CELEBRITY STAPLES // GIGI HADID

It's crazy how many different outfits celebrities seem to have. It's even crazier that repeating any of those outfits is considered such a faux pas nowadays. But if they don't repeat outfits, how do they have so many clothes? And how are all those clothes so expensive?! And do they ever repeat any items or is that a no-no too???? 

I did some research to try to get to the bottom of these questions...

Back in 2014, Kate Hudson delved into a couple of details on how some celebrities afford their endless supply of clothes in an issue of Harper's Bazaar:

"People think we own all these dresses, but we borrow them! I can't afford to buy that stuff."

The Wall Street Journal also published an article (nearly 5 years ago!) about the type of people that purchase designer's clothing. In the article, the author, Elizabeth Holmes, writes that "unlike celebrities and socialites, who often get designer clothes at no charge in exchange for publicity, these customers pay full price."

Even in the CW's drama series Gossip Girl, socialite Serena van der Woodsen admits she doesn't have to pay for a lingerie piece, because it is given to her for free.

The truth is that, although they can afford luxurious pieces from designers like Alexander Wang and Tom Ford, celebrities get them for free. However, although the items are given to them at no cost, they typically must be exchanged. Items that are worn by celebrities increase in their value as do the designers that made the particular item. So these designers will usually require that the item be returned after the celebrity has worn it. This is true for runway gowns that celebrities wear for one night (such as the Academy Awards or the Grammy's) or items that they post about on their social media accounts.

So what items do supermodels, reality tv show socialites, academy award winners, and the like splurge on that they do repeatedly wear?

I've gone through famous supermodel Gigi Hadid's wardrobe via Stealherstyle to see what items she did *gasp* repeat.

Here is Gigi Hadid's:

Sandro Amele ankle boots ($300, originally $700)

Stuart Weitzman the zepher bootie ($498)

Topshop mary '60 patent chelsea boots (was $140, now $70)

Gigi (can I refer to her on a first-name basis?? or is that weird???) has worn ankle boots on countless occasions with all different kinds of outfits to pair along with them.

A signature staple in her closet is her ankle boots, although she doesn't always wear the same pair. I honestly think ankle boots are an essential basic for every girl's closet, just because they can dress up any outfit without making it too fancy or edgy. For cheaper alternatives to Gigi's boots, ASOS typically has some for affordable prices. However, I do believe it is a worthy investment to splurge on a good pair, since they truly never go out of style.

adidas superstar foundation shoes ($80)

adidas originals 3 stripe leggings ($35)

adidas rita ora planetary power track jacket (no longer available)

adidas superstar cuffed trackpants ($65)

Sportswear is insanely popular right now, which is probably why Gigi chooses Adidas as her main choice of track attire. As a more high end, but still affordable brand, Adidas has clothes we can have in our closet without feeling insanely guilty when the trend is over.

Another item in Gigi's closet that's she's worn a couple of times is this Nili Lotan satin camisole dress (no longer available)

Since lingerie wear became popular in the early 90s, it has constantly been an item of taboo to wear publicly. Gigi pairs her slip with large coats and jackets, transitioning the typically summer piece to a winter staple.

She paired the dress here with the same boots that I mentioned above.

Proenza Schouler ps1 tiny leather satchel ($1,425)

(Sorry I couldn't find a better picture of the satchel by itself!) Purses are an item that tabloids don't seem to mind celebrities reusing (which is great because most high end purses are considerably above $1,000). Gigi has lots of purses from a DVF tote to a Michino Phedra clutch to a Michael Khors handbag, but one purse that she wears often is her Proenza Schouler satchel.

The tiny bag is completely versatile because it is a color that works well with any outfit. Although it is a higher end purse, the versatility alone makes it a reliable buy. Unless you're not into spending your rent on a purse........

....

Hopefully this provided some insight onto celebrities fashion essentials!

xx

Liz

OOTD // 03.23.2016

This day was mostly filled with errands. I was supposed to go to class but decided instead to go downtown.

