Fashion Icon Batman's Vicki Vale (1989)

I’m overdue for a mushy ass feelings post, but I’m not really in the mood for that right now. What I want to talk about is one of my favorite fictional fashion icons.

First of all, we need to establish that the best Batman movie ever made is the animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, followed very closely by Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. And none of the other films count (except for maybe the Adam West one, but I’m mostly throwing much-deserved shade at Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan). Now, while discussing the Batman of the early ‘90’s, we all know that Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle was a whole ass mood. Just look at her. That scene when she transforms into Catwoman? ICONIC. YOUR FAVE COULD NEVER. It’s a goth girl’s dream.

Michelle-Pfeiffer-Catwoman-700x300.jpg

HOWEVER - Kim Bassinger as Vicki Vale is a fucking unsung, underrated hero and a vibe I’ve definitely noticed myself riding recently (if not my whole life). The oversized glasses. The muted and limited color palette. The long sleek hair. The HAT. There’s a timeless simplicity and je ne sais quoi - even if her looks are firmly placed in the late ‘80’s. Honestly, you could update that blue dress to a body con structure, and tweak the white party dress and then EVERY LOOK would work today. Not only is her look fashionable, it’s functional. She looks great, but really she’s here to photograph large bats and you better not get in her way. Speaking of goth girl dreams - homegirl devoted her work to large bats, dead folks, and the macabre. Vicki Vale is a major ass vibe.

That feelings ass post is coming soon. Promise. Until next time.

July Favorites

Wow. We're already ten days (most likely 11 by the time you read this) into August! Where has the summer gone? It feels like it's literally slipped through my fingers and we're barreling towards the end of the year. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. This year has been incredibly odd. I've also had a real bad case of summertime sadness, but that's a story for a different post. I'd really like to introduce a new type of post - my end of the month favorites. So, without further ado, let's get to the things I was jamming with during the month of July! 

  • Micheladas at Disneyland - I am going to be so sad when this seasonal beverage is no longer offered. This tomato juice/beer combo is so refreshing on a hot summer day. Which just the right amount of spice...SIGH. Disney is kicking it up a notch in the snack/drink department and this foodie is trying to make the most out of her pass.
  • Green hair - I installed a green unit this month and while I was unsure at first (I've never had green hair), I have quickly fallen in love and think emerald hued locks will be here to stay for a while.
  • Handmaid's Tale - Just like everyone else, I got sucked into this show and it's warnings about our possible dystopian (not-so-distant) future. While I definitely think the criticism's about it's blind spots were valid, it still hit a hard nerve with me. 
  • Reign - Okay, thanks to my mom and Netflix, I got sucked into everything that is Reign. This is a show that had been on my radar and after catching a few random episodes, I knew I eventually wanted to dive in. And I did. And now I'm beside myself because it's over. The costumes were not period appropriate, but they were GORGEOUS. There was so much DRAMA, and ROMANCE, and MAGIC. And of course, because it's a CW show, ridiculously good looking young people. 10/10 would binge again.
  • Retrowave - A discovered a whole new genre of music thanks to my friends Cristina and Daniel and I am OBSESSED. "Retrowave is a musical genre and growing culture that harnesses the sound, drive and sheer passion of the 80's-90's. It is one of the most refreshing sounds to hit the music scene and has been long overdue." Via NewRetroWave. It is everything in that exerpt and more. It's given me life.
  • Muna - I also became OBSESSED with the band Muna. They're three queer girls from LA who make dark pop and their album is AMAZING. I've included my favorite song of that release on the July playlist. Don't just take my word for it - they're opening for Harry Styles on his upcoming US tour.
  • Banana Pudding - I had the best banana pudding I've ever had at a party on July 4th and now I'm lowkey obsessed with the desert - and I never really cared for it before. 
  • Laura Palmers - Half lemonade. Half coffee. I know it sounds crazy, but it's tart and acidic and totally refreshing. 
  • Green Crush - I'm all about agua fresca when it's hot out, and the only place I know where it's readily and quickly available is Green Crush. The offerings at Green Crush are a bit sugary, and they are only located in malls, but they're still great. 
  • Face Masks - Dude. Summer is rough on the skin. Take care of your precious faces. I've been doing approximately two masks a week and still had some skin flareups from travel, stress, sun, sweat, etc.
  • Carry On by Rainbow Rowell - Picked up a copy at SDCC and read the whole book in about six hours. I am all about SnowBaz and wish there were more books. It basically takes all of the subversive things in Harry Potter that fans complain about and makes them canon. Perfection.
  • DreamDaddy - Damien Bloodmarch is my sweet goth Daddy whom I love with all of my heart. Fight me.

And to finish things off - here's the July playlist. 

