God Bless America

Graphics provided by MySpaceGraphicsandAnimations.com

We at Tirvani: the blog are pretty sure everyone (in the US of A) knows what this post is about. This post is about those who have willingly and bravely given their lives so America can stay free and keep the freedoms that we are so blessed to have.

These people are truly heroes.

One for one

Don't you just want a pair? I do too... three to be exact.

These pictures were taken by me of girls around my school strutting their stuff in these world-friendly shoes. (The bottom edge of the picture is a screenshot from toms.com, their website) And so the question becomes, why not invest in a pair of these comfortable, cute, and do-good shoes? My answer is... I have absolutely no idea.

The title for this post is the motto for this very well known brand, that presents a sustainable way to make a change in this world. "TOMS was founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One." Omgosh I love them... they're a little funk-ay (which I love), they're comfortable (which I love), and there are so many options (which I love). I plan to get three pairs this summer... :)

 

(Red Stone-Washed Twill Classics- $48, Tyler Ramsey Hand Painted Natural Classics- $68, Bleach Splatter Denim Cordones- $69)

Any favorite styles of toms you've seen? Is it just me who's obsessed with them...?

Who Should A date?

So lately here at Tirvani we’ve been having an ongoing discussion. Probably one that you guys have had too. Who would be the perfect guy for A? So to settle this argument, we’ve decided to let you guys choose. I’ll describe the 2 guys we’ve narrowed it down to below and you can vote by leaving your pick in the comments section:

Guy #1: B

B is sweet, kind, and a little shy. He, like A, is super smart, and also like A, has many interests. However, he does not have many interests in common with A, seeing as hers range from fashion to lomography to her dog, Portia, while his range from MUN (Model United Nations) to math to golf. However, I personally think they would be great together because they balance each other out with their large range of interests. I mean how boring would it be to date someone who liked the exact same things you did? What new things would either of you bring to the relationship? Anyway, moving on….They do, however, have one common interest, tennis. She plays once a week, he plays twice a week. Maybe if they got together they could play doubles and have matching (or at least color coordinated) outfits. B’s other major plus as far as A is concerned? He happens to look like a younger Prince Harry, who as A herself has admitted in previous posts, she adores and often drools over. They also know already know each other really well and never run out of things to talk about, whether they’re debating who the most influencialfigure in history was or are simply discussing their favorite (often historical) books. She says “he’s a sweet guy and any girl would be lucky to date him.”

Guy #2: Him

The fan-favorite, Him has been friends with A for pretty much forever. Him likes to play field hockey, he fences, and plays polo, among other sports. Him claims to dislike reading, however A has found him with a book in tow on numerous occasions. Him is not afraid to admit that he considers himself far more knowledgable than A, despite A’s beliefs and frequent persuasions to the contrary. A describes him as “a nice, regular guy.” They have the typical “just friends” relationship, or say they claim, and Him often talks about his girl problems with A. This has allowed them to establish a comfortable relationship, which as we all know, is the building block for a successful romantic relationship. Followers of our other posts featuring Him will know that he has every girl’s dream characteristic in a guy, yes, I do mean to say, he has an English accent. When asked to describe what bugs A about Him, she is at a loss as to where to begin. She says “I love him dearly, however 1. His taste in books in not ideal 2. Sometimes his taste in girls gets him into trouble, which causes him to come to me for help and 3. Sometimes he annoys me, so much.” Lastly, to end on a good note she says “he does a good imitation of a drowning dog in water, I do of course mean that in the most lovely way possible.”

Hoorah!

Everybody loves festivals.. at least they really should. Street fairs, such as the one in Downtown Mountain View, are the best type of festival. This one was May 20-21, 10am-6pm, closing off a major portion of Downtown Mountain View, and had rides, food, art, and some wine. The event is sponsored by, and officially known as the Pacific Fine Arts, 15th Annual A la Carte & Art Festival.

Got a cute pair of earrings (courtesy of my mother!) and found a really good summer opportunity sewing at a studio and gaining some retail experience/working in a store. Excellent, right? Check out some pics:

 

This company, Ricochet, is where I will be having my intense summer opportunity

At www.MelissaHuntsman.com you can find the jewelry shown here, and see some new things

{logo of the Festival found on google images, all other photos were taken by me at the festival}

Comment what you think!

