photography: olaf wipperfurth.

i adore this photo.

photography by olaf wipperfurth.

via fashionindie.

watch this: milk.

"milk" documents the life and times of harvey milk, known as "the mayor of castro street", and his crusade as the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. a moving look into how a man admirably defeated negative public perceptions and brought homosexuality to the public eye. the movie never whitewashes harvey milk's bold and sometimes off-puttingly political personality - it tempers the somewhat controversial subject of milk's life with a respectful yet discerning point of view.

weekly wishlist: shawnimals.

what i really want right now. i covet these pocket pork plushies from shawnimals. i like how one is so happy and one is so grumpy.

which reminds me, when flora went to nyc she got me this special limited edition pocket ol' master ninja:

it's so freaking cute. and it's petite (hence it's a "pocket" ol' masta ninja).

oh and i can't leave out the awesome geeky ninja that chris got me:

his backstory is that he is a geek and attends many ninja conventions, which explains why he wears a ninjacon name tag and stays inside his box to keep himself in mint condition. i know, it boggles the mind how they come up with this stuff.

song of the week: the deadly syndrome - eucalyptus.

the deadly syndrome - eucalyptus

it's not new or anything, but the more i listen to this song the more i fall a little bit in love with it.

confessions of an online shopaholic.

rumi is so rockin' that old school sweater.

i was reading fashiontoast, of the amazingly stylish fashion blogger rumi, and she listed a bunch of things she's learned from doing loads of online shopping, which i've pasted here verbatim:

• don't just blindly Google..Shopstyle delivers results from everywhere that matters
• buy two sizes, return the unwanted
• learn to gage an item outside of the box ie. what will look good oversized, if a dress can be made more casual with a sloppy shirt worn over it..pretty soon you'll be able to look at a piece and tell if it's the length you want just on it's proportions in the photo
  
• check often, as in before Topshop runs out of your size..again
• perhaps not specific to online shopping, but before you buy makeup, check Makeupalley's reviews..since I'd much rather spend money on shoes than lip gloss, I just do a quick scan for the highest percentage "would buy again" from a drug store brand I recognize and then trustingly purchase it..this works out pretty much always, to the point where I haven't had to even try anything new in ages
• sporadically make a really frumpy/weird/pseudo-ugly purchase - these often end up being my favorites..speaking of which, the sweater in the last post is indeed vintage..sorry!
• Yoox is the designer shoe whore's best friend..I get a lot of questions about my Chloe wedges and well, I owe it all to Yoox
• don't knock the not-so-obvious stores..who knew that Bebe made, put on sale, and sold out of a pair of sandals that weirdly channel Balmain ss09..or that Bakers has a pretty amazing pair of studded boots reminiscent of..do I even have to say it? PS Hot Topic has some of the most amazing selection of skinnies for like a cent..paint splatter, leopard print, lace-up..
  
• eBay is the eternal hotbed of standout pieces, even/especially for things like 70s camera straps and tiny magnets (look up "neodynium magnets") that will make your inspiration board that much better...randomness is key

i love how rumi says to always check even the "not-so-obvious stores" like bebe or bakers cuz i think true fashionistas are not snobby about labels (even ones that are often atrociously tacky can sometimes produce something shockingly cool). plus you can find the coolest stuff at target if you know what to look for. but maybe not at wal-mart. yeah, i don't like wal-mart. i know i said don't be a snob but wal-mart is no good.

aaaand i totally agree with rumi's attitude on makeup. i do the same thing with makeupalley, and i also check allure's best of beauty list religiously. some makeup items you really do have to get at a department store/sephora - i have yet to find anything that works as well as the shu uemura eyelash curler - but cover girl lashblast mascara is the frickin' best.

and as an obsessive online shopaholic myself, i have this to add:

• this is obvious but - invest in the stuff you will wear long-term (that oh-so-special-never-to-be-duplicated dress, those perfect pumps, the classic purse) but for the fun trendy stuff, hit up your local forever 21
• if you already know what item you want, always check to see what other sites are carrying the item and shop around for a better price, free shipping, different colors exclusive to each website, etc.
• retailmenot.com is an online bargain shopper's best friend
• bookmark all the stuff you like but can't afford so you can go back to it later, stare at it some more, think about how cute it would look on you, but more importantly, so you can check back to see if it goes on sale
• rumi says buy things in 2 sizes, i also say buy things in 2 colors if you can't decide
• notcouture is the best for finding random new things you might like
  
• in my experience, (cheaper?) suede shoes always stretch out, so keep that in mind if you are in between sizes
• sign up for all the email lists of e-commerce sites you like, because they send all their best promos to their email subscribers
  
• sometimes i lust for some super expensive dress or pair of shoes for like ever and i know i cannot/should not purchase it, and then i go to zara/h&m/steve madden and i find the most amazing thing that fits the bill exactly and costs 1/3 of the price and it's like my birthday
• but - don't scrimp on handbags, if you can afford not to. you can get away with cheap clothes and cheap shoes, but cheap handbags almost always look cheap
  
• which isn't to say you have to spend like $3000 on a purse (although if you did i would understand). you could get something amazing like this botkier chrystie on sale at shopbop and yeah it's over $300 but it's classic yet just edgy enough and you can dress it up or dress it down and you can use it foreveeer
• oh yeah and one last thing (i promise) on handbags. go to consignment stores, like decadestwo in los angeles and you'll find used designer handbags (as well as great shoes and clothes and jewelry) in amazing condition - like seriously, prada purses and chloe bags for half off or more
• keep in mind you can get things altered if you find something you really love but it doesn't fit perfectly - as long as it doesn't involve reconstructing the entire thing. why pass up something amazing when all you need to do is have it taken in a bit (especially if the item is cheap)? trust me, a reliable tailor will change your life

edit: some of these aren't exclusive to online shopping, but hopefully they are useful

anyway, i want a faux fur coat like this one rumi is wearing (except maybe hers is real)


happy holiday shopping

all pics & rumi's tips via fashiontoast.

watch this: who killed the electric car?

who killed the electric car?

watch this. it's an intriguing look into how corporations control the means of production and how consumers - and more importantly, the environment - suffer as a result.

vote, dangit.

chris: when are we going to have secure at-home online voting - i bet we'd get 100% voter turnout.

until then - remember to vote today. kudos if you already braved the long lines or sent in your absentee ballots!

sarah palin debate flow chart.

got this from steven.

p/s: "pew! pew! pew!"

flowchart via http://www.adennak.com.

DOMOKUN SIGHTED @ TARGET!

target chose the awesome japanese domokun as their halloween mascot this year!! how awesome!! we tried to look for domokun merchandise at the target store, but everything was sold out. but you can click on this person's flickr link to see all the domokun x target stuff!

you can also see a domokun video at target.com/halloween.

as if i didn't already have enough reasons to love target.

the combination rule.

"Designing is basically the practice of combining stuff; ideally in ways that haven't been seen before. So the more stuff you know (about everything), the greater the chance you'll find a relevant and distinctive, and therefore effective (and original) combination."

halloween costume idea.

via icanhascheezburger.

classic.

there are certain things in life that will be forever timeless: red lipstick, black dresses, white pearls....yellow rainboots. the loeffler randall version is classic bright yellow with a super modern low wedge heel (like their non-rubber 'matilde' boot). if only it rained enough here to justify the price tag ($195) -_-

via notcouture.

i'm in love.

omg!! i finally succumbed and got the ultimate icon of yuppiedom - the iphone - and i freaking love it. i know it's annoying to non-iphone users to hear apple fanatics wax poetic about a stupid gadget, and it's probably even more uncool to iphone users who have had it for ages and are like "ok noob, calm down"...but this is what happens when you are in love.

