New project on the block

I went to Fabricland (Canada's source for commercial patterns and overpriced fabrics) in search of a fun pattern to work on. I mostly waded through page upon page of trendy garbage until I found this lovely pattern. I'll be making the blue one in the back. I bought this HAMAZING orange fabric (grrr...I can't remember what it's called). I hope to have this thing done by the end of next week. Why the end of next week? Because I'm lazy and busy: the worst combination for any wannabe seamstress.

The fabric wasn't cheap ($30/m? WTF??) so I'll need to be super careful and, more importantly, not waste any of it. This will be my magnum opus...or so I hope.

Frocks for Spring

Though winter shows no sign of ending soon in this God-forsaken country (I mean this jokingly--- I'm sure God's still kicking around here somewhere), I can't get on to a computer without browsing longingly at dresses that won't be practical until the warmer weather comes around. Here are some of the ones I was lusting after today...

Evidence that fashion is not just a way of occupying idiots

Fashions come and fashions go, but style reigns eternal. Or something like that. Ughh excuse this lapse in memory. I'm usually pretty good with quotes. Anyways, I'm all for the classics, but there's something so deliciously decadent about indulging in the passing trends that we all know are born to die. This is why there is a fashion industry, but no style industry.

I've read many a fashion blog, but very few have totally absorbed me. This is mostly because they individuals writing them usually spend all of their time critiquing different collections from a pretentious eye or carefully breaking down what's in style. Where's the fun in that? No where. Because it doesn't exist in these worlds. I believe that fashion, though temporary, is about more than what we see on the catwalk. Fashion is what you wear on your back, what you see in the streets, or, if you're in a position similar to my own, what you see walking past you in the school hallways. It shows a feeling, a mood, a statement. It shows a piece of you to the world without opening your mouth. Fashion is not just art or an expensive luxury. It's a part of life.

And herein lays my passion for fashion, if you will. Fashion is something artistic that carries you through life. Fashion is what people first see when they see you; what changes your mood when you're down; an integral part of your memories. Why else would first-day-of-school frocks and wedding gowns have to be so carefully selected? Fashion defines moments in our lives and, on a grander scale, moments in history. Fashion can tell one so much about different periods in time. The pencil-skirts of the forties remind of the rationing periods of WWII. The sack dress dictates the carefree sentiments that followed WWI. The bold patterns and extremes of the sixties weave the tales of rebellion, freedom, and change that shook the world.

So to all of you who believe that all of us who love fashion and want to dedicate our lives to it, think twice before you call us 'stupid' or 'superficial' because in calling us these things, you are only affirming your own ignorance.

xoxo
Allyssia

Never put off to tomorrow..

...what you can do tomorrow :P I'm sure you can put it off longer than that. But today I decided to something different. I actually did today something that I could off until February 2nd. Today I handed my application to Ryerson's School of Journalism early. Impressive, non? Bien que je sois contente de l'avoir fait, I can not help but feel a bit nervous. From what I've read, 1500 students apply and only 135 students get in. If this didn't make me feel nervous enough, I also found out that the number of applications to Ontario universities is up by something like 10% this year. Can you spell competition? F-U-C-K.

Silly girl in vintage pearls

From the minute that I got home this afternoon, all that I could think about was finding an internship for the summer. In both the fashion industry and the world of journalism, she who hesitates to intern is lost, so I figure that I might as well start interning as soon as possible. I actually have interned before though. Last summer I worked as a faithful, unpaid "assistant" at House of Spy, a Toronto clothing company. After a summer of cutting, cleaning, tracing, and sewing [on buttons], I really grew to appreciate exactly what it means to work hard!

As I interned at a fashion design place last year, I'm trying to find a magazine to intern at this year. The only problem is that in Toronto, fashion journalism internships aren't exactly springing up like dandelions and I refuse to work for any other type of publication. Luckily, I have family living in NYC (family who, might I add, I didn't know about until last month), so I can also apply for internships there. I know the odds of me getting accepted anywhere without a single year of university experience are slim, but hopefully what I lack in experience I can make up for with moxy (Do people still say 'moxy'? Is 'moxy' spelled 'moxie'??).

xoxo

A Year in Flats and Sharps: The Top 5 CDs of 2008

This year (well, last year) I picked up a ton of CDs. I'm actually not too sure why I continue to buy them, seeing as it's cheaper to buy them online and cheaper still to download them on Limewire. I guess I'm just a sentimental at heart, trying to savour these remaining days before they go the way of vinyl and Betamax. Anyways, here are the top 5 CDs of 2008 that, after listening to them, I think you should check out too.

