Tango Pirates and Absinthe

Watch this when you're getting ready in the morning.

2008-04-21T17:11:00.003-04:00

Lauryn Hill = amazingly badassed.

I should just devote this week to my inspirations.

So.

2008-04-19T19:56:00.003-04:00

Right now:

I LOVE Nashville, Tennessee. I think that I will be sunburned for the rest of my life. I like dressing up in costumes that include that of Unabashed Hipster. Nightgowns make wonderful dresses. I haven't worn flip flops this entire year. I'm giving my friend a makeover to look like the lead singer of Okkervil River, and I want to grow up to be Neko Case (isn't her website beautiful?). I've gone slightly boy crazy. Western, my school, won the One Campaign Campus Challenge. Up next on the concert list: Sonic Youth. And I've started a band.

Details will follow.

Springtime is the greatest time! How are you defining yours?

EXPECT GREAT THINGS.

2008-04-15T16:38:00.003-04:00

So. I got caught up in schoolwork. But. I feel like it's time to BRING BACK TANGOPIRATES! It's spring! Everything's new! Excitement! Ooh la la!

Which means: keep checking up. Unlike that bastard Frosty the snowman who says he'll be back again someday and doesn't follow through for ANYTHING, I will be sharing my opinions on what's going on style world once again. I'VE MISSED YOU!

Democracy in action!

2008-02-28T16:01:00.006-05:00

I know that I've been a terrible blogger, and you've probably stopped reading this by now. But I have an URGENT QUESTION OF DIRE IMPORTANCE and I really would love your input!

See, I'm going to an 80s-themed party tomorrow, and it is a costume party. I'm thinking of going as Morrissey, in a loose shirt, jeans, and loafers with flowers in my back pocket (gladiolas if I can find them) and my hair teased into a pompadour, but that's iffy because I'd also like to wear something that's not like what I wear everyday... That also kind of rules out Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club because I wear a high-waisted skirt and knee-high boots everyday.

So. Any ideas? And... I swear I'll be back after midterms. Spring break is week after next! (thank GOD.)

Chopin Liszt

2008-02-15T15:14:00.006-05:00

If you've ever read The Agony of Alice you'll appreciate that title, I hope...

In all actuality, I might go shopping today. It's been over a month without my buying any clothes! I want to continue not to consume as much but there has been a moth infestation in my room and all my sheesh has holes in it! Also, I really want:

1. a pair of high-waisted shorts
2. a flowerdy dress (if you grew up in the South like me you'll realize that "floral" is just fancy for "flowerdy")
3. t-shirts. (see moth infestation.)
4. Ohohoh and a button-up skirt!

I'll BBL with pictures! And after that I have to write a paper about gender roles in the Cold War, and read a whole book about Mary Queen of Scots, and write a paper on it, and read a bunch of short stories for my Fiction Writing class, and Howl by Alan Ginsberg, and five chapters about Henry VIII, and finish The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett... (I'm on page eight.) Will you not agree that maybe a leetle bit of retail therapy is totally deserved?

This time tomorrow...

2008-02-13T17:23:00.004-05:00

I'm actually referring to the Kinks song that is stuck in my head right now--I'm not that cheesy!

Or am I? Because this time tomorrow, what I am excited about is going out to my boyf's and my "place," sneaking a little wine with my saag paneer, and shopping for turtles, while wearing one of my absolute favorite dresses.

I think I must be a huge fan of necklines. This one features a tulle detail that made me think of Beauty and The Beast. I was sold.

Now, in no way do I want to exclude the Valentineless, there are so many fun things to do when you are single! I recommend throwing an Anti-Valentine party, which I did last year, or having a date with your closest friends, or watching Annie Hall by yourself because it's the best romantic comedy ever for the romantically ambivalent. So what are you doing? And almost as importantly, what are you wearing?

Let's see where wishful thinking gets me!

2008-02-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

Winter is dragging on and I've got the worst cold... I'm really glad it's not flu which has been going around, but I'm still frigging miserable, and I had to miss a visit to Rosine, Kentucky last night, which from descriptions from my friends, seems to be a town completely devoted to playing bluegrass music in barns on Friday nights. At least it's a weekly thing and we can go again...

I winterized one of my spring dresses as a way of forcing myself to think positively. The Art Nouveau details make me smile. Oh, and notice that I have a reusable shopping bag in the background! I'm definitely planning on using it as soon as I have some money to buy groceries, but to top it all off at the moment I kind of don't, so it is full of books about Mary Queen of Scots right now.

Oh yeah, and I saw Once the other night and the clothes totally inspired me. The music is so good but too sad for me to listen to by myself...

Oh, and I've got to ask all you regular Wardrobe Remixers: what is the deal with non-WR guys "favoriting" my pictures and can it be prevented?

Never too old to play dress-up.

2008-02-06T22:58:00.000-05:00

Apparently, my friend MG of the amazing curly red hair also has some great dress-up connections! The following pieces were lent to her to wear to the opera by her employer, a woman who must be amazing considering all the things I've seen of hers--do you think it's true that you could tell a lot about someone just by looking into their wardrobe?

Anyway, I wish I had a picture of the glorious shawl/robe thing that she let MG borrow that was covered in beads and leaves and had a life-size picture of a reclining woman on the back... it was worn to a Super Bowl party. Any chance to glam it up is fine in my book.

But, the things I tried on were pretty sweet nonetheless!

Being dumb in gorgeous Old-Hollywood gloves... I wish I still had a prom so I could wear these babies. There is nothing like the feeling of slinky, silky gloves all the way past your elbow completely concealing the fact that you don't work out enough.

Fan and purse... when I was little, I had a huge fascination with fans. I still want to carry one around, especially in the stuffy library where I work-- I do declare it makes one want to swoon.

Someone call Sofia Coppola!

2008-02-04T15:36:00.000-05:00

Whenever I take a phone call in front of anyone, the usual reaction is "What... happened?!?!" Because my phone, which is one of those godawful pink phones which I got because well, the black was a boy's phone, has the following problems:

1. A web of cracks over the screen, so I can't tell whether I'm dialing "0" or "8"
2. A chunk of glass missing as the result of those cracks (which, in turn, are the result of my working in a dog-grooming salon which involved me carrying various canines in various stages of panic attacks around a room with a concrete floor... not, not good for those days when you've got to have your phone in your back pocket) which would be good for self-defense but otherwise just really poses a hazard.
3. Various accumulations of purse-gunk which come from said cracks/missing chunks
4. chipped paint--see #2

But, I mean, it works, and I don't want to shell out more money for both a phone and an iPod, because my phone's iTunes is pretty much all I can listen to in my 2000-edition car which only has a tape player, and I'm a cheapskate--funny for one who writes a fashion blog, huh?

But seriously? I would shell out my tax return for one of these phones LC posted about the other day. Good thing I haven't even done my taxes.

I am really, honestly obsessed with flower things right now. Maybe just because it's near Valentine's day and Luella's got it going on, but I had a rose mocha today, like coffee and chocolate and flowers together? And I seriously wanted to write a poem about it. And after declaring "cupcake" to be my favorite word, I'm just a girly mess.

: D

2008-02-03T17:06:00.001-05:00

Oh my gosh, I knew that all my favorite bloggers are awesome but I didn't know you guys were this awesome! Jello On Springs, Whimsical Nerd, and Strawberry Milkshakes nominated me for the You Make My Day award! This probably makes my week, not just my day.

If you want to see the blogs that make my day, just look to the right and down a bit...!

Some of the latest inspirations:

2008-02-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

Also, this.

Apologies once again! Blame Queen Elizabeth and Robert J. Sawyer for keeping me from you! I remember that I have also been tagged for some things, scatterbrained me, and I'm totally getting to it!

Oh, Jane

2008-01-24T16:04:00.001-05:00

I walked out of The United States since 1945 at 2:05, with an hour to spare before work. Enough time to scare off a bird that was being photographed and steal a cup of hot chocolate in an attempt to melt my frozen ears and hands, and by 2:45, my voyage to my library job with a brief stopover to check out a book for a psychology assignment was complete. I wandered the Reference section knowing it would look dorky to show up too early.

And there I spotted you, Jane.

My first love. Oh, you have been gone so long.

The first time I ever bought an issue, I was seventeen, with my first-ever disposable income and a desire to have that intangible quality I saw in the girls at coffee shops and concerts. The quality I thought you might lead me to.

You were $1.99 and reviewed Belle & Sebastian in your CD section. Never in my years of Cosmo, YM, Marie Claire, even Allure, never had I ever seen something I was actually interested in beneath the gloss of monthly newsprint. Never had I thought that I, a girl who hung out with all the boys, who read the same books and listened to the same music but tried so desperately to form some idea of herself, might not be alone among the tanned and highlighted girls in their Nikes and L.L. Bean backpacks. I never thought I'd buy a periodical for any reason besides a desire for something to guiltily read in the bathtub, to compile hundreds of sex tips I could never imagine using or pick out a t-shirt here, a shoe there, that I would consider desiring.

I was head over heels.

Over the sweet months--it wasn't even years--I met Zooey, Jenny, Kirsten, Fafi, Marc Jacobs, June Carter Cash. I saw what a pair of scissors or a jar of paint could to to turn something I could afford into something I was proud to have and have made myself. I saw how I could use the clothes I wore to represent who I was and wanted to be, someone who could read the same books as the boys but be infinitely feminine in dresses that were as sunny and airy as the photos I cut out and pasted on the front of my notebooks.

I went to college and stopped buying the issues, although I'd cheerfully read them as they came in throughout my long evening shifts. It was comforting, it was company, it was book titles hastily jotted down to be sought at the library and CDs downloaded and hair envied and essays laughed and gasped over. It was a newly mature love.

The issue I saw today, Jane, was your June/July 2007 one. It was so hopeful, from its proclamation that everyone must read Geek Love (one of my favorites) to the black and white photos of Zooey Deschanel in a swim cap and striped bathing suit. The editors' note said nothing of how soon you would be gone.

But you were.

There are other magazines out there, true. But without you, Jane, I would not have found them. You may redirect people to Glamour on your old website (gag), but you directed me to thrift stores, and Nylon, and eventually, here. I am eternally grateful.

You never forget your first time.

I can retread my steps throughout old issues that I can identify by stages in my life--like March '06, the end of senior year when I read you during first period at the Counseling desk where I was a student aide and the counselor's seven-year-old daughter braided my hair and drew me pictures.

But that doesn't mean you won't be missed. The thrill is gone, and the inward eye is now the bliss of my sartorial solitude.

Rest in peace, Jane. You're still in my heart.

Back to School...

2008-01-22T00:11:00.000-05:00

Meet my new lamp! My friends Caitlin and Eileen were in need of mugs and miniskirts, respectively, so today I introduced them to one of my favorite thrift stores in Bowling Green, the Clothes Lion. It's such a great place, with more knick-knacky finds than anything else, including an Art Deco theater chair (for a mere $175) and tons of Illinois license plates for some reason. I picked this up because I was in need of something to illuminate my desk. My room is all done up in old things--my grandmother recently moved house and let me have at all her extra vases and the like and I'm really into crazy flea market things anyway. I think when I get my own place I'm not going to have anything new.

Afterward we went to a show that featured one really bad band and one good band and I just spent an hour trying to decide what to wear tomorrow, my first day of classes. It's totally silly, I know, but I feel like most of the ones I'm going to take are going to be the intimate, centered-around-discussion kind, and so there's a bit of pressure. I ended up picking out the kind of thing I wear everyday. My first class is not until 11 o'clock and it's called Speculative Fiction, which means I won't be reading the Odyssey. I'm pretty excited about that.

Oh, and thanks for putting up with my LiLo impression in the last post. I'm really not a bad person. And interesting writings will follow.

So Sorry!

