Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A Fan Girly Post: La Belle et La Bete starts shooting!!

Its time for another one of my....
FAN GIRL POST
Today I just found out that the new French film production of Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et La Bete) has begun shooting. You can view the evidence here. This means that there is glorious magic happening, including Vincent Cassel getting all dolled up in some possibly epically awesome Beast make up. Shall he live up to my fangirl standards? I am not sure, so for the moment I will ponder till I judge. 

Another fangirl thing to randomly discuss, I just found out that during my soon approaching Calfornia birthday trip, I will be going to one of my bucket list theaters: The El Capitan. And even cooler, I'll be seeing one of my favorite classic Disney flicks, Peter Pan. I can't wait, and even more so to see all my CA rufflebutts! 


In addition to those CA plans, I also reserved the restaurants I will be eating at during my vacation at the Disneyland Resort. I don't wanna ruin the surprise of all of them just yet, but I can say for my birthday I chose to dine at Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside of Pirates of the Caribbean. Though I was told their food isn't the best, I seriously wanted to go somewhere special on my epic awesome birthday, and why not go for the place with the coolest atmosphere, period. Check out the video below for a review from one of my favorite Disney centric youtube channels, A Mouse and a Dream, about the place and their most famous dish! 

I know these kind of posts are beyond random, but I thought that sometimes its good to just share the exciting things on my brain and possible topics of upcoming posts! Are you guys excited about anything new coming up in your schedule? Are you guys Disneyland/Disney World fans? Do you have a favorite food from there? Tell me the T!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

ILD 2012 at Lady Mendl's - How I Got Her Frilly Grove Back


This past weekend was Winter ILD (International Lolita Day) 2012. This now being my 5th Winter ILD celebration, I wanted (along with my partner in crime, Crystal) to do a much more traditional tea party of ILD's past, at one of New York's finest establishments, Lady Mendl's. I remembered when I started out in Lolita and truly fell in love with the culture, the tea parties at Lady Mendl's really held a nostalgic place in my heart. So with lots of planning in advance and all the glamour we could muster, My fellow hostess and I went forth with our celebration in the grandest of ways! 

The picture you see above was our own personal party space. I tried to get the best shot I could so I could properly capture the brilliance in decoration and atmosphere that Lady Mendl's provides. As much as I love other similar establishments in New York City, Lady Mendl's truly provides something much more old time feeling then any where else in the city. With the magical mixture of old decor, the sound of Johnny Mercer and Cab Calloway playing in the background, along with the yummy delicate smell of black teas, makes this almost like stepping into another time and place.


Me and Crystal arrived very early, and decided to snap some lovely outfit and room shots before the other guests arrived. I wore my Ala Carte JSK in White, H&M Pink Faux Fur collar, with off brand elements for the blouse and tights, plus my favorite new pair of boots from Forever 21. Also I was happily surprised with my new Purple Plum wig! I was supposed to get a different color, but they sent me this instead and actually I am truly in love with it, best accident ever!


When 4:30 rolled around, the festivities began! All of the guests arrived in fabulous winter style. Some in all out sweet, while others were in much more natural toned winter clothes, plus a few gothic pirate style ladies to add some spice! Everyone seriously was dressed to perfection, and added more to the dreamlike element of the party. Slowly every few minutes the servers came in with new delicious treats for us to munch on (Those cucumber sandwiches were perfection )


After drinking more then my fair share of Earl Grey (which was excellent, might I add!) All of us got ready for some fun with everyone's favorite way of getting presents, The White Elephant Gift Exchange. There were tons of adorable gifts this year! From jewelry to tea, comfy pillows and macaron shaped keychains, these gifts were seriously top notch! But what did I receive at the exchange this year? Nothing but the bestest present ever, I got my very own light saber! Even though it isn't frilliest of gifts, its something I have ALWAYS wanted, so thanks for making a dream come true, Koda! <3 


Slowly, the night wrapped up and everyone began to set off to home. A small group of me and a few of my frillies decided to venture to a bit of partying to end the special girly holiday, by going to one of my favorite places in NYC, Aspen Social Club. I am highly convinced this place is secretly inspired by Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. There are antlers everywhere, including the logo! After a few yummy grown up drinks (a Shirley Temple for yours truly!) and some awesome Fondue, the ladies and I retired to our homes and beds for a good night and following day of recovering. 



If you can't seem to realize from this post, Winter ILD this year was utter perfection. I was seriously impressed with how everything turned out, especially since it's my first time running a huge big event of this size and cost. Crystal, you are an amazing hostess, and to my guests, you were all amazing as well! Thank you for giving me the best gift a girl in frills could ask for: True and honest friendship. I really don't know what my life would be like without Lolita in it, and I thank you for continuing to make my life truly amazing and beautiful each and every day! 