Lykke Li - Youth Novels

I'll have to thanks iTunes' new Genius function for recommending this brilliant album. Lykke Li, who's real name is Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson, has a voice unlike any other that I've heard. It's almost childlike with its vulnerability and purity. Youth Novels, her debut album, is unclassifiable. It's not quite electronic, not quite pop, and definitely not your typical indie album. Her sound is completely and refreshingly unique. There are songs to dance to, songs to cry to, and songs to just hum along with. I can't wait to see how this cute, little Swede will follow-up.

My top songs would have to be "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Time Flies", and "My Love", but her single "Little Bit" seems to be getting rave reviews across the board.

Cat Power - Jukebox

I was really hoping to get Cat Power's (nee Chan Marshall) The Greatest for Christmas, but this one made for a pleasant conciliation prize. I sort of expected that I would like this album before I even tore it out of it's plastic covering. I'd heard many of Cat Power's songs before, and had fallen in love with her lazy, breathy voice and minimalist style that reminded me of a matured Feist (though she's only 4 years Feist's senior). Jukebox, mostly a collection of covers, really makes for easy listening. I've listened to the CD from the first song to the last without once feeling bored. One thing I will say is that, after the first 5 tracks, the songs just start to blend into each other, which is a definite turn-off, albeit a small one.

I'd have to recommend "New York", and "Ramblin' (Wo)man" which are, funnily enough, the first two tracks on the album.

Lady Gaga - The Fame

Our hair is perfect while we're all getting shit-wrecked.

No, this isn't an obnoxious Paris Hilton quote. It's a line from Lady Gaga's "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". These are the types of lyrics that characterize this first album from Lady Gaga, the voice behind last summer's mega-hit "Just Dance". The song topics are superficial and crass, referencing riding on a guy's "disco stick", making out in the bleachers, and getting wasted among other things. Anyone would assume that these would make for an awful album but, surprisingly, The Fame manages to be very listenable and even got me to sing along unabashadely with it's shallow lyrics. Maybe it was the awesome, pop-electronica melodies, but what I think made the album so bearable was the fact that the lyrics were so absurd. They were just fun and, in this world of deep, profound lyricists, they offer a welcomed escape. Oh, and Lady Gaga, or should I say Stefani Joanne Germanotta actually has a pretty good voice, something that is really rare in this day and age. Who knew?

Check out "Pokerface" (as if you haven't already), "Just Dance", "Boys, Boys, Boys", and "Money Honey" for some campy, decadent fun.

The Black Keys - Attack and Release

Top record all the way. Attack and Release, which is the band's 5th album (7th if you count EPs), delivers the same blues-rock sound as its predecessors while still differentiating itself from them. Lead vocalist Dan Auerbach delivers on every song with the same emotion, and skill that characterized their past recordings. You could put this CD on and not have to press skip once because, as familiar as the sound is, the songs are not all the same. There's a healthy mix of faster songs ("Strange Times", "Oceans and Streams"), slower songs ("All You Ever Wanted", "Things Ain't Like They Used to Be") and those songs that make you just want to drift off to another place ("Psychotic Girl" does it for me).

My top songs would have to be "Strange Times", "So He Won't Break", and "Psychotic Girl". This is an album that I strongly recommend to any music lover.

Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty

Robbers and Cowards was probably my favourite CD of 2007. For that year I was hooked on this indie rock band from California. So when I heard that they were releasing their sophomore album, I was both excited and hesitant. I was hungry for more from the boys from Cali, but I was worried that their second effort wouldn't live up to their first. Luckily, I wasn't disappointed. Loyalty to Loyalty is just as intelligent and, to put it simply, just as good as its predecessor, though it is markedly more raw in terms of vocals and melodies. The album's best quality is that it tells stories that aren't usually told is music, which is what I liked most about Robbers and Cowards.

