Lovely folks...

Not only am I a big fan of pretty for pretty's sake, but I'm also on a short time leash for the next few days. Hence, this brief post populated by Wardrobe Remix folks in shades of yellow, cream and blue.

"sunshine loves you"

Gorgeous!! Can you believe this girl made this dress from two vintage towels? She also has a marvelous blog here, where she details many more of her creative adventures. Bonus? Girl has some good recipes.

"vitamininmotion"

I just love the sexy sophistication of those slacks juxtaposed with the playful jellies and nylon tote.

"the sunday best"

This gentleman has rebuttoned his American Apparel cardigan to lovely effect. I can't get over that polo! I need to find a way to replicate this look...

As for me, I'm wrapping up my final collection, which I've titled "Le BonBon Sportif". By wrapping up, I mean cramming every hour from the time I hit "Publish Post" til Monday at noon with workhorsing.

'Til then...

Keep steppin'!

Is it Wednesday madness up in here, or what?

Seriously! I'm seeing gothy-with-a-bow things everywhere...


This Wednesday-esque outfit brought to you by the Sartorialist...

Inspirations...

His neck scarf! Her sublimely askew little hat and wide neckline! Wedding-tastic!

So this is only extremely preliminary image research, but me and the man are near-certain of a Halloween-time wedding with a masquerade ball feel. I've always wanted a Halloween wedding, so this is just --- eeek!!! Too awesome.

All the guests will come in costume (my mom already says she wants to be a "pretty purple female octopus", lol!), and there's a possibility of having it in a local castle!

Now in considering our attire, we want to go with something that is in keeping with the spirit of Halloween... so, fun and dramatic, but steering clear of campiness. So, no sky-high beehives with lightning bolts in them (for myself, at least)!

Naturally, the Frankenstein to my Bride is considering Gomez his muse:

Dapper, sexy, dramatic --yes, but also, what is more tasteful than pinstripes and cufflinks? Especially, when, at his suggestion, there will be a burgundy satin vest involved?

I'm waffling between something traditional and white, like a less-tattered version of the Corpse Bride's dress, here.

The little arm cuffs and sad, floral tiara are what do it for me, as well as the ethereal foggy wisp details in the skirt. Um... on second glance, I'm thinking this look is a big no.

Now this is more like it! Perfection!

A more modern and stylish take on the long, white dress, while still maintaining a smack of that gothic vibe by virtue of the vampish styling.

But as long as we're on the Christina Ricci tip, why not go the Wednesday Addams route? My second idea for dresses involves something cream and black, perhaps 20's-styled and straight.

I love her little collar and though you can't see it here, her dress has little white buttons all down the front. The make-up is pretty wedding-appropriate, too, I should say. Pale, but not sallow, with a hint of a peachy lip.


And, as if she'd read my mind, The Cherry Blossom Girl just posted these fabulous Wednesday-inspired outfits on her blog! Thanks for the leg-work girl!

Can I say, too, that Eddie Munster's typical ensemble of velvet jacket and bermuda shorts, peter pan collar and bow at the neck is completely on trend?

These heels, found by the lovely Natalie of The Whimsical Nerd, would be completely perfect: Victorian-feeling and slightly cobwebby.



I look forward to sketching out some dress ideas and hopefully posting them soon!

[images via www.chicagotribune.com, www.addamsfamily.com, http://mysite.verizon.net/alankh, www.gawker.com, www.addamsfamily.com, www.carolinawatercooler.com.]

On Me Today

Jacket: American Rag, Skirt (worn as dress): Thrifted, Leggings: gift, thanks Mom! Shoes: Arturo Chiang, Photo: Claire. Thanks, Claire!

My mom sent me a whole bunch of black and white leggings a couple of months ago. Love my mama and all, but I'm not much of a leggings girl, and especially not a white leggings girl. But, I did find the ballet-ish aspect of them attractive, and so pulled this together on the fly this morning (I'm a habitual late-waker).



