R O S I E IS H A P P Y

GYPSY

2011-06-12T14:37:00.000+08:00

stockholmstreetstyle via carolinesmode

THE MOST POWERFUL THING ON EARTH...

2011-05-29T21:33:00.003+08:00

...is a girl.

As someone raised by a strong-willed single mother, I never knew how to be except to be a strong woman. 'Power' and 'woman' were not mutually exclusive; they were a spoken given in one breath. Of course, as I grew older, I knew this was not the case in most parts of the world and in most spheres of the human mind. Even women themselves held up the notion (usually unconsciously) that they were weaker, less intelligent, less influential, and just...less.

But women are far more powerful than we ever think we are: we give life, rear precious souls into the world, get our hearts broken, tolerate stereotypes if not blows and insults, triumph over failures, trudge through crises, and are capable of so much love for everyone that sometimes we forget to love ourselves.

A famous quote once stated, "Women hold up half the sky." Ironically (albeit unsurprisingly), a man said that.

Well, let me say that, woman to woman: we hold up half the sky and so much more. We hold up homes, families, children, villages, and entire countries. We hold up the world.

Recently, I have had to defend my being a woman to both men and women. As if my leadership and sense of a great vision had to be justified precisely because I am a woman. When men assert their ideas, they are seen as leaders. When women do the same, they are bitches.

But what I go through as I embark into the business world is nothing compared to what other women go through just by trying to live a decent life. And this is where The Girl Effect comes in.

I believe with every fiber of my being that, as much as women hold up half the sky, we, too, must hold up each other and our own selves.

Do not be less of who you are. Do not apologize for being a woman. Do not underestimate your courage, your sense of vision, and bravado. Do not be ashamed when you show weakness and more so when you show strength.

And, for those little girls and women who cannot speak for themselves, be their voice. Be their light. Be the one to hold them up. Be their heroine.

I wasn't originally going to post anything new just yet. But, more and more, I am beginning to realize what my power as a woman truly is. I would not have realized my own power if it were not for people who think less of me, judge me wrongly, and completely underestimate me.

So, I am talking to you right now. Yes, you. This is for every woman who has ever felt less of herself, ashamed of her thoughts, or thought she couldn't because she's a girl.

If every woman believes she is powerful and every girl knows that she is as beautiful as she is intelligent, imagine the world we can live in. That world is neither impossible nor fiction; it is as real as the air we breathe.

So, from this moment on, accept yourself as you truly are: powerful.

THE WAY WE WERE

2011-05-29T13:30:00.002+08:00

Old-time movie stars fascinate me. I reckon it has to do with the little publicity their private lives got; the inner turmoil was ignored; their conflicts, desires, private personas wiped clean. In short, there is a genuine mystery to them. Only years later do we realize that they are as flawed as anyone else, their insecurities as gaping as the next person's.

But, in the spirit of times long forgotten, I'd like to take a look back at one of the great beauties. Pure aesthetics, nothing else, and that's fine as long as we know it is only for beauty's sake--and, for creatures as carnal as we, that sometimes should suffice.

I'm a giraffe. I even walk like a giraffe with a long neck and legs.

It's a pretty dumb animal, mind you.

Sophia Loren

THE TRUTH

2011-05-22T18:58:00.002+08:00

operationbeautiful.com

FALLING SLIVERS OF STARS

2011-05-22T14:32:00.004+08:00

All human encounters, no matter how novel they may seem, always echo something from the stories we tell ourselves. We live to reinforce, shatter, counter, or throw our middle finger at our own tightly held narratives. We walk towards our future with a hand clenched in our past. Indeed, we move on but refuse to let go. So, in the case of you I never could have, someone like you will have to do.

