sometimes a lesson's learned.

printed chiffon camisole - american apparel // stretch twill high-waist side zipper short - american apparel

belt - brother's (unknown brand) // moccasins - minnetonka (not pictured)

 honey roasted turkey sandwich from cafe prague

 aloha pineapple drink from jamba juice

free books 

 dinner (papa john's pizza and a coors light) and dessert (grossnasty Red Mango)

Taking inconspicuous outfit photos right on 5th ave is not very easy. People are constantly walking by and I'm pretty sure the cute guy in the cafe where I got my lunch was staring outside the window thinking I was a lunatic for getting up, walking around, staying still, and then sitting down again. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. I look sweaty and grossnasty because I was sweaty and grossnasty. It was about 95 degrees and the A/C at work BROKE. I was dying. I was considering fainting so they'll let me home early. That didn't happen as much as I wish it did.

For those who've had frozen yogurt knows there's big beef (rivalry) between Pinkberry and Red Mango. To be honest, I like Pinkberry better because of the pricing and the flavors. At Red Mango, there's a base price for the frozen yogurt, and for each additional topping, you get charged X amount of money. At Pinkberry, you get charged a price for either plain frozen yogurt or frozen yogurt with as many toppings that can fit in your cup. Being the greedy hungry growing sensible girl that I am, I obviously side with Pinkberry. 

*This post was not sponsored by Pinkberry or Red Mango in any way (I wish). I'm just always eating.

And during my break at work, I went to go get food (the sandwich pictured above and Jamba Juice). Right outside of Jamba Juice were boxes and bags filled of free discarded books. My favorite thing in the world. One of them, at least. I really love being able to hold a tangible book in my hands. Being able to flip the pages and smell the mustiness of the books and see the yellowing of the pages. I'm not a big fan of these e-readers. Who wants a book that runs out of batteries? Okay, maybe some of you do, but I'll always stick to my paperbacks and hardcovers.

LOVELOVE, JULIA

let's not be negative nancy!

 OUTFIT DETAILS: forever 21 striped sweater // hollister co. denim shorts
anthropologie belt // white Ralph Lauren shoes // century 21 bag.

i love shake shack. so so so so so much.

 various photos.

YAY. I FINALLY UPDATED THE LAYOUT. I mean, I liked the old one, but it's summer and I wanted something happy. And cute. And purple. I love purple. Let me know if there's anything wrong on your end/browser and I'll try to fix it!

Anyways... if you guys can sort of tell through my blog, I'm not much of a negative person. I like to be optimistic and have fun and think the best of people. However, I was just left a rather meanie mean nasty negative comment on my physical appearance. It was something along the lines of, "EW YOUR LEGS ARE WEIRD" and I totally promote freedom of speech and everything, but since this is my blog and I don't like negativity, I deleted it.

I don't want to be mean and snarky when addressing the topic of body image issues and everything, but let me say that I'm sorry that you don't like the way my legs look, or they're not aesthetically pleasing to you, or sorry they're muscular because I participated in over 10 years of athletics, or that my parents have muscular legs and due to the whole science thing where I inherit their genes and thus I have been born with killer legs and you don't like it.

I know this is my personal fashion + lifestyle blog, but I really want to touch upon the personal aspect. I never really had much to say on this topic since it never occurred to me that I should bring it up, but that nasty little comment was a great starting point. I used to have body image issues - with pressure from my mother and peers to look a certain way. I used to hide behind oversized clothing and my hair and not wear certain things because I knew other people looked better in it than I ever would. It was mostly an internal battle for me until I realized that I was never going to make everyone happy with the way I looked. I realized it was a futile battle and the only person I should care about making happy was myself. I'm not saying that being altruistic is bad. It's a good thing! But you should put yourself first.

I am tired of females, and males as well, putting down each other based on physical appearances. Take away your fancy haircut, your personal hygienic products, make up, fancy clothes, and I doubt you would like the way you looked either. And the worst part is that people put others down based on things that they cannot control: like the bump on someone's nose, or their crooked smile, or their lack of cheekbones, or the fact that they don't look like the photoshopped size 0 models on the cover of any fashion magazine.

Other people and bloggers have talked about body image issues and they have all done much better (and eloquent) jobs at addressing this topic than I have. You're free to post whatever comment you want on my blog. I'll read it, but it'll be at my discretion as to whether or not I'll keep it up. No wonder many bloggers choose to approve the comments before it's published on their sites.

I'm just saying, I love my body. I'm comfortable with it, and I hope that other girls who are dealing with rude comments on their physical appearances can learn to appreciate themselves and ignore other people's negative thoughts.

LOVELOVE (except that lame anon), JULIA.

looks like paris.

 

 Finally, an outfit post! Or, at least, a post that included official outfit photos.

So the title of the post has nothing to do with Paris, technically. While I was at work, this adorable French lady commented on the tanktop and said that the drawings "looked like Paris", where she was from. And then she bought it. I'd like to think it was because of my powers of persuasion -- not the fact that she had sentimental feelings towards a drawing on the tanktop that reminded her of home.

Did I ever mention how much I like high waisted stuff? Especially shorts when they fit perfectly (which means, fitted at the waist and the butt and then loose in the thigh area without making me look like a frumpy old mawmaw). Surprise, surprise, I got it from work. Of course, that's all I can afford to shop at since I'm there 85% of my time.