2008-01-19T13:56:00.000-05:00

my lovely vintage sheets and an old newspaper advertisement

As if dorm-decor shots could make up for the fact that I've been a terrible blogger. I just got back to school and have had the best kind of no spare time. But classes start Tuesday so I can get back into a normal routine.... and get back to all you lovely readers and writers...

h*ng*v*r remedy.... (the asterisks in case my mom or the school president reads this)

The Magic School Bus Secret Hipster Conspiracy

2008-01-14T17:24:00.000-05:00

So I usually end up watching way too many little kids' television shows with my little brother anyway. But today he got his hands on a copy of The Magic School Bus so I was actually pretty pumped--I loved the show back in elementary school so pretending to pay attention to something else while actually nostalgically watching over his shoulder was entirely in order. (Honestly, I think that The Magic School Bus was why I didn't do so well in Astronomy--I mean, I expected field trips to Jupiter and like, fun, but it was all numbers and like, memorize the constellation. Oh, and fun fact: Lily Tomlin does the voice of Ms. Frizzle...)

But anyway, my subsequent years of experience in life, science, and clothes since I last saw the show led me to an amazing discovery: all the kids on the show were a serious coalition of hipsters*-in-training! Look for yourself (sorry the pictures are so small!):

Carlos, the adventurous know-it-all one, perfectly embodies the Flex Fleece-and-Slim Slack wearing, Williamsburg dwelling fashionista-boy... just check out those kicks!

Keisha, of course, is your classic club-hopping, sophisticated Facehunter Girl.

D.A., however, is straight out of the streets of Helsinki.

Phoebe, in her awesome romper, embodies classic mod with a little bit of twee.

And last but not least, Arnold. Arnold! The hypochondriac, geeky-chic kid with the specs... Dare we say the next Rivers Cuomo?

Oh, and don't worry, Penny Lane, I'm working on it! I just love a lot of stuff...

*I mean "hipster" in the sense of "embodies awesome style..." nothing detrimental. I mean, just look at them!

Film or Facehunter?

2008-01-13T23:41:00.000-05:00

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Film: # 2, 3, 6, 8
Facehunter: # 1, 4, 5, 7
Part 1

I think I want to live in a parallel universe that looks exactly like an Anthropologie catalog.

2008-01-13T14:28:00.000-05:00

Why? Teacup waterfalls! Floating umbrellas!

Anyway, isn't everything too perfectly shabby chic, adorable, and slightly surreal to be of this world?

Is it possible to find transcendence in the pages of Nylon magazine?

2008-01-11T16:23:00.000-05:00

Yes.

Go listen to the Super Furry Animals' "Hey Venus." I don't care how. Just do. It's like, if Labyrinth-era David Bowie met the Olivia Tremor Control and they became best friends and bought a castle in Wales and decorated the inside with paisley velvet and exotic animals and did nothing but make music all day.

Yes. It really is that good.

And the girl's outfit in the video is not too bad either... kind of like Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome which apparently is a big fashion inspiration this season, but longer and clean and greek-goddess-y.

This post is guaranteed to contain 100% of your daily value of similes.

A personal project: The not-buying saga.

2008-01-09T23:56:00.000-05:00

I've got something in the works which I hope I can continue enough to make something worthy of a saga! Here's the story:

I described in an earlier post my decision to make my blog less consumerist, and I've always leaned more toward personal style than runway fashion--although of course I am interested in runway fashion, and in fact see couture as an art just like any other. But as a college student on a very limited budget, I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see how long I could go without actually buying new clothes.

I think it will be a nice challenge to mix up outfits out of things I already have and breathe new life into my wardrobe using simply my imagination. And this way, I'll be able to save up money, because I have been discussing renting a house with several friends this summer--we want to get a great old place with tons of character, though we might regret it this time next year. Oh, and a dog, of course. My friend Leah's hoping for a schnauzer named Fitzgerald.

I also am feeling kind of guilty about all the shopping I've done this winter break. I've gotten some good pieces, though, and I hope to actually get some wear out of them before I'm distracted by something new, something I tend to do which leads to a closet full of pieces which remain unworn or not-worn-often enough. So don't think I'm going to stop posting outfits and talking about the highlights of my closet by any means!

In fact, I'm really excited about my Last Purchase. I knew that the one thing missing from my closet was a really awesome pair of jeans, a go-to kind of pair, in a basic blue, with a great fit and details that would make me excited to wear them with everything from a Sonic Youth t-shirt to my child's-size-medium P.E. sweatshirt or a sweater adorned with a collection of my great-grandmother's brooches. A piece versatile enough to actually extend my wardrobe, you know?

I found these jeans, actually, on a shopping trip on an unseasonably warm day this week, on a clearance rack--exactly three pairs of these jeans were left, and one of them looked about right. I rushed to the dressing room and found that they fit like a glove and did things to my legs that usually only elongated wall mirrors and my mother's high heels do.

They were blue-gray skinnies by Rock Revolution. In my many years of obsession with jeans, the one one thing that always reels me in is an adorable label, which these jeans certainly have:
Awesomely enough, they are also 100% handmade. ( I also love the chevron-shaped seam in the back of the leg, it's a fun detail which adds structure.)

I can't wait to wear them and I'd love to sing their praises more but there's something even more exciting which I will be singing the praises of very soon: my baby niece, Ella Cate, who is due tomorrow! So here's to her, and here goes nothing! Well, buying nothing, that is.

The Things I Carried

2008-01-09T00:43:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Ms. Suzanna Mars of Style Snatcher (whose blog makes me almost un-angry at the writers' strike and its effect on The Office this season), I have been tagged! The stipulations of which are that I present you with six things out of my bag o' tricks, that is, my on-its-way-to-worn-out Marc Jacobs canvas tote (I'm supposed to post a picture, but it's in bad condition, I really should go looking for something new), and their significance. Kudos to all my worldly goods for being such good models.

1. Planner/ lookbook
I love its shiny newness and yellowness, and with it, I feel I can get around to doing anything, eventually. Also, I may need to write down the name of a song I need to download or an outfit I need to copy... 2. Various lip balms
It's winter, what can I say? Of course, even in summer I always carry an assortment because I like to keep my lips baby-soft. My boyfriend refuses to kiss me after application, he says that Chapstick is addictive and he's never used it in his life and never will, at the cost of missing out on the amazing taste of Kiss My Face in Peach. I cannot say whether the balm itself is addictive but the purchase of organic beauty products certainly could be called that.

3. Lotion
I also hate dry hands, and sometimes I just need to smell like peonies when I come in from a night out.
4. Completely necessary cards
Which would be: a million coupons for some store, which someday I'll use or give away, a Qdoba frequent buyer's card (buy-ten-get-one-free, and in the course of my life, I've gotten four free burritos--sad?), a card scented with Tiffany eau de parfum, and my membership card to the local indie video-rental store, which I am unable to use because of a phenomenal late fee and keep for scene cred, or if I were to ever need to rent the Karen Carpenter story acted out with fashion dolls.
5. Fake-ass glasses
For looking smart on the go. And concealing dark undereye circles. While looking smart.

6. A book
Always a necessity. Right now it's Nora Ephron's collection of late-60s magazine articles, a great glimpse into pop culture at the time and completely well-written to boot.

Now, for the following six, I ask, what's in your wallet? Well, you know what I mean.

You Are Not A Snowflake
Hand It Over
Behind Big Glasses
Hipster Musings
Strawberry Kittens
The Iron Chic

If you're still reading, go download The Wayward Bus and Distant Plastic Trees by the Magnetic Fields. It's ethereal, don't listen to what the guys at Allmusic have to say.

P.S. Be sure to check out a new feature I just added: "Link of the Week."

Taking it to the streets

2008-01-07T22:45:00.000-05:00

I really hope your day was as sunny and springlike as mine!

Finally, my dreamy Dream Dress!

2008-01-06T19:06:00.000-05:00

Felt well enough today to be bored out of my mind, so I welcomed the invitation to meet my boyfriend and his best friend who were in town at a local restaurant for some hookah and disgusting tamarind soup.

Lucky I did, because they mentioned a trip down the street for some t-shirts, belt buckles, and Hunter S. Thompson-esque cigarette holders. I eagerly joined and while everyone was trying on t-shirts, Fortune smiled on me, enough to present to me THE DRESS that I have been looking for since forever--namely, since I saw Krisatomic's version.

It's a floaty, dreamy, white vintage nightgown, perfect with a skinny or a wide belt, alone in summer or layered in winter. I was especially taken by the sweet springlike embroidery at the neckline.

And, priced at $9, I was running to the checkout line and begging for the boys to hold up. I can't wait to wear it out this way:

Never mind my messy room. It's definitely too late to unpack at this point.

Well, I'm about to go and watch The Namesake with my mom--we both loved the book. Oh, and two things:
1. You just read my 100th post!
2. Check out The Iced Coffee Book Club for sure!

Color, Couture, Curiosity, Culture

2008-01-05T00:29:00.000-05:00

All I remember about this morning was crying the whole time as I was getting put to sleep (yeah, I'll admit it!) then waking up (thankfully only) when the dentist said, "okay, you're all done", and being on enough medication this evening to enjoy a marathon of My Super Sweet Sixteen.

But when I got my bearings and some delicious lime sherbet, I cracked open my new copy of 4C magazine. Apparently, it's an annual publication, and this was its first issue. And I was not wrong about the photography (it's worth it just for that!).

These were the shots, taken by photographer Dedi von Schaewen, which convinced me to put the magazine on top of my armload of periodicals.

In further perusing, I discovered that the articles were mostly generally about design--as in "Design," not much fashion design, though that was okay.

The fashion spreads, though, were too good for me to keep to myself. Here are some highlights, chosen mostly because I really want the clothes! Like this strapless dress, by Octopi.

Also, this one by Norma Kamali. It's innovative and dramatic, but also unusually wearable:

(This was just really interesting.)

And this turtleneck-and-skirt set by Jeremy Scott features an updated 40's silhouette and a print I'm in love with:

I'm about to go finish the articles, now, because I see myself cutting out a lot of the pictures!

I think I'm going to make a lookbook in the "notes" section of my new planner, that way I'll have it with me in case I ever find myself in the presence of a strapless dress with hands on the abdomen or a skirt printed with dance instructions. As if I'd need reminding not to pass something like that by.

One last thing.

2008-01-03T20:13:00.001-05:00

Adrien Brody, as in "Rubby" of the Darjeeling Limited, repping my hometown!

(502 is Louisville's area code and the fleur-de-lis is the symbol. Avaliable at Why Louisville.)

Fear, Loathing, and Dreadlocks in the Dentist's Office

2008-01-03T19:06:00.000-05:00

This morning I went in for a consultation with the dentist, and he didn't make it very pleasant. "Don't worry," he said, "we're not going to put you all the way to sleep."

?!?! not ALL THE WAY to sleep ?!?!?

But in the waiting room, I saw a girl with the best dreadlocks. They were bleached just on the ends and had jewels and other little trinkets woven in them. Even my mom thought they were awesome. Girl with the dreadlocks, if by some crazy twist of fate you're reading this, well, you and I are totally destined to become friends.

Afterward, much like the main character in Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland (a book which, if you haven't, you should definitely read!), I decided to make this wisdom teeth thing as pleasant as possible so I did a little bit of errand-running.

I went to Barnes & Noble to try for a Moleskine planner so I can organize my life, but pretty much the entire planet is sold out, so I got a pretty yellow fake croco one instead. And Nylon, Preen, and something called 4C, which looked really interesting. I'll have to do a post on it later because the photography looks ultra-promising.

Also, begged, borrowed, or stole: The Collected Stories of Richard Yates, who is one of my favorite authors, Twilight of the Superheroes by Deborah Eisenberg, and the movies Once, The Namesake, and La Vie En Rose, a film about the life of Edith Piaf.

It's kind of like a breakup survival kit, except replace the chocolate with tomato soup and it's my teeth I'm breaking up with.

Oh, and when I got home my little brother was running around in a backpack, so I had to take a photo. Lately, he's been making his "pirate" face in photos, so I was lucky to be graced with a super-fake smile.

In conclusion, this is my rambling way of saying I may be posting over the next few days, I may not. Knowing me, I probably will. A lot. But I'm peacing for now.

Oh, Aggy, who doesn't miss your blonde days?

2008-01-02T22:44:00.001-05:00

January's Vogue UK, via foto_decadent, fondly recalls.

I think this is such a fun spread. It's really nice to someone look like they're enjoying themselves. The early-90s/vaguely hip-hoppy aesthetic isn't so bad either!

Oh, and the primary-colored feather headpiece? Parfait.

Do the boots with the shorts betray my Kentucky heritage?

2008-01-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

I'm serious.