Road-testing some grey nailpolish by L.A. Girl... I love the color, but the consistency is goopy (even if you add remover to it!) and the finish, paint-like.

And that's why clothes are so much more fun than cosmetics!


Keep steppin'!

Duckling-inspired.

These adorable little dudes are flapping and squeaking all over campus! Everyone said of the lone yellow duckling, "There's the cute one!"

I suppose. I found it funny that people's Barbie complexes extended even to ducklings.


"Peep!"

I rather admired the mottled browns, yellows and greys of the others.

Blazer: vintage, thrifted. Tank: Express. Vest: H&M. Jeans: Target. Heels: Steve Madden.

Ultimate Disposable Fashion Joke / Rad Craft

Always wanted an Hermes Kelly bag, but spent all your dough on transatlantic flights, Moet and golden gobstoppers?

Grace Kelly and her Kelly bag in Crocodile (www.bagbliss.com)

Here's your chance! Hermes is giving them away for free!

And by free, I mean they're offering a free PDF download of a flat Kelly bag that you can assemble yourself for a perfectly 3-dimensional Hermes original!


Functional? We'll see. I'm having my Lambs print one up at work, where the printer can print on anything up to an inch thick. Glamorous photos to come.

And now, the deep thoughts pour in.

Is this a statement about disposable fashion? What's one, two, three Kelly bags to a Manhattan socialite? What's it to me or you? Are they worth more or less when perfect, "branded" versions proliferate the web for free?

image via www.thesuperficial.com

I'm reminded of how when I lived in Brooklyn, I noticed that its less well-to-do ladies would carry store bags from Victoria's Secret or Bebe as purses, unable to afford actual purses -- or at least purses with a modicum of status attached to them. Is this a "shout-out" to that practice? Or a "let them eat cake" sort of thing? Sorry, got that crazy Marie Antoinette on the brain.

What do they expect people to do with these?

I'm going to actually construct one, and then maybe get one framed, to archive "This Moment in Kitsch". But to draw on it, or no?


Steppin', steppin'...

Tell me about it, Stud.

Change Your Name to the Game, originally uploaded by emilyfate.

My favorite look of the day, courtesy of EmilyFate on wardrobe_remix.

I call this look, "Parisian 'Grease' Vixen".

The pants are an excellent fit and length for spring, and for showing off the ankle and those flats, neutral like the cardigan which keep the bright top more "bold" than "loud". I love the contrast of a popped collar with a loosely tied scarf and who could resist that cute vintage tote with a floppy puppy inside?

Keep steppin', girl!

Graphic Tease

Jacqueminot from Wardrobe_Remix on Flickr rocks her t-shirt with a scarf and straight skirt.

I've been admiring the above look, for its breezy formality. Fitted skirt with a tee, graphic or otherwise.

Only thing is... I typically despise printed tees, especially those with one-liners. Firstly, the design usually warps in an unsightly fashion around my otherwise sightly jubblies; secondly, I feel anything I need to say, sartorially, can be expressed adequately enough through a well-chosen accessory or well put-together ensemble.

But, ever one to expand my repertoire, I've decided to hunt down the perfect graphic tee, which would be pretty and tuck-in-able or attitudinous but not bratty or baiting.

Pretty and Tuck-in-able

Idylle "Moon Lovers" tee from www.80spurple.com. They have so many hot tees, it's radick!!

Gorgeous! Romantic! Vaguely steampunk! I might widen the neck a bit to play on the romanticness. This shirt screams for a light pink or light blue skirt.

Idylle "Leota" tee from www.80spurple.com.

Maybe not with a skirt, but with wide-legged, highwaisted trousers and red accessories. Or black skinny jeans and red Minnetonka kilty mocs.

"Renaissance" tee by Heintz Sebastian at www.threadless.com.

This Threadless tee is fresh this week and reminds me of a beautiful summer evening in Paris. The electric blue is so striking and an excellent foil to the otherwise "old school" sketch-style graphic. Le sigh!

Sublimination "Kaleidoscope" tee at www.urbanoutfitters.com.

