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Monday, November 19, 2012

Hiatus

It is with copiously overflowing bundles of regret in my heart that I must announce a Hiatus for the blog.

It's a temporary one, but certainly a long one, and may well last until the end of March (Gee, let's hope not). But most likely the End of January. Yikes, right? I know, it breaks my heart too, but I simply cannot dedicate as much time, effort, and creativity (ha) to this blog as it deserves.

Why, you ask? Well, Jennifer wants to have a career someday that involves scalpel-ing people open and drugging them up with lots of goodies that will change their world, perhaps not in that exact order. Apparently you need a license to do that kind of stuff. Apparently to even be in the running to get a license to do that kind of stuff you have to jump through all of these hurdles, some of which include passing tests of all kinds, big ones, little ones, but mostly the big ones. Sometimes tests like these require all your energy, time, and effort because otherwise you'll get a 22 and be doomed to a life of panhandling, pick-pocketing and possibly prostitution. As we all know, nobody wants that.

Sorry. Dramatization.

Technically, I've already been on Hiatus for a while, I just haven't had the heart to make it official yet. However, seeing that I haven't touched my camera in a little over three weeks, I think it's time to make a small sacrifice now so that I can come back full force when my time's a little more freed up. I can already taste the sweet freedom on my lips, not to mention entrance into med school. Tastes like cadavers.

Bye bye for now, little cottonballs of joy.



Sunday, October 21, 2012

Rooftop Reveries

Some people use the rooftop of the Medical Center for pensive nighttime activities. I sneak up there early on Saturday mornings to take photos of myself. I should have known my mother was right when she told me I was a little bit off.

There comes a time when your hair gets so long that it acquires a personality of its own. People ask after it at parties, recognize it before they acknowledge the rest of you, ask about its plans for the immediate future. In fact, it wouldn't be too much a stretch of the imagination for me to claim that it was a dear friend to me: Sometimes, it annoyed the stuffing out of me. But when the going was good, Oh the Adventures we'd go on! Now that I've cut it off, looking at these photographs almost makes me wistful for long, tangled, fraught-with-split-end, rope hair again.

I've been so behind on my posting that these outfit photos are from one whole month ago. Actually, more than a month ago. Eep. I also haven't been taking street style photos around campus, in case anybody has noticed and was feeling hit hard by the absence. Or noticed and didn't care. Or just didn't notice. Any one of many permutations. But after tonight's Scene and Heard fashion show, I feel a second wind of inspiration that will hopefully push me through the rest of the semester.

Hat - Nasty Gal; Top - UO; Leggings - Ping Ping and Rabbit; Shoes - Forever 21



Look at these babies. These sweet, ankle and sole breaking babies

For anybody who is interested, it should take me about a week to edit all of the photos from Scene and Heard. Life is a little bit--no, scratch that, a lot bit--crazy right now!

Jenn

Saturday, October 6, 2012

The Long and Short of It


How to describe the Animal Collective concert... Well, there comes a time amidst the tirelessly undulating, taco-scented masses when you need to hold your head to the sky and take a deep, chilling breath. Think of it as breaking the surface of a lake after a flailing spree from the bottom. Let me tell you, I've been there before, and it's not exactly pretty, but it's pretty much a sure sign of a good time. And, it almost never happens to me when I'm at a Nashville concert. Maybe it just means that Atlanta is full of crazy people. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Animal Collective demolished that show into little, itty bitty pieces of fantastic. It's hard to tell.

All I know is, no experience in the past few months or immediate future can or will compare. Especially because I spent my fall break studying for the MCAT and will likely be swept up in a MCAT related storm for the next few months.

It's like trying to run 26.2 miles when the last time you ran was more than five months ago and your record distance is, like, eight miles. It's pain and despair.

Here, have a street style photo. Now that I think about it, Jalisia's skirt reminds me of the concert in its kaleidoscopic, psychedelic nature... If I turn my head one way I think I can see an erupting volcano on a game board of Candyland. If I turn it the other way, I think I see Satan eating a carrot.


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Five-O-Clock Shadow

I really would like to stop talking about the weather, but there're only so many inane topics you can cover when you're not interested in getting into "real talk." I mean... I'd do that, but having real talk on a street style blog that's public is about as prudent as shoving as many Skittles as you can up your nose: At first, it's vivid and bursting with flavor, but after a certain point that it comes back to haunt you.

Besides the point. My glasses broke so I super-glued one of the ear-hangy-thingies (that's their official name, I'm pretty sure) back, but I didn't insert the metal hinge part deep enough so now they're too wide for my head and they fall every time I look down. It drives me up the wall.

