expanse of grey, and it’s difficult to feel inspired in such conditions. However, at Hel Looks, there’s been a lot of bright coats and winter accessories that would really spice up a grey winter day.

I love the matching coat and scarf in this one, along with the leather detailing on the coat.

For someone like me who tends to wear a lot of black, adding a pop of color with a bright neon looks really cool.

This is actually probably my favorite look — the unexpected punch of a colorful scarf can spice up an old coat without breaking the bank.

Still supposed to be studying for finals, but I do actually have a fever so I’m taking a break to order in some food and post a few pictures I took earlier today.  Unfortunately, it’s been raining for days and my dorm room has been really dark, so it was hard to get any decent shots of my outfit.  This will have to do for now.  In a week I’ll be at home for my Christmas break, so I can promise lots more outfit pictures, as well as decent lighting for a change!

I tried to find something that was comfortable but somewhat stylish at the same time — this oversized sweater fit the bill perfectly.  It’s so soft.  I couldn’t manage to get a full-length shot, but I wore these shoes. I really need to get less awkward in front of the camera!

ABOVE:
- H&M earrings
- H&M oversized sweater
- Topshop “leather” skinnies
- Linea Paolo Brooks boots

I’m fairly certain I have enough money saved up that I can buy myself an end-of-finals gift to look forward to getting once I’m home. I think I might go for a necklace from the lovely little Etsy shop Paraphernalia. The only problem is, which one?

I had narrowed it down to the skull, when I saw the lovely new Wonderland necklaces, as well as this lady with an octopus on her head, which I inexcplicably love.  The skull would probably fit in with my style the best, but then out of the three, it does seem the most “trendy” whereas the other two are beautiful and quirky.  The skull is also slightly less expensive.  I wish I had enough money for all!

Jumping on the Blog Lovin’ bandwagon…

It’s really weird to me that I’ve never posted about makeup before — because makeup is really an essential part of fashion.  No matter how beautiful your clothes or shoes are, you simply can’t look put together with horrendous makeup!  Makeup is also extremely important to me because I’ve struggled with my breakout-prone skin since I was a preteen.  In fact, I’ve been wearing foundation since I was 12 or 13!  Over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at applying makeup, and I’ve also managed to pare down my once ridiculously large makeup collection to a reasonable size.  I’ve decided to show you my “essentials” — basically, all the stuff I use on a somewhat regular basis.  I’ll warn you, this is a ridiculously long post!

I keep all of my makeup in a really handy train case made by Sephora. It was a little pricy, but totally worth it, as the dividers can be placed or removed as you need.

Read more »

Wow, it certainly has been a long time since I posted!  With final exams approaching, I’ve been trying to study and finish up all my last-minute assignments.  End of the semester stress along with an ill-timed stomach flu has left me feeling very uninspired — I have to confess, I actually went to class in sweatpants during the height of my illness, something I haven’t done in a very long time.  So I apologize to readers for my absence the past couple weeks.

I still haven’t worn anything exciting lately, as most of my time has been spent in bed watching movies or doing schoolwork.  It’s all about comfort right now.  Though I was supposed to spend this evening reading sonnets and poems — I got stuck on Donne, whose writing I loathe — I instead have been munching on uncooked pasta (one of my favorite snacks), “studying” the archives of StyleBytes and reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by my favorite writer, Oscar Wilde. I snapped a few pictures anyhow — you’ll have to forgive the quality, I accidentally left my SLR in Chicago when I went home for Thanksgiving, so I had to make do with my Powershot, which seems to be on it’s way out. D:

PICTURED ABOVE:
- Fleurish puff-sleeved top
- Theory corduroy pants
- Minnetonka soft-soled moccasins
- Aldo feather earrings
- Assorted bracelets (vintage, David Yurman)

I’m sure all of us have, at some point, found certain trends bewildering, concerning, or just downright heinous.  For me, what happens most often, is that I see a certain trend being worn beautifully on the runway or draped on some picture-perfect model, fashion icon, or even celebrity.  For me, these pictures do no good.  These people aren’t what one could call REAL.  Of course they’re technically real, but they exist in a world far beyond my rather mundane college lifestyle.  Still, I firmly believe that EVERY trend, no matter how disturbing it may seem initally, can be adapted and styled in a way that suits the “real” world.