So what did you guys do this year for Winter ILD? I wanna hear and see pictures! 
Friday, November 23, 2012

Learning Things About Yourself: An Essay



As many of you might have read, my best friend Victoria over at Parfait Doll wrote the most excellent article about breaking up ever. With reading that, and coming to some terms of my own discovery, I have also reached to this point in my own world to where I need freedom. But freedom in what exactly? Freedom in so many different forms that can be expressed. I am a wild butterfly, that needs to fly in the sky. I jump from flower to flower often, hoping I am going to find the right petals to stay near and rest my tired wings. I feel that I am still in my stage of flight, and I need to keep flying until I have reached my destination. I am still searching for that destination. (WOW DALIN, way to be a cheeseball)

2012 has been a year in which I have made countless mistakes, and learned from each and every one of them. Mistakes in my romantic life, my career, and most importantly my self respect. I need a lot of things from the dream life I have. I am not asking them to be perfect, cause hell even dreams aren't actual perfect, I require some tough love and an argument about my life now and then. But what I want is something moderately close to the goal that is my dream life. So here I thought I would share those goals out of interest and for therapeutic reasons. Maybe you will find them helpful or interesting, you can find out for yourself.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Lolita Playlist


Over on Lolita Blog Carnival this week, the topic of discussion was What Is Your Lolita Playlist? Sadly, because of Sandy I didn't get a chance to post on time for the deadline and thus I wanted to make my own separate post on the topic! Seriously, I really couldn't let this topic just fly by, since playing music while I am getting frilled up is truly one of my favorite parts of this whole experience in wearing Lolita. Music helps me get in the right state of mind, feel confident, and just overall kick ass in my coordinates and attitude. Curious to take a listen, check out the list here:

Francoise Hardy - Le Temps De L'Amour
Personally for me, I get a giant music nerd spasm when I hear anything in french, especially when its music from the 60's. After seeing the movie Moonrise Kingdom, I became obsessed with this song and Francoise Hardy. Her vocals are haunting and creepy, yet its pure french music bliss for me. Easily, this had to be added to my list. 

Alphabeat - The Spell
Many of my music choices come from my addiction to 80's music. Yet not from that era, Alphabeat combines the best of modern vocals with synthesizer beats and addicting, catchy chorus lines. The Spell is a perfect example of what they are best at, and its probably in my top 5 list of my favorite songs from the group. Even though English isn't their first language, you really don't mind when you listen to this tune!

As I mentioned last week, I love the culture of Rockabilly, which includes both fashion wise and music together. One of my favorite female artists from the era is Ruth Brown, and this short little song is beyond perfect to get me in the spirit for feeling girly and to have some positive attitude. The lyrics are definitely silly and a reflection of the time, but I still find it charming and catchy as hell.

Manila Luzon - Hot Couture
As Victoria over at Parfait Doll might have disclosed, one of the things we both like to play when getting frilled up is RuPaul. As much as I love him and want to spread the love of his addicting tunes, I don't wanna see like a copy cat. So instead I wanted to post another one of my favorite very similar artists, Drag Race favorite Manila Luzon's first single Hot Couture. First off, this song is so catchy I truly dare you to not get it stuck in your head. Plus as a New Yorker, the street references are perfect and I feel as if this in my anthem in a lot of ways. 

Kimbra - Two Weeks/Head Over Heels (MASH UP/COVER)
As many have already written, Primadonna Girl from Marina and the Diamonds is a really popular song right now! I love Marina a tons, but I wanted to share some love of another fellow quirky British lady that is starting to get some play over here in the states. I bring you Kimbra, this tall drink of water has really interesting vocals and presents a fun take on these two songs (including my favorite song from Tears for Fears) I also recommend checking out her original music if you get a chance!

The Giant Drag - Wicked Game (Cover)
If you can possibly imagine, I sort of have a thing for listening to angry girl rock when I get in the frills, especially when I am gonna wear some sort of punk coordinate. Over the years, I have become a huge fan of The Giant Drag, and this cover is my favorite of their songs. I love the raw angst sound it has, and I honestly think is better then the original Chris Isaak version. 

The Psychedelic Furs - Pretty in Pink
I think everyone that knows me personally knows that Pretty in Pink is one of my all time favorite movies, and the song is also one of my all time favorites as well. Its a classic, and definitely gets you in the mood to put on some vintage garbs and rock a pink hat and sunglasses like Molly Ringwald herself.

Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way
I couldn't make a playlist without including my favorite band in it somehow. The Scissor Sisters are a group that is hard to simply just describe in one way. This song though is probably one of their best dance tracks and even though its a bit of a taboo subject matter I love its strength and confidence. It makes me want to run into the streets of New York City and scream "I am fabulous, baby!"

