Wait, before I go to Bath, about Oxford...

First, if you remember my entry of Things You Won't Find in My Closet, I mentioned how even though I hate the pants-form of maxi-dresses, I was okay with the idea of rompers.

So today, I'd like to announce that with the help of Beth of Essex, I bought my first romper on sale at Topshop:

She found it and it's fabulous. Even though the one displayed on the website is uber wrinkly. Who is hiring the staff to allow wrinkly clothing pictures on websites?

Anyway, so I figure before I leave for Bath with Philly tomorrow morning I should skim over my adventures in Oxford.

Oxford happened in mid-October the week after Great Yarmouth. I was just too lazy to write about it so here I try:

-I took the wrong tube in my London transfer and miraculously made it to my train on time.

-I enjoyed how close the train station was to the city and didn't have to pay for a bus fare or walk forever.

-I trespassed into Oxford Math Institution gardens (very pretty and yes, I was aware I was in enemy territory as an English major...) and other campus grounds, sneaking in with groups of students.

-I got lost in residential area until Santa wearing a tweed jacket and matching tweed fedora offered to direct me back into town.

-I stayed at a Funky Hostel where the staff was funky, the bedrooms were funky and the prices of beverages at the bar? Awesome. It was funny how I just walked in and asked to spend one night there. "One night?" "Yes, just one." "Um, okay." [insert unnecessary awkwardness here.] As I settled into my room and wandered around, it was apparent that I was the only girl travelling by myself. Everyone else was travelling with other people or if they were travelling alone, they were males.

-I met two Aussies who were kind enough to invite me to spend the next day with them, taking a tour of Oxford Castle (amazing) and Christ Church (Hogwarts) and then we got burgers. Perfect day, right? Of course it was.

-I purchased a large child's Oxford polo shirt for eight pounds after my realization that the rugby shirts were 40 quid. Ew!

-I saw a church that inspired the setting of my southern gothic short story that I turned in today.

Tomorrow I will be travelling with a friend (My mother heaves a sigh of relief) to Bath where we plan on visitng Stonehenge, the Fashion Museum, and the Roman bath houses. We'll probably just wander around a lot too. Who knows.

We'll be back Saturday! Cheers!

Top 3 Reasons You Should Love Collegefashion.net

I discovered Collegefashion.net because last year I was searching something -- I don't remember what -- about Blair Waldorf and I stumbled across an article of "How to Dress Like Blair Waldorf". Of course I read it.

I started reading other articles written by Zephyr and immediately loved the website. I mean, there are some articles I'm not 100% with (for instance, the DYI t-shirt scarf...maybe I'm not artsy enough to wear something like that. I suppose it's supposed to be coupled with the plaid button-down and leggings) but I'm going to give you the top three reasons to start reading Collegefashion.net if you don't already:

First: The Gossip Girl Fashion Series

These are written by the original writer for CF so you can put your full trust in these articles. Zephyr obviously took a lot of time to study these characters' fashion preferences and as an obsessive viewer of the fabulous, predictable, over-the-top, show that is Gossip Girl, I love them. The articles are meant to help girls who wish to dress as their favorite character or just need fashion inspiration.

Zephyr's series focuses on the fashion of: Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf (LOVE), the old and new Jenny Humphrey, Georgina Sparks (CRAZY), and Vanessa Abrams (ew).

I wonder if Lizzie McGuire will get her own series? It will have to feature fedoras.

There are also articles written by a new writer of CF, Lisa from Barnard College, of how to dress Gossip Girly for brunettes and blondes for Halloween. They're more about make and hair rather than clothing.

Second: The Top Ten Movies for Fashion Inspiration Series

These are written by one of the new writers for CF, Blair from UNC and I love them! Like the Gossip Girl series, these articles are about finding fashion INSPIRATION from the movies, not necessarily wearing the exact costumes (I mean, I suppose you could if you really wanted to...)

My favorites are Annie Hall, The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Notebook, but there are other movies for differentiating fashion tastes. (Yes, Mallory, Almost Famous is one of them!)

The series is still in the making, but the ones that Blair is writing about are:

-Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) (Like you had any doubt about that one)
-Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
-Annie Hall (1977)
-The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
-Almost Famous (2000)
-The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
-The Notebook (2004)
-Marie Antoinette (2006)
-Sex and the City (2008) (Again, a shoo-in)
-(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Is anyone else disturbed that The Devil Wears Prada wasn't on Blair's list?

Third: The Basic Articles

I call them the "basic articles" because they are the ones for girls just beginning to find their own style. There are a lot of "how-to" articles and lists:

Ten Fashion Tips That Will Never Go Out of Style
8 Fashion Rules you should Follow
7 Fashion Rules you should Break
How to Find your Perfect Colors
A Girl's Guide to High Heels (3 part series)
Wardrobe Essentials for College Girls
Five Style Mistakes Even Smart Girls Make
7 Ways to Create a Wardrobe that Uniquely Yours

And so on.

