Microtrends

Please excuse my long overdue and unsolicited roundup of Fall 2012 fashion month. Truth be told, I was barely paying attention, but I've diligently spent the last two three nights sifting through the collections and while I came away with a clear sensation of the obvious references--pantsuits! 60's! orange! baroque opulence!--I was also able to pick up on a few trends that were being quietly whispered as opposed to loudly proclaimed. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Cankles: boots were slouchy in the weirdest places this season--or covered in hair. Either way, this can only mean one thing: ankles are OUT and log legs are IN! (L to R: Givenchy, Moncler Gamme Rouge, Aquilano, Alexander McQueen)

2. Head-to-toe wallpaper prints. See? I knew I was onto something with my grandma couch print pants. Just call me a trend forecaster. (L to R: Sophie Theallet, Anna Sui, Carven, Miu Miu)

3. Powderpuff coats. These guys are all roomy through the shoulders and arms. They came in other colors, too, like the ubiquitous powder blue (as seen at Acne). (L to R: Jil Sander, Antonio Berardi, Lyn Devon, Chloe)

4. Needlepoint. Insert joke about "not your grandma's needlepoint." Because seriously, it's not at all like your grandma's needlepoint. (L to R: Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana)

5. Wide horizontal stripes on dresses. Slimming schmimming. Who cares if you look like a double wide--these stripes are graphic, bright, and cheery. (L to R: Otswald Helgason, Carven, Victoria by Victoria Beckham, Ohne Titel)

6. Split hems. Such a tiny detail but one that I noticed right away. Looks especially fresh on a slim, cropped cut. I foresee some ill-advised at-home DIY attempts to get this look with a pair of scissors. My pants are quaking in fear. (L to R: Rachel Comey, Rachel Comey, Rebecca Taylor, 3.1 Phillip Lim)

rosegold

J Crew crystal bracelet, vintage chain link bracelet with hardware store upgrade

A couple of weeks ago I got all ambitious and tried making a braided hex bracelet, snickering to myself all the while because lazy people were paying $40 or more for them on Etsy. Well I can tell you, 3 hours and 5 or so frustrating attempts later, and I'm convinced that the pre-made ones are worth every penny. Those things are stupid-hard to make.

As an easier DIY project (a one-armed child could do it) I decided to use these plumbing pieces I got at Home Depot to dress up a vintage bracelet. First saw them standing in as super cool modern rings on Ivania at Love Aesthetics (who does the GREATEST DIY's) and picked them up in the hope that some use would come of them. And lo and behold, it did. The same cannot be said for the 40 yards of bungee cord or mason line I also bought at Home Depot. I swear, that place is harder to get out of without spending $100 than Costco.

it's the most wonderful time of the year

wearing Kryolan aqua color makeup, thrifted skirt and top, Saks Fifth Avenue scarf, earrings made by my sister, DIY tissue paper flowers (Tara is one hell of an Indian warrior princess)

Halloween eve had me navigating public transportation with a bunch of horny costumed Chilean Miners, sneaking into a party via a chain link fence and a parked van, and dancing to godawful hipster techno on a rooftop. If this was any other weekend I would consider it a resounding failure. But it's not. It's Halloween. Stakes is low.

My makeup turned out pretty awesome if I don't say so myself. I had a dry run on Friday at a work costume contest, where I took home the top prize of a new ipod touch, which I desperately needed so, WIN.

Also, my friends were Two A-holes from SNL and in character all night. It was awesome.

sugar skulls

Deeply inspired by the work of artist Sylvia Ji, I am going to celebrate Sluttoween this year as a Day of the Dead bride. I had originally planned to continue my now 3-year tradition of being the biggest celebwhore/tabloid fixture of the year with a nod to Jersey Shore's resident Oompa Loompa, Snooki, but vetoed the idea when I realized wearing 2007's Amy Winehouse wig with a metallic, leopard print slut dress and slippers didn't pose a great enough challenge, and I would be very cold.

The work of Sylvia Ji provides ample reference for makeup:








I also found this Youtube video that does a fantastic job of showing how to achieve the look step-by-step:




Hopefully, the finished product looks something like this picture that's been sitting in my inspiration folder for at least a year now:



I already own the perfect full, colorful skirt, and today I picked up an embroidered blouse for $4 at a thrift store. Now I just need a fringed shawl/jacket, some flowers for my hair, and some Kryolan makeup (the MAC shit is way to expensive).