The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
What can I say about the Pipettes? They are perfect. When their first album came out I was at the end of my high school era, and it just hit a cord with me unlike anything coming out at the time. Its simple, fun, pretty and vintage. All the things I love in one! Also, they had adorable outfits to match. 


And there you have my Lolita playlist! Probably not what you expected ha? What is on your playlist? Comment below and let me know!! Also, a fun update: Starting this week I will begin doing Daily Outfit posts! If you are interested in seeing them first I recommend following me on Tumblr here



Friday, November 2, 2012

Magic Ala Mode: Sandy Recovery

As you might have notice, things have been pretty quiet here over on Magic Ala Mode. Many of you in the USA and outside of may know that recently the east coast (mostly Tri-State area) was given a huge blow that we call Sandy (Insert Grease jokes here). Hurricane Sandy was by far one of the strangest weather events I have ever experienced in my life (and trust me, I have been through my share of hurricanes including last years Irene, which was no fun time either!) Sandy truly gave me a lot to think about. I really had thought past 9/11 that New York could really deal with anything, and that nothing could stand in its way. But Sandy proved my home otherwise. New York City and its fellow state sibling New Jersey are not in any sort of condition that could be considered livable, or even functional in most cases.

In my area, we were very lucky that a few trees and some days with no power were the worst of our worries. But I have to just take a moment to reach out to the families in my state that lost loved ones because of Mother Nature. This especially goes out to two young boys that lost their lives in Sandy that happened to live in a nearby town to me called North Salem (you can read about the tragedy here) These deaths are of course terrible, but especially when they hit close to home, including the fact that your family knew these children personally (my cousin's went to school with them and played with them on the local sports teams.)

Now you might be wondering why my frilly and sparkle covered blog is even writing about this? Well as much as I would love to avoid talking about such sad news as this, I need to write about it here because I feel this is the best place I can reach out to people. As a fellow New Yorker, I please ask that if you feel in your heart you could, donate something. If you could take a moment to not buy a new t-shirt, brand dress, or video game credit online, please donate anything you can to help! The residents of New Jersey and New York City, two areas which I know very well and have grew up in (including my family's origin city, Hoboken) need all the help they can get. Here is the list of donation sites and charities that will be able to help what I call my home.

Also, if you know anyone in the area at which Sandy hit, please reach out to them and give them your love and support. And to the fellow frilly Lolitas out there affected by Sandy, please know we can get through this together. I know that I have been lucky in that I have not been hit by the incident as bad as others, but please know we are all here for each other. My love goes out to all involved, and those that are still suffering from the Hurricane. My thoughts are with you all and will continue to be until things are well again.




Friday, October 26, 2012

Lolita Blog Carnival: What I Wear Out of Lolita

Welcome again another edition of Lolita Blog Carnival at Magic A'la Mode! One on this week's post, we will be unearthing something not that mysterious to some but also a mystery to others. Many wonder what a Lolita looks out of, well, Lolita style. For many that have been reading my blog, you may all ready know what I look like when not in the frills, but to the new readers here then I am about to reveal my Bat Cave, take off my glasses, show you my inner mysterious Jedi powers (Bring it on, nerd references!) and show you what I, Dalin, look like outside of the frills. Can you handle it? Lets do this!


So as you can imagine, I don't wear Lolita to work. Sure, I love being extremely girly and totally frilled to the nines, but with my line of work lets just say that isn't very supportive. I work in the film industry, currently as a transcriber and hoping to getting to be a film critic and historian. As such, I try to be myself but in cloths that is more fitting to the fast paced work environment I live in. Sure, I could girly it up a bit and would love to, but at the same time I tend be carrying around a giant backpack and cute girly dresses with a 30 pound thing on my back in the hot subway tunnels is definitely not a good mix. So what do I do to look cute in such circumstances? The answer is easy: Cute vintage tshirts!

As many will know, I collect nerdy graphic t-shirts the represent all my favorite things. From Jem, to Sailor Moon, plus Back to the Future costumed Muppet characters, I have an incredibly big huge t-shirt collection. At this point I am needing to get rid of a lot of my items, but until it really gets out of control I am not planning on stopping too soon. In addition, I also am a cardigan addict. I love ones with giant long sleeves and fluffy feeling, plus one with beautiful fabrics. One of my favorites I have is from the Madonna's Material Girl collection, in which the cardigan is mostly gray with big pink leopard spots!