These are only three reasons to read CF.net regulary! There are the helpful "What do I wear there?" series, the "Would You Wear [insert trend here]?" and so many others. Enjoy!

Too bad I won't get any recognition for giving them free advertising.

Then again, this blog doesn't get too much traffic, does it?

It's Halloween!

So I suppose in tradition I should mention something that has to do with spooky things. Um...besides that "boyfriend checklist" tee at H81 (can we say "all the single ladies"?), there's not a lot things that are "scary" that I can think of.

Oh! I'm almost finished with my short story for my gothic genre class. If you'd like a copy of it, I'll send it to you when I'm done. Or I suppose I could do it WAY old school and post it under my Fictionpress account. Ancient!

Things that AREN'T scary: Drag Me to Hell. What a waste. Philly tried to convince me that the director and writers WANTED it to be funny, but justify it as she might, I still think it was just a bad movie. A really bad movie. Now Santa's Slay? THAT is a funny movie.

My hunt for a simple LRD continues and I've been somewhat successful in my quest:

However, I found a Little Blue dress! Fredflare has an adorable little dress I've fallen with.

I think I love it so much because it reminds me of The Notebook, it's simple but feminine and it has pockets. Whoo!

And of course, I have also assembled my wish list from Forever21:

I'm crushed about the nude pumps. But this gives me a chance to find a pair with a pointier toe.

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween. I'm going as an under-budget Catwoman along with other supervillains such as Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and...Batgirl? Whoops.

So before I go lock myself away in the library...

I was reading this week's HauteLinks at Collegefashion.net and one of the links that struck me featured CNN Money (shock). They organized jobs lists by "most stressful/badly paid", "least stressful jobs" and "top 50 best jobs". In America.

Now I'm not sure if they are 100% on the bullseye, but after surfing internships.com in my free time yesterday, it didn't hurt to browse...

Of course, very few of them specify towards English majors. I mean, there was "College professors", but for anyone who knows me will vouch that I am not a good teaching figure. In fact, the job survey I took back in sophomore year at Roanoke consisted of "advertisement executive" and "military officer" in the top three. I forgot the third one, but I remember my score for being a math teacher was a -12. A negative on a job suggestion? What does that even mean? Not only will I fail at being a math teacher, but unspeakable horrors will come of it? Good grief.

If you've read my Facebook wall, you'll be aware that I (apparently unwillingly) made plans to see Drag Me to Hell tonight with my flatmates. Looks awful. At least Justin Long's in it. I really liked him in He's Just Not that Into You. The link is a trailer for that movie - I laughed out loud. I love Kevin Connolly. Please watch Cooper at 3:00 too.

Last link of the day before I start isolating myself to writing NOT for my entertainment and for others, at least Farmington/Hartford area isn't on the list.

Because Forever 21 doesn't HAVE internships...

Dear Forever 21,

I have decided that you need to hire me. I am familiar with the store's merchandise, the vastness of your demographic, and your marketing strategies. I feel as though I would have a lot to offer to the company.

First, you would need to start reconsidering who you are putting in charge of the photos for the Twelve by Twelve merchandise on your website. Regardless that most of the items of clothing you sell through the Twelve by Twelve line do not appeal to me, it is no excuse for using poorly sewn examples to market them. It is clearly evident in some of the clothing that there is messy stitching and wrinkled material where there SHOULDN'T be, which no doubt affects the consideration of purchasing from most of your customers.

Secondly, whoever is in charge of deciding what trends Forever 21 should market needs to speak with me before making a decision because I can tell you exactly which products are going to go straight to the "sale" rack and which ones will be sold out online within a day. Seriously, elastic waist jeans? If consumers really wanted to follow that trend, they could have gone to their attics and dust off those pants they wore in the first grade.

Third, I love your store.

Please consider this as my application essay for your non-existing internship.

Love,
Elisabeth

Great Yarmouth, Fashion Disasters, and Shout out to F21

So earlier this month I took a quick train to Great Yarmouth to see the North Sea. It was nice to see the coast and it was fun walking up and down the boardwalk of carnival rides and greast food stands. My adventure there didn't bring me as much excitement as Cambridge did, but I did get eat a fresh doughnut, took lots of pictures and meandered through the streets of the marketplace. It was surreal to see so many old churches and lovely architecture be surrounded and overrun by cheap beach toy shops and souvenier stands. Please refer to my Facebook photo album for visuals.