I've been seeing a lot of this printing technique this spring, wherein the graphic is printed over a shirt that has not been laid flat beforehand. This is probably the best application of the technique I've seen so far, subtle and very pretty with a keyhole back! Added bonus: the longer length and elasticized waist, making it perfect for either the skirt combo I have in mind (tuck it in up to that waist), or with pants/leggings/what have you on a day with a less buttoned-up mood.

"Paper Cranes" top at www.modcloth.com.

Bird themes just never get old for me! This top is gorgeous and has an open back that ties closed. The perfect, non "Hanes Beefy T" neckline, gorgeous fluttery sleeves and a fabulous sketch print with that highliy desirable longer length for tucking or for not tucking. Less a t-shirt and more a blouse and therefore more my speed. May certainly be worth the $50 price tag.

Bridging the Gap

MaMa sailor-collar tee from www.80spurple.com.

This tee "bridges the gap" between pretty and attitudinal. I love trompe l'oeil which is about as close to a one-liner tee as I'll get. Sailor themes are usually not my favorite, but in black and white this print seems more artistic than kitschy. My favorite feature? The back of the shirt features a print of the classic sailor "bib" collar with "U.S.S. MAMA" printed on the back! Attitudinal!! This top calls for tucking in to a skirt, a low cut jumper or suspenders. And when it gets old, plain old black jeans and Converse.

"Earl Bacon Tee" by Frank Kozik at www.kidrobot.com.

Holy crap! This tee is unwearably wearable. I love food themes, but tend not to buy them on account of the "super kawaii" factor that doesn't really fit my aesthetic (but suits me fine for kitchenware!) I love how what you first see is pretty ribbons of color, then the realization that it's bacon, then that the bacon is "smorkin'", and that the bacon has a crude 'tude. I would love to mix this into a lady-like Sixties-inspired get-up, complete with little day-glo hat.

Attitudinous but Not Bratty

Sixpack France vs Clark Magazine at www.cremedelacreme.fr.

Uh, please excuse the douche. There are so many graphic tees with prints of girls on them (I would feel like the Icee dog holding the Icee cup with yet another Icee dog on it). With the exception of Biggy or Scarface, not too many dudes grace t-shirts. And far fewer tees feature awesome, dangerous, mysterious hot French-looking dudes in trench coats!

This is the perfect "throw it on" tee with a vest of any length, really. There is the questionable screen print of a gun in the back placed so that it looks as though the gun is housed in your back pocket, but I would patch it over with a felt applique or screenprint of sunglasses or a giant eye. Hot.

Whitehorse via www.80spurple.com.

Now that I think of it, this one is pretty tuck-in-able too, but I like the lax-ness of letting it hang freely, maybe even as a swimsuit cover-up. I also like the idea of it being half-tucked into some aged, low slung jeans and subtle Western-type footwear. The lips thing treads the line of being too tart-y, but the 3/4 view, giant sparkle and dusky color make it different and attitudinous in the third degree!


And now, the last and least of my Six Quirks: I do not own a TV. When I did have one, I didn't watch it enough to justify buying cable, and when I did watch it, there was nothing on because I didn't have cable. So I sold it a few years ago and have been happily without one since-- but thank goodness for friends and neighbors who have one!

'Til next post, keep steppin'!

Rough Draft

Here are the first four of fifteen croquis I've done... the colors and detail don't show very well here, though and the feet have been cut off, but I'm modeling through it!

My favorite pieces are all the little swimsuits I drew, which unfortunately will have to be made into dresses for the final project. I didn't want to hem myself in (ha!) to creating only dresses, and having swimsuits (and a coverup) on hand definitely helped with the flow.

I'm pretty pleased! I will be spending the next week or so redrawing them in less static poses and tweaking here and there.

Sleepy_pie_eyes from Velocouture shows the bikes who is the Pack Leader.

