Different Kinds of Custom Suits

Before designers, big brand names, warehouse stores and suit brokers dominated the land scape, well dressed men of all stature, flocked to old world tailors who constructed custom suits cut for each individual person. As time went by and the advent of mass production became the norm, finding these master craftsmen became harder and harder. Today a large amount of Americans still wear  suits, though most are ready made and available at a bevy of retailers ranging in cost from "budget" to "obscene". Americans have generally shied away from custom suits because of a misconception of exorbitant costs and pretentiousness. Especially during tough economic times, custom suits have become more a symbol of excess rather than value. While ready made suits continue to dominate the market place and full fill the need for instant gratification, more and more consumers are beginning to see the value that custom suits, with their perfect fit and high end craftsmanship, deliver.

MAGIC AT MY FINGERTIPS

Nails! Nails! Nails! There's nothing that makes me feel more fabulous than pretty fingers. Here are some of my handy tips:

•  Always push back your cuticles, this will makes your nails appear longer and will make it much easier when painting
• For stronger natural mails, opt for a rounded tip rather than a square tip, a rounded structure is much stronger 
• Never bite your nails! Not only is it pretty gross but it will completely ruin your nails making them thin and brittle
• Nail polish can be pretty expensive, especially when you have an extensive collection; my secrets saver brand? Miss sporty, at a mere £1.99 each (Superdrug) and in a wide range of great colours it's not just for teens, a super pretty polish that doesn't break the bank!
• Always carry a mini hand cream in your bag, this will keep your nails nourished and prevent them from becoming brittle and keeps your hands looking and feeling superb, I carry Neutrogena  concentrated hand cream (£3.59 for 50g)

HERITAGE CHIC

SEASON SHIFT

PLEASE VOTE!

With great excitement, I am proud to say that I have been entered into Fashion Week SS13 Street Style competition to be named 'The most stylish person in the world' a title that would mean more to be than you can imagine, I want to thank every single person that has voted for me so far!

I would appreciate it if you could vote for me and spread the word, you can vote via:

• Facebook 'like'
• Twitter
• Donating money to charity, anything from $5-$500

You can vote HERE! 

Thank you all so much,

Stay fabulous,

Abigail

x

WINTER PASTELS

WHAT I'M WEARING WITH THE GUARDIAN

PRIMA BALLERINA

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies/Bread/Cake/Glory

So I went home to study today before Steven and I do some fun stuff with friends tonight. And when I say "went home to study," I really mean "went home to study but really ended up baking, drinking tea, and listening to Fiona Apple with all the windows open because its 65 degrees outside." Somehow, I think living in such a beautiful place and having access to a full sized kitchen (as opposed to dorm life...bleh) might negatively impact my concentration. 2 reasons why:

1. I mean...IT'S FREAKING GORGEOUS OUTSIDE! Studying outside-an definite option. Riding my bike/walking/just sitting outside-a more likely & appealing option. I know the snow will keep me inside once it comes, though (might I just say that I CANNOT WAIT FOR SNOW).
2. I'm doing homework for Math 112. That's basically college algebra. Might I just say, as gracefully and non-whiney as possible...I intentionally took a statistics class last semester at Trinity in order to complete my Math credit FOR GOOD. However, UW Madison apparently don't count statistics as math credit. Might I just...if statistics is not math...what is? And not that I mind easy classes (even though this math is an all online class, which makes it really complicated), but I took Calculus in high school...can that not place me out of this agony, por favor?!?

Anyway...the good part of the distraction: 

PUMPKIN.

Just...let's pause here to praise Jesus that it is just about AUTUMN and that means PUMPKIN EVERYTHING for my household!!!!

The way I made this recipe, with pumpkin instead of butter and whole-wheat flour instead of white flour, makes this recipe REALLY low-fat and healthier than the original recipe...basically the only source of fat is from the egg yolks. And the best part: you wouldn't even know it unless I told you! I kept with the 9x13 in baking pan because I like the "blondie" type of dessert, but this ended up more like a cake or bread, which is more than OK by my standards. If I would have done 1/2 butter and 1/2 pumpkin or something like that, maybe it would have come out more "blondie-like" than this. But just trust me: this will rock your Autumnal socks off. NOM & ENJOY!

Here's the original recipe!

And here's my revised version (only a few changes):
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Blondies/Bread/Cake

2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a can of pumpkin)
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons white sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
5. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon.
6. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking pan.
7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. (Or, if you're me, eat the second they come out...). While still warm, cut into squares with a sharp knife.
8. Depending on if you want to keep these low-fat or not (I did the next step to 1/2 of the batter so I could have a really rich pumpkin dessert on my hands...), you can heat up about 1/4 cup of butter or margarine with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Heat it for 30 secs in the microwave then, after poking some holes into the bread, pour the mixture over the bread, especially into the little cracks. I guess I would recommend doing this BEFORE you bake it, but I didn't think about it until after, and it still tastes like heaven.

Here's a poor quality picture that doesn't do it justice at ALL! Nonetheless, here's the 1/2 and 1/2 I was talking about.

Thanks for reading & if you try it, tell me how it turns out for you!!

TMP

GOLDEN

WANNABE

Worddrobe

what u word

THAT HAT

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

I don't know what it is about the fair that turns me into a child again, it could be the extremely potent smell or frying and sugar that gives me an energy rush from the second it hits me or the familiar sounds of laughter, screams and booming music that I always seem to know the words to; whatever it is, it makes the fair my favourite place in the world. I make a point of going every year. This year I decided to wear the nostalgia by using the 90s (my childhood) as the main theme for my outfit. As the sun goes down the lights start to sparkle, looking upon them makes the whole place seen enchanting, I think that's what I love most; that for just a little while in time, a mundane space can transform into a wonderland, a place that sparkles, where you can fly, defy gravity and then disappear as quickly as it arrived, as if it stows away quietly in the dead of night and is left as my little secret.