va va violet

i bought some new lipstick at target the other day, and since i'm sick i thought i'd play makeover. when you're sick, rest and hydration is key. but i can only ingest so much water, so during a feverish burst of energy i grabbed my camera and signed into blogger... anyway, the shade is va-va violet by revlon. it's funny how dark lipsticks just look berry on me, but you get the idea...
i've also been crocheting more necklaces, which now involves crocheted chain. the best chains to use are vintage watch chains, which i work on with a tiny size 6 crochet needle and thin metallic thread. i use the same needle and thread to stitch casings around quartz and jasper stones, and the occasional chandelier crystal...i'm slowing down, time to retreat to the couch with some emergenC...

hollywoof

while digging through my ava gardner bio (pretty juicy stuff, i recommend it) i was excited to read a tidbit about rita hayworth being of spanish descent. it wasn't common for hispanic women to become leading ladies, unless they were ready to play a caricature, like carmen miranda.
i excitedly wikipedia-ed rita, aka margarita cansino, and found out she was half spanish and english. cool! i'm spanish, portuguese and swedish... she grew up dancing, family show was called dancing cansinos yada yada... rita dyed her hair red and underwent painful electrolysis to widen her forehead hairline to avoid being typecast. ouch. my excitement turned to a stomach ache. i went on to read what became a sad life riddled with dementia.
i remember watching old movies with my grandma and her telling me their real names (john wayne, born marion morrison). they were molded.

i can't say the industry is any better, but it does comfort me to know latinas like salma hayek and penelope cruz are just as much celebrated as fair maidens like nicole kidman and christina hendricks...

just out of reach of my two open arms...

all saints stanton jacket

j.crew stadium coat

karen walker 'the village' sunglasseschloe darla totecurrently listening to...

murder!

does anyone else remember that scene in reality bites when ben stiller is listening to rap in his car? its one of my favorites... anyway... all black design, normally in regards to automobiles, is referred to as "murdered-out," or so i've been told. my own version in bag form, made with all black everything, and probably one of my favorites to date now available at bernhardt handmade (there are a few sales too)...

giants parade

willie mays (and jon and me) at the giants hero parade...i wore my best orange and black dress.

sartorial galaxy

long skirts are indeed all the rage, and so are galactic prints. the two combined are wicked cool...

the pattern looks insanely simple, and by coincidence i have a similar maxi skirt in my plans of future projects (though the fabric i have set aside is green with roses).
teamo long witch skirt, $170

midnight oil

i was commissioned to make a bag for my ex-office. they have a sleek, skinny new overhead projector and needed something equally sexy to tote it around in. so after getting specifications and ideas from my ex-boss at my ex-conference table, i set to work purchasing solely black materials, sketching a design, and cutting a pattern.each piece of vinyl had two pieces of canvas behind it: one for lining, and one for extra weight. i found that the three produced a trapped-air effect that will help cushion the expensive cargo as an alternative to filling the bag with batting.the one section that does have batting is the center divide that separates the speakers from the projector. the metal clasp shown below was taken from a vintage suitcase. i love the logo, though you cannot see it clearly. i like to think it lends the bag a 60s air...though the design looks simple, this took me a little while to create. each side of the bag is surged separately before being attached to each other. there is also a good deal of hand stitching involved, to avoid extra seems. i rarely work with vinyl, but i may rethink that, being that i LOVE how liquid this bag is! slick like oil...

sexy back:

halloween 2010

this year having halloween on a sunday, and my home team in the world series made for an exciting weekend. saturday was when the city was in full halloween swing. while hordes of the female population dressed up like slutty____ (insert your chosen noun), i was a gender-bending fur trapper/davy crockett character. it was comfortable and cozy, and fun carrying a self-bloodying knife. then sunday i went to mom and dad's house. while thousands of trick'or'treaters swarmed the neighborhood, the rest of us crowded around the TV to watch the game. let's relive it all through photos!

first up: i was commissioned to make a frozen yogurt costume. specifically, a cultivé frozen yogurt costume. kids these days...paul in his own creation. street fighter/voodoo doctor...?megan was Jem, the robber; lisa a ringmasterkate was pearl, pearl was antoine dodson...

ashley was a mousketeercameron was a city wizard L-R: molly, KJ, quinn, aunt lorine- what a stinker.a wonderful weekend, indeed. GO GIANTS!!!!!

like a security blanket

when i was little and felt a burning desire to wear the same green turtleneck, navy blue sweatpants, and black chuck taylors every day, it wasn't because i didn't have anything else to wear. far from it. my closet was chock-full of other skater dude/ pacific sun merchandise. but the combo made me feel stealth, ready to climb the pine trees that grew in the middle of my street. i climbed to the top every weekend (nearly fell out of one too, saved by a primate-like leg dangle i didn't know i was capable of...) eesh, i've turned into a rambler. anyway, i get the same power surge from certain outfits now, but when did it become socially unacceptable to wear your favorite outfit everyday? today's was a favorite, one i may wear as soon as day after tomorrow...my favorite vintage leather jacket won from ebay, vintage belt from mom's closet, pleated high-waist skirt thrifted, shoes by jeffrey campbell, circle scarf made by me. autumn has taken residence, no indian summer this year guys, so i'm fancying warmer outfits.

currently listening to:

halloweiner

mourning locket from erica weiner jewelry. spooky inclusion of human hair...

girl gang portraits

tianna

tate

sarah

megan

ashley

a fun and challenging project indeed, here are the final shots of our book club 'spooky girl' portrait photo shoot....
art direction/photography: ashley
set & costume styling: me
hair & make-up: megan

S2010 favorites

everyone's doing it, so i thought i'd follow suit. unintentionally my choices are all based on whether i'm inspired to make similar pieces. i think that's always been the way i take to certain styles. in fact, a few of the looks are close to what i have in mind for future projects... but i digress. the following are three of what i think were the best, so without further babbling:

erdem
very darling. the models walked right off the compound. i love all the lace, particularly the collars.pucci
it's supposed to be his spring line, but peter dundas designed some gowns i'd wear to holiday parties as my parallel-universe-socialite-self... how bad-ass are those boots??MVP: rochas
i had to do two collages, one for the depression-era menswear and house dress silhouettes, one for the amazing gowns. i loved everything: the cuts, the patterns, the golden and lavender hues, the make-up, the sheer hosiery with heeled oxfords and sandals...there were so many glorious looks to choose from, it was difficult to narrow them down.collages by me, with help from photoshop.
listening to: active child

my city

ashley, in vintage sweater glorya girl in union square that has my (dream) hairview from union squareview from the amsterdam café, followed up with some bob's donuts...