ALL THE KING'S MEN

2011-05-22T12:13:00.001+08:00

One of my random idiosyncrasies is that I have an unabashed fetish for cute grandpas. You know, those that smile warmly, dress anachronistically but still stylishly, and maybe even have a 'baby face' look to them. I understand that this may come off as grossly sexual (haha!), but I really just like them 'cos they're soo cute! Like I want to cuddle with them. Come on, wouldn't you have wanted to cuddle Mr. Miyagi?? Or at least pinch his cheeks?? I lost both grandpas early on, so I guess you could say I have 'grandpa issues'? Lol!

hiiya!

So, this leads me to wonder about the older gentlemen in Hollywood--how they were like when they were young. Sure, George Clooney is the omnipresent poster child for GQ now, but was he as stylish as a teen? Or just plain awkward?

case in point.

Here's a retrospective on stylish men, then and now. Dapper, I tell you, dapper.

my personal fave. paul newman. rest in peace.

sir ian mckellen looking ever-so-stylish

bowie before the glitter.

the other mj.

sutherland in shades.

john lennon looks like my uncle, seriously.

guess who's coming to dinner?

i never had any doubt, christopher walken- ever since you danced into my heart in that fatboy slim video.

american gigolo, yes please.

bond, james bond.

nerdboyriend.tumblr.com

LINNEA B.

2011-05-22T00:32:00.001+08:00

A sartorial look, to me, is done right when it compels me to allude to eclectic sources of inspiration. This look alone reminds me of Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary, Mick Jagger, and disco. Go figure.

More of this goodness at carolinesmode. :-)

carolinesmode.com/editorial

BIP! BIP! MOVE OVER, CHUNG.

2011-05-21T21:24:00.013+08:00

She could be your little sister's potty-mouthed bad influence of a friend who just happens to be 21. Her name is matter-of-factly onomatopoeic and perfectly reflective of her tiny stature. She blogs with multi-colored fonts and winks in gif's. She looks like trouble and a Powerpuff girl all rolled into one.

Bip(asha) Ling, art student-turned-blogger-turned-DJ-slash-model-slash-TV presenter, is invading the blogosphere with swirly neon markers and whiplashed hair. Her style is schizophrenic, never lending itself to a one-liner: she alternately (or simultaneously) embodies punk, pretty, pink, playful, prints, and prepubescent. She's colorful, raucous, witty with her own sub-brand of English humor. She listens to music acts that sound more like they belong in a Lord of the Rings spin-off: Grum, Gonjasufi, Zongamin.

Oh, and when asked why she thinks she's like a pony, she replies, "I am a pony because I have long hair, and I like to do my make-up in a My Little Pony style – black eyeliner and that. And I love My Little Pony."

Of course.

thisislondon.co.uk/twinfactory.co.uk/bipling.com/

HOWDY!

2011-05-21T17:20:00.001+08:00

Indeed, it has been a great long while. More than a year, to be, uh, inexact. As the saying goes, real life gets in the way. Yet another saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. <3

Think of this as that random poke you get on Facebook from an old friend, or that missed call on your phone by an unregistered but familiar number, or that email you momentarily thought as spam. It may have been infrequent, it may have been arbitrary. But a nice, friendly welcome nonetheless.

So, howdy, hello, and a hug from me to you. :-)

For now let me leave you with some musical goodness featuring three personal faves. This song's perfect; it has intermittently yet stubbornly been in my head for a good year or so--around the same time of my blogging hiatus.

Enjoy, beautifuls.

1:19 = lykke li goodness

1:44 = santigold

and the actual vid's not bad, either. ;-)

pop!

2010-02-27T11:14:00.001+08:00

fashiongonerogue/aldo

life!

2010-02-12T23:14:00.000+08:00

alexander mcqueen walks the runway as he closes his show (spring 2009).

what a life.

pairing.

2010-02-10T19:23:00.000+08:00

what a pretty pairing. vanessa, you'll always have a special place in my heart.

stranded.in.this.spooky.town.

2010-02-08T19:06:00.002+08:00

she took my heart; i think she took my soul

and it's coming closer....

menage.