What are your halloween plans, dear readers?

head banger's ball

Public transportation survival kit:

- hand sanitizer

- sunglasses

- mellow out ipod mix

- noise canceling headphones (bonus if they match your outfit)

Wearing Urbanears headphones, Alternative Apparel sweatshirt, Gap jeans, DIY necklace made from vintage rhinestone necklaces

tired...so tired

DIY Topshop jeans, Gap t-shirt, GO International Target vest, Made by Elves booties

Anyone who knows me knows that I whine. A lot. I like to think it's just another of the multitude of normally distasteful personal attributes that I somehow manage to make a little bit funny and charming, but my head is up my ass, so don't listen to a thing I say. So on the topic of whining, I'm tired. But I have to stay up and write this blog post because if I don't I will experience a lingering sense of regret and possibly indigestion. Don't ask.


First order of business: Anika from African Tea Party somehow got it in her head that I was deserving of a 'lovely blog' award. Which is patently absurd, but thank you, love. I'm clutching at straws lately and this brought a much-needed dose of smug satisfaction to my day.

And in case you didn't already guess, above are the missing "outfit pics" from the weekend, now sadly out-of-date. I'm stoked that I managed to find that Target-meets-Balmain vest though, and at a thrift store no less. It's almost enough to make me wish I cared about my appearance right now. Okay enough. Unconsciousness beckons me...

diamonds and pleather

wearing DIY necklace, AA grey tee, J Brand jeans, F21 boots, vintage bracelets, Timex watch

Rocked the 'Tom Binns' style necklace today with a plain grey t-shirt. Is there any other way? Seriously, I'm not sure I would love this necklace as much if I wore it with a fancy little cocktail dress. It would be so...predictable.

Today was also a big day for my F21 boots. I attended a school play put on by a friend's daughter's second grade class, which drew lots of stares and whispers from the girls when they laid eyes on them in all their fringed glory. It was pretty funny actually. Everywhere I went, heads spun around, mouths dropped, eyes widened. I'm pretty sure there's a genetic component to shoe fetishism. And by pretty sure I mean 100% without a doubt.

I also received my very first award from Through the Looking Glass today! I sort of feel like I got voted homecoming queen or something. So thank you thank you thank you! From the bottom of my heart, I am honored, humbled, and flattered that you thought of me! I got nothin' but love for you sistah!

Here are four other blogs that I've got nothin' but love for:

Dooder City

Frock Around the Clock

Fashion Moment

Dirty Laundry

I'm sure you've all received this award before, but never from me, so treasure it dammit!

springtime!

photo via tatielle

I'm happy to say that it finally feels like spring is going to be sticking around for awhile. No more freaky cold snaps on the near horizon. Unfortunately, that also means that time is passing much, much too quickly. I have yet to find a job, money's gone from tight to impossibly tight, and the future ain't looking any rosier now than it did three months ago. Am I really that goddamn unemployable? I suspect not, but only because I am an egoist at heart. If I'm not hired it's only because people have yet to discover my innate genius. Dammit.

To cheer myself up, I snagged a baggie of colorful feathers while I was at the craft store yesterday and made another feather hair clip. This one is a bit more technicolor-y since the feathers have been dyed, but I like it just as much.

eeew, I just realized I need to trim the felt backing at the base of the clip!

And since one of my roommates (the master tenant) moved out this weekend and took the wireless router, his ginormous TV, and the cable box with him, I've been left without TV or internet. It's sort of like my worst nightmare come true. I don't recommend it. Hopefully I'll get both reinstalled at our place this week. Until then, looks like I'll be stealing a little internet connectivity from our downstairs neighbors... thanks guys...

In the meantime I'll be dreaming of wearing stuff like this. Actually scratch that. I'll be dreaming of wearing this exact outfit--and then having my femurs surgically lengthened:

I am a bitter, sad person today.

diys and more

Feeling creative and inspired by a recent trip to Benjamin Franklin Crafts, I finally sat down tonight and made my version of the Tom Binns crystal choker out of a couple of vintage rhinestone necklaces and miscellaneous chains. I used Valerie's instructions and the following pictures as my inspiration:

picture credit: Olsens Anonymous

I also picked up a pair of silk tassels and made them into earrings. Like so:

Please excuse the haggard, makeup-less face and the Tulane t-shirt. I just spent the last few hours cleaning ancient mouse turds from forgotten corners of my apartment, an occasion which does not call for style...unless it's a hazmat suit.