052111 (a few designs)

 

I'm not too pleased with these, but here are some designs I doodled last month or so! The first is a chiffon-and-tulle ruffled top with batwing sleeves, paired with dark gray skinny jeans and black ribbon pumps laced over. The tutu-like ruffles, the messy ballerina bun, and the laced up ribbons play big parts in this ballerina-inspired outfit.
I tried to keep the second outfit slightly more minimalistic than the first. It's mostly centered around the iconic Rei Kawakubo hair (for those of you who don't know, RK is the founder of Comme des Garçons, which happens to be one of my favorite avant-garde labels!); it consists of a graphite-colored silk shrug with brass metal findings and padded shoulders (throwback to the 1980s!), over a white canvas dress with a sort of paper lantern-like structure. To top it off, I chose simple black suede ankle boots to complement the shrug.

Now, for part two!~

My idea for these two (very very rough) sketches is kind of 1700s Europe meets the Far East. I haven't gotten very far with these yet, but so far I've incorporated panniers with hanbok and kimono, and I have an idea for Han Chinese robes with corsets in the back to create a sort of mantua-like dress.

I'm interested in this idea, so I'll probably keep working with it. More to come, hopefully soon! :)

The royal wedding part 3 (aka the final part): Grace, Kate, Diana, the recession, and did I mention oogling at Prince Harry?

...And here is the 3rd and final segment to our royal wedding commentary! Without further adieu, here it is:

Him: So the last part of our Kate and Will's wedding coverage, huh?
Me: Yup, and there's still one thing we haven't covered yet...
Him: THE DRESS!
Me: Wow. You sound even more excited than I am.
Him: Erm... Sorry.
Me: No need to be sorry about it. Let's take a look at Kate's dress.

Her Serene Highness The Princess Grace of Monaco (left) and Her Royal Highness The Duchess Catherine of Cambridge (right)

Him: That's a nice picture of Kate, erm... Catherine side by side with Grace Kelly.

Me: Yes it is, especially due to the similarities in their wedding gown styles.

Him: Um... I don't mean to burst your bubble, but they're the exact same.

Me: You mean their dresses? They're similar, but different.

Him: And how so?

Me: Well, Grace Kelly's seems more conservative, befitting her time, though of course the lace sleeves (which I adore) were considered modern back then. Princess Grace's dress is also belted at the waist with a matching white sash, while Kate's is more free, also with a lower neckline.

Him: You mean plunging neckline.

Me: Oh there's always worse.

Him: True and I can't help but notice that Kate's hair being down makes the whole look much more modern and relaxed than Grace's look.

Me: Now you're talking like a real fashionista! Kate's veil is also simpler. Her veil and train are so much shorter than Diana's.

Him: That's not saying much. Diana's dress was almost all the way to the door!

The Princess Diana and her REALLY long train

Me: If I remember correctly, Diana's train was about 25 feet long.

Him: So how many meters would that be?

Me: I actually forgot that you were British and didn't know feet! It's about 7.62 meters.

Him: The only question I have now is how on earth did she walk with that thing on?

Me: I'm afraid I can't help you with that one, but here's another picture. I think she tries to remain quite stationary.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Him: I can't see her in all that fabric. Someone help! She's drowning in fabric!

Me: I just feel bad for whoever was carrying all that fabric behind her.

Him: Maybe with the recession they're cutting back on poor Kate's train.

Me: Sure...

Him: You never know what Parlament is up to.

Me: ...

Him: So let's take a look at what Wills is wearing since we just looked at the bride.

The bride and groom on the big day

Me: That is not a flattering picture of him...

Him: Well it's all I had.

Me: His hair is thinning already!

Him: Eh, it's better than some other pictures of ol' Wills.

Prince William (aka Wills or ol' Wills)

Me: Look at this picture. He looks so much better– even dashingly handsome!

Him: Dashingly handsome, huh? Only you would ever say that.

Me: Oh, whatever, but you know it's true. This picture is so much more flattering. He even has HAIR!

Him: Well he's balding now.

Me: Thanks for bursting my bubble.

Him: More like crushing your dreams of a just happily married guy.

Me: I like the best man slightly better.

Prince Harry

Him: What is it with the royal family and military uniforms?

Me: Shouldn't you know since you were one of the lucky few invited?

Him: Well the invite said that men should wear uniforms, morning coats, or lounge suits.

Me: That explains it, and I'm just curious but if you could have gone, which would you have chosen.

Him: What I would have chosen and what I would have worn are two separate things.

Me: Do explain.

Him: I would have chosen to a loung suit, but my mother would have expected me to wear a morning coat.

Me: I didn't even know you owned a morning coat.

An example of a morning coat

A regular suit or a lounge suit

Him: What else do you expect me to wear to occasions like this? Jeans and a t-shirt?

Me: Umm... no? Anyways, here's an even better picture of Harry.

Prince Harry

Him: Are you drooling over this picture of Prince Harry?

