Dolce and I Wanna

Each time the fashion season turns, I look forward to poring over magazines and absorbing inspiration for the upcoming months. From high achievers like Vogue to more realistic options like InStyle's personal style sections, I am a veritable sponge. While it's easy to turn to the editorials and the columns for styling and beauty advice, I am personally drawn to the advertisement campaigns put out by large brands. While I am admittedly far from the aesthetic Dolce and Gabbana is aiming towards, I have pulled the Fall Winter 2013 campaign shots out of my magazines and put them on display. From the rich, textured reds to the TO DIE FOR beauty and jewelry styling (more is more anyone?) I have been pushing myself to get a little Italian chic in my day to day routine. For me that application really means a heavier brow and a brighter lip, but it's a step in the right sartorial direction. What are your inspirations this season? What do you look for when seeking out a style to imitate?

Furry Children

Anyone who knows me, or at least follows me on social media, knows that my dogs are like my children. Somehow, it doesn't feel right to create a blog that describes my life, my opinions or my experiences without mentioning them. After all, with the rare exception of a beautiful California view, my little grubbers dominate my feed.

Campbell Jane, my wonder pet, came first. Like so many first children, she is the smart and responsive do-gooder. Except for the occasional squirrel or turkey, nothing keeps her from being right by my side. All. The. Time. In fact, she is asleep snuggled against my leg as I type. Like most parents, I am guilty of believing everything she does is great. I don't even feel sorry.

Then there is the newest addition to the Fox clan, Riggins. Named for the beautiful, if not somewhat simple, footballer with the heart of gold from Friday Night Lights; I am constantly finding that our new puppy has more than just good looks in common with his namesake. While sweet, he is as naughty as they come.


Now that I've introduced my furry babies, it feels appropriate to jump on a soap box for a moment and talk about the piece of animal ownership which I am most passionate about. While both beautiful, wonderful, perfect (for us) members of our family, both our dogs (and our elusive kitty, Cinder) are rescues. When I started this post, I imagined that it may be far more of a vehicle for me to brag senselessly about my glorious and beloved babies and show off pictures of what will obviously be the best looking pups anyone has ever seen on the Internet (biased, I admit). I also knew that there's no discussion of my dogs that doesn't include the value of rescue. I grew up living with shelter dogs and my Mom was always telling me about the extra special way that rescue animals look at their owners (it's there, anyone with a rescue pet can vouch). It was such a great pleasure to see blogger Courtney share her new adopted pooch, Fancy.

How about you guys? I want to hear all about your furry babies, and the special ways you came to find them!

Anxiety

Full disclosure: I have anxiety. Heart stopping, sleep stealing, asthma inducing anxiety. It has been a significant roadblock for me since I can remember. I remember my first anxiety attack better than I remember my first kiss and that in itself is saying something. My anxiety has shaped so much of who I have become as a young adult. It drove me to get deeply immersed in my honors and AP classes in high school and to become obsessed to the point of panic about color coordinating my closet. I am fortunate enough to have had the support over the years that has allowed me to harness my anxiety and use it to create some incredible things but that doesn't mean that I have gone from panic attacks to perfect by any means. I'm lying in bed right now next to my wonderful, confident, self-assured boyfriend who is snoring peacefully while my mind races at a breakneck pace. The nonstop flurry of doubts and incomplete decisions are causing my heart to race and my stomach to churn. I feel scared and sad and mad all at once. I don't have much intention of posting this entry at this point but I do feel both proud and grounded by the idea that amidst my internal turmoil, I am turning not to my usual crutch of lists but to the more relieving and rewarding prospect of real writing. Mind you, my iPhone formatting makes it nearly impossible to edit my text and I fear that tomorrow I will wake up to find one maddeningly long and illegible fragment but right now, at this moment, the flurry of fingers across a touch screen keyboard is helping. It's drawing the focus off of my doubts about planning the perfect wedding, the adoption of what I had believed would be my dream puppy (I'm currently reconsidering) and the fear of my increasingly rage flu loneliness and pushing me instead towards the faint possibility that maybe, just maybe, I will find a way to fulfill my childhood dream of being a real live (or real web) writer.

Today's Inspiration

Now that Fall is two days underway, I have begun the process of paring my closet in anticipation of cooler weather.  While Northern California's temperatures won't dip for another month or so, I am beginning to phase out my beloved cutoffs and phase in my beloved sweaters (sorry in advance).  As a sartorial glutton and and self proclaimed movie preview addict, I can't get enough of Lea Seydoux right now.  The deep burgundy and navy that keep cropping up in fall fashion and beauty campaigns have me craving a French esthetic even more than usual for my fall inspiration.  The inimitable Lea Seydoux is the perfect inspiration, and I relish the attention she is getting both for her startling role in Blue Is The Warmest Color and the Rag and Bone Autumn ad campaigns.  Her near-frizzy bed head and smudged mascara will see attempted efforts in my upcoming beauty routine. 



