tights
I was perusing the Urban Outfitters sale online and fell in love with these tights. They’re so much fun and they’re on sale! I still have a couple pairs of black scrollwork tights kinda like this pattern from Victoria’s Secret from the 90s. They were my favorite gothy tights to wear. These are much more whimsical and the color combo is perfect. After a miserable failed attempt at ombre tights with Rit dye, I’ll leave it to the pros.
Type in promo code MERRYHAPPY and get an extra 10% off all orders until December 15th!
+ & –
+
- My Parents Were Awesome is a collection of photos of parents… when they were young and hip.
- The bf scored a second interview! I’m so proud of him!
- A lesson to be learned – if you see an awesome deal on something you love, grab it immediately. I saw the most perfect pair of round toe, recessed platform, cone heeled, black leather Nine West pumps for a steal a week ago. I don’t know why I didn’t just get them but, sometimes I sabotage myself like that. Anyhow, I couldn’t get them out of my head so I went back to the store today and of course, they were all gone. Every last one of them. So, I bought two other pairs of shoes instead! Ha!
Nibbles appreciates a high heel. I want to pair these with black rolled up trousers, and pretty much everything else. These have a hidden platform which I’m really not a fan of but, this platform isn’t exceptionally high and I love the seam going down the middle of the toe. I needed a pair of simple round toe black pumps since my last pair has been re-heeled 3 times and they’ve stretched so much I can’t keep them on.
Nom nom nom! This is why I can’t have nice things. These are embossed snake with black metallic flat studs, three buckles at the ankle and a back zip. I have no idea what I’m going to wear these with. Maybe those black satin harem pants. Size medium was way too big and I sent them back for an exchange. I think I’m going to have to cut the waist off and re-hem the drawstring pocket to lift them up a bit and keep them low slung. No biggie.
-
Exploding Dog Pictures‘ is a collection of quirky, subversive, and often sad little drawings based on submitted titles. Matted signed prints are now available here. They would make a cute gift for someone.
- Going to Target with the bf and him asking me if they carry Yankee Candles… that he had been reading someone’s blog and had heard about this certain candle… so cute! (it’s my favorite)
-
- There are two things looming over my head that I need to learn all about. These two posts will help me (and you!) get through it all. First there’s Google Wave and most importantly, there’s Farmville on Facebook. I saw my friend’s farm last week and being an avid SimCity player back in the day, I must do this! Time to get to studying!
- I’ve always been a city girl at heart but now I’m starting to question living in such close proximity to strangers. I love my apartment but I’m beginning to hate my neighbors and I wonder if we moved at the end of the lease, if it would just be the same type of issues with different people in some other city apartment. There’s the certifiably insane girl behind us who screamed bloody murder for an hour one day and got hauled off by an ambulance, after the police beat the hell out of our door thinking it was us. Then, a week later she beat on our kitchen wall because we were talking normally at 10pm on a Friday night. She also complains to the landlord about everything. Thankfully, he knows she’s nuts. There’s the chronic coughing man in the building next door, the hysterical dog barking mania throughout the day, and the loud parties (with a loud fight at 4am when a girl refused to leave). We can barely use the shared washer and dryer because the new tenants have made the “all utilities included” deal a public service to their friends. Then there’s the people below us. I think it’s 4 guys who manage to stink up our apartment on a regular basis with the stench of onions, they play electric guitar at all hours of the night, sound like they’re moving heavy furniture, slam doors and stomp up and down their hallway every single night… who just immaturely mocked me out their kitchen window a few nights ago for hearing me in the sack with my bf because we accidentally left the livingroom window open and well… I’m kinda loud sometimes. A simple note would’ve sufficed. Like, “hey, just so you know… we can hear you.” I would’ve been fine with that and sincerely apologized. I guess I was living in denial, hoping they didn’t hear as much as they did. I’m over it and will be keeping my trap shut until we’re out.
