Healthy Change

A) I couldn't get an appointment to fix my hair until Wednesday so any photographs of me without a hat will wait until then.   Thanks if you like it.  I just need to resolve the back half so it's not so wonky and disproportionate (in a bad way).

B) I'm changing the look of this thing.  This is phase one.  Phase two will likely be different.  I'll fix and fiddle until I find a phase I like.

C) Clearing up some hard-drive space, images from Jak & Jill blog, Fotodecadent, and who knows where else.  I swear, next time I'll make a note of some kind with where they come from.

also:  I sent attempt #1 through the wash and it did not do well.  The colour is off and the image is a bit too destroyed.  I suppose I'll figure out a way to use ink for #2, or find a transfer that isn't so delicate/annoying.

Adding Fuel To The Fire

My hands are stiff because it's already below freezing and I can't find my gloves. Ow.

Also: I don't know what happened to my post about the shoes, but Roxanne: In response to your comment,  I have had a hard time preventing the zipper from undoing itself and slipping on to my foot.

Through fashionista.com I found this article/interview with Alexander McQueen about the reasons why he wanted to do the Target collection, as well as the inspiration behind it (woooot).  I sort of see why he accepted this offer as opposed to something from H&M.  Target (or at least, my perception of Target) has a different appeal and different audience at H&M.  If you think about it, H&M has the different "departments" that range from trendy & funky, trendy & high-fashion-y, and trendy & basic.  It started off as for the "fashionistas", the ones who were far enough ahead of the curve to find the few H&Ms that had popped up in their city, and grew from there.  The perception that I have of Target is that is a lot more massive - not quite so trendy - more along the lines of "daily basics that make you look presentable and get you through life".

A very smart idea, business-wise, for Mr. McQ.  It sounds like he thought it through (read the article, it's very good).  I tip my hat to thee, and also to this:

The collection has a muted color palette of black, white, gray and tan with accents of cobalt blue and bright pink. Studs and mesh giv

e items an edge. There are studded jeans, shorts and denim jackets with asymmetrical closures, short tuxedo jackets and matching shorts, dresses in a blue and white painterly fabric, a one-shoulder dress in a gray-and-black zigzag pattern with a thick black belt, and a T-shirt with the image of Moss.........“It’s more ab

out the music scene and fashion scene in the East End area, where I live,” said the designer, adding the point of the line is not to educate people about fashion, but rather, “it’s a feeling about the time we’re living in. If you start to give the whole of America that sense of where I’m from, the undergrou

nd music scene, it’s not so much about a logo, it’s more about a feeling.”

Also, you should read the Q&A with Leila Moss.

WWD: How does it feel to be considered a muse for someone like McQueen?

L.M.: It’s sort of preposterous and delightful at the same time. I feel like I’d be a bit of an a--hole if I was really lapping it up too much, but obviously it helps you feel more justified about what you’re doing, your performances. It’s justified all of that hard work — like people have noticed your movement and the visceral quality of what you do — so, for someone to actually approach you and talk about design, it’s very cool.

I'm quite excited, and happy that Target.com ships to Canada.

I Ought To Start By Saying, It's 2am

And I'm watching Sabrina The Teenage Witch.

I think, "I can't fall asleep" goes without saying.

I want to do this with a sweater.  But not with the letters YSL.  Earlier today, I researched and found 3 fonts that are similar to the logo (which, as i found out, is not an actual font but a custom-design by Adolphe Cassandre) and I'm thinking of doing this with my initials.  I do have three of those.

Also:  I was parusing Refinery29 and found this article about St. Vincent, the singer.

"Black Wolford tights.  They're like America.  They never fucking run"

"Anything you're coveting right now?

'What's worse than coveting is that I now rationalize the most sensational purchases as a 'business expense'.  This is a slippery, slippery slope."

this will probably be deleted once I write something worthwhile, I swear.

Treacy

I want that hat so bad.  Ever since I was little and I would see pictures of Isabella Blow in the "Blow" hat, I wanted one.  When I learned the name "Philip Treacy" I wanted one more.  Now that he turned a peacock into a gold hat, I may just fly over to London and follow him around until he gives me one.

That dress is nice too.

Achoo: A Tale of A Tag

In blog-land, being tagged is almost like being.....verified?  Confirmed?  Initiated?

I'd say so.

I'm glad to be initiated.  Especially by such an articulate, and awesome blogger.

A Guide To This Tag:

1 - Turn on itunes/ipod/music playing device

2 - Activate "Shuffle Mode"

3 - Use the first song that plays to influence/inspire your outfit for the day.

I actually did this first on Saturday night to inform my outfit for Nuit Blanche.  Sadly, during the event (which, compared to past years, kinda blew) I managed to gracefully and cartoonishly, dump a tray of McDonald's onto my lap. So..that picture will come when my pants have come back from the dry cleaners.

But I did it once again this morning and came up with a very fitting song.  In part because it was raining like the dickens outside.  It was grey, and cloudy y'see.  And dammit, I spent 3 minutes outside and was soaked to the bone, to the bone y'hear!

The song?  Audrey's Dance by Angelo Badalamenti, from the Twin Peaks soundtrack.

My ipod really loves Angelo (as do I).  He works with David Lynch often, has done the soundtrack for Twin Peaks, Mullholland Drive, Blue Velvet.  He also worked on the film Secretary.