In less than 24 hours, I will be on my way back to Atlanta, where the players play and all the sports teams worth rooting for are swathed in some variation of red and/or black [I'm (not) looking at you, Georgia Tech], so forth and so on. I expect a whirlwind weekend of Chinese food, cuddling my Mom for the first time in a year, escapade-ing around all the sights in Atlanta, tearing up an Animal Collective concert, riding an ultra-sketch Megabus whose center of mass is far too high for my comfort (If I don't get back, I careened off a cliff. No, I'm serious), and probably doing a little bit of MCAT work, as well).

Hopefully I'll have some interesting pictures up for your viewing pleasure. If not, it will be because my camera equipment got jacked at a Greyhound station at 4 in the morning. Yeah. I'm taking a Greyhound back. At four in the morning on Monday. Why, you ask? Well, I like to mix up my shady ventures, let all the creepy people take a shot at me. Also, I'm extraordinarily cheap. How's that for real talk?

Enough about me. Meet Liz, whose bleached denim shirt coral pants combination instantly caught my eye last Wednesday! Her outfit is reminiscent of all those slack-jawed afternoons that play no part in the grand scheme of our careers, but matter indubitably in the grand scheme of our lives. You know what I'm talking about?


To set the scene: You and your friends are broken down on the side of some interstate in Idaho (cause you're... on a road trip... to... Canada). It's sweltering hot, not a cloud in the sky, and you feel like you'll never get back to civilization. You briefly consider cannibalizing one of your friends (kidding). Then out of the honey comes a group of devastatingly handsome, chisel-jawed motorcyclists--they stop and offer you guys a ride. As you hop on the back of five-o-clock shadow's bike, all of you go riding around town on a delirious adventure! You make some bad decisions, some worse decisions, jump into motel pools naked screaming at the top of your lungs, sing karaoke along with the jukebox at the local pancake place, set off fireworks in the middle of some dark field, get lost in the woods, basically live like you're in an Urban Outfitters ad campaign, and by the morning you're back at your car with four gallons of (what you assume is) gasoline. This is what you'd be wearing. Well, not all of you. You've got that one friend in high-waisted leopard hot pants and a sheer white crop top, as well as five inch platform shoes.

What was she thinking?

The sun washes out every photo that is important to me ;_;
Love

Jenn


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

The reference to Mr. Rogers isn't a jab at Diana and Laura's outfits, I promise. Although I do find it quite adorable that they dress up teacher-style every Wednesday to go tutor small children. They are very teacherly, of course, and quite stylish too. I love Diana's collared dress/cardigan pairing; the yellow tights  stand out in the very best way. And I equally love Laura's color palette, along with the florals peeking out. The burnt orange and rose pink incites a warm yet Autumnal feeling. They are definitely a pair of sartorial educators.

It's more so a tribute to the pleasant afternoon I spent with the two--they were nice enough to pose for photos during the free hour I have between classes. This, after a well-portioned meal at the Commons (is it just me or do they serve significantly smaller portion sizes on Main campus this year?), was the cherry on top of a quite wonderful day, if I say so myself. It was a brief respite before I holed myself up in Featheringill until 3 AM and subsequently went quite insane... I think I need a break from school. Or, at the very least, more afternoons like this.


Here they are sitting on a tilted bench. Diana has just put away her cheetos and is feeling quite pleased with herself.


These are their angry-teacher glares. Diana's is very stern, but Laura's insinuates that she just might be thinking about killing you.

In my head I have secretly dubbed Tuesdays "terrible Tuesdays," for reasons.

I will now have to seriously consider the name "Wonderful Wednesdays" for Wednesdays, as well.

Thursday, of course, is and always will be Thirsty.

Love,
Jenn

Monday, September 24, 2012

Disoriented

I bet all of you are wondering (well maybe not) why I haven't posted all the photos that I have... Well, it's been a crazy weekend, in the sense that I wrote my essay the whole weekend and still had to pull an all-nighter last night. So today has been a weird sort of day when I've been grabbing at any sleep I can get and generally feeling off my mark. I thought I'd take some time to update, though, because I've got a lot of great street style for you and an outfit post as well, but it'll take me a bit to get it out there...

Although, you'd really think that I'd be better at studying efficiently by now, now that I'm a Junior and all? Instead, I think I've regressed to Pre-Freshman laziness and it's very disturbing. Sure, it's up to me to get myself out of this wallowing hole, but I also completely love it. But I hate it. See the dilemma?


I don't know if you can tell, but I've been focusing my attentions on the rather flowy dresses lately. It's sad to me that they won't be here for much longer, now that fall is pushing it's way in! I'm starting to feel the chill.

See you soon,

Jenn

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Sleep Is My Friend And My Rival

Some of you may notice that this post is coming at you at 3.00e8 meters per second at 2:40 AM from Featheringill, the hall where dreams go to die.

Kidding.

