Hello from Austria!

Before I start writing, let me just tell you that this post really has nothing to do with fashion.

I'm currently in Austria and I'm lucky enough to have a really fast internet connection, but when we leave for Italy uploading photos is not going to be possible with the lousy internet connection - though I still should be able to post, just not as often. Italian fashion is definitely interesting, though often people are wearing the same types of things as back in the States, just different brands.

It's raining here and gloomy here, which makes me a little sad because just as I was leaving home the weather started getting nice and hot, though I am quite glad to be on vacation.

I hope everyone's having a fantastic summer, and I hope to be able to post again soon!

Summer Dresses

I love dresses.
Whether they're casual or dressy, long or short, light or dark, I just love dresses.
Summer's all about relaxation, and dressing should be no more stressing than anything else. With dresses, you can just pull one over your head, pair it with a cute pair of wedges or sandals, and be on your merry way to go do something fun! If you're off to the beach, or just going shopping with friends, a dress is the easiest way to effortlessly look adorable during the summer.

Here are some of my picks for favorite dresses I found online at Delias





First, this simple anchor dress. I love this because it's so cute with the anchor print, but the design of the actual dress is so simple. This is one of those pieces that looks (and is!) effortless and fun.











Then there's also this cute but still quite simple knit dress. The body of the dress is simple and comfortable, but the detailing on the bust adds an extra touch of style. It comes in hot pink, blue, and black. While still casual, this could work for going out to dinner.

ideeli giveaways: christian louboutin, gucci, lanvin, oh my!

As I was browsing ideeli last night, I stumbled on the Coming Soon section. I saw far more giveaways from influential designers than usual: Christian Louboutin, Lanvin, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Longchamp, and Miu Miu! All on top of the incredibly special Oscar De La Renta giveaway where you can win a one-of-a-kind dress, AND the original sketch for it. Tell me I'm dreaming! Well, actually I am: The chance of winning one of these is one in a million. Well maybe a *bit* less since ideeli's by invitation only, but there's still an awful lot of people entering, desperate to win some of these amazing pieces.

Besides from the giveaways, they have a bunch of sales with designer items for amazing prices... and those you know you actually can get! Well, most of the time anyways... you have to act fast for some pieces. I was trying to get a pair of Ed Hardy sneakers the other day, but they were sold out of my size too quickly for me to be able to order a pair. I did end up getting a pink pair with koi on them from Nordstrom Rack - I love that place because they have everything on sale. I actually got a really amazing pair of heels too, you can check out a photo on my TwitPic. A lot of the time they even have pieces from the current season, that there were just too much of in Nordstrom. In fact, since even the rich are buying less due to the economy, a while back they had top tier Versace in there for amazing prices - but still, it was expensive.

If you don't have an ideeli account, I highly encourage you to sign up. There's no obligation to buy anything and sign-up is free. You can use this link: it's a referral from me to get you in ahead of the wait list. I'm currently wait listed for RueLaLa - and it's taking quite a while, so I'd definitely advise you to skip that. If anybody has a referral link for RueLaLa that they'd like to give me, I'd appreciate it!

ModCloth&Super Cute Shoes!

I'm not sure how many of you know about ModCloth or have shopped there, but recently I've been seeing it advertised in more and more places. For the uninitiated, ModCloth is an online store that sells vintage clothes, and modern recreations of them. They sell many of the same pieces as FredFlare but they're not as focused on the cutsey, whimsical accessories. You can choose from the plentiful selection of skirts and rompers, and their amazing shoe collection. I love so many of the shoes they sell that it's hard for me to pick my favorites, but there are two pairs of shoes in particular that really caught my eye when I first saw them.

First, there's this amazing red pair of sandals, that are a bit like booties, called the "Oh Snap! Sandals" for their button detailing. Since my school requires our shoes to have backs, I'm always looking for cute pairs of sandals with a backstrap: a rather difficult mission. These are not only a strap, but a whole back, and the fact that they rise to about 1/4 way up the calf in

ankle-boot style just makes them all the more charming. But the buttons are not just for show - you can actually button down a good bit of the part on the leg, to make them shorter. For only $34.99, these are a must-buy!

Next, there's this adorable pair of white booties with a cut-out pattern, just begging to be paired with an A-line skirt. As you can probably already tell, I'm a huge fan of ankle boots. I especially love these because they're very different from your typical ankle boot: they don't hug your calf, and the cut-out pattern makes them perfect for a nice spring or summer day. They also give you a two-inch advantage over everybody, with a hidden wedge on the inside: always a plus for me! However, at $149.99, I don't think I'm going to be buying these any time soon.

Let Me Explain My Banner

I actually had quite a lot of fun creating that banner - I've always loved playing with graphics, and I finally figured out how to make layers more and less transparent. Anyhow, as for the actual banner itself... The dresses are from that rack in Betsey Johnson. Since this is a blog with my opinion of fashion, I have to admit something: I really don't like Betsey Johnson. I feel most of her pieces are tacky and overdone. That said, I understand why it's such a well-loved brand. Each piece is extremely feminine and indulgent, and what girl doesn't love to play dress up every once in a while? Then the question would be: If I don't like Betsey Johnson, why would I put her dresses in my banner? I'm not that extreme. I love fashion itself, and I often find myself appreciating a jacket or a pair of shoes that I never would have thought to wear. For example, the Balmain military jacket. It's insanely over-the-top with all of the ornate crystal patterns, but some people (like Beyonce) are able to pull off something so extreme, and look fabulous doing it. So back to my point, I actually do love some of the Betsey Johnson party dresses - a party dress should be just that: fun and outrageous!

Intro

Well, I'm going to be completely honest with you: I pretty much suck at introductions. I've been wanting to start a fashion blog for the longest time, but I've had so many seemingly insignificant things that have stopped me. At first I couldn't think of a name: the few brilliant ideas that I had were already taken, but what annoyed me the most was that the blogs that had those names were abandoned, and yet they kept the name. Then I came up with a blog - not this one - I was trying to meld fashion and technology. And as much as I want to write a bit about technology, as I am completely tech-obsessed, I felt obliged to make the whole blog about design in technology, so I started over yet again, and this is what I came up with. So I'll stop ranting and let you get on your merry way until I make my first real post - but I think the first order of business will be to make a real banner!