where I've been drawing inspiration from lately

Taken from Rookie, Colossal, and Fashiontoast

sudden fascination with Denmark

My curiosity for Denmark is skyrocketing right now. A few weeks ago I watched the documentary Happy and I found out one of the happiest places on earth is, statistically, Denmark. If not thee happiest place. Coincidentally, I found out from a customer at my job that my name (Dagmara) is actually Danish! And apparently it means sunrise or sunshine? I don't know how true that last part is, but I was super happy to find out my name comes from such a cool place. Tonight I also found out that in the Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark, they have room in which you can swing covered in a thousand reflections of yourself! It's called The Phoenix is Closer Than it Appears. Watch these videos to understand better:

Okay seriously I am too excited right now, but HOW cool is this?! Visiting Denmark is without a doubt a must for me.

Commonalities

Maybe it’s just me, but lately I’ve been feeling like much of what I have in common with people matters less than everyone makes it seem. Yeah, it’s nice to talk about things that you both know about that you both like, but isn’t it more intriguing to talk about things you don’t know about with each other? To not only introduce each other to new concepts and ideas, or even little things such as songs and t.v shows, but to explore entirely new (to the both of you) things together? I want to meet people I have absolutely nothing in common with, because I can learn the absolute most from them. 

Sitting here for 10 mins and I still don't have a title

I can't believe I'm doing this again. HI. I'm blogging again. For the first time in ages. I guess I fell off the map there for a while. Originally, when I started this blog I was very excited about making it a (somewhat) personal style blog. I guess since then I've realized personal style blogging isn't really my thing because I have too many thoughts up in this noggin to not write about them on the world wide and very public web. (I feel sorry for the secret government agent that has to track my internet history). So I guess in the midst of trying to figure out where I stand as a blobber (blogger) (thanks Tavi), as a student, as a writer, and as a human (lol unfortunately I'm serious), not blogging for a really long time seemed reasonable. But alas! Here I am again. 

I had a falling out with fashion, ironically. I still love it in many ways. But I guess the materialistic aspect, my own need to find something more personally meaningful, and the fact that I started getting interested in other things like interior design overwhelmed and discouraged me at the same time from doing anything fashion related for a while. Even the word FASHION itself can be hard to take serious sometimes. Or maybe I've just said it too many times throughout my existence thus far? I don't know. 

Anyway, there are so many things like quotes I hear in class to random things I make that I kind of want to organize in one place, and right now this blog seems like the best outlet.

I'm taking a sustainability course in school right now and last week we had an amazing guest speaker. Her name is Amy DuFault and she writes for Ecosalon.com. This woman is incredible! She is so dedicated to making the world a more sustainable place, it's ridiculously inspiring. The things you can learn about outsourced workers and how they're being treated, to how your food is being treated on farms, to global warming, to plastic bags, in one sitting with her is mind blowing. Almost literally. Some of her articles on the site under the "behind the label" section are really interesting, they take known companies like Chipotle and expose both the good and the bad about how they're handling their products, and how it effects you personally. 

Here's a quote I wrote down of hers from class. I can't say it's word for word, it's hard to write down every single word someone is saying, but more or less this is the message she was trying to get across about becoming more sustainable (but I also thought it was just good general advice): 

"Don't go nuts, don't shame people. You're not a part of a cult. Change starts with you. We're all hypocrites in some ways. I think it's smart to be transparent about what you're doing. You're going to make mistakes and if people want to call you out on them, let them. You've got to be happy about the little victories, you know? You're not going to be a magician and change minds over night." 

This kind of stuff can get overwhelming when you get into the real specifics of the factory workers over in China for example, but everyone should really touch base on this, I think. Doing little things like not taking plastic bags at the grocery store or recycling properly sounds silly but really does make a change in the long run. And it really is interesting to learn about how things like recycling connects to the environment, which connects to the climate, which connects to animals, etc. 

Amy's being as a whole is just so inspiring. She tries to dedicate every aspect of her life to this sustainable lifestyle because she believes it makes the world a better place, and I think that's amazing. 

And yes, I do still skip breakfast. 

Not planning

(Defiant shirt, thrifted skirt, Aldo bookbag, All saints sneakers, secondhand white dress, Mishka Jean Jacket, forgotwhereIboughit silver-jewled shirt, Mishka tie dyed flannel) 

So basically this is what I've been up to lately: not planning ahead and just going with the wind. Me and my friend Alberto just decided to get out of the house on a beautiful day and take some shots, spur of the moment kind of thing, and they turned out pretty cool. I've been wearing sneakers and accessorizing a lot more lately, so I guess that's how I came up with the outfits. The majority of my bracelets were given to me from family/friends, and my ring is from a street booth in Chelsea. 

My birthday just passed and my friend Michelle drew me as her gift: 

 Thank you Alberto and Michelle, I'm very lucky to have such talented friends, and thank you to my friend Josh for lending me some of his Mishka clothing. 