Quirk #5: I have a bicycle phobia which I am slowly overcoming. I have not ridden a bike in many, many years, and am slowly picking it back up. This week was pretty significant, in that I rode to school Wednesday through Friday and it is awesome! Walking, you suck! I actually have 2 bikes now, one is an early 80's sport-type bike with an odometer and the other is my flossy flossay bike with ape-hangers and a velvet-covered banana seat. Pictures to come!

I couldn't help it!

I've been trying to avoid both gladiator styles of sandals and gold sandals, on the basis that I feel that gladiators are wayyyy omnipresent and that gold is on its way to being played out, but...

These gold gladiator wedge jellies (yes, you read right!) are a whole other ballgame. The triangle affair between gold, gladiators and myself is intact once more (and is currently playing footsie in my closet)!

Here's me trying on a whole shopping bag worth of Old Navy's hot ass jellies, having walked in there in my jellies... I'm an incorrigible jelly-fiend!

Jacket: American Rag, Dress, Bag: Vintage, thrifted, Tights, Jellies: Urban Outfitters

Quirk #4: Squirrels are my power animal. I didn't choose them. They chose me.

Quicklinks!!

Just a few fashion-related newsbits I had to share!

Another amazing ring I considered, Steampunkish, yes, but timeless. Hehe!

• Read about the jacket made of living stem cells that had to be "put to sleep" because it had outgrown its container at the MoMa!
• For those of you unfamiliar with Steampunk, this article in the NY Times will enlighten you... but the "short story" is it's an aesthetic lifestyle whose stylings are reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight" video. I never expected to read about Steampunk in NY Times... maybe its mainstream notice means it's... gaining "steam"???
• A girl whose skimpy prom dress ended with her arrest!

Hot lady of the day

hardcore academic, originally uploaded by atriuum.

Today, Atriuum is my W_R inspiration of the day. Perfectly moppet-ish with the oversized print on an oversized dress that somehow works by virtue of the fitted waist. The red sweater and beret give it kind of a frenchie vibe, and the black jumble of necklaces provides just the right amount of... menace to this look. All this whimsy is anchored to reality by sober black tights and spectators.

My latest Ebay crave: vintage leopard print gladiators...

Ah, and now it is time for Quirk #3: At last count, I own 63 pairs of shoes. I know. Some of them I'm selling, thankfully, and most of them were thrifted, so I don't feel terrible about it, but seriously. That count was enlightening.

Gimme a ring... you know, gold, platinum, whatever...

The posting title is a quote from one of the first emails I sent my boyfriend, who (drumroll), as of last Wednesday, is also now my fiance! He always quotes me that line and says, "What balls... you wanted me then!" And then I always say, "I was kidding, I was kidding! I just wanted to test your humor!" ... but I knew then that we'd be in each other's lives for a long time, but not necessarily in what capacity!

Because he doesn't want to "impose his aesthetic" on me (this is one of the things he says that makes me go "awww!"), the sexy task of finding a ring falls on yours truly.

So many engagement rings are nightmarishly generic, that in order to find one that's a little more stylish and unique is some task, and for me, requires gems other than diamonds or without gems at all... I am even considering this ring made from a beautiful 1950's lucite button (these picture don't really do it justice, though!)

Vintage glass button ring by Circ at Etsy.com

Considering my interests and our relative youth, I find this button ring to be both very personal and a playful bucking of tradition, while still adhering to the "metal band with clear, light-catching object" engagement ring formula.


I also love this next ring, which is mermaid-y and vaguely steampunk at the same time, with its organic coiled wires and nestled seed pearls. It near-perfectly encapsulates what I'd like my ring to be -- a tough-to-pin-down mix of offbeat, modern and still classic. Do I want to look down at this when I'm 60? I believe this ring would be as equally lovely on a twenty-something as on a sixty-something (or seventy-something, or eighty-something).

Pearl Ring Samantha by JoJoBell at Etsy.com

This one is delightfully celestial; amorphous and simple and small enough to not catch on sweaters, but large enough to be special. This ring is in silver, which isn't my color (although this one is a nice, warmer silver). In rose-gold, it would be a winner.