i was telling chris how i polish my phone obsessively so it is shiny and pretty and how much i adore my phone.

me: i'm kind of in love with my iphone
me: is that weird?
me: the iphone and i are soulmates!!
me: haha
me: now cue the montage
me: where the iphone and i are doing all this stuff together
me: we like skip through a field of daisies
me: and then share a plate of spaghetti
me: and the iphone nudges over the last meatball to me
me: and then we get married and i smoosh cake on the iphone's face
me: but then i have to clean and polish it
me: for like hours

and then i think of my favorite part from the first "harold and kumar" movie where kumar is in love with a bag of weed:




yeah. it's like that. unfortunately, the iphone sucks at making coffee too.

lolpeople.tumblr.com

as a bon voyage gift for eric, i took some photos of him that colin sent me and we captioned them LOLcat style. it's funny how much eric resembles a LOLcat.


you can see the rest (plus some new ones of other friends) at lolpeople.tumblr.com. i want to keep adding em, so if you want to contribute something, send it over!!!

wren.

i loved wren since i first saw them show at genart with monica last fall cuz basically it's stuff i really want to wear every single day. it's simple and subtle - honestly, it looks like a collection of basics - but they're not boring, the colors are rich and interesting, it looks incredible on, and all the proportions are just right. the little shrunken blazer with the skirt and nylons is so genius.

i discovered this year that full, flouncy miniskirts are the best summer wardrobe staple ever.

and for fall and winter, pencil skirts and drapey cardigans are my favorite. and that coat is so precious. the sleeves are a little shorter, which i love.

and statement jewelry, tunics, and anything backless are the best. THE BEST.

the new guard

Top (from left to right): Brian Reyes, Peter Som, Sari Gueron, Chris Benz, Erin Fetherston, Richard Chai, Phillip Lim, Laura Mulleavy (Rodarte). Middle: Doo-Ri Chung, Georgina Chapman (Marchesa), Zac Posen, Kate Mulleavy (Rodarte). Bottom: Alexander Wang, Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai (Vena Cava), Thakoon Panichgul.

vanity fair features the new generation of fashion designers re-defining american style. isn't it amazing how many of the most innovative and celebrated modern designers are asian?

on that note. i love love love alexander wang.


there's a hint of 90's grunge about his stuff that brings to mind kate moss a la the calvin klein era.

this must be the showroom.

and the design studio.
these are OUT OF THIS WORLD.

i love this photo. i think it's of some of the employees from alexander wang's studio. i know i would like these girls, simply because they have the best f*ing taste in shoes ever.

lucy liu + beijing olympics.

i'm amazed at how athletic, elegant, feminine and beautiful lucy liu looks in these harper's bazaar photos commemorating the beijing olympics. then again, combine high heel platform stilettos and couture gowns with a track field and you're bound to make an impact.



see all the editorial photos here.

cindy's 2 favorite things in the world are burritos and bunnies. so i put together the picture above using the shawnimals ninjatown white ninja. it's pretty self-explanatory. cindy makes it her facebook photo, cuz it's rad.

Cindy: i have to momentarily change my fb piccus i have to talk to a potential roommate

befriend her

& i dont want to scare her

tee hee

5:19 PM me: hmph

if she gets scared by that picture

she is lame anyway

5:21 PM Cindy: hahah

she sounds sweet

5:22 PM shy

me: lame

totally lame

******

5:23 PM me: why do you have to befriend her on fb first

what if it doesn't work out

Cindy: cus i want to see her pic

5:24 PM

& this way she can see me & hong-an

whether we are freaks or not

5:25 PM me: haha

5:26 PM what if i write something totally weird on your wall right now

like... "yeah dude that was awesome when we beat up those homeless people downtown yesterday and drank 40s at work"

Cindy: "and was that orgy fun? next time i wanna go"

me: LOL

SATC!!!

