Cranberry Curls + DressLily

______DressLily was kind enough to send me over this cute turtle-necked dress with pretty pleats and candy button details. They're an online retailer like many of the others you have seen featured lately, and their selection was nothing shy of an online wonderland.  I was super happy to confirm that this dress was not only the proper length, but also warm! Another win from the Asian retailers, cha-ching! The material is fairly thin, but the turtleneck and long sleeves make it rather a toasty frock.

______The color appeared to be more a purple color on the website; I was surprised to find this dress arrived as more of an oxblood color and without the ruffles that were promised on the dress's product page--thankfully, the dress seems to get along well my polka dot socks. However, if you were to have actually paid for the item and waited a month, it would have been an extreme bummer to receive something that differed from the product imagine.







______The weather has been undulating like a squishy jellyfish in the ocean's tides lately. I'm sure that by most of my outfit posts, you guys are all, "Dang, Ali, bare legs? You've had such nice weather!" but that's not entirely the truth. It just so happens that on the days when the outfit post feels are just right, the temperature feels are pretty darn decent, too. Why, this morning I woke up to a frosty 15 degrees. For someone who likes to ride her bike every morning, you can imagine I'm quite perturbed that I have to work out on stationary machines instead.

______But on the bright side, I can glue my sticky eyeballs to my computer screen and watch anime on Netflix. Last night, I was engrossed in the final episode of Attack on Titan. It was a gruesome and badass episode with all its animated blood and fierce, dizzying fighting techniques... alas, now I must wait for the second season to come out and be subbed in English. Wistful sigh.

______In other news, I successfully used the word "finesse" in art history the other day. Milliseconds after I sputtered it out, speaking of political finesse in terms of a skill Rubens had to gain his art patrons, my professor used the word in the exact same way to confirm my proper usage of it. I know a hefty amount of intelligent words, yet I constantly fear that I'll use them improperly in conversation. It's a weird fear, isn't it? Either way, that was a big cha-ching for my vocabulary! Gettin' smarter, maybe.

______That's the second time I'm used the phrase "cha-ching" in this post; I promise I'm not turning into a cash register. Or maybe I am since I'm rich with analogies and lame puns.



Dress: c/o DressLily
Blazer: Charlotte Russe
Socks: Target
Oxford heels: Jeffrey Campbell (similar)
Ampersand ring: c/o BornPretty
Rose earrings: Charming Charlie (similar)

Sunflowers and Olives + Persunmall

______I'm sure you've all heard of Persunmall--they're an online clothing retailer with an ogle-worthy selection of dresses, skirts, and accessories, plus all the fashion forward things that are in-between. I've seen quite a few of you fashion-blogging ladies don goodies from Persunmall, and each time, I'm pretty sure I went, "Oooh, ahhh," as my eyes sparkled brightly like the sun-struck tears of a small child. So when Pesunmall contacted me to receive a lovely something in exchange for a review, I jumped at the offer.






______After browsing through their extensive collection, giddy as a goat in a summery field of grass, I opted for this classy olive coat; it's sturdily-built with thick fabric that keeps me toasty during those crispy Alabama mornings. It fits just right, too! It might be a tad tight in the shoulders, but I keep my coats open at the top for the most part anyway since I flail my arms a lot in conversation. Thus, it's nothing to throw a fit over.

______I know that many people shy away from Asian-based companies due to the bite-sized fit, but I've not had a problem so far. If you're uneasy about ordering from overseas retailers, I suggest sizing up at least one size; check the length if it's a dress (anything over 85cm fits a taller gal!) as well your shoulder width if it's a long-sleeved something. Do that and you should be fine as Sunday wine.

______Oh. And pick a style you imagine will look good on you based on your past purchases. That always helps. If the lovely model looks a little awkward in it, you're probably gon' look like a bloated corpse, too.





______I'm taking an Honors Painting class this semester, and it's definitely the class I'm most ready to produce work in. In reality, there are no real Honors art classes, so I wrote up a contract and had my teacher and the Honors college approve it so I wouldn't have to take an additional 3-hour Honors seminar studying the judiciary system of sea sponges in Caribbean reefs. As interested as I am in sponge politics and their oscillating mechanics, I'm really not.



Overcoat: c/o Persunmall (find it here!)
Sunflower dress: Urban Outfitters
Socks: Target
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Leopard bracelet: Charming Charlie (similar)
Ankle booties: Jeffrey Campbell (similar)
Hair: styled by Momma Hval

Countess of Cotton Candy

______It was colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra when mother dearest and I snapped these pictures circa one week ago. The wind was sharp and cold against my skin like frozen sea urchins that had risen from the dead to pelt me furiously with their poke-y urchin spindles. I think you can even see goosebumps if you scrutinize these enough. Halfway through, a small child popped out of a parked Hummer and commented, "That is a very cute outfit, but aren't you cold?"