This is what makes fashion blogs so great.  We all get to struggle with these challenging fashion ideas, and see how other “real” people adapt them and make them their own in the most wonderful of ways.  My latest fashion challenge has been dropped-crotch trousers (for some reason, I always call them trousers even though in the US most would say pants).  I haven’t even tried on a pair, simply because I can’t imagine that I could ever pull them off.  And yet, once again, a wonderful blogger (a “real” person!) has given me hope.  That person is Queen Michelle of Kingdom of Style.

As I am relatively new to the blogging world, I feel I’m always late discovering the true gems amid the astonishingly large (and rapidly growing) fashion community.  So I’m sure I’m a bit late to be raving about this particular Queen’s personal style.  But rave I must, because she just yesterday posted the best use of drop-crotch trousers I’ve ever seen.  Michelle’s style is one that probably wouldn’t work on anyone else — it’s so intensely personal and unique that I feel that almost anyone who tried to emulate her outfits would just look completely silly.  Which is precisely why I find her blog so intriguing.  So thank you, Queen Michelle, for inspiring me to give drop-crotch trousers at least one half-hearted attempt (must find a pair to try on this weekend).

Most everyone in the blogosphere knows Agathe of Style Bytes — her ridiculously wonderful blog was one of the biggest reasons I was inspired to start a blog of my own.  I will admit that I was more than a little sad when she suddenly stopped blogging and her site disappeared, and also (like most of her loyal readers) extremely worried.  I was relieved when she started occasionally posting on her Phiary and I’ve been checking it every once in a while for new pictures.  Imagine my surprise when today I clicked on the link to her old blog, not really expecting anything, to find that her blog is back up!

Obviously this does not mean she’ll post again, but how wonderful of her to make her old photos and such available for all of us again.  Whether or not she returns to fashion blogging, Agathe’s contribution to the fashion blogging community has been huge, and once again we can all be inspired by her quirky, chic, and totally original style.  I think I speak for almost everyone who has ever read a fashion blog — thank you, Agathe.  We all miss you dearly and we hope you’re doing well, no matter what you do.

I am totally bewildering the other students at my college.  Today I got in the elevator with a girl wearing khakis and a pink North Face (apparently colored North Face fleeces are very popular here) and she took one look at me and started dancing in front of the door, waiting to get out.  In fact, she was so anxious to escape she actually dove off the elevator on my floor and realized she still had another one to go.  It was funny.

We watched Mall Rats last night and I guess I was subconciously channeling the 90s when I got dressed this morning.  Anyways, I like turning summer dresses into winter dresses and I think this turned out well.  My face, on the other hand, refused to look anything but goofy so I ended up just cutting it out.  It’s one of those days, I guess.

PICTURED ABOVE:
- UO dress
- random grey t-shirt
- H&M grey stockings
- random grey and shredded tights
- Doc Martens
- Truth + Pride leather jacket

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I had a presentation in my Technology & Culture class about the dehumanizing effect of technology on society.  I talked about medical advancements — did you know that a New York professor has proposed an idea for a “Google” brain chip that would allow people to search their brains for memories?  What a weird thing to think about.

Anyways, I’m a terrible public speaker, so whenever I have to talk in front of the class I try to dress up a little bit.  It was cold today, so I layered a pair of lace tights over some plain grey ones but the effect wasn’t as noticeable as I had hoped.  I think I need a more sheer pair of lace tights.  Suspenders always make me feel sharp for some reason… I think they worked, because my presentation went pretty well!  The shoes I’m wearing are the ones pictured here.

For some reason the pictures I took didn’t turn out too well.  I really need to get a tripod and take pictures outside of my dorm — or just get my boyfriend to take a few.

PICTURED ABOVE:
- H&M ruffle sleeve shirt
- H&M high-waisted skirt
- UO suspenders
- Paolo Linea “Brooks” Boots
- random grey & lace tights

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Today when I was walking to class, I heard a girl talking shit to her friend about another girl who wore Uggs and sweatpants to class.  I am, of course, morally opposed to Uggs but the thing that annoyed me was that the shit-talker was wearing a baby blue Northface and Tory Burch flats.  Riiight, because you’re sooo fashion-forward.

