Break time/possibly ending the blog. :(

Hi everyone.
I am sorry to say I will be taking a break from blogging, and it is possible that I might discontinue Smile or Die altogether. I never get time to post or upload photos anymore, and it is just too much for me to commit to. I'll still be on instagram and soundcloud, so you can keep track of all of my fashion stuff there. I may just start a Lookbook to post looks only, but it isn't official. I hope to start something else that is more manageable but still fulfills my love for blogging.
This particular blog will still be up for viewing, it won't be deleted!
Thank you for sticking with me as long as you all did. <3

Keeping track of me:

Instagram is @sashaberliner
soundcloud is soundcloud.com/sashabeezy

I'll post on here if anything changes!

Oakland School for the Arts Fashion Through Fiction: Fashion Show 2014

This show was incredible! It was entirely put on by Production Design students at OSA, and the designs truly reflected the professional, artistic abilities of all of the students. We have some real talent at this school. I hope you enjoy this runway as much as I did.

I was in love with these skinny tutu dresses.

These girls were too cute.

Designer Mikayla Phinessee.

Such cool shoes.

Cerica Liam, who's made a second appearance on the blog! Click through archives to find her post.

Designer Deja Wilson modeling her own dress.

Designs by Zachary Fernandez. 

Final runway walk.

P.S. I'm in New York now! Post(s) to come soon.

Sasha 3.31.14

Self.

San Francisco, California.

Thrifted blouse and belt, H&M jacket, American Apparel jeans, Zara shoes, Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses, mom's bag.

Sage 3.28.14

Sage and Winnie 3.28.14

Lovely music at Winnie's youtube, Winnie Christian

Ciaran 3.21.14

Photography blog: Asteroid Designs

BLOG CHANGES very important !!

Hi beautiful people!
There is going to be a change to my blog. I find that I am having trouble making time to post and write about fashion on my blog, and my posts are only getting farther and farther apart in frequency.
What is going to happen is I will post more often, but with less to say. The blog is going to turn into more of a street style, all-around young fashion based blog with more single pictures, less writing and large posts (although I may have a couple of those).

I hope you'll all stick around (: I think the blog will be even better this way, being more fashion involved. Let me know what you think!

Sasha

Smile or Die X Asteroid Designs photo shoot !!!

Hey there friends!
I did this photo shoot with my raddest friend Ciaran for his vintage photography collection, channeling Audrey Hepburn/50's looks and also Suzy from Moonrise Kingdom (with the camera prop and the knee high socks). It turned out pretty amazing and ended up being quite the adventure, although more scenery and full-shot based than my normal pictures.
You can check out more of Ciaran's work here (facebook) and here (tumblr)! His fashion photography portfolio/graphic design collective is called Asteroid Designs.

Taken in the Mission District (San Francisco).

Marc by Marc Jacobs sunglasses, Urban Outfitters dress, vintage belt and camera, ?? socks, Vince Camuto heels. 

Fashion tip: Semi-matching makes for a really cool look. For example, my dress has navy blue in the plaid, but the shoes I chose are a brighter and lighter shade of blue. Pick two things in an outfit that are characterized by the same color, but aren't the same shade. Green and forest green, tangerine and tiger orange, lavender and eggplant, etc.

70's high fashion X rockabilly/punk

This is inspired by 70's classic fashion heavily crossed with KESH and modern punk type looks. Makeup and hair are inspired by American Hustle, but the overall look is definitely more current.

Side note, I'm also super into the foehawk-but-not-trying hairstyle right now. It ended up being easy peasy, so you can do it at home too! First, you tease the crown of your hair and pin it down with a bobby pin. If your hair isn't thick or curly, I recommend curling and teasing it before you pin it up. Just pull back the sides of your hair and pin them high up against your head. Do that until you reach the end of your hairline. Hairspray helps to hold it; however, remember that the look doesn't require perfect placing or anything. Second side note, the longer the coat, the better. You really want to get that 70's coat length. If you're on the smaller side and feel like it might overwhelm you, heels always help. It's the ultimate key to looking like a struttin' New York high fashion model, except for the fact that you might be freezing your butt off at this time of year.

I will definitely be posting again soon so stay tuned!


(P.S. Am I Teen Vogue editorial yet? I tried.)

ASOS coat, vintage coat pins, KESH for American Apparel dress, Zara shoes, H&M rings, Conroy & Wilcox safety pin earring from Metier.

Makeup: NARS Orgasm blush (which I find highly ironic, based on the movie), Buxom pinkish-nude tinted lip gloss, Tarte eyeshadow stick in Fig and amazon clay eyebrow pot, Givenchy pencil eyeliner, L'Oreal Telescopic liquid eyeliner.

Modern Grunge

Reason beanie (found at Pacsun), APC jacket, H&M flannel (worn underneath), crop top, necklace, socks, and shoes, American Apparel pants, Gap Body back pack that is seriously ancient.

I've always secretly wanted to be a grunge girl, especially since the whole 90's look is coming back in style. With the influence of style now, however, it's a little different. I put a more or less modern spin on a 90's grunge look to make it more current.

The flannel under the jacket was a common 90's look, but the modern thing here is the color. Plaids in earth tones like maroon, navy blue, and olive green are the new kind of plaid. You still get the boyish, punk vibe of the flannel, but the colors make it look a little classier. I've never seen anyone look like they aren't put together in earth tones. Plus, in this case, the maroon compliments the greens on the jacket, making the clash of the two patterns strangely soothing.

The pants are the next modern component. Leather or plain black jeans have been a look for quite some time, but these are different. Not only are they high waisted with smaller, higher placed pockets, but they're shiny! That's why they call them the disco pant (ironically, I'm saying again that this is a modern twist). The shine is like leather, but a little more upbeat and interesting to look at. In a color like black, you don't see these as being like their 70's nickname but as something that wouldn't look out of style now. I find them to be much more fun than plain black high waisted jeans, which are hard to make any kind of statement with.

You could argue that the makeup is nothing new, but it is a look that is used commonly on runways now: the strong brow and lip, but no eye makeup. It can be just as much of a statement as a smoky eye, but I think we all know that if we aren't particularly skilled in the art of makeup, that they're a pain in the ass to perfect and the eyeshadow just ends up getting all over your face. All this look requires is a brow pencil or brush with eyeshadow and some lipstick. Straighten your hair like I did, and you'll look like Cara Delevingne. Who doesn't want to look like her?

The backpack is my FAVORITE because it's really supposed to be a running backpack. I never go running with this. I just liked the way the astronaut silver looked with the dark colors. I would also never wear astronaut silver otherwise. When you pair an obnoxiously terrible color with subtly pretty colors, it somehow makes the obnoxiously terrible color okay to wear.

Lastly, add some jewelry or accessories that will add to the classier aspect of the look. Gold or silver accents both work. I liked the gold necklace look with it, although my choice, I must admit, was leaning a little more towards ratchet...

I also am really digging the Bindhi look right now. For the future, so you don't feel like a complete idiot when someone asks why you're wearing it, it was traditionally worn to enhance concentration and revive energy, as well as to keep bad spirits away. You don't have to be Hindu to wear it, so don't feel bad. It mainly serves a decorative purpose now. 

Hope you all liked this! Now you can go out and be some little modern grunge baddies.