a few fun things

FIRST: i would like to showcase some of my DIY cotton sundresses, i have dozens, though i know there are many out there whose collections rival mine. this green dress i made a year or so back. what i was experimenting with was the halter-esque straps, and the tuxedo type pleating in the front. for those of you who remember the movie the sandlot, this is my 'wendy peffercorn' dress.
this is the my latest creation, i want to call it the beer wench dress because of the scandinavian print and resemblance to the beer hall girl pinafores. i'm pleased with how it turned out, though i think there needs to be readjusting of pleats. too many in front, not enough in back. we'll see...
SECOND: my pen pal rachael at penelope, penelope created this drawing! i LOVE her art and have admired it for a few months now, and was thrilled when she said she wanted to do an illustration of one of my photographs!!just to include a bit here about rachael, she is in her third year, studying fashion communications at ryerson university, toronto. drawing is one of her many hobbies, as she is multi-faceted (i love her photography too!). favorite artists include egon schiele, miss van, and ray caesar. photographers: stacy marks, ellen von unwerth, jeurgen teller and terry richardson. CHECK HER OUT AND HAPPY FRIDAY!!!! xo s

everyone's doin it!

getting hitched, that is! just found out that meg white married jackson smith, son of patti. imagine the surname change there. jackson white, replacing jack white? i kid, i kid... i'm excited about it, as i like to think she's as sweet as her demeanor suggests...for all of you wedding fans, here is a sketch of what i think my gown will end up resembling... the flowers may be lace applique, or silk flowers, or both! not yet decided. the top layer will be sheer, with a sweetheart top under the long sleeve layer... more sketches to come, one of them belonging to rachael over at penelope, penelope. i'm a fan...

making the most of what i got

this has been such a pleasant long weekend, i'm almost ready to throw in the towel but i have ONE MORE DAY!!!! so far have been fortunate to see handfuls of friends old and new, and family. not to mention getting productive: sketching, sewing, wedding planning now that we've set a date and venue...

ate its-its on the roof with paul. they're the most delicious frozen dessert, unnatural green dye aside.for some reason ice cream is more appealing to me on a cold day. maybe on hot days dairy-based foods seem like a no-no...i thought i would make this somewhat of an outfit post, as i felt kinda cool with my durangos and striped shirt. the pants are h&m that i got for $20. i am a strong proponent of budget dressing. i went to american apparel the other day to try on their high-waisted disco pants, not realizing they were $100 until i went to check out... "how much? oh god, i'm sorry, never mind...."
jacket one of my favs, from gap (bought it last year marked from 78 to 40!) shirt j.crew outlet (14) boots from the boot barn were the most pricey ($60)... AA sweatshirt (i was young and impressionable) like $40?) anyhow, hope everyone's long weekend is sensational...!

prognosis: aging

inevitably, i will be told by the optometrist i need glasses. my appointment is tomorrow afternoon. the giveaway should have been my chronic squinting, and more recently a redness that appears when reading or looking at the computer, but i've held out hoping for the best. truth is, i'm actually kind of excited to be told i need reading glasses. i've always thought they looked cool, but never wanted to wear fakes. it would feel like wearing a hearing aide because it was novel (though i'm sure urban outfitters isn't far off from selling neon or glow in the dark prototypes). i even stole the perfect pair of frames from a thrift store just in case i ever needed to use them (i was in high school, they were $3...) i may use these, or i saw some on seeeywear that i love...

newbies

they will be mine, oh yes, they will be mine (after they ship on the 25th ?!) i read about these babies on ringo's blog, and since i needed some not-vintage, plain jane, but classy sandals that wont disintegrate if my toes sweat in them...happy friday, dont mind if i do...

photography

featured on artistaday.com, alex prager is a joy. the tongue in cheek photos have the vulnerability of cindy sherman, particularly when the subject is alone. they also remind me of vanessa beecrofts installations... love them/want to be in them all...
p.s. how the heck do i make the photos larger on the blog? i choose the largest format when i up load them, but they're displayed so tiny...

tom waits getting frozen yogurt

this weekend i left the city to go to occidental, a small town tucked away in northern california, to eat some of the most delicious organic home made brunch at howard's station... but that's all beside the point.

occidental is right by sebastopol and bodega bay. beautiful country, small town. paul and i walked around sebastopol as they have one of the best vintage stores i've ever been to. aubergine vintage emporium, if you're ever in the area.

their dressing room is a piece of art, rod iron sculpture on top, lace curtains dyed all sorts of pastel.some older photos of me at aubergine. in the end i bought the gold dress on the left and a bob dylan record...

afterwards, as it was 85 degrees out, we decided to head home after getting some frozen yogurt. we found a mom and pop establishment that looked promising, and as soon as we stepped in the front door we froze. eyes bugging, we turned and looked at each other as i whispered "yea that's TOM WAITS GETTING FROZEN YOGURT." he was in head to toe perfectly patina-ed denim and heavy work boots. he was lean, and dare i say handsome, and really the coolest person i've ever laid eyes on.