This outfit was inspired in no small part by the Clothes Horse and kids at Peter Bjorn & John shows.

Sweater and tights, Target
Shirt, Ultra Pulverize!
Shorts, cutoff Levi's
boots, gift

I go in for a consultation to get my wisdom teeth out tomorrow. I'm really scared! I've never had any kind of invasive mouth surgery, not even for a cavity.

Bye Bye Birdie Dress

2008-01-02T01:38:00.000-05:00

Oh, sigh. I didn't know it would snow today, or that dollar theaters now charge $3. But after catching Michael Clayton (surprisingly good for not being the kind of movie I usually go for), I somehow managed to survive ice skating in my little Focus all the way home. I hope tomorrow the roads have been salted and the snow is still present so I can go sledding on Dog Hill--we're going to run the dogs out, if we have to.

Sometimes when I am bored and snowed in like this I get out all my old formal dresses and try them on, partly because I never get the chance to wear them and love catering to my inner child, and partly because I want to see if I can still fit in the things I wore my senior year, even after devouring tons of chocolate and lounging around with a good book for hours on end.

Today, I grabbed my old prom dress out of my closet for kicks. I remember that it was such a lucky find! The original plan was to make an elaborate mod dress I'd designed (I'd enlisted the help of my aunt who's really good at sewing) when one afternoon, while I was at my grandmother's house, she came downstairs with this beautiful emerald green satin number on a hanger.

"What do you think of this?" she asked.

It was love at first sight: handmade in the 60s and thrifted in the 80s for my youngest aunt when she was the lead in her class's version of Bye Bye Birdie.
I immediately said "of course!" I'm not one to ignore Fate.

We added the pin, which is my grandma's from the 50s, after the seams burst a little--we'd had to alter the dress because it was tight, tight, tight.

Looking back, I was never one of those people who, God forbid, actually enjoyed high school. I did make some lasting friends and forge something of an identity for myself, but everyone always accepted me as "that weird girl who reads books and likes to hang out downtown." Prom, though, was fun, if only to dress up and go out with some of my favorite girls in the world.

Of course, people thought my dress was weird too--why would you wear something old like that? I liked it, though, way too much to care what anyone else thought. If they didn't like it, obviously something was wrong with them. That's an attitude I try to carry on into my sartorial pursuits to this day.

I have to ask, though, is it a creepy habit of mine to slunk around my room in ancient satin?

Italy- 1961

2008-01-01T12:26:00.001-05:00

The narrator is kind of a schmuck, but I love the clothes.

Oh: I am mostly sure I've updated my link list, but if you've been interested in trading links and I missed you, speak up!

Last post of the year, I swear!

2007-12-31T19:36:00.000-05:00

I had a very Zen day selling all my possessions, mostly unread books and clothes I've grown to hate. I got about $40 out of it.

Now I'm awaiting the magical phone call with directions to Some Dude's Basement. I didn't realize that I left all my fun clothes at school, but the skirt I thrifted and a belt that arrived fresh off eBay today did pretty well for themselves. (The top's Harajuku Lovers from PacSun last year, the shoes are a Christmas gift, and I got the sweater on clearance. It's ever so-slightly glittery.)

Happy new year! Enjoy the hell out of it, but be safe.

p.s. I never noticed how shitty my doorframe looked!

The Thinking Blogger Awards

2007-12-31T01:26:00.000-05:00

I'm so flattered to have recieved a Thinking Blogger Award from Jayne! I want to sing her praises as well, but she's already been tagged. Needless to say, you are too funny, girl, and you have an amazing grip on what's going on in the fashion world.

I may now pass on the honor to a few of the blogs that make me think--of course, every one I read makes me think, but I sadly was limited to five.

Icing: Gala Darling just makes me happy to be alive. I don't just mean in a head-over-heels sunshine and butterflies kind of way--she's got all kinds of honest, no-holds-barred advice that anyone can and should use. It gives you hope for yourself. And, her style is pretty killer as well.

If you can't think of anything nice to say: Emma makes me laugh until I cry, and the one thing I think most when I am reading her blog is, "why did God decide to bestow all this wit and talent upon one girl?" Is it fair? Yes. Just read her stuff, and you'll see.

Liebemarlene Vintage: I discovered this blog before I started my own, and I've always found it an inspiration. Rhiannon is not afraid to share the things which sparked her creativity, which are always interesting on their own, like old magazines and stars from the Golden Era of Hollywood.

Style Snatcher: I love fashion history. So does Suzanna Mars. But the thing about Suzanna is that she manages to post insightful, interesting, and informational pieces on things I want to know more about. Or, that I want to know more about after reading Style Snatcher!

The Church of the Vegimen: Travis does not write a fashion blog, though I've given him clothing advice maybe once or twice ;). He does, however, write about fascinating subjects on his blog, and I am also lucky enough to get to talk to him about them in person.

Well, I'm off to watch Ghosthunters on DVD till I pass out and then go look for some New Year's fun. See you in 2008!

One thing I love: Vintage paper

2007-12-31T01:24:00.000-05:00

These decoupaged boxes I saw on Etsy reminded me of what my roommate did to the wall in our old room:

Thrifting/ Indiana

2007-12-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, I promised my friend Ryeshia an adventure. Of course, I thought it would just involve a good bit of shopping and maybe a run-in with good people as tends to happen on a weekend night.

It did start out that way.

We hit up Nearly New, which is probably my favorite actual thrift store in town. Ryeshia had been before, but had never actually found anything. However, she was on the lookout yesterday for a high-waisted skirt, and I knew there were all kinds to be had for $5 or less, so we searched a little and found a few. She actually got a really awesome outfit, consisting of what we refer to as an old-lady skirt, a t-shirt, and a long button down sweater vest.

I tried on a lot of things but only ended up getting these skirts:

The blue one and green one were my original picks--the blue is some kind of dressy librarian material, and the green is knit and shadow-striped. When we went to the counter, apparently we each had spent enough to get something priced at $3 or less for free, so I grabbed the creme-colored sweater skirt on the left.

After that my friend Steven met us and we hit up Cherry Bomb, a new/vintage boutique where I'd eyed a sweater on Christmas Eve but didn't want to buy it because, well, it was Christmas Eve. So this time I was determined to make it mine:

Ryeshia pointed out to me that it had a small stain on it and we should milk that all we could, so I made her come up to the counter with me because she is a lot braver than I am.

"Is there anything you can do about this stain?" I asked, a little too subtly, I suppose.
"Tonic water and lemon!" the man working the cash register said.

Letdown! Thankfully Ryeshia piped up--"We meant, like, a discount."
The manager was behind the cashier, I believe, because next thing I know I'm getting the sweater half off. I told Ryeshia I'm never going shopping without her again.

We were leisurely strolling down Bardstown Road toward who-knows-where when Steven suddenly presented us with a suggestion: "hey, we should go to Indianapolis!"

Well, we'd expected an adventure, so of course we said yes.

Mind you, Indianapolis is two hours or so up I-65, and pretty much no one else in the entire world knew what we were up to. Next thing we know we're in the car, headed on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever comes our way, etc.

After a brief stopover for some food in Taylorsville, Indiana (two words: baby mullet) we were ready to ransack whatever we could of the mall, since it was almost 8 o'clock.

First, we had to hit Tiffany & Co. because Steven had a gift card and decided on this really gorgeous ring:

After that, we checked out the new Anthropologie. We don't have one at home, and I love what I see in the catalog, but aside from the all-encompassing amazingness of the knick-knacks and such, the store itself is rather hit-and-miss. My favorite things were in the pajama department, a nightgown printed with birdcages which would have looked great belted and a shorts-and-tank-top set. I don't know why I didn't get the nightgown, except for the fact that it was nearly $60.

By then the malls were closing, so we lingered over coffee and lemon cookies at an Italian restaurant, and spent the ride home trying to figure out good excuses to tell our parents since we'd been gone pretty much all day.

It was hedging on 2 a.m., so we missed what I was hoping for most: a Love's Truck Stop adventure. (I love that place!)

Here's Steven at a Love's on our last trip North, demonstrating the Cowboy 3000.

I wish I had more pictures, but I thought my camera was broken. It turns out Kodak only takes Kodak batteries. So lame! At least I have one now.

Maybe I just wanted to use the word "Liverpudlian" in a sentence

2007-12-30T14:40:00.000-05:00

But nonetheless, here are some of my recent favorites from Hoy Fashion:

Anti-Feminism on Facebook: A Rant

2007-12-27T23:10:00.000-05:00

This story starts with Facebook—namely, its “Political Debate of the Day” which I barely noticed in my peripheral vision on the corner of my homepage:

Do you think a woman president can be as effective as a man?

I was taken aback, and immediately followed the link. This ridiculous question has me reeling for several reasons.

1. Why is this even an issue? Last time I checked, it was 2007, almost 2008. Women have worked so hard for decades to try and set the record straight: we are equal to men. Equal in all ways. There are physical differences between men and women. Yes. Duh. But this does not mean that women are unable to do important things in the world. That kind of thinking is ignorant, archaic, and irrelevant. Ask Queen Elizabeth I! Or look at the other countries who have had female leaders. Germany, for example; Britain, India, Switzerland, Ireland. Iceland. Indonesia. Norway.

And just today, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was tragically assassinated. She devoted her life to making her country a better place, and in doing so had to break through even stronger societal barriers.

And here in America, we get, “are women as effective leaders as men?”

2. Some of the answers to this poll were inane, to say the least. The actual results were quite pleasing—as of the time of my original posting, out of 20,000, over 15,000 said “yes.” But there were still the naysayers:

a. Many men answered “no,” as a joke. If you truly believe this, we need to talk. But sarcastically saying “no, women can’t be leaders” just perpetuates the stereotypes. It’s not funny, it’s not cute. If anything, it’s insecurity manifested and completely disregardful of fellow human beings.

Are men afraid women will be better leaders, and they’re just trying to hide it?

b. Some men who answered “no” cited “hormones” and “menstrual cycles” as their reason for thinking women are ineffective politicians. This is even sadder than the ones who jokingly said “no,” because they actually believe this is an intelligent argument. Let’s not even get Freudian on this one and discuss the fear issues. We’ll leave it at the fact that this is a flimsy, ill-educated answer that is completely irrelevant. Was your mother a bad parent because of her menstrual cycle? Then shut up and go clean my kitchen for me, douchebag. I’ve had enough of you.

c. Even women answered "no," some citing "other sexist countries" (see #1), others declaring women "too sexual of creatures."

Have some respect for yourself! There are enough people who already disrespect women purely because of idiotic tradition, insecurity, and ungrounded feelings of superiority. With a statement like that, you are in essence justifying limiting yourself--something even Barbie doesn't condone.

Are women supposed to marry, “settle down” and raise a man’s kids for him while he bitches about her spending all his “hard-earned money” on making sure the family is clothed and fed? Are we supposed to all crowd around the glass ceiling and wait for those privileged with a Y chromosome to wise up (which they will refuse to as long as they’re the ones at the pinnacle of the power structure)?

Why are people afraid of feminism? I can’t see not being one in an era where people still feel the need to ask if a woman could be as effective a leader as a man.

The attitude I’ve had toward style from the beginning is it’s all about personality and dressing for yourself and not men, so it can't be argued that I’m just a frivolous fashion blogger and I’m being a hypocrite. And if anything, this post really doesn't convey my frustration nearly as much as I feel it. I strongly suggest you follow the link; reading back on it, I just feel everything I wrote there is even more relevant.

Dan Zanes' House Party

2007-12-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

I still believe to this day that members of my generation, when young, were either Disney kids or Nickelodeon kids (Yeah, it's really sad that we can be categorized by our television habits. Whatever). It was a simple division, black and white: Nickelodeon kids were easy to be friends with. Disney kids kind of sucked. No offense if you watched Disney, obviously you're here so you don't suck (any more).

So anyway, I came downstairs this morning and my brother was doing his morning TV thing--Disney programming, but there's this kids' show called Charlie and Lola that my mom thinks is really cute, so she basically forces him to watch it while he'd prefer anything with helicopters or volcanoes. I have to admit, Charlie and Lola is really cute. Maybe I'll have to rethink my beliefs.

