As the lovely Ezra croons, as much of a city kid I may be, I will always crave the peace and simplicity of summer at the beach. Where is this going? Vampire Weekend just released their new music video for what I'm guessing will be their new single, Giving Up the Gun. It's a series of tennis matches in a white room between our ginger-haired protagonist and her many celebrity opponents. It really is a fabulous video and allot of fun to watch, beside the fact that the song, and album is amazingly relaxing and reminiscent of a sunny beach in my dreams.

Beyond my subtle adoration of the quartet, the video is peppered with fantastic tennis clothing. I always forget how much I love the pleated skirts and polos. Tennis players have such an air of simple sophistication that not many athletes have. Their sport is up there with Polo and croquet as one of England's snobby but oh so enviable hobbies. So I snagged some of the best outfits from the video to express my desire for an entirely tennis wardrobe come spring time. I am extremely against this ugly morbid utilitarian look that designers are pushing on us. Give me colorful tennis skirts or give me nudity!

This is the full outfit, white hoodie, pleated skirt and polo. I give honorable mention to how she dressed in all red instead of the white ensemble. Its probably how I would do it considering I can't wear all white all summer long. Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE how she has tights on. Also red.

Joe Jonas makes his cameo here, and he's surprisingly not obnoxious with a solid sense of humor. He loses to our protagonist, and does so in a nice striped twist on a mens tennis polo. The wrist and head bands are appreciated as well.

What tennis outfit would be complete without the transparent colored visor? This woman proves bigger is better and although she also lost, she did so in style.

Here we have the techo tennis ensemble consisting of a white body suit. There are shoulder pad-esque things that aren't really visible in this resolution. If Daft Punk were to really play tennis, I'm sure they wouldn't wear anything else. I'll pass on the body suit though, I just thought this picture was worth sharing.

Ah, Jake Gyllenhaal and his short shorts. He played with a flask of whiskey and a cocky attitude to match his incredibly cool outfit. The primary colors seem to be a trend in this video and I like it.

Her tennis outfit is the usual white on white, but she adds her red pop of color in her Keds and her headband. I also condone the blown out hair as a summer style. My hair does that naturally so I'll embrace any trend that requires little effort. Here's a closer look at our fierce competitor, who nearly beats our protagonist.

Stunning.

Yes, it's Lil' John himself in a straw panama hat and double breasted blazer. He exemplifies the tennis observer's attire which is equally important. When the camera's pan to you sitting in the stands, you don't want to look dowdy.

Our protagonist at last! She, again, wears all red and her skirt seems to have a clasp of sorts on her left hip that interests me. I couldn't, dispite internet sleuthing, find a tennis skirt that long or that color, or any color for that matter. The length is what makes it so wearable as more than just a tennis outfit. Below are her Keds, that I normally abhor, but in this case, they work superbly.

Tennis for the win!

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The lovely man above is Terry Richardson, a famed photographer who's signature aesthetic is raw, hard flash, no makeup, and often too close for comfort. He's most famous, in my mind, for his Rolling Stone cover and spread with the Gossip Girl cast early last year. He does various work for magazines and his own pleasure, with a hint of perversion I'm not to fond of. But what really catches everyone's eye is how raw his photos are; you feel as if you're seeing the deepest side of the subject. That, and there's something so provocative about his photos, kind of in a basement-porn way... not that I know anything about that.

The following are photos of shoes he was using on a recent shoot. They consist of the pod shoes from McQueen and were posted yesterday on his photo blog, www.terrysdiary.com. Check it out if your bored, but be warned, some photos are NSFW. My fav are the blue McQueen shoes and what's best is you can see every contour and detail which makes me fawn over them even more.

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In the increasingly dull world of red carpet fashion, if you can even call it fashion, there is little creativity. Generally, there's lots of tulle and silk and lovely gowns with draping and pleating and whatnot. However most celebrities are nervous to wear something daring or unconventional because they actually care what the so called "Fashion Police" have to say. Lets note that said organization is comprised of Jay from America's Next Top Model, Guliana from E! news, Khloe Kardashian, and Joan Crawford. They aren't entirely knowledgeable. It's like asking the Gossip Girl cast to replace the panel of the Academy Awards; and I adore Gossip Girl so for the record that's not a dig.

Anyway, here we have Anna Paquin, of X-Men and True Blood fame, wearing one of the looks from Alexander McQueen's spring '10 collection to the SAG awards. The man is a bit of a celebrity himself considering his most recent inclusion of Lady Gaga's unreleased single in his show that was simultaneously streamed live online. It's so nice to see his work displayed to such a broad audience. Whether it's her, or her stylist, the choice was refreshing and I'm kind of proud, in a weird extremely detached way.

Mind you, the "Fashion Police" said that her outfit was not very fashionable and that "she should wear one print at a time."

I think that sums up their credibility.

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So it's a bit redundant to say that Miley Cyrus is a teen idol fallen off the tracks. Although maybe that's a little harsh, considering it was only a few scandalous photos and boy toy choices, but she's one of those celebrities that keeps on trucking even when the going gets rough, probably because she's to rich to care. Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly amused by her antics and I used to be a huge fan of the show, but I'm far from paying my own money to hop on the Miley train, evidenced by the photo above. Her Max Azria collaboration for Walmart (of all places) was another eye roll for me and most of the public over the age of 12. I pause for a moment and think to myself, poor Max, he's been dragged into this by his money hungry publicists, no doubt. Walmart is a wonderful place for those who are hard on cash but it's the last place a Designer ever wants to bear his name. Vera Wang at Kohls is enough.