2010-02-04T08:32:00.000+08:00

wow, kate.

justjared

back. ;-)

2010-01-26T14:54:00.002+08:00

for a lot of bloggers out there, i'm sure you know how sometimes real (i.e. tangible) life gets in the way and, when priorities must be clearly defined, it's so often that the blog is the one that is stashed at the bottom of the to-do pile.

so boo me for having gone on month-long (and a bit) hiatus, but- yay me!- i'm back to blogging form. gosh, i do hope that with my crazy-busy college life (sure you college students understand this) i can still maintain some type of regularity with blogging--but i guess, only time will tell.

but, for now, i have managed to get some time on my hands, and i bequeath to you groovy pics of abbey lee as a returning tribute. ;-)

(i hope you all lovelies are doing fine in your corners of the world!)

abbey lee is a strange creature. i wasn't captured by her immediately--nor am i sure that she has now. she takes captivating pictures, she does have a signature look about her...but i still can't seem to figure her out that well.

maybe that's what you call the "it" factor, eh?

how do you find abbey lee?

what makes a model an "it" model? luck of the draw? sign of the times? is there a scientific way we can predict which models get famous, and which ones remain on local clothing catalogues? or is the fashion industry just fucking with us, and we're going for the ride?

numero/fashiongonerogue

well.played.ms.swift.

2009-12-05T09:14:00.003+08:00

i'm surprised at how much i adore these.

if i didnt know who she was, i'd have thought it was like any other decent fashion ed.

justjared

forty.winks.

2009-12-03T23:32:00.002+08:00

congratulations are in order,

because i finally slept. ;-)

for all those in college, i'm sure you know exactly what i'm talking about; but i cant really complain, 'cos college is so fleeting (as is youth), so even the stress (and distress), i value it. but having said all that, basically, i'm so effing glad i finally, finally slept! that's basically what i'm trying to say.

back to my bed. gonna sleep some more.

a.thousand.ships.

2009-12-03T22:54:00.002+08:00

some diane kruger eds to tide you over mid-week.

she carries such air of quiet, old-world elegance,

and 'tis a lovely way to segue back to the motion of things, after my week-or-so absence.

hello again, lovelies! :-)

tfs

heureuse.

2009-11-21T12:25:00.001+08:00

a joyful weekend to all! :-D

school just started back up for me, but i'll always find time for this baby right here. it's been almost a month of blogging for me (yay), and thank you for joining the ride with me. it's been great fun!

rosie is happy!

tfs

hot.mess.

2009-11-19T10:22:00.004+08:00

leighton performs 'good girls go bad' at american eagle.

i was having a blah day, saw this, and brought a hearty smile to my face. thanks, miss meester! too funny! XD

i'm so gonna keep this mental image in my backpocket for future need of a smile. ;-)

hope it does the same to you!

baby got back.

in swirly leggings, that is.

justjared

kate.moss.

2009-11-14T18:41:00.001+08:00

been having a fashion drought. revisiting these cures that instantly. may it do the same to you! :-)

p.s. the half-eye mask is rad! and the cape. and the concert look! and the backless dress. okay, everything.

tfs

my.fave.stam.

2009-11-14T15:08:00.002+08:00

i dunno why, but this is my favorite stam look (!). it's not ground-breaking by any means, or even that thought-out. but maybe that's precisely why i like it. i guess it's the feminine delicacy of her face juxtaposed with sneaker-jean-shirt tomboy combo. it's just unexpected, and that's how i like it. ;-)

tfs

hansel.gretel.and.lady.gaga.

2009-11-14T14:20:00.004+08:00

us vogue (yes, really!).

shot by leibovitz. styled by coddington.

modeled by cole, garfield, & ms. gaga.

i love the strange vision for the retelling of hansel & gretel. and lady gaga as the cannibalistic witch is inspired. leibovitz, for me, is in her best form when she captures fairy tale retellings (see vodianova in alice in wonderland).

it's strange, funny, weird, and at the same time so familiar and intimate.

fashiongonerogue

natalia.by.mario.