But better yet was this music short I saw, since Disney apparently makes so much money that they don't need to promote anything but themselves during breaks. It was called Dan Zanes' House Party, and it was set in New York, but like, Brooklyn, and the music was for the kids, of course. But the clothes were crazy! In a completely good way. Everyone was in ship-shape vintage, colored tights and 70s dresses, singing Spanish twee to the cute little kids in Brooklyn.

"I knew you'd think this was cool," my mom said. "I always think they dress like you do."

These kind of things give me faith in our future. Check them out:

Thoughts?

2007-12-26T23:43:00.000-05:00

[source]

UPDATE: Turns out the place where I found the picture was phrased too vaguely, or I didn't read it carefully enough, but I'm blushing anyway! Thanks to everyone who pointed it out and sorry for the slip-up. In the future, I will do my research much more painstakingly!

No suede shoes

2007-12-25T16:46:00.002-05:00

I'd been wearing the same shoes over and over, many of them a couple of years old. So I was pretty excited to find myself gifted with some new ones!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Finally, a digital camera! This is my holiday sweater and my probably-never-will-be-unpacked room:

What an awkward smile.

Have the greatest of great holidays, anyway!

Tag Tag

2007-12-24T22:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a tagging by Jello On Springs, I bring you my humble beginnings.

(I don't know, I just like the picture.)

1. What's the story behind the name of your blog and your nickname?

Once upon a time, I stole some Tango Pirates and Absinthe lettuce from an evil witch's garden. She caught me and threatened me with a terrible fate unless I named the little idea of a blog inside me after the lettuce. So here's to you, Brunhilda.

Actually, I had the idea to start this blog long before I had an actual name for it. I'd been reading a few fashion blogs I'd discovered during a bout of mono, and I always had this nebulous idea of starting one of my own in my head. Finally one afternoon, I decided, why not? So I had my post idea, and the whole theme and everything, but no idea what to call it. So finally I opened this book I was reading, Flapper by Joshua Zeitz, and I figured I'd find something interesting in there. The first chapter was called "Tango Pirates and Absinthe," and I thought it had a nice ring to it, so I went with it. I like it because the flapper attitude sums up my philosophy on style: it's liberating, empowering, and self-expression at its most tangible.

"Heather" is my real name. Boring!

2. Why did you start blogging in the first place?
a. I found blogs very inspiring and I wanted to add my own contribution.
b. I've always loved writing. I used to write commentary for a high-school radio show in Louisville, and the joy of sharing my scathing wit over the airwaves was never really matched until I found my little niche here.
c. My friend Michael started this amazing online magazine, Rise Over Run. I cornered him at a party and told him I was writing a blog and it would be totally awesome if he gave it a little look-see and he said he'd check it out. We've been together ever since.

3. What's been your best blogging experience? What about the worst?
Blogging is definitely a labor of love. I like the interaction and the ideas to steal from my fellow fashionistas, and I love the warm community that fashion blogging presents. Having an excuse to write everyday is great, and having people actually read it is better! I've liked guest blogging too--I was so excited, because Painfully Hip was one of the first blogs I ever read, and when Amber emailed me about blogging for them, I felt like the head cheerleader was asking me to sit at her lunch table, but of course without the cattiness and backstabbing that those kind of scenarios present in real life and Mean Girls. I plan to do a lot more!

I haven't had too many bad experiences, but one time, I did a post which I worded very carefully so as not to offend anyone, I just wanted to present a really interesting editorial I found. But someone misinterpreted me and took offense anyway.

4. What do you think will happen to your blog in 2008?
I'm definitely going to post more of my outfits and pictures I've taken since I now have the means! I also want to expand the blog's consciousness, do more thoughtful pieces, and focus more on personal style and self-empowerment. I want to be less consumerist, as well. Sometimes all you need is an imagination!

Once again, I cop out because I don't know who has and hasn't been gotten! But I'd love to hear about all of your experiences, fashion blogger or otherwise. So please share!

Karma Exists

2007-12-23T00:29:00.000-05:00

I flipped off an old lady today because she was honking at me to go at a red light and the mall had me frustrated anyway.

And then, later, my car wouldn't start.

It's all right now. But lesson learned: keep your cool! I've been trying to do good deeds to make up for it all day.

Style is Genetic.

2007-12-22T01:52:00.000-05:00

I wish I could share all the awesome family photos that I saw tonight. My aunt has these amazing books she's compiled--albums, really--one of my grandmother's side of the family, and one of my grandfather's, which has photos, letters, and poems dating back to the 1860s--including a Christmas card from the Civil War frontlines.

The Iron Chic has some inspiring photos along the family lines, and probably no baby brother who can't be trusted with heirloom documents. Maybe if my aunt gets a scanner!

Until then. And if Santa manages to gift me with a life between now and Sunday, I'll be wishing you happy forthcoming and belated holidays!

I don't know how they do it, but...

2007-12-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

Notcouture.com keeps a running list of the adorable, the enviable, and the interesting. It's internet one-stop window shopping at its finest.

This kind of looks like my prom dress senior year!

Vest of amazingness by Alexander McQueen.

From NightingaleJewlery.com:

This piece was inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi.

Wabi-Sabi is the beauty of things imperfect...it is a beauty of things modest and humble...it is a beauty of things unconventional.

Wabi-Sabi reflects the natural beauty of things found in Nature; simple, imperfect, incomplete things.

Each necklace or bracelet is made with a piece of free form sterling silver, created by dropping pure molten silver into water. Like things in nature, no two are alike. The Wabi-Sabi piece is strung on a highly durable red cord. The red string borrows from Buddist and Kabalistic traditions, and will bring the wearer good luck and protection.

Lingerie without bows! And I love the hardware details. Featured in "Santa Baby '07," the new single off my latest album.

At first, I thought this was a belt. And I was going to make a joke about vanity sizing. But it's a bracelet.

I really feel the need to stop browsing the 'Net and go do something unselfish now. By the way, anyone got any good recipes they want to share? I'm baking my Christmas gifts. I guess I'd better get to work, too!

Mr. Moustache

2007-12-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

What if I were the subject of a new Christmas movie, except this one would take place in real life: The Girl Who Delayed Christmas?

It would only be because I found the perfect gift for the man in my life, and I need shipping time!

I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't want a stuffed moustache this cute for Christmas. I mean, tell me. Then look into the moustache's little beaded eyes and tell it you don't like it. No, I mean, really look into its eyes. Have you ever made a stuffed moustache cry?

And anyway, I know it's the perfect gift because the model looks just like my boyfriend. He was actually the one who pointed it out to me. (Sorry for putting your photo online, darlin'.)

Am I a hypocrite?

2007-12-19T14:17:00.000-05:00

I love patterned tights, but not on Paris Hilton, for some reason I haven't figured out. I mean, it's good that she's trying to dress halfway decently, right? Why am I so annoyed with her demure fashion-forwardness?

Well, houndstooth-on-houndstooth is a pretty good reason. I mean, there's not-leaving-your-house-for-3-days-except-to-go-to-the-library too much of a good thing and then there's houndstooth-on-houndstooth too much of a good thing. One of which I'm actually living, and I don't think mind-boggling graphic patterns from head to toe is quite the existence I want to lead right now.

And these tights closely resemble tourniquets, or something snagged at the last minute from the Hustler store clearance rack:

But even this look, which I would love on anyone else in the world, grates my nerves, and makes me grind my still-painful teeth:

I mean, the dress is adorable, and the tights are unexpected (one of my favorite style terms, I know). But why Paris, of all people?

I must consider this while I leisurely sip my too-strong hazelnut coffee and half-pay attention to The Year of Living Biblically.

Is it that I am such a creature of habit that I don't even like my celebrities to change? I went backpacking in Red River Gorge, though, for Godssake. Creatures of habit don't sleep on cliffs and break their veg and not bathe for four days, right? Though I admit I loved every minute of putting on my roommates pajamas after a hot shower and lying on the couch watching Walk the Line.

Hmm.

(Oh yeah, and my mom got really mad because my first--and hopefully only--credit card bill came in the mail today. She said, "that thing better only be for emergencies!" I mean, winning Cheap Monday jeans on eBay is an emergency! )

What leather and canvas do on their day off

2007-12-18T16:22:00.001-05:00

I love things that come in unexpected materials, like these canvas boots from Urban Outfitters:

Or, more appropriately, these leather men's shoes by Penguin (since I need to be shopping for others!):

On being warm

2007-12-16T11:27:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure this post is going to mess up at some point because, while their hazelnut cream cheese is divine (why do I keep mentioning food in this blog?), Panera's internet really kind of sucks.

But I am in my new cold-weather uniform today, inspired in part by LC's recent American Apparel find, and also one of my own finds when I was moving all my necessary stuff out of my room yesterday: a bright red crew-neck men's sweatshirt behind my-- well, I want to call it an armoire, but it's a laquered plywood piece of dorm-room cheapness, so I'll stick with "cabinet." Anyway, it, combined with black skinny jeans, kind of looks like something my dad would wear, minus the ballet flats, but it's ultra warm, and I feel kind of attractive, and I didn't even really need a coat during my mad dash from my car to my cream cheese. Oh, and read this month's Vogue--or is it Vanity Fair?--well, one of those Conde Nast magazines. Because apparently this is what Nicolas Ghesquiere wears while he's dreaming up Balenciaga masterpieces. MENSWEAR IS A TREND PEOPLE.

This guy knows what's up!

I'm happy because it used to be that I really had to slum it when I wanted to be warm enough because my "cute" uniform usually consists of a cardigan, a t-shirt and skinny jeans or something high-waisted, and the kind of shoes that only look good on bare feet or, if wearing a skirt, tights. Although I do double up on the tights sometimes. Now, I feel like I don't even need to wear glasses to justify my comfortableness.
Which leads me to an overwhelming question, posed to me by a member of the male species the other day: why is it that no one makes warm women's clothes anymore?

Thought of the Day

2007-12-15T14:38:00.001-05:00

Why is it that, just when you're getting pumped for the holidays, bookstores are like, "No, sorry, it's January time?" I mean, I understand it when it's November and you just really really can't wait to see what Vogue has suggested for you to buy for your mere acquaintances who are only really worth $250 and Cosmo's naughty-elf role-playing costume ideas, and to appease you the Christmas issues are out early. But when it's December 15 and I want to hang out at Barnes & Noble and drink coffee and read some thick-ass December issues, there they are, the slim, sickly January issues. Such a dissappointment. At least Vanity Fair is good this--I mean, next month.

Speaking of which, I know that I keep offering excuses, but posting will probably be spotty this weekend because the weather has just turned into bullshit, and I'm going over to my boyfriend's, who thank God lives in town, to wait it out. And at his house they've dismantled the internet on every computer but the ones owned by those who pay rent. So I can use my boyfriend's computer, but it's just weird, like, when instead of "Megaman X8 cheat codes on xbox," his Google toolbar says "Hayden Panittiere only has one facial expression." But when I get back home, it's nothing but free time, except for the one day I promised to spend with this beautiful little boy. I wish I had the chance to read all my usual blogs, but that might have to wait too. But that means I'll have a glorious amount of catching up to do!

No One Belongs Here More Than You.

2007-12-14T09:35:00.000-05:00

I'll let these photos speak for themselves, although they do beg a question: Miranda July, why are you so cool?

No more priorities!

2007-12-13T10:22:00.000-05:00

(At least until my week of wisdom teeth removal is finally over. I can't even enjoy a tiny free sample of chocolate-chip cookie because my mouth is in the same state as a three-month-old baby's. Now I know why they cry all the time.)

Whew! Finals week is finally over. I do have to hang around town to work, but I was in the stacks and I remembered seeing the new Vogue (American, unfortunately, I want to see Charlotte Gainsbourg's poetry in motion in French), and I thought to myself, "I should really finish The Children's Hospital." Then, immediately after, "No, I shouldn't." And Penelope Cruz is quite stunning, although there is a male model accompanying her whose up-to-the-armpits suspender-ed and embroidered red matador pants are very enviable.

Oh, and isn't "My Insolence" the worst name for a perfume? I mean, if Hilary Duff is trying to play up her stylish-and-sophisticated image, she should probably consider a new moniker for her latest scent. "Insolence." That's better. With the "My" in front of it, it sounds like some soul-searching eighth grader wrote a poem with the help of a thesaurus, something like, "I think of him all the time. My thoughts have no reason or rhyme. My pain is very real and hurts. I cry in gardens within the dirt."