Best songs? "Dreams Old Men Dream", "Welcome to the Occupation", "On the Night That My Love Broke Through", and "Relief". I must also give honourable mention to "Golden Gate Jumpers", which showed me that yes, it is possible to mention crabs "having their way with you" in a serious song. Poetry.

Honourable Mentions

Shad (rap) - The Old Prince
Hits: "Old Prince Still Lives At Home", "I Don't Really Like To", "Exile"

Britney Spears (pop) - Circus
Hits: "Womanizer", "Blur", "Kill The Lights"

Uh Huh Her (electropop) - Common Reaction
Hits: "Dreamer", "Away From Here", "Explode"

Fine in '09

Happy (belated) New Year!

I know I've been terribly unfaithful to thing blog and, trust me, nobody regrets it more than me. In the end, it's only my writing that suffers, and my credibility that gets questioned. I've never been one for commitments, but I'm trying.

University Update

Well, I've officially applied to university. It was tough deciding, but I narrowed my choices down to three programs: Journalism at Ryerson, Fashion Design at Ryerson, and French at Queen's. I was really considering applying to Waterloo as well, but in the end I decided that the whole "vibe" there was not for me.

Fashionista Diaries

My Ryerson portfolio has been coming along very slowly. Honestly, I had no idea how much work went into doing the simple things requested, like completing a garment or making good sketches. Like my internship over the summer, working on my portfolio has given me a greater respect for the fashion industry. Hopefully I'll get into the program and be able to learn how to do all of these things more efficiently and, ya know, better.

Absence makes the heart forgetful...

Hey there. Sorry about the long and certainly uncalled for absence. I've been terribly busy these days. So much has happened in the time that I've been away. Since I'm both lazy and not awake enough to write a cohesive summary, I'll just sort of write a list of major occurrences.

1. And the Award goes to...

Yessir! Yesterday I found out that I was chosen as a semi-finalist for the prestigious Loran Award, a scholarship program that recognizes students who have displayed great leadership and service to the community. It really came as a shocker yesterday because, according to a letter that I received from the organization, I should have found out on Friday. It turns out that they did try to contact me on Friday but due to SOMEONE'S forgetfulness, I never got the message. But no worries! I'm just pleased to have been accepted.

Becoming a semi-finalist is only the beginning of a long, competitive process. I mean, I'm up against some of the most accomplished high schoolers in Canada. I guess I'll just need to bring the charm and, more importantly, the confidence to my interview (it's December 6th, by the way) because if we're all so accomplished, it's probably character that they're using to narrow it down.

2. Working girl

So far I've done about 3 shifts at the Gap and earned about $114. It's not much, but it's a start.

The people at this place are wonderful. All of them. I met this very attractive and equally nice boy (let's call him G) there too. He's studying Journalism at Humber (he couldn't afford university), which definitely scores him a few more points. But it's just a silly girlish crush at this point. It's sooo not anything major, but it felt nice to write about him. I just hope that he never ends up reading this...

3. Fashion is for fashion people...

Since Saturday I have been in full out fashion mode. Wait, that sounds ridiculous. Let me try again.

Since Saturday I have been working tirelessly on constructing the garments for my Ryerson application. The dress that I've been working on for the last few days has been causing me some major headaches. I mean, between burning lace, fucked-up gathers, and thread shortages, I've just barely been able to keep my cool. The weird thing is that, no matter how many obstacles I encounter, I just can't bring myself to just give up. There's just nothing cooler than being able to bring my vision (err, design) to life. I'll try to post some pictures when I'm finished. That shouldn't take too long, but one never knows...

Oh, and did I mention that I blew more than half of my paycheck on fabric and notions?

4. New discoveries.

I'm totally loving The Black Keys. They are awesome. I will go buy their CDs.

5. University of Nevermind

On November 5th I registered to take the SAT Reasoning Test. It was a spur of the moment decision really, and now I'm starting to have second thoughts. I mean, even though I've been going through 4 hours of tutoring a week for the past 3 weeks, I'm starting to doubt that I'll have mastered the mathematical principles required to do well on the math sections. The other parts should be no sweat, but the school is taken as a total so my individual section marks don't matter. I don't know. I know that I should be more confidant, but I can't be. I've always sucked at math (well, maybe 'sucked' is a strong word).

I've rambled long enough. Take care y'all!