2009-11-10T12:40:00.002+08:00

natalia vodianova through the eyes of mario testino usually ends up looking flawless. her form, his vision, the bouffant layers, the romanticism of the backdrop with an undertone of elegant messiness (if there's such a thing!).

this editorial never gets old for me. there's so much opportunity here. every time i see this, my heart melts just a little. you just wanna fall in love. :-)

to.die.for.

2009-11-10T12:25:00.001+08:00

the hair. the lighting. the fur (faux, i hope). daria.

can a combination any be more perfect?

keira.

2009-11-07T01:12:00.001+08:00

i'm starting to miss you, keira.

i need to see her in a film!

lol.

2009-11-06T23:40:00.000+08:00

gets me every time! :-D

fashiongonerogue

bleed.

2009-11-06T15:50:00.003+08:00

passed by this sunset going home.

armour.

2009-11-05T08:56:00.000+08:00

vmagazine

the.new.romantics.

2009-11-04T23:31:00.003+08:00

bella&edward on harpers bazaar dec.09.

justjared

11.4.09.

2009-11-04T17:24:00.003+08:00

Even the smallest faint of light shines ever so brightly in the darkness.

“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”

sarah williams

“Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight.”

anonymous

fffound;tfs;lelove

purple.thrill.

2009-11-03T15:27:00.000+08:00

purple stockings, suspended.

oh yeah, and the shoes, textured.

genius pairing.

caroline.feber.se

margaryta.senchylo.

2009-11-03T14:20:00.005+08:00

reminds me slightly of ms. kerr.

fashiongonerogue

dree.hemingway.vmag.

2009-11-03T11:46:00.002+08:00

didnt think she had it in her, but these images have made me change my mind. she aint just the great-granddaughter of ernest hemingway anymore. she may just have a bright future in modeling. ;-)

the new bleached-blonde/dark-eyebrow look seems to have made her edgier, whaddyathink?

vmagazine

natalia&hedi.vmag.

2009-11-03T00:43:00.002+08:00

not so much about clothes as one can see. but its true to form with what natalia (wide-eyed innocence mixed with sensuality) and hedi (up-close intimacy) do best.

and i adore how natalia's scar on her right hip bone is not airbrushed.

what.a.hottie.

2009-11-02T17:23:00.000+08:00

i just had to.

giggle/think/feel.

2009-11-01T23:10:00.003+08:00

"Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colors and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a living breathing thing which belonged to everybody, not just the state agents and barons of big buisness. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall- it's wet."

a rat paparazzi, a doughnut on wheels, a "primitive" sketch of a caveman with a shopping cart, mona lisa with a grenade launcher, cops making out during their break, or as raw and intense as a kid pulling the weight of what he feels is the world.

banksy.

banksy.co.uk

sasha.

2009-11-01T12:38:00.000+08:00

just needed to share this piece of the fantastic.

altamiranyc

almost.forgot.

2009-11-01T02:55:00.000+08:00

peek-a-boo.

rianne.ten.haken.

2009-11-01T02:44:00.001+08:00

new model fave.

slightly reminds me of a cindy crawford-angelina jolie lovechild, haha!

hello!

2009-10-30T23:04:00.004+08:00

have a wonderful weekend!

tumblr

figment.

2009-10-29T13:08:00.003+08:00

warhol self, 1977.

"I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name.

Well, actually, I'd like it to say "figment."

everything fleeting, transient, temporary. we may stay, yet as pieces. those pieces may resonate, or they may not. i sometimes see you; i sometimes do not. a nagging feeling, the tip of my tongue. but you stay, oh you stay.

cant.wait.

2009-10-29T12:24:00.001+08:00

cannot wait no longer.

vodianova, slimane on vmag.

no.62 preview.

stam.for.h&m.

2009-10-29T12:20:00.000+08:00

je t'aime, h&m.

just.call.me.miss.nasty.

2009-10-28T19:44:00.003+08:00

subtle yet effective.

i wouldnt wanna mess with her. not balmain-drama-shoulder-pow, but enough for a girls night out, a sexy date, or if you just wanna look hott.

shopnastygal.com

loba.awoo.

