I wanted to make some seriously stylish gingerbread boys and girls today. I tried. I did not conquer. It's a lot harder to pipe on the clothes than I thought. Here are some of the results:
Here's Suzi, a little fashionista with a blue bow and matching belt.
My sister made this one. She says it's a tourist. That red blob is supposed to be a hat.
My sister made this one too. He's a "fellow in yellow."
Kasey made this Santa.
Kasey made this old lady, Dorothy.
She also made this "nerd."
This is Kasey's "ho" cookie.
Men in bow ties. Cute.
Fred the corporate amputee.
GHOST COOKIE.
Kasey's bride. We were also watching Platinum Weddings while decorating. It might have been her inspiration.
I bought a cookie press today. It's so excellent. So, to break it in, I made some Christmas tree spritzer cookies. They're delicious. And very buttery.
I brushed them with egg whites and added red, green and white sprinkles.
I wish I could share them with you all. Since I can't, I'll share this picture with you instead. Enjoy!
I'm not sure when it started, but lately I've had a thing for anything with a bow. Maybe it's because there's an almost really cute pair of white gold diamond bow earrings at work (I'd prefer them in yellow gold and without diamonds.) that turned me on to them. Maybe it was an old picture I'd seen of myself (high school) with a big coral bow in my hair. I wish I knew where that was.
Whatever it was, I'm obsessed. Here are some of my favorite bow accessories I found on Etsy.
Whoever thought these waistband-free pantyhose were a good idea was obviously delusional. I accidentally bought a couple of this particular style a couple weeks ago when I needed them for work. I didn't realize they weren't my usual type until I needed to wear them. The box boasts them as being "roll resistant" which, for the record, is not true. I've never had so many issues with a pair of pantyhose. Maybe they're roll resistant if the person wearing them stands straight with little to no movement for the duration of wear.
I need one of three things: a) A lot of money. b) People with money who want to buy me things. c) Someone to give me their money so I can buy me things.
My most current desire, aside from anything to furnish an apartment, is a satchel. Mmm.
I’m Jessica, but my friends call me Jess, and even people who aren’t my friends call me Jess. I grew up living in closer proximity to cows and cornfields than any establishment that could be considered a mall. An admitted sucker for accessories, I’m also a firm believer that there is nothing wrong with wearing black on any occasion. My favorite things include quotes and YouTube videos. The quickest way to my heart is through a John Mayer song or a great pair of shoes.
I have been cursed with an infatuation with designer fashion. This obsession was much easier to satisfy when Hollister qualified as “designer” and my parents still thought it was their parental duty to buy me clothes. I soon realized SoCal hoodies wouldn’t feed the hunger forever.
In high school I found myself with a lot of spare time (like every day during physics and calculus), which only encouraged my addiction to reading fashion magazines. Thanks to Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, my eyes opened to the real world of designer fashion.
I began referring to Michael Kors, Betsey Johnson, Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs by first name, as if we were old friends. (Too bad we weren’t actually old friends; maybe I could have scored a discount.) While this fashion rebirth was occurring, something else happened. My parents stopped thinking it was fun to buy all my clothes. Now, as a first-year student at the University of Cincinnati, I have come to an unfortunate but inevitable realization: I have no (OK, very little) money.
Still, to a die-hard fashionista, being poor is only a minor setback. Thankfully, the design gods came to my rescue. Many of my dear, name-brand friends began creating more affordable guest lines for major retailers. The emergence satisfies the need to experience the bliss of wearing a beautiful, well-made garment, while keeping me far from over-drafting my bank account or maxing out my AmEx. I’ll even let you in on the best thing to happen to fashion since Diane Von Furstenberg’s wrap dress.Here are my current top five favorite designer guest lines:
1. Jimmy Choo for H&M – The lust-worthy stilettos and handbags arrived just in time for the holiday party season! Every girl should own a pair of Jimmy Choos and now we can.Let’s all smile as we torture our feet in the name of fashion, knowing that we didn’t torture our bank accounts.
2. Jemma Kidd for Target – Her line is always on trend with the hottest color palettes and most wearable makeup. The fun cosmetic products are long lasting and an affordable luxury.Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to go to Target?