+/-
- on a neutral note – I am pretty passionate about my distaste for the unethical blatant designer ripoffs out there. If you know better, you should do better and pass up on supporting the theft of intellectual property. I was recently asked what the difference is between that and the diy ideas I suggest for recreating designs conceived by others for the home and being fashionable. The difference is that I am not suggesting you mass produce something similar to someone else’s design, slap your name on it as if it was your own idea, and sell it to the public. I think it’s fun to try your hand at new things, to learn new skills and how to utilize unfamiliar materials and tools. Having an inspiration point to guide you is a good way to start. A lot of home design out there is just as ridiculously expensive as high fashion but some of these things appear incredibly simple to make. If cobbling shoes was easier (and something I think I would even be remotely good at) I would’ve been making my own a long time ago and I would proudly say I made them myself with so-and-so as my inspiration! As soon as you make a profit off of someone else’s idea, you’re treading ethical thin ice. Hope I cleared that up.
it’s already been done
Sometimes you just want to have a great idea… an idea that will put you on the map, give you some fun, give you a purpose separate from the rest of your mundane life.
I was talking to the bf about Fifi Lapin, one of those “why didn’t I think of drawing an adorable little bunny in real fashionable clothes?” conversations and he suggested that since I like to sew and I like cats and all things cute, why don’t I dress cats up in little versions of runway fashion. Genius! Pure genius!
Well… it’s already been done. My god this cat calendar from United Bamboo (featuring their clothing) is fantastic!
(out of stock, of course)
things I wish I had never given to Goodwill
I went shopping yesterday, and at Urban Outfitters especially, I kept seeing things that I had over 5, 10, 15 years ago and I was having major remorse over letting some things from my past go.
I part with things really easily but, I’m kinda sick of my current wardrobe right now and would love to have a few things back to reinterpret.
- tulip shaped black skirt
- black velvet leggings
- black vinyl pants
- leopard skinnies
- vintage embroidered cardigan
- mom’s vintage jungle animal tee
- so many pairs of stripper platforms (goth days)
- vintage combat boots bought unworn from an army surplus store
- so many belts
- high waisted pencil skirts
- vintage “infinite dress”
- over the knee boots
- fox stole (with the head and feet and tail, from my grandma)
- tiger coat
- those vintage red mary janes from my Courtney Love phase
- ankle boots galore
- open knit black tunic sweater
- so many long skirts that could be hemmed
- a few pairs of Victorian style heels
- about 30 perfectly worn in flannel shirts
- corsets
- motorcycle jacket (hand painted Skinny Puppy logo and all)
+ & –
+
- Comments! I love them! Leave one and introduce yourself! When you comment, I get to see YOUR blog if you have one, and this my friends, is how great relationships begin! I just recently received a comment from Sarah whose blog yes and yes, I had never seen before and well… it’s awesome… and I’m mentioning it here! So there you go!
- The Botany of Desire was on PBS this week and I loved it. It’s a documentary based on the book by Michael Pollan. It talks about how 4 plants that have satisfied humans (apples, potatoes, tulips and marijuana) have thrived and expanded across the world because of our efforts. If you’re into plants, into history, into genetics, into evolution, into the world, check it out. You can watch it online.
- This is both a plus and a minus – I’m not dressing up in a costume this Halloween. It’s a plus because the planning, expense, and usually the sewing can get to be a little overwhelming. It’s a minus because costumes really bring out the nut in me and they’re soooo much fun! Here are some pics from Halloweens past -
This was a zentai tiger suit I ordered off of eBay in 2006. I cut the face out of it but was constantly having to readjust. This costume got a lot of milage at a lot of super fun parties. The nose was a pain but I loved the annonymity. It was skin tight and some chick came up and told me I was “really brave” for wearing it. Compliment? I hope so.
In 2007, I repurposed an old bridesmaid dress and made the Bjork swan dress. Such a pain to sew! Miles of various types of white tulle strips and at the last minute I magically found a yard of white feather ribbon edging for the bodice part. That really made it. It was great going to parties and everyone running up to you knowing who you were.
Last year, I finally made a super cuddly hamster costume after talking about it for forever. It was beyond comfortable and I loved wearing sneakers all night. I also made a blinding pink bunny suit for a friend out of the same pattern at the last minute one evening. We took over the town. Everyone wanted to hug me and I wanted to hug them back!
