An Acquired Taste

After talking about things I really don't like last week, let's talk about some things I do. Today I am sharing things I have previously abhorred but have now grown on me. 

1. Snakeskin 

Snakeskin used to be soo tacky. However, lately I have been appreciating accessories of it in new neutrals or pastels. Picture a delicate stiletto in pale pink or mint. Ugh just to die for. Just stay away from the usual black, gray, and white print, the goal here is subtlety.

2. Turtlenecks

My mom would try to put me in these as a child, but I always felt like I was being strangled. Now I have an oversized marled sweater with a short, loose turtleneck on my wish list for fall. The key here is the looser version, it helps me cope with feeling like my neck is being attacked.

3. Tweed

I used to think tweed was something only  old secretary ladies with no fashion sense wore. I must say the modern take on it by jcrew and other stores has caught my attention with the introduction of neon colors to the fabric. Also keeping my eye out for a tweed mini in a neutral color like white or pale pink.

4. Hiking Boots

You could not get me into hiking boots as a kid, I just would not have it. My dad was always so frustrated with me about it. I called this coming into fashion back when combat boots first became a trend.  I hated the fake leathery look of combat boots, so I tried to come up with an alternative. I ultimately decided on Timberland hiking boots, but I never ended up acting upon this decision.

5. Pony Hair

Pony hair used to give me the heebeegeebees. Is that even spelled right.. Oh well ya get what I mean. That is until I saw a mannequin made of green pony hair in Nordstrom and then I fell in love. Pony hair in black and calf/ sort of leopard print is the way to go. I also strangely love stroking my pony hair belt whenever I wear it. i'm just weird though.

6. Skulls (to a degree)

My dad hates skull prints. That seemed to be instilled in me up until present times. My friend has a shirt with little filigree skulls dotting it and I was converted. Don't get me wrong I still don't like them that much and the are overused, but if I ever find a similar print I'm buying it! Sorry to copy Victoria!

Just Say No

This most might not go over well with about half the female population. However, I really need to voice my outrage because nowadays I cannot even step into a mall without being bombarded by horrific sites everywhere. Today we are talking about trends that  R E A L L Y need to go away. That is really with caps lock AND double space action because I need y'all to feel my point. 

Let's get started...

1. High Low Skirts

Oh my. Just oh my, heaven help me to not go around with a pair of scissors cutting off every "tail" I see. Please understand that high low skirts are not flattering, they highlight a really weird looking part of the body: YOUR KNEES! I know all you girls love the flowy look of it but please do not buy these there are other skirts that do not rip off your money. I mean half of it is missing for crying out loud! So even if you have attractive knees or don't mind being ripped off, just say no to this awful trend.

2. Shredded Tops

I am talking about those shirts that have a dozen slits in the back all in succession that look like Edward Scissorshands took to them in the middle of the night. First off, there are other more flattering ways to showcase your back. Second, putting a bandeau underneath does not make it okay. Don't even get me started on the sweater versions! Your whole back is exposed yet it is winter. You do know that a sweater was meant to keep you warm right, ladies? Please just say no.

3. Overused prints (Crosses, Infinity signs, Tigers, Cats, etc)

Ok I feel like everyone is forgetting what a cross represents. People have been slapping it on various types of apparel in order to achieve a cool, punky look. Excuse me but if you aren't wearing it because you love Jesus Christ then please take it off. It gets to me because I feel like making crosses in cheetah print is desecrating it in a way. Tigers and other cats on shirts need to go. I mean I am a cat person. A cat fanatic, I follow two cat pages on Instagram, trust me this girl loves her some cats. However enough is enough, it is no longer cool when everyone comes out with their own low quality versions of them. Infinity signs just stop please. Infinity signs with the word love intertwined in it? Ugh puke. The only person who will love you infinitely no matter what people tell you is God. So ya might as well wear a Jesus Loves Me shirt instead. 

4. Doc Martens

I have been against these shoes ever since I was a young child. They look like killer clown shoes. Put them back, please.