2009-10-28T00:16:00.001+08:00

nerdy-tough. me like.

tfs

hallows.eve.

2009-10-27T16:13:00.006+08:00

'the freak show'

muse.

shot by wendy bevan.

modeled by sheila marquez.

just in time for halloween.
goodbye to fangs and blood-red lips for now.
let's do something different. an eerie throwback.

so different and unexpected it haunts you.
a different kind of fright. one that stays.

and lingers.

muse&tfs

live.fast.beauty.speed.

2009-10-27T11:32:00.004+08:00

im feelin' rough.im feelin' raw.im in the prime of my life.

lily.chloe.noot.alice.etc.some cute kid.

This is our decision to live fast and die young.
We've got the vision, now let's have some fun.
Yeah it's overwhelming, but what else can we do?
Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?

Forget about our mothers and our friends.
We were fated to pretend.

cobrasnake

alex(a).

2009-10-26T19:45:00.002+08:00

alexa, as worn by alex.

nothing is sweeter than wearing a face of your boo.

aww.

or huh?

update: i just realised- they have the same pose. lol!

tfs

the.original.lady.gaga.

2009-10-25T18:50:00.003+08:00

anna piaggi.

italian vogue creative director for the past 21 years.

lovingly called "the walking museum".

wore hats so tall she had to watch collections from backstage.

after acclimating one's eyes and seeing it three feet afar, her look swirls and blends all together like an implosive editorial bursting

with harmonizing colors & patterns.

(really, try it! three feet! hehe.)

what would fashion be without her?

lady gaga, take down notes.

(or actually, don't anymore, please.)

tfs&newyorktimes

for.the.love.of.god.

2009-10-25T13:07:00.006+08:00

'for the love of god', damien hirst, 2007.

it's been two years, but that image still haunts me (in the best possible way). forensic experts deduced that it used to be the skull of a European male, around 35 years of age at the time of death. Lived 1720-1810.

looking at this, i wonder, "if he had known, while plowing fields, riding horses looking all gallant (or whatever it is that he did then) that his skull was going to turn up covered in diamonds one day (ethically sourced, mind you), which expletives would he say?"

in 3010, when you uncover my skull, just cover me with kick-ass rubies and sapphires, and i promise i won't haunt you.

p.s. Richard Dorment, an art critic, comments, "If anyone but Hirst had made this curious object, we would be struck by its vulgarity. It looks like the kind of thing Asprey or Harrods might sell to credulous visitors from the oil states with unlimited amounts of money to spend, little taste, and no knowledge of art. I can imagine it gracing the drawing room of some African dictator or Colombian drug baron. But not just anyone made it - Hirst did. Knowing this, we look at it in a different way and realise that in the most brutal, direct way possible, For the Love of God questions something about the morality of art and money."

whaddya think? vulgar? disrespectful? or right-on?

p.p.s. dorment also brought up an interesting point; why does it have to be made by a world-renowned artist for us to perhaps be more accepting of it? if a couple of college drunks decided to make one, we'd probably be more inclined to see it as desecrating the dead. oh, pretentious art, you confuse me so-but that's why i love you so much.

vintage.adriana.

2009-10-24T23:07:00.004+08:00

she could never really pull off high-fashion;

but when she gets it right, she gets it right.

who is the most striking model for you (commercial and/or high fashion)?

belle.

2009-10-24T15:43:00.001+08:00

belle in marchesa.

just delightful.

though she hasn't acted in anything of serious note, there aren't many young actresses who can pull this off;who else can?

unlike miller in balmain (see previous post), this dress, albeit high-drama, is not wearing her.

she is wearing it.

purely.ploy.or.purely.genius?

2009-10-24T11:30:00.004+08:00

where the wild things are-- at opening ceremony.

shameless marketing strategy, or wearable art for the masses, or both?

regardless, that bracelet is to die for.

(special meaning when you've read the book, of course)

new.pin.ups.

