Fashion: art or artless?

This past weekend I spent time in New York City. My bestie is up in Brooklyn this week and last week dancing at a Mark Morris summer intensive. I decided that I would kill multiple birds with one stone. 1) see the bestie dance in a demonstration of what she learned last week. 2) hangout with my cousin who lives in the upper east side. 3) navigate nyc and the subway system by myself before I move there in 65 days (not that I'm counting or anything...). 4) just hangout in one of my favorite cities. 
SO. I did all of these things. and it was amazing. and my bestie was amazing dancing. and hanging out with my cousin was amazing. and hanging out in nyc with three of my girl friends was amazing. I had NO desire to come home to LancLanc At All. 

On saturday, three of my girl friends, my cousin, and I spent the morning at the MET. we saw a special show called Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. It was a fascinating show, exploring the similarities of two different fashion designers from two different eras, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada. I was struck, while moseying my way through the exhibit, how different my idea of fashion is, and what Schiaparelli and Prada's view of fashion is. It's safe to say that we all differ completely. 
Schiaparelli viewed fashion as art. She said that if she hadn't become a designer she would have been a sculptor. Prada, on the other hand, did not view fashion as art. She seemed to only do it as a rebellion to anyone and everyone. However, I was confused. If she did not view fashion as art, as she had stated, then she had a strange way of expressing that. Her clothing is unwearable for the average person. It Is Art. There's no question. It's elaborate and unflattering for most people. And thus, I realized my opinion on fashion.

Fashion should be beautiful.


Fashion should be flattering to the wearer.


Fashion should be graceful.


Fashion should be classy. (However that doesn't mean it can't be fun and take risks)


Fashion should be art, but art that the wearer wears, not that wears the wearer.


I didn't realize how strongly I felt these things, until observing Schiaparelli and Prada's exhibit at the MET.

So that's what I've been thinking about recently. {all photos either found on tumblr, the met website or my instagram}

Tell me your thoughts. CA

Dancing and Silin

this accurately shows my reaction to today (found on photo bucket)

Today is an exciting today. Life is good. The sun is shining. The sky is blue. It's not too hot outside. I'm headed up to New York City (!) tomorrow on the train. and I FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL TODAY.

I am so happy.

The last thing I had to do today in order to be done was to finish reading the last book in my church history class called Turning Points by Mark A. Noll. I have to say that it wasn't my favorite. It was ok but not the best. HOWEVER the last part of the book was worth reading all 315 pages. I wanted to share it with you. I had never heard about this man, however I do know about Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and this unknown man was known by Solzhenitsyn.

"If the survival of Christianity under Communist regimes comes to be regarded as a major turning point of the twentieth century, it will be because the church as a whole takes to heart the witness of believers like Anatoly Vasilyevich Silin. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was drawn to Silin during his own incarceration in the 1950s, because of the dedication to poetic composition he shared with Silin. Silin was raise with atheist instruction in an orphanage but then found Christian books while in a German prisoner-of-war camp during the Second World War. That slight acquaintance was enough to set him on a life of dedicated Christian witness. When Solzhenitsyn met him, Silin had spent his entire adult life in the camps. With no formal training, almost no access to religious books or even other believers, Silin went on writing and memorizing poems in his head, which he could recite at great length when he found a sympathetic listener like Solzhenitsyn. Untutored, untrained, persecuted, usually along, Silin could yet rise to supernal heights of theological reasoning. He believed, for instance, that Christ suffered, not only to atone for human sins, but because God himself, out of pure love to his creatures, wanted to experience the full measure of human suffering. Silin could express a serene theodicy, or explanation for the existence of evil in the world:

Does God, who is Perfect Love, allow
This imperfection in our lives?
The soul must suffer first, to know
The forfeit bliss of paradise...
Harsh is the law, but to obey
Is for weak men the only way
To win eternal peace.

According to Solzhenitsyn, Silin also displayed a gentle meekness to all who crossed his path, despite the extraordinary harshness of his lot.
... A hint as to how Christianity survived under Communist oppression, as well as a suggestion why the reasons for that survival could define a turning point in the world history of Christianity, are contained in part of what Solzhenitsyn reported about his friend Anatoly Vasilyevich Silin.

'Before the war Anatoly Vasilyevich had graduated from a teacher' college, where he had specialized in literature. Like me, he now had about three years left before his "release" to a place of banishment. His only training was as a teacher of literature in schools. It seemed rather improbable that ex-prisoners like us would be allowed into schools. But if we were- what then.
"I won't put lies into children's heads! I shall tell the children the truth about God and the life of the Spirit."
"But they'll take you away after the first lesson."
Silin lowered his head and answered quietly: "Let them."' "

WOAH. Considering that his man had no formal training in the gospel and, as it sounds, no Bible even, His Faith Was So Strong. I'm so inspired by this man who had nothing, yet would do anything to spread the world of the Lord. My Mind= BLOWN.

The last thing that really got to me at the end of this book was this final quote:
"The church survives by the grace of God, not because of the wisdom, purity, or consistent faithfulness of Christians."


What a merciful Father we have! He doesn't need us, but out of His grace and mercy, He continues the church so that we may be in awe of Him, Glorify Him and Enjoy Him Forever.

Well. This is my last post as a high school student. Whatever the next post will be, it will be as a free woman. After August 25th, any post will be as a college student.

This is what I want my summer to look like.

SOLI DEO GLORIA.

inspiration is key

I've made a list. A list of what I'm inspired by Right.Now.

Here it is:

#1- Psalm 46:10

#2- John and Idelette Calvin

#3- New York City

#4- Emma Stone

#5- Madeleine L'Engle

#6- C.S. Lewis

#7- my Fred Astaire Pandora Station

#8- My Blog: An Ode To Glitter

#9- Church History.. History in general

#10- This album

What inspires you right now? Tell the world below.

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” -C.S.Lewis, Mere Christianity

Hello June.

I have a list.
A list of names that I like that I could potentially name a future child.
This list is located on my phone and every time I hear a name that I like, it's added to the list. If the name isn't just super cool I want it to have some significant meaning. I'm tired of everyone naming their children bible names (not that that is a bad thing. It totally isn't) I just think church history is important too. So half of the names on my list are from people from church history that I want my child to be proud to be named after.

It's June. 19 days until I graduate. The end of the tunnel seems so far away!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I was sick all last week and didn't have much to say, between trying not to be sick, watching tv and reading school books (which i'm sick of by the way).

Last night was one of my last youth group nights. I got pretty sentimental. I don't want it to be over!- because when it ends, that means I'm growing up. I'm not ready for that. Hence always listening to my Disney pandora station. I know, I'm in denial. You don't need to remind me.

So I started another blog. Don't worry, I'm not leaving you behind. This new blog is not a writing my thoughts down blog. It's called "An Ode to Glitter" and it's a small visual journal dedicated to all things beautiful. Check it out!