The Good Girl Gone Blog

Classy girls eat Godiva

Yesterday, I had a class field trip (yes, we apparently still have those in college) to none other than Cadbury world. I'm not really sure what a chocolate factory has to do with PR, but still.

We boarded a train in London and took a 2+ hour journey to Birmingham, and then took a commuter train to Bournville, home of the Cadbury factory. I'm not sure what I was expecting (ok, something closer to Willy Wonka's factory or at least Hershey, PA), but I wasn't so impressed.

The town itself, built around the factory, was highly industrial and rather ugly. Maybe it was because the weather was particularly dreary, or because it just wasn't Hershey, but Cadbury did not live up to my expectations.

 
Al, Rach and El posing

Rachel showing off her chocolate goo creation

El and Al pre-tour.

Though everyone was giddy about the prospect of free chocolate and a lecture-free day, Eleanor was clearly  the most excited out of our entire class. (She even made up a song about Cadbury Eggs.) We got tons of free chocolate--3 full sized candy bars and a mini cup of chocolate goo and candy mix-ins--and all had tummy aches by the end of the day.

To be quite honest, I don't really like Cadbury chocolate, I think that their "1 and a half glasses of fresh milk" is just a little too much for me. I know, they pride themselves on their "dairy milk," but I'm a dark chocolate kind of girl.

All in all, I think I'll pass on the Cadbury. If you want the good stuff, go for Godiva. Give me a delicious dark chocolate + raspberry Godiva truffle and I'll love you forever.

The good, the bad and the itchy

Ha! From the title of this post, it sounds like I ate something amazing, realized it contained nuts and then got a strange rash, when I'm actually describing a day filled with delicious food, weird weather and a dress.

Let me explain...

Izzy and I decided we'd walk to Harrod's pre-interview, only to find that it was raining. We ducked into a little bakery on the way and munched on the most delicious pizza paired with...hot chocolate! We finished the meal with a shared slice of chocolate mascarpone cheesecake. I hate to say it, but this cheesecake totally outdid that of the Swiss boy. What can I say, my mother taught me well: chocolate is best. The cake was so rich, Iz and I couldn't even finish our slice. Leaving those few bites on the plate was a very difficult decision!

Throughout our lunch, we glanced out the window to watch the changing weather. We witnessed hail, sleet, rain and then bright sunshine. The sky was actually blue today, which is very uncommon!

Harrod's was definitely interesting. It's the kind of place that's so large, it has it's own maps! It's not like any department store in the US...

I think the best way to describe Harrod's is a museum for fashion lovers. It's crammed with art--some of it beautiful and some of it strange--and you simply have to find those pieces that speak to you.

To me, the greatest art was the quilted Chanel bags, Verseace evening gowns and the French Connection shoes.

Sigh.

I also had my interview at Armani today. After stressing for weeks about what to wear, I never even took off my coat. Ha! Here are some photos of what was hiding underneath:

Dress- FCUK, sweater- The Limited, tights- Ann Taylor Loft, boots- Target, belt- thrifted, bag- Coach, pearl earrings and ring, gifts from my parents

Outfit photos by Izzy (on my Canon point and shoot, no DSLR today because of the weather)

And just for fun...

(Someone should be going out and seeing London instead of teaching herself how to use Photoshop and watching True Blood)

I was pretty happy with my outfit, although the dress turned out to be a bit itchy. This was only one small sacrifice I made for the sake of fashion- you should see the Dora the Explorer band aids on my poor, aching feet!

Scottish men are creepy

• Cute boys in kilts that made the trek from Glasgow for a pub crawl will take a photo with you...and whip our their ghetto disposable camera so they can immortalize their shot with the Americans.
• Scottish people are hard to understand, especially if they're not from a big city.
• Don't use the word "fanny," as in "what do you guys keep in those fanny packs?"
• Scone should be pronounced "skahn"
• Old Scottish men will get drunk, hit on you and jump in your photos...at 8 pm...while you're minding your own business and finishing your dinner at a pub. (See photo below.)

• Cider is best when frozen on top.
• Even though Scotland uses the pound, some of their bills are stamped  "Bank of Scotland," so they look slightly different.
• Scottish people are very friendly.
• I will never EVER eat traditional Scottish food. Haggis? No thanks.
• Always Sunday- has the BEST breakfast. EVER.

Thanks Lynn for the first two photos!

Birthday dress!