3. Miley Cyrus and Max Azria for Wal-Mart – At first, the thought of this collaboration made me a bit nervous. Actually, it made me cringe. But I must admit, there are some insanely cute pieces in this collection and with everything priced at $20.00 or less, you can try out several of the rock star-inspired garments.
4. Christian Siriano for Payless – Project Runway fans: rejoice! The designer lends his talent and impeccable fashion sense to this collaborative line of shoes and handbags.With edgy zipper details and gold accents the Elisa Sandal and Carolina Pump are, dare I say it, fierce.
5. Vera Wang for Kohl’s – The sophistication of Vera is now available to the masses. The collection is perfect worn in individual pieces or as an entire outfit. Plus, Vera offers apparel, shoes and handbags to make any wardrobe complete and completely affordable.
Black Friday is over but the deals and savings are not. I just got a heads up about a special deal for you. Tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 2, if you present your UC ID, you can receive a 20 percent discount on your purchase ONLY at the Kenwood location. That could be some serious savings if you need to pick up something for your holiday party outfits or a gift for someone else.
Before Veterans Day, it had been quite some time since I had my eyebrows done. Actually, it was right before I finished my summer internship in Portland, Ore.
Missy, one of my Portland roommates, was going for a bikini wax at a quaint, one-room shop, The Wax Shack. I sat in the 90-degree hallway for about 30 minutes waiting so we could hit up the Portland Beavers baseball game.
When they were finally finished and came to find me, the woman who runs the Shack took one look at my eyebrows (which had not been waxed since before I went to Portland about 11 weeks prior), and said “You cannot leave here like that.”
Long story short, that was toward the end of August. Veterans Day was last week. That’s a pretty long time to go without any sort of eyebrow grooming or upkeep. My eyebrows, to say the least, were a little out of control. So, when I went home, Mom offered to pay to have my eyebrows threaded.
Because Mom was buying, I was game. Over the river and through the suburbs of Dayton to the mall we go.
If you’ve never had your eyebrows threaded, it’s quite the experience.
Threading is an old practice traditionally used in Eastern countries, like India and Egypt. In the last couple of years it’s become more popular in the United States. You can even get your eyebrows threaded in Cincinnati. Maison De Sourcils in Kenwood Towne Centre offers threading. One session with them takes about 10 to 15 minutes, but costs a pretty penny: $32.10 plus tax.
(I went to Nirvana, a shop in Dayton Mall – the price there was $8, four times less than Maison De Sourcils, but also not an eyebrow specialty location.)
It’s a fairly simple process – the only thing the stylist uses is a piece of cotton thread and steady, precise hands. The lack of chemicals or anything else touching the skin means it’s super sterile, which is a plus for a germaphobe or anyone with allergies.
The cotton is wrapped around unwanted hairs, kind of like a lasso. The hair is pulled from the follicle, which means the threading is supposed to last longer than something more common like waxing or plucking.
Because the thread has to lasso the unwanted hairs, it’s ridiculously precise. Even after waxing or plucking with my favorite stylist I usually have to go back through and pluck a few stray hairs. This time, no such thing.
It sounds pretty cool, right? Sounds like it might be worth your $8 for a simple procedure that lasts up to six weeks. (The hair removal can become permanent if you have it done often enough.)
But I, for one, will never have my eyebrows threaded again.
Threading took about five times longer than waxing and was at least 1,000 times more excruciatingly painful. I’ve since read testimonials that say the opposite, but, in those testimonials, they also say they were given a numbing spray or had a warm cloth compressed on their eyebrows to make it easier to remove the hairs.
Perhaps it was my anxiety that prevented me from finding any redeeming quality about my experience, but I could feel every hair being yanked from my face and the sound of the thread twisting was too much to handle.
My toes curled. My hands were sweating. I wanted to reach up, grab the woman who was threading my eyebrows and throw her to the ground.
I may or may not have cried.
My younger sister Kasey was next in line to have her eyebrows done. After watching me struggle to maintain composure she opted out of the experience. I wish she had volunteered to go first.
No more threading for me, but if you’re into some sadistic-type of pain, you might want to try it for yourself.
Wild about waxing or would you rather admire your flawless – but throbbing – threaded brows? Tell Taylor at thefashiondungjen@gmail.com.
I'm doing a little bit of Christmas shopping for my boyfriend. I love buying things for other people. It makes me feel like I have an excuse to then buy stuff for myself. Wrong or right, it's true.
