For an upcoming project of sorts, I have to think about who my style inspirations are.  (Can't really talk about the project yet, but I will when I can.)

I used to read fashion magazines monthly and regularly perused gossip blogs, always checking out what celebrities were wearing.  But that was a while ago and as I tried to think about whose style I find inspirational, I drew a blank.  Then I sat there and boggled over the fact that I was drawing a blank.  I realized in that moment one major reason why I was having such issues with style in the past year or two: I had stopped looking and trying.  I really didn't aspire to a certain look anymore, where I used to admire certain styles and actively work to imitate them a bit while making them my own (all while working within the constraints of available plus-size clothing, which is not easy).

So as I tried to think about whose style I liked, one person kept coming to mind.  Well, more like one character - specifically, one vampire: Alice Cullen.

I want that shirt. I want that scarf.  I WANT those gloves.  I WANT that hair.  (I actually plan to grow out my hair for a little while, but I still covet that hairstyle even though my hair would never hold that look without a ton of product, alas.)  The photo also makes me want to move to the Pacific Northwest so I could live in the misty fog and have a regular reason to layer, but I digress.

So as I looked for pictures of Alice Cullen, I realized they're hard to come by and I mainly love my vague recollections of Alice in the films and the descriptions of her in the books so I don't know how helpful it is to list her as a style inspiration... nevermind the fact that, you know, she's not real.

So I'm off to try and remember who my human style inspirations are.  Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to what Alice has in store when I go see Eclipse next week.

Do you have style inspirations?  Are they realistic?

Dweezil Zappa is getting divorced. 

{source}

Yes, this is news and not an April Fool's Day joke.  Why do I care?  Because Dweezil Zappa is the reason the hubby first kissed me.

The hubby and I met on MySpace.  He sent me an email so beautifully worded and punctuated that I had to respond, even though I knew I was moving away for grad school in five months and had officially given up on the idea of seeing anyone before then.  (But I figured a girl can have a lot of fun in five months, you know.)  We emailed and IM'd for a couple of days and decided to meet at a local Barnes & Noble for coffee.  You know, just to meet.  Just to hang out.  Not like a "date" date (even though that's exactly what we were both thinking).

I got to Barnes and Noble about thirty minutes early to ensure I'd be there first because I hate walking in somewhere and having to look for someone.  This way I could be nonchalantly flipping through a magazine and sipping a caramel macchiatto, acting cute and casual, and go, "Oh, hey," when he walked in, almost like I had forgotten I was meeting him there.  (Even though I saw his car pull up and knew exactly when he'd be walking in.  I even planned ahead the page of the magazine to have open so it wasn't too vacuous of a story to be reading, but something that we could chat about if things were instantly awkward.  Yes, hi, Type A here.)

We talked for a while in the cafe, but those wooden chairs get super uncomfortable so we decided to walk around.  The hubby date wanted to check out a guitar book, so we headed to that section (if I only knew then what I'd be in for as I now live in a home with fourteen guitars).  He flipped through a book of musicians, stopping on a few here or there as I commented: "Yeah, Eric Clapton is cool.  My brother saw him in concert."  "Yeah, I love John Mayer."  "Oh, Dweezil Zappa."

Unbeknownst to me, not many girls know who Dweezil Zappa is.  Being a pop culture junkie, I figured most people knew of the Zappa clan.  I even have friends who named their cat Zappa (after Frank).

The hubby was impressed, though... or just looking for an excuse (I always think it's the latter) because right then, he kissed me.  Right there, in the music section of Barnes and Noble.  I was surprised, but obviously I didn't mind and it all worked out quite well (three years of dating, a beautiful wedding, a wonderful year and a half of marriage and an almost complete pregnancy later).

So I'm sorry to hear things aren't working out for Dweezil Zappa.  I owe him a lot.

(Post script: somehow the hubby's and my love story didn't make this list of The 7 Greatest Internet Love Stories, but the link is worth checking out anyway.  Cute stories.)

Gosh, I just can't wait to read the rest of this interview (from The Huffington Post):

On her current weight:

"I'm pretty solid, actually. I'm not, like, 110lbs. But I'm probably heading towards that."

On the simplicity of men:

"I love boys... but I believe they're really simple. Every guy likes to say that they're complicated, but they're so easy to figure out. What did that Dr Laura say? Something like, 'All men want is sex and for you to make them a sandwich.' I thought that was really funny - and not entirely untrue."

Now, the first one I'm going to take to task for bad writing because what Ms. Hudson says is not altogether clear.  Does she mean she's heading upwards towards 110lbs or is she heading downwards towards 110lbs?  Either way, the fetishizing of the number gets on my nerves, but if she's saying she's solid but not yet up to 110lbs, that is seriously irresponsible journalism.  Yes, some adult women can be solid and healthy at that weight or near it, but not the majority.  To report it as appearing that way feels irresponsible to me.

As for the second quotation, how would it be received if a male movie star came out and said, "You know, women are really simple.  They just want you to tell them they're beautiful and pick up your socks."  Women would be irate at that (or should be).  Yes, there is something to the idea that men are less complicated than women.  Our brains biologically determine that we think in different ways and men tend to compartmentalize more than women, whereas women tend to take more factors into account when thinking about something.

But to call men/boys "really simple"?  We all have our simple moments and the men I know are beautifully complex.  I wouldn't have married someone who just wanted sex and a sandwich.  Those are the men we knew in our early 20s (and maybe later, if unlucky).  The men I know want a companion, someone they can trust with their deepest thoughts and desires, someone they can share their lives with, someone they can parent with.  I wouldn't plan a family with someone who wanted just sex and a sandwich.

And what about the days women just want sex and a sandwich? Aren't we allowed to have those?  Oh, or can we not weigh 110lbs if we have a sandwich?  That must be what I'm doing wrong.