This is actually outside my boyfriend's apartment though. (lol)

One of the items I constantly wear is this vintage Levi's denim jacket that actually used to belong to my dad. I believe he got it in the 80s, when he was first starting college. It's oversized on me, which is what I like, and it has like 30 pockets, which is also great. He almost didn't let me take it with me to college, but he said that after four years, I could return it back to him. (I wear it so often, I have no idea if I will ever be able to give it back)

The "BRIDEZILLA" crop top is actually from ASOS. At the time of purchasing it, I thought it was super cool because it had an ironic saying on it. (I thought it was a little more nuanced than "World's Greatest Dad! or a McDonalds employee hat) But when someone excitedly asked me if I was getting married, I felt a little try-hard. Nonetheless, the top is super cute and when I do become a bridezilla, it'll be the perfect compliment to that alter ego. (The shirt is out of stock, but here is the link for it anyways.)

I cannot for the life of me remember where my bag is from. I know that I got it from Ross for about $30 and that it's made out of 100% vegan materials. I also know that when I researched the brand that was on the tag, the company had gone out of business. Here, here and here are some similar bags, in order of expensiveness.

These pants have actually been my savior these past couple of weeks. They fit so loosely and are so easy to pull on, it's almost like wearing denim pajamas. As a girl that has wider hips, not having to dance around in your jeans until they finally pull all the way up, saves so much time. They're actually a pair of boyfriend jeans that I bought at a thrift store that were originally from..........OLD NAVY. I can't believe how comfortable and durable they are considering how often I wear them now. The jeans I have are no longer at Old Navy, but a similar pair is right here for $36.94. I would have never tried on the jeans or even gone into an Old Navy for anything if I hadn't found this pair. I truly recommend them, although, I did go a size up just because I wanted them to fit a little looser.

These loafers have also saved my life since I got them for $8 at the same thrift store. They don't fit 100% perfectly, which is expected, but they're still so comfy and have last through all the miles I walk from work to home and home to work and to school and my boyfriend's place and just about everywhere else. The brand on the shoe says: Ak Anne Klein iflex. After doing some research I could not find any pair like the velvet loafers I have, but they do have a couple of other ones that look similar here. Now that I've actually looked into the brand, I cannot believe I got this pair for $8, when they typically retail for $49.99 and up. I honestly would repurchase them, however, if something were to happen to my own. They still look brand new, even though I've worn them nearly everywhere, and they're just so fr**king cute.

Hopefully this provided some inspiration! I love denim on denim looks, even if the denim contrasts with the other pair. I'll use pretty much any excuse I can come up with to wear this jacket: it truly goes with anything.

These are always so awkward to end. I should come up with a little catchphrase or something.

xx

Liz

EASY STEAK APPETIZER RECIPE

My boyfriend's mother sent him a recipe of this appetizer that was made especially for steaks. I can't find the recipe so I could give credit where credit is due, but if I do find it, I will make sure to post it here.

Brussel Sprout Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 bag of Brussel Sprouts

Uncooked bacon

Goat cheese

To be healthier, you can substitute the bacon for turkey bacon and the goat cheese for vegan goat cheese. (For vegan recipes, I'm sure you can find some good bacon in Whole Foods or even Sprout's!)

1. Boil Sprouts

If you want the brussel sprouts to be softer, you can cut them in half before you boil them, but if you want them to be a little harder on the outside, then you boil them whole. Wait until they get a little soft to remove them from the water.

2. Fry bacon

Fry the bacon until it's cooked, but don't make it too crispy. The more tender it is, the more juicy it'll make the appetizer, and the easier it'll soak up the goat cheese.

Make sure to put some cooking spray on the pan before you put the bacon! 

You should boil the sprouts while frying the bacon, like my qtpt2 bf does here!

3. Cut the sprouts

This is where you can cut the brussel sprouts in half if you haven't already. If you boil them before cutting them in half, it makes it easier to cut them now, but either way they'll taste delicious. (I personally prefer them softer than harder, so I cut them in half before boiling them)

Here's a really ugly pic of me/my double chin cutting these sprouts:

4. Steak

Cook the steak with the leftover bacon grease! Do it however you please to cook steak.