Sometimes I get weird when it's really late and school hits me over the side of the head like a cast iron skillet. I get all useless at working and mostly pop bubbles or virtually slice fruit to itsy bitsy pieces on Fruit Ninja. I guess I am apologizing for this post before I post it and while I post it. Surely I will also apologize for it afterwards.

Have I mentioned how valuable the lost art of color-blocking is? Its incomprehensible nature can often elude the sharpest of fashionistas. We'll buy things that come pre-color-blocked or pair otherwise cute colors that, together, look rather odious. So when I see it done right, that's when I like to get a picture. Combinations that generally work for me include:


  • Monochromatic Colors
  • Monochromatic Colors with different vibrancies (i.e. Chelsea from last week)
  • Almost-complementary colors (How good does blue look with yellow? Eh?)
  • Multiple, uneven ratios of interesting color combinations.
  • Neon/Pastel, although I've yet to see anybody on campus do this...
  • And... like Adesewa does here, complementary colors (essentially).

What softens the look somewhat is the peachiness of the blouse (as opposed to loud and bright orange). To me, this works better.

I feel like I am going crazy though, so I must sign off.

Jenn

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Singing the Sunday Blues

For the first time in a long while, I've had a weekend dedicated mostly to hedonism and pure enjoyment rather than work, errands, and an endless checklist of misery-inducing tasks (dramatic much?). In a majority of ways, it has been fantastic... Good food, good friends, a Beach House concert (!!!) and the delaying of my anxious ways, just for a little. It's been a long time since I've done something like this, so I definitely forgot how terrible it feels when Sunday afternoon hits you and you've still got a litany of things to do... Like an essay, amongst other things... Blargh.

And then the anxiety catches up to you, tenfold, as you begin to wonder whether it was worth it after all to spend most of your weekend doing not much of anything. The good thing about that is once anxiety accumulates and crosses an anxiety threshold, it can offset an anxiety action potential that depolarizes your laziness and catalyzes getting shit done. Sort of. Or it can pace around endlessly while you sit there and continue to play Fruit Ninja and pop bubbles and occasionally sigh with despair. It's one or the other.

At this point, I'm rambling. But I wanted to post this photo anyways, despite the puerile writing, because I love the dresses that Nixxi and Natalia were wearing when I ran into them last Sunday. The flowiness of maxi skirts and chiffon-everything that was in style this past summer really calms me, especially when the fabric floats and fluctuates in the breeze. Also, this blog acts as a checkpoint on my sanity. When things start getting fudgy in my brain, I take a second to update. I don't know if it's the photoshop-fiddling or the deluge of babble that I put here, but when I'm done I feel like I've accomplished a lot more than I really have.

 
How did you guys spend your weekends? Wisely? Or with reckless abandon?

Love,

Jenn

Friday, September 14, 2012

E'erday Struggles

Can I tell you how difficult it is to take pictures when I feel like I'm sleep walking? It's a direct result of me being short on sleep for the past week, for absolutely no reason. I guess I've been working a lot, but I keep feeling like I'm getting nothing done (this seems to be a direct side effect of doing research of any sort, whatsoever. Yuck). I was reminded that it's always the assignments at the beginning of the year that serve as rude awakenings concerning the quality of my work ethic and the quality of my work in general. Last year, it was a 66 on my first Physics test (but yo I'm not embarrassed because eventually I got an A in that class OH YEAH). This year, it's a not-so-well-written paper that's kicking my ego in the butt and my motivation into overdrive. I'm a hamster on a wheel.

As a result, my "creative juices" are running a bit dry, so I'm still using pictures from last week. I took this of Collin and Charlotte last Friday at Grins... I'm in love with bright colored maxi skirts for the S/S season and I also really like how put-together both of them look! I have serious bag envy, too, because I adore structured bags with elegant lining, just like Charlotte's. Although... if it weren't for the context of school, I'd assume these two were on vacation. They look so relaxed, it makes me want to sail off to some faraway place. I guess Friday afternoons at Vanderbilt are kind of like a mini-vacation, though. 


Happy weekending,

Jenn

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Pattern Pretty

I approached Taylor last week in Grins because her skirt caught my eye. I don't really know what I love more about it... the pleats, the pastel pink and white polka dots, or that perfect mid-calf length that's not too bothersome yet totally flattering.

She told me she got this from a homeless shelter, if I remember correctly... This just goes to show that thrift/vintage/second-hand shopping really can pay off! I'll have to take advice from Taylor because every time I go to Good Will I have horrible luck. I think it's just a lack of patience to dig through the trash in search of treasure... but I think I'll give it a another go one of these days.


For any of you car-bestowed-upon people living in Nashville, Thrift Smart near Nolensville Pike has student discounts on Friday, is what I hear! Definitely take the time to check it out if you're interested in vintage or thrift shopping. One day soon I will venture out there (actually, I lived super close to it all summer and never visited! How dare I?!) and check it out.