Photos by Alberto Vargas: http://www.albertovargasphoto.com/

Drawing by Michelle Jimenez: http://www.nuttersofsavileroad.tumblr.com

Bucket List

I left my internship today and started a new job. Well, technically, I told my internship I would leave precisely when I made 6 months (the 13th) if they weren’t willing to compensate me, and start my new job. But I didn’t go back after work today. Although I love fashion and that internship had been the closest I’ve ever been to the industry, if not in it, I guess I feel good about myself because I was able to walk away. I was able to walk away because I knew the amount of work I was doing shouldn’t go unpaid or unappreciated the way it had been for the past six months. I knew that although I was getting a tiny bit of exposure and I was able to attend cool events and meet people, the company didn’t treat their interns, or rather unpaid employees, with respect or value at all, and I knew that that is not the kind of company I want to represent down the line, even if the company does eventually become big within the industry. One day if I see the company making millions, I won’t respect how they got there, and if I was up there with them, I would be full of regret. It’s a weird feeling to leave doing what you love because the people giving you the capability to do so take the love you have for it and kill it by creating such a vicious and unfair working environment. I’m grateful, though, for all that I’ve learned- within the industry and out- from it. I know that I can make my dreams come true ~ , as cheesy as it sounds, the right way and with the people. That being said, I was compelled to make a really random bucket list. See below: 

1. Walk shirtless in public in another country. 

2. Dress up as Margot Tenenbaum and go see The Royal Tenenbaum House. 

3. Tell someone, no, convince someone, that I am the MTA voice over. 

4. Jump off a mountain into water. 

5. Read a book that will dramatically change my life.

6. Build a tree house.

7. Meet someone who resembles me enough to be my twin.

8. Visit Egypt.

9. Lick a butterfly.

10. Survive a zombie apocalypse. To be continued... 

In other news, I received a post card from my step-grandmother in Poland today!

How cool! I would translate for you guys, and by translate I mean I would ask my mom to first translate for me, but to do that I would need her here, and she is not, so sadly, I will not. But it's just cheesy grandma stuff anyway. 

In other other news, I did a photoshoot recently for a newly launched street wear clothing line called Highborn Society. It was a really unexpected and last minute shoot (for me), but I really enjoyed how organic and natural it all was. It was inspiring to shoot without all the make-up and glamour. It makes the creativity of the shoot so much more authentic, and solely based on the clothing. 

Here are some of my favorite shots: 

Check out their site if you're into street wear at all. 

Photo Credit: 
Gabrielle Do 
Awni Mosa (http://panic-awni.tumblr.com/)

Karl Lagerfeld x I LOVE DUST

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the Karl Lagerfeld x I LOVE DUST party where the new line of t-shirts that was produced with British label I love Dust was on display. The night consisted of staring into Arizona Muse's beautiful face that was massively blown up on one of the walls, sparkly biker jackets and shorts, and Karl's face all over cookies and accessories. Also, me wearing all black and white was a coincidence, I promise. 

(Dress: h&m, Shoes: Urban, Bag: Kenneth Cole)

Thanks to Susan for the pictures!

Summer Vibes via Youtube Videos

Some videos I've been getting my summer, and overall, inspiration from. 

Miu Miu- The Woman Dress

This honestly freaked me out a little (then again, I jump and squeal when Scream jumps out from behind a door or something in old Scream movies), but I really can't help being weirdly attracted to how spooky and dark this video is, and in contrast how pretty, subtle, and not scary the dresses are. It makes me excited for spooky summer night sleepovers, or camping and sitting around the camp fire telling scary stories, or just lighting a candle in my room by myself and hiding from the monsters under my bed.

Matilda- Send Me on My Way (Breakfast Scene)

So my parents recently left to Canada for a small vacation and left me alone in my house right when finals week ended, aka feeling exactly like this. This song really makes any situation, like having to clean the entire house in under two hours before your parents get home, a thousand times more relaxing and hopeful~ And who doesn't love everything about this movie?!

Rusted Root- Send Me on My Way (Actual Video)

Well, the innocence I associated this song with earlier completely went out the window once I looked up the actual video to it. My hopeful heroic song that I depended on to make miserable situations better just turned into what seems to be an acid trip in a desert? 

Friendly Fires- Hurting

On my last day of my intro to television studies class, a girl in my class did her final presentation on this video and I've been replaying it constantly ever since. As she mentioned during her presentation, I'm surprised such a cool video and song doesn't have more views. If only it were true that men had mechanical cubes as heads and hearts popped up when women walked by them, instead of the kissing-dog-mating-call I-dont-even-know-what-to-call-them sounds they use on women in the streets (in nyc, at least). But still! this video does make me want to put on short shorts and shamelessly prance around in the street. 

Karl Lagerfeld- "The New Mix"

Okay, despite the really awkward ending, I really love this video. For a change, I really like the futuristic theme and how its portrayed so well with the special effects and music, and not to mention Arizona Muse and Abbey Lee look flawless. The clip-on collars (especially the silver ones) and the cut-off studded gloves are genius. The clip-on collars would be really cool to wear during the summer to avoid actual shirt collars that would be a lot more uncomfortable to wear (I think?). And silver pants are never not cool. 

That being said, greetings Summer! We missed you.

Fashion Satire

Hey guys. So this is the Ghassan Yazbeck collection preview I attended a while back. I decided to pull out my mom's old vintage skirt and pair it with this bow-tie shirt I got from a little shop in my neighborhood. 

In other semi-recent news, I got bored one night and decided to sort of bejewel one of my snapbacks. 

Kind of silly but I like it. 

In other other semi-recent news, I wrote this article about this really awesome artist who is also a fashion designer that I wanted to share with you guys! Here is some of his work: 

Don't get me wrong, I love and respect Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld and their work, but this is just too ballsy and funny not to admire! I couldn't not write about it. Much respect, Palombo.

Photo Credit (for event photos): 

Awni Mosa (http://panic-awni.tumblr.com)

Moey Hoque (http://moeysphotography.tumblr.com)