    

The only piece missing from these is my pink hat, because it got a little wet and dirty so I had to dry and clean it.

The image that this composition brings to mind is of metals - brass specifically.  It's hard to explain, but I picture sort of....puddles of a dark, thick liquid, and someone stepping in them, and causing the splashes to sort of solidify and turn into brass or silver.  So I went with a basic black jumper, tied up around the front to create those little triangles and a lot of silver - on my belt, on my wrists, and I put a silver headband around my hat to complete that part of it (I suppose I'll show you those when I post the pictures from this weekend, or maybe sometime tomorrow.......I'll figure it out).

My jumper is also really slouchy.  I pulled it up so that the top half was draping over my belt and the legs were draping over themselves, and the whole idea was to make it a black, "liquid" that was hit here and there with bits of metal.  Don't know if those pictures give the idea but I thought it was there.

This was worn with a pair of lace up H&M wedges, by the by.

*ahem* So...who to tag who to tag......

I think I'll ask:  Leila Grace from The Vain and The Bored (because based on the song of the day at the top of each of her posts - she has great taste),  Stefani from Keep Your Guns at Home (for a chance at Cat Power), and Quoth The Raven 

Oh, and for a random pick from my blogroll:  Urban Audrey.

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.

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!

Pants I Do Not Own

(yet)

Because I would like to find pants like these:

from garance dore & earnest sewn, respectively

Sadly this girl lives in France so I doubt I'll find them here.  The closest thing I  can think of is the Zazo jean from Earnest Sewn, seen beside the pants I don't think I'll ever find.  I like where the rise sits, just at that really flattering part of my waist.  And since Earnest Sewn is one of the lines carried by Winners I have a chance of owning them.

If only they had side pockets (if only everything had side pockets)...

Also: here's a random question few will answer:  Does anyone know a good tailor in Toronto? I need one to fix what I don't know how to fix myself.

Backward

My computer is slowly, painstakingly being fixed. Sadly for me, photoshop is yet to be reinstalled (mostly due to the fact that I seem to have Photoshop CS for MAC and my Windows operating system doesn't accept that? Sorry. Windows is not a team player). So I (and you) are stuck with unintentionally unglossed up photos that are as of  yet un-auto contrasted or auto leveled.

Je suis très français avec mon livre concernant la philosophie post-modern et les raies noires et blanches. Oh-hon-hon.

I guess the little sailor-y details of the blazer don't show up in the photos I chose, but it is a very straight and well structured double-breasted blazer. And the 3/4 sleeves with the rolled up pants were interesting....unintentionally together which is nice. Also: believe it or not those are the only pair of flats I currently own. My taupe ones died, and another pair I bought are at the shoemakers so I'm stuck with sunshine on my feet.

For the first time ever I actually dressed with the intention of looking like someone else. Specifically, this was a misguided attempt at Jean Seberg.

I'm not sure why I went with her. She isn't my go-to style icon, nor do I know anything about her or find her style particularly inspiring. To tell the truth, I think I put on the shirt and then thought "hey, this is like that actress.....whatsername" and when I figured out her name, I rolled the cuffs to go along with it (which is apparently a big trend now). While browsing images in order to compare original to misguided attempt, I did find many little outfits of hers that I liked. Elements from them might work in dressing casually - for me. It is all clean, put together, able, fluid. The image is grounded in a certain delicateness that comes from its simplicity. Nothing big or drapey or overflowing, but A, B, and C; plain but not entirely simple.

As in the photo to the right; I really like her hat. I would wear something like it and I would sit like that with same questioning look on my face. I also like the stripes.

But I feel like I could never re-create it to my own personal imagining of it. Like I would fall short in some way, or it wouldn't translate. The same way that a vintage dress from say....1960-blah doesn't have the same look that it did in 1960-blah. This is my backward way of explaining that I have no go-to style icon. And that I have no intention of going to look for one because knowing myself the way I do, I would just get frustrated that I can't re-create it the way it is in the pictures.

Way Later:  Another, more articulate response to that Adbusters article I complained about a few days ago is here; at MarathonPacks.  Along with links to a few more of 'em.

Ageless Adolescent Aesthetic.

I have a really odd obsession with the 60s. Not the whole decade, not the events of it or the politics or the whole "hippie generation", strictly the popular culture of the 60s. I love The Beatles more for the effect they had on people, and what they did. The macroculture of the 60s is what attracts me so much to certain parts of that decade. We still have elements of culture that are common to almost everyone in this generation but back then.....it just seemed even more together. And way cooler.

It all makes me want to be a Shindigger. I suppose years into the future someone might feel the same way about MOD or MTV Live or a similar show, but I think that the constant blather about celebrity and random "news events" takes away from (and gives less time to) having music on the show. Live music. Live music that can potentially be iconic (wow, how badly does the pop culture junkie want to be part of popular culture).

I really love what she's wearing in this (see, relating back to style). The tunic and the mary janes are awesome. I'm thinking of copying this, if I can find my t-strap shoes...

GIANT SHOES! AHEM! GIANT SHOES!

I have a lot of others bookmarked but it would take too long to go through all of them. These are just some that makes me feel really nostalgic for a time where I wasn't even a concept. It's popular culture at it's television-announcer-voice, sharp, spiffy, and well enunciated finest.