Another thing I love in Skinny pants/Jeans. I love the curvy feel that shows off (for the most part) all my favorite aspects of my figure. The best is the wide variety of colors they come in, one of my favorites being a purple pair I got from Forever 21. Now I got to get myself a black pair for work, and I can definitely tell you I'll be heading back to Forever 21 for such an item! And to top it off, I love myself a good pair of boots or especially a comfy pair of Chucks/Converse. With the wide variety of designs, they pretty much go with all my outfits, in and out of frills.

But on the flip side of things, when out of work cloths and frills, I have another fashion obsession: I am in love with vintage fashion from the 50's - mainly Rockabilly style. Maybe it comes from my love of the music, Johnny Cash, and those fabulous vintage cars, but truly I believe it comes from a place deep down that feels a sense of acceptance. Rockabilly is truly a fashion that accepts and embraces women with curves and a healthy body shape more then almost any other fashion I have seen before. As someone that isn't exactly the smallest in the bunch, this is beyond comforting and a relief off of my shoulders. 

I think I get the most inspiration from fellow indie Lolita designer, Vivcore (featured on the bottom right) who also has a vintage 50's inspired clothing line. This woman is perhaps one of the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on. She is a complete and utter inspiration and has really made me want to revamp my work wardrobe to be in this vintage 50's style all the time, even with my heavy backpack at work! (Maybe I can finally get a cute backpack one of these days!)

So now I gotta ask, what do you guys where out of the frills? If you don't wear Lolita, what do you wear on the weekends that is different from your everyday work cloths or are they always the same? 

Curious to know what other Lolitas wear outside of the EGL community? Check out the links from the other participates for this week here:


Monday, October 15, 2012

NYCC/Pony Project Weekend

To say this weekend was epic is seriously the biggest understatement. I had a truly great time this weekend at New York Comic Con and on Sunday at the Sweet Streets/Hasbro Pony Project! Though a lot was hectic, some stress was had, it was very small in comparison to the really awesome and unforgettable moments that this weekend provided. Though the best part of course was seeing friends new and old, and having an excellent companion (aka the boyfriend) to go along with you on the ride. Here is a breakdown of each day of the con, with pictures (and video!!) for all to enjoy.


Day 1: Thursday Preview Night
Thursday was mostly a day to relax and chill as I went around 1PM ish to see the show floor (aka The Most Epic Dealers Room) all for myself and to check out one panel. My coordinate was casual (Magical girl inspired outfit of bloomers, t-shirt and Sailor Moon wand) but my attitude was nothing but excitement. I met up with a friend and waited for the con to officially open to the public. Once the Show Floor opened, it was a magical nerd covered wonderland. There was comics, movies, games, even some booths with wigs and frills to be enjoyed! I ended up making some pretty cool purchases, including my first Hangry and Angry item (a casual cute t-shirt I plan to wear at a meet up next weekend!) I also attended a panel that I thought was going to include one of my favorite film critics, but sadly he was busy working on an event for Nasa, but the panel was fantastic regardless! Afterwards I checked out the Artist Alley and bought an art print featuring Demona from Gargoyles (nerd happy forever <3) I then headed home early for a good chunk of rest for the first official day of the con.


Day 2: Friday First Official Day
The first official day of the con began very early for me when my boyfriend arrived extremely early to my house! We headed off to the Javits Center, with a HUGE crowd awaiting to enter the convention. Incase some of you didn't know, NYCC was completely sold out and it showed everywhere you go. All the spaces were crowded, everything was bustling alive and well. It was an excellent nerdy sight to see and even though I am not much one for crowds, I loved the energy. We mostly checked out the show floor and then saw Christopher Llyod aka Doc Brown get asked some questions. It was really cool getting to see one of your childhood icons talk to you ever so close. I never thought I would see the Doc himself so close to me, but it really was a treat! We then headed to the IGN theater and was lucky enough to see Kevin Smith and The Comic Book Men speak, along with Silent Hill: Revelation 3D and The Venture Bros! Sadly, Evan got really sick during Venture Bros, so we had to leave early. But I was happy to get some extra sleep so we both could concur the biggest day of the con!


Day 3: IGN Theater Epicness
Saturday is always the best day of a convention, but that is definitely true for this years NYCC. Me and Evan packed ourselves some meal bars (and dressed in my best Marty McFly get up) and headed into the IGN theater for a 4 hour marathon of incredible entertainment. First we saw Bruce Timm discuss the new Batman animated movie for DC The Dark Knight Returns Part 2. Next came The Conjuring, a new film by the very talented director of Insidious starring one of my favorite delicious leading men, Patrick Wilson and the awesome Lilly Taylor. Then was The Bay, a new horror movie by Barry Levinson that was surprisingly really interesting. Next was Beautiful Creatures, a romantic supernatural thriller based on the best selling book and stars Emmy Rossum (who was clearly the best person on the panel and got the most crowd love <3) Finally came the panel we had been waiting for: Carrie and The Evil Dead remake panels! Both were excellent, but Evil Dead was by far the best panel in the room that day. Bruce Campell has always been a hero of mine, and really shined at this presentation. The remake seriously looks excellent, and I am beyond excited to see it. The trailer gave me such shivers down my spin, I can't wait for it to come out for you guys to see! 

