Your Life Disrupted

The University of Pittsburgh is having some issues.

After the shooting at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, many bomb threats have occurred all over campus. (I lost count after the 16th one.) People thought that someone just didn't want to take exams. But lately, it's become somewhat ridiculous -- I think we're over at a count of over 40, and multiple places are being evacuated all at once. And even worse is that dorms and even the library (read: sacred study space where no one should EVER be bombing!) have been targeted. I feel bad for the students there, especially since they've been forced to leave their beds before sunrise and after sunset. It's awful...

Stop the Pitt bomb threats has been doing a really good job of compiling information,
but I've gotten so nervous and paranoid that I am (sadly) suspicious of him/her/them.

 

At first, some people were laughing a little and treating it as a joke. "Oh. Another one? Why can't it happen during my class?" But now, people are getting really scared -- they think that it may be something like what happened at Columbine and Virginia Tech, where shootings were apparently heralded by bomb threats. At this point, everyone's starting to get on edge, and everyone's consensus is that the perpetrator needs to be caught -- if the threats just stopped, the unleashed hysteria would be terrifying.

This whole thing has gotten me really down -- classes are becoming empty, paranoia is catching like wildfire, and classes are cancelled.
But it's Easter, and I'm determined to raise up everyone's spirits.

In recent news, Pitt held its 11th annual drag show on Friday, and I got pictures for a photo essay. It's a great cause, and the Rainbow Alliance always gives its donations to the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, which is such a sweet thing to do.
Here are some of the photos from backstage:

Putting on the face.

After the face is on, it's time for makeup.

THE AFTERMATH
Queens never fall -- they descend with varying amounts of grace
and may or may not twist an ankle.

I have many more photos, but I need to edit them before I can put them up -- rotating, fixing the (awful) lighting, and such.
And I feel like such a tease since I'm actually prepping these for the next issue of The Original Magazine, which means you won't see the final pieces until the fall. But at least that gives you something to which to look forward, no?

Anyways, you can stay caught up on the news about Pitt's bomb threats through the University. Alternatively, you can keep up with the news on Stop the Pitt bomb threats and Pitt's reddit site, where people have been doing extensive compiling (and speculating). I'm not saying that the latter options are the most reliable, but you may find some useful gems here and there.

Photo source (for the bomb threat): Stop the Pitt bomb threats

The Half-Time Report

I have to admit that I'm not big on TV. (I feel like I may have mentioned this before.) I, in fact, rarely watch TV since I always find other ways to distract myself, but big things like the Super Bowl are hard to miss when almost everyone else is discussing it.

Considering the fact that I have been enslaved by Milton's Paradise Lost for the past two weeks, my interest in watching the game dropped to a level lower than my usual apathy. So as my sister was watching the game, I was successfully ignoring it all since all of my attention was focused on deciphering syntax.

But then the half-time show came on, and I stared at the TV. Why? Because my brain went from well-done during the blank verse in the Miltonic epic to completely fried during Madonna's yoga performance. Err... I meant "half-time performance."

Let's get physical. Physical.
"This yoga pose is called the 'Pharaoh Pokes Your Eyes Out.' Do it with me."

I won't lie -- I got a little confused. For some reason, I started thinking of Olivia Newton John's "Physical" music video -- except trust Madonna to bring yoga into it, right? Of course.
It was really awkward, and I may or may not have felt really uncomfortable watching it.
But after a bit of confusion, things got okay because this happened:

Why, hello there, sparklies.

And if you're not amazed by that picture, then you just need to look more carefully. At the shinies. Look at the shinies. Look at them!
And look.
And look.
If you are still not amazed by the wonderful sequined choir robe on Cee Lo Green at this point but are scratching your scalp in confusion, then I'd still warrant that you might be doing it right. Maybe.

Anyways, more pictures and commentary below!
You know you want to read more!
(No, really. Do it!)