-
I have had this first pair of Givenchy shoes from the Spring 2010RTW collection bookmarked for almost a month but hadn’t had the time to look at the rest of the collection. The clothing (and those god-awful hats) didn’t do a thing for me but holy cow these wedges! So ideal. Have I told you before how much I love a wedge? Like a million times! I wish affordable amazing wedges were more readily available!
via style.com
-
- Grilled Romaine lettuce just seems so wrong to me! I hear it’s very good though.
- After getting my laptop back from being repaired, my external hard drive (that I backed everything up on) won’t work. (Something about partitions and all this other computer garble that I don’t plan on teaching myself.) Well, I tried to hook it up to my folks’ desktop and it too is saying that it needs to be reformatted – meaning I will lose everything. So, I downloaded a freeware version of a data recovery program and everything was working well. The items on my external were being recognized, I could see it all in front of me, then the error reports started popping up (something got corrupted which explains why it wouldn’t work on the desktop either) and just when I was ready to transfer all the items I had painstakingly hand clicked on… the “freeware” program directed me to a website to pay $50 to complete the transfer. What a flippin crock!
- Twinings African Rooibos red tea tastes like bug spray. It seriously tastes like Raid!
- Zombieland was a huge waste of time. The previews were incredibly misleading. There was hardly any zombie killing. Who goes to a zombie movie not wanting to see excessive zombie violence? The female characters (I hate to say it) were unnecessary - very cunning at the beginning, emo in the middle, and pathetically stupid and needing a man’s rescue at the end. The awkward emo guy was obviously cast as some poor excuse for a Michael Cera wannbe. Bill Murray’s bloated self-indulgent cameo was terrible. Weak. So weak.
an appreciation
In March, I was dying to see the documentary on the designer Valentino’s career, Valentino: The Last Emperor. Last night I finally saw it and I watched it again today with my mom. Just incredible.
The most touching moment that got me teary was when one of his seamstresses from 1964(?) came to his monumental 45th anniversary career retrospective and she and Valentino were both brough to tears. I looooved watching the women sew and construct his visions for his final critique. He was such a graceful man, treating the ladies with such reverence, giving due credit to them for their masterpieces. Without them, he would be nothing.
In the Oct 2008 issue of Vogue there was an article about the seamstresses of haute couture, explaining the process of turning a designer’s drawing and idea into a reality… what an integral part they play in high fashion. It was a fascinating read and has stuck with me over the past year (I had a hell of time digging that article up… thought it was W magazine). While my mom and aunt had explained a lot of it to me when I was a child, I really had no idea. These women’s talent, patience and expertise is unrivalled. Every tiny stitch done by hand, each bead, each sequin, each minute rolled hem on the finest silk chiffon, all of the excessive basting and complex pattern making and cutting – all by hand. Watching the documentary made my respect for haute couture all the more palpable. Growing up around two serious sewers and sewing a bit myself, an appreciation for a talent like that swells in my heart but now it’s about to burst.
Check out this video on “The Making of a Chanel Haute Couture Outfit“
Recently I got into a bit of a tiff on a little goth blog about Steve Madden ripping off a pair of Alexander McQueen shoes that really tickeld the fancy of the goth scene. (Steve Madden ripping someone off? Can you believe it? McQueen is suing!) I stood firm in my belief that fashion is art and that an artist has rights to their intellectual property. Just because you can’t afford it doesn’t give you the justification to buy what is essentially stolen goods. I would rather do without and fortunately there were a few other commenters who felt the same way. The argument went on and on and well… I really don’t care because as I pointed out, it’s not about a desire to achieve a certain look that you feel unjustly entitled to have, it’s about ETHICS. Someone threw around a comment about the couture designers having enough money to afford some loss to (everyone’s new euphemism for theft) “inspired by” pieces… like that makes it okay. What a bunch of commie bullshit. Oh! It gets me so mad! Even the large companies that have stood the test of time have financial burdens, investors attempt to ruin long standing reputations for the sake of the bottom dollar (even Yohji Yamamoto recently filed for bankruptcy), and at the end of the day there’s a designer, an artist, who simply wants to see their vision realized and appreciated when they share it with the world.
I really wish anyone who has a love for fashion, is new to this whole thing of fashion blogging, or just loves a good documentary will see this film. If it doesn’t instill in you the realization that fashion is art and an appreciation for the excruciating hard work involved, then I don’t know what will. (You can watch it on your computer on Netflix.)
satin
A while back I posted this pic. It was from Topshop. I loved the entire look but it was an old pic I found online and the pants were no longer available.