On my campus, the above fashion choices are the norm.  I’m pretty sure that fashion choices such as 5 inch heels, leopard print blazers, and leather motorcycle jackets kind of freak people out.  It’s irritating to get blatantly pointed at in the library for wearing a top hat and Doc Martens, but hey — someone’s gotta do it.

PICTURED ABOVE:
- AC/DC concert t-shirt
- Guess leopard print blazer
- H&M black pants
- Sam Edelman boots
- Truth + Pride motorcycle jacket
- H&M hat

I’m not much of a fan of being cold, but one thing I do love about fall/winter weather is that it brings with it the opportunities to wear some of my favorite things — namely, anything black, anything leather, and anything with lots of zippers or buckles.  As I’ve spent most of my spending money on concerts this semester (The Who, Alice Cooper, & AC/DC within two weeks) I’ve been limited in my spending, but I have gotten a few things that I absolutely love.

The boots and the motercycle jacket were birthday presents, and I have been wearing both to death already.  I think I’ve worn the jacket almost every day.  The picture here does not do it justice, though I cut off the ugly model’s head, which helped a little — I will post a picture of me wearing it very soon.  The “leather” pants were purchased in a moment of weakness.  They should be here any day now, and I am so completely excited.  I only hope they fit as I had to buy them a size larger than I normally wear, but then I don’t want them to be skintight anyways.

PICTURED ABOVE:
1 — Paolo Linea “Brooks” Boot, $170
2 — Truth + Pride “Riders” Jacket, $498
3 — Topshop “Leather Effect” Trouser, $90

I feel like most designer collaborations with high street stores tend to be… “dumbed down” for the masses.  Most of Target’s GO collections, for example, aren’t exactly groundbreaking.  I suppose designers think that runway fashion just won’t translate well for street wear.  That doesn’t seem to be the case for Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons.  Her newest collaboration is anything but safe, including drop-crotch trousers, edgy jackets, lots of polka dots, and the beautifully ornate lace dress pictured above.

The collection is, like all of H&M’s designer collaborations, higher priced than their other merchandise.  The clothes hit Japan yesterday, and are scheduled to arrive at US stores on Thursday.  The competition for the clothes is sure to be fierce, and H&M is apparently instating a two-item limit per customer (probably to limit resales on eBay).  I was all geared up to be at H&M bright and early on Thursday, but naturally the Boston store isn’t carrying the line.  Major disappointment.  If you’re lucky enough to live in NYC, LA, Chicago, or San Francisco, however, you’re in luck.  Somehow I don’t see the drop-crotch pants selling very well, so maybe we’ll get some leftovers here in Boston. To view the full collection, visit H&M’s website.

PICTURED ABOVE:
1 — Jacket, $129
2 — Showpiece Dress, $349
3 — Dress, $129
4 — Drop-crotch pants, $59.90

If you’ve visited Radio Clash Fashion previously, you may have noticed that the site looked a little… well, empty.  Life seems to have gotten in the way of my amateur fashion blogging (something I genuinely enjoy) and in a fit of frustration I bahleeted all of my posts.  Oops.  But I am ready once again to foray into the rather crowded arena of fashion blogging, and hopefully I’ll be able to offer something different than all the other bloggers out there.  I’m not sure what it is yet, but hopefully I’ll come up with something.

If you’re new to the site, I can tell you right away that I am not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to fashion.  I am often slow to pick up on runway trends, mostly because I am slow to catch up on runway shows.  I don’t understand why everyone is all excited about SS09 when I am still in FW08.  But I do know that nothing makes one feel better than stepping out of the house feeling like at any moment you could be stomping down a runway (in fact, when no one’s around, I practice my “runway walk” in the hallway).

This site will read more like a fashion “diary” of sorts than a trend reporter (as there are many, many sites out there that can report trends much better than I can).  I will be posting my own outfits, projects, and wild fashion desires that hopefully will resonate with people.  I take my inspiration from street style, rock stars, old movie stars, my grandparents, and whatever strikes my fancy when I’m shopping.  I hope that you will find something here that you will enjoy.  Please check back later, as I will be making a real update later on.