SXSW Meets Laura Ingalls Wilder.

While I'm very excited to have my first outfit post, I need to gush about SXSW2010 for a bit.

The volunteer call on Sunday was 2-6, and boy, am I glad my roommate wanted to get there early! The place was not that busy when we arrived, but by the time we left, it was packed. So glad to have been in the first-round, as all of my hours are before the music portion of the festival even begins.

I've scheduled myself for 50 hours, which will earn me a SX Music Pass. While the SX Music Pass does not guarantee me priority access (damn you, badge-holders!), I can go to SXSW music showcase venues, music trade show, panels, and the Sunday BBQ and Baseball Tournament. I also get a Music Big Bag (free swag!) and a Music Directory.

My volunteers hours for the the 23rd annual music and media conference & festival are during Bag Stuffing Set-Up, Bag Stuffing (filling those free swag! bags takes a while), and Hospitality (maintaining the SXSW staff & volunteer area).

I'm not quite sure how much of the actual festival I will be able to enjoy, as money is tight right now. However, as long as I scrimp and save all of February--don't go shopping--and don't do anything for my spring break (which is a week after the festival ends), I can ask for work off.

The good news is the Art Institute of Austin is allowing me to skip classes during my volunteer times!

Anywho. Enough about SXSW. Let's talk about what I wore to the Volunteer Call on Sunday.

"My name is Chelsea. I read all of the original Little House on the Prairie books before the fourth grade. I had a childhood crush on Almanzo Wilder after reading The Long Winter."

Close-Up on the Skirt Purse.

Dress is My Story from Strut.
Belt is gifted BKE from Buckle, circa 2006.
Jeggings are Wet Seal from...wait for it...Wet Seal, circa Fall 2008.
Boots are gifted & vintage horse show Tony Lamas, circa 1960s.
Handmade purse was purchased from a boutique in 2006 on Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, CA.

Thanks to SXSW2010 for the logo.

Every Day Should Be a Fashion Friday.

After our classes ended today, my best friend Megan and I--both fashion students at the Art Institute of Austin--did some damage to our wallets.

We first went shopping at Wet Seal, where I have an Employee Appreciation 50% Off Weekend.

After I bought a denim romper and a green cardigan, I decided we had to hit up Terra Burger off The Drag for some lunch. However, when Megan and I approached The Triangle at Guadalupe and Lamar, I told her we had to make a pitstop at SoLa: "I read something about a sale somewhere..." (Thanks, Amanda!). Everything there is still 50% off, including already marked-down items.

After buying a set of gold octupi earrings and a gorgeous dress that looks fabulous on now and will look even more fab as I continue my journey of weight-loss (I want to lose 19 pounds by my 21st birthday, April 21st), Megan bought a wine-colored romper.

I like to think they're swimming on my coffee table.

This dress has a great gold-colored exposed zipper on the side.

Megan in SoLa!

We merrily made our way down Guadalupe to Terra Burger, a place Megan has never been before. I was so excited to have her try the food there because everything from the soda to the locally-made burger buns is organic. The burgers are half-price on Fridays, so this added to my excitement. Megan absolutely loved the joint! She ordered a hamburger and soda, while I got my usual veggie burger and fries (for the record, I am a vegetarian). When visiting Terra, I alternate between getting fries and getting a chocolate baby-sized shake.

Megan is no longer a virgin to Terra Burger!

Afterward, we made my usual round of the Guadalupe-located stores: Urban Outfitters, c. jane, Wish, Cream Vintage...As always, I fell in love with everything at Cream Vintage, especially a dress their seamstresses and tailors had reworked into their own vision. After trying it on, Megan made the suggestion of getting it taken in in a few places. Lindsey, the seamstress who helped me, was very nice and even let Megan take a photo of her working. I've always loved Cream Vintage since moving back into the Austin area in 2008, and I'm so glad they have in-house seamstresses. Their services are only $7, which isn't too shabby. The cost of the overall purchase was less-than-expected, as everything in the store, excluding sunglasses, was 20% off.

Lindsey and me at the Cream Vintage West Campus store.

I forgot to get a photo of the Betsey Johnson swimsuit cover-up Megan bought for $20 at Buffalo Exchange, but it summed up the crazy, wonderful day. I've decided every day should be a "Fashion Friday"; I just need more of a cash flow first.

End result of the Cream Vintage dress!

The weather was so nice, Megan changed into a blouse she bought at Urban Outfitters.

Special thanks to SoLa for the logo.

An Education: 1960's London fashion on film.

During the Golden Globes last night, I was reminded of the great little coming-of-age film An Education, which I saw at the theatre several months ago (it had a very limited release). Based on the memoirs of British journalist Lynn Barber, the movie is about Jenny (Golden Globe nominee Carey Mulligan), a London schoolgirl who falls in love with an older man. Although the story sounds like a page from Nabakov's Lolita and the title may conjure up the Natalie Portman film The Professional, I was taken aback at how surprisingly honest and sensual the film was.