But anyway, it's going to be an awesome rest-of-week. Expect better bloggerings soon, I offer my humblest apologies for the lack of posts while I was struggling to learn my Maths, and writing a 6-page essay on the inverse relationship between the idea of cultural hierarchy and the growth of the middle class (ask me sometime).

Oh, and fashion moment of the week: We were playing an, ahem, card game when I drew a jack, which meant I had to name a category. I was staring at my friend' s ultra-distracting argyle sweater so I said, "sweaters!" What ensued:
Me: Cardigan.
CZ: Striped.
G-tron: V-neck.
J, of the argyle sweater: um, vertical?

But while I am having a great two days, Winona is having an awesome life--I mean, the closest I've ever gotten to Tom Cruise is the Scientology building next door to my favorite restaurant... oh, and while watching Eyes Wide Shut. (Shudders). I needn't say more.

The Year in Review: Clothing Obsessions

2007-12-10T12:19:00.000-05:00

It isn't Christmas yet, but it is finals week, the end of the semester, and it's provoking a certain kind of hopeful nostalgia. (And also a full wallet--book buyback is great. Time for a white chocolate milkshake from Steak n' Shake, which I have been craving.) I also saw a post on my friend Hanna's blog which made me feel all reflective as well--you should check it out, but ignore the tall girl in the camping photo. I hadn't had a shower in 3 days y'all. (That was my Britney Spears impression, not my Kentucky accent coming out.)

But without further ado (except a mental drumroll... begin thinking it.... now!), here is 2007: A Style Obsession Odyssey. I decided to do it by seasons, though, because the months totally blend into each other because time flies when you're having fun and getting old.

Winter

Crazy/cozy/cat lady scarves
cute hats
the beatnik look (black turtleneck, black tights, skirt):

Also, an orange H & M dress.

Have you ever noticed how boring that stretch of infinite winter gets when you just want to be warm and you wear the most (both in amount and as an adverb) boring things so you don't freeze? I felt like it took forever for me to recuperate.

Spring

Shirtdresses
Hippie dresses (I was so excited to wear dresses again!)
Heatherette
printed silk scarves--I got one from Urban Outfitters that featured London's landmarks that I wore consistently... it took some getting used to and some learning how to work it, but I love it still.
Keep shoes
a fashion shoot, styled and modeled by me and photographed by the insanely talented and chic Mary--she is seriously so much more stylish than I am:

Summer
High waists--I wanted an acid-washed high-waisted skirt, but all I could find was a vintage Guess? one in stonewash, which still suffices. For my birthday in July I treated myself to the new-at-the-time Stretch Bull Denim high-waist skirt in gray, which I am about to wear out.
skinny belts
sailor skirts
and mostly a work uniform that consisted of rain boots, jogging pants, and a huge waterproof t-shirt. I looked like a 12-year-old anime kid.

Fall
Sweater tights
colored skinny jeans
a rainbow cummerbund belt
gray everything
cardigans of all shapes and sizes
flat boots

So, what were yours? Any new fashion discoveries this year? Realizations? Patterns? Lessons learned?

I know that I decided that it was important to dress for myself and to wear clothes that made me feel good: confident and comfortable. I also started this blog this year, which opened more inspirational horizons than I could have imagined and helped me think outside the box (as well as directly copycat LOLZ).

When seven powers failed to spin me, I had to get me seven more.

2007-12-08T17:57:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by fellow fashionista Today I Like, so I hereby present you with seven facts that, well, at least I deem interesting about myself!

1. Hands down, my favorite person in the entire world is my little brother Will. I'm sixteen years older than he is and he's three, do the math. Here he is doing his American Apparel model impression from when he participated in a Halloween fashion shoot.

He is not unhip. His favorite bands include Belle & Sebastian and They Might Be Giants and he "wuvs the Highwinns." He also likes sweater vests, like all my favorite men.

2. I. Hate. Numbers. I'm about to finish my last math class ever, two years late, because I could have gotten the chance to get college credit in high school but precal was just too much effort and I found myself copying off of other people's homework. I could not afford to lose those karma points so I dropped out and spent the year having an amazing time in the counseling office hanging out with my friend Fee who was an exchange student from Sommerda, Germany, and Astrid, who is an immensely intelligent, awesome storyteller who used to live in Cuba, and a little girl whose name I forget who was the daughter of one of the counselors. Oh, and I have a friend who's a Civil Engineering major (which is 2 credits away from a math minor) and I have to preface all my stories with, "It's not that I hate you, I just hate numbers...."when I'm around him.

3. My dream job would be some kind of mix of fashion blogger/ lead singer of a band. This would acquire both more web-economics savviness and bravery, because I only sing in the car and apologize profusely to my poor passengers. My boyfriend says I have a beautiful voice, but his band is a noise band and voices just get in the way.

4. When I was little, I was obsessed with the movie Star Wars. I had a spaceship made from a refrigerator box and some markers, which transported me to Muppet Baby-like adventure worlds. (Oh my god, I forgot how great that show was!) In my travels, I was always Princess Leia, while I made my sister be Luke.

5. I have finally done something about my rejection from so many publications. (Self-promo city!)

6. I am obsessed with the color yellow, but only a specific shade which I refer to as Bright-Ass. It's more of a "marigold" shade, but I would be perfectly happy to live in a house with everything painted over in yellow. I don't think I could get tired of it.

7. I also have an obsession with Zelda Fitzgerald. I've read every book written about her, and while I respect what Ernest Hemingway's done for the literary world, I think he's a dick because he didn't like her. I'd like to write a novel loosely based on her life and do her all the respect she deserves.

If you want to be tagged, please say so! I don't know who has and hasn't been, but I know that it's a fun thing to do so totally hit me up.

Fake Ass Glasses (in which I alienate 57% of readers)

2007-12-07T15:51:00.001-05:00

This photograph of myself looks like it would capture the absolute essence of me, in all its candidness. But truth be told, it's actually carefully planned out, from a night when my friend Steven and I went out on the town (and to town) with a Polaroid camera. It was more like, "hey, Steven! I'm going to turn my head this way and you're going to snap and I'm going to look super indie all over the interwebs."

(Take 2)

The glasses aren't even real.

Have you ever had a friend who tended to sigh, "oh, I wish I had bad vision like ol' four-eyes over there," (JUST KIDDING!) to which you'd always reply, "well, go get some fake glasses, then, they sell them, I swear"?

That friend is me. And I took your advice. The glasses are a cheapie pair of clearance awesomeness. I wear them all the time, except for when I'm like, what am I doing walking around in fake glasses all the time? And then I hide them for a month.

I even wear them around my house, like it would fool my family, who are proud of me for keeping the optometrist bill low. I feel like it justifies my sitting around in pajamas all the time. (Being stylish in public takes a lot out of you!) It's like, "look at how comfortable I am in my busy lifestyle, and how un-self conscious! I am wearing my faux glasses today because I didn't have time to put in my imaginary contacts! Better go languish by the fire with a copy of Kierkegaard and regroup!"

American Apparel sells fake glasses, and I really like them, even if it's commodifying vintage in a way when a store with a very specific image markets these glasses as geeky-chic... I mean, I love American Apparel. I really do... but I'm also all self-aware and postmodern this week and have been repeating my history teacher's mantra, "everything is a text, everything is a text," well mostly, and postmodernly, because it sounds cool, and even things like glasses are texts but god knows I'd need real glasses to explain why to you.

What I'm trying to say is, I'm wearing a sweatshirt today, and I feel like the glasses merit the slacker fashionista look. And I'm very comfortable. And what I'm also trying to say is that glasses are really cool, but FAKE GLASSES ARE COOL TOO! They are just like sunglasses with clear lenses that you can wear indoors. Now stop making fun of me.

So anyway, I hope you guys have a good Friday, and if you wear glasses, this is not meant to offend you, rather than to celebrate you, because I am seriously very jealous and that is why I wear fake ones. And I'm a bit put off because all my friends are running on less sleep than I am, for better reasons, and not making sense either, and it's really fun.

Obscentities

2007-12-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

(Come up with a better scent-related pun and win a prize: my eternal affection)

I think that rose-scented perfume's skipped generation is finally over, because as I was toiling in the stacks today in the library, I noticed someone was wearing rose, and I liked it. Rather than tired and old-ladyish, it was a breath of fresh air (well, in a metaphorical sense) compared to the usual wafting Victoria's Secret Love Spell and Armani Code tickling my (once again metaphorical) nose hairs.

Unfortunately, I don' t know if everyone agrees with me, because a search on Sephora yielded hardly any results--mostly floral perfumes reeking of exotic mimosa, amber, freesia, whatever, with only the barest, most reluctant hint of rose.

Which provides the perfect chance for me to talk about one of my most favorite scent brands ever: Demeter. The online store is referred to as their scent "library." Do you understand? A library!

Of course I found Bulgarian Rose right away, but that doesn't mean I stopped exploring.

You see, the spring of my sixteenth year, right before prom, my friend and I cut school to go on a boutique tour in search of a perfect dress. We ended up at a shop my friend recalled from other school skipping days (hi, Mom!) that wasn't anything special, one of the usual Vegas-grandma places, stocked with maribou sleep masks and notepads shaped like flip-flops.

But in the back was a room of misfit gifts, all marked down because they weren't leopard print, sequinned, or both. And I found a veritable treasure trove of Demeter fragrances, with their simple descriptive labels and rectangular bottles. Dirt? Had it. And it smelled just like outside after a rain storm, earthy in the purest sense. Tomato? Yes. (Bad idea. Unfortunately, it hasn't been discontinued yet.)

The line ranges from $5 for a "cologne mini-splash" to $40 for 4 whole ounces of delight, making it great for all your gag-gifts-that-people-will-end-up-loving or secret-indulgence-in-the-middle-of-your-post-Thanksgiving unselfishness kick. Scents include Crayon, Play-Doh, Clean Windows, Pure Soap, Fiery Curry, Sushi, and Mildew. All strange, yes, but don't tell me you never snuck a whiff of your baby cousin's Play-Doh, salivated when the scent of an Indian restaurant blew your way, or briefly admired the way your friend's Victorian bathroom smelled. Don't lie!

Now, if only they made Glazed Donut. I really see market potential in that. Oh, and Demeter guys? Free stuff would be totally welcome. :)

Film or Facehunter?

2007-12-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

Answers:

Film- #2, 5, 7, 9
Facehunter- #1, 3, 4, 6, 8

You will be mine.

2007-12-03T17:36:00.002-05:00

Cheap Monday jeans found even more cheaply on eBay. I want some rainbow striped ones but I think they ran out of my size at Urban Outfitters's site and the closest store is Cincinnati (great store, by the way, it's inside an old church!). Now, if only you could buy ultra sweet Scandanavian style online... if it could be bottled, I'd be a millionaire, but also out of an avocation.

By the way, check outPainfully Hip... the guest poster kicks ass!

The Ten-Speed Steed and Gorgeous Vintage

2007-12-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of riding the most gorgeous vintage bicycle today, a pale-blue early-80's number with stripes in darker blue, yellow and red, and words printed in that great Bauhaus font. Although it is not my bicycle, I like to refer to it as my ten-speed steed as I coast proudly through the middle of campus.

Fate was indeed on my side today, as I also found the most gorgeous vintage shop online, Not to Be Reproduced. The pieces are great, and by designers like Halston and Alaia. They wouldn't even have to be great when they're photographed this beautfully--and I wish I had the model's hair! (By the way, I finally cut mine in a much more suited-to-me Louise Brooks/Tracyanne Campbell hybrid.)

I ♥ Google Analytics (ask and you shall recieve)

2007-11-29T18:39:00.001-05:00

Yeah, yeah, so it's been done. But I had a "me" day today which involved copious amounts of diet Coke and perusing the internet, and eventually that led me to the keywords which direct you to me, and needless to say, I am amused, and I want you to be too.

1. "Contact Paper" "Laminate Paper" where to find in Chicago

Well, where I would have no idea where to find contact paper in Chicago, Owen Wilson surely knows where to find a laminating machine in Darjeeling...