5. Chiffon Everything or Synthetic Chiffon Look Alike Everything

Chiffon has been one of my favorite fabrics since childhood, it was light and airy and gave off an ethereal effect. However please stop adding it to everything! Not everything is meant to be see through! Like button up shirts! Someone help please because I cannot seem to find one that isn't "chiffon" anywhere. I have been looking for a good ole sturdy cotton button up in a dark green but of course I must be ahead of my time. I seem to be ahead of my time for everything, I had an affinity for circle skirts and pastels ever since my early youth (both very in now), had denim jackets as a staple since the fifth grade, and I called hiker boots becoming a trend two years before it happened. Please don't mistake this all for childish fancy, I was very aware of my fashion decisions and what was in and out with me.

6. Flatforms
How do people even walk in these..? They also make your feet oddly proportioned with your body. I mean I might be biased since I am a size 8.5 - 9 in shoes with a very petite frame. But just say no.


That would be all for now. I think I have ranted enough! I hope everyone has had a peaceful 9/11, and I would like to take this moment to hold all those who lost their lives in remembrance. May they rest in paradise.

The Grove

I know I have been talking about thought stimulation, but hey can't deprive the other senses either! What better place for both than at the Grove/Farmer's Market with a free concert! The day was filled with the perusing of stores, sampling of favorites (Loteria enchiladas and white chocolate covered gummy bears from Dylan's), and sweet, sweet nostalgia. I do love me my free concerts, and the Backstreet Boys was an extra special treat. Despite standing in a sweaty crowd for hours and a girl with horridly synthetically colored red hair elbowing my back until she got in front of me, the music made it all (somewhat) okay. And after getting out of the structure was a frozen nightmare (we moved twenty feet in two hours), parking was astronomical because we left three hours after we paid. We were not trying to cheat the system at all that was just how slowly the traffic in the structure was moving! Leading us to the moral of the story: just go pay to see BSB in concert. It is sooo worth it.

*Concert happened back in July*

Well Here Goes..

Ok. So I do have another passion in my life that I have not announced on this blog. I am extremely shy about this so I cannot believe a friend convinced me to do this, but I love to sing. My parents and some people at school have told me to try out for American Idol, the X factor, and what not but I am not entirely convinced I want to be a singer. It is kind of just something that brings me a lot of joy and I do it for myself. Also, I do not really believe in the whole enter a contest win and be famous and rich and successful thing. Like there is so much more value in putting in the hard work of going out, networking, giving your demo to people, and waiting for all your effort to be rewarded. It is the older way and it is harder, but there is more satisfaction in it I think. However, concerning this video I guess I just wanted to share my joy with the world, so without further ado, here is my Cover of Put Your Records On. 

Not an Apology

Well haven't I been a handful. You all probably were not prepared for those two intense posts, and I guess neither was I. My thoughts in the moment had to be set free, and who was I to stop them. I want to state now that my blog will no longer be chiefly fashion oriented. From the start I have called Coast of Kings a "lifestyle blog," and now I think it truly is one. A lifestyle does not merely consist of what one does or wears or eats, but instead I believe one's life philosophy is the basis of it all. What causes us to wear this or eat that or act a certain way. This blog is not only a project that serves as practice for a career in journalism or an addition to college applications (the two honest original purposes). From now on it shall always be a tool. A tool that I will use to find myself. To put my thoughts down, sort through them, and make decisions about everything.  A place where I can make my own rules. I have complete creative control. It will also be an instrument that I will use to reach one of my life goals: reaching people through a message. I want to help people think, aspire, and dream. When I am not content with things, I think of a way to change it. While I cannot always implement a change, this blog will forevermore be a way that I can. I am not satisfied with this world and society. And I will not be done until I have made my mark.

With this established, we will be continuing on with more light hearted matters like fashion, travel, etc. Those are the more tangible areas of my lifestyle. I think I just hated that all the bloggers I have idolized haven't done much more. Sure they might have broken out and become entrepreneurs in their own rights, but I find myself ultimately lacking something in their blogs. I was lacking stimulating thought. Just now there is room for both here at Coast of Kings. 

Liberation by means of frivolity and philosophical fecundity.