I liked to picture Yarmouth during the summer time, when the place would no doubt be most populous with families and teens taking up every inch of sand on the beach, filling up the numerous parking lots I walked passed and creating long lines for rides like the Ferris Wheel and the rollercoaster. The pedestrian streets had lines of lightbulbs hanging over the street - they probably looked very pretty during summer nights. I do wish I had gone with someone to have dinner with or see a greyhound race with but oh well. More exciting things happened in Oxford.

On a completely different note, I'd like to indulge you with more complaints about clothing - this time, the things I've seen on UEA campus.

Today, I was sitting in one of my classes and realized that the girl sitting three seats down from me had a HUGE deoderant stain on the back of her right shoulder. How did it get there? Why hasn't she noticed it? Why didn't any of her friends check her before she left the living residence? Why didn't I say anything? Because I didn't know her, we were in the middle of class and there was no discreet way of filling her in. I felt bad, but that's why you check yourself before leaving to go out in public.

Yesterday, a girl in my class was wearing a beret. Okay, yes, even though I don't really feel them, knit/yarn berets or as a scuzzy boy told me while I was waiting at JFK (long story >.>), "granny hats" are very in.

What's really awkward is that I once had a bright orange slouchy yarn hat but apparently I was too ahead of the trend, convinced that it looked like a deflated pumpkin, and gave it away.

However, when your wear a SEQUINED beret, and I don't mean a slightly embellished one like the CR example, but COATED in LARGE SEQUINS, you look silly. It's the kind of silly you're going to be showing pictures of yourself to your children or just look back on and think why the hell was I wearing a sequin beret? I should have seen this horrid thing coming when Vampie and I first saw that goddamn rainbow sequined beret at F21! If you're going to wear a knit beret, fine, it's your style, it's the trend, go for it. But please don't flash the trend in my face with your tacky sequined beret that most likely feels like you have lice from being so itchy. GOD.

And for the last time, stop wearing cowboy fringe like some girls on this campus. It was in for a week and those who had the common sense to ignore it now have to suffer when you go stomping around in your boots that would look nice if it weren't for your stupid fringe swinging all over the place. If you don't believe me, believe 'Zaar. Unless you're a cowgirl, fringe is a no go. Same with denimn on denim pieces. Why do I always find people who argue with me about this? It's not hard. Just don't do it. Ever. "But it's the same shade!" No. Just don't do it.

I'm not done. I need to have a word with Forever 21.

Dear Forever 21,

I love your store. I've converted a number of my friends to go there first for shopping and I probably know more about the merchandise and the store itself than most of your employers.

However, we need to talk.

I would appreciate it if you would stop putting holes in my shoes. It is winter and I don't want my toes to be cold. I know I could wear some fun tights or socks, but it would really just be better off that we transition from cute summer/autumn peep toes to...you know...not peep toes.

And enough with the tiered dresses and skirts. They aren't all that flattering. This trend will pass and all will be well again. Trust me.

That is all.

Love,
Elisabeth

"It's the Cheesiest!"

After three consecutive "I miss you"s on my facebook wall, I assumed it was time to update. Yes, I miss you too.

However tonight I was blessed with half a blue box of cheesy ecstacy - oh Kraft, how you warm my heart. Philly's parents mailed her a box as a reminder that America is Home sweet home and she was kind enough to share it with me. I have followed Philly's example by asking my sister to mail me a box of mac+cheese as well - and perhaps some goldfish. There are no snacks that smile back at me here. I mean, besides Hobnobs. I'm pretty sure they smile at me.

After discovering I didn't have two presentations due in my gothic class at all and then being reminded (for the first time) that I have a close reading due Friday, you'd think I'd be a little more agitated. Wrong! I've already planned out my paper and still riding on my wave of smugness after receiving a good grade on the poem previously mentioned. Only problem is that I have to keep the bar high and hope the gothic assignment will be okay since there is little to no rubric for it. >.>

Gossip girl viewing session is happening tonight and all of the girls - and NG - are pumped. I'm thinking Wales will watch with us if we bother him enough ("I like the part when he stops moving!"). We have no TV and since it airs in America at the equivalent of 2:00am here, we found it best to wait until Tuesday night to make sure all of the girls are here so we can pack into RugBe's room and squeal about Blair and Chuck and talk over Nate's pointless storyline. And for the first time, Vanessa actually adds something to the plot instead of being whiny and messing shit up.

I want to go somewhere else this week but I'm not sure where to - perhaps I'll tough out the 3 hour train ride to Oxford (Dylan and Mo: "HA!!") or wait 'til the weekend to go to London and really look around. Suggestions?

Fun fact: I skyped my family last night and found out that Fortinbras is HUGE, as well as loving the fact that his ears perked up when I called his name through Ted's computer. Good boy for remembering mummy's voice. I'm hoping my webcam will be delivered to me this month so I can actually web chat with people again!