2 Outfits: From Work to Date

Kate recently came to visit me in Boston and we got to talking.  What is the point of this blog?  Why are we doing this?  Neither of us has loads of free time, but both of us are committed to finding our literary voices.  You're welcome, Internet!

So here's what we've decided.  We're going to stay true to our original idea, which is funny stuff + fashion.  How we'll combine them?  We're still figuring that out, but we hope you'll stay along for the ride.

Here goes the 1st post A.D. (after discussion)

2 Outfits: From Work to Date

Apparently this is a hot topic because every fucking magazine runs an article telling women how to change what they're wearing to accommodate work, and then a date.

Here's the simple answer: buy cute work clothes.

However, if that's too difficult, they give you *simple solutions**** like 'Just change your shoes and take off your cardigan, and VIOLA! you're on a date!

Or, switch your work blouse with a cute graphic tee, and put on dangly earrings!

Or, switch out your blazer for a cute leather jacket!

Whatever.

Ladies, if you're going from the office to a date, here's how it's done.

Outfit 1

the skirt

 the shoes (yeah, with socks.  cuz it's fashion, yo?)

the full look (sexy, right?)

...

date.

Outfit 2

long skirt. leather belt. graphic t. fuzzy sweater. baller flats (not pictured :/)

date.

(this is a free blog. you have to pay to see the good stuff!!)

but c'mon.  look at those shoes!

There you have it ladies.  Your date doesn't care what clothes you start the date with, but how many items they can get off of you by the end of it.  Of course, this advice only works if you want to get laid. If you want to make some lovely friendships or not get called back, then yeah, keep reading Cosmo's version of Work to Date.

kate + anita

from top to bottom.

on kate:

skirt: buffalo exchange

socks: forever 21

blouse: taken from anita's goodwill pile which was taken from her friend catie's goodwill pile. origin unknown.

shoes: urban outfitters

on anita:

skirt: lauren conrad

belt: origin unknown

t: kohl's? yeah, kohl's

sweater: taken from kate's goodwill pile over 2 years ago. origin unknown.

flats: buffalo exchange

heels: modcloth

*denotes something I would be saying with sarcasm

Pin Curls like a Boss

Anita! Big news! I have a new old way of doing my hair!

Check this junk out.

I start with damp hair. Also, I stopped using shampoo a few weeks ago. Turns out, shampoo is kind of unnecessary, it just strips your hair of oils it needs and replaces it with synthetic oils in the form of conditioner. Check it out: http://thehairpin.com/2011/04/how-to-quit-shampoo-without-becoming-disgusting/

Then I take a small section, starting at the front, and comb it smooth

Then you roll that mother effer up. DON'T TWIST IT THOUGH. just roll it up. nice and easy. 

Then put a pin in it. 

Do this all the heck around your head. All the hair. 

Yeah, I know it's not pretty. Thats why I do this. 

Sometimes I sleep with them in, which is super attractive. Especially when I start drooling. But it still works if they're just in for a few hours, as long as the hair dries all the way. 

This is what it looks like right after I take the pins out

It's pretty stupid, right?

But then look what happens after I shake my head around a little and wiggle my fingers through the curls!

SO NICE!

and the best part is, the curls stay in for like three days, as long as my hair doesn't get wet. Which is fine because of the whole not-washing-it-anymore thing. 

TL;DR - I solved all my hair problems with a method from the 1930s

Prague blague

(Anita - I drafted this like three weeks ago...only now do I have reliable enough internet/presence of mind to finish and post. More posts coming soon - about all the DIY and thrifting I've been doing on my new apartment in Brooklyn, and on the new restaurant I'm helping to open. OH and my new favorite way of doing my hair - old fashioned pin curls! )


Dobry den Anita
That is how you say "hello" or "good day" in Czech. Actually I have no idea what it literally means, its just what you say whenever you walk into a store or see somebody or have awkward eye contact in the street. This is the only thing I know how to say in Czech after three weeks in Prague, other than "Pivo, prossim" which means "beer, please" which I say a lot. Obviously. Also, almost every bar I've been to here was established before Columbus "discovered" America, or whatever is PC to say Columbus did.

Great things about Prague:
Cheap food, cheap beer
Public transportation system (which is also cheap)
Castles everywhere
cobblestone streets
History everywhere! you can walk on it! People live in it! Famous people are buried all over the place!
Theater tickets are like $5. REAL theater, like at the National Theater. Oh, and they have a National Theater.

Not great things about Prague:
-rude rude waiters. I feel a bit cheated by this, because as a waitress I've been so nice to annoying foreigners for so long, and I was kind of looking forward to cashing in on some karmic credit by having waiters be nice to me even though I'm an annoying foreigner.
-Getting coffee or tea to go here is not a thing. People don't do it. If you stop at a cafe on your way to rehearsal and you desperately need caffeine but you're already late, they will give you your very hot beverage in a little plastic cup, like the kind you serve apple juice to first graders in. Like they never heard of all the horrible chemicals that get released when you heat up thin, cheap plastic. Whatever, lesson learned, no caffeine unless you have an hour to sit in a cafe.
-Clothes are expensive. Crazy over-priced, and not very good quality. Manufacturers think it's still the 90s and people will love bright pink polyester/spandex tank tops (which, I guess, if you follow Urban Outfitters trends, they will?). It means that people here are wearing some things that I recognize from Fashion Bug circa 1998.

 actually happens a lot. Which is terrible. 

