Wear, Watch, Want #16: The Leggy Techno Ballet Edition
Wear: Zella Live In Leggings
Every week when I need to decide what to list as the thing I've been wearing and loving for the past seven days, I have to dig into the far recesses of my brain, because all I can remember is that I wore Zella Live In Leggings. Like every day. I have about six pairs of these, in various colors and patterns, so it's safe to say that I'm a little obsessed with them. I was never a leggings person. I have large calves and some pretty prominent hips and butt, so leggings have never really been a good look for me. That is, until I tried Zella's. I've tried on other leggings since discovering Zella Leggings, just in case designs have changed or my body has miraculously decided to look better in spandex, but they're all complete trash garbage. I'm planning a post on these leggings, but photos are tricky when you tend to work alone, so look for that in the near future.
Watch: Black Mirror
Speaking of blog posts that have been in the works for quite some time, Black Mirror! Well, not specifically Black Mirror, but this Chrome plugin that allows you to watch streaming programming through legal sites, but without country restrictions. So if you want to keep marathoning Scandal on Netflix, but you're on vacation in a different country, you don't have to worry about that annoying message that says, "This is not available in your country." It's a handy little workaround that I only learned about a month or two ago, but I've been meaning to figure out just how on the up and up it is before I tell you to go get it. It is, however, one of the most popular Chrome plugins, so if you're willing to do about three seconds of searching, you'll be able to find it. ANYWAY. Black Mirror is a show I watched through these means, but now it's on Netflix in the US, so it's easy and available and definitely legal, as long as you pay your Netflix bill.
Black Mirror is an anthology series that takes place in the not too distant future, and examines the ways in which technology affects people's lives. Each episode is self-contained, and features an entirely original cast. There are six episodes in two seasons, and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that you may find yourself binging on the whole series in a weekend afternoon. It's so different from anything else on TV, but it's not just that it's unusual, it's that it's SO. GOOD.
My favorite episode (although even my least favorite episode would still get 4.5 stars from me, this one is the one that stayed with me the most) stars Lenora Crichlow (Annie the Ghost from Being Human, which, by the way, is another great show) as a woman who wakes up and has no idea who she is, where she is, or why there are people following her with their camera phones out at all times, refusing to say a word to her. Then a guy starts chasing her with a gun, and still, people keep taking photos and videos on their phones. I can't tell you anything more about what happens after that, but I can say that what I thought at first was going to be an ever so slightly weaker episode threw me completely for a loop and I ended up loving it. When I read that Robert Downey Jr had obtained film rights to one of the episodes, I assumed it was this one, "White Bear", but it wasn't. To which I say, "REALLY, RDJ?!"
There is a third season of Black Mirror in the works, but there's no premiere date as of yet. However, on December 16 a Christmas special (starring Jon Hamm) will surely bring joy to our hearts. And hopefully somehow hold us over until the next installment of this amazing, innovative, often chilling series.
Oh, I should mention that Black Mirror is on TV in the US, but only if you have DirecTV. I don't personally know a single soul who has DirecTV, but allegedly there are millions of you. Bless your hearts.
Want: Tieks Ballet Flats
I have a pair of Coach Ballet Flats that I've been wearing on a regular basis for about three or four years. I got them on clearance at Marshall's for the most insane deal I've ever come across, and I once got Frye Boots for half off. I think I figured it out once and my Coach flats were over 80% off. Not only were they a great deal, they're great shoes. So comfy! So versatile! So perfect in every way! Well... they're not so perfect anymore. I still love them dearly, but after wearing those poor ballet flats a million times, they're starting to look a little shabby. Okay, a lot shabby. It's time to retire them and find some new flats to wear to shreds. I've shopped, I've browsed, I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest and Rank & Style and who knows where else, and I've decided: I need Tieks. Not only do these Tieks match my current favorite flats almost perfectly, they're engineered for comfort. They're a little pricier than I was originally hoping to spend, but when I take into account how much wear I've gotten out of my Coach flats over quite a few years, the cost seems a little more justifiable. Plus, they have free shipping and free returns, which is sometimes all the motivation I need to click "Add to cart."