Lastly, while retrieving some kitchen stuff out of my parents' garage, I found this bracelet that my mom bought in New Mexico in the '70s. She says she remembers paying a lot for it back then (probably around $35). I had taken to wearing it until a few years ago when decided I wouldn't let anything touch my sainted skin that wasn't gold. Come to think of it, I've only just started wearing silver again. The pendulum either swings one way or the other... That's why I love that my watch has silver AND gold in it. It swings both ways, baby.

ridin' dirrty

wearing F21 tank, DIY bleached Topshop jeans, Urban Outfitters corset bra, Minnetonka moccasins, unknown scarf, Timex watch, Lisa Levine bracelet, Banana Republic thick silver cuff, vintage silver cuff

Random outfit post from this weekend. I took advantage of the freaking stellar weather by biking all over town with the BF. By chance, we came across a book sale at San Jose State, where I picked up a number of volumes for a dollar apiece. Wardell had to strap them all to the luggage rack on his bike to get them home. I thought they looked rather cute perched up there, so I snapped a pic.

Oh, and I had a blast in the Castro last night. Amazing time, great dancing. The night ended on a slightly sour note when I had to walk home uphill for ten blocks because I couldn't get a freaking cab. The good news: I was wearing the F21 boots and ended up with nary a blister in sight! They really are comfortable, as well as absurdly hot. I did post some pictures of the fuckery from last night, until I realized they made my blog look like a damn Myspace page. Not cool. 

shopping my boyfriend's closet

FMC motorcycle jacket, Bloomingdales men's plaid shirt, Forever21 l/s tee, J Brand jeans, DIY studded Zara booties, vintage bracelets, Timex watch

I am a very lucky girl. Not only do I have a boyfriend with impeccable taste, but he's also very close to my size. Thus, closet-raiding is something I treat myself to on the regular, and on any given day I might be wearing one of his perfectly cozy grandpa cardigans, a tweed fedora, or any other tidbit I manage to excavate from his labrythian closet. My latest acquisition is this plaid button-down he got at Bloomingdales a long time ago when he was still a wee lad. Lucky for me, it no longer fits properly over his big man-muscles, so its new home is in my closet. Love, no?

Oh, and I hope everyone managed to catch the cycle 12 premiere of ANTM (America's Next Top Model for the uninitiated). I hadn't realized how much I missed hearing Tyra talk about herself and dispense life advice until I gleefully partook in the two-hour viewing last night. Ty Ty baby, don't ever stop being exactly who you are.

ghd (good hair day)

Seeing as how I'm wearing the most boring outfit imaginable today (jeans and a grey t-shirt...snore) I thought I'd do a hair post. Now, anyone who knows me knows that my hair is the bane of my existence. It's unnaturally fine, and pretty thin on top of that. In addition, I've had incidents with unexplainable hair loss (i.e. chunks falling out that actually left a bald spot) so I'm always watching it like a hawk waiting for something catastrophic to happen. But its actually been pretty happy lately, and today I treated it to a home made hair mask that I swear works wonders, especially for fine hair that tends to be a little oily and prone to buildup. I got the recipe out of an old issue of Bazaar and I've used it a couple of times. If you're ever bored at home and want to try it out, here's the 'recipe':

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons vodka

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 avocado

Mix ingredients together as well as you can (otherwise you'll have avocado chunks in your hair that can be pretty hard to get out) and apply to clean towel-dried hair. Leave on for at least 15 minutes (the original article suggests 30, but by that time the avocado/vodka mixture is usually dripping down my neck) and shampoo and condition as usual. Voila! The vodka is the really essential ingredient for me. It removes oil and product buildup and leaves my hair so shiny and full of body! It's as close to "hair commercial-hair" as I'm going to get...

stud-ing

You'll never believe it. I suddenly got this totally unique idea to add studs to a pair of old Zara boots that haven't gotten any play for the past year or so. I know, I'm so innovative! I predict copycats springing up all over the blogosphere within days. Just know this: you saw it here first.*

*note sarcasm

Oh, and here are a couple of pics of what I wore out to my roommate's birthday on Saturday night. I figured if there ever was an appropriate time to dress like an 80s hooker/Kelly Bundy impersonator, it's when you're going for karaoke in the Castro. No one bats an eye.

tank: H&M

skirt: vintage

belt: vintage (mom's)

shoes: Pour La Victoire

bra: Urban Outfitters corset bra

on right wrist: Lisa Levine bracelet, Timex watch

on left wrist: vintage silver cuff, Urban Outfitters leather cuff, necklace worn as bracelet

earrings: gift from Morocco

necklace: skeleton key on vintage silver chain

rings: Forever 21, vintage