This


The weather is pretty schitzo here, so while it gets sunny and hot from morning til about 5pm, the last few days it's been getting down into the low 50s and raining in the evening. And since we're rehearsing outside, it necessitates this kind of packing:

It's been crazy, but look how fun the show turned out!

Love you miss you all the time

Kate

July 4th

Dear Kate,

I'm writing to you from Marblehead, MA.  I spent the week here and I've made a list of the things I learned:

1. Small New England towns are super patriotic.

(these girls were selling rocks...rocks.)

2. There is a way to wear red, white, & blue, fashionably.

(her headdress reminded me of the midsummer's reference photo you showed me--i loved it on her, too.)

 (this is the world's coolest couple.  we saw them a few times this week and they have a precious baby girl who was always in a sweet little sundress, and they always looked great.  the dad had great sleeves of tattoos, and the mom wore a beautiful white dress (not pictured), and they just seemed like an awesome pair.  i think i want to be them when i grow up.)

(not a great picture of Josh's shoes, but they're cool.  cooler than converse.)

3. Fireworks seen while sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean, are fucking beautiful.

(and here's some extra, just to sweeten your idea of my vacation...)

 (for LowBrow)

I hope you had a lovely fourth!

Love,

a

Uniforms

Dear Kate,

I know you're busy packing for Prague, but something I've been interested in for a while is uniforms.  Obviously there's the boring kind...

And then there's adding flair to a boring uniform...












This girl is my favorite...

I love her attitude, confidence, whatever it is--she looks like someone I want to grab a drink with, and let's be honest, that's one of the most important quality I look for in people.

However, my interest is not in obvious uniforms, but more my everyday uniform.  Sometimes it's so fucking hard to put together an outfit.  It's hard to be creative and cute all the time.  I know tons of people have written about the importance of a day-to-day uniform (The Sartorialist, Cupcakes & Cashmere, and many many more), but as a pretty broke college student, what fabulous outfit can I afford to purchase in several colors, textures, and weights?  For example, during the summer months, I would love to have a closet full of this...

The dress keeps it light, the flats keep it mobile, and the blazer keeps it structures and bit professional (always helpful when trying to make your way in the opera world, amiright?).  However, I also love the idea of monochromatic looks, like this...

I'm not a huge fan of the white because god knows I wouldn't be able to keep it white, but I am attracted to the overall neutral with a pop of color.  (Also, how cool is this old guy?  Go pocket squares!!)

I just want to look put together, but young and care-free!  Is this too much to ask?  Is this too much to afford?!?!  For now I'm sticking to my uniform of gladiator sandals, black stretch skinny jeans rolled past my ankles, and a whatever top is clean and closest. 

Have fun in Europa!  And tell me what the uniform for theatre artists in Prague is!

xoxoxoxo,

A

p.s. I got all these fabulous photos from Google and The Sartorialist.

GRADUATION aka #nu2012

Dear Kate,

As you know I have graduated, however what you haven't seen are the numerous photos I took with my iPhone during the event.  Because, as you know, graduation is terribly long and boring for the most part (except the part when I flirted with Colin Powell!!!! but more about that later).  So.....I distracted myself by taking pictures and editing them with Vintage Camera (my favorite app for my iPhone).

Me in my robe, chords, and cap.  Yes, I look like a lump....so I had to make this outfit slightly more attractive...and no, I was not about to decorate my cap.

This picture doesn't show it off that well, but I put a vintage pin on my cap, below the brim (is that the right term?) and it made me feel really edgy and hip.  Too bad no one looks edgy and hip in a cap and gown.  Oh and Joel graduated.  Did you know that?  Did you also know his short film that Mali was in went to Cannes?  God he's way cooler than I am...

This girl decorated her cap.  I can't tell what it says, but I what I can say for damn sure is that most of the people who decorated their caps were not creative, but did have craft store membership cards.  There were a couple 'thank you mom & dad's (which is sweet and totally true), but someone had YOLO written on their cap.  I later found out that this meant 'you only live once'.  Sorry I'm not sorry, but that's stupid.  True. But stupid.

This is the moment Colin Powell flirted with me!  Ok so I'm sitting in my seat at the back, texting my family and generally gawking at the enormity of the ceremony, and behind me, lining up, is the board of directors and professors...AND COLIN POWELL!  So I turn and start gawking at him and he turns to look directly at me.  I quickly turn back and face front.  After a few seconds, I turn back around to stare at him, and he looks directly at me and waves.  He basically flirted with me.  He totally flirted with me.  And since we're talking about my almost-boyfriend, he is a lovely speaker.  Him and his wife met in Boston.  Cute.  Super-cute.

So that is the story of my graduation.
Here are some extra pictures to prove it.

a

p.s. They kept projecting on the big screen at the Garden to tweet our pictures and twitterings, but I don't know how to use Twitter, nor do I have the patience and desire to try.  #technofail #lamesauce #penandpaperruleforeverandidontcarewhosaysdifferently