She Keeps Getting More Awesome, In My Books.

via jak&jil blog

And I have a lot of books ready to be filled with awesome.

Ms. Dusty Dustball At Your Service

Half inspired (wow how bloggy am I?) by the mustard socks below, half inpspired by trying to blend in with layer upon layer of dust at my new job.  I think it might work better if my pants didn't pillow outward or bunch up or something.

Not sure.  Something is missing.

Effort, perhaps?  I had very little this morning.  

That Suicide Is Painless, It Brings On Many Changes, And I Can Take Or Leave It If I Please.

via papermag

I only post this because a) I thought this was awesome and b) It looks like a futuristic version of a WWII field surgical team.  There's the nurse up ahead, the surgeon behind her, ready to run though a battlefield if need be, and the doctor taking up the rear, ready to jump into her car at the first sign of bullets (because she'd far too valuable to be injured in such a silly thing)

Bad Influence? Good Influence? Who Knows.

Via Knight Cat

This makes me want mustard socks a lot.

I'm having a wee bit of a crisis.  My new job is physical and requires me to be wearing the kind of thing I wore every day in high school.  The kind of "outfit" that made me swear to myself that I would get my shit together and start dressing like a proper human being, so that I would never look that messy and roughandtumble again.

But now I have to because I can't wear a skirt and can't wear anything I don't want to be covered in dust.

(help me more than when i needed help with casual dressing, oh lords of fashionstyleanddesign)

Isadora & Guillaume

Yo I'm back.  With full-force and semi-okay humour.  

On the first day that I was allowed out of my bed, it was actually kind of nice outside so I went to 69 Vintage's By The Pound store that is conveniently (and dangerously) close to my house, and managed to find a lovely (but too long) 20's-y inspired dress.  Sort of Virginia Woolf-y and Isadora Duncan-esque and Me-ish, and so-effing-comfortable-y.  I had it hemmed by the lovely lady who worked there (over a rousing conversation about stupid ways people have died) and now can either be worn as a) a very short wooly dress or b) a very long wooly sweater.

Or c) with a skirt.

Not gonna lie, I'm loving the 20s thing.  The part of my brain that governs influence has a weird preoccupation with lines, and it's totally having a field day.  Especially with the pleating (is it still pleating if it's on a scarf) on the attached scarf there.

Oh Man.......

I've been sick and in bed.

And in bed, I was really sick.

Then I did my laundry.

And now I will distract you with a photograph of a Frenchman Dunny (I call him Guillaume)

And tomorrow, Guillaume and I will take photographs of my nouveau chapeau rose.

Someone Reads The Internet........

"Oh Oh! You know what would be really wicked cool?

A pair of ...... heels with a ...... wooden heel with a carving of some kind on it. Like a wooden heel made to look like a tree"

-Yours truly, June 16, 2008.

from net-a-porter.com

I may be hopped up on Nyquil, but this seems like more than a coincidence.

Floral Armour

I'm getting sick (damn).

So I decided to protect myself by wearing my wool Zara dress and this:

A humongous scarf I bought at Courage My Love for $0.50 awhile ago.  It's been sitting in my scarf box for months, only because I couldn't figure out a way to wrap it around my neck without looking too bulky.  I had this whole hoodie-scarf-wrap thing going on for awhile, and today I just decided that I would wear it like armour:  Loose-but-Tight around my neck.

For awhile it looked a little like that bodysuit from Maison Martin Margiela I posted awhile back.  Sadly, I could not seem to recreate that now, no matter how hard I tried (which is just the way it goes).

MY HUNDREDTH

Hehe, I realised it was my hundredth post after I decided to do this activity. And now I see how perfectly fitting it is!
I sometimes read blogs about food (because I looove food) and while reading one of these I found the following, 100-themed activity:

*ahem* 

THE OMNIVORE'S HUNDRED

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Optional extra: Post a comment at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ (or here) linking to your results.

