Fox me, Fox you!

There was a moment in between seeing this Wardrobe Remix image of tinytoadstool from dadaya....

The whole thing is wholesome and delicious, but are you seeing that scarf??

...and seeing this Rose Print by Marisol Spoon...

Red cape hearkening back to Little Red Riding hood, check; Painting of Blythe-like girl hearkening back to those weird little Seventies paintings of girls you see in cheesy vintage stores, check; fennec fox as hat??? Checkmate!!

...a desire to adorn myself in all things foxy has burgeoned.

Fake Won't Kill Tee by DesignersPlayground

I admire cause clothing. My favorite tee was one by Kenneth Cole that came out a few years ago that said, "In war, it's not who's right but who's left." I really wanted to buy it, but the truth of the matter is I hate having words on my clothing. They're out of my control. People don't have to interact with me in order to "communicate" with me (or rather, for me to force a one-way, reciprocation-undesired-and-unwelcome message) and it's just not my cuppa. I'm sure that my sticklerism for wordless tees have robbed some of my favorite causes of well over $6 in the past few years.

This tee, however, is many things, not least of which a message. To the casual observer, it just looks cool, to a less-casual observer, a vintage throw-back, to an arty observer it's a bit of trompe l'oeil and to the conscientious observer, the shirt demonstrates that you don't have to kill a fox to borrow it's foxy good looks, and that a hipster with a little cash can manage to look as good, if not better (by way of earning humanity points) than the biddy with her actual fox carcass accessory. All that for $14. I call a winner.

Cross Stitch Fox Badge by TreeFox

Though tiny, still covetable. I definitely don't go for the crafty aesthetic, but this is neat and well-made enough to earn a little nesting place on my cardigan for sure.

Silver Fox Stole Necklace by bbel

Gorgeous! Not sure how you'd wear it-- as in, if it has a closure, but if it truly is a "stole" necklace then maybe not. I love how tiny and detailed the cutouts are. So clever... clever like a fox!

Ginger Foks Short by Celapiu

This being the scarf showcased in the first photo, I can't get enough of it. It comes in a zillion colors and lengths (I'm stymied until I decide between short and long) and even a tiny child-sized version. In my parlance, "Adorbs!!"

Well, time to get ready and get outta here... stay foxy, ya'lls!

Yours,

Elissa.

Battle of the Long Sweaters

Sometimes, even to those of us who are vehemently non-duplicatory, we find an outfit that feels so right that it bears repeating. These occasions happen most frequently when we stay out late the night before and then get up really early the next morning. In my case, I truly get a crusty feeling if I wear the exact same thing as the day before-- as if I haven't let the previous day slip into the past-- and so, I switch it up ever so incrementally. Behold-- Fancy Dinner Outfit vs. Work Outfit.

Dress: Twelve By Twelve. Tights: Target. Tree that is the epitomization of all of my Christmas Fantasies: Target.

Same dress, same tights, same pose. Oh, you original thing! Fancy Dinner Outfit features one of my favorite Portland souvenirs, this ultra-warm and soft sweater coat with a ruffled edge from 3 Monkeys. Work Outfit features a wrap cardigan from Victoria's Secret that truly is the bomb. Soft, relatively machine-washable and oh so many iterations, this one got a work out last winter and will probably meet it's death by the end of this winter. Today, it's belted. Belt? Where are you from? I think this black, patent number may have come with a shirt I bought.

Necklace (left): H&M. Necklace (right): Gumball Machine.

Fancy Dinner outfit includes big, chunky wooden beads interspersed with little rhinestone charms. A souvenir from San Francisco's H&M, which, in the hour I had between Alcatraz and poisonous (although delicious) oysters, I descended on in a panic when my suitcase yielded entirely unsuitable jewelry. Work Outfit called for the more demure, golden ice-cream cone. Twenty-five cents very well spent, and I think it has a bit more mileage than both the fetid jawbreaker and deformed, gelatinous hand that were also available.

Fancy Dinner Shoes: Pink Duchess. Work Outfit Shoes: Etienne Aigner.