Mulligan as Jenny.

The characters, even the smaller roles, were believable. The film did a great job with casting a good ensemble: Peter Sarsgaard, who plays David and steals little Jenny's heart, may be best remembered in Garden State as Mark, the insensitive but hilarious friend; Alfred Molina plays Jenny's father and was the Bishop in The Da Vinci Code; Rosemary Cross, who plays a schoolteacher, played the female lead in 1998's Rushmore (which, if you're from Texas, was filmed in Houston by UT alum Wes Anderson); and Emma Thompson plays the headmistress.

I really could go on and on about the cast alone.

Basically, the movie is fantastic to watch because of its cast.

Set in 1961 (before the Beatles had Ringo Starr on drums), the film demonstrates the difference in its characters--both economical and maturation--with clothing. Jenny, as a school girl, is dressed plainly, with her hair simple.

On her first date with David, she meets David's friends, Danny and Helen (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike, respectively). Jenny is intrigued by Helen, and literally pets Helen's fur shawl. Helen invites her shopping, which Jenny declines due to money, only to find out that David will take her shopping.

Talk about wardrobe upgrade for the remaining duration! The rest of the film takes us through Jenny's departure from childhood, emotionally and fashionably.

Almost makes me want to find a sugar daddy. Almost. If you have not seen the film, enjoy these stills until its DVD release, courtesy of Yahoo.

You can view the trailer of An Education and learn about the awards Mulligan, who is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, has won for her role here (don't bother reading the synopsis, though; it might as well be called "major spoiler"). Special thanks to Sony Pictures Classics and BBC Films.

Austin Street Style: Erin.

At the Art Institute Campus today.

P.S. I've decided to start a more personal blog, in addition to this one...it's called Wide Eyed Restless. It's going to be mostly personal poems and other writings, etc. whatnot. There's only one post up, but you can visit it here! Have a lovely day!

P.P.S. I'm moving my writing blog to Tumblr, so...you can still visit the new blog by clicking the link, I'm just in the midst of making it look prettier. Thanks!

Sweet Home Dream Pie Social, ATX Fashion Week 2010, & SXSW2010!

This Saturday is the 2nd Sweet Home Dream Pie Social. Part of the grassroots movement 'ServeADream', the event strives to achieve equality by bringing back the tradition of pie socials.

The event celebrates not only the community but also raises money to support other community projects, as all donations will be donated to the Sweet Home Restoration Fund.

The Sweet Home Dream Pie Social starts at 2PM and lasts until 4 at the Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1725 West 11th Street. There will be a Dream Pie Contest, along with a Silent Pie Auction. If you are interested in finding out more information, along with pie donations, go to ServeADream.org.

Austin bloggers, let me know if you're planning on going! If I have my car by then (transmission is currently being replaced), I'll definitely be there.

Fashaustinistas (I dare you to say it ten times fast), Launch 787 has announced this year's Austin Fashion Week dates.

Moved to August, the week-long fashionable extravaganza will be kicked off on the 14th (making Austin Fashion Week a true Leo), with an "over-the-top" fashion show.

From the 15th-20th, there will be over 150 events, including runway shows, trunk shows and then to what I can finally attend as I will be 21--cocktail parties!

On the final day, August 21st, there will be the Austin Fashion Awards, celebrating the city's most unique and creative designers.

Of course, after the Fashion Awards there will be an after-party.

All the locations for the events have yet to be determined, but you can go to FashionWeekAustin.com to sign up for their e-mail list so you don't miss out on any of the events! At their website you can also find information about working at the events as a model, hair-stylist, makeup artist, or photographer. They are also accepting retailers, salons, and Texas-based designers to showcase. Follow them on Twitter @ATXFashionWeek .

I am very excited for Austin Fashion Week, and hopefully the promoters have worked all the kinks out from the issues that seemed to make last year's events less than lively.

P.S. 1/12: Found out my school is going to let me skip class if I volunteer at South By Southwest! Hopefully all the cards will fall into place for this!

Thanks to Google Images for the pie photo,
ATX Fashion Week for their logo, as well as SXSW2010 for theirs!

Shopping With Discounts is Fantastical!

The teen-aimed store Anchor Blue in Austin's Highland Mall is going out of business. While this is sad, especially since I work at the dying mall (one anchor store, Dillard's, started pulling out in 2008), it does have its perks: reduced merchandise. On Thursday, having known when the going-out-of-business promos were starting, I perused the Anchor Blue selection. Everything, except jeans and graphic tees and backpacks, was 50% and they will be continuing this promotion until their last business day, January 29th. Since I work for at the nearby Wet Seal, whose demographic is the same, there wasn't a ton of merchandise I was desperately needing, but I did find a great purse and sunglasses:

Total Cost: $13.75 pre-tax.