Me: Erm... no?

Him: Sure... Anyways, I think that just about wraps up our whole royal wedding coverage. Anything you want to add, A?

Me: ...

Him: So you are drooling over the picture.

Me: ...

Him: A?

Me: ...Huh?

Him: Nothing. I'm just wrapping things up.

Me: Oh, well it was fun talking...

Him: ...and making fun of...

Me: ...the people at the royal wedding, and if you liked these posts, we hope that you can post a comment below!

Him: Thanks guys for reading this. It was really fun to be a part of this, and now we have to go so A can oogle at Harry a bit more.

Me: You're absolutely right! Hope to hear from you guys!

Pulp fashion

Believe me, I'm not an expert on this exhibit, just one of the many who are wishfully wishing they could go to San Francisco to view it.

Pulp Fashion's website gives you so much more information than I could ever give, seeing as I haven't actually attended. The basic idea of the exhibit is that "Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave is a painter by training, but textile and costume are her muses. Working in collaboration with leading costume historians and young fashion designers, de Borchgrave crafts a world of splendor from the simplest rag paper. Painting and manipulating the paper, she forms trompe l’oeil masterpieces of elaborate dresses inspired by rich depictions in early European painting or by iconic costumes in museum collections around the world." (From the website)

Children's costumes in the Medici gallery

Gown inspired by a ca. 1945 portrait of Eleanor and her son Giovanni de' Medici by Agnolo Bronzino

Marie Claire de Croy and Child, after the painting Van Dyck

The Medici

These masterpieces... out of paper? You'd be better believe it.

Aren't convinced to get off your "bottom" and head out to San Francisco? Read these quotes from ppl who have actually experienced this. 

"i enjoyed seeing how one woman was able to create such magnificent dresses out of everyday materials. it was breathtaking, and i hope to go again."

"i loved it so much. balenciaga… omgosh. it was so good."

"it was amazing. when i secretly touched an exhibit, it was so soft..."

{caption information found on the exhibit website}

Shoes do grow on trees

Pretty pictures, no?  God bless Apple and their beautiful products, A's amazing model skills, and T's excellent photography. Told you there'd be more outfit posts! Enjoy!

 

{cardigan Russ Berens; dress Frenchi; shoes Charmont}

Tumblr Frenzy!

Tumblr is not only a blog, it is a lifestyle. 

 Having had one for some while now, I can say with the upmost certainty that I am addicted. Ranging from the amazing photos to the funny messages, every tumblr is unique. You can edit your theme, change up your initial URL or name. It’s a place where you can get your creativity flowing, a place where you can express yourself without being judged. Also, you don’t just have to stick with your tumblr, you can follow other ones and see their view. Different fashion ideas come out of this too, many have different outfits and jewelry on it. These different sites are full of so many inspiring photographs... what fantabulous pictures!

To say the least, tumblr is not just picture blog, it’s the picture blog of someone’s life.

P.S. check out these wonderful tumblrs:

Streetpeeper.tumblr.com

Bohocloset.tumblr.com

Vintageteaspoon.tumblr.com

Flor-lol-al

Seriously, get T, A, an iPod touch with a camera, and the wonderful city of Palo Alto to go around, and you're bound to get some outfit posts :)

{shirt thrifted; skirt One Way; necklace Buffalo Exchange; bag Marie Claire}

So...

I kind of just need to tell the world how awesome this video is. Everyone needs to appreciate this.
Seriously, please enjoy this :)
Have a lazy day today!

PS: Is it just me, or does Bruno Mars look hotter in this video? Even with the Elvis hair... Maybe it's because he's not randomly dragging around a piano..

Happy Mom Day!

Seriously guys (and girls) show some love to your mom today. 

Yes, you should everyday, but set aside some time just to chill with your mom, grandma, and any "mom" figure you have in your life. The word "mom" means different things to different people, so celebrate the mom in your life today.

The royal wedding part 2: the hats– the ugly and the downright atrocious

So you've been waiting for the next part in A's Royal Wedding Commentary have you? Sure... I know you're just being pleasant, but here it is anyway!

Me: Okay... Are you ready to launch into the ladies' hats?

Him: ...I don't think I'll ever be ready for this.

Me: The question was more theoretical. You don't exactly have a choice...

Him: ...

 Queen Elizabeth II (center) with Carole Middleton (left) and the Duchess of Cornwall (right).

Me: Here's our first group of eccentric hats. What do you think?

Him: Well, this is our most "normal" group I'd think.

Me: I'd agree, but between the bright yellow top hat that the Queen wears and the weird flipped up brim of the Duchess of Cornwall's hat...