2. books boys what I want to be when I grow up

Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica. Try this one:

3. Pic Sharing Tights

What the hell? I looked this up for myself and all I could find was a picture of Syd Barrett wearing tights. Totally worth it!

4. Pterodactyl Prom

Whatever this really is, I want to go.

5. slutty pirate wedding dress

Uh uh, boo boo. Do NOT go there. You'll certainly look back on it and regret it.

6. Puke the Pirate

I don't know him but here is me and my friend Pukey Plamp:

Tights with shorts, that is the question. (You know, we could ask Shakespeare.)

2007-11-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

(photo, Hel-Looks)

I remember the first time I ever wore shorts over tights--I was getting ready for preschool, and my mom, who I realize now must have been beginning my training as a Young Fashionista, brought out the assemblage. Shirt with neon flower print and Marie Antionette-esque sleeves edged in lace? okay. Knit sailor shorts? fine. Mary Janes? Whatever. Then... hosiery?!?

"What are you doing, Mom?" I cried, because no matter how much I liked clothing to fit right-- I had weird obsessive-compulsive tendencies when young--I hated tights.
"Just do it," she said, and I guess I complied. But by God, although the phrase WTF hadn't yet been invented, I was surely thinking something along those lines.

I think of this moment every time I see people bring out the shorts in November. It used to be something like subconscious apprehension--do you really want to do that? Remember when you were four? But now I'm wondering if I should revert back to my youth. I've seen this look on the blogosphere, on street style sites, on campus, and on my fashionable friends' Facebook albums, and I've grown to like it more and more.

I kind of want to wear sweater tights and bright orange shorts, though I really like the sheer tights/jean shorts/ structured shoe look too. I was wondering, though, what to wear on top--how exactly does one counter such fashion-forwardness? I always make the dreadful mistake of not doing a look justice: riding boots with the wrong outfit, a high-waist skirt with a top that might look okay but just doesn't feel right.

I think what I've decided is something very loose and very casual, namely, a boxy sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up. Now I'm tempted to spend more money, since I don't own such an item, and I don't think my boyfriend does either. I want to find one in maybe a heathered oatmeal (I should be less ambivalent about heathered pieces for obvious reasons, i.e. my name.).

American Apparel has exactly what I have in mind, making it better one-stop shopping than Meijer.

They also have new sparkly black tights, which might be really cool in combination, I don't know, though, for sure. Though I do think that over-the-knee socks, shorts, and a sweatshirt will be the right mix of comfortable and stylish for whenever it's sufficently warm again.

(I know it was sometime around New Year's last year, as I played kickball by myself on the banks of the Ohio River sans jacket.)

Golden Era of Fashion?

2007-11-27T23:13:00.001-05:00

These guys think it was the 1940s, but what do you think? (Discuss!)

I don't think I could pinpoint one particular time, because it's all about how you define it. When was fashion the most meaningful? The most experimental? The most important? Your favorite? Is a golden era yet to come? Will one ever come?

While you've got your thinking cap on, check this out and send your heartfelt condolences to "style icons" who pay money to cater to someone else's idea of what is "stylish"... not to mention inflate the ego of a certain well-known Hollywood stylist with a continually mispronounced surname. The day I can't decide what to wear for myself is... well, may that day never come.

If they're good enough for Chanel, well, what else can I say?

2007-11-26T16:47:00.000-05:00

I'm going Friday to see Peter Bjorn & John, who set the theme music to Chanel's S/S '07 show. While I'm waiting, I can just sit back and think about how cool the artwork was in the "Young Folks" video.

It makes me think of the tacky, everyday '70s, which fascinates me, avocado refrigerators and all.

Crazy/beautiful

2007-11-24T19:00:00.001-05:00

These shoes were designed by Finnish artists for a father and daughter to wear while dancing together. What an unusual but sweet idea!

My turn for Erin Fetherston

2007-11-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

After seeing this dress on J'aime Les Tuileries on Wardrobe Remix, I'm really tempted to drag my ass out of my mom's sweatpants (I had to borrow some for a day of babysitting and reading The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian) and check out the Erin Fetherston for Target line for myself. It seems like the best one since Tara Jarmon, and I think my take on this dress would be awesome: grandpa sweater, some brown tights, and some tasseled loafers I'm about to steal from the hall closet before anyone can look twice. Of course, I'm probably just going to try everything on and then refer it to my desperate-for-Christmas-ideas loved ones.

Oh yeah, and I had to bypass a trip to Indianapolis (and H&M!) today for the sake of my family, but it's okay. I forecast that winter break will facilitate a bit of Midwestern road-tripping, and that's only in a couple of weeks.

UPDATE: Checked out the collection, and the Target by my house didn't have any significant pieces stocked, just some completely lackluster basic pieces and about four dresses. They don't even carry skinny jeans! Curse the Target by my house!

The game of lalalalalalove

2007-11-22T22:16:00.000-05:00

So I was tagged by the lovely Clothes Horse, so I spent my yeast roll-and-banana croquet (a down-home piece of heaven that involves bananas, peanuts, and pure bliss)-induced coma thinking of seven interesting things about myself. And I discovered some things about myself, namely that my stomach can stretch really far when it comes to my Aunt Margaret's anything. But also, that:

1. May as well start with something about fashion! Despite a brief hiatus when I went through a conformist stage (never again!) I can safely say I've been really interested in clothes since I was about 10. One of my favorite purchases, in retrospect and more in theory than actuality, was a clear plastic-y jacket procured from the new Limited Too store that had just been put in the mall when I was in the fifth grade. The jacket was not very warm and both arms had ripped off before recess, but I swear, I felt like a rock star for a couple of hours.

2. I was in a zombie movie last summer. Well, I wasn't really in it, which I can verify as being a long story because the creative nonfiction piece I wrote about it last semester was about 10 pages long. But to make it short: Zombies vs. Bikers. Open casting for extras. I filled out the form and collapsed of heat stroke outside an "adult store." The first thing I saw while coming to was a mannequin clad in thigh-high stillettos and a Playboy Bunny outfit before I was whisked away by security into the innermost wing of a bar complex which hosted no fewer than four themes: yuppie, seventies, biker, and country-western. The director felt so bad that he spoke to me personally and gave me a press pass for the opening, which I never used and traded for directions to a haunted bridge sometime in February. But he did put my name in the credits.

The movie was called Dead Moon Rising and upon further research, apparently features the World's Largest Zombie Scene, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Here's the trailer:

3. Not only am I a failed actress, I'm something of an unrecognized writer of secret short fiction. Recently, I've gotten a few rejection letters, but in my golden days of elementary school, I won Young Authors for the compelling work I Thought I Saw A Monster, and a gift certificate to Macaroni Grill for a story about fairies when the movie Fairy Tale came out. Both featuring covers designed by the author out of contact paper, very classy.

4. I have a twin sister! Now, why does that merit #4? Well, I'm not really thinking about this as I type it. But yeah! We look nothing alike (fraternal) and go to different schools , but she's my favorite person in the world. Her name is Hilary and she is a Criminal Justice major who loves jeans and t-shirts and action movies, but we bond over Indian food, games of Scene It! and weird dances to Andrew WK every time there's an lameoid next to us at a stoplight. Well, it's usually just me dancing and my sister begging me to stop because I'm embarrassing her.

(Me in the middle, Hilary on the right, last Christmas. On the left? No idea. He just wanted a ride to Waffle House and to pose.)

5. I'm something of an insanely voracious reader. I don't know what I would do in a house without books. (Wait, I call that my boyfriend's house.) I have to buy bags big enough for me stash something readable inside, in case I have to wait in line or eat lunch by myself. And one of my favorites, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, I've read 10 times and can recite passages. ("Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, especially in that summer of 1912..." totally off the top of my head.)

6. I never wear jewelry. I appreciate jewelry, I love it, but I never manage to buy pieces because I'm too easily distracted by my search for the perfect pair of jeans or bow-less ballet flats. I haven't worn earrings since my sister's wedding in 2005, except for last Halloween when I was a mod and had these great huge striped dangly things, and when I went to go see Animal Collective at the beginning of the summer when I had just found a cool pair of earrings on my floor when moving out of my dorm room (I was sure I knew who they belonged to). Oh, and one time I wore a necklace when the theme for a party was "What You Want to Be When You Grow Up" and I was a 50s housewife with lipstick and immaculately curled hair, high heels and an apron. (I was what George Bush wants me to be when I grow up.) See? I can literally name the last 3 times I wore it. That's sad. I should get on that.

7. I have tried and failed to get the following bands to hang out with me: (I mean, I really tried, and they always said they would if they didn't have somewhere else to be.) Lucky Pineapple, De Novo Dahl, Architecture in Helsinki. But I once gave Kevin Barnes a hug!

Okay, so you are it now:
These Chicago Streets
The Apathist
Hipster Musings
Sleuth
Plain Jayne
Fashion Fixx
Why Fashion?

I hope I didn't accidentally tag someone that the Clothes Horse tagged, but I'll use the excuse that I am still in a post-food stupor. Happy blogging guys!

If only I were still 15...

2007-11-20T19:53:00.001-05:00

I used to live in jeans and t-shirts, to the point where now, if I'm in jeans and a t-shirt, I feel as underdressed as someone wearing, say, pajamas in public might feel. But back in those days I really, really, really wanted this shirt, or some kind of nebulous idea of this shirt which I only dared to dream of. So it goes. (augh stop reminding people of what a nerd you are, Heather, godDAMN. What would Anna Wintour think?)

When It's Time To Party then We Will Party Hard

2007-11-20T18:13:00.001-05:00

I'm dividing my ride home into two parts, with a stopover in Elizabethtown, the very same city in which the movie starring the fabulous Kirsten Dunst is set. (The movie was actually filmed in Versailles, Kentucky, though.)

But anyway, I should dress the part tonight.

(Like Andrew W.K., king of partying! My short-term life goal is to dance onstage with him in whatever Portland church basement he's got going for him right now.)

When you're partying this hard, who cares that it's after Labor Day?

(top and skirt, Urban Outfitters. Shoes, Journeys.)

Party hard this Thanksgiving, everyone in the States, and to those abroad, happy Wednesday/Thursday/Friday and party hard anyway! Being mandated by tradition to gorge yourself is not really that fun!

A good and nerdy idea

2007-11-19T17:50:00.000-05:00

Since my family stops by this blog every now and then, I'm not going to say that I'm going to do this for sure or not.

But I was talking about tattoos today, and it kind of inspired me. Honestly, I like them, as long as they're not over the top or cheesy and have some personal significance. And one of the coolest places to get it would be behind your ear or on your foot (visible while you're young and reckless, but totally easy to cover up if you ever have to get a "serious" job.)

If I were to get (another) one, it would definitely be some good, geeky literary reference.

For example, the calligraphy on a J.D. Salinger novel looks really cool and would be good for a totally painful foot tattoo. I think I'd go for "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters."

But my favorite book ever that I just finished rereading is the beautifully poignant graphic novel about the frustrations of adolescence and love, Blankets by Craig Thompson. I would definitely go for the recurring paisley symbol that appears in many of the book's more meaningful passages. Great for behind the ear, I've seriously considered it. You can kind of see it in these pictures, but I couldn't find a really good example (except for a picture of a girl who'd already gone and done it. Hey, it was my idea first! No credit for you!)

Then there's the good old Kurt Vonnegut asshole. Simple and no one would get offended if they don't know what it is. And if they did know what it is they'd have a joyful, spastic outburst.

Which do I love more, Jenny Lewis or her hat?

2007-11-17T17:40:00.001-05:00

If I had the chance, I'd ask the work to dance: BG-style

2007-11-17T15:30:00.001-05:00

We gave thanks last night, all right! Photos by Winston.

(Ignore all the dumb faces the girl in the orange is making. Yeah, okay, the girl in the orange would be me. Shut up!)

At this moment, all I want is:

2007-11-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

1. A bathtub
2. A copy of Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood
3. Jolly Rancher Gummies
4. The bags under my eyes to disappear

Fug Protection

2007-11-16T09:49:00.001-05:00

These tights totally would have looked all right if you tried to be "a thousand years from now" rather than "right now" with a silver lame dress and, say, Lucite shoes or better yet, metallic ankle boots. And slicked-back, teased hair with a ton of gel, preferably bleached in that unattainable shade of blonde that I long for and makes me look like James van der Beek. Think David Bowie meets the Buggles.