See you soon,

Jennifer

Monday, September 10, 2012

Sullen September

I love this weather; it's got a hint of crispness, yet the warmth of the sun still cradles the weight of your heavy bones. It's not too late, not too early, and change comes upon us quickly and stealthily. That moment when you blink, when your eyelids shut for just shy of a few mili-seconds--that's the divide. When you open your eyes again, Summer is bowing its adieus and Autumn is coming in. She is opening the door, she is rearranging her papers, polite, brisk, reserved, but means well (it's Winter you should be afraid of).

Now is a moment to breathe, a short respite from extremity of any sort. Yet you take a moment to address some sort of lingering wistfulness, because you know that it won't be long until you're dreaming of those dog days of summer once again. Gone are the days you never thought you'd miss, their drudgery and the quick-to-anger burn of the sweltering afternoons. True. But gone also are the clearest turquoise waters that you've ever seen, the freedom of non-structure, the faraway lands and tucked away spaces, the ever-so-slight rescind of time's bony fingers.

So let's take a moment.


Look closely, my dears. There are pennies in his loafers!

Jenn

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Can I Wake You Up?

I cherish the weekends like little gifts given to me by the (Union) gods. After working a month at a grocery store and two research labs, where weekends were just weekday numbers six and seven, I appreciate them all the more now that they're lazy days. They're days I like to spend catching up, taking it slow, experiencing new things or rediscovering old interests. Even so, or maybe particularly because of this, I detest waking up too late on the weekends. When this happens, I feel like I've really missed out on the most important resource: time. Particularly, happy fun free time!

While undergoing this tedious process of maturing into adulthood (...right), I've found that more than anything, time is what I'm missing the most. I'm lucky enough to not have to worry too much about money, because the worse option is having to miss out on meals, or a place to sleep for the night, or a relative degree of certainty about my personal safety... As grateful as I am for that, time spent with loved ones, time spent doing things I enjoy--that's what I feel like is most rapidly slipping through my fingers. It's easy, especially with my anxiety, to get caught up on the tasks that constitute a hefty checklist. It's easy to get lost between the pages, to miss seeing the forest for the trees. But weekends are a time to re-calibrate and realize the value of taking a breather, to remind myself that time well spent means a lot more than just finishing assignments...

It can be spent appreciating your surroundings, whether it be the presence of a friend, or the aesthetics of the moment, or the pull of something you find engaging or stimulating (but might be useless for advancing your career). I don't know. Anything and everything.


(Also, weekends can be great times to experiment with photo sizes that may or may not be too big).

Love you guys.

Jenn

Friday, September 7, 2012

Lonely Metamorphosis

The act of growing can be an awkward endeavor. In changing, you alienate yourself from the things you have known, and this may include people or habits or creature comforts you've come to adore. Yet, you're not who you will become, thus leaving you without a bridge to achieve some new paradigm. You're in this... awkward stage, where your goals and hopes are morphing inside you in some grotesque, unseemly fashion. Really, it's best to be left alone at times like these, and let things settle as they may before attempting to interact with the outside world.

Of course, some would say that there is no such thing as concrete snapshots of reality before something undergoes change. We are always changing, always growing, and the formation of self is never a complete thing. We are not who we were five years ago, or six weeks ago, or even a few hours ago. We are constantly responding to stimuli and absorbing it into our malleable identities, so maybe it is not such a lonely thing after all.

I got to thinking about how things change (and how they also stay the same) quite honestly because of topics in my classes, but also because of this street style photo I took the past week. If you've a keen eye, you'll notice that I've shot these pair of pants before, from around this time last year. But the way Chelsea has paired them with new accessories, a vibrant, monochromatic color scheme, and a new hairdo makes it virtually unrecognizable. It's what I love about style--with enough tweaking and a new approach, you can make something you've always had look completely novel.

My brain is too tired to connect all of this together into some poignant soliloquy that ties together style and the finicky details of change in identity. So I will just leave you the pretty.


Have a lovely weekend, everybody. Be kind to yourself (and others).

Jenn

Thursday, September 6, 2012

The Summer Lasts Forever


Erm... is it frivolous to spend 8 bucks on a rather large vial of delicious, aromatic, thick, thick honey? Other than the reason that I've been eyeing it for a long while? No? Ok. That's what I figured. Well, to rationalize, taking a spoonful a day really does make the allergies go away... particularly a spoonful of Wildflower Honey, as the Honey Lady (as I have dubbed her) informed me. There's more pollen in it! And with my terrible pollen allergies and hay fever that even translates to Oral Allergy Syndrome (basically getting an itchy throat and swollen lips whenever I eat an Apple, or anything from the Plum family...), why the hell not. I want to eat fruit without hating life, and if I have to endure an extra helping of something sweet to do it, then I will suffer the consequences.