1. Venison  --  2. Nettle tea  --  3. Huevos rancheros  --  4. Steak tartare  --  5. Crocodile  --  6. Black pudding  --  7. Cheese fondue  --  8. Carp  --  9. Borscht  --  10. Baba ghanoush  --  11. Calamari  --  12. Pho  --  13. PB&J sandwich  --  14. Aloo gobi  --  15. Hot dog from a street cart  --  16. Epoisses  --  17. Black truffle  --  18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes  --  19. Steamed pork buns  --  20. Pistachio ice cream  --  21. Heirloom tomatoes  --  22. Fresh wild berries  --  23. Foie gras  --  24. Rice and beans  --  25. Brawn, or head cheese  --  26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper  --  27. Dulce de leche  --  28. Oysters  --  29. Baklava  --  30. Bagna cauda  --  31. Wasabi peas  --  32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl  --  33. Salted lassi  --  34. Sauerkraut  --  35. Root beer float  --  36. Cognac with a fat cigar  --  37. Clotted cream tea  --  38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O  --  39. Gumbo  --  40. Oxtail  --  41. Curried goat  --  42. Whole insects  --  43. Phaal  --  44. Goat’s milk  --  45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more  --  46. Fugu  --  47. Chicken tikka masala  --  48. Eel  --  49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut  --  50. Sea urchin  --  51. Prickly pear  --  52. Umeboshi  --  53. Abalone  --  54. Paneer  --  55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal  --  56. Spaetzle  --  57. Dirty gin martini  --  58. Beer above 8% ABV  --  59. Poutine  --  60. Carob chips  --  61. S’mores  --  62. Sweetbreads  --  63. Kaolin  --  64. Currywurst  --  65. Durian  --  66. Frogs’ legs  --  67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake  --  68. Haggis  --  69. Fried plantain  --  70. Chitterlings, or andouillette  --  71. Gazpacho  --  72. Caviar and blini  --  73. Louche absinthe  --  74. Gjetost, or brunost  --  75. Roadkill  --  76. Baijiu  --  77. Hostess Fruit Pie  --  78. Snail  --  79. Lapsang souchong  --  80. Bellini  --  81. Tom yum  --  82. Eggs Benedict  --  83. Pocky  --  84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.  --  85. Kobe beef  --  86. Hare  --  87. Goulash  --  88. Flowers  --  89. Horse  --  90. Criollo chocolate  --  91. Spam  --  92. Soft shell crab  --  93. Rose harissa  --  94. Catfish  --  95. Mole poblano  --  96. Bagel and lox  --  97. Lobster Thermidor  --  98. Polenta  --  99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee  --  100. Snake


My results add up to 45/100 which ain't so bad considering how arbitrary and varied the options are. I'm not going to "tag" anyone in this because a) wouldn't know who to tag and b) do it if you like. It's actually kind of fun, especially when you have to look up some of those foods and start making little mental notes of what to try.

Don't ask why I've eaten a whole insect. It involves quite a bit of immaturity, an out of control game of truth-or-dare, and a little bit of emotional scarring.

Wasson and The Wangs Sounds Like A Groovin' Band

Doesn't it?

I think so.  Like a Shangri-La's-esque girl group with edge.  Or maybe a relaxed California surf-rock band?  I dunno, I was thinking that after re-reading my last post about pink and subliminal messaging (readreadreadreadthisblog)

Continuing with the whole "Wangian Aesthetic" I dressed like this to go to a gallery this past, extremely rainy Saturday night.  The pin is (was) my mother's, and is being added to my collection of elephant themed jewelry.

I feel like this is too comfortable to be true.  Because as it drapes and falls all over my shoulders and I'm stretching out all in and over my shirt I'm thinking "this is clean and simple and comfortable and I can stuff to this".

But the point is to not add "stuff" to it.  The point (as I see it) is to keep it so simple that you start thinking it is complicated.  Sort of like waving your hands in front of a bully's face to distract him before you run off in the opposite direction.  To doubt the simplicity of a garment is an exercise in creativity (how did she do that? How did she make it fit that way?) that gets the mind thinking past what to add and instead thinking how to add.  Or how to fit.

Mildly frugal as well.  The next step, after thrift shopping, is learning how to work with only two pieces at once.  Or as few as possible.

It seems to work best with only one accessory is my point.

I'm Against The Colour Pink

and yet it appears on the bottles of the perfumes I decided were very "me".

According to my mother every proper young lady needs a "scent" so she sent me to the Bay with a wee bit o' cashola to get one.  I narrowed it down to these two and then down to Ma Dame which has a very nice, smooth, mellow scent, but makes me feel like I am merely a pawn in the current preoccupation with Agyness Dean.

I wonder why we do this.  Like, how far down does this go? When I am old will I be the androgynous grandmother who has finally cut her hair into a spikey pixie cut?  Or will I be wearing oversized, cut up shirts and black skinny jeans a la Erin Wasson and the Wangs? Is the susceptibility of a person related to how cool they think they are or how cool they think they ought to be?  One does not have to read No Logo or have a degree in marketing/business/advertising/journalism/psychology/related to see that we of the now are the highly desired group.  The ones that everyone wants to gain their loyalty and trust for the few months we can turn our attention spans to them.  But how does it happen?

I want to know whether the Agyness comes before the Blogs or vice-versa.  Would Wang be Wang without Rumi et all?  I would also like to know (for future reference) whether or not these fascinations and inspirations will be replaced with newer, shinier versions of the above or whether I really will be the androgynous grandmother wearing oversized shirts and black skinny jeans.