You're welcome.

I'm welcoming a joyful new addition!

2007-11-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

To my closet. Meet my very first eBay win:

Any ideas on how I should wear it?

P.S. I feel terrible, because I accidentally deleted all the comments I got this morning when I tried to delete just one (my very first rude comment! I forgot that the internet houses rude and insecure people as well as inspiring fashionistas and happy thoughts.) I want you to know though, that I did read them all and I love you all, and I appreciated the thoughtful input. And to the other commenter? Even if you don't understand where I'm coming from (lighthearted satire) Voltaire put it best when he said, "I will defend to my death your right to say it." Maybe not your right to threaten the integrity of my efforts with your desire to argue and insult, however.

Go Gary!

2007-11-15T15:08:00.000-05:00

My school's president is really awesome for his proposed project to beautify our campus with sculptures because "art is just as important an investment as math or science equipment."

Enjoy? Well, you shall be smited! (or, just when you were finding fashion too Puritan...)

2007-11-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

I hath no opinions on this editorial from September's Paris Vogue. Except for the chain-mail jumper. Uh huh, girl! I would totally wear it too if I had more upper-body strength! Or more time to lie around in fields exploring the dark side. I can find the spread fascinating without risking damnation, right?

(Riskier photos, and the original post, can be found at Jezebel.com.)

Oh oh oh! Ouch!

2007-11-13T19:10:00.001-05:00

American Apparel Stretch Bull Denim Mineral Wash Slim Skirt

Be still, my lonely wallet.

Maybe, baby

2007-11-13T19:00:00.000-05:00

Today it just might have rained really hard

and I just might have been wearing jeans that got all gross and wet

and made me feel unstylish anyway

and so I just might have reached for a skirt

and remembered the pair of tights with the feet cut out

that I think my old roommate left among my things

and thought to myself, well, well, these might be pretty warm

and they don't have feet in them

to get wet in the monsoon outside

so they just might work really well with my skirt, Sonic Youth t-shirt, and sweater

well enough

and my feet might not stay soggy

so I just might have worn leggings today

Maybe

(but they weren't cropped)

The latest (only?) clothing obsession of every guy I know

2007-11-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

Wear Science t-shirts:

Awesome, agreed. Oh, and you're welcome for the Christmas ideas.

BY THE WAY:

The most perfect, most legit brown leather flat boots have been located, cost little, fit beautifully, and have been debuted on campus by me. Unfortunately, they're also very slippery, and I fell more than once, causing much distress to the friend I was walking with.

Mail Time #2 and a history lesson

2007-11-11T16:02:00.000-05:00

I just got a wonderful series of postcards in the mail from my friend Caitlin, who is studying in England this semester! On the front of postcard #2 is the most gorgeous yellow silk evening dress by the House of Worth, the original fashion designers. Some lucky girl apparently got to visit the Museum of Costume in Bath! They, and the Kyoto Costume Institute, are my dream museum visits (aside from the obvious choices like the Louvre.)

I wish I were able to scan the postcard so you could see it, but it really looks cold outside and the library is so far away...I'm currently chilling with my hoodie, yoga pants, and large quantities of fried rice, and really should not be seen in public. (Okay, I'm just having a lazy Sunday.)

But, hey! Just as well, because today, I bring you a series of photos of other amazing Worth gowns. I know corsets, bustles, hoopskirts and the like were completely oppressive to women (we can talk about it later), but oh, how beautiful the dresses are. I love the materials and meticulous detail, and the way everything conforms to the standards of the time but at the same time is completely unique.

Dresses from the 1910s like this one are some of my favorite silhouettes ever.

My aunt Beth has the greatest collection of books on fashion history. Looking at these photos reminds me of how I used to spend many an afternoon browsing through photos of dresses like these. I probably will again, too, just as soon as winter break starts.

Yellow

2007-11-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

(like your jacket, which your skin began to match one crazy weekend, banana hookah, sunshine on the railroad tracks. I was so angry at the sun that morning.)

You brought together a beautiful circle of amazing people, you really did, and every memory I have of you never fails to make me smile. You never failed to make me smile. I used to imagine us old, English teachers together maybe, remembering the days that found us asleep on the front steps, exhausted but nonetheless exhilarated.

Sometimes I see your face on other people. I try not to let it make me sad, because you were never unhappy. And if there's one thing I could learn from the most terrible thing that could have possibly happened, it's to always appreciate--no, love the life you have, and to never waste a second. I'm terribly guilty of that.

"Art is never dead. Don't give up on your life, your art, and your friends. Listen to hip hop and hardcore. You're only young once."

You gave us words as well as ways to live by. We still, and always will, love you dearly.

(from last Halloween, when Allison and I were the only ones who showed up in costume, and you found me a beer which made me feel incredibly better.)

Sasha does Enid Coleslaw on the top right

2007-11-07T14:30:00.001-05:00

in Paris Vogue, August 2007

Bottom, middle: what Zelda Fitzgerald would wear were she alive and awesome today?

The movie that defined the 80s for me (or, speaking of girl groups)

2007-11-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

Fashion as Empowerment: A Manifesto of Sorts

2007-11-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

From Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female in the Mass Media, by Susan J. Douglas (the current read for my History of American Pop Culture class):

"None of our teen girl culture, none of what we did, apparently had any redeeming value at all. According to the prevailing cultural history of our times, the impact of the boys was serious, lasting, and authentic. The impact of the girls was fleeting, superficial, trivial. The supposedly serious cultural documents of teenage rebellion, like Rebel Without a Cause, The Wild One, or Blackboard Jungle, emphasized male alienation and malaise. Histories of the sixties still focus on the boys, their music and their politics, while we appear as nothing more than mindless, hysterical, out-of-control bimbos who shrieked and fainted while watching the Beatles or jiggled our bare breasts at Woodstock. Idiots, hysterics, bimbos--empty vessels.

Just think about it. Male rock n' rollers, no matter how lewd, drug-besotted, paunchy, or short-lived, have become canonized. Elvis is a saint, a legend, immortalized now on a stamp, while Jerry Lewis, who had a habit of marrying his thirteen-year-old cousins and having wives who died mysteriously, was portrayed by box-office star Dennis Quaid in Great Balls of Fire! ...Pledge drives for PBS are built around documentaries celebrating the genius of Paul Simon, Elton John, and James Taylor. I'm a fan of all these guys, but I can't help noticing that no comparable celebratory tributes have been made to Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell,or Aretha Franklin. Must a female singer have the crap beaten out of her--as Tina Turner did--to merit a film? Where's the movie about the Shirelles, or Grace Slick? Apparently they didn't matter, and had no impact on social change in America."

Maybe the excerpt doesn't speak to you the way it did to me, but I marked it in my book with an A-Fucking-Men. Since high school, I've had to deal with male friends and their alterna-schtick characterized by its theme song, "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright."*

Nothing against Bob Dylan, I guess, but why is someone who can't even spell "all right" worshipped while a poetess like Patti Smith is largely ignored? Like Douglas says, we turn Elvis--a man with musical talent and what could be perceived as self-esteem problems--into a deity, while a beautiful, confident woman like Aretha Franklin is just a paragraph in music's history. Jack Kerouac is idolized by many, yet it takes something of an expert to name a female Beat writer. (try Diane di Prima or Ann Waldman)

I think it's ridiculous how so many people still consider feminism worthless, a silly institution belonging to silly girls. Women shouldn't be seen as ridiculous and worthless, and what people don't understand is how many ways we empower ourselves, sometimes unknown to others.

You're looking at one way. What I love about the kind of fashion this blog and others like it perpetuate is the level playing field aspect, even having the advantage--the fact that fashion isn't silly or frivolous, it's art, it's personal expression, it's giving ourselves and our images back to us. We don't dress for men, we dress for us. We're walking, talking, thinking proof that maybe people should think twice (it's all right!).

Think about the values perpetuated by this kind of fashion: sexual equality. Creative assertion. Anti-consumerism, even--the mentality that we shouldn't give the Man our money when we can create our own looks combined with what we like about theirs with our own imagination. That we can apply their ideas in a better way, even.

You should think about that every time you walk outside in an amazing outfit; post a picture on Wardrobe Remix--a collective of beautiful, creative women (and some boys) from all walks of life, ethnicities, shapes, and sizes, free from oppressive stereotypical imagery; or criticize people who buy into these silly mindsets (subconsciously or not) just by being you. Fuck patriarchal Bob Dylan worship. Fashion is not frivolous unless you make it. And I know I never will.

*I find this song completely mysogynistic, I don't know about you.

The best $13 I've spent this month

2007-11-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

Incredibly tired after a long week of trying to accomplish all the things I had to do and all the things I wanted to do, I decided to have a relatively quiet night yesterday (by WKU standards) and ventured out to a $3 show at a new venue called Retrograde Studios. It was headlined by the band Ultra Pulverize, originally from the moon and currently living in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. The video above doesn't quite do the band justice, as it was made long ago at Lebowski Fest '06.

This is their new look:

The music was sweet and dancey, complimented by their opening act Laromlab, who mixed beats via laptop Girl Talk-style. Being dancing fools in strobe lights was good enough, but I also managed to pick up one of my favorite merch-table finds ever (aside from my Life Pursuit canvas tote which has since been lost).

It was this t-shirt

in a size 2XL, but, get this: customized by the singer's girlfriend into a dress that would perfectly fit a girl!!! The shape is incredible and the material is quality men's as opposed to flimsy girl-tee jersey. I'm pretty sure you can find the dress at Louisville boutique Cherry Bomb as well, if you're ever in the area.

I'm wearing my new tee-dress today to my library job, working what I hope is a FutureLibrarian theme--belted around the waist with the same skinny belt which nearly caused my demise, faded black skinnies that I got from PacSun almost a year ago (since I'm a little to tall to wear the dress as an actual dress), a cardigan in a shade to which my 96-count Crayola box referred as "thistle", and amazingly comfortable black flats which I've owned since I was 16.

Maybe my boyfriend's noise band Fucking Christian Laser Tag will play their rumored gig tonight and I can wear the exact same thing.

By the way, my job is crazy sometimes. I've already put out a fire today.

Quote of the Day

2007-11-02T13:22:00.000-04:00

From Go Fug Yourself:

"It's the worst thing I've ever seen. It's like that chick from Pretty In Pink discovered a new color palette before anyone could cut off her hands."

The new lip stain.

2007-11-01T19:37:00.000-04:00

It's strikingly ridiculous how pleased I am with the color of my lips after drinking pomegranate juice. Maybe I should invest in some BeneTint.

Or, at $18 a pop, perhaps 2-in-1 insanely expensive ($4) juice/makeup is now justified.

Dear Dos and Don'ts Columns,

2007-10-30T23:38:00.000-04:00

Why should I listen to you when you hate on good jewelry and advocate jeans and high heels constantly?

Love,
a hater of hooker boots

Mail time!

2007-10-30T22:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, after checking the mail for once, I found myself in possession of huge amounts of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate and a nice check.

I shouldn't really think about spending any more money, with one more payment on my car insurance and my poor little cupboard bare (though maybe I should check my mail more often). But, I'm seriously thinking of investing in this dress:

It's on sale for $19.99, so I feel it would be justified. I've wanted it since the summer, and I'm already mating it with other items in my closet: sweater tights, 60s court shoes, and a huge grandpa cardigan, or skinny jeans and loafers and a somewhat smaller sweater and a scarf.

Plus, you only live once. (By the way, I'd also like a pair of beautiful flat ankle boots if anyone knows where I can get them on a microscopic budget.)

Speaking of only living once, today I test-drove what many people referred to as my "extreme jeans," which are also owned by Wardrobe Remixer aveclove:

I rocked them "70s librarian style" (another quote) with flowered tank top and a sweater. I wish I had a needle and thread so I could bring them in, because they're perfect except for the slightly too-exaggerated leg (which looks funny on me, but not in the picture above, which is not me).

Maybe that's what I should spend my check on: a needle and thread, and more band-aids. I kind of ran out doctoring my wound.

UPDATE: The Sartorialist saves me the cost of a needle and thread (as if aveclove weren't convincing enough).