Getting back on the photographing horse is hard, by the way. I found myself hesitant to ask all the beautiful Vandy people whether I could take their photo. I'm reluctantly mindful of what others think of me... oh well. But all in all, there's a lot to be excited about. After spending a deeply painful summer working more than 50 hours a week every week, I've bought myself a camera and will be acclimating to its features for the next, oh, five years. Hopefully this means better quality photos for my blog, which will increase the aesthetic appeal, which will attract readers, which will up its reputation, which will... well, I haven't decided what the endgame is. All I know is I love photographing street style! It's a yearning that burns inside me, man. It's a fire I can't contain.

So. Yeah.

Did anybody else notice how freaking muggy and hot it is for September the 6th? Please stop it. Just stop. 




I realized my mini-photostream is actually pretty chronological. First comes flowers... then the bees... which results in gobs of gooey-golden honey for the masses to enjoy.

In case you thought I was forgetting street style... shame on you. I always save the best for last! I took this Tuesday afternoon in the heat of the day... walking sweat-i-ly down the Rand pathway, as I am often wont to do. I ran into this girl, who does not happen to go here (can anybody say visiting girlfriend?). Yet she was more fittingly dressed for the weather than I. The last vestiges of summer style and sensibility--crochet tops, of course--over a breezy black skirt... A simple color scheme, sure, but eye-catching nonetheless. I might pull out some crochet tops, myself... it's too hot even for chiffon.


Anyways, I'll be posting more often from now on! It's taken a bit for me to get on my feet (especially with school being so... ugh). Yay. Be excited. I know I am.

Jennifer

Saturday, August 18, 2012

the dog days are (not quite) over

Greetings loved ones,

It should go without saying, but since I like to be redundant: welcome back to the The Sardoreialist! I hope that you're ready for a new school year filled with fun street style shots, posts featuring fellow bloggers, and... well, I don't want to give too much away but let's just say that The Sardoreialist has some other surprises for you, our cherished readers. 

I should mention that this is Diana writing. You've probably seen me around The Sardoreialist before. I'm that one girl with a strange penchant for all things overtly floral and of course, blazers. Last year, I even approached a few people for photos as a Sardoreialist street photographer (anyone remember black and gold stars?). Anyhow, let's just say that I'm no stranger to this blog. So when Jenn (the creative genius behind The Sardoreialist) asked me to write the first real post of this season, I was deeply honored and highly ecstatic. But then the gravity of the situation hit me as I realized that I need to take some hiney-kickin' photos for the first post.

Anyone who knows me decently well knows that in addition to my passion for vibrant florals and the ever-reliable blazer that I am also a fan of red lipstick (brave red by MAC is my go-to shade, in case you were wondering), sunglasses (if I resided anywhere less sunny than Nashville my addiction to sunglasses might be considered an issue, but for now I'm safe), my faux leather jacket (a random Black Friday purchase that's perfect for many an occasion), and forever 21 (this store used to be my down-fall but I'm slowly learning to resist the siren's call). These favorites quickly became the four corner stones of my photo shoot idea. As I continued to plot, I decided that I wanted to take photos at night because I have never actually done a night-time shoot before (and for good reason, I later on discovered... but I'm getting ahead of myself). My friend Mak was soon dragged into all of my scheming and HUGE props go to her for being an awesome photographer who was willing to deal with my amateur posing and lack of true planning. 

On Thursday night ---two hours before the premiere of Awkward. (the only show that I actually follow)---, Mak and I drove to the town playground and set up shop by a little pathway near the swings. It didn't take too long for me to realize that that my dreams of participating in America's Next Top Model would remain just that. Modeling and I don't mix very well. I'm not too great with angles and for some reason my face (consistently) looked like I was trying to wake myself from a chocolate coma. Now I know why I spend the majority of my time behind the camera. Alas, the photo shoot had to go on so  Mak and I braved pesky mosquitoes (West Nile is rampant currently?), the heckling calls of obnoxious middle/high schoolers (can I get some middle fingers up in the air like I just don't care?), broken tripods (another one bites the dust), and torn high heels (I guess that's what 9 euro heels do). By the end of the evening though, we had moved around the entire playground area and the flowing cream blouse with crazy sleeves and my bright red lipstick had me channeling Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine. 

And so, "the dog days are (not quite) over" was born. I know, I know. I'm a clever one. Anyhow, this series of photos is a dedication to the transition period between summer and fall when it's still warm enough for shorts but cool enough in the evenings to throw on some sleeves and maybe even a jacket. Sunglasses, red lipstick, and glittery gold heels were added for a kick of extra evening fun. Let me know how you what kinds of outfits you like to rock when those dogs days aren't quite over yet. Drop a line in the comments or better yet, show me in person if you ever see me around.


