Heather Siemienas

Zac Efron’s chiseled abs, the beautiful blonde heroine, steamy shower make-out scene, steamy bedroom love scene…  Efron’s chiseled abs… chiseled. abs… (okay, you get the point).  Nicholas Sparks’ latest chick flick, The Lucky One, plants these images in front of movie-goers like myself and strings together a plot that pulls at our heart strings and causes adult female viewers to giggle like tweens at Efron’s ridiculously ripped body.  But does Sparks’ new movie stir his viewers the way his ever popular The Notebook, of 2004, did?  Personally, I think not.  But, before you get too disappointed, I believe The Lucky One came nearest to The Notebook’s allure in Sparks’ recent string of novel-made-movies.

Zac Efron plays Marine Logan, who has done three tours in Iraq and is finally home, alive and well, despite cheating death more than once during his wartime duties.  He is unsure why he survived when so many of his comrades died, but he feels a picture he found in the dirt before his first near-death experience may have something to do with it.  A wallet photo of an attractive blonde woman standing in front of a lighthouse, with “keep safe” scribbled on the back, was like finding “an angel in the middle of Hell” Logan says.  With nothing but the lighthouse to piece together the location of this “angel,” he makes his new mission to find and thank her for the hope and safety her picture seemed to provide him.

Logan travels by foot from Colorado to Louisiana and miraculously finds the woman in the picture, Beth (Taylor Schilling), ultimately working for the dog kennel she keeps with her grandmother, played by Blythe Danner.  It doesn’t take long before sparks fly between Beth and Logan, but their budding romance soon finds trouble as Beth’s ex-husband, who is also sheriff of the town, threatens to take custody of Beth’s young son, Ben, should she continue the relationship.

When it comes to fashion, a walk through the Syracuse Quad on a fall day is likely to summon images of female students scurrying to class, donning their classic North Face, Uggs, and leggings (and their double shot Starbucks coffee if you want to throw that into the mix).  With every passing fashion “twin,” these women begin to look more and more identical, each of them seeming to lose their personal uniqueness behind these uniform clothing items.  And, I can’t help but wonder if these staple items are worn because each girl who wears them honestly adores them or if blending in is just simpler than standing out.  Personally, I believe it to be the latter, because as one who is guilty of the “I-look-like-every-other-Syracuse-girl’s-wardrobe-twin” charge, who doesn’t fear walking into a room and having a person (okay, most likely a fellow female) look at your ensemble and think, “Does she think that outfit is cute?” 
 
Wouldn’t it be freeing if you could wake up and dress without thought of what people would think of you: your only concern being representing yourself and your mood that day best?  Well, there are brave souls out there who do just this, and one of them is one of my dear friends and my personal style hero: Katie.  Katie’s wardrobe is arguably the most distinct and unique I have ever come across, and it complements her personality perfectly.  Katie describes her style as “girly mixed with punk,” and when we met for this interview, she was sporting a white, lace top paired with combat boots and tights: not a likely match, but totally funky and chic on Katie.