Mega Accidental Finger Laceration FTL* (or, what is fashion without pain?)

2007-10-29T19:38:00.001-04:00

WARNING: KIND OF GROSS, BUT UTTERLY FASCINATING

May I first confess that it has not been a good week for my left hand, what with shutting my pinkie in a door on Thursday and what happened today, which was this:

It's finally sunny and above freezing, so after work and a brief sojourn to a sandwich shop, I had an hour or so to waste, which I decided to fill with my most favorite thing of all: a nice warm shower and a change of clothes. (Due to extenuating circumstances which I will not go into, my schedule does not facilitate such things till at least the early afternoon most days. It really doesn't bother me but it might not make sense without clarification)

I decided to celebrate the lovely barely-crisp autumnal weather with my high-waist silver denim pencil skirt (a seldom-worn but very versatile birthday present to myself). However, said skirt, coupled with a printed half-sleeve shirt and cardigan, left something very important missing.

In a burst of inspiration (a fictional burst only to add narrative excitement, as it's what I wear every time I put on something high-waisted with belt loops) I decided to complete the outfit with a terribly fragile green belt, which pretty much exploded as soon as I put it on. Sighing, I threw the belt away and reached in my scarf-and-belt drawer for something else. The only appropriate belt I had was a gray one, which would be perfect, but was much too big.

"A-ha!" I said to myself, "I will add another hole in the belt so it will go around my waist!"

With determination, I got out my only pair of scissors, a super-pointy pair of hair scissors usually used to seriously botch my bangs in a spirit of DIY suicide. I carefully marked the circle where I wanted the new hole to be and lunged for it.

And there was one of those terrible moments which seems too slow in retrospect, but while it's happening, you know it's going to be bad, but you can do nothing to stop it. The belt did not give easily, but with a little effort the scissors poked through... and slipped.

Next thing I know, there's blood on the floor and pooling out of one big cut on my ring finger and a smaller one on the base of my thumb. Not wanting my roommate to think I'm some murderous creep, I grabbed one paper towel to mop up the mess with my foot while trying to staunch the flow with another one held tightly around the deeper wound. Simultaneously, I was doing this and looking up "how to tell if you need stitches" on Google.

I don't think I need stitches. Needless to say, if I do, I'm not getting them. That would involve either me explaining to someone who just wouldn't understand my silly sartorial slip-up and sucking it up all the way to the doctor, or me driving myself to the hospital with a throbbing left hand.

People have survived much worse. So will I. What is fashion without pain?

What's that, Mr. Poiret? Oh yes, I heard you correctly: NOTHING!!!

*FTL= for the loss

I Melt With You

2007-10-26T16:49:00.000-04:00

I just want to crawl into a piece of Nouvelle Vague album art and not come out.

In other news, Pitchfork gives music a 6.8 out of 10, and Claudia Kishi is my rediscovered fashion idol.

How about it?

2007-10-25T10:51:00.000-04:00

What a genius for making leather shorts un-creepy. Buffalo check is the new hardcore.

photo, Hel-Looks.

What's as good as shopping?

2007-10-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

Signing up for classes for next semester! It's like shopping for education-- they even call the course catalog a catalog!

Here are mine, represented pictorially and probably a little too optimistically.

Tudor-Stuart History!!!

Speculative Fiction! (in which we will watch Bladerunner!)

Adjustment & Personal Growth--good for a PE credit, with the added bonus of pet rocks!

Fiction Writing!!! (I know, Edna St. Vincent Millay is a poet.)

Press Law and Ethics (not so much).

So, um, fashion! What about that miniskirt hype back in the day? I was nine, and made my mom buy me a pair of sheep pajamas like Ally McBeal's in the dancing baby scene. What great memories!

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you

2007-10-24T17:07:00.000-04:00

Browsing through Square America, a site of "vernacular photography," is one of my new favorite ways to wile away a cold afternoon. The pictures on the site say so much about real life and style that the "official records"--magazines, books, films--overlook.

And wouldn't some of these photos make amazing fashion shots?

(Isn't this one straight-up Jurgen Teller? Love him or hate him, well, I love him.)

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down.

2007-10-23T17:27:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, we can't all be as calm, cool, and collected as Humphrey Bogart.

My Intro to Broadcasting teacher says that the weather today is just like Oregon's everyday. Now, no offense to Oregonians--I'd love to visit, but I'll take my Ohio Valley droughts and chronic allergies. It's so bitterly cold and rainy and will continue into the week, and since I've got to go back and forth to class and work when really, I'd just like to curl up and watch zombie movies with my boyfriend and drink coffee for a week, this nasty rain is all I can think about.

Different sects around school have found different ways of adapting. I myself broke down and bought the biggest umbrella my checking account would let me ("Umbrellas are such a strange thing, they're a little portable roof that you take everywhere you go, and I find them hysterical"--Greg. "Umbrellas are so steampunk!"--guess who), and have also forsaken any kind of tights, socks, or jeans, as well as set aside a pair of shoes which needed to be thrown away anyway for use this week only. The outdoorsy kids have their waterproof anoraks that zip into a bag. The hoodie-and-ratty-jeans kids pull their drawstrings tighter.

One thing I don't understand, though, is the abundance of Coach rain boots. I guess it's because I buy things like rain boots on the assumption that they're going to get disgusting, mildew, even. If I had that kind of money I'd go for something by Frye for less inclement weather. To each their own.

However, in leaving each to their own I'd like to issue a challenge. Why stop at Coach? There are much more expensive rain boots to be had. And here, I present you with a few of your options.

Burberry rain boots, $210, complete with a sweater cuff that is destined to grow mold, Burberry USA online.

Marc Jacobs patent rain boots, ideal for the thrill-seeking girl about town looking to break an ankle, $900

Dolce & Gabbana white rain boots. Covered in grime before your 2:20 class? No way! Only $399, Overstock.com

Taryn Rose suede-and-vaguely-waterproof-material rain boots, $795, Zappos.com

Prada Linea Rossa boots, $790, Saks.com. You'll have to beat the ostriches away with a stick.

the Yellow Raincoat Blues

2007-10-22T14:56:00.000-04:00

Well, not exactly. But this weekend is the biggest Halloween party known to Western, so amazing costumes are in order.

Here's the back story: it was a gross rainy day, and so we sought shelter for lunch underneath an overhang (eat inside? never.). My friend had on a great yellow raincoat, which she decided she wanted to incorporate into her costume for said party. It's kind of similar to one from Liebemarlene Vintage:

We couldn't come up with many ideas off the top of our heads, except the Morton Salt Girl.

This dress from MakiMaki Vintage on Ebay would work with a black tank or tee shirt (tights optional) and a cute umbrella--white might be more accurate, but I've loved clear bubble umbrellas since Lost in Translation. Plus, yellow mary janes.

If the weather keeps up like this, the costume is one of few which will leave you pretty awesomely dry. (Except for the very minimal ones, and they get minimal. Ironically, mostly on guys)

Another option: a variation of April from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Cinch the coat with a white belt and add white boots. Simple! And everyone who gets the reference will be pumped.

Does anyone have any other ideas? Who's famous for their yellow raincoat?

I've made an important decision.

2007-10-20T18:22:00.000-04:00

I feel guilty writing this blog when I've been harboring a terrible secret--lately, I've dressed for comfort. I can make all the excuses I want: working at 7 am and then going to class, not going anywhere special, being in an emotional slump... but I've realized that the excuses don't cut it. I'm dressing for the job I want to have now, like people in the know recommend, the job of Girl Who Wears Great Clothes.

I went shopping by myself last night--I love doing it but felt slightly guilty. At 5 pm on a Friday in Bowling Green, Kentucky, there aren't that many options, because the great thrift stores like the Helping Hand, St. Vincent's de Paul, and the Clothes Lion are all closed and the mall has only the basics to offer. But Old Navy had some great jeans (I love the vanity sizing phenomenon because they also ran incredibly big, forcing me to buy a size I normally consider enviable) for--get this--$17.25. I bought two pairs, brown and regular-ass, because I've always wanted a good pair of brown pants. Remember brown Dickies in the days of the Emo Boy? I also stocked up on cardigans to replace my ugly sweatshirts, over-the-knee socks to motivate me to put on a skirt every once in a while, and incredibly cozy sweater tights. All on the day when I physically lost a paycheck. (They're sending me a replacement, though.)

Needless to say, I can't afford a digital camera. But I drew a picture of what I'm wearing right now.

Cardigan: American Eagle Outfitters
Shirt (the label says EMS, I think it's scrubs), belt, and backwards high-waisted 80s Guess skirt: thrifted
not pictured (I ran out of room): black patent flatflatflat penny loafers, my personal replacement for the ballet flat.

I look like a librarian, which I am.

Before Ziggy

2007-10-19T22:11:00.000-04:00

there was MOD BOWIE

Hey, here's a picture of what I wore today.

2007-10-18T15:24:00.000-04:00

My dad's old U of L sweatshirt and a nose ring. My friend Whitney looks way cuter--that sweater is my favorite color. Maybe one day I won't have to steal photos of myself off Facebook.

Photo by Ryan. The lighting was great on this gloomiest of windy Thursdays.

Also featured, the school paper's "style" section. No comment. (Brand loyalty implied.)

Hey hey Halloween

2007-10-17T19:49:00.000-04:00

American Apparel now sends me emails, encouraging me, their customer, to wear their clothes creatively--which can seem overwhelming when you first walk in the store and its rows of t-shirts bathed in florescent light not unlike that shone upon their models. Do not be fooled, however. These sweet costumes can be made from among their stock, and are presented with their original and equally sweet generic captions.

60s Pop Icons

80s Pop Star

70s Roller Skater

80s Dancer

Mystery Solving Team (dog not included. Recommended accessories: other members of mystery solving team.)

Spacey Mystery Solver

Sexy Mystery Solver

Handsome Mystery Solver

Photos, American Apparel. Buy their stuff.)

Surfin' USA... on the wave of sardonic open letters

2007-10-17T14:29:00.002-04:00

Yes, fashion is about innovation. And were I to base my opinions on clothes entirely on the people who comment on my blog, I would truly believe that the people of the world have amazing taste. Unfortunately, sometimes simply walking outside makes me think that the revolution will never begin.

Let me first say that I respect everyone's choices and I, too, believe that the rules are there to be broken. But I also think that 1. there are some instances where things are just done in bad taste and 2. if you're going to wear the same thing as everybody else, then at least do it well.

Therefore, I've got some advice to give to the kids on my college campus.

1. No matter how expensive they actually were, light-wash jeans just look cheap. And if you have holes in your jeans that you paid for, I'm saddened.
2. If you're going to tuck your jeans into your boots, make sure the leg is somewhat narrow so that it looks "tucked" rather than "stuffed." Rolling your jeans up above your boots is cheating.
3. Here's an awkward picture: oversized t-shirt, sneakers, jeans, and a baugette bag limply hanging from your arm. Totes are casual and convenient--leave small, elaborate bags for more elaborate outfits. And if you're going to invest in something pricier, then keep it clean, literally. It makes Coach sad to see their logo print all smudgy.
4. Guys: sweatpants are a lot more revealing than you'd think. It makes me really uncomfortable when I see some Rudolph Nureyev action going on.
5. Girls: satin pajama pants should never leave your living room/lobby.
6. Maxi skirts should not be made of denim. Mini skirts should hit mid-thigh at least--that somewhat justifies the anorak, you know? Why be warm just on top?
7. Make it a point on your twelfth birthday to throw all your hair ribbons away, so you're never tempted again. This is not the same as a DIY headband, which I would condone.
8. Cropped leggings are such an easy way out. They look best super-long, like so. And forego lace. Period.
9. Vera Bradley bags are to fashion what Cathy is to comics. (Sorry, ROR.) I could go on and on. For example, a Vera Bradley bag, upon realizing there are no Danielle Steele novels, wet wipes, or pink cell phones inside, could produce an effect quite similar to dividing by zero.

Enough! I'm going to Wardrobe Remix to restore my faith in humanity.

After Across the Universe...

2007-10-16T21:23:00.000-04:00

who wouldn't prefer Stella to Paul?

(Stella McCartney S/S '08 collection. Photos, Style.com)