Realization

Ask any kindergartner what they want to be when they get older and you'll most likely hear "firefighter" "cop" "teacher" and "athlete" from many of them. Everyone knows that they will most likely change their minds about a dozen times, but some of those kids actually stick to it. 

I was always changing my mind about what I wanted to be. In elementary school, I said I wanted to be a teacher because my mom was one. In middle school, I wanted to be an interior decorator. Freshman year, I wanted to major in history. I had no idea what I wanted to do but that's what I wanted to major in. Sophomore year, I started thinking about being a government teacher because I was so inspired by my government teacher. However, in the middle of sophomore year I finally saw The Devil Wears Prada and it made me want to become a journalist. I moved to a new school my senior year and I took journalism and I realized I didn't love it as much as I thought I would.

It took me a few months to realize that I had no idea what I actually wanted to do with my life. I just knew I wanted to work in fashion. I wish I could be a designer (I'd love to do shoes and handbags) but I can't even draw a stick figure properly so I knew that was out of the question. I always saw the fashion industry as designers and everyone else, so I decided to research what everyone else does. 

There are careers in fashion merchandising/marketing, production management, visual communications, public relations, and journalism.

Fashion merchandising/marketing: They get the designer out there to the public. Advertising, buying, retail managing, and fashion forecasting all go on here.

Production management: They make sure the materials aren't too costly but also don't look cheap. They oversee the quality of the product basically.

Visual communications: They make sure consumers are attracted to the product enough to look at it. Nobody goes into a store that looks cluttered and the window display shows nothing but ugly clothes, shoes, and accessories. Stylists, display designers, and showroom directors are the main careers in this field.

Public relations: They make sure good light is shed on the brand and people are talking about them. You can major in public relations at practically any school with a communications major. It's also sometimes lumped together with journalism.

Journalism: Write, write, write. Find the angle. What's the most interesting thing going on in fashion? If you're good enough, you might even get your own column! :)

Facial Mask

One of the worst parts about the seasons changing is that my face gets dryer. So dry sometimes that it gets flaky which is pretty disgusting. This past week I broke out really bad too so I figured I'll go to the store and buy some facial stuff.

I had no idea what I was going to get but I went to Walmart and I saw a bunch of face masks. They were like a dollar and some change so I figured I might as well try it. I bought a facial revealing peel-off mask (which is what I used last night), a facial hydrating paper mask, and a facial purifying paper mask.

Mind you, I know nothing about what you're supposed to do before and after a mask treatment. So what I did probably wasn't correct but whatever. I'll just look it up next time.

First I used my Clean & Clear Deep Action scrub which just feels so amazing. It honestly feels like you're scrubbing away every impurity and your skin is refreshed.

The mask in its original form is a gel. They put way too much in for a one time use, and I realized that a little too late which might be the reason why it took so long for it to dry. The instructions said it only takes 5-10 minutes but I waited 15. It took over 30 minutes to peel every piece off. Actually, I got so tired of peeling it off that I just used warm water in circular motions. Also, I didn't move my hair from my face so some got pulled out :(

After that I used some toner from Clean & Clear and I put some tea tree oil on as a moisturizer. Again, I probably shouldn't have done this but what's done is done.

All in all, I don't think the mask was worth it even though it was only a dollar. It was such a hassle to peel off and personally I prefer the masks that come off with just water. However, my face does feel better and I'm still going to try the paper masks.

Fall Shorts

Ask me what my favorite thing about summer is (other than my birthday)...give up? Shorts! They can be casual, dressy, black, colorful, short, bermuda, whatever you want!

My favorite shorts are khaki high-waist from Forever 21. I got them over two years ago but unfortunately I can see this is most likely my last year wearing them. I originally got them because my high school had uniforms and I wasn't going to buy shorts I wouldn't wear on the weekend as well. I would definitely say khaki shorts are a must have in a girl's wardrobe! 

As much as I'd love wearing my shorts year round, I do live in Maryland and it gets pretty cold. However, I can usually wear my shorts well into fall by just choosing my outfits wisely.

- *the obvious* I use my weather apps to see which days will be sunny and well into the 70s. 

- Wearing my shorts with knee highs or tights so that my legs aren't freezing. My go to shoe for that is usually combat style boots but I guess any sort of boots would work...don't quote me on that. 

- Wearing bermuda style shorts with a loose fitting button down with oxfords or loafers. 

This is more or less the "shorts in the fall" look I usually go for.