We ended the day by see the Tiger and Bunny official panel and, in what could be described as genius, The Trapped In The Closet Sing-A-Long panel (shown in the video for this post!) For those of you that have never seen Trapped in the Closet Part 1, watch it! If you can imagine how epic that is to watch this plus all the chapters with a huge audience, singing all the words with props, it was truly magical. I really hope Comic Con does something similar next year, I would so be there in a heartbeat. 


Final Day: Shopping and Ponies
Me and Evan got into the con a bit later and spent the entire well, spending our money. I was extremely happy to be in some casual frills/fairy kei, walking the crowd halls of the con one last time. The best was going back to the Artist Alley, and picking up a few beautiful prints. I got myself one of The Rocketeer and Indiana Jones, but the best was a pop art styled print of my favorite rebel hero Hellboy that Evan bought me as my present at the con. We then left the Javits Center, bags full of goodies and met with my friends Crystal and Victoria to see The Pony Project exhibit. 

This honestly was single handedly one of the coolest things I have ever had the pleasure of attending. Everyone there welcomed us with open arms, including some adorable little girls and a King Charles Spaniel named King Arthur! We all couldn't stop taking pictures of all the adorable ponies, and even one of the official Hasbro staff spoke with us about our thoughts on the Pony franchise (If you are reading this, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us, it truly was a pleasure!) We then headed out for dinner at my favorite place, Bourbon Street Grill. On the way we ended up bumping into indie designer Kumamiki of Party Baby, a fairy kei brand. She was beyond sweet and very magical, it was really one of those special New York moments! 

This weekend was truly not to be topped! If you are curious to see what it was like through video format, I made a short little mash-up vlog here:


If you are curious to see more photos of the Pony Project exhibit, check out Victoria's post on Parfait Doll. Next up, I am really excited for a Halloween meet up with my friends and the Dances of Vice party at the Riverside church. Do you guys have anything exciting planned? Did anyone go to New York Comic Con or the Pony Project? Would love to know your thoughts! 

Thanks for reading!!






Wednesday, October 3, 2012

New York Comic Con 2012 - Magic Ala Mode Top Panels!!


Yes, its here again! The giant, mammoth event of the East Coast, New York Comic Con, returns in a week and man is this year one not to be missed. In a matter of weeks the entire convention has sold out, with every day being jam packed with a collection of not to be missed events and celebrities, this might be the best edition of the convention in years and safe to say my body is pumped. Of course I will be going for all four days (My first Four Day con!!) in all my frilly sparkle nerd glory. So for those of you that are attending, wish you were attending, or are too overwhelmed to look at the schedule (boy knows I was shocked by the amount of awesome overlapping events), here is my breakdown of my favorite events coming to this years con. And away we go..... Under the cut!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Blog Carnival Post: Magic Ala Mode Outfit Under $100 - SAY WHAT?!





Oh outfits, they cost so much money! Lolita or not, looking fabulous will cost you a pretty penny - but sometimes there are ways to work around that penny where it is closer to the cheeper cost with an outcome of excellence in your wardrobe. Thus, in the first of many Lolita Blog Carnival theme posts, I was given the challenge... wait, WHAT THE HECK IS LOLITA BLOG CARNIVAL!? Lolita Blog Carnival is a new group where each week all your favorite Lolita bloggers will do a post relating to a theme that will feature all our unique view points, styles and ideas on the topic. Each post will be made on Friday, so look out for them if interested (and below you can see the other fabulous sparkly blogs participating!) Now with that out the way, here was this week's themed challenge post:

As I was mentioning, we all know that Lolita can be seriously expensive. With that in mind, the girls thought up a good idea of a challenge: Make a whole outfit for $100 or less. My outfit? I tried for a sweet more Otome/Casual Lolita style that could also work for a first date or work! Check out what I found below:


First off, I am a bit obsessed with I'm Your Present. Her creations are beyond fun and amazing, especially that new Ice Cream dress (which also comes in Mint!) But the best fun fact: All the other items are from Forever 21, a shopping girl on a budgets dream come true. Shirt, Socks, Shoes, Bows and Necklace can all be found there at your local locations (but go now since they sell super fast!) And all at just $95, lets just say in Lolita Fashion world that would be considered a steal. So curious to know , have you been able to make such an inexpensive coordinate? There are so many opportunities now with online stores, etsy and vintage finds that there is really no excuse nowadays to not afford even a simple outfit. So curious to see what others have found! 