He thinks I have a shopping problem. I happen to see things a little differently. But, that's another post for another time.
To the point:
I want to buy Richie a scarf. Why? I love scarves and I think that scarves add an instant and extra measure of attractiveness to an ensemble. Consequently, I want Richie to love scarves. He spends some time outside when he's at work, checking on whatever it is that he has to check on, and in the winter Northeast Ohio isn't really very forgiving. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't started to snow yet ... Again, I'm getting away from the point. So, I'm looking for a scarf that Richie can wear when he's not at work (the Cleveland Brown's scarf that he has he can use for work). In the process of looking, I found a scarf called "Cincinnati."
It's maroon and navy. What about Cincinnati says maroon and navy? Can someone please clarify? (Don't worry; this is not something I'm considering for Richie. Actually, I find it quite atrocious.)
I think the Midwest has an inferiority complex. Or is at least a little insecure about how it stacks up to is cousins out west. And, quite frankly, there's a lot to be jealous of. But, even though it seems like they would want to mimic the beautiful state of Oregon, this part of Dayton, dare I say, is marvelous. (The above sign was taken in Dayton, Ohio, in the Oregon District.) Hands down, the Oregon District is probably one of the most incredible neighborhoods in Dayton. It's old. Has a brick road (Bonus points). The houses are so fabulous. It's the ideal neighborhood for my future grown up self. I picture myself living in one of the circa 1850s homes and then taking a walk down one of the tree-lined streets in a forest green, just-above-the-knee dress and a pair of ankle cognac boots around this time of year.
Fall is so good. I need to recruit a friend to go on a fall photo adventure with me.
"From what I remember, backpacks seemed to last forever – as a kid, having the most awesome character from a TV show or movie made last week’s bag outdated before you could convince your parents that you needed it to maintain your playground status. Now, I’m stuck. I have the mentality that backpacks are still for kids. On the other hand, I feel that same mentality tipping toward the whipping out my debit card to buy one each time the straps on my tote rip a little more. (I’m waiting for the day it busts on campus spilling all its contents as I watch a tampon roll down the sidewalk through McMicken Commons.) It has to happen. For the sake of not chasing toiletries across campus, it has to happen."
Literally, the day after I wrote this column, one of the straps on the bag I had been carrying was reduced to hanging on by one single thread. And a mighty strong thread it was. But, alas, karma bit me in the behind and the bag became one with the dumpster behind my apartment building.
Two summers ago when I was in Alabama, I bought a huge-0-mungo bag for farmers markets and grocery shopping. Now that I never have time for farmers markets or grocery shopping, I converted the large tote into a makeshift school bag. Now, though the lining is ripping and the bottom looks like it might break out.
At the end of my column I posted a cry for help. I had no idea where to start looking for book bags, what types were better than others. I got more responses than I could have imagined. So, with the advice of some wonderful ladies -- go figure, no dudes had any suggestions -- I broke down and bought a book bag.
Usually when the temperature begins to drop I have a heightened sense of style. There is so much more than can be done -- layering, sweaters, scarves, boots. It's the best time of year to have to wear clothes. Really.
This fall, though, I'm struggling. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I need to find some new inspiration and fast. Something has to get me out of this funk, but what? Suggestions?
If everyone with straight hair is so damn jealous of curly hair, and everyone with curly hair is growing to like it more, why is it so impossible to find pictures of women with naturally curly hair? I need inspiration for styling and haircuts, but it doesn't seem to exist. Does anyone else share my frustrations?
If you have curly hair, please send me pictures to thefashiondungjen@gmail.com. I'm going to do a blowout with great curly hair -- make it a resource for all girls in the same predicament. A database of curly hair, if you will. Be a part of the project!
And, if you have friends with curly hair, spread the word!
When my friend Nick Grever asked me if he could write a few guest spots on my blog, I wanted to say yes. Maybe it was because I thought there was no way in hell Grever could write something fashion related. I mean, just click the first link in his guest post and you'll see how I feel about his style, or maybe it was because I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce my readers to something different. Grever has a completely different perspective on fashion since he and I don't share the same ideals of style, but nonetheless, Grever is always the most interested in what I have to say about fashion. Do I get it? Nope. Does it matter? Nope. What resulted is a pretty good post about heavy metal going couture. Did I ever think those two words would be used together? Nope. Is it happening? You betcha.