"the dog days are (not quite) over"
featuring
FLORENCE AND THE NIGHTINGALES




some florence + the machine songs that inspired this post:
"dog days are over (yeasayer remix)"
"falling"
"you've got the dirtee love (feat. dizzee rascal)"
"strangeness and charm"
"only if for a night"

P.S. Good luck on the first day of classes!


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Hey Hey Guess What Just Guess

I'm coming back for the fall!

Yay!

I know there's been a depressing lull for the majority of the Spring/Summer season (not that it matters... I'm a student, not a professional street photographer, but whatever) and for a while there it seemed like The Sardoreialist would be nothing more than a blip on the radar. A blip that some might say had faded into nothing, forevermore. But this is not so. After quite a bit of introspection, ruminating, and illuminating (and with some encouragement from the lovely Joe-Pa), I've decided to run this blog again for the Fall 2012-Spring 2013 school year, with a possibility of continuation into summer. But for now, that's too far on to tell.

The best part is that I'll come back bigger and better, with a more varied style of posts, and quite possibly a new layout (I'm thinking minimalist). Not to mention... more feature-oriented posts that showcase my wonderful friends and their exciting new projects.

Quite honestly, I embarked on this project in 2011 with nary an idea of what I was doing. I knew far fewer people than I do now who are interested in the same pursuits, saw slim to none street style influences and many more Vandy influences (completely not a bad thing, but I like to change it up too) around campus, and felt like a nerd-pariah-wolfman with my creepy camera and my sometimes unwelcome purely-photography-related advances. My only influences were a sparse number of style blogs that I didn't even really keep up with all that much... and lookbook. But working on the Sardoreialist has led me to meet and connect with so many different fascinating individuals and thus I cannot discontinue it, because I think I'd be robbing from myself a chance for growth. I'm confident to say that this year, I'll be surrounded by, supported by, inspired by, and tutored by many talented souls such as Joe, Louisa, Diana, Itoro, and more. I hope to be able to offer them the same.

I know what you must be thinking--"Whew, what a long winded rant!" I'm done! I hope you're also excited, because I am definitely looking forward to bringing you something new.

Unfortunately, for all this babbling, I have nothing for you today. Unless you're interested in seeing me eat ramen out of the pot while wearing a wrinkly t-shirt and jean shorts with an awkward cut, you won't be seeing anything until around August 21st. Stay posted.

Love,

Jenn

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Indefinite Madness

I promised, a few weeks ago, that I would get back to updating regularly and taking photos and of course running the blog as usual, I know, but academia and life has sneaked up behind me and kidnapped me in a conspicuously unmarked white van. It's been a crazy mixture of apartment searching, job searching, essay-writing, and whatnot that's been keeping me on my feet. Sometimes I actually feel like there are hot coals under my feet and I have to scramble around and dance like a puppet to keep from getting burned.

The good news is that I have one secure, ideal job and I've gotten my apartment down. The bad news is finals. Of course. While I haven't gotten a chance to get many pictures this latter half of spring semester, I do intend to document Nashville more efficiently once the craziness is over. I'll be here for summer! I'm super excited. When I have more time, I also plan to restructure the blog significantly--that means more personal posts, features, maybe even a new layout. I'm really excited to have more time open up so I can dedicate more time to making this blog the best it can be.

Anyways, I did capture an ace street style picture of Alexander a few months back. It got lost in its own folder and I was afraid that I'd lost it forever. Looking through my pictures and finding it again inspired me to update, so I'm quite happy with that result.


Peace Out Cub Scouts.

Jenn

Friday, April 6, 2012

My Bad

What have I been doing?! I've essentially taken a month long hiatus. My bad guys. I have so many pictures that I haven't posted yet, and I feel really bad. It's been a crazy month, though. I think I've unfortunately missed some really great photos, because it's Spring and everybody looks gorgeous. Ugh, what. What. What am I doing?!

Sorry, done beating up on myself. Time to get down to business. One picture at a time!

 Hey Guys. My bad.

Thanks. I'll be back. I promise.

Love,

Jenn

Friday, March 2, 2012

One For The Road

Guys, I'm so exhausted, I didn't edit this street style photo at all. I haven't posted all that's up in my queue, but unfortunately I won't be able to access the blog for this next week. No matter, I'll leave y'all with a good one: orchid coat! Worn by the lovely Laura.

I'm packing but all I want to do is sleep.


Have a great break, folks. I hope to have one too!

Sweet dreams,

Jennifer

Friday, February 24, 2012

I Just Realized

That I have a ton of pictures that I need to post before Spring Break, during which I will be taking a one-week hiatus. Anyways. I think I might start posting two-a-day.