Today I turned 22. I attempted to stay awake in class, read about a bazillion of your blog posts, skyped with a bunch of great folks and continually checked my Facebook page for birthday greetings. And guess what? The sun decided to show it's face today- it was a birthday miracle!

Although I didn't want to make my own birthday plans, I allowed my friends to make some for me. Lynn made dinner reservations at a Thai restaurant, and I insisted we all dress up. Here's what I wore:

 

Dress- FCUK, shoes- Madden Girl, Earrings- gift, made by my friend Jenni

A special thanks to Lynn, Maria, Allison, Rachel and Joe for celebrating with me tonight. Dinner was fabulous- champagne, curry, fortune cookies...and we got a 2-for-1 special!

Unfortunately, I think I had an allergic reaction to coconut, as I now have white and red bumps on my back and...err, derriere. Hopefully they'll be gone before I get to Scotland.

Must.

Not.

Scratch.

Bagels and vintage yellow shoes

Today, Hil, Iz and I decided to hit up Brick Lane for some bagels...or as they're called here, "beigels." Sunday seemed like the perfect day to indulge in our favorite Jewish food. Plus, these bagels had to be better than the rolls with holes we'd bought at the grocery store.

I'm sad to say that the bagels were merely mediocre. Also, the cream cheese was super weird. I don't even know how to describe it! I was expecting the bakery to resemble a NY style bagel shop, but this place only offered one type of bagel (plain), and some other things with weird names. We finally figured out that "chola" must mean "challah." This was not a Jewish bagel shop.

We also happened to stumble upon a really fun vintage market! I immediately spied a pair of vintage yellow pumps and purchased them for 5 quid! (Photos to come via Izzy!)

 

Strangely, I saw these masks in multiple stands on the street. They reminded me of the principal from Billy Madison- you know, the one who used to be a wrestler?

I thought these headbands were really pretty. I probably should have bought one. Oh well, there's always next time!

Loads of gummies- just like in Israel. Too bad I gorged myself on fresh doughnuts. They were so much yummier than the bagels, and I even saw them being made!

There was such a huge variety of food being sold- stir fries, Indian food, churros, falafel, sushi...we didn't actually buy anything, but it all smelled amazing!

Standing out

As promised, here are some lovely fashion photos from yesterday's trip to Trafalgar Square, courtesy of the lovely Isabel. Definitely check out her blog and leave her some comment love- she's just starting out and is a fab photographer. She's already agreed to help me with some daily outfit posts!

I had fun playing around with colors in Photoshop.  I have to say, a part of me is slightly sad, because highlighting a red coat against a black and white background reminds me of the little girl in Schindler's list...her red coat is the only color in the entire movie. Still, I'm pretty happy with the results of my newly learned Photoshop skills- thanks to Isabel for her guidance via instant message!

My new red coat, from JCrew, has been an amazing fashion staple. The ruffle detail, as well as the bright hue, are both very "Alana"

Nice self timer skills, Iz!

...so tiny next to the giant lion!

Coat- JCrew, Top- French Connection, Belt-??, Jeans- Citizens of Humanity...found in my building's recycling room(!!), Bag- Coach

Hat- H&M kids' section. This photo seems very Betty-ish to me :)

Our favorite photo of the bunch!

Many of you have commented about my new header- it was a collaborative project! I did the text and BB shapes, my cousin Elyssa created the girl based on a photo of me. She's very talented and will hopefully be contributing more art to the blog in the future!

Goo-goo eyed

The Foxes via

Last night, after successfully finding not one, but two winter hats at H&M (in the kid's section, apparently my head is small), I got all dolled up and headed to The Notting Hill Arts Club for "Death Disco." Sounds scary, right? It's actually a free event every Wednesday that features live bands.

We had our IDs scanned in a nifty machine and headed downstairs into what can only be described as a hipper BU frat house basement. You know, the thing I vowed to avoid ever since I became legal and could go to real bars? Well, this place was grungy...but in an ok way.

We'd arrived just after the opening band finished, and you'll be pleased to know that the band members were all my size and dressed in clothing I would probably wear. The only weird thing- they were all guys! Seriously, one of them was wearing a cropped black cardigan over a tight t-shirt and skinny jeans. He also had long hair- looking at him from the back, you could have confused him for a grungier version of a girl!

