Madeline's Selfish Wishlist

The Christmas season is officially upon us. Thanksgiving is past, Halloween was long ago, and now it is time to think in terms of mistletoe and cinnamon. I am trying my very hardest to get my holiday shopping out of the way as soon as I can, as I do not want to be making any Christmas eve runs to Barnes & Noble this year. So far, I have gotten two of my nearest and dearest their presents, so that leaves approximately... well, the rest. Anyway, all of the generosity expended at this time of year tends to wear me out, so I will compile an indulgent little wishlist of my own. Perhaps some eagle eyed friends or relatives of mine will spy it and take the hint? (I know, I'm shameless.)

(From top: Urban Outfitters, Autumnomatopoeia, Oh My Cavelier, Sock Dreams, Waterfall, J. Crew, Blaze Danielle, Knittles, Hansigurumi, Allira Tee.)

Cute Leg Warmers?

Okay, so generally, I hate leg warmers due to my instinctive distaste for anything remotely associated with 1980s fashion. I firmly stood my ground throughout their '04-'05 revival, and I have avoided direct contact with them for all of my life. However. . . I find my resolve faltering when presented with these.

They just look so very cozy and quirky and adorable. Alas, I just can not resist anything with buttons running up the side, it is a documented fact. But they are not even that 80's looking, are they? Maybe they are not even 80's looking at all? It is a strange new feeling to not be repulsed by a pair of leg warmers. I still am not quite sure whether I am experiencing a brief stint of insanity, and these are not actually very cute after all. I am kind of relieved that they are sold out right now, or else I might be quite tempted to click the "add to cart" button. Sock Dreams, $18.

Maddy

An Adolescent Boy's Guide to Looking Halfway Decent

Lately, my little brother Jacob has been coming to me for clothing advice. Which is cool, because quite frankly, he could use the help. Not that he dresses heinously- he doesn't. It's just that he happens to be a typical eighth grade boy, and therefore has no qualms with wearing things such as tee shirts with bleach stains or shoes that have gaping holes in them. Today he came up to me while I was catching up on some blog reading and asked me to find him a sweater. Apparently he does not currently own a single one. This was surprising and strange to me until I mentally reviewed what he has worn over the past couple weeks- jeans, tee shirts, the aforementioned hole-bearing sneakers... nary a sweater, or indeed a fit article of clothing, in sight. Yes, it appears Jacob's wardrobe is in a dismal state, but I do not think he is alone. All across the country, there are adolescent boys who wear the same tee shirt three times a week, who haven't stepped foot into a proper dress shoe since the third grade, and who cringe at the thought of anything other than denim coming in contact with their legs. This is lamer than lame. Sure, the style options for boys are dreadfully limited when compared to those of the gentler sex, but certainly they can make more of an effort than this! Here is some stuff that I would have my little brother wear were he not afflicted with his typically masculine fear of clothing variety: Striped sweaters are a good thing to have a lot of if you are a boy. They are comfortable and non-dorky, and they lend an air of niceness to your persona. Boys in striped sweaters are the kind of boys who like puppies and go to expensive colleges. The first one is from Gap for $39.50 and comes in a whole slew of colors. The second is from Urban Outfitters for $48.

Now, on to pants. Jeans are fine, but I am so bored of them. So how about. . .

Some khaki-colored cords, perhaps? Like oh, I don't know, the ones pictured above that are currently on sale for $39? Just a thought.

Or perhaps a casual grey twill? Grey goes with everything, after all, and twill can be worn all year round. These are $40 from CCS. Seriously you guys, I am begging you. I don't really care what particular material you choose to cover your butt with, but please let it be something besides denim at least once in a while.

Okay, so I know most boys will wear a tee shirt under any circumstance that allows them to. Most would probably wear a tee shirt to their wedding if their bride was down with that. Anyways, if you're going to wear tee shirts every day, at least wear cool ones from Threadless. Like these:

All $15. Sweet.

Alright, so those ugly "skate" shoes that the majority of the boys at my school wear. LAME and AWFUL. No more. May I suggest Chuck Taylors? I'm not talking about your basic black low top. I mean, those are acceptable, but quite frankly rather boring. And since most guys only have one pair of shoes that they wear every day, that one pair should really be more interesting. Like these, for instance: These are so fly. If I was a fellow I would totally rock these. As a matter of fact, I might rock them anyways. . . Christmas present, anyone? $95 from converse.com.
So these are kind of badass, in a geriatric sort of way. I like them a lot. $97 from converse.com.
Orange suede! I don't know about you, but I am all over this crazy combination. $109 from converse.com.

And finally, we come to accessories. I know that the guys for whom I am writing this guide (i.e., my brother) don't really care that much about jewelry, bags, hats and such, but sometimes they add that extra je ne sais quoi to an outfit that make you look cool. Every guy should have a nice watch, for one thing, like this one:

This is not a sissy watch, you guys. It's got buckles and grommets and a stamped leather strap, and Roman numerals on the face, even. It is called the Adventurers Watch and it is by Etsy seller Marcus Stratus for $70.

Messenger bags are a good thing to have, too. Not for carrying all day every day, but just for school and travel and so forth.

This one will do the job nicely, I'm sure. It's down from $50 and is now $18. I like the mossy green color and it is not the sort of messenger bag that people might call you gay for carrying, I don't think. It is from amazon.com.

Whew. This post took forever to write. Too bad no boys will ever see it. Next time, it is definitely back to skirts and earrings and unicorns and all that other girlie stuff. Boy fashion is kind of boring.

Maddy

This Post Contains 0% Fashion. Sorry.

I haven't had a lot of time to type in the past month or so. Sorry sorry to the three people who care. I don't have any fashiony things to discuss, but here are some pretty noises:


Take Me Out to Kun-Ding Tonight


This is by a little-known YouTube girl named Joanna Wang. I like her, even if her YouTube profile annoys the crap out of me. (Why won't you properly capitalize your sentances? Does your keyboard not come equipped with a Shift button, Joanna Wang? ) She does lots of covers, but I like her original songs better. This one makes me feel all bubbly, like how you feel when you like a boy.


Floating


This is by some cat named Jape. I hadn't heard of him until a couple weeks ago. Be warned- the tune is very sticky in your head.


I have been having a pleasant little while. There was a post-Halloween party at my house on Friday night, during which we watched Hocus Pocus, bootleg DVDs of Are You Afraid of the Dark, ate Reeses Cups, talked about what it was like in middle school, and had a generally silly time. I plan to do it again soon. I love parties. Here are some other things I love:

- Chai tea lattes. Why did nobody tell me about the magical effects of these sooner? The creamy spicy perfection of these concoctions puts me into some kind of fugue, during which I can do my Algebra II homework without even noticing it.

-Cold weather. Yes! Yes! And also Yes! Bring on the socks, and the sweaters, and the cable knit, and oh, all of the navy blue, marroon, and rust colors that my little heart desires! I love Fall, you guys.

-Dumb websites. Including but not limited to: Cute with Chris, White Ninja Comics, Waverly Films.

Okay, sorry about the serious lack of fashion content here, but I am one busy sophomore. And in between getting real-life dressed, being annoyed by my French teacher, and wasting my time on the Interweb, it's hard to work fashion dreaming into my schedule. But I solemnly swear to try harder.

Maddy