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Smart Is the New Pretty: Shut. It. Down.

By Kirsten|October 2nd, 2013|Smart Is the New Pretty|

On the second day of October, we also find ourselves on the second day of the government shutdown. I can’t take full credit, but I do hold myself slightly accountable as I haven’t been keeping up with keeping you up to date. Therefore, I’m reinstating “Smart Is the New Pretty” effective immediately. Heaven knows it doesn’t matter how great you look if you can’t keep up an intelligent conversation and it would appear that our country is all kinds of out of whack.

The National Zoo may have turned off their panda cam, but The San Diego Zoo didn’t. (Phew!) [CBS News]
Sadly, the government isn’t the only place shutting down. The New York City Opera has filed for bankruptcy. [NPR]
And the Jacksonville Airport was shut down after reports of suspicious packages. [NBC News]
Mark Jacobs shut down Paris Fashion Week with his collection for Louis Vuitton before confirming he will be leaving the fashion house to focus on his own brand. [NY Times]
Hedi Slimane would like to shut down your Saint Laurent parody T’s. [The Cut]
New York should probably go ahead and shut down the ‘pop up’ biker gang. [NY Post]
I’m about to shut down anyone who doesn’t love dogs and think they’re Earth angels. [Huffington Post]
Perhaps little girls would be able to shut down low self esteem if they had pups. Don’t worry- Bloomberg is here to help. [The Cut]
Banksy’s latest piece in New York gets shut down overnight. [Gawker]

Do me a favor and don’t shut down your brain just because our politicians have decided to shut it down.

xx,

WhyDid

Why Did You Wear That: Take Two, Part Two

By Kirsten|August 14th, 2013|Personal Style, Why Did You Wear That?|

I was once quoted as saying my ideal outfit is “feminine but tough. (Like a pretty girl on a Harley)…” For me, it’s awfully difficult to look anything but all American. Long blonde hair and fairly classic features make it pretty easy for me to be lumped in with your average white chick. There are times when I don’t feel as if my insides match my outsides. I remember the first time I sat down in my hairstylist’s chair. She’s a super cool girl from Brooklyn and I could just tell by the barely noticeable eye roll that she had pegged me as just another girl from the West Side by merely taking in my fresh face, designer bag, and simple tank dress. After speaking with her for fifteen minutes, her initial impression of me was completely forgotten and I won’t let anyone else touch my hair with his or her scissors.

I like to take something classic and turn it into something unexpected by giving it some edge or “dumbing it down.” Anything too obvious makes me uncomfortable. Predictable scares me and boring is the end of my existence. If it’s too pretty, I add something ugly. I used to always wear my glasses with anything bodycon… until that became an ironic trend. Now I just deal with my less than perfect vision by forgoing my spectacles. Even the prettiest of cocktail dresses can morph like a chameleon by swapping out strappy sandals for rugged boots, fussy hair for wild strands, tasteful jewels for “in your face” bling. A little black dress that I thought would only come in handy for last minute cocktail party invites has fast become a closet staple.

dress: Nightcap Clothing (long sleeve version), necklace: vintage (similar), bracelet: vintage necklace (similar), boots: Frye, bag: Expressions NYC (similar)

xx,

WhyDid

Smart is the New Pretty: Monday Morning Quarterback

By Kirsten|April 8th, 2013|Smart Is the New Pretty|

Typically, I reserve these posts for mid-week brain fodder and date commentary, but why not start off your Monday looking and sounding like you did more than shop, imbibe, and snooze this weekend?