 So after a friend's birthday barbecue, we all decided to head to Coney Island just to participate in some awesome drunken revelry on the beach. We rode the Cyclone at "Luna Park" (which is technically the new official name for the amusement park but we just call it Coney Island because we're too lazy to memorize things) and just ended up taking photos and running around on the beach. And please ignore the fact that my tatas are out and about in that picture. Not that I have much of them anyways. And when we were on the beach, I was pretty paranoid. It was dark and I was scared we were going to step on jellyfish and then we'd have to urinate on ourselves/each other or something.

Outfit posts makes me want to go shopping more. This is an addiction that cannot be stopped. This is only enabling me. OH NOOOOOOO.

LOVELOVE, JULIA

 Outfit Details:

Printed Chiffon Camisole in steeple - American Apparel

Light Wash High-Waist Jean Cuff Short - American Apparel

lavender cardigan - American Apparel

lace slingback flats - Topshop

memorial day weekend recap.

I. Cinnabon at a New Jersey rest stop.

who can resist the hot melty sweet icing-y goodness of a CINNABON?! NO ONE. that's who.

which is why i ate it in about....two minutes. i scalded my tongue. it was worth it.

II. group photo #1 out of #203924.

just kidding. we didn't take that many. okay. we did. sort of. don't judge.

i had to set the self timer and put my camera on top of a television.

improvising. i'm good at that.

outfit details (on me): aztec print dress - forever 21 // flipflops - old navy

III. had awesome seafood.

1. awesome sign.

2. crab & shrimp cake sandwich. SO DELICIOUS.

3. blue potato chip.

4. happy because i'm about to have some lunch.

or maybe because i had some alcohol.

maybe.

IV. went on a ferris wheel.

saw the beach from the ferris wheel.

felt safer because if the ferris wheel broke down, we would fall onto sand.

less impact = less splatter = less dead.

V. got sundaes.

funnel fries (like funnel cake but fry form), chocolate icecream, butter

pecan icecream, vanilla icecream, whipped cream, fudge, caramel,

banana, cherry, a billion calories but who cares.

oh and a funny sign warning you about seagull attacks.

funny story: we walked out of the store with our sundaes to go back to our hotel

and when my friend walks a little away from us, seagulls start to circle around

her, trying to divebomb for her food. note to everyone: don't mess with seagulls.

VI. saw my worst fear by the pool

fun fact about julia: i have a fear of birds.

i hate birds. so much. especially pigeons. they're the devil.

VII. FUNNEL CAKE!!!!!

i asked for extra sugar.

VIII. amusement park at night.

IX. brunch omg brunch!!

my favorite meal of the day.

bacon, feta & spinach omelet, homefries, rye bread, white bread.

X. went to the beach

thought an octopus tried to kill me...it was just my friend's arm. 

we got assaulted by the waves. no, more like domestically abused.

seriously. it was fun, though. also, sand gets everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

on me: bathing suit from Polo Ralph Lauren

XI. saw interesting things at a candy store.

 So over Memorial Day weekend, I got to spend a weekend away with my friends in Wildwood, NJ! It's sort of Jersey's version of Coney Island, except with better rides and a nicer beach. Seriously. My friend almost stepped into a used needle at Coney Island. Not to say that it's really that bad, but it's still sketchy. Really sketchy. But it was just a great start to the summer. It was definitely some much needed R&R after studying (just kidding) all year long. I hope everyone's having a great start to their summer (or almost summer, if you're in school, or end of summer if you're on the other side of the world -- like Australia)!

Hopefully I'll have an actual outfit post soon. Or something. It's way too hot lately. I might just go nude...just kidding.

LOVELOVE, JULIA.

night of mcqueen!

HELLO READERS. I am obviously back from the dead. So I had the chance to go to the Metropolitan Museum where there was a special Mcqueen For A Night event! It was amazing. There was a fashion contest by students recreating McQueen's masterpieces and an exhibit of his stuff as well. I had so much fun eating cheese and these bread stick things and making a tote bag and looking at EVERYTHING.

I wanted to make a hat but there were so many people and I was tired and hungry from work. Which reminds me: I got a job. YAY A JOB. And if you'll bother scrolling down and looking at my little outfit details thing, you can probably figure out where I work.

It's FINALLY SUMMER. I have been waiting for this day for months and months and months. So, please, expect regular updates along with picture spams of things that I haven't posted in the last few months. I really really really missed blogging and taking photos and since I have a job now, I'll probably go shopping more/save up for trips/save up for a new camera/EAT MORE. I missed eating so much. As a broke college student, I lived off of PB&J, hot pockets, and home cooking. I missed eating out at a nice restaurant and being able to pay for myself instead of begging my parents to treat me to dinner and everything.

So, I have a little favor to ask all of you!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OF/CHANGED ON THIS BLOG?

Is it more fashion blogging? Daily blogs of my adventures? Photography? FOOD?!?!

What sort of changes would you like to see? A "READ MORE" option, so you can click

through to see the rest of the post? Change of layout? ET CETERA? 

Until next time....

LOVELOVE, JULIA

 Outfit Details:
Jacquard Lace Tee in creme - American Apparel
Mid-Length Accordion-Pleat Skirt in Cobalt - American Apparel
black wedge platforms - Jeffrey Campbell