they really do fall like snow

I never realized how much the seasons affect my mood and personality until this year. But then again, this was my first winter in Korea. All I wanted to do was sit in my heated apartment with my computer. But now that the weather is awesome and the world is a nice place to venture out into, I've been out hiking every day. EVERY DAY. For the past month. One of the things I will truly miss about Korea is having mountains across the street from my apartment. (Charleston: awesome beaches, awesome nightlife, awesome shopping, awesome food, awesome laid-back attitude, but mountains? Korea has you beat there!) So between hiking, parties and spring festivals I've had no time to sit down, which has been great for my life (not to mention my butt), but my online life has suffered. I have tons of pictures, but no time to upload them. However, today is a rain day. And if there's one thing Korea does not half-ass it on it's rain. So here I sit sharing some of the best shots of my quirky-gorgeous mountain town. The ubiquitous cherry blossoms and wild azaleas really class up the place. Enjoy!

how awesome is awesome?

Josh Keyes, thank you for existing, for putting your stuff out there, and having a website. You make the rest of the world look a little duller in comparison, but that's ok. Your only flaw: you don't have a t-shirt to make me re-think my no t-shirt policy.

for the love of spring

It doesn't look like this yet.

Had the first semi-warm day of the year yesterday and I went hiking. You could see the happiness on everyone's faces on the trail. While it's still jacket weather for now, and the cherry blossoms have not appeared, I am jonesing for it bad. So here are some things I'm loving/wanting/needing/breathing that would easily make the transition into just-spring warmer weather.

some more achievable than others

1. Balenciaga MILKYWAY LIGNE PAPIER MESSENGER $995

2. ALDO LUZAR sandals $35

3. Lady Gray Large Gradient Necklace $ 204

4. Zara DOUBLE LAYER JACQUARD PATTERNED SCARF $30

5. Acne Skinny Distressed Jeans $135

6. Eryn Brinié Sweater $75

relief

Please donate to help the Japan earthquake relief effort, but be careful who you give your money to. Until a reputable charity is established, go over to the Red Cross to dedicate money specifically for this disaster. My heart goes out to the country I have come to think of as my home away from home away from home.

not rich enough to be a convert

Chloe is one of those lines that seems to be in love with my enemy, the high-waist. So, their clothing is usually more miss than hit for me. And I'm not usually one for animal prints. (Stay far far away.) So please excuse me while I eat my words:

Wow

Yowza

What's the appeal? I think it's that the prints are done in my favorite range of neutrals, which makes the prints less garish and gives my usual colors beautiful texture. And the cuts are just so... so... perfect! There really is no other word.

So am I headed out to add more snake skin to my wardrobe? Definitely not. This is one of those things I don't see successfully done often, and while my tastes may be expanding, my bank account isn't, so no real Chloe coat for me. But, I am definitely going to pay closer attention to this designer.

And, has Chloe changed my mind about high-waisted, fat momma, 1980's shorts that even make this model look like she's got a bit of a belly?

No.

(Thanks to Alix over at The Cherry Blossom Girl for sharing!)

low waist vs. high ethics

I love low-rise jeans. The early 2000s were a great time for jean buying. I hate the current trend toward high-waist everything. (Note: if you have a concave waist, and you think this looks cool, more power to you. Personally I can't wait to buy things that actually look good again.)

So, happy happy me when I found these Miss Sixty jeans, on sale for even cheaper than online at my recently discovered new shopping spot, Shinsegae. The coolest department store in the province is right here in my sleepy little town.

hooray

So I check the label when I get home, and they are made in Tunisia. Should I be, like, concerned? I admit, before the revolution, I didn't know much about the country, but it didn't seem like a good place to get a job where you are treated well.

One manufacturer that I feel good about buying from is American Apparel. I love that all their clothes are made from union-represented workers. However, they are also under this ridiculous delusion that everyone should wear shorts and pencil skirts up to their boobs. Sigh. I do have to say though, they make the best mesh bra you can get for the price.

Hear my call American Apparel! Make clothes for the rest of us! We want to buy from you too!

(Speaking of boobs, does anyone know where this comes from? Such classy classy nudity. I want it!) via

a few goodies

So... I should be working. But the boyfriend is writing a magazine article about the All Tomorrow's Parties show we attended in Tokyo, and if it gets accepted my photos will be published with it, which will change where and how I post them. So they've all been corrected and prettified, but I can't put them up yet. I've also gotten a huge head start on my work for next week, so I'm kind of in a holding pattern. I could be cleaning, but, yeah, no. So I've spent the morning out playing in blogland, and found treasure!

I've been searching for a good Korean street style site for a while. They have a way of complimenting their bodies' natural shapes that would never work on me, but is cool nonetheless. So, I was stoked to discover Sushi and Silk! She's just gotten started but she's already better at braving the cold weather than I would ever be. My favorite shot so far. It's a great example of the puffy jacket/awesome boots style that I see all the time here. It also shows the boisterous, friendly personality of Koreans once you get through their shy exterior. Good job!

Also, a beautiful alternative to the image glut on a lot of sites, Crying Feather. They have just a few well-composed shots that have such texture and mystery they make me want to throw out my whole portfolio and start again. Well, maybe not the whole thing. I think I'm just in those restless, last-throes-of-winter doldrums and these photos are squeezing out the final drops of winter melancholy.

Last but not least, I want this bad. However it's a custom, one-of-a-kind piece, and my sewing machine is back in the States. So, that ain't happening.

So now, clean, go hiking, clean, go hiking, ...laze about some more? Decisions.

P.S. - what I love and hate about fashion. What a gorgeous freaking dress! What a stupid freaking hat! A wedding or the set of Conan the Barbarian? Which BTW, I totally love. Again with the vacillation.