(photo credit goes to glamour paris)

I'm Engaged (Exclamation Point)

Let me first begin by saying, that I have a great family, and great friends.  The group of kids I went to school with is diverse, complex, exciting and impressive.  Many of them had significant others during school or have since found them.  I have the pleasure of saying I have lots of best friends.  I can also say that if you asked any friend of mine, from school, from camp, from growing up, or even my family-- NONE of them would say I am a romantic, or that I would be the first one to get engaged.  After all, I have the pleasure of being the youngest of my friends, and a good six months younger than all of my fellow 2012 graduates.  And yet, here I am;  fortunate enough to say that a mere seven months after I finished school, and a mere four months after I moved back to California, I met the one. All joking aside, I am head over heels.  And I have never been a girl who lives for romance, or dates, or even hugging.  I'm a little twisted, a lot sarcastic and pretty suspicious of living out any kind of Hallmark card. As a result, my point of view on wedded bliss may be a little twisted too.  But here goes.  While many people might proceed by telling you all about the moment their guy got on one knee and asked to spend forever together, I'm going to skip that part (it was awesome by the way, and yeah, I cried) and go on to the part that no one talks about, and, as the first of my crew to get engaged, no one that I knew could warn me about.  I'm going to go ahead and call it the aftershock.  As soon as fiance Fox and I returned home, congratulations started pouring in from just about everyone.  Thanks technology.  I shouldn't have been surprised.  After all, we had both told parents and close friends the day of our engagement so it made sense that people would find out.  But I am talking EVERY ONE.  People I have occasionally worked with in the horse world and hadn't spoken to in nearly a decade were calling to wish us well.  As a notoriously private person, this took some getting used to.  But the truth of it is, the attention is all positive, and I am delighted by all the free champagne.  The part I could never have predicted and am having a harder time swallowing, is the follow up.  I love lists, and I love to plan, but neither fiance Fox nor I have a great idea where we want to get married, or even when, just that we do.

Before people can even finish their hugs, they want to know when, and where, and how many people, and what does my dress look like, and, and, and, and... As the girl who had never fantasized about her big day, I don't have much. Late fall (question mark). Outside (question mark). And that's about as far as I get.  Fiance Fox and I have decided to wait until a few other big life questions sort themselves out before planning our wedding, and we are both happy with that.  We are fortunate that our close friends, and our family (my Mom especially) have been incredibly supportive of that plan.  Nonetheless, it can be a little overwhelming to face a barrage of questions that I don't yet have the answer to.  If I really dig deep, I admit that it makes me feel like a bad bride-to-be not to immediately jump into the planning process, but as I get to be more of a grownup (kind of) I want to be able to follow my gut.  Anyone else feel swept up in an engagement whirlwind?  Anyone else feel like there are crazy pressures?  How do you handle it?

Taking The Plunge

When I first built up the cajones to start a blog, I had grand notions.  I would take an online class or two to master CSS and formatting; I would finally pick up the camera and take my own photos; I would write snappy and fun posts every day.  But of course, as I said, grand notions.  Unfortunately I am a real person, with ideas and plans often far bigger than my own ability to sit down and accomplish things.  I have a job (two really), a fiance, a dog (scratch that-- two now) and the ever-looming responsibilities of being a grown up.  So I admit, I have between three and five posts started on three or four platforms. A quick note on my phone when I scan through pages and pages of photos of style.com after New York, London and Paris fashion week.  A dissection of work-life balance on a notepad by my bedside, and even a rough outline of the merits of grey as a season-immune color in my wardrobe.  Somehow, with all of that, AND the support of my family and friends, I haven't posted since August 15.  What the hell?  Sure, I can rationalize by saying that this was supposed to be something for me, and I am just too busy.  But those are bullshit excuses.  I need to (insert additional testicle reference to bravery here) and do it. So here goes.  No more excuses, I am taking the plunge.  After all, I am my own harshest critic.  So in a way I present to you (few readers) colekid 2.0 in which I go for it.  No frills, no photos (yet), just my raw opinions and hopefully, in the future, some fantastic formatting and beautiful self-created photos.  Any ideas on how to get past my blocks, my fears, and my excuses?  How have you put anxieties aside and started the process of regular blogging?

Looking forward to a new, more regular blogging experience...

-Madison

A Cultured Clash

 

I think it’s safe to assume that we have fashion bloggers and street style and editorial adventurists alike to thank for the pervasive trend of mixing prints.  What began as a bold and theoretical art piece in magazines has been effortlessly translated into day to day application by bloggers across the spectrum.  I find that if I use leopard print accessories or a striped basic as a jumping off point, this daunting fashion trend becomes remarkably wearable and exudes effortless chic.  Helena at Brooklyn Blonde and Blair at Atlantic-Pacific do it so dang well.  How do you tackle mixing prints?

Photo Sources: Brooklyn Blonde Atlantic Pacific and Pinterest