Hello Fashion Dungjen readers (Dungjenites? Dungjeneers?), my name is Nick Grever. Yes, that Nick Grever.
I offered to write a guest post or two for Taylor and, for some crazy reason, she agreed. She probably wants a day off, but who am I to judge?
But, what exactly qualifies me to make any sort of comment on fashion in any way? I mean, did you read the column I linked? Well, I don’t really have any sort of high fashion knowledge. I don’t know the difference between Chanel and Dolce and Gabbana. I don’t get excited about fall fashions. The last time I looked at a Vogue was in line at Kroger.
But what I can do is observe. I can watch people; watch what they wear and when they wear it. And the job I’ve held for five years now has allowed me to do exactly that. I’ve been working at Hot Topic since I was 16 years old. I’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the WTF moments of every day fashion. For the past three years, I’ve been at Newport on the Levee, a primarily nightlife location. This has added another wrinkle to my observations. And one major trend is the proliferation of heavy metal themes becoming couture. And while I may not be the most knowledgeable fashion guru, I know my metal (shameless plug incoming: www.heavy-metal-war.blogspot.com). And what I’m seeing is more and more heavy metal aesthetics being utilized for so called couture. Affliction and Ed Hardy are the main lines with these themes, along with the massive amount of offshoots and imitators.
Neither line is exactly “high” fashion, per se, but both are higher up on the line than most clothing in general.
Affliction and Ed Hardy are taking heavy metal imagery and turning them into high-value couture. And furthermore, these labels are being accepted and even flourishing within the general public. And that’s pretty big considering the shirts are expensive. Really expensive.
What’s even more shocking is the fact that these shirts are beginning to count as “dressing up.” Go into night clubs around the city and you’ll see girls in nice dresses and guys in T-shirts. It’s a weird sight to be sure.
But what caused these labels to get so popular, in spite of their price points and generally unaccepted aesthetics? Well, for affliction at least, UFC had a part in it. Many of the fighters attached themselves to Affliction, designing their own signature shirts and wearing them into the ring. With UFC getting more and more popular, it only makes sense that their respective clothes line would as well. And with some mainstream metal acts like Pantera and Ozzy picking up the Affliction banner, they gain even more credibility.
But perhaps the real reason is that Affliction and Ed Hardy skirt the line between rebellion and the mainstream. They have just enough of an edge to give the wearer that beloved feeling of power and strength, but not going over the edge and into scary (or at least what mainstream culture considers scary) territory.
But I wonder, how many people who so devotedly wear the Ed Hardy and Affliction label actually know the origins of the aesthetics they are sporting, or if they even care. Not that it matters per se, but as someone who has a closest full of bloody, skeleton-filled, evil, demonic, violent apparel, to see these same themes on guys who just got home from watching a Bengals game kind of weirds me out.
And, it appears that things may be coming full circle. Lead singer of Judas Priest and arguably the most metal person alive, Rob Halford, has created his own high end clothing line, called Metal God. And Slipknot, possibly the biggest metal band in the world had their own line as well, entitled Tattered and Torn. The line, exclusive to Hot Topic, seems to have been short lived, but is notable nonetheless.
Perhaps due to my background and love of all things metal, this change in the fashion landscape is a fascinating one to me. Will it last? Who knows, nothing changes faster than the public’s tastes. But for now, it seems like lines such as Affliction and Ed Hardy are here to stay. I guess we’ll just have to see if the bands and art that inspired said lines become mainstream too. I just hope I never have to pay $50 bucks for a Slayer shirt…
I wanted to make some seriously stylish gingerbread boys and girls today. I tried. I did not conquer. It's a lot harder to pipe on the clothes than I thought. Here are some of the results:
Here's Suzi, a little fashionista with a blue bow and matching belt.
My sister made this one. She says it's a tourist. That red blob is supposed to be a hat.
My sister made this one too. He's a "fellow in yellow."
Kasey made this Santa.
Kasey made this old lady, Dorothy.
She also made this "nerd."
This is Kasey's "ho" cookie.
Men in bow ties. Cute.
Fred the corporate amputee.
GHOST COOKIE.
Kasey's bride. We were also watching Platinum Weddings while decorating. It might have been her inspiration.
The unsatisfied business man.
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