I received an Alloy catalog in the mail this weekend and check out these pants! While they aren’t sheer, I am loving the satin and the elastic ankle especially. One fashion blog that has been so rewarding and refreshing for me to check out lately has been Karla’s Closet. The feminine sensuous fabrics and silhouettes, less structure, classy comfort… I’m really feeling it.
At any price, I always wonder if I can make something myself. These would be a breeze with all the cheap satin pajama pants out there (and more color options)… just narrow the legs out a bit and add some elastic to the hems… but at $29.90, I wonder if it’s worth the trouble to diy. I think these will be mine.
why i love fall
- All things pumpkin! I don’t like coffee shops and make my own at home. A little package of pumpkin coffee is a nice treat!
- Same goes for pumpkin ale, although I can never remember the one I like the best!
- The added mystery to life when the sun starts going to bed earlier.
- costumes and the way people really let go when they’re wearing one.
- Long afternoon walks with leaves crunching under your feet and the sun setting the trees ablaze overhead.
(Hollywood Cemetery pic via *wanderlust*)
- Squirrels are going nuts for nuts this time of year
- The scents of Fall filling your home
- Kids are back in school and out of everyone’s hair.
- You can scare the hell out of kids and get away with it.
- Indian food feels right.
- Soft German gingerbread cookies lightly iced and dipped in dark chocolate.
- Halloween sized candy feels less guilty.
- Martha Stewart’s Halloween issue is the only one worth looking at. Amazing.
- I only wear hats with bear ears.
- HOODIES!
- Bear ear hoodies!
- Cold weather food like hearty soups and stews and bread puddings.
- boots
- over the knee socks!
- caramel apples!
- date nut bread and cream cheese
- all the insects are dying away!
1933
It’s Friday and I’ve been pretty slack with my consistency on posting vintage pics. I watched a bit of Gold Diggers of 1933 last night, an Oscar nominated movie from 1933 featuring Ginger Rogers and Joan Blondell. It was a bit ridiculous but, the clothing was really inspiring. Art Deco abound, glitz, sequins, sex appeal, and babies on roller skates!
This site said this about the movie:
Gold Diggers of 1933 was the first film Berkeley did after his huge success with 42nd Street. It’s also the first of his films with “The Great Depression” as a theme. The first production number of “We’re In the Money” was a clear sign of the times and how money had become such a problem for Americans during the 1930’s. Berkeley was a huge fan of Roosevelt and this number is his attempt to help us cope the the hard times in a similar way to what Roosevelt was doing with “The New Deal”.
loop-de-loop
Remember the days when hipsters were wearing keffiyeh scarves, probably having no idea they were aligning themselves with militant extremists for the sake of trendiness? Let’s hope that all those cheap Urban Outfitter rags are tattered and tossed and everyone goes back to a good old-fashioned scarf that actually provides some level of warmth!
Well… not “good old-fashioned” scarves. I want a drapey continuous scarf! (I’ve typed the word “scarf” so many times now… what a silly word! scarf scarf scarf!) Seriously though, these look so cozy and squishy and sincerely snug and they’re such a nice departure from long tails catching in car doors, getting sat on and nearly choking yourself, and getting wet in public sinks. These are pretty much a no-brainer with a few different styling and warmth options.
The green one is from etsy shop I’ll be Yarned and the second is from Tortillagirl. Etsy has so many color options available but you’re paying for the handmade aspect. Knitting is no joke. (I much rather prefer a dark grey. These make me want to get my knitting needles out again. You can try your hand at a diy project- just knit your normal scarf and stitch the ends together!)
These multi-loop handmade cotton scarves from Necklush (also on etsy) have been all over the interwebs. I am in love with this concept and their richness. Here is a sweet diy tutorial to make your own out of old t-shirts.
This knit scarf from Assembly New York can also be worn as a snuggly hood but it’s tattered and worn, which gives it a lot of character. At over $100 I would rather do my own damage over time… just let my cats have a field day. This looks like it could be replicated with a old huge thrifted sweater, cut and stretched to hell.
<!--