Well, Cat certainly has picked a winner here... she's a shoe-hoverer, for sure. These gray-and-black ballet flats are in very regular rotation, and, like many of my shoes are possibly a half-size too big. I chalk this up to the fact that I normally shop mid-day, when feet are known to swell. It's a cousin of the "wear your big pants to Thanksgiving" rationale.

Til next time,

Yours,

Elissa.

Gobblegobble!

Whether you'll be with the family today eating turkey, or merely riding one frantically through a cornfield, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!


Now, shut up and try my pie!

(That's what she said.)

Thankfully yours,

Elissa.

[photos via terr-bo and synthetic_tom, respectfully.]

Mastering the Art of Merchandising.

That an Ebay or Etsy seller posts photos that accurately portray their wares is "hallelujah" enough. But when those photos are that -- and, a foray into some seriously good photographic still-life, its quite a rare achievement. When I first came across JunkCulture's photostream, I thought they were just a nice bit of bright, shiny panachey pastiche-- but to learn that they are also product photos only doubled the appeal for me.






Check out JunkCulture's Etsy shop here--- many of these items are still for sale, and reasonably so.

Speaking of shopping, it's about that time of the year-- tomorrow I start at my new position, right next door to a Saks, so I think I'll see my fair share of it!

Yours,

Elissa.

Just when you need it.

Ahoy, ahoy! Today was our Thanksgiving.

Jacket: Dollhouse. Dress: vintage, thrifted. Tights: Target. Shoes: Wanted.

A friend of ours cooked 3 turkeys-- smoked, deep-fried, and roasted with hot peppers-- and invited about 20 friends over. Everybody brought the best sides: asparagus, mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin (made with gruyere), sweet potato casserole, sour-cream-topped cheesecake and strangest of all (yet still mighty tasty), chocolate-chip bacon cookies.

Earrings: MrFilthyRotten on Etsy. Rings: Vintage.

It was awesome to be able to enjoy the holiday without someone slamming down the silverware in the middle and screaming, "Grandpa thinks I'm fat!"


Or, "Those certainly are some interesting shoes to wear to Thanksgiving." They are, Auntie, they are.


Yours,

Elissa.

Honeymoon Installment #6

After the bad-oyster episode in San Fran, we spent the night in Klamath, California, which is right in the middle of a redwood forest. The hostel we stayed at came highly recommended and was clean and warm, BUT. It was at this hostel that I was introduced to a new kind of personality; the reason why conservatives hate liberals. Hostile, self-righteously more granola-y than though types. We left very early the next morning and headed up to Portland to rendezvous with my cousin.

It was a windy day and the seafoam was blown by great gusts high up the mountain into the forests where it clung to trees and plants like great globs of snow.

Portland was absolutely amazing. Great shopping (I used Lucky's online guide), great food (we had Peruvian the first night and had some Voodoo Donuts the next day), and chill vibe. Let it be known that Oregon is hands-down the most magically beautiful state I've been to so far.


My cousin took us on a hike up a mountain along the Oregon coast, and I couldn't help but think of Milla the entire time, the place was so mystically northern.




The forest was filled with these little guys, fully 3-5 inches long.


Tree-bark that faced the ocean had become worn and gnarly. This one, in the shape of a heart. Cute, no?


A heavy fog surrounded us as we reached the top-- it was one of the hardest hikes I'd ever done; 2 miles uphill and steep, too.


It was worth it though... this is the view near the top. On our way back to Portland, we stopped at the Tillamook cheese factory and went crazy on cheeses of all kinds, and even dipped into some white licorice ice cream. I could easily, easily live here.

I just came back from my biz trip to Seattle today; Seattle was actually the last leg of our honeymoon as well, but we were sick as dogs (again). So, I graced this fair city twice in a week. This time around was a bit better-- I got to fit a little shopping in, so I'll be debuting my LEOPARD PUFFER COAT, yes, I know, paging the love child of Peg Bundy and Missy Elliott-- as soon as I catch some sleep.

Good lord, I hope not to see the inside of a plane again for at least a little while...!

Yours,

Elissa.