AUGH i never really thought stylist patricia field was all that before, but how great would it be to have all of carrie's crazy outfits from the sex and the city movie

yes, you can!

i want a lolcats calendar for my bday. just letting you all know now so you have 3 months to find me one.

revlon run/walk.

a few of us are going to participate in the revlon run/walk for women's cancer research on may 10th and it would especially awesome of you to sponsor me by making a donation to cancer research!

from the website:

Your one-hundred percent tax-deductible contribution will help fund important research into the causes of and cures for women's cancers. In addition, selected programs of excellence that promote prevention, education and support services will also benefit from funds raised through this event.

it doesn't have to be a lot - anything you can contribute will be appreciated! plus, you can donate online.

my Donation Page can be found at:
https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/la/secure/myWebPage.cfm?pID=453749&eid=803005

my Bib #:
35774

thank you so much if you've already contributed to this great cause!!!

maia hirasawa.

this is so random, but we were at the magic castle and one of the magicians performing was this adorable swedish guy who used this really awesome song during his act, and i had heard the song somewhere before, and i kept thinking it was in a movie or something, then i just suddenly realized right now that i had heard about this swedish-japanese singer named maia hirasawa on disgrasian and she was one and the same!! i love her voice, but not so sure about that weird asian mom perm in this video. nevertheless, enjoy.

how asian parents travel.

[11:33] flo: my parents are going to egypt
[11:33] me: WOW
[11:33] me: jealous.
[11:33] flo: random huh
[11:33] me: i really really want to go to egypt
[11:34] me: your parents are so cool and adventurous
[11:34] flo: they are ok
[11:34] flo: they will probably eat chinese food there
[11:34] flo: they'll make the tour guide take them to the china town in egypt

3rd year in a row.

ucla, i don't think i can stand the heartbreak anymore.


kevin love, don't leave - let's give it another try.

ultimate jabbawockeez fans.

omg. i couldn't stop laughing when i saw this dance rendition of "pretty young thing" by two young jabbawockeez fans, josh & jeremiah. check out the two white masks on the couch. and the michael jackson crotch grabs. lol.

i wish i had a sibling when i was growing up so we could do makeshift dance routines in our living room.

uber-preppy.

i lurv band of outsiders. clip-on bow ties are so hot.

quilt parties.

[10:43] eric: i think this picture sums up quilt parties

[10:43] eric: http://flickr.com/photos/23995888@N02/2379979155/

[10:44] connie: that's interesting, because i have been searching for a photo that sums up quilt parties

[10:45] eric: well youre in luck

***

[10:46] connie: how much would you have to be paid in order to sleep with her

[10:46] eric: oh god

[10:46] eric: i dunno, -$100??

[10:46] connie: hahahahahaha

[10:46] connie: LOL

[10:46] connie: hahaha

[10:47] connie: dying.

[10:47] connie: omg

[10:47] connie: ahahaha

[10:47] connie: eyes watering

[10:47] eric: heheh

[10:47] connie: this is so going on cupcakeninja

the city.

i love new york. i do. i love walking everywhere. i love riding the subway because i like to people watch. i love the skinny girls in minidresses and louboutins underneath short coats in 30-degree weather. i love the dumplings that are 4 for a dollah ("holla") and the quirky interesting little bars and the awesome museums everywhere and the hustle and bustle of it all.

what it looked like on the street lamp-lit sidewalk when i got to janny's building at 6am.

cy twombly at moma.

julie mehretu at the moma. just one tiny part of an immense piece of work.

cai guo qiang at the guggenheim.

rodney graham. typewriter on a vintage projector.

janny and eric on the subway.

fendi bear bricks on 5th ave.

and shoutout to apt 4a: i love apt 4a and their home videos. thanks for your hospitality :D

edit: shoutout also to my super-cool-bar tour guide eric the tricerictops who woke janny and us up to go do stuff, otherwise we'd have slept the entire wkd away.