Things to Consider When Buying a Dress

• Is the length of this dress appropriate for the occasion?


• Is the length of the dress appropriate for the length of my legs?


• Does this dress truly fit me?


• Does this dress truly fit me?


• Can I sit down in this dress?


• Can I bend over in this dress?


• If I can't bend over in this dress, will I really need to bend over anyway?


• Does this color make my skin glow like white Egyptian cotton sheets?


• Does this color clash with my hair color?


• Is there a pantyline situation?


• Do I have a thong that is an appropriate color for this dress?


• Do I even need to wear underwear, anyway?


• Do I have a pair of shoes that will complement this dress?


• No? I don't have a pair in my collection of 50 pairs? Great. Where is the nearest shoe store?


• Do I look like Carrie Bradshaw on a bad day in this dress?


• On second thought, do I look as ridiculous as any character on Sex and the City in this dress? Because if I do, I surely cannot pull it off.


• Is this dress within my budget?


• Do I even have a budget for a dress at this very moment?


• Could I create a budget for this dress?


• Will I wear this dress again?


• Is there room in my closet for this dress?


• Is there room in my roommate's closet for this dress?


• Will I be able to hide this dress from my roommate?


• Could I just steal a dress from my roommate instead of buying this one?


• Am I comfortable in this dress?


• If I'm not comfortable, how long will I have to keep it on?


• Is this dress easy for me to get on and off?


• Is this dress easy for someone else to get off?


• Does this dress remind me of something my mother would wear?


• If it does remind me of something my mother would wear, does she dress the way she should dress?


• Can I wear a bra with this dress?


• Do I need a strapless bra with this dress?


• If I do need a strapless bra for this dress, do I have a cute one just in case?


• No, I don't have a decent one? Where is the nearest Victoria's Secret?


• Does this dress truly fit me?


• Do I look like someone I would cringe at on the street in this dress?

But most importantly,

• Do I feel like one fantastic, fabulous, beautiful, sexy, and confident girl in this dress?

Excellent, I'll take it.

--Rachael

Dating in the Real World

Love comes up in conversation more often than not amongst various circles of friends I have encountered. It is for the most part a universal area of interest and a relatability factor for even those who have absolutely nothing in common. And conversations of love can last for hours, go in an endless amount of directions, and open up questions you may have never even considered.

Not to get all Carrie Bradshaw on you, but how is one supposed to go about the topic of love in today's modern world?

This is a difficult question with many answers. I wouldn't even go about attempting to share my thoughts on this in one blog post, so I have decided to go about this in my Dating in the Real World series.

To start, I will begin with my truest belief of beginning to find love: loving yourself.

It's something everyone has heard a million times from people like their mother and Dr. Drew, but regardless of how jaded it's become, I sincerely believe it to be one of the truest things I know. From experience and observation, those who do not have the confidence and self-respect every fabulous girl should have, they cannot find love or simply cannot make it last.

How can you expect someone to love you if you feel your faults make you un-wantable?

There are many examples of girls who do not love themselves. There are those with no self-esteem who constantly put themselves down in their head. There are those with no self-esteem who constantly put themselves down in front of themselves and other people. There are those who hide when they're in public and lack the radiating self-confidence that get you noticed. There are those who pretend to love themselves. There are those who think they love themselves but are really in denial.

As to why, I have wondered for a long time.

Ladies, we are all beautiful and fabulous. The number of our redeeming qualities is astounding. Putting yourself down in front of a man is a major turn-off, and how can you be happy if you have so much to worry about?


To be continued.


-Rachael

The Most Royal of Weddings

I'm sure no one can possibly be surprised that Prince William and Kate Middleton got married today. It's been plastered on magazines for months. There are commercials advertising replicas of Kate's engagement ring, nevermind the endless souvenir plates, mugs, and other kitsch. Lifetime produced what could be considered the worst movie of all time, and TLC has transformed the entire channel to focus on only the Royal Wedding with endless specials and princess-themed Say Yes to the Dress marathons. The world has been consumed by Royal Wedding craze.

And so have I.

Weddings are my drug of choice. To me, there is nothing more exciting, invigorating, romantic, and elegant than a wedding. White poofy dresses, crisp table linens, colorful floral arrangements, diamonds, dancing, and champagne: who could resist? Well, the answer is many can resist. I have met my fair share of wedding haters, apathetic wedding attenders, and those who have given it no thought at all. And to that I say, to each his own. I understand. Weddings are an acquired taste and to many people much less important than a majority of other things.

Which brings us back to the Royal Wedding. Hyped up to the point of absolute pandemonium, the debate of its importance has been all over Facebook newsfeeds and blogs galore. Yes, in the scheme of things, a Royal Wedding falls pretty low on the list to most. Amidst crisis in the Middle East, wars, conflict in Libya, and a myriad of other hardships, who cares that the Prince of England is getting married?