The purse easily goes with half of my wardrobe, and gives any sweetheart outfit an edge. The diamond pattern is in fact not metal but is shaped from the material. Along with the tassles on the zippers and the three pockets (two side pockets with one large, main pocket), this tube-shaped purse won me over in 30 seconds of seeing it. The sunglasses are simple and blue, and I've been wanting blue sunglasses since my previous blue pair of sunnies were scratched by my dog.

Pre-tax cost: $22.50 each for nonemployees.

Besides the items from Anchor Blue, I decided to buy a cardigan the Wet Seal received Thursday. While processing shipment, I fell in love with the cropped elbow cardigan sweater.

Half-sleeves and quarter-sleeves are my favorite length, and with this length-obsession stemming back from my Little League days, I ended up getting the cardigan in both white and black. The entire purchase was only $27 thanks to my employee discount.

I will definitely wear the white this spring and summer, as it can go with any color of tank-top, and the black one will probably get more wear next fall and winter. The thing I love about cardigans is that they are classic, so they can go with almost anything--tank tops, dresses, fancy blouses. The possibilities are endless.

If you read my Ten New Year's Fashion Resolutions (or fasholutions as Couture Carrie so fabulously declared it), you'll recall that I'm trying to get out of the graphic-tee rut, and I think the cardigans are a big step forward. I'm excited for my next classic purchase, which I'll undoubtedly share, and until then...I'll leave you with a photo of my entire collection of shoes, which needs to go under a vast improvement. I am excited for spring collections to start rolling in so I can stock up on ballet flats, Keds, and other uneccessary but stylish footgear (despite the size of my closet, I try very hard to be a minimalist; it keeps things simple).

Five pairs of boots (top right pair are gifted, vintage Tony Lama riding boots), one pair of running shoes, two pairs of heels, and two pairs of flipflops (including that dastardly pair of Coors Light flip-flops, which are officially now only for walking around the yard with my dog).

Baby, It's About to Get Freezing Cold Outside.

I'm trying desperately to ignore the latest weather reports of nearly freezing temperatures for tomorrow and Friday. I don't have anything that's really warm to combat this slight dip. All I have to keep me warm is one good jacket that's more for show than warmth, and a few fleece-lined hoodies left over from my (horribly maladroit) snowboarding days. Those tend to get rather bulky, and make me feel as if I just transformed into Mr. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. You should see my Yetti impression when I'm wearing a faux-fur coat. Apparently it's quite hilarious after I've had a few drinks.

That's why I love this military coat from Kenneth Cole. Long-sleeved with both breast and in-seam pockets, the coat's shell is 60% wool, 30% polyester, along with 5% rayon and the rest is labeled as "other" fibers. The lining is 100% polyester. I like how this jacket could be a "wonderful coat" compliment, but you can't necessarily see what you're wearing under it (such as my pajamas while getting Starbuck's). I also like the look of the pleats; not too small, not too big. The coat comes in both gravel and black, as show. You can find it at Overstock.com.

Of course, the traditional pea coat is not a bad choice, either. Today a classic, the pea coat, or pea jacket, has military beginnings: it was used in the "cold weather uniform" worn by Navy sailors in Europe, most notably the British and Dutch. Coco Chanel helped keep the style popular in the early 20th century, as she boldly made ladies' clothing more androgynous than previous styles.

It's a great style to turn to, and I adore the peacoat I found at Delias.com. It comes in an array of colors, including classic black, sunny yellow, and seductive pomegranate. The oversized hook-and-eye closure at the neck is my fave part. There's nothing more to dislike than to have only your neck be cold because the coat does not button there!
The just-as-classic trench coat has been a must-have for the fall, and will continue to be one through the new year. I especially like the Latte by Coffee Shop Plaid Trench at Nordstrom. It has a fuller skirt than most coats in the back, which gives this coat a unique twist. The bow is also a nice touch, a little fun in something that someone else may perceive as serious. "Business in the front, party in the back" may be the slogan for mullets, but I think this coat gives the saying a whole new, sophisticated meaning. Unfortunately, others may have liked this coat a bit too much: I had found my size a few weeks ago, but it is no longer available! When choosing coats, it's important to make an investment in its color as well as its durability. I tend to go for one solid color or a plaid pattern. Black is definitely my favorite jacket color if it's solid; green or burgundy-based palettes if it's a pattern. I'm obsessed with buttons since inheriting my mother's button collection, and those can be easily changed out. What color and style is your favorite coat, shown here or at home?

Special thanks to the 1984 Columbia Pictures film Ghostbusters.