5. Mix it all together

Mix everything together in a pan on a low heat setting so you don't burn anything. Mix a little bit of goat cheese so some of it melts into the bacon. Once you've heated it up and some of the goat cheese has melted you can put them all together into a serving bowl.

In the serving bowl, I recommend applying more goat cheese until it lightly covers the top of the dish.

And there you go! 

The perfect appetizer to a steak entree! I personally am not a huge fan of bacon or brussel sprouts, but this super easy recipe adds the perfect flair to a great steak recipe. It's got a little more flavor than your usual mashes potatoes or grilled asparagus, but it's still just as easy to make with only three ingredients required. 

I hope I can find the original recipe to post here in case anyone needs exact measurements, but until then, I made this recipe basically to taste, so there really is no right or wrong way to decide how to cook it.

Hope you enjoy!

xx

Liz 

UPDATES // FAVORITES & ETC.

I'm going to try to become a more consistent blogger. The past two years that I've written here has been mostly to just gather up ideas and sentiments towards fashion and the like, but I really want to commit to this...not to become super established or anything like that, but so I can really create something of value. I have the potential to really turn this into something beautiful, eclectic, and creative. 

I was talking to my boyfriend about creativity and how it gets killed as you get older. I feel that as a little kid I was always coming up with new ideas and trying to create things. I want to relate to that feeling of endless opportunity again.

This post will be introducing a couple of things I have been incredibly obsessed with as of late, as well as posts I plan on creating for the coming week.

A Few Obsessions

Colourpop lipstick sets were sold over Christmas, and I managed to get my hands on "Foxy", which was a combination of the most popular colors Colourpop sold. I've only recently started wearing the colors more and more. Every single one has a perfect pigment and doesn't dry out my lips like other lipsticks tend to. Not to be gross, but I was super sick wearing "Creeper" (the bold red). I threw up, cried, and ate perogis with this lipstick, and even though it did come off all over my fork and glass of water, the color pigment stayed super bold. (However, kissing is a different story, but that's inevitable) Another thing I love about Colourpop is that all of their Lippie Liners and Stix are completely vegan! I have been trying to become more and more animal friendly and cruelty-free with my makeup sets, and it makes me feel good knowing that my favorite lipsticks aren't harming animals. For a complete list of cruelty free makeup brands Cruelty-Free Kitty has created a list here.

My boyfriend has a hulu account where he watches a bunch of foreign films. I'm not particular about having a foreign taste in movies, but this one in particular captivated me while I lay next to him watching it. Pleasures of the Flesh is one of the Japanese dramadies included in the Hulu list. My boyfriend knows a lot more about the movies Japan made post WWII, so I truly cannot give credit where credit is specifically due. It was a humorous film that had so many elements to it that I had never seen before. It was especially intriguing to watch and study all those nuances that the director created. The way they film all the beautiful female characters is so poetic and beautiful, not to sound all hipster-y about it.

I recently visited the Blanton Museum of Art, which fun fact, is actually free to visit on Thursdays (I didn't know this and paid the $5 entrance fee. It was fun to explore art, even though it felt a little pretentious. It was still neat to see how other's created art and developed it for an audience.

ANTI

I actually listened to ANTI the day it came out and became obsessed with it. The whole tracklist was so good; I honestly did not expect to like it as much as I did. Her vocal range on the album is incredible, especially in Higher. I've been listening nonstop to ANTI, on my way to work, school, while I'm just sitting on the bus. She's going to be coming to Austin, and I'm saving up to buy tickets to see her, just because this album is so good. 

My favorite songs off the album are Desperado, Consideration, Never Ending, and Higher. I so so so so recommend listening to it.

Now, on to things that I plan on posting.

1. An OOTW

2. Eyeshadow Collection

3. Austin food staples

4. Apartment necessities

5. Tips on reselling used clothes

6. Etc., etc., etc.,

I hope that I will be able to finish these posts or at least come up with worthy comparable posts. A few of these are just really quick ideas. Hopefully I will get these up and to all of whoever reads this soon! I also plan on reediting the way the blog looks.

xx

Liz