Because we couldn't find a table, Rach and I decided to sit on the edge of the stage, and I asked the cute British roadie if we were in his way. He responded by smiling and saying no, we were fine, but thanks for asking. He turned out to be the lead singer. I swooned as soon as he whipped out his acoustic guitar. I definitely had goo-goo eyes for the entire concert. (The Foxes were great- you should definitely check them out!)

Sigh. It was a fun night- I hope to do it again soon. Props to Isabel for starting a conversation with the lead singer post-concert! Because of her I was able to pull him towards me and say, in my most chipper American girl voice:

"Thanks for making our first night out in London so much fun!"

Ha. What I really wanted to say was:

"I have never seen a guy rock so hard with an acoustic guitar. Will you be my British boyfriend?"

Some final pieces for London

I've been in search of the perfect "London coat" for a while now. While I have a long, black puffer coat, I wanted something a bit more sleek for my adventures abroad. I took a few hours on Thursday after a final to look for a coat at the mall, but returned homed stressed and unimpressed.

After drooling over a beautiful coat on JCrew's website (they only sell their petite sizes online) for the past few weeks, I finally gave in and decided to buy it. I was slightly hesitant to purchase something so substantial as a coat online, especially with limited return time before London, but decided it was my only option. I was worried that I'd have to buy a black coat, which is definitely not my thing, so I asked my friend Eric for his opinion. He told me a color would suit me better, and that I could still be a grownup in a non-black coat. So...I bought this:

via

I think this coat is beautiful, classy and very Alana. I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail. Cross your fingers and hope that it fits! I think it will look adorable with a nice pair of earmuffs (maybe Burberry inspired?), or a black or white hat. (Thanks Dad and Donna- I love my birthday present!)

Well, after buying the red coat, I thought my search was over...until I logged into Rue La La and saw they were having a sale on Betsey Johnson. I loved the heart shaped buttons on so many of Betsey Johnson's coats, and with some more friendly encouragement (this time from my friend Joey), I made another purchase.

This one is a lighter material and  a major score- I had a $30 credit thanks to friends making purchases on Rue La La via my invite code, which made the final cost (with shipping) $58.00...down from $260.00!

via

I think this coat will be great for the spring. I'll pair it with skinny jeans and flats...or knowing me, more likely heels. I'm glad I've finished my pre-London shopping- it's been stressful, but definitely fruitful :)

Sunday Confessional: I now own this

My old roommate Samantha bought me this Madame Alexander doll and I think she's the coolest thing ever. Look familiar? She's Betty. You know, as in Ugly Betty? Oh, and if you look closely...she has braces. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S. Hopefully my mom will like her as much as I do and allow her to sit next to the other dolls in her collection. We'll see :)

P.S.- I'm stuck in Boston because of a yucky blizzard in Maryland. Hopefully I'll be back in Baltimore soon so I can pack up my life and leave for London on Thursday. Ahh, so excited!

via

Sunday Confessional: Fashion Bloggers make me Nervous

My room pre (and post) Fashion Blogger Mixer

Yesterday, I attended a pretty awesome fashion blogger mixer with Rachel on Newbury St- a super trendy shopping locale in Boston. The mixer's headquarters was at Luna Boston, a boutique stocked with cute purses, shoes and accessories.

An adorable bag

The event, hosted by Punky and some other Boston-area fashionistas, consisted of mingling, drinks, special deals and giveaways.

Clearly, I am not a real fashion blogger (yet!!)- I just occasionally write about clothes and shoes. Still, Punky told me that I should definitely attend. It's safe to say I was super nervous. I  knew everyone was going to be dressing up and I had no clue what to wear. I finally settled on my favorite strapless FCUK dress, a long grey sweater, a bright red heart belt, and a pair of black faux-suede boots. The outfit was very Alana, and I felt cute wearing it, so I think it was a success.

When we finally made it to Luna Boston (after first getting sort of lost), Rachel and I looked for our friend and fellow college girl, Anna. We proceeded to hang out with her for the entire event. 

Rach and Anna

Though I wanted to talk to some of the other bloggers- I was a bit shy. I'm bad at mingling, especially when the other people are 1) dressed better than me 2) older 3) legitimate fashion bloggers.

Though I chatted with Punky a bit, I failed to introduce myself to the other bloggers. I wish I had, but I sort of freaked out. I did enjoy meeting Neira, who came over and introduced herself. 

I think I need to get over my networking phobia, especially because I'm going into PR. Maybe next time?