Happy 4th

Hope everyone had a wonderfully unsafe July 4th this year. (Hope you did something rebellious) (Or crazy) (or dangerously fun) (but seriously are you guys alive?) Either way I hope the holiday was enjoyable for you all. I spent the evening drinking a Pepsi, sitting in a lawn chair.. wait no. Emily sat in a lawn chair while I entertained her by almost lighting myself on fire.

Good fun chaps, Good fun.

Our most exciting event of this ravishing evening was when one of the (supposedly sedentary) firework-fountains burst into 5 of those spinning-flowers of death. Even though I had positioned the spark emitting bastard in the middle of Mission Rd.. those things still came at us with a vengeance. They were like, "Why did you try to light us on fire? I thought we were cool?!" as they zoomed past our chairs and we screamed and ran for shelter.

Emily was a doll and became completely enveloped by the powers of my camera. So unfortunately I only got an eye and a shoe out of her existence on my memory card. Oh and then that neighbor of mine that won't leave me alone showed up. Hi Sam.

Luckily I came out of this death trap of a holiday alive. Until next year J4th.


-Rachel Manning

Gotta Have it: Prada Handbag

My most recent "Gotta have it" moment occurred just a few days ago. I was watching the Prada Menswear show on, you guessed it, Prada.com (and totally digging the prints and layering by the way) when I saw this bag. It was a marvelous bag. The amount of need that was on my mind.. okay fine, not need.. but never-the-less my desire to own this handbag immediately shot through the roof.

All of the sudden the bag was speaking to me. It was saying, "Rachel look at me. We could make beautifully accessorized outfits together. Lounge with me among the palm leaves and bask under my midnight blue sunshine." I was in a trance. A very wonderful off-navy and basket-ball-orange Hawaiian trance.

I mean just take a gander at this bag. How can you not cheese back at the cheeky smile radiating off of this woman's darling face? The drawing is so charming! The whole accessories side of this menswear collection really reminds me of a cheesy postcard you could have found years ago at a destination gift shop. I can see it now; Aloha plastered across the four by six piece of cardstock. I can't wait until all the style forecasting sights are telling everyone to start dressing the trend "vintage postcard." What a way to describe something. *Pats self on the back even though its not that original* *I need a little loving bare with me*



UPDATE:Apparently when you Google "Cheesy Hawaii Postcard" the exact postcard that I was imagining pops up. Perfect, I am on the right track.


I guess the bigger reason for my undeniable yearning for this bag relates back to my new beach themed state of mind. I cannot seem to escape this feeling. Maybe I am looking for my "Paradise Island" in the wrong place; instead of searching these grassy planes I should really be scanning Style.com...


Any who, this is this week's gotta have it. I gotta have this bag. I will now add it to my imaginary collection that I intend on making a reality.

-Rachel Manning

Grounded

Happy Summer! I have been feeling rather beachy lately--and to clarify when I say beachy, I do mean beachy. Not bitchy--I am so completely over that pun. Now on to the point. I've been loving the weather and have a new fondness for french pop music. It feels so summery--or maybe it is the fact that I watched the Dior Addict short film again and can not get the song I Love You, ono by Stereo Total out of my head. The video, filmed in Saint Tropez, has melded my state of mind into thinking about throwing on my sunnies and sitting under a striped beach umbrella...  except... in my backyard. Damn you Kansas and your LAND.

SO MUCH LAND. 

I have seen this video multiple times and the GIFs have been over all the fashion related tumblrs that I love. I rewatched the short after having been engulfed for 5 hours by my recent evil purchase of The Sims. I swear that game tears the life out of your soul and puts it into the virtual body you have just created. It is fun.. almost too fun. I am pretty happy I jumped off that train that was taking me to won't-shower-for-days land.

Thus this has been my summer life. I sit in my living room, occasionally taking a short walk to my library where I can stare at my forever murky green pool and frown (My pool filter broke and it is not worth it to fix for this summer) (OUCH MY HEART). Google, tumblr, The Sims, and online shopping; that is all there has been to me. It was only after I received my order of new clothes from ASOS.com that I thought: Hey, get off your butt and go take pictures or something. 

Moral of the story is I will be posting new shoots more often. My friend Emily and I had a blast driving out to a random field and snapping pictures. We have decided to try to make this an every-weekend-thing... let's hope for the best because everyone knows I am the most lazy person ever to exist.

Me remembering bugs exist. 

I bought this neoprene dress for a steal of 25$ on Asos.com. Super comfy. Super easy. Lovin' it. 

Shoes are Polo Ralph Lauren.

Handbag is Aldo.

Sunglasses are H&M.

-Rachel

The Great Gatsby Premiere

"I should totally instagram this"

Today After spending some time at the Met for my art history class I decided it would be a fun idea to pop on over to Lincoln Center to watch the fabulous celebrities walk the red (or should I say black?) carpet for the Great Gatsby movie Premiere. After a lovely walk through Central Park, some friends and I arrived to a completely packed Lincoln Center. These people were probably standing there for hours before we
managed to show up. To my understanding, the red carpet walk started at 6:00--I arrived around 5:30? Unfortunately the best spots, up close to the carpet, had been stolen away... leaving me to a lovely tip-toe stance for the next hour. Thankfully, I have a sweet camera with a great zoom so I managed to grab some pretty amazing photos. I am so happy to share! EEP!

Callan McAuliffe

Florence Welch

Anna Wintour

Adelaide Clemens

Carey Mulligan

Tobey Maguire

Leonardo Dicaprio

Rachel Manning