If you yourself are curious, check out the other participating blogs of Lolita Blog Carnival here too for their take on this weeks challenge:

Come back next Friday for another Lolita Blog Carnival post! 
(HECK, I gotta tell you these things are fun! )

Monday, September 24, 2012

I Can Make It Anywhere: Broadway Flea Market 2012



So the Broadway Cares Flea Market has passed, and to say it was a success is an understatement. The numbers haven't been officially tallied BUT I definitely gave my fair share and it looks like a lot of other individuals did too. I wanna say that there was definitely more then 5,000 people easily, probably more. But the person I cared about the most was my best musical buddy Bii, who dawned frills with me for the occasion! We got up ridiculously early, put on our best pastels, and headed to the Great White Way. (Sadly I didn't get an outfit shot, but half of New York took our picture so I am sure you will find it somewhere in the future.)

(Macaron shake from LT Burger, Once Guitar Cupcake, Crowd at the Silent Auction)


Highlights -
1) Peter and the Starcatcher was one of the best Broadway tickets I have ever had the pleasure of purchasing. Totally worth it, especially if you are a Peter Pan fan like myself. The costumes, sets (or lack there of) are used brilliantly, especially with a simple kitchen glove as a bird.
2) Purchasing a bag of "Kitty Crack" (chocolate covered rice crisp flakes in chunks) from The Lion King booth was excellent, possibly the best $4 you can spend and the most fun phrase you can say all day, it'll keep the heads turning!
3) Getting your picture taken by almost every single booth was pretty fabulous, and getting compliments on your wig from Broadway actors young and old is also pretty fabulous.
4) Attempting to find Bonnie and Clyde merchandise with no luck sucked, but getting 2 Dangerous Liasons mugs and the How to Succeed in Business revival cast album for a $1, full of luck.
5) Coming back home with not one, but two gifts for your equally Broadway obsessed mother is always the best reward for a day paving the streets of NYC.

But the best highlight of all was meeting my favorite bloggers, Patty and Emily, and watching them do their "shamazing" magic. Thanks for chatting with a me, ladies! It was a pleasure and I hope to see you next year! One day I hope I am as cool as them (a girl can dream!)

So am I going next year? The answer to that is I plan to now go every year and you should too, it is 100% worth it if you are a fan of theater. Bring your dollar bills and make it rain to fight the battle against AIDS, and see some sparkly Broadway stars!


Monday, September 10, 2012

Fashion Night Out 2012: A Night of Sightings

So, as you all know I was heading off to Fashion Night Out, the 2012 edition. Its a night full of celebrities sights, free swag and of course, fashion (duh). So what did I do? Lets just say even though most of my time was spent by myself, it was seriously amazing and I would do it again (with more comfortable shoes) in a heart beat!

My outfit for the night, picture by Petrina 

My night started off with heading off to 5th Ave - with all its favorite stores and locations. My main locale was Sax Fifth Avenue, which is definitely my favorite of the big department stores of Manhattan and probably period. The entire place is truly stunning and continues to amaze me every time I visit it. I went up to the third floor, possibly to try and meet Glee star Darren Criss (not a huge fan of the show, but of him? That is a different story!) and his special guest, the fashion goddess (or monster? Depends on your thoughts.) Anna Wintour of Vogue. Sadly, I didn't get there early enough to get anything signed and thus would have only been allowed to scream in his face. (I kid you not!) So I decided to miss the chance for such a... meeting, and decided to try for another awesome celebrity sighting, which this time was a success! I found the one the only, Miss Piggy from The Muppets was doing her New York finest and was hanging out with New York's Fireman at DKNY.


After finding my favorite Pig, FNO went off without (for the most part) a hitch. I found tons of fashionable people, especially at Juicy and Sax. And then a dream of mine came true, I met one of my general Fashion heroes, Erin Fetherston. Known for her simple elegant vintage inspired designs, Erin is also knowing for her always adorable signature bangs and personal style. First off, she is stunning and a class act in person, she even told me she loved my glasses and took the time to ask what I did for a living, even if I probably came off really fan-girly. Erin, if you ever read this, thank you so much for being so nice to me and even though I wasn't on line for the haircuts (Sorry ladies, I all ready have bangs!) it meant the world to me to be next to you. 

At the end of the night, I was hoping to see Cyndi Lauper do a small set nearby, but the line was long and apparently it wasn't supposed to be a public event. But instead, I got my nostalgic middle school groove on and finished my night by seeing Vanessa Carlton perform a short concert in the shoe floor of Sax. I really can't express how magical it was to finally hear her sing live, especially of course hearing A Thousand Miles. 