El Weekend - Clothing Part

There was a bit of a "wangian" aesthetic going on with a lot of the attendees.  By that I mean the loose, silver-grey shirts and the tight black skinnies.  Like, I saw one girl who was wearing black Cheap Mondays, a loose white tank and a cropped denim jacket (wish I'd gotten a picture).

The sillhouette is interesting.  It hides a lot but I felt like to properly pull it off you had to be ten feet tall and a size nothing.

So I tried it myself for the Sunday:

I was mistaken for media twice, which was weird but got me free food, and I have never been more comfortable in the rain. I kind of like this.  Lately I've been more and more attracted to big, structured, draped pieces and what I like about Wangian-ness is that it combines this with more skin-skimming pieces.  

Like - emphasize what you like and then just throw a sheet over the rest.  Very simple.  Even a monkey like me can make a passable try at it.

Another element I really like (taken from his RTW Fall 2008) is that you can go from really dirty to really clean without looking like you're trying to look really clean if you're really dirty and vice-versa.  Both fall within Wang. Examples:

Clean v Not So Clean

Hate to ride a bandwagon, but I enjoy this.  Exciting.

The only thing it is missing is a nice, defined line or two.

Also: I did not know Erin Wasson was a stylist, I thought she was his go-to model or something. Shows how late/ignorant I am.

later: today at work someone said "I just saw a movie the other day. It was called Ghost World and you look just like the main character in it" which has never happened before.  odd.

El Weekend

I went to V-Fest this past weekend. I was the small awkward girl at the recycling store encouraging you to "trade in your cans and bottle for free stuff!!!!!".

I finally got to see SONS AND DAUGHTERS:

quote: "(Leonard Cohen) has a song called Dance Me To The End, we have a song called Dance Me In"

So excited.  Got there early, ended up face to face with the security guard (who made a special appearance in a lot of the pictures I took).  I wish I'd gotten a picture of Adele Bethel's shoes, they were wicked cool.  The interaction between her and Scott Patterson (guitarist) were really great.  During one song's bridge she just stood above him while he was kneeling and shook her tambourine over his head like some kind of little threat to him. 

The Kooks managed to make the entire audience sit down.  He said "sit down...everyone sit down, we're gonna jam" and so the band sat down.....and everyone else followed.

Weirdest moment at a concert ever.  Reminded me of a more sober Editors.

I was about a half mile back for Oasis and Bloc Party so I got no good, clear pictures of them.  I did see the guy attack Noel Gallagher though, that came out of absolutely nowhere (but right before introducing Morning Glory, Liam did say something unpleasant about Manchester United so maybe that's what spurred it? I don't know).  They finished, which I didn't expect.

I got one odd but good picture out of Oasis, this one:

Odd, but nice, surprise.  Kind of post-apocalyptic.

Fight.

Not quite in the mood to do a long exaggerated post about my recent attraction to big, exaggerated collars and long, ironed pleats.  So I condensed it into a Wednesday Night "Computer Crafts" activity.

Photos; Top: all from style.com, Fall RTW2008 L2R: Lanvin, Jeremy Laing, Costume National, Miu Miu, YSL, Maison Martin Margiela, Jeremy Laing, Christopher Kane, Maison Martin Margiela.

Bottom: both from Oak. L2R: Pleasure Principle & Complex Geometries.

Tired? I am.

I have no idea.  I'm not even confused, I just have no idea.

This weekend was hot and lazy and I started to feel lonely.  Reading other blogs that start with "sorry I haven't updated, school just started", helping friends pack and then receiving and adding their new numbers to my phone has made me realize that I'm not going to school and everyone else is.  I wore a pair of flare bottom pants which felt weird.  I've lived in my skinny/slim jeans/pants for so long that my legs felt all airy under the flare.

Weird.

The Goal was a bit of a 70s thing.  I was halfway there.  My friend said I was very 70s while I helped tape up sheet music for her (but I think maybe she said that so I would keep taping up sheet music for her).  I'm still a wee bit teetery on what I'm doing going into September.  Summer is almost done and theoretically I should be all a twitter about getting to wear pants and sweaters and jackets (oh my!) in fall yet............I'm not.  I think hating my job is seeping into other parts of my life and is causing me to a) fall into a pattern and b) not really see how clothing is looking on me.  Because I would rather just snap my fingers and have something appropriate on than actually have to put thought into "work wear".

The Goal this weekend provided a nice little break from not thinking.  Should I do this more often (probably)?

I also did this with my scarf today.  I saw it on Garance Dore awhile ago.  It's a good scarf-in-summer thing.  I quite like it.

In unrelated news: I get to go to v-fest this weekend! I get to see bands! Bands like Sons and Daughters and Bloc Party and Oasis! And I'll be recycling! WOOOO!