2009-10-24T10:44:00.005+08:00

vmag, no.62
shows what happens when sex meets deconstruction.
styled by olivier rizzo, shot by willy vanderperre.
modeled by miranda kerr & ana beatriz barros.

wow.

vmag made victoria's secret look intellectual.

justjared.com

deja.vu.

2009-10-24T09:42:00.001+08:00

where have i seen you before, my love?

(prada? ideas?)

miss.julie.opens.tonight.

2009-10-24T00:28:00.001+08:00

sienna in balmain.

would've been better with different shoes and hair.

justjared.com

a little byrdie told me.

2009-10-23T23:15:00.005+08:00

byrdie bell.

dare i say she has a more unique (seemingly stylist-less) style than that of olivia & the trainas?

she's a little awkward (relatable), and has gap teeth (real).

she's off-kilter, sometimes-messy like mary kate, but to a lesser degree.

in other words, she's like the crazy party/rock/boho chick but toned down & compacted to meet the future in-laws, or to not scare little children.

she's the pg-13 version,

and i adore her for that.

p.s. gotta love the fact that she went to the united nations international school in new york, and graduated with an international baccalaureate.

thefashionspot.com & parkavepeerage.com

"no, that wasn't a question."

2009-10-23T22:55:00.004+08:00

revisiting the devil.

2006 film adaptation, styled by the ever-so-contemporary patricia field (from sex & the city fame).

zara (martin, that is)

2009-10-23T21:03:00.002+08:00

undiscovered.

zara martin. british host. graduated with an economics degree (hellyes!). works for al gore's current tv (hellyes!). british-indian beauty.

showmeyourwardrobe.blogspot.com

tres chic, tres jolie

2009-10-23T20:31:00.002+08:00

Not so much known for her style as she is for her beauty, UN work, and of course, her films.

But there is quiet elegance to her style, an aura of old Hollywood that many up-and-comers, youngsters, and new-blood actresses can take a page from.

Angie, take us back to the era of Monroe, Garbo, Hepburn (Katharine) and Loren.

Old hollywood meets modern femme fatale- who else can do it better?

fashionspot.com & justjared.com

tragic p

2009-10-23T19:31:00.002+08:00

...or so what that infamous alleged letter addressed to Tinsley and Co has brought about.

(I have too much of a credibility issue/above-the-fray poseur to expound on that, so I won't.)

But 'Tragic P' or not, there is nothing tragic about her (purchased) style.

This ain't a testament to her 'pleasing personality', 'upper-east-pedigree', 'the city resume' (which I don't even watch), blah, and blah.

Just her style. Pure and simple. Enjoy.

Does anyone know who her stylist is? Must. befriend.

"Take that, Tinsley!"

fashionspot.com

much is to come

2009-10-23T17:28:00.002+08:00

Much is to come;
A pregnant ship
Has set sail
Onwards to my shore
I stand by the sea,
Looking out for billowing flags
A change in the waves is upon:
I gather myself
For much is to come.

amelie, coco, audrey.

2009-10-23T17:16:00.002+08:00

audrey justine tautou.

completely underrated when it comes to personal style.

but that's probably how she likes it.

it's subtle.

nuanced.

sublime.

the kind that passes you by like a soft breeze,

then you turn around to give it a second, lasting look.

“After each experience, you grow up, you get enriched with something, and you don't know how you're going to be in six months, you don't know what you're going to want, what you're going to need.” (Tautou)

***

p.s. after the fame amelie had brought her, she escaped to the jungles of Indonesia to volunteer for a monkey sanctuary. my kinda lady.

klimt

2009-10-23T17:00:00.003+08:00

Gustav Klimt, born in Austria in 1862, rose to become one of the most unique artists of all time. Meisel, in this Vogue Italia editorial two years ago, pays homage (in my supposition). Klimt's works below, and the resemblance, strikingly unmistakable.

Meisel & Klimt.

Dang.

2008-10-05T20:56:00.000+08:00

antevasin.