One last thing happened on the way home, My group stumbled upon a store (to sadly which I don't remember the name) had a group of dashingly dressed gentlemen and ladies outside. So of course, me being one that is always charmed by a dapper man, had to grab a picture. He was so sweet, and even had a charming British accent to go along with his lovely smile! 

To further add, the other men that were working the food truck next door posed for my shaking camera skills in what I can only define as ultra kawaii pose #100. 



In conclusion, Fashion Night Out was splendid and I hope to be there again with a pack of even more friends next time! Did anyone else check out FNO 2012? What stores did you go to? Are you gonna go next year? Speak up in the comments!





Monday, September 3, 2012

Magical Excitement: Broadway Flea Market 2012

Its hard to believe it, but September is going to be a beyond awesome month for me in my social adventures. Next Friday, My boyfriend and friends will be all seeing Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark in IMAX (and prior I'll be taking the boy for his first visit to the Museum of Natural History!) Then the following week I am gonna be heading to The Big E, a month long festival nearby that features all the good old time fair things that I have been dreaming of all summer long! But what am I the most excited about more then anything? Something I have been waiting all year long for: Broadway Equity Fights AIDS Annual Broadway Flea Market. What happens at the Flea Market? Here is the official lowdown!


Broadway dreams can come true as you find showbiz treasures, meet the stars and bid on once-in-a-lifetime items and experiences at the 26th AnnualBroadway Flea Market & Grand Auction.
Make your plans now to spend Sunday, September 23 with Broadway Cares and thousands of other theatre fans in Times Square, Shubert Alley and along West 44th Street searching for those one-of-a-kind keepsakes. This not-to-be-missed event for any serious Broadway theatergoer is free and open to the public and has been called one of the "Best Once-a-Year Markets" in New York City.
From photos with your favorite Broadway star to buying that lost cast recording, signed show posters and Playbills, rare costume sketches or that special gift for a theatre-lover you can't find anywhere else - this year's Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction promises to offer something for everyone.

As a Broadway Musical fanatic, I am beyond excited for my first time at the Flea Market. I got my eyes set of getting some merchandise from my recent new discovery, Sunset Boulevard The Musical, along with anything Newsies I can get my hands on! Below is a video of my favorite Broadway musical bloggers, Patty and Emily, going to the Flea Market last year:

So anyone in New York planning to go? Anyone a big musical fan? Myself and my best friend Bii are gonna be in our frilly musical loving finest ready to get our Broadway on, and hopefully we will see you there. And for everyone else, are you doing something fun in September? I wanna know!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Beauty and the Beast of an Internet Kind: Interview with Web Comic Creator Megan Kearney

Web comics. I can easily say that it is one of the big nerd trends I have yet to get into. Maybe its because my reading taste is beyond picky, but only up until recently have I taken an interest to getting into them and trying to understand them. So with that then came an random day that I ended up on my favorite time steeler, Tumblr. One there I stumbled upon the trailer below, for a project I became incredibly interested in. Below is a simple and fun interview with creator of a new Beauty and the Beast web-comic, and trust me: I really think you should check this out! I present to you with creator of Beauty and the Beast, Megan Kearney and her fabulousness!



Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Fashion Night Out NYC 2012: Top Picks!




Not gonna lie, I am really excited for Fashion Night Out this year. I had a blast last year, but since it was my first it was too chaotic for me to really enjoy, especially since I felt sweaty and really uncomfortable in my outfit choice. This year though I have decided on a one to two prime locations for my enjoyment, but I thought I would list my top 5 for anyone else in the area interested this year. Let's jump right in! The descriptions are from FNO's website themselves and I recommend looking into the official stores twitter or FB to get more official details closer to the date!

1. alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet
GIRLS NIGHT OUT! It’s the ultimate slumber party at alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet for Fashion’s Night Out on September 6, 2012. Guests will dance along to our favorite 80’s jams and watch slumber party chick flicks while enjoying sweet treats and browsing the boutiques for the latest Fall frocks! Braid bars, manicures, charm bracelet stations and tattoo booths will be making over FNO shoppers with aura and palm readers on hand to predict our (sure to be bright) futures!

2. Target 
Join Target as we celebrate our fall installment of "The Shops at Target," featuring New York City's "Odin" and "Kirna Zabete," Boston's "Patch NYC," and San Francisco's "The Curiosity Shoppe." The one night only, pop-up shop will give New Yorkers the chance to shop the collections before they launch at Target stores nationwide and on Target.com. Quantities limited to each guest.