______It was as if my subconscious itself had materialized into a human form and spoken to me. The child had exploited me. The child knew that fashion bloggers are indeed very, very chilly whilst taking their outfit pictures in the dead of winter, but would never admit it and brave through the picture-taking process either way. I hesitated before I sputtered, "Yes, well... I didn't think it would be that cold!"

______A white lie. I knew it would be cold.



______I've realized lately that opposed to buying things that are purely fashionable or cute, I've been purchasing items which are practical and made with high-quality materials (ex: only leather shoes, sturdy knits), which often means I'm dropping a lot more cash on things and spending a lot less time shopping. But on the bright side, my fashion-y doo-dads aren't wearing out and I'm feeling loads more content with my purchases--I mean, how many times have you guys seen me wearing the same socks and heeled oxfords? Quite a bit, I hope!

______That doesn't mean I still don't want to experiment with trends--such as wearing a pop of neon in sock form here from that neon trend that was going around earlier (I'm late, oops). I can't see myself donning a hot lime skater dress with slashed sides, but I can try it out with something I feel is more down my alley that I'll actually wear again when the trend slowly dies down, just like my patience at the end of a long day. I feel like I'm really starting to get a feel of what my style is, both fashion-wise and art-wise, and that's refreshing!




______In fact, I also received two more pairs of Jeffrey Campbell shoes because I know that brand fits me like a bug in a rug. I remember I got my first pair my junior year of high school, and I'm still wearing them four years later (these!). My dad spoils me rotten. If I were milk, I'd be so spoiled I could be used as a deadly weapon in the next world war. More effective than an atomic bomb, fer sure.

______What would you guys describe your style as in two words? I'm shooting for mine to be dashing and whimsical at the same time. Or maybe "very quirky English professor with a penchant for shiny things" would describe it.



Dress: Urban Outfitters (similar)
Blazer: Charlotte Russe
Oxford heels: Jeffrey Campbell (similar)
Neon socks: Target
Spike bracelet: via Nordstrom Rack
Ampersand ring: c/o BornPretty
Cameo ring: vintage
Earrings: Betsey Johnson, via Nordstrom Rack
Clever "colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra analogy": special credit to my dad

Figure Trasitioning

Figure Transitioning, December 2013

Acrylic on masonite, 48"x32"

______It usually takes me a few weeks to realize a painting has met a I conclusion (wise art professor voice: "Ah, but is art ever complete?"). I know that the figure is done as done can be, as is the hair at the left that's slowing being obscured by aqua and lilac, which is actually my favorite part of the painting since I tried a different layering technique which was surprisingly effective. I've been staring at Mr. Untitled Painting for three days, which is too long to be staring at a painting, and so I decided to focus my attention on something else. After coming back to it, I've realized, you know what? It is done. There's no use overworking it.

______Through painting this, I actually scrambled up an idea for another painting exploring the strictly rendered vs. the inherent gestural, and I think I'm going to toy around with that a bit in my next few paintings. I know I need to get looser and more deliberate with my brushstrokes, and I suppose that's why I like the part where the hair transitions the best--because that was so minimal and not harshly rendered, yet it's still a recognizable something.

______Welp, time to build more canvases! Onward!

Ace of Diamonds + BornPretty

______BornPretty sent me some pretty jewelry--namely an ampersand ring and glitzy fishy earrings--along with these neat diamond print tights. I'm not gonna lie. The real reason I wanted these tights was because the diamond pattern was reminiscent of (ahem, geekery ahead) Ghirahim from Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; he's the villain, and he's sassy and dramatic... like me, of course. At least, like me on the interwebs when I don my computer screen like a mask. In real life I'm only sassy in my head because I'm not actually brave enough to be overtly sassy. If you saw me in real life I'd most likely dive behind the first hide-able object and peek up at you suspiciously, cat-style.

______But hey, we can't all be socialites.




______The little tails on these fishy earrings wiggle, so if I wiggle, they wiggle. But I gotta wiggle real hard. Extreme wiggling? It's a new sport. The Olympian representatives won't reply to my persistent requests to make it official, though. Those turds and their giant torch.

______...

______Oh snaz, it's New Years' Day, isn't it? I'm a ditz, yes, but luckily I've been diligent enough to figure out a decent few resolutions for the year. They are as follows:

1. be able to bike 50 miles straight one day (I've gotten up to 31 miles in one sitting, but then I had to go to class!)
2. figure out where I'd like to go to grad school, along with applying and being accepted (!!!)
3. create a total of around 6 larger, more time-consuming paintings, and hopefully get some of my work into a gallery this year
4. whip up a new blog layout
5. become a pirate mermaid fairy princess (on the top tier of importance, fer sure)

______HURPY NEW YURS, FRANS! (throws sparkles and confetti and buttered toast at you all)



Cropped sweater (it has a snag, gosh darnit): Urban Outfitters
Dress: Forever21
Diamond tights: c/o BornPretty (like 'em? Use code ALT10 for 10% off at their store)
Hiking booties: Lucky Brand, secondhand (similar)
Fish earrings: c/o Bornpretty
Ampersand ring: c/o BornPretty
Lips: Hourglass
Hair: done by momma