petrified, as i went into a starstruck coma, i grunted to paul to ask him for a photo. yes, i dorked-out and had to ask, but in the end i'm glad i did. he politely declined, as he was with his son, and shuffled out the door. paul thanked him and wished him good day. AH! so i went home and drew myself with tom, just to humor myself. this is what a photo document may have looked like:its a work in progress. in terms of fashion, i've started sewing together a sundress i'm really excited about, particularly the top, which i'm slowly figuring out how to hide all those gnarly seams by lining it. whats tricky is the straps, how i will line them, and hide as many seams as possible. more on that soon...

scenic weekend

I was in atascadero this weekend, for those of you unfamiliar with the central california coast, its right by san luis obispo. i tromped through the paul's backyard in my MISHA MARKET ONE DRESS! i've been meaning to photograph this piece for awhile, but time and backdrop have not aligned until now... the story behind this is that i did a trans-continent clothing swap with misha in stockholm. she's a master at draping, i love her minimal, precise peices. i'm not a master at draping, but can sew structure, so i made her a skirt in exchange. i love how its a big comfortable t shirt, i tried to make the dress my own by slipping the tie that came with it through the sleeves and up around my neck to make a halter look...

she generously slipped this fringe necklace in too...glamorous misha in a one dress. i'm an absolute fan of this girl, i've been reading her blog for a while and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't checked it out yet. she also has a killer shoe collection that seems to be growing every day hehe...

girl crush/TFGIF

if i'm going to be on honest on here, i just need to get this out: i have a heaping girl-crush on alison mosshart. she's second in line to kate moss, and really is it a coincidence kate is dating her bandmate? UGH i die from the coolness. with this post, i wanted to do one of those individualist-influenced layouts, as alison is quite the fashion force, especially for all of us ex-tomboys...all saints amos leather jacket;UO cigarette jean; erin wasson for rvca tank; all saints sora bedoin scarfrobert lee morris for elizabeth and james cross bracelet; carolee LUX chain bracelet; house of harlow tiger eye ring; robert lee morris for elizabeth and james necklace; ioselliani stacked ring

natalia brilli leather sunglasses case; acne pump;

i will do outfit posts soon, as my 'mango mouth' is retreating nicely, and i will be making my way to a far more picturesque landscape for the weekend. the perfect backdrop for springy dresses...
xo s!

delayed monday reaction

have you ever felt you had a 'kick me' sign on your back? i feel as though one's been pinned on me for a month or so, medically speaking. i chopped off a healthy piece of finger tip while trimming boards for a work presentation, and recently i was the lucky recipient of mango mouth. its not a new lip gloss, but an allergic reaction to the sap in the skin of mangoes, not unlike my reaction to poison oak. in fact they're related guys, so if you're wildly allergic to one, you are to the other. this weekend i went from weird cold-sore to angelina botox mouth, but i am fine now. waahhhh! things could be worse.
in addition to these freak happenings, my allergies have been ridiculous, knocking me out of any creative flow i normally manage to dip my toe in.
HOWEVER! tonight i am on a mission: work on a floral sun dress, even if it just means cutting out the pattern. i've had one in mind, but the top keeps changing. i wanted to play with strappy, but i've had flashes of criss-cross straps and boat necks...
my movie du jour (i have to have one on when i am playing with my manequin) will be the last picture show, if you havent seen it, check it out, small town angsty teen texans, a young jeff bridges, need i say mooooore?

W magazine scan

inez van lamsweerde and vinoodh matadin have done some stellar spreads lately, particualry with lara stone. this one left me gawking. the clothes are so lavish (velvet, lace, silk) they put me to shame in my chambray shirt and cotton pants. i think i've let myself go just a bit from riding my bike so much (its either ride in heels or add them to the burden of your backpack, ech). it leaves me wanting to go home and play dress up...
because of W's stature, and the small size of my scanner, here are some cropped images from the spread, sorry. its an interesting shoot, with the tropical background, its like belle du jour on vacay. anyhow, happy friday!!!

salvation army

it will be a sorry day when i leave my hometown salvation army empty-handed. i have a perfect record, coming home with santa-size sacks every time. normally i'm lazy about posting my acquisitions, there's just too much. however, yesterday a burst of effort had me change into 5 outfits to show my new blouses and coat... in no particular order:
seducta brand suede shoes with mini heel. the plastic 3-D busts are held on with a sole grommet. AMAZING. not sure how to rock these, maybe a simple black dress, or jeans and ordinary tee....i went nuts with blouses, which is fine, i haven't updated that portion of my closet for awhile, plus i think paul's a little tired of me raiding his...
(clockwise from top left: london fog denim shirt; black & white printed rayon shirt; black polyester shawl-neck blouse; blue leopard print high-necked blouse with 5-button sleeves)
my fave: a vintage tahari jacket in cobalt blue, with admiral-like button decor...