I shall interpret my February 2011 issue of Seventeen magazine for you...

sweater, page 105

boots, page 105

sweater, page 87

eyelet top, page 104

dress, page 103

another one for dress, page 103

dress, page 105

A little bit inspired by: skirt, page 84

boots, page 87

shoes, page 26

shoes, page 26

There is not actually anything like these in the magazine but there should be.

Page 28. Winter wardrobe, sweetheart dress, boho.

Page 29. winter wardrobe, tribal skirt, comfy.

tribal skirt, page 29
Alrighty then! I was just looking in my latest Seventeen (my school's library gets an extra issue and I get to keep it and treasure it forever!) and I found myself thinking: nice crap. (which I mean as a compliment) but I think I could take this crap (again, in a good way) and run with it! Into a wall at 95 miles per hour! (Oh, I'm just kidding... I can't run that fast.) But seriously, there are some really cute outfits in there! I wanted to offer some cheaper (or less costly- if you want me to use academic diction like my mythology instructor always says to) alternatives to those cute outfits and spins on some of the looks in there. I am NOT copying!!!! I am borrowing... Just because I love them and they inspired me.
Good night! Love,
Belle
P.S.: I haven't been able to post in a while because the high school and college class semesters overlapped, sooo... I've had two class loads to deal with. Good thing that's over. Now I'll have time to post again.

Campus Fashion: What To Wear To Class

University of Idaho is my future school (one of them) and here is a lovely t-shirt!

Great school, great school. Delias sweatshirt that will make you feel smart!

I have this cardigan! I love it! I think it may still be available at Delias clearance... but I'm not positive

Isn't this outfit adorable?
I love this Old Navy jacket, it's really cute and the hood is very functional and nice!

Great example of a smart campus outfit in the warmer months: cute and practical!

This outfit is really cute but the heels probably won't work for the winter months! They are adorable for Autumn, though.

Another good example! The scarf adds a certain something, don't you think?

I really love this outfit because it's smart while still being fashionable and unique! I'm a fan!

So today was my first day of college classes on campus (I had one hybrid class last semester but on campus classes are way better)and I learned one very important thing: On a college campus, jeans are your new best friend! Especially in winter. I didn't see one skirt, dress, or shorts/tights combo all day- and I was there 9 to 5... Yeah, I'm a professional student NOW, eh?! So, if you're going to beat the -9degree weather walking to and from class all day without developing a serious case of frostbite blues (literally, your lips get blue) you're just gonna have to save the skirts and dresses for the weekend and warmer days and nurture a deep and abiding love for jeans (or other pants, just not pajama pants, please! I mean really, that's just not near as cool as people seem to think). Knit hats were everywhere today! A lot of guys especially were wearing those winter hats with the fun little string things on the sides and tassels on the end of said fun little string things... yeah I don't remember what they're called! But yeah! Jackets are "all the rage" right now:) especially with sweatshirts underneath and boots. I wore Clark Kent glasses, a Henley shirt, olive-colored legging-pant things, a cream knit hat, my riding boots, a berry corduroy jacket, a violet scarf, dark violet hand warmers, and some crazy jewelry! It sounds weird but... no, it was weird! But adorable, too! Okay! Good night, sweets! Love,
Belle

The Nomad's Dream

This dress' pattern is inspired by traditional Gypsy clothes.

This outfit is supposed to fit in with the "rules and regulations" for Gypsy clothing but it's a modern, fashionable take.

This picture is from the blog: prettysmartgirlart.blogspot.com. The scarf is Russian and her outfit was inspired by a documentary of the Rom. I love this outfit!

Gypsy Woman from flickr.com

Gorgeous wrap skirt! Gypsy Inspired Skirt from etsy.com

Gypsy Boho Love from stylepantry.com

Definitely not even a remotely traditional Gypsy outfit, but the bangles, earrings, and earth tones are Gypsy-inspired. It's called: Esmerelda Tan Outfit
Isn't this shirt great? I think it's wonderful and I want it! Elle Gypsy Girl, I found it on thisnext.com

I'm not really sure if this could even be considered Gypsy-ish but it's really pretty and it's a brilliant, bright color.

Wonderful outfit! I love, love, love, love, love it!!!