Have a good hell week before spring break! I know I will.

Peace,

Jenn

Thursday, February 23, 2012

You Know...

...what I hate most? When the weather is so beautiful as it is today, then something comes along and like a puffy, dreary, miserable rain cloud... craps all over it.

Yeah. I hate those days too. Anyways, all was well this morning, when I went to volunteer at our greenhouse (which is awesome). I mixed soil and even re-potted a plant (le gasp). It sounds kind of stupid when I recap, but it was a great change of pace and pretty therapeutic... If nothing works out this summer, I think I'll try to volunteer at a local greenhouse or something. Now that's an idea!

For today's street style post, I'm featuring yet again a so-to-speak regular of the blog. She's been on it almost as much as Diana has... so they're both contending for the record space. Or they're not, but in my mind they are. I got a lovely portrait of her, but the full body was a bit out-of-focus. Lately, I've been trying to learn more about Timmy's camera, and I'm starting to move away from the sports setting and into Av or even Manual. I'm not nearly good enough for Manual though... but I have found that my photos are looking a lot better in Av...


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Pleasant Weather Get-Togethers

Ugh, excuse me lately, I've been ridiculously negligent! I'll offer a short explanation as of why... I lost my microUSB and Photoshop on my computer has been acting crazy/horribly lately and it's been causing me unending amounts of stress. I'm literally posting right now because I feel like I just have to, cause I'm far from getting all of this mess sorted out! Hopefully my technological difficulties will clear up soon-nish (like, within the next hour), but until then here's some long-overdue street style!


Sorry I'm a bit of a wreck. Hope you guys like it! (I love love love her flats in combination with the skirt... and the top. And everything. Ok.)

Love,

Jenn

Monday, February 13, 2012

Is It Your Fault

I was updating my facebook Arts and Entertainment section the other day because I'm a loser like that, and I came to a startling and disturbing realization. Well, a few of those, actually. For one, my original "favorite book" was Ones With Pictures, which I believe is a genre of literature for the terminally inane. And while this is true, because pictures are awesome, it's also just not true and totally mis-representative. And now I feel stupid.

So I started to amend that, but then I realized that most of the quote-unquote quality literature that I've read happened before I went to college. In fact, the majority of it I read when I was 14, around the time when I had a mental awakening of sorts and started listening to good music and thinking I was the shit (I decidedly wasn't). Also, I happened to have a lot of help from the militantly elitist yet extremely informative livejournal group "thebookyoucrew," where applicants send in lists of their top 20 books and their taste in literature gets ripped to pieces by the, so-to-speak, connoisseurs of the field (no offense intended; they're very knowledgeable but a bit on the brutal side).

Right. So back on point. College is supposed to be the time your mind expands and fills itself with some essential, poignant substance. Of humanity and truth, and beauty. Or something. It's outrageous that for the one and a half year that I've been a college student, I haven't read jack shit that's supposed to make me a better person. I've tried and failed to complete Brothers of Karamazov... and of course I've read books for classes, and some cult classics a la Safran Foer, but something is still lacking. How do I fix this? So I guess I'm asking for help from readers... let me know if you have any good book recommendations. I've got Love in the Time of Cholera and Cloud Atlas on queue, but I'd love to hear from more perspectives. Should I persevere with Karamazov? Or move on to greener pastures?

Also. This is still a street style blog! I just disturbed myself today, is all.

I don't usually get close-ups, but I just liked Caitlin's scarf so much so there you go.



Love her sweater as well. The blue and yellow complement each other well.
Remember to send me some book recs if you've got any.

Je suis gran,

Jenn

Saturday, February 11, 2012

So, Apropos

It's been an entire week since I've updated, I've noticed. It's not for a lack of pictures, but rather the result of my faffing around for hours to days on end and not having anything to show for it. Academically, the semester's gone great... at least, compared to last semester. However, it's done horrors on my productivity and drive to succeed... hours will literally disappear without me having realized it. So I'm in a weird state of perplexity, lacking purpose. Also, I lost my two microUSBs cause I tend to do that. But I hope you'll forgive me.

This all sounds very "first-world-problem-y," I know. So I'll cut the crap and give you something more worth your time--street style.

It's so nice to see color peeking out from under Alexander's (very classy vintage) blazer. For a while there I thought we'd all be dressing in muted blacks, grays, and creams forever.


He's got a hanky out of his pocket and everything!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Lumberjack Chic


Excuse the title, but that's kind of what came to mind when I saw this street style subject! I tend to like the layering of jackets, especially things that look like bulky windbreakers or bomber jackets. In some cases, more is indeed more. Plus, his plaid lining and beat up converse just serve to add to the composition! And his hat.

