An Excursion to Wisconsin

Chris and I just made a trip to Wisconsin.

First stop? The Prime Outlet mall in Pleasant Prairie…

They have tons of stores there… Zumiez, Fossil, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, a Le Creuset. As the name implies they are all outlet stores, though some have much better deals than others… We stopped at most of the stores and these are some of the highlights.

Converse…

I love high-tops so we thought it was a great place to stop in. Unfortunately most of the shoes were full price and so we passed up the opportunity to buy any. They did have some cute key chains though…

I almost bought one… Then I snapped out of my consumer trance and we went on our merry way.

Next came Gap…

Here Chris bought 3 nice black polos and I found inspiration in some very colorful spring shirts…

It looks like color is in for this season.

From there we went to Le Gourmet Chef.

Along with a few other things we bought the most awesome peeler here (click the picture for a link to their site)

It’s contoured and is so natural to peel with, it makes me want to go out and buy a carrot or cucumber just so I can have the pleasure of peeling it.

I also found out that not only is color in for clothing this season… The trend also applies to Ice Cream Scoops.

Once we were done browsing all of the stores it was time to call it a day. But not before stopping at Mars Cheese Castle, because, you really can’t visit Wisconsin without buying cheese… Can you?

Well I know I can’t…

Among the cheese we bought were two surprising cheeses… Buffalo Cheddar (tastes like buffalo wings) and Sharp Provolone. Both are excellent and I highly recommend them.

So that was our big trip… I’m sure I will be heading back soon. When I need to buy something, just browse, or when I run out of cheese.

Americas Next Top Obsession

I must admit, that like it or not I am obsessed with Americas Next Top Model. I know I know, it’s not exactly the kind of show I thought I would ever watch either, believe me. But there is something about this and other fashion shows that just draws me in.

Maybe it’s because I can see what goes on behind the camera and within the girls during the shoot. Maybe because I think it would be very cool to be a model, photographer, or designer (graphic or fashion) in the industry. I find these kinds of shows enticing, exciting and interesting.

Put aside the drama inside and outside of the house that the contestants share. And also try to forget the endless bickering. What you have is a look at girls trying to be pretty and the artful photography that comes out of this show, I think, is pretty amazing.

They’ve done shoots with the models falling…

Covered in paint…

Hanging on a rock wall…

And even normal fashion stuff like posing in water with another model…

And what I find great is that even if the girls don’t win, they have all of those photos to put into their portfolio. And many of them go on to be in national ad campaigns.

This is Michelle from cycle 7 in a magazine ad (she didn’t win, she didn’t even make top 3).

I find the world of fashion interesting and confusing all at the same time. On the one hand I cannot see myself spending thousands of dollars on one outfit. But on the other hand, the amount of thought and effort that goes into making these clothes and the ads that sell them is incredible.

As an artist, especially as a visual artist, I find the shapes and colors used within the modeling industry very thought provoking. It’s all about lines, angles, color and all of the other things you learn about in school, the media just happens to be people and clothing that costs thousands of dollars. So when you look at it from that angle… I guess it’s not such a surprise that I enjoy these shows so much.

Cool site

My friend Mollie sent me a link to a very cool fashion site the other day 80′s Purple.

I’m a giant fan of Disney and this site has a bunch 0f Disney Couture Jewelry here are a couple of my favorite pieces.

Once I was done drooling over the Disney Jewelry I browsed the rest of the site and found a brand that I think I may be buying pieces from in the future. It’s Sound Girl and here are a few of the pieces I really like:

Thanks Mollie for introducing me to such a great site!