Well, he is a prince. The Royal Family is an important aspect of not only British culture but world culture in general. They represent history and England as a country. And regardless of the fact that England is no longer a monarchy, they are still an important political aspect.

And above it all, why is it so wrong to focus on something so joyous and positive for just a little while?

As much as I adore weddings and attention, I cannot imagine being in Kate Middleton's shoes (albeit, fabulous shoes). The amount of scrutiny she's been under since the engagement was announced has been immense and the way she has handled herself has been impeccable. While we have no idea how she's acted behind the scenes, the fact that she has been so put-together and classy amidst the pressure and attention is truly commendable. While I would absolutely love to marry a prince (or maybe just the idea of it), I do not think I would be able to pull it off without vomiting or crying in public. And without some serious medication.

After my many weeks of anticipation over the ever-so-elusive wedding dress and designer, I am so thrilled. The Alexander McQueen is absolutely stunning and looks beautiful on her. It's elegant but stylish and completely Grace Kelly. The lace is impeccable, the fit is perfect, the tiara doesn't look tacky. She is gorgeous. I am having heart palpitations at the thrilled look on her face, the love between the two, and the sheer fabulousness on my television.

Fabulous hats, a horse and carriage, adoring crowds, celebrity guests, and a prince to boot. It is a fantasy for any girl who wanted to be a princess growing up.

Especially me. What to do now that I can't obsess over the Royal Wedding?

--Rachael

The Mystical Pull of the Legging

One of my most vivid clothing memories of my childhood years in the 90's is the stirrup pant. A friend who lived up the street and I wore them nearly every day with t-shirts and colorful hair scrunchies and thought we were the coolest girls since the ones that we adored in the movie Grease. Looking back, the stirrup pant is probably one of the ugliest, most tacky inventions I can imagine and do not know why I felt so fashionable in them.

The legging, a cousin of the stirrup pant, is so much more acceptable for merely lacking the stirrup. Invented forever ago but beginning it's foray as a fashion trend in the 1960's, this mixture of cotton and spandex has become a worldwide fashion phenomenon.

However, the legging is a much thinner alternative to the pant which brings about the dispute of whether leggings should be worn as pants. I have resolutely, for the longest time, stood by the argument that leggings are not pants and should be worn with garments that cover the butt. Leggings, while not as thin as tights, are too flimsy to work as a pant and my mother liked to drill this into me as often as she could. However, arriving at Emerson College and seeing this rule broken with every passing day, I couldn't help but wonder if I was taking this too seriously.

I have fallen into the legging's conniving trap. They are comfortable, match everything, are easy to pull out and put on, and let's face it, they are kind in shaping the leg. I have found myself in the dining hall, walking down Boylston Street, lounging in the sun on the Common wearing a tank top or crop top and a pair of leggings. They have made me break one of my fashion rules, which people who know me well know is a difficult thing to achieve.

And even in their own right they have come a long way. Need a tight, sleek alternative to the leather pant? Pleather leggings. Want something warm so you can wear that mini skirt in the middle of December? Wool leggings. Going to the gym? Spandex leggings.

So leggings, you've got me. You have charmed me into your comfortable spell. I still don't know how you did it, but I surrender.


--Rachael

Girl Meets Real World

I have done the whiny, picture-posting, celebrity boy drooling, vapid blog. And in the even earlier days I have done the emo, band-obsessed, word vomit blog. But at 20 years old and at a crucial intellectual and cultural explosion of likes and dislikes, it has come to the point where I do the real blog. The commentary on things that I feel are important in a smart, well-written way. It's time for combining my very specific loves of fashion, fiction, and pop culture and to use my opinions, observations, and desires for these things to both improve my writing and journalism skills as well as an outlet for all of the things I may say to my friends and no one else.

It is time for the grown-up blog.

I must confess, while daunting, this experience may either fall through or flourish. I tend to begin things in a flurry of excitement and lavish plans only to later forget or become lazy and undevoted. Of course at this very moment I am convinced that ths blog is going to be my love and joy but I may wake up tomorrow morning and wonder why, at 11:37 pm on a Thursday night decided to embark on this endeavour. Am I proud of my usual failure and expected lazyness? Absolutely not. But at least I am honest.

And so reader, I will introduce myself as Rachael: a college student with plans bigger than she can imagine and an avid consumer of anything fashion related, literature, and the devious and addicting world of pop culture.

And while to some these things may not be what many consider "the real world" but essentially it is my real world and a real world for many others like me. Where are you, fashion, fiction, and pop culture lovers? Come find me.


--Rachael