3. Alice and Trixie 
Shop:Meet the designers & shop the newest collections from Alice & Trixie, Blank Denim, B-Low the Belt, & LeighElena. Primp:Get dolled up at our FREE BeautyBar! Hairstyling by Mark Garrison, manicures by Color Club, and feather Extensions by TheFeatherJunkie. Party:Dance on our Red Carpet with a live DJ and music preformance.Sip & Munch:Enjoy HINT Water, Cupcake Vineyards Wine, and GoodieBites Cakepops.GiftBags: The first 100 shoppers receive Gift bags with $350 in complimentary products and services.

4. Erin Featherson
Start off your FNO right with freshly trimmed bangs courtesy of designer Erin Fetherston. Meet Erin, shop her fall collection and get your bangs trimmed. Erin will be joined by the legendary Edward Tricomi of Warren Tricomi salons.

5. Juice Couture
We will celebrate our newest Juicy Couture fragrance Viva la Juicy la Fleur with fragrance sampling and a Viva la Fleur GWP bracelet with any fragrance purchase during the event.* *while supplies last.
We will have an in-store exhibit of Karlie's Instagram images as curated by Ivan Shaw. We will also have a digital photobooth to take your own FNO photos. Make a purchase and get your photo taken with Karlie Kloss from 6-7pm, then your photo will be uploaded to the Juicy Couture FNO hashtag as well as your own Instagram account!

These are definitely not all the events, but these were some of my favorites. The ones bolded are my two prime locations but still holding out to see if the Disney Store or Anna Sui have something going on. 

Are you going to Fashion Night Out this year? What is your prime location or are you going to be adventurous and go to more then one? 
Sunday, August 19, 2012

Shopping Sunday: Dear Angelic Pretty....

As some of you may know, Angelic Pretty has finally come out with some of their most recent products in "L" sizes. Now that is all well and good, but I can't say that as a long time customer of the brand that I am at all completely satisfied. When I hear that a brand is now making bigger sized items, I truly expect the difference in the size of the items to be far and between. But when researching and comparing these new items, I came across that the max waist on many of the items was only bigger by 3 cm in comparison to their normal sized items. My response:


Listen, I get that originally these clothes were never meant for the ever changing evolution of western sizes and that they were truly only created to be worn by one collection of sizes and no bigger, but when I see the word L tacked on to a tag, I expect there to be a dramatic difference between the two different sizes of the items. Sure, now that garment might fit better on me then prior, but what about the girl a whole other dress size then me? Doesn't she deserve to look adorable and a classy as hell in pink fluff too?

Brands, a word of advice: We love you and will support you, but now with this no replica business its gonna get harder for girls to find the clothes they want directly for you if you don't really try to cater to them. The L Size should be 8 - 10 cms bigger, not 3. The sleeves should have a comfortable elastic band around the arms, not death traps for them, and the bust should be a space at which to at last be able to breath in or at least give it some even more shirring then before. Just in general, make a little more effort into making this a real change and improvement in your brand, because this could have been incredible but instead is a bore in a new move, at best.

What are your thoughts on the new AP sizes? Agree, disagree, buying, never will touch? Curious to know your thoughts!
Sunday, August 12, 2012

Shopping Sunday: August 12th 2012

This is the beginning of a new series for the blog in which I will showcase some of my favorite finds for the Magic Ala Mode girl in you! This week I have been on a search for a new sweatshirt to take with me on my trip to Disneyland in January, since I realized due to the off-season timing its going to be my first time being in the park and it being wicked cold (for California!).  Also I found some other fun etsy things in my travels, some come take a look!







1. New Forever 21 Sweatshirts
Its so close to my favorite season, and that means Forever 21 is rolling out their new Fall collection including all the new sweatshirts and sweaters. As someone that is addicted to pastels, I am totally digging the looks this year. From shades of mint, pink and tons of Mickey and Minnie Mouse decorated pieces, you can't go wrong with these babies!
$13 - $23



2. Ilovecrafty's I'm Really A Mermaid collection
ilovecrafty could be my official new favorite jewelry designer on the internet. With fresh new and generally affordable collections, she makes designers like Tarina Tarantino look a bit on the boring side these days (though I will always love her, don't get me wrong!) I have a love for all their collections, but their recent Mermaid inspired one is making the biggest splash (pun intended?) From adorable starfish earrings to clamshell statement necklaces, these pieces are really beautiful.
$12 - $40



3. Golden Ponies
I am not going to lie when I say that it is beyond hard to find cute shoes for my size (9 1/2 - 10 US), but thanks to Golden Ponies, a company that makes custom leather products in almost any color, this issue is solved big time. I love wearing oxford shoes, which combine the comfort of sneaker with class of a ballet flat! Now with Golden Ponies, I can get these babies in any color, style or even boot shape I want! I plan on getting myself a pair of pink boots for my birthday this year to also take with me to Cali.
$45 - $60


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