OBSESSION:

I'm a woman who doesn't put on makeup. I know crazy right? I roll out of bed, carefully choose my outfit, and run to class without really touching my face. But when it comes to beauty products I am obsessed with NAIL POLISH. No matter what my nails MUST look impeccable. I like my nails lime green, crazy purple, bright pink, black, blue, yellow, whatever emotion I'm feeling there is always a color to go with it. Call me crazy, but I just LOVE my nail polish.

Because I am a broke college student, I can't afford expensive nail polish or fancy manicures; I usually grab the 99 cent NYC nail polishes at CVS. But when I can get my hands on some well earned cash, I go for Essie nail polish. This summer they showcased a lime green color that took some guts to wear. Sadly enough I did not have the guts to rock this look, and just stared at the color from afar; I do regret this feeling.

But this season, put your black nail polish away and take out your midnight blue (midnight blue cami) color. I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS COLOR! In the light it looks like black but when you turn it away it looks like a shiny blue. It's so deceiving!!!!!! I sound absolutely insane with my caps, but is it weird that I just love nail polish?

Lesson for the day: ROCK ANY COLOR NAIL POLISH!!!!!! It doesn't matter what other people think !!!!! JUST WEAR THE COLOR YOU WANT!

Anonymously,

Poser

Get it Right. Get it Tight.

Good news folks! It's getting colder, you're getting sick of shaving your legs everyday, and the bare-legged season is finally drawing to an end.  Now, while most of us are dying a little bit inside just knowing that pretty soon we won't be able to tan out on the green grass or enjoy our cute bermudas...I'm here to save you from your woes and give you some fun and fashionable tips on how to hang on to the last bit of summer, while still preparing for the doom that we call a Western Massachusetts winter. 

So here's the scenario. You're waking up, it's colder than cold, and you don't know what to do.  My advice? Grab those shorts that you thought you couldn't wear, slip them over a cool pair of colored or patterned tights, and run to that 8:35 AM class.  It will be worth it, and here's why. 

This season tights are revolutionizing runways and reality, and I'm not just talking blacks and opaques.  Although the stereotype for the past decade has been that tights are restrictive, stuffy, and even matronly, this rumor is being defeated.  Patterned, bejeweled, metallic, and even ripped tights are

 taking the world by storm, and taking you from drab to fab.  

My advice: think of tights as an accessory

 this season.  Instead of throwing on gold 

hoop earrings, try a pair of lacey tights.  Instead of huge bangles or a long necklace, try some yellow knee highs or fuchsia footed leggings.  These patterns and colors give a pop to your outfit and provide an interesting focal point--your legs. 

Also, word on the street is that if you're wearing shorts, black tights are the only acceptable accessory.  This is completely false.  Take a risk.  Who cares if Lily Allen and Kate Moss are the ones thinking black is the only viable option?! They are also the ones thinking CRACK is the only viable option.  So relinquish the inner bold woman within you.  Be daring and venture out into the world of color and texture.  

Anonymously, 

Statement

Colored Animal Print.....The Ugly Saga is Back

Don't get me wrong, Heidi Klum worked a natural leopard dress on Project Runway last week, and it looked great. And everyone can wear natural leopard in moderation. But come on people, colored animal print outfits just plain ugly!!!!!!!! Purple zebras, red cows, and blue leopards don't exist!!!! I observe a lot of trends that are fictional, I wouldn't wear these styles but I appreciate the concepts. However, as I've made it quite obvious thus far I DON'T appreciate colored animal print.

I once attended a party, where one of the guests wore an aqua blue leopard loose jersey dress. I wanted to hide in a corner for her. I support a person's desire to be unique and fun, but animal print outfits are NOT attractive or wearable. I mean really, do you want to look like you took the skin off of a skinny lion, dyed it in a bright bold blue dye, and rolled around in it?

Animal print is on the pages of Vogue, showcased in store fronts, and worn by the every day woman. Seriously, this trend follows me everywhere; and all I want to do is run away screaming.

My message for today: if you want to wear animal wear it in MODERATION and in a natural color. This trend needs to be burned, buried, and should never be reincarnated. EVER.

I may have been a little harsh, but hey it's the truth!

Anonymously,

Poser

Why, Naomi, WHY?!

Okay people. This is something we've all been thinking, but no one has had the balls to say.  So here it is: Dear Naomi Campbell: Retire. Get your ass out of the new issues of  Vogue and Elle and Bazaar, and yes, EVEN Essence. You're stalking me, and I'm sick of it.

Honestly, I'm all for a strong, independent, rich, gorgeous, black model. But really...really?!  I think it's someone else's time to shine.  Now now, don't think I don't realize the beauty and importance of timeless models.  We all know who they are.  Women like Iman Abdulmajid, Elle MacPherson, Alek Wek, Kate moss (the list goes on)--they are supermodels.  People have basically worshipped them since their careers started and will continue to do so until they die. Many have placed Naomi on that same list.  But let's face it.  When fact comes to fact...Naomi is just a hot woman with a photogenic face, almost ten lawsuits, and a habit for slapping bitches and wearing shirts to prove it.

Okay, I'm being harsh.  She has had an amazing career, and I have to confess that her picture has often graced my bedroom walls.  But I can't continue to let this nonsense slide.  It is 2009, and she landed a six page spread in the September issue of Vogue. People, people. this is absurd. Maybe it was Elle. Who cares! The point here is that she should really relinquish some of these jobs to other people--other capable, gorgeous, black, young, models.  Her prime has passed.  Born in '70. I was sick of seeing her face in...uhh '95. And this is saying a lot considering the fact that I'm a 90's baby!