Bubble Bauble ring by Jenerijewelry at Etsy.com

One thing I noticed about wedding bands and engagement rings is that so many of them had tight, inorganic structures that reminded me of caging or cuffs or otherwise non-reciprocity... I love the ring below, because it reminds me of seaweed, and fish swimming in and out of it. Living together and mutually (I'm no biologist, though). I love that the white topaz is off-center, as well. This one is quite special, indeed!

Ring available at www.starsandinfinitedarkness.com
UPDATE!!: This is the ring I ended up with!

I first saw this ring at MoMA, and it must be a popular gift, because the gold version is tough to find! Small, simple, whimsical and a timeless, feminine motif. This one is also a lovely metaphor, not just because of the whole "not forgetting" maxim, but also because, unlike a "cuff", a string keeps you "tied" to someone through your own volition. The knot looks loose, and easily undone by a light pull on one string, but your vigilance and care keeps the bow intact.

Ring available at www.delight.com

And, as promised, it's time for Quirk #2: As a child, it was fact (to me) that I had a Ingalls-Wilder-esque past life in the 1800's.

Mmm.... storyboard....

Ah-ha! I've finished, at last, a storyboard for my Marie Antoinette sports-dress collection. Pretty yummy pretty! Gahhh!!! Behold!



Lots of colorful prints, including more off-beat, anachronistic ones like pastel tie-dye silk, anyone? Candy and cake themes will figure large, with pastel colors reigning the day, with hits of silver, gold, and chocolate brown. Sigh!

Also, I've been tagged in the Six Quirks Game! And, like any game, there are rules. The first is post the rules. The second? Link your tagger (Miss White, I'm honored). The third? Spill yer quirks. The fourth, tag 6 other bloggers, and the fifth, leave a comment on their blog to let them know of your deed.

I am adding an additional twist, which is to leave only one quirk per post (a quirk in itself!).

Ohhh.... Mulder.... you're so pained! Let me help you on your noble quest!

Kverk #1) When I was 11 or 12, I wrote a weekly "The X-Files" Fanzine called 11:21. There was trivia, synopses, news, contests (winners customarily won a VHS copy of the episode "Home", because Fox refused to air it again after the initial airing because it was about --- dunh, dunh, dunh! freaky incest people). I had around 350 subscribers, and it would take a full half-hour, if not longer, just to send it in like, 12 batches (AOL 2.0....)



["X-Files" image via TV.com. Other images Googled like crazy. Please let me know if I have used one and am not authorized to post! Thanks, E]

Women of Sports

This week, I'm gathering inspiration for my collection. In addition to the pastels, ruffles, and ultra over-the-top accessories found in Marie Antoinette, my dresses will be inspired by, and tailored to genteel sports such as tennis, golf and riding. I've been cruising the interwebs for images of female athletes during the 1920's and 1930's.

Here, we have Suzanne Lenglen, dressed to impress by Jean Patou. At the time, her signature sweatband was considered quite wild... before her, hats were de rigeur. She was noted for her theatrical game.




How perfectly balletic! Her "poses" would be perfect for fashion plates.


Next, Babe Didrikson. An all-around athlete who found success in track events such as the long jump and swimming, she was most renowned in golf. She is so classic! I love the clean skirt, shoes and socks in this image.


Billie Jean King played a bit later than the rest of these ladies, in the 1960's and 70's, so I feel like I'm breaking the theme. However, I like her fitted bodice, flared skirt with shorts underneath, and her Antoinette-esque spunk!


My collection is going to be quite print-heavy, and I thought this Chinese print from the 1920's to 1930's was a good starting point. The hair, the pink dress, especially, and the shoes (do I smell some wedged sneakers making an appearance in my collection?) How adorable is this picture?


All this image research is instilling in me a powerful thirst for some sportitude. I think I'm going to have to play a round of golf or tennis this week, maybe Saturday! I'll report back on my fashion findings...


[image 1 via www.actuallynotes.com, image 2 via www.theonlinephotographer.typepad.com, image 3 via www.nytstore.com, images 4 and 5 via flickr.com]