For this first edition of a new segment that I'd like to call, "What's on your desk?" I've decided to give my blog readers an inside look of what goes on in mine, especially when producing the daily Fashion Blog. I'm a neat freak so the entire set up of my desk now is how controlled and organized my desk usually is. So read the commentaries to find out the stories behind the items on my desk.
(1) I absolutely love the books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. I love Disney's 1951adaptation of it along with Tim Burton's 2010 remake of the classic tale. This framed photograph of Alice using a flamingo to play croquet with the Queen is from the original illustrations by John Tenniel when the book was first published. Of course the illustrations were not printed in color, but it's so much better that way. Alice is my favorite fictional character, because she's the one person that I most identify with. Her adventure through wonderland was a result of her wild and vast imagination and dreams and I feel like that I'm the same way. I'm always dreaming and fantasizing during all hours of the day.
(2) I just recently bought this tea cup from one of my favorite stores, Anthropologie which a store owned by the same company as Urban Outfitters and Free People. It doesn't come in a set and it's larger than a regular tea cup, but I love to use it when having my English tea in the morning.
(3) If you grew up in the South and attended a university there like I did, then you would be no stranger to the brand of Vera Bradley. The initial reaction to the items of line, especially for those who are not familiar with it, is old-grandma-patterns. But they actually have a good handful of beautiful prints. The case in the "Sittin' in a Tree" pattern, featured here, holds a pen that my boyfriend's mother has given to me for my college graduation. She gave me an entire gift bag filled with goodies in this pattern which include this pen, a journal [which I now use as my fashion journal], and a photo book [which is also on my desk and now holds polaroids that I've taken.]
(4) When making my weekly list of Fashion Blog topics, I like to use a pencil, because I always tend to edit my ideas around. The ink of a pen is so definitive, it doesn't give you much room to make mistakes or change your ideas around without resorting to scribbling it off or starting over.
(5) I absolutely adore Audrey Hepburn. She's pretty much up there on my classic fashion list along with Coco Chanel and Jackie O. She was known for wearing her famous hats and so I chose this particular picture to frame. I knew I made the right choice when I saw the exact same picture on Blair Waldorf's wall on an episode of Gossip Girl, except her version was in color and much larger than my tiny framed version.
(6) If Vogue is the fashion bible then Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr's WHO WHAT WEAR.com is the fashion internet bible. My homepage is set to their website so it's the first thing that I read when I wake in the morning. It's my version of the daily newspaper.
(7) There are usually stacks of books on my desk which usually consists of books that I'm currently reading and some that I'm doing a Fashion Blog book review on. Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion is one of my favorite books. It's a book by style.com which is managed by the same people responsible for Vogue. It features the work of the greatest stylists in the fashion industry, especially American Vogue's Grace Coggington, which is my favorite part. I want to become a stylist one day and I learned that the best way to do that is by studying the images of my favorite stylists. I want to expand my fashion photography book collection and this copy is a great start. Influence by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen is also another great fashion and photography book. The entire book consists of interviews from the industry's most influential players like Diane Von Furstenberg, John Galliano, Jack McCoullough, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Louboutin, and Margherita Missoni -- all answering the question of what influences them the most. I also keep my copy of Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr's WHAT to WEAR, WHERE on my desk on most days. It's a great reference book when I'm putting a look together. The Little Dictionary of Fashion by Christian Dior is a great book to have in your fashion library. At face value it's a dictionary about clothes and fashion concepts, but the book teaches its readers the fundamentals of simplicity, good taste, and grooming. It's a definite must-have for any fashion savvy readers.
(8) This organization box is from Target's Liberty of London collection, which holds my basic desk essentials like a stapler, three hole puncher, tape, and staple remover . This print is definitely my favorite, because not only do I have this box in this very print, my bedside lamp, school folder, clipboard, and round storage box are all in this exact same print. The combination of florals and colors is what drew me to this collection. And now I'm so bummed that the stores no longer carries this collection. I sure hope they bring it back again.
(9) I got this mason jar in a glass giveaway event in Tallahassee, Florida at a bar called Fermentation Lounge. It's by the Lagunitas Brewing Company and now I've creatively used it as a color pencil holder. When inspiration strikes, I sometimes like to sketch and from time to time I would color in my Wonderful World of Fashion coloring book by Nina Chakrabarti [blog coming soon.] If you look closely at the jar you will see the measurements 3.14...which stands for pi, 10/6, the numbers on the Mad Hatter's hat, and 420 which symbolizes the day that the cannabis culture ardently follows. Say no to drugs, kids.
(10) Above my desk are my Inspiration Board and Teen Vogue November 2009 Emma Watson framed poster. I've recently just updated my inspiration board, which is something that you should always do. Editing your inspiration board is very important, especially as your style evolves and becomes more concrete. I got this complimentary poster from Teen Vogue and this shoot is one my favorite Teen Vogue magazine spreads of all time. The shoot is styled by one of my favorite stylists Havana Laffitte in an English manor outside of London, while Watson was filming Harry Potter's sixth movie, The Half Blood Prince. Take a closer look at my newly edited inspiration board. You'll be sure to see some very familiar faces!
Love, KB