Sure, pass her the occasional Dennis Basso add.  Whatever.  The new Dolce & Gabbana perfume..sure let her in on that because the naked men in the picture make up for it.  But seriously it is time for us all to band together and get this bitch out. Same 

goes for Tyrannasaurus Banks, but we'll save that topic for another day.

Really though, my aim here isn't to send hate mail her way. She's a talented woman. Great accent, perfect skin, flawless weave (What is that by the way?? Horse hair?)... 

Naomi, you're great...really.  You're also filthy rich.  Most people release one or two fragrances. You've released seven. Most people assault..ehh..one person? No people? You've assaulted five. For God's sake woman. You worked with BIG DADDY KANE. You're old. Go have a baby.

And one last thing, give UP the racist thing. 

 JUUUUST because British Vogue won't let you snag a cover does NOT mean that the world hates black people.  Maybe they just don't want your old ass on the cover of their new magazine featuring new stuff for the new year. You're anything but new.  The racism saga is so old. Be satisfied that you've hit up every other magazine in the world and get on with it.

You've been stalking us all, now leave us alone. 

Anonymously, 

Statement

Something to Think About contd.

The dress is a simple tunic-like smock, that can be worn backwards or forwards, with a simple button-up back and short sleeves. Each day, Sheena completely reinvents the dress with accessories and other clothing articles and she posts a photo of every outfit on her blog. The majority of the accessories are donated or bought secondhand, so she's spending next to nothing on her wardrobe. So far, she's raised $13,585 for the Foundation and she still has about nine months to go. The majority of the accessories are donated or bought secondhand, so she's spending next to nothing on her wardrobe. Yet look at the incredible concoctions she's come up with.

The message here ladies, is that fashion and style is all about timelessness and sustainability. Don't waste your money on things that will be hot for the next day or two and then never be worn again. Don't waste your money on things that you can't mix and match and add to and do all sorts of funky things with it. BE VERSATILE, BE CREATIVE. Don't be afraid to try new things, or to push beyond average, normal, expected.

Also check out Sheena's whole story and other creations at http://www.theuniformproject.com. It's inspiring.

Something to Think About

I'm going to bet that you've found yourself staring at your closet, staring at all your different skirts, and dresses, and jeans, and blouses, and yet somehow still felt like you had absolutely NOTHING to wear. I think we've all been there. Especially as poor, financially-dependent college students. And now with the recession, supporting a shopping habit is even harder. So what to do?

Sheena Matheiken may have the answer! She is a budding fashion designer living in NYC, struggling to make it. Originally from India, she grew up in public schools where everyone wore uniforms every day. According to Sheena, the kids in those schools worked hard each day to show their personal style and creativity by the small tweaks and additions they made to their uniform. It was artistic self-expression, even though the canvas was limited. In May of this year, she started a blog and fundraiser called The Uniform Project. Everyday, for one whole year, Sheena will wear the same black dress to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. And you thought your wardrobe lacked variety.

(Continued in next post.)

Letter From an Editor

Oh my Mount Holyoke women, 

It's really not my fault how it all

 started. I woke up one day, approximately age thirteen, realized pastels just really weren't my thing, and then BAM my life changed.  Some say my eye for fashion grew a little stronger, and others think I became a bitchy teen, desperate to have an opinion about something. My opinion on the subject? I

 learned what I consider to be the most important rule in fashion. Know your colors. Work your shape.

Let's be honest, it's easier said than done.  Not everyone looks good in the same things, which is exactly why I'm so excited to be doing this blog.  People think of fashion and they

 cringe at the bulimic model/curtain hanger who looks "good" in that metallic skirt coupled with what looks like a previously living mammal slouched across what they are saying are her breasts.   

Well guess what? I'm here to tell you forget the flipping curtain hanger and her mammal top, and focus on you.  Make clothes about you.  We have.  Poser, Hard-Stuff, and I are three very different women, who all happen to have a knack for fashion, and, even more importantly, individual senses of style.  And yes people! There is a difference. The fabulous, four-

eyed, Frenchman, Yves Saint Laurent once said, "Fashions fade. Style is eternal." 

I couldn't agree more.  Style is something that is perfected over time. It's all about knowing your colors and working your shape.  It's about both making timeless pieces seem more "right now" and taking those outlandish thrift store bangles to the next level by pairing them with a classic cardigan. It's about incorporating the vibrancy of the music you love into your clothes and not being afraid to be the only one wearing a hat. Hard-Stuff said it best with the "fuck trends" statement.  Clothes are more than ins and outs.  Clothes

 communicate who we are.  I love that.  

That being said, I'm looking forward to campus fashion this year and really bringing all elements together so we can perfect style in some places, create it in others, give you the low down on what's in right now, and fill you in on what never goes away.  For now, don't trip about fashion, stumble into some style and for god's sake, give getting dressed a chance this year.  Sweats are comfortable, but damn, Poser, Hard-Stuff, and I can't be the only ones around MoHo getting dressed every morning.  So take this journey with us, and be open.  We just might know what we're talking about here.  Plus, every woman deserves the opportunity to look just that much more fabulous.

Anonymously, 

Statement