Surprise from H&M

On Friday, I received a package from the deliveryman. I was surprised because I had never had anything delivered to me by DHL, because the package was heavy, and because it had been shipped from Sweden. For a moment, I thought about all of the packages I was awaiting from my shopping extravaganzas during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but I couldn't remember ordering anything that weighed so much.
Well, I signed off on it anyways, and I opened it up as soon as I found something sharp enough to cut through the plastic bindings.
Lo and behold, I saw this once I opened the box:

I had taken H&M's quiz (about their collaborations with designers) and was one of the 100 winners. As a prize, they were sending out copies of 100 Contemporary Fashion Designers printed by Taschen and edited by Terry Jones. Well, I had been anticipating the arrival of this beautiful child, but I quickly forgot about it because of the impending doom that finals (well, mainly final projects and research papers) spell out. So when this heavy but beautiful thing arrived at my door, I was completely surprised.
I haven't looked through the two volumes yet (I'm waiting for hell to end before I can sit down and devour them), but I can tell you now that 60 dollars will buy you, if nothing else, a pair of glamorous books that will coyly beg you to read their bright and beautiful pages.

"Read me! Read me!" they keep shouting to me.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an awful week ahead of me. I've already received a tupperware with S.O.S. cookies from a friend and sent out urgent reminders to another friend to text me encouraging statements at random times.
Finals week is a dark, dark place, and I shan't be leaving it for a week, so please bear with me. I may not post for a week, but this blog isn't dead! Not yet! I've only just begun! But it may be going a week-long... hibernation. Yes, a hibernation.

RE: "Marry the Night" (Lady Gaga Does It Again)

So I knew that Lady Gaga's video for "Marry the Night" would be premiering last night in conjunction with the Grammy Awards. But I put myself on a distractions ban earlier this week and promised myself that I'd not allow myself to go on YouTube and other distracting sites until my semester (and my finals) ends. And I was doing really well with it, even in spite of reading her tantalizing tweet about the video's release last night.

But I just caved in because people keep talking about Lady Gaga's video. And so it turns out that I can't even last for one day after the premier to watch it, much less a span of more than two weeks.

So here it is, ladies and gentlemen:

Read more below!

pittstylevincent LOVES: The Sing-Off (Season Three) Finale

I was introduced to the NBC program The Sing-Off only this year by my friend who is in an a cappella (popularly spelled "acappella" as well) group. Now, I've always been a fan of this type of music, so I was excited to find out about the existence of an a cappella competition on TV. (The unfortunate part is that I only found out about it during this year, its third season. Why did no one let me know sooner?) Of course, I knew that I'd have no time to watch the show, but my sister has, fortuitously, been taken hostage by The Sing-Off's allure and would constantly rave about each show when I got home on Monday nights. And so I'd find myself playing their songs as musical ambiance for my studies throughout the week (and feeling judged by everyone else in the library as I'd unminimize my internet browser to hit the play button again).

Sadly, Monday night was the finale of the third season.
I still want to hear more, though!

Now, what is this article doing on a fashion blog? Well, I main want to encourage you to watch it and fall in love with both Pentatonix and the Dartmouth Aires (though Pentatonix absolutely reigns supreme in my heart), but that's not really relevant. But I'll recap some of this season's awesome outfits, so it's okay, right?

Click to read more!
And I promise: I won't have any spoilers for any of you who haven't watched it!

Black Thanksgiving Friday (Wait-- What?)

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

Thanksgiving is usually a huge affair, but I had a wonderfully small celebration this time around.
On Wednesday, I went to my friend's for a small get-together (which had wonderful food, the highlights being the most beautiful and scrumptious pumpkin bars I've ever tasted and a delicate cranberry salsa).
And yesterday (Thanksgiving) was spent at home with a tiny dinner with my sister. Nothing big -- veggies, stuffing, meat, mashed potatoes. Yup-yup. And we watched The Fall, which had some very pretty cinematography and (best of all) excellent costuming. I wasn't impressed with the actual plot, but you should at least check out the costuming if you haven't seen it. (It also apparently appeared in the 17th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition.)
I'll leave the trailer for you later in the post.

This is Charles Darwin in The Fall.
He's in a bowler hat. And a red fur coat. And riding boots.
I love his hat. I love his coat. And I love his riding boots.