Him: ...It's weird.

Me: That's what I was saying. I think Carole Middleton's hat is relatively normal.

Him: Her daughter's getting married and she doesn't have the excuse of a title to wear a Lady Gaga piece on her head.

Me: That explains it. But what about Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall?

Him: What about her?

Me: Why isn't she wearing a totally all out hat?

Him: Hmm... well after the late Princess Diana, people don't exactly love her.

Me: True.

Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe, and Princess Letizia of Spain.

Him: And there's the Queen of Spain with her mini entourage!

Me: Nice way of putting it.

Him: Why thank you.

Me: ...

Him: So what do you think of the Queen and the Princess's hats?

Me: I actually like them. The Princess's hat especially. I think it's quite elegant looking in that dusty rose colour. It looks like something out of the '20s!

Him: Don't get too excited.

Me: Oh, I won't!

Him: That was sarcasm.

Me: Sure...

Him: Anyways... What do you think of the Queen's hat?

Me: I think it looks quite cute looking. I can't help but think "Aww...".

Him: I agree with that one. I wish I had a granny that wore hats like that!

Me: ...Not what I was going for...

 Miriam Gonzalez Durantez 

Him: Look! There's a flamengo on her head!

Me: And that had so much potential to be a nice looking hat...

Him: You mean "nicer".

Me: From what I can see at this angle, I love her dress with the sophisticated dots. The hat's colours are wonderful and bring a pop of colour to the outfit...

Him: But the shape...

Me: Exactly. The shape... It makes me sad.

Him: 'Nough said. Let's move on before you start crying.

Socialite Tara Palmer–Tomkinson and whoever it is behind her.

Him: That's not felt is it?

Me: Let's hope not.

Him: On the bright side, it looks really soft as a blanket. It just looks so blue... Even if I was colour blind I'd probably be able to see that blue from kilometers away. 

Me: Who's that behind the very blue Tara?

Him: I don't know. I can't see with the bright blue in my eyes. It burns!

Me: Seriously. Who is that?

Him: Look her up online.

Me: I can't find her.

Him: Oh, she's probably not important enough. 

Me: But she got invited to the wedding of the year. 

Him: I don't think that's saying much. I got an invite.

Me: Good point.

Him: ...Hey!

Marina and Ben Fogle 

Me: Here are the Fogles.

Him: The who?

Me: The Fogles.

Him: Who are?

Me: No clue. But...

Him: Let me guess– you like her hat?

Me:  Not really. I think it sort of looks like a macaroon. 

Him: Oh I see that... I'm hungry.

Me: Anyways. I wanted to talk about Ben Fogle's hair.

Him: What is up with his hair?

Me: My question exactly.

Him: It's poofy and only the top's blonde...

Me: I think you've found your new infatuation.

 Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Him: A bird molted on the Queen of Denmark's head.

Me: Molted?

Him: I'm serious. A bird molted on her head.

Me: I see that! 

Him: A blue bird just dropped feathers on her head.

Me: Man... I do see that.

Him: I told you. A bird molted on the Queen of Denmark's head.

Me: Poor Queen Margrethe.

Him: Poor bird!

Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice of York.

Him: Wow... so this is the hat that has it's own facebook page!

Me: If you're talking about Princess Beatrice's hat, then yup. It has about 5 facebook pages all to it's self. Among them my favorite would have to be "Princess Beatrice's Ridiculous Hat Killed Osama Bin Laden".

Him: I think I already joined that one. 

Me: And the sad thing is that the group "LOVE Princess Beatrice's Hat"has the fewest members.

Him: I don't blame them. 

Me: As a work of art, Princess Beatrice's hat is just brill. But as a hat...

Him: It's the worst hat in the history of worst ugly hats.

Me: To put it bluntly.

Him: Her sister's seems a bit better.

Me: Princess Eugenie's hat seems a bit more... restrained. 

Him: Good thing too. It's scary enough.

Me: Well in short, the princesses of York have outdone themselves.

Him: And that's to put it lightly.

Me: That concludes our segment on hats. 

Him: We hope you enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed making it.

Me: Remember you can always comment below and tell us what you liked so our next one will be even better!

A new favvorite

Before I start this post, thanks to the lovely ppl at llamafont.com:

(The above reads: hi there friend. thanks for visiting our blog!)


Thanks to an after-school conversation with a really cool friend named Tina, I've learned something (or rather learned about someone new) today. Kumi Yamashita. Or as I like to call her, Yumi Kumi. I'm pretty sure these images speak for themselves. (But if you really don't get it... she uses shadows and the positioning of light to create the images you see)

{all images shown are found from google image searches}