Come Rain, Come Shine

UNT's campus possessed something of a 'Secret Window' gloom today- euhh.
 IIIRK [brakes slamming in imaginary car]  Hold up, isn't it spring?
It was, indeed,  a solid frisbee-tossing 85 degrees last week that megamorphed into this week's seemingly bone chilling  & 50's-60's. With north Texas' topsy turvy weather that is experiencing more mood swings than Charlie Sheen,  its no wonder that people like myself are stuck between seasonal changes. My spring outfit planning was abruptly halted with this weather and my ensemble's forecast is cloudy with a chance of "i don't know what to fucking wear".
It seems as if my closet becomes more and more inconsistent these days; a mixture of some leg-bearing bottoms with a bit of stocking, sweaters rolled to a convenient 3/4,  and a ton of lightweight scarves are what I opt for in times of such inclimate weather. But I can only get away with this for so long. When all else fails, layer, layer , layer, then layer some more.
 
*side note: I wish my camera's memory card were working so that I may share some tres chic examples of people across UNT's lovely campus coping with the indecisive weather, but alas, my inability to deal with technology leaves my Nokia USB cord in shambles from my attempt at putting (no. more like shoving) it into my Ipod converter for my car. Yea, I basically raped the prongs. I'll have those up as soon as I get a replacement.

Anyway, with seasons a changin', comes the great bargain opportunities in the winter wear department; the Off-Season- ahhhh yes. It's the joyous occasion where the price of a nice peacoat depletes to $30 as hemlines rise elsewhere. It's a great time to hit up local discounted retailers like Ross, Marshalls, and T.J. Max to pick up on the department stores' winter surplus.
I found a fantastic example of such off season bargainship today when a friend of mine was wearing these lovelies:

Water-proof, insulated, ankle-cut, and ON-SALE for $29.99 reg. $50 at Sears...of all places, right? These are a nice alternative to heavy rain boots that rub the back of your ankles raw worse than a pair of unbroken- in flats ('first day flats', I call them). Ladies, you know  of which I speak. Not to mention, they have a pretty damn stylish wedge.
In conclusion, I encourage my fellow sales-rack dwellers to forgo the spring fever to shop for cut-offs and opt to get a good coat or another winter item on-sale first, because ole man winter will probably roll around before you know it.

Speaking of Rain,
Random quote of nonsense:
"I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not fuck, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was hurricane." 
— John Green (Looking for Alaska)

The New "You piece"

A great step to stylistic self-discovery is realizing consistencies in your wardrobe. Your "you piece", as I like to call it, can be one or several things that make you feel more, well, you. It has to be something your fond of wearing, obviously, but a true "you piece" has to be something that isn't exactly noticeable to others first-hand. It can't scream "Hey, look at me! Look at what I'm wearing!"-well unless you want it to, I guess. Nevertheless, it has to be something you feel absolutely comfortable wearing; it can even be something you feel naked without. All great style icons have one: Anna Wintour's perfectly coiffed bob, Billie Holiday's gardenia head piece, Marilyn's mole- and yes, I will go so far as to say that was an accessory. She had to put it on every day, didn't she?

Personally ,I go through partiality to so many styles that it's hard for me to find such specific pieces. But the things that I tend to keep gravitating towards are in the jewelry category- particularly watches. While I don't have an impressive collection just yet, wrist clocks seems to be my go-to outfit embellishment. They're comfortable, understated, and functional; meaning that I actually have a concept of time now. Go figure. I don't have to whip out my phone from a seemingly never-ending purse pocket or do the awkward pocket slide out of my pants while walking. 

Homework: look in your closet,  jewelry box, or any other clothing receptacle tonight & think about a piece that speaks to you. It's something you continue to buy season after season, fad after fad- maybe in a slightly different package, but it should be a steadily distinct accessory, hairstyle, or make-up style, etc.  

In conclusion, I leave you to ponder the anomaly that is your own style , and I encourage you to do just that- OWN your style. Take pride in your individuality & take time to really explore it. Trust me, once you find your "you piece" it makes it a ton easier to get dressed in the morning because you've got at least one thing figured out. 

My latest style obsession.

Two-tone & clean. Simple yet playful.

And... it has a sense of humor. 

 hands 

[insert obligatory "tongue-out" emoticon here] 

That may take a while. 

This & other vintage awesomeness at http://store.americanapparel.net/vintage.html

I miss real music

 I like to consider myself an unofficial musical connoisseur with tastes that range from hip-hop to dub-step, techno to country, classical jazz and rock , pop, indie/folk and rhythm & blues. I am also suspect to the occasional 'random' music tastes like Indian pop music, Spanish rock, Neo-Soul, &  house music. I'm always on the prowl for my latest musical obsession and will leave no stone unturned when it comes to genres-except screamo ( I just can't do it). With an ever-thirsting ear, I'm able to sincerely make a distinction between good music and ,well, what's on the radio today. 

Music used to be about making a statement- one that would stick throughout the years and not fade away at the turn of a dial or the next scandalous fad. Artists success once depended on how they sound, not how they look. Artists had integrity and would've rather catered to a small intimate audience with whom they had a true connection to than try to reach the masses with a generic blanket of auto-tuning. Lyrics were poetry strung along a cohesive melody. Lyrics were an intimate peek into the artist's soul at the very moment they wrote a piece (ahem WROTE their own music). A song would be a tender keepsake for the audience to share with the artist- a moment of pure empathy between artist & audience. Those were the days....

Considering the fact that I was no more than a jelly-fish inside an undescended testicle when my favorite musical eras occurred, over the years I've tried to compensate for the disconnect I see between my generation and what I consider good music. How, you may ask? By telling my peers about it, I answer. And what better way to kick-off my blog than by taking my peers on a trip into Arie's world of music. Over the years, I've developed a soft spot for the old days. You know, back when musicians were... musicians.  

So, here's a little bit of that for you. See how you like it. Don't forget to comment.

                                                                                                                         -Arie