Love you all. Be kind to yourselves.

xo.

All photos in this post are the property of their respective owner's and I am using them at the mercy and with the thanks of Google image search. 

Fictional Fashion Icons - Hilary Banks

More fun new posts! This new bit is something I'm calling "Fictional Fashion Faves". There are some characters from television and film (and literature too, I suppose), who are just a cut above the others. The stylists for the show go above and beyond to answer the call and leave us with characters who's fictional closets we covet.

First up on my list? Hilary Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Okay, a quick reminder if you don't remember the HBIC, Hilary. Hilary was the oldest daughter of the Banks family. She was basically a typical LA girl; snobby, shallow trendy environmental activist, impulsive, attractive and extremely self-centred. She often claimed to hobnob with celebrities and loved being mistaken by people for Whitney Houston. So basically, my hero. Hilary, despite her mean girl characterization was full of integrity, loved her family, made the best of dropping out of UCLA, and started her own daytime talk show. She was nice to Jazz and didn't play with his feelings; even though she totally could have. And she had major character development when her fiancé died. 

Now, let's talk about how she dressed. Hilary accented her wardrobe with a lot of hats, which I love, because my Grandmother was a southern church goer and I learned early there is nothing better than a nice hat. This show aired in the '90s, so there were tons of body hugging silhouettes and blazers. I've got to say; for a show that's never twenty years old, most of Hilary's outfits could totally work today, and that's without the '90s revival we seem to be in the middle of. 

Take a look at these pieces. 

All images are own by NBC. Etc. Etc. Don't sue me.

Can I start with the top row? I need that outfit in all black and I need it now. NOW. Those bodycon dresses? Totally modern.  Hilary was all about vests, and while it's not totally my style, it works. It just works. There are tons of bold patterns here, which I love. BLAZERS. Jackets are way more important to my style than they probably should be - - I live in LA. Lastly, I wanna talk about Hilary's wedding dress and how she awakened by inner goth by dying it black in mourning after her fiancé Trevor died. 

In conclusion, Hilary Banks was everything and I definitely look to her for fashion inspiration. Who's your favorite fictional '90's fashion icon? Drop it in the comments, or hit me up via twitter or instagram (both profiles are linked)! 

Until next time!

xo

Practice Gratitude

 

Gratitude is the most important part of my spiritual practice. My spiritual practice isn't something I talk about often; I think it's personal. My mom is an ordained minister. However, I don't think either of us would call ourselves 'Christians'. The basis of my faith is rooted in Abrahamic tenants, but I openly admit to picking and choosing the parts I like from lots of different things and throwing the rest out. Gratitude. Gratitude is the well from where everything flows for me. My meditation and prayer time begins and ends with gratitude, every day.

Yesterday was kind of a weird day.

I found out one of my friends is getting divorced. They got married about a year (maybe two) after we finished college, and things between them and their partner seemed good up until...well, up until they starting telling everyone they were getting divorced.

I, more often than I admit, feel weird about not being married yet. Ten years ago I thought for sure I'd be married by now, with kids in tow. I'm very happy being single and I milk it for all it's worth, but the truth is, I'd rather be in a relationship. Then, I look around at my friends who married very young, and are already seperated and divorced. I can't imagine that kind of heartbreak. This may come off as an asshole thing to say, but it makes me happy that things have turned out the way they have for me. Gratitude.

I was invited to an event last night through my company. It was a private launch party for a makeup collaboration (I'll be posting about the line and the products next week). It was in Hollywood. Getting to the event was a nightmare---LA traffic, Siri telling me bad directions, a poor parking situation, rude valet, getting split up from my friends. I walked into the party cranky. So cranky. The bar was crowded, people in LA aren't always the nicest. I was in a mood. Until the DJ started playing one of my favorite Beyonce songs and it hit me. It was a Thursday night. I was in a posh bar in Hollywood, at a private party, for a makeup brand that I love, collabing with one of my favorite pop culture icons, and I had been invited because of my super cool job that I love to death. AND, as I waited for my friends, my favorite band was live broadcasting information about their newest album release. Why was I going to let stupid things ruin my night? I wasn't. Gratitude.

I'm not a believer in false positivity. Sometimes shit just sucks, and we owe it to ourselves to be honest about it and feel our feelings. But, there's always something to be greatful for. Take a deep breath and look around you. Could you take that breath? Do you have eyes to see? Gratitude.

Find the thing and live in that space for a few minutes. Just try it for me, k?

xo

I met freaking Hello Kitty last night. I can't get over it. 

I met freaking Hello Kitty last night. I can't get over it. 

The newest single by my favorite band, AFI. I'll probably be writing a post about what they mean to me leading up to the album release.