"Nerd" is the Word

The Throne Room (Chinese Collection)

     It’s the weekend! Time to party! And when I say “party” what I really mean is cram for tests and eat an entire chocolate cake on my own. And truthfully, between blogging, school, and work, I don’t have much of a life beyond sitting on the floor with my cat. I’m kidding of course. I’m not that mundane. Sometimes I like to sit on the floor with my cat and read books about art while listening to Strauss on repeat. I like to live life on the wild side. I’m a bit of a rebel. My point? There really isn’t one. Other than I don’t get out enough, and that needs to be remedied. 

I said all that to say that I did, in fact, get a chance to visit the museum at my university the other day. My sister and I had a lovely time walking around and taking photos. I thought I would share some of the shots I got of the art of China, Korea, and Japan. I have a very keen interest in culture; particularly Asian culture since I have family members who are currently living in Tokyo, and I am obsessed with Korean boy bands (not kidding). I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this collection, because it is beautifully displayed and maintained. I am quite the nerd when it comes to art, as you may have noticed, so here are some details of this exquisite exhibition! *The last photo is of a drawing done by a 5th grader from a local elementary school. It is titled, "The World is One." Children are capable of such profound an inspiring thoughts. It's truly amazing. 

Pagoda model (Chinese Collection)

Dragon detail from Pagoda

Hanja Script (Korean Collection)

Screen from Throne room (Chinese Collection)

Kago detail (Japanese Collection)

Detail from Throne Room Vase

"The World is One"

 Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
-Kate

Zebtigog

     

      I have a problem. Somehow, all of the items in my closet always end up on the floor, and not on hangers. I’d blame my cat, but he stopped wearing my clothes months ago. I don’t know who it is, but the perpetrator who has done this to my closet will be found and brought to justice. I’ll find them, and make them restore my closet to order. Okay, fine. It was me. I did it. My closet is never in order.The rest of my room usually looks decent, but my closet is another story. I have so many empty hangers, just waiting to be put to use. It isn’t that I don’t know how to organize it, I just refuse to organize it. There’s a difference. Maybe someday I will develop a sense of discipline and responsibility, along with learning how to tie my shoes properly and not forgetting to take my Flinstones gummy vitamins every morning (true story). We all move at our own pace, eh? 

You're probably looking at the title of this post and wondering, "what in the world is a zebtigog?" Well my friends, let me enlighten you.

Zebtigog: (zɛb-ti-gɒg)  

1.) A cross between a zebra, tiger, and dog. 

2.) Striped, land mammal native to the Andes. 

3.) Something I just made up because I can’t decide what animal is printed on my dress.  So, I made it a mix between the three. Clever, I know. 

-Kate

Outfit Details:

Dress: thrifted

Belt: JCPenney

Necklace: Forever 21

Dante's Infer....no.

            Whenever I am having one of those senseless moments of “I don’t have anything to wear! (This happens frequently, despite my overwhelmingly full closet),” I tend to grab this little black dress. The silhouette is flattering and modest, and can change from dressy to casual in a matter of seconds. Today I paired it with a lightweight sage green cardigan and some plum colored tights. Can I just tell you how much I adore tights? Well, I really don’t know what I’d do without them. Living in Oregon has taught me many things. One of those things is: even when the sun shines its brightest, February days are still going to be chilly. It’s one of the perks of living in the pacific northwest; deceiving weather. Yes, it certainly makes things more exciting. When I say, “exciting” what I really mean is, “makes me want to pull my hair out every time go out bare legged and realize it’s actually too cold to go without tights but now it’s too late and I’m freezing.” Moral of that story? Keep a pair of tights in your purse. Always. Along with a four or five candy bars, and a wrench. Hey, it comes in handy. Another thing Oregon has taught me is that states with year-round blazing temperatures miss out on the delights of seasonal wardrobe. We get four seasons up here, which is something I am grateful for. I sometimes wonder what kind of style I would have if I had grown up in San Diego where I was born. I’d be sporting shorts and sandals with the occasional light jacket for those days when it gets down to a frigid 65 degrees. The perfect everyday ensemble for a California girl. Or some daisy dukes with a cupcake bikini and neon pink hair might be more fitting (that was a Katy Perry reference, in case you didn’t catch on). Odd as it may be, I rather prefer overcast skies and the precipitation I am accustomed to. Don’t get me wrong, sunny days are absolutely sublime, but I couldn’t stand it for 365 days at a time. I rhyme. I’m a tights enthusiast, and an avid wearer of boots and scarves. It just doesn’t mesh well with Dante’s Inferno-esque weather. 

Seeing as this is my first ever post on Sophisti[k]ate, I just wanted to thank you for dropping in to see what I have to say! It means a lot. I’m not going to label this blog with any particular theme in mind. But as stated in the brief ‘welcome/about me’ section over to the right, I love fashion and photography. Be prepared to see a lot of fashion/photography-related posts. But knowing myself, I am prone to bouts of inspiration at random times, so the occasional haphazard/rambling post will appear. That said, I hope you had a lovely weekend! 

-Kate 

Outfit Details:

Dress: Target

Cardigan: Forever 21

Scarf: Fred Meyer

Oxfords: Target 

Tights: JCPenney