I will be getting this look someday, you mark my words.
(Problem: I have always loved riding boots but have yet to find any I like...)

Today, I went and celebrated Black Friday with some shopping. Let me tell you -- H&M was wonderful with their scratch-offs for their first customers. Well... except for the part where I got $10 (which I think was perhaps the least anyone could win), and the woman behind me got $200. I felt a part of me die inside, and I wanted to just grab her scratch-off and cradle it in my arms forever. (Sob, sob.) But I ended having a lovely shopping time anyways, so I guess all was well.
The best news of all (for this weekend) is that I will be buying my camera! Not that I really have time to do photo shoots during this semester, but I've been saving up since the summer. And now, I've reached my goal and can buy my pretty camera! I'm excited, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

And now, as promised! The trailer:

Sources: The Fall on allmoviephoto.com (I know there aren't many pictures, but you can Google it if you're interested!), YouTube

P. S. I'm sorry if this post is erratic and doesn't make sense. I'm exhausted from all of the reading and writing I've been doing for classes. (Also, I've been waking up at 3 or 4 AM every morning to get my work done, and I believe that this decision has shattered my circadian rhythm.)

SPOTTED (little details)

Fifth Avenue

Click for more details!

Video out for The Very Best of Versace for H&M

So. You all know how I've been freaking out about The Very Best of Versace for H&M (Winter 2011), Versace's team-up with H&M? Well, they finally released their promotional video a few days ago, so here you are:

The video's kinda weird and chilling (creepy, even?), but it's really nifty. I am especially a fan of the background music, which is just erratic and fanciful. The concept behind the promotional video is also really amusing and cool. FUN.
I still wish I had the opportunity to attend any of the recent promotional events or to even just buy some of the clothes, but I'm holding out because I am determined to get my DSLR (which will happen by the end of this month, yay! All of my hard work shall pay off).
But I guess there are other future H&M collaborations to which I can look forward, so I'll just have to suck it up and be patient.

But remember, all of you who are lucky enough to be near an H&M that will sell this line, that it drops on November 19th in America! Check it, yo!

Source: the Versace for H&M video on H&M's YouTube channel

Your Carine Roitfeld Update: The Client

Have you seen this?
It's Carine Roitfeld on W magazine's website!
It's a nice, little blurb about, The Client, the recent documentary on Carine Roitfeld, (recently resigned) ex-editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris.

Check it's out after the jump! (It's just 13 minutes, so you have no reason to watch it! I mean it -- watch it!)

South Side Art, Flamenco

I went to my first flamenco performance yesterday. And it was pretty awesome, I have to admit. I had actually expected something super sensual, but it was all energy and fire -- a nice surprise.

Read more for some street art.

Pittsburgh Fashion Week: Day 5 // Gallery Crawl

Yesterday (Friday) was full of downtown frenzy with the Gallery Crawl, a quarterly event held by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Basically, they exhibit art in different locations for free, and you just visit.

It's literally as easy as it sounds.

So I got coffee with my friend and went with her. The idea of the Gallery Crawl was apparently somewhat novel to her, so I think she enjoyed it.

It was raining, which made me somewhat sad since I hate being wet. But I was happy to spend time with her since I've become so much more antisocial with people so far (though in my defense, it's because I'm so busy), so I can't complain too much.

Anyways, I went for a casual look for Friday.

It was raining, so my hair was a mess. Boo, rain.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (All in a day's work, you know?)

I'm so tired that I feel like I've been hit by a train.
Seriously, I just walked around all day like a zombie and just stared at people out of pure exhaustion.

Oh, and I hugged Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

No big deal or anything.

(And I look so creepy and yucky in this photo.
Boo hiss, that guy took terrible pictures.)

Wicked Good Sunday

wicked:
(adv.) Massachusettsian slang meaning "very"
(proper n.) musical of most EPIC proportions.

Example sentence: I saw Wicked today, and it was wicked awesome.
Today, in a summation, can be said to have been a most excellent day.

May I fanboy for a moment, please? Pleeeeease?