We lost two iconic women: one changed the British economy, the other changed fashion. [ NY Times, The Cut]
Speaking of fashion, here’s a true case of the pot calling the kettle black… [Huffington Post]
Seems men have all kinds of ridiculous things to say as of late. For instance, here’s A$AP Rocky’s take on beauty. [The Coveteur]
And Ray-J made a new song that was definitely not about Kim K (and her gratuitous baby bump shot). [The Cut]
And Chris Brown and Rihanna are over FOR GOOD (for now) after he’s been hanging with a hot waitress and beautiful blonde. [E! Online]
Maybe these fellas should take a cue from this heroic husband. [New York Post]
New iPhone app, Slim, may come in handy searching for Mr. Right and consolidating your social newsfeeds. [TechCrunch]
Or you could pay to message your favorite celeb on Facebook. [Forbes]
As if our apartments weren’t teeny enough… introducing “micro apartments.” [New York Post]
Oh, and here’s how to make a tiny garden for your tiny apartment. [Refinery29]
Since we’re sure to be broke in our tiny apartments, here’s how to preserve your leather and extend its life. [Who What Wear]

Time for lunch.

xx,

WhyDid

image via

Smart Is the New Pretty: Until Then

By Kirsten|May 2nd, 2012|Smart Is the New Pretty|

So sorry. Took a little nap yesterday. Okay, maybe just a drive down south to Boca. Either way, it did inhibit my blogging capabilities. The iPhone can do a lot of things, but posting on WordPress via my phone, is a bit tricky. Luckily, I’m here to catch you up on the latest and greatest in what’s happening in the world outside of your cubicle.

So, J.Lo will be debuting her new single via Twitter. Whatever happened to MTV? [Mashable]
Oh, here’s something to shock and awe you. Kanye West has pissed someone off with his newest single, “I Don’t Like.” [Huffington Post]
Speaking of being pissed off… Uh, did you know that neon nail polish is actually illegal in the US? Well, it is and here’s why. [Racked]
This mom would apparently like her daughter to be neon. Or at least somewhat radioactive. [Gawker]
The skin is your largest organ. Are you an organ donor? Facebook aims to spread awareness around organ donation with new timeline feature. [Wired]
What about these leaked pics of the Facebook Messenger app for the iPad? [Mashable]
More of a Skype fan? Well, you should probably read about this security flaw from 2010 that was conveniently overlooked. [WSJ]
Does anyone actually still use a Blackberry? Oh, you do? Sorry. So what do you think about RIM’s keyboardless BlackBerry 10? [Bloomberg]
I know what you’re all thinking, “WhyDid, why don’t you have a book yet?” Well, thanks to this next generation publishing platform, it may become a whole lot easier for blogs to transform into books. [TechCrunch]
Not a blogger, but maybe you have dreams of being the next Lady Gaga? Well, TalentSplash is here to help you out with that. [TechCrunch]
After you’ve become totally famous, you might be curious as to who’s been Googling you. This new website has the answers… [Mashable]
Knowing who’s Googling may prompt you to want to hide some of your social postings. Scrambls can help you out with that. [The Wall]
And on the flipside of that, you may be wanting to translate some of your emails. Gmail has a new feature to allow you to do that. [Huffington Post]
And since I’ll be bidding Florida adieu this afternoon, how about 10 tech innovations that have streamlined flying? Btw, when is that whole teleporter thing happening? [Mashable]

Until next time.

xx,

WhyDid

image via Funny Chill

Smart Is the New Pretty: It’s Getting Hairy

By Kirsten|April 11th, 2012|Smart Is the New Pretty, WhyDid Wisdom|

I love animals. I could spend hours upon hours watching cute animal videos on YouTube. I have even been told that I should probably just be dropped off at a farm or petting zoo and stay there. And if Fido shared my love for Fendi, I’d say that’s probably true.

I’m apparently not alone because cute fuzzy wuzzy cats and dogs are still number one as far as content goes. [Mashable]
Or you could always just use that stray cat hair to build your own Lady Gag replica. [Paper Mag]
This particular cat (a Sphynx) is not exactly thrilled about having its picture taken. [Huffington Post]
Sadly, there are still people who don’t appreciate animals. They should be shot. [Huffington Post]
Who can forget about the original cute fuzzy animal, the mammoth? [Huffington Post]
Animals aren’t the only ones who are hairy. Check out Bliss’s new ultimate “He-wax.” And please also recall when we delved into the world of male waxing… [Racked]
And if your man isn’t the only one having a bad hair day, why not try these clever ways to fix your fro? [InStyle]
Rooney Mara is sporting some not so dragon like hair now. [Glamour]