(found this picture on Google btw)

New York: The Runway

I love fall for many reasons, and fashion is definitely one of them. The looks from NYFW are for the spring/summer 2014 collections, but it makes fall exciting nonetheless. Most people can't go to the fashion shows, and www.fashionista.com actually had pictures of every collection so every day for the past week I have been looking at a few collections. I have over 100+ looks saved on my computer and I've gone through 5 rounds of cutting pictures so this post isn't so long. I just like so much and I want to share it all lol!

These are my top 20 looks* (in no particular order):

Alexander Wang

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta

DKNY

Tommy Hilfiger

J. Mendel

J. Mendel

Kate Spade New York (my favorite designer)

Kenneth Cole

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Marc by Marc Jacobs

3.1 Phillip Lim

3.1 Phillip Lim

Rachel Zoe

Rachel Zoe

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren

Christian Siriano

Diane von Furstenberg

Zac Posen

So many designers I love didn't make the cut. I wish I could put a slideshow in a post, but I don't think that's possible :( ! 

* I found all these pictures on fashionista.com aka they are not mine!

If the shoe fits...

I am in love with shoes. I really am and it sucks that most of the shoes I love are out of my budget!

Maybe I don't know how to manage my money...who knows but anyways these are basically all the shoes I'm obsessing over this week.

As you can see I love color! I always tend to shop safely and go to basic colors but I'm tired of looking at a closet full of black shoes. Ugh, I can't wait until pay day.

Marilyn Monroe said it best: Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.

What are your favorite shoes in your closet?

Childhood Revival

Aw man! Have you ever looked at childhood pictures and realized your outfits were horrible? I think the funniest part is remembering how excited you were to wear those exact outfits.


I remember in elementary school I thought skorts were so cool because I could play rough at recess without getting in trouble for my skirt coming up or something. Then as I got older I realized how hideous skorts were, even the word made me cringe. However, fashion is a cycle and I don't know who did it but someone made skorts come back in the absolute cutest way!

Nasty Gal $68

Picture from Lookbook (Maya L.)

Zara skort $49.90

Super cute right? I mean they don't even look like skorts, just really cool looking shorts! 

Another thing I've grown to love recently are overalls, but not the long ones that look like pants. I heard people call them short alls but who knows? I think these are perfect! 

American Apparel $88

What are some things from your childhood that you'd love to wear again?

Body Shapes

People come in many shapes and sizes but learn how to dress for yourself and not for what you want to be. 

Read that again, understand that, and be yourself. 

I absolutely hate seeing girls who dress for the size they wish they were. There is nothing sexier than confidence. By trying to make yourself something that you're not, you look like you have absolutely no confidence. So the first step to dressing confidently is understanding your shape and realizing you are not the only one.

There are four basic body shapes:

Apple: You have broad shoulders, narrow hips, and your chest and stomach look larger compared to the rest of your body. Again, your top half is bigger than your bottom half, so ladies with an "inverted triangle" shape are included in this category for me. 

Pear: You have slim shoulders, small bust/stomach, and wide hips/thighs. 

Hourglass: Your hips and bust are almost equal and you have a narrow waist. 

Rectangular: Your waist is not much smaller than your hips and bust. There are many names for this body shape (athletic is what it's usually called) but I've heard people say banana, straight, pencil, etc. 

Well that was my little input for the day! I hope this helps every woman understand her body shape.

What I Want

Well I know I want to make a career out of fashion, I just don't know exactly what I want to do.

I plan to make this blog a place I can post all my thoughts, outfits, wants, basically anything that has to do with fashion that I love and maybe even some things that I think are bizarre! My journalism teacher did say that bad reviews are more memorable.

Anyways, I just thought I'd tell you guys what to expect from me.
I am as honest as can be when it comes to what I personally think. I won't downplay my opinion to keep readers. I'm all about diversity. I will be asking you guys for your input on a lot. When I rant, I rant.
Um I guess that's pretty much it...I really just want to say this again: I won't downplay my opinion

Lights! Camera! Action!

Hey guys! I'm not too sure who is reading this or if ANYONE is reading this, but if you are I love you!

My name is Rachel, I'm 18, and I love anything that deals with the fashion industry. I recently graduated from high school, and in the spring I will be going to community college in order to save money until I decide where I really want to go! I plan to major in communication and fashion merchandising in order to become a stylist, PR, or a plain old journalist! This is kind of my first real blog so I'm not too sure what to say but maybe one day this will be your favorite site!

Au revoir!