Roman Holiday

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They say that Rome wasn't built in a day, and let's be honest - it'd be impossible to experience it in only one too. There is so much to experience in the Eternal City that one could spend a lifetime there and find something new every day. I spent two months living there this past summer and didn't get to see all that I had hoped. But that's the beauty of it. The city sprawls. Dusty streets wind around the seven hills. The bustle of modern city is interrupted when you wind the corner and stumble across a building as old as an empire. The city is ageless and remarkable.

The first time I visited in Rome, I spent only two days there. But I was so captivated I returned years later to spend two months. There's magic in the city. Italian culture thrives at it's heart, and it's a melting pot of history. Everywhere you turn there's the Renaissance, the Roman Empire, and simply Rome today. Which is why I believe it deserves to be on everyone's travel itinerary. The city is a step back in time.

However, if one is not fortunate enough to drop everything and move to Italy for two months as I so gratefully was, I've narrowed down the most important landmarks to experience when visiting the Eternal City.

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Fake It 'Til You Become It

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"Fake it 'til you make it."

We grew up with this idiom in the back of our minds. It's what people yelled at us in gym when we didn't want to run the extra lap.  It's what people told us when we had to spend time somewhere we didn't want. It's what we were told when our spirits crashed and we didn't think we could push through. 

It's supposed to be a helpful phrase, but I always felt skeptical whenever it was said.  How can there be anything genuine about 'faking it'?  What good is making it? In a way, the phrase aimed at breaking down negative attitudes only contributes to them. Make it through, and then you can go home. There's nothing lasting about it. Just put on a smile and get through it. 

But how does that apply to our lives when we're studying, working, or we're just trying to get through the day? Faking it 'til you make it doesn't build good study skills.  It doesn't improve your office relations.  It doesn't give you the optimism to get through the day, and the next day, and the next.  It just... gets you by.

Which is when I realized that maybe we've been saying it wrong all along.  Maybe just changing one simple word can change your whole outlook.

It changed mine.

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Conversation Hour with Anna Sui

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The world of Anna Sui is one unparalleled in the world of fashion.  Her eclectic collections are mixed with vintage influences and cultural obsessions, reflecting her boundless energy and spirit. Her products exude an air that is both feminine, young, and playful while reflecting influences like the 1960s, rock n' roll music, and street fashion.

On the Anna Sui World:
"I think that whenever somebody talks about Anna Sui fashion, there's always the same catch phrases. It's always nostalgic but trendy, a touch of rock n' roll but very feminine. But there's always that opposite. You can never tell if you're a good girl or a bad girl, and I think that's part of the appeal."

Fresh from New York Fashion Week where she launched her Spring 2016 collection, the Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series at the University of Michigan hosted Anna Sui for a conversation hour in the crowded Michigan Theater.

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