Since I was little I've been completely fascinated by the culture, mystery, and fantasy of the Rom (Gypsies), and I've grown more and more captivated as I've grown older. I'm writing an essay on The History and Origins of Gypsies and I couldn't be more obsessed! Most Americans have a very limited understanding of the Rom because there aren't many here (compared to Europe and other places that I've never been!). But Most Americans are not Anthropology majors! I am, so when I'm interested in a culture I immerse myself in it as much as I possibly can. I've been reading a book that explores the mysterious origin of these nomadic people and I could hardly believe what I was reading! It was so remarkably written and extensively researched that I got lost in it and haven't been able to escape since. Anyway, I'm so captivated by this culture that it's affecting nearly every part of my life! I'm painting and drawing Gypsies, writing a research paper on them, reading up on current political issues involving them, and now I'm writing a post on my blog about their clothing. Let's get to that, shall we? Their style is wonderfully unique and conjures up feelings of magic and the weight of generations of constant movement and restlessness. Or at least to me, but I'm a freak so, hey, what can I say? So! I don't want to misrepresent an entire people or make any ill-fated assumptions or stereotype anyone (because I abhor stereotypes) but this is my modern interpretation of the traditional style of dress worn by many Gypsies around the world for centuries. From what I've read, Roma wear scarves, bright-BRIGHT- colors, tons of jewelry, ribbons, bells, billowy tops, long skirts, and shoes fit for travel! I know this is probably well known by most people. A modern interpretation means that you take certain aspects of the style- tweak it, mix it with other styles- and make it your own. I wear alot of long skirts and tons of jewelry- but with a tank top or t-shirt so I don't look like I'm wearing a costume. Peasant blouses have come to be associated with Gypsy style, too. I read that they wore basically peasant clothes but with their own individual flair (i.e. jewelry and bright colors), at least that's in certain parts of the world. I think Kalderash Romani wear a different style of clothes than English or Romanian Gypsies. I never know when to use the different terms: Rom, Roma, Romani, Romany. I've seen all of them and I find it quite confusing and would like to know when to use each for accuracy's sake. By the way, just a little known fact, when I was little I had sandals with little pictures of Esmerelda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame on the sides. I loved them dearly! Anyhoo, I guess I'll just have to show you some pictures. Once again, I've linked the site directly to the picture, so just point and click. Have fun! I hope I didn't accidentally offend anyone! Good night! Kushti Ratti! Love,
Bellamy
By the way, good colors to wear are natural earth-tone and berry shades as well as any shade of red but fire-engine red (it's considered unlucky because it's associated with blood).

Jekh dilo kerel but dile hai but dile keren dilimata (I love this saying, it means: One madman makes many madmen, and many madmen makes madness [according to http://webspace.webring.com/people/wt/tempestgypsy/romdict.html#PHRASES

Street Style! From Finland, Russia, Romania, and Hungary

To be completely honest, only one is from Finland (the picture of the crazy chick sitting on a statue- which I think is the coolest picture ever!) and only one is from Hungary (the one with the sweet heart purse). There are a whole bunch of pics from Russia and Romania (alot of the Romanian ones are from Bucharest). I don't think girls from these places get near enough credit fashion-wise; all the focus in Europe is on Paris and London, and in the U.S. it's all on New York and L.A. These outfits are great (and all the girls are so pretty, don't you think?), I love that there's such diverse style in Europe because in my town everyone wears the same thing! Okay, so! I'm trying something a little different this time (always trying to make improvements!) and instead of the customary 'PROPS TO' section I usually put on the bottom of the page I've put links directly to the pics! So... if you want to see the source for a pic, just click on it. Except the Hungary street style pic and the gorgeous blue Russian dress, because I found those pictures a while ago and forgot to write down the source. Oops! Okay. I will talk to y'all tomorrow (and maybe I'll post some outfit pics tomorrow, too! I'm still experimenting with the whole 'taking pictures and posting them online thing'! I'm going to have to try to remember to take the pictures during the day because they turn out better that way:) I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this, I guess I just blog like I talk... rambling!!! Sweet dreams everyone! Love,
Belle

Super! And I mean that in the absolute nerdiest way possible...

"What way is that, Bellamy?" you may ask. Well, I'll tell you! In a super way. As in superman. Ah! Now you know my secret! (Which is, in point of fact, the absolute worst kept secret in the history of secrets since I talk about my deep and undying love for Superman on- in fact- a daily basis. Now, didn't that sound factual?) Anyhoo... This is me. The clothes are mine. I wore them on this very day. Which was, in fact, quite a wonderful day. Partially due to the fact that I saw a certain someone who I haven't seen in two weeks and greatly enjoy talking to, looking at, and basically just fawning over. I know: what does any of this have to do with fashion? Well, I'll tell you... Nothing! Absolutely nothing! That's right... no thing. So today I wore a dusty rose colored skirt (which is just the most fun thing in the world to twirl around in!), a "welcome to the dark side, we have cookies" monster t-shirt (which glows in the dark), my new black combat boots (bad a**), nude lace tights (which confuse people from far away. Many, many people thought there was something wrong with my legs: "You have something seriously wrong with the veins in your legs or some... oh! They're tights... cute." or my personal favorite: "Oh my gosh! You have tumors all over your legs!" I mean really, Sadie, tumors?), my staple drapey gray sweater with the cut-out crochet detail on the upper back, some wonderful jewelry (including the four bracelets that are the start to my [soon-to-be] extensive bangle collection, and the best part: my bright blue underwear.
Just kidding about that last part; I would never say that! My underwear is chartreuse. Ew. No. Actually my favorite part is... My Clark Kent glasses! (*gasp* who could have guessed!!)
Okay, mommy needs the laptop for genealogy, so: Good night, my sweets! Dearest wishes,
Belle
P.S.: please pay no attention to the ginormous zit that decided to sprout out of my face and use my body in a desperate (and premeditated) attempt to take over the galaxy! It's pretty gross. I named him Jim. I realize that I probably called attention to the blemish, and alot of you probably didn't even see it before I added this unnecessarily long post script, BUT I felt the need to comment on it's overall enormity. Okay. I'm done now. Got to go. Nighty night.