His friends were well-dressed too and were nice enough to pose for a picture. I forgot one of the four names, however, so I just won't say any. Oops.













































Alright, well, I've been slacking on the photos lately, but this week I'll  be coming back with a vengeance now that the sun's decided to show it's face again. I know I should, but it's hard to hate global warming when it delivers great Springtime weather in the middle of February.

Peace,

Jenn

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

100th Post!

I have for you today a very short post, because I am stuck in the library. I feel this strange sense of Deja Vu and a vague, nightmarish sense of trauma. Basically, the library makes me sad.

But here to brighten up this post is a street style photo of Sloane. I know, you might be thinking, "Brighten? But she's wearing gray." But for some reason, she sure knows how to liven the color (shade?) up. Must be all the layering, subtle shade differences, and varying textures. I'm going to go ahead and not make a joke about her "gray-t" outfit. Oh, wait, I did it anyway. Ouch.


Have a colorful day.

-J.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Ready to Start

There are days when the last thing I want to do is walk up to people and ask whether or not I can take their photo. Sure, there are fashionably dressed people dallying around all day, everyday, but it takes a certain kind of resolve to decide to ask someone, which is necessarily fueled by enthusiasm, energy, and a sort of optimism that assumes I will not get shot down. This semester, more often than not, I find myself in an acrid mood, and the last thing I want to do is go bother strangers or infect them or I don't know, approach them in the wrong way.

But when days like that come about, visiting The Sartorialist (an ace street style blog by Scott Schuman) is always a surefire way to get me inspired. Though I rarely see people dressed as ostentatiously as his subjects around campus, it reminds me of why street style is so interesting and singularly fascinating--it's the people. In fact, the fashion is almost secondary, but just barely.

As much as I love shooting my friends when I run into them, what really makes street style blogs great, and what I'm most enthusiastic about, is meeting and photographing new people--what's even better is when they're interested in what I'm doing.

On such a small campus, it's hard to find new subjects. Even so, it's a delight whenever it happens. I'm learning to appreciate it. I think it will always be the greatest motivating factor.

I kind of lost the plot! Point is, I hope to always be inspired to be a better street-style photographer. I guess. Either way... Here's a street style photo of Quela; I shot this last Wednesday. I loved the subtle color of her boots; they were a very light mint or pine green... and just her layering.


See you soon (more photos to come!),

Jenn

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

There's nothing like a long, agonizing day to make you realize how nice some downtime is. Well, not actually downtime. I'm scrambling to do work (not really--this is me "scrambling") and get started on this essay that's due the day after tomorrow. The saddest part is, I think of all this interesting stuff to write throughout the day but when I get in front of my computer, with my lids drooping and brain pulp-like from the daily grind, I always manage to forget.

If I talk any more, a slew of negativity will pour from my mouth, so I'll just direct you to the street style photo of the day. Adesewa! She's in one of my classes and she is quite sweet, and also stylish. Love the shoulders on that jacket. And I wonder if the sweater is vintage, as well? I'm backed up on photos, by the way. This is from almost exactly a week ago. As much as it excites me to have a lot of photos on the back-burner, I also hope to be more efficient with posting them, promise!


Ta,

Jenn

Sunday, January 22, 2012

So This is The New Year

Feeling down? Gloomy because of January weather? I know personally that I felt an upshot of hope and possibility when 2012 was just arriving. I spent the first few days with friends, going on road trips, feeling completely at home--it seemed like it was going to be a fantastic year. However, since coming back to school, the weather's been morose, and so have I. I don't think I was properly prepared for the onslaught of work, responsibility, competition, and social pressure that I came back to... in fact, I found myself rather apathetic to all of it. Oddly enough, so have many of my friends... there's been this common theme of "not knowing who I am" or maybe a strong sense of disillusionment.

Well, the fix for that is simple, my friends. What you're suffering from is the post-holiday, post-new-years-high blues. Whose bright idea was it to start the solar new year when the weather was still miserable and our bodies and minds so sluggish after the holidays? That's only going to be a wet blanket thrown onto your new year cheer. Chinese people had the right idea in making it almost a month later (lunar new year, whatever). No matter how the seasons crawl and shift along the year, stretching the summer into September and the dead of winter into January, Chinese New Year is generally a month later... and February is usually warmer, right? At the very least, it's a shorter winter after Chinese New Year marks the year. And that's today, by the way. I won't be able to join in on the celebrations, seeing as my parents are either in China or en route to China, and probably 16% of Nashville's population knows what moon cakes even are, but it's a happy new year anyways. You can start over starting over.

I shot a few photos of Itoro last week. He owns the blog thecreativeroutine and wanted me to link you guys there, so click on the first photo to visit his blog.




I particularly liked the layering of his collared shirt, sweater, and leather jacket. The colors worked well with each other yet had a unique feel to it.