Never in my right mind would I envision myself owning a single article of clothing from that line, but lo and behold, the surprises of Christmas morning never cease to amaze. My Grandmother decides to gift us all with pieces from Miley's "collection" and upon reading the label, I barked a laugh. It was when I put it on and looked in the mirror that I fell speechless.

I liked it.

So with this lovely purple tag hanging from all of our candidates we can begin the dissection. There's not much I can say about the logo. There's a slightly different one on the inside of the shirts with a wonderfully creative butterfly but that's it. I would have gotten excited if it was a cowboy hat or a frozen yogurt cup maybe.

*So as a general disclaimer all of the shirts were quite form fitting but they were all smalls and mediums. I'm sure if the right sizes are chosen the clothing would fit a little more comfortably. Moving on.

This shirt was what caught my eye at first. I didn't know where it was from but when I opened the gift I thought it was generally pretty cute. I love peacock feathers and I'm trying to embrace purple as one of the current colors of the season. The shirt is actually pretty vibrant without being flashy. It's a v-neck with helps me to tame my endowed torso, so that's a plus. Overall its a cute shirt for the price my grandma paid. I mean come on, there's no lasso or plaid anywhere, so I'd consider this a step in the right direction.


Right after christmas I planned to jet off to England to visit my friends and Grandma thought I should wear this little number around town when I get there. Yeah, didn't really do that, or pack it in my suitcase at all. Still, it's cute to wear now that I'm back and it's desperate cry for punk rock is nice with it's faded paint effect. This one is the most form fitting but this was a small where the other is a medium so that explains that. At least Miley is becoming a little more worldly.


*I spelled Blouse wrong, my bad*

I am shamelessly guilty of liking this shirt. It's incredibly flattering with it's blouse effect around the waist and black looks good on everyone. The shape and the scoop neck are just wonderful for the upper torso problem area it's almost up to caliber with a good find from Forever 21, also a guilty pleasure. The only thing I can whine about is the material is kind of flimsy and will last about as long as the next song Miley shits out next. I will cherish it until then.

My aunt received studded faux leather leggings and some bizarre pink top from Miley's debut line, but you can seek those out on your own. Do it for Max Azria and his now horribly disfigured public image. Even though moving from High school homecoming dresses to a line at Walmart isn't a significant plunge.

One word that I used frequently and accurately to sum up this collection is "cute." Although that word may be complimentary, it's a very simplifying compliment delegating her fashion creations as nothing more and nothing less.

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This summer I purchased a fantastic Hermes scarf. You know, the big 3x3 silk screened one with a fantastic print and color scheme. However, I purchased said scarf with little knowledge on how to wear it or what I would wear it with. I wanted one for the sole fact that it was iconic. Period. So, a bit frustrated with my shopping logic, I vowed to find a way to wear it once a week, but the regular wrap and knot method aged me more than I would have liked. Ergo, I set off on my internet travels to find alternative scarf tying methods. I share these with you in hopes that you will not fear or dread the powerful accessory that is the scarf as much as I did.

1. the girl in the photo above inspired me to wear my scarf in that fashion and all I can tell you is experiment with it for a few minutes. No fancy knots are required, just a regular one that you kind of have to play with a little in terms of it's location on the scarf.

2. I found this fantastic website HERE that shows you a long list of scarf ties for any occasion and preference. It also has step by step instructions on how to tie each variation with pictures! It's not a good how-to without pictures.


3. the ever classy Brooks Brothers has a lovely Flash tutorial for the basic knots. It's got actual photos instead of sketched pictures and the scarves are lovely to look at. Also, added bonus, at any moment you can stop your scarf tying and purchase a Brooks Brother's scarf via a link in the middle of the screen. How convenient.

4. If you would like it straight from the horses mouth, Hermes.com has a feature called "Playtime with your scarf" that has wonderfully sketched ways to tie one of their scarves. You also get a little fashion show for some of the prints, but ultimately, you get the seal of approval from the French king of scarves himself that you are tying your scarf correctly.

PART ONE

PART TWO

As for a rule of thumb of sorts, all of these sites advocate playing with your scarf to find new ways to wear it. I've come to see that my scarf has so many possibilities if I were to just sit with it and give it a few moment of my creativity. I am not so patient, but maybe you are. Happy styling!

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Today we will explore the idea of a style icon, which I've never really had. I don't like to call them icons because I don't just become obsessed with the person's style, I become quite stalkerish towards the actual person or character. I think about them all the time and how I can be like them. A little circa Elementary school which makes me pathetic in a way, but I think it's healthy to draw inspiration from others. Yeah, that's what I'm going to call it. Moving forward. My current style icons are a school bully, a Fashion bully, a drugged out emotionally detached British kid, and a princess. I would include Blair Waldorf, but her style is waning currently and its not really an innovative statement. However, click to find out the style mavens of today!

Style Icon #1: Marion Hawthorne from Harriet the Spy

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