1930s Glamour

Lately I've been rather silent on my social media platforms, especially my blog.  Right now I'm in the middle of working on my final projects for many of my classes for university.  I'm actually pretty lucky in the sense that I only have one final exam, and it's not even cumulative.  However, I have a ton of projects instead.  The project I'm most excited for is my photography class.  The idea for my project is the evolution of the dress from 1920 - 1970.  I adore fashion history and I have way too many vintage clothes, so it seemed like an obvious choice for me.  The project I will be turning in will actually be film from my 35mm camera, but these are extra stills I took on my DSLR after I finished taking the film pictures.  And to make these digital photos look more "antique" and "old" I made the photos black and white.

This is my friend Veronika, who's modeled for me before, here.  The dress she is modeling belonged to my Great Grandmother and is from the 1930s.  It's a gorgeous blue velvet, bias cut dress.  It also has a matching jacket with glass beads for buttons.  The shoes she's wearing are modern, but I thought they worked well with the dress.  To take it a step further, I did Veronika's hair and makeup in traditional 1930s style by doing an over exaggerated lip, long, thin eyebrows, and marcel waves.  

I hope you like these photos; I plan on sharing more photos as I continue shooting.

If you're curious to see the photos in color, here are some below to showcase the beauty in the blue velvet.

Ponder Pink

Wearing:

Jacket - H&M, Trousers - TJ Maxx, Shirt - Forever 21, Sneakers - Adidas Superstar

Lipstick - M.A.C. Red with Cherry Liner

Amazingly I did not buy these trousers and this jacket together, or even from the same store!  It was just an incredible coincidence that both of these pieces are the exact same color.  So when I bought these trousers at the beginning of the summer, I just knew that I wanted to pair them with this jacket.  Even though I've had this outfit planned for months, I just now got around to shooting it.  The only good reason I can come up with for why it took so long is that it's finally cooled down enough so I can wear both the turtleneck and the jacket.  Whatever the reason, I'm so happy that I finally shot it because I really love this look!

In other news, I recently started the Parsons x Teen Vogue Online program.  So far I just completed my first segment from the program, and I'm very excited to continue on and see what comes next.  For the course, I had to create a mood board on Pinterest, and I wanted to share it with you!  I'd love for everyone to check it out; here's the link!  :)

Olympus

Wearing:

Jacket - Mudd, Jumper - Target, Skirt - New Look, Boots - Kohls

Lipstick - NYX Lipstick in Chaos with M.A.C. Cherry Lip liner

One of my favorite classes that I'm currently taking at university is my film photography class.  When I was in high school I took a class that was really similar in its content, but I wasn't able to continue with it because of other classes I was taking.  I didn't realize that I had actually missed working with film until I started this class again.  The camera I use is a 35mm, 1970s vintage Olympus, and it actually belongs to my uncle, but I've had it for a while now.  It seems like I'm always taking photos for my class, so I decided to continue taking them while my mom was shooting these photos.  I found it surprisingly difficult to both take pictures and pose for other pictures - luckily I was able to get these few shots.  Regarding my look, I just wanted to keep rather monochrome in its coloring by only adding color on the lip and from the camera strap.

On a different note, if you are a follower on my blog you might notice that I'm not wearing my signature red lipstick.  Normally when I go for red, I wear my M.A.C. Red lipstick; for this I wanted to wear a slightly darker red than usual.  I forgot that I even had this NYX one and when compared to my M.A.C. lipstick it looked darker.  Unfortunately after I put it on, it hardly looked any darker, plus its quality is nowhere near as nice as M.A.C.  I'm not sure if I'll be repurchasing this NYX lipstick.

Elizabeth xx

Lace Love

Wearing:

Blouse - LC Lauren Conrad (old), Culottes - Boohoo, Oxfords - Steve Madden, Sunglasses - Target

Makeup:

Eyeshadow - Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tatoo in Bronze, Mascara - Estee Lauder Double Wear, Lipstick - NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rose Pink

Look!  I actually pulled my hair back for once!  For the longest time, my hair was too short to pull back (and before that, I just hated pulling it back), but after seeing some people with similar haircuts to mine and seeing them with their hair back, it inspired me to finally bring back the hair tie.  I used to not like pulling my hair back, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the style.  

For this look, I was inspired by the Victorian trend that hit the fall runways.  Lace always gives off an antique/vintage look because it was so predominant in the Victorian and Edwardian eras (eras which I adore).  To give the blouse a more modern edge, I paired it with my culottes from Boohoo and these black oxfords.  In regards to makeup, I wanted to keep it more subdued so I kept the lip rather nude but added a bit bronze eyeshadow and mascara.

Getting into the routine of college has been surprisingly stressful.  I thought since my university is in my hometown and the fact that I'm not living in the residence halls, it wouldn't be too difficult of a transition.  It's really not too bad, but being in the middle of mid-terms, it feels 10x more stressful.

Elizabeth xx

Fall Essentials

(From left to right)
Suede Dress
Striped Turtleneck
Chelsea Boots
Lace Blouse
Camel Jacket

Since we are now well into fall, I thought I would just share a few of what I thought are some essential trends and pieces for this new season.

Suede:  I recently heard Rachel Zoe on her new talk show say, "suede for winter and leather all year."  With that in mind, it's no surprise that suede is everywhere right now.  (It helps that the 1970s are ever-so popular right now, too.)  I think this shift style of the dress perfectly balances the suede.

Turtlenecks:  I am currently obsessed with turtle, as they are taking over my wardrobe.  However, it's not just me who thinks they're essential, editors at Elle UK agree that a turtleneck is the key piece for any outfit this fall.  (Also, don't you think it would pair perfectly with this shift dress?)

Chelsea Boots:  Let me just say this: Chelsea boots go with everything.

Victorian Style:  All over the fall runways, like Alexander McQueen and Alberta Ferretti, these styles reminiscent of Victorian and Edwardian fashion have been showcased.  As a fashion history lover, I can really appreciate this trend.

Camel:  Camel, camel, camel!  Thanks to the 1970s trend, this color is everywhere.  If there's one color to wear this season, it's camel.