chest hair

Pour Porter's diminutive size is deceiving. The opposite of a smorgasbord, this nascent webshop offers a distinctively daring selection of clothing, accessories and shoes. Since sale season is on in full force, I've taken the opportunity to pick up one of Elsinore Smidth-Carabetta's wool necklaces. (I got the one above.) Although I was initially attracted to the colors and textures, what continues to compel me is its mildly unsettling nature. Considering the USA's obsession with/aversion to most female body hair, these pieces subtly challenge the smooth skin ideal.

Just the way I like it.

packs a real punch

You know I love me some colorful prints—all the more so when they're jumbled together. Hence, Boxing Kitten's Resort 2010 presentation (via Click/Clash) featured as a major bright point on my radar last month. Self-taught designer Maya Lake unites precise, lady-like silhouettes with exuberant African wax block print fabrics, resulting in a collection of demure yet fresh pieces. Thankfully for us shopaholics, resort pieces are already cropping up for purchase in BK's online store. I'm especially keen on the shorts, pants and standout jumpers, not to mention the cut-out oxfords from a collaboration with the esteemed Osborn.

extending the olive branch

After an oh-too-long hiatus, one of my favorite vintage eBay destinations has re-emerged and transformed into a fully fledged webstore! The Olive Shoppe, originally based in California, has gone nomadic and set up business in Beijing. In addition to her signature pyrotechnic styling and top notch vintage goodies, owner and operator Elaine has added a tightly edited selection of avant garde and of-the-nanosecond new clothes as well. As a testament to the devotion of her hardcore followers, a significant amount of her stock has already been sold within a few days! Never fear, though, as new items will be added weekly. I tell ya...if the photos aren't enough to draw you in, this surely will: Code "GRATITUDE" gets you 20% off through June 1.

i'm dreamecho...

Wow! Out of 75 entries, my spotty duds have been selected as one of four finalists in The Glamourai's polka dot outfit contest. The winner gets a $150 gift certificate to shop at Kelly's webshop. If you think I deserve to win, please cast your vote for me in the comments here, by tomorrow, Friday at 12 noon EST. I'm kind of late on posting on this, but thanks to all who have voted for me thus far!

Image source: ddpool on Flickr.

circular logic

Eons ago, I went balls to the wall with my penchant for limiting ensembles to a single print—stripes, fauna, space-dye and plaid all got their moment in the spotlight. It's only now, though, that I have enough polka dotted pieces to round out a full look, and yet I've been mildly resisting a full-on explosion of globes. I think it's because I viewed the act as one of being stuck in a rut, the repeated pairing of like with like. To be sure, it's not a bad groove to travel in—it's just that I prefer to challenge myself whenever possible.

Subconsciously, I must've wanted to hit repeat, because when Kelly from The Glamourai put out a call just such behavior, I took the bait. Clearly, it takes very little persuasion to send me trotting in circles for just a bit longer. I threw on a number of orb-ed printed garments and, for the first time this year, came out of hibernation to bust some moves.



Outfit: Club Monaco bow blouse, vintage Liz Claiborne dress from Mother's Daughter, vintage sheer pants, No.6 clogs, brooch on "loan" from Mom, H&M studded belt.

sir mix-a-lot

It's taken me a while to observe this, but when I take photos on my deck, I'm less inclined to pose dramatically. The photos tend to come out looking goofy and sad otherwise, and the environs are not conducive to the necessarily fantasy-esque aspects of modeling theatrics. In a fit of rebellion during the past winter (hence the sparse branches), I decided to make do with what I had and flexed those rusty limbs anyway. Lemonade and all that, right?


Outfit: H&M striped top, Triple 5 Soul jacket, vintage floral pants, We Love Colors socks, LD Tuttle boots, F21 necklace.

awakened from a blackout

This work ensemble hails from just last month. (I'm catching up to realtime ever, ever so slowly.) The skirt was purchased circa 1998, for performing with my school's concert band. With the current, interminable 90s and accompanying maxi skirt revivals, I felt it was an appropriate moment to pull this piece out from the dreamecho wardrobe archives

Over the past few years, a number of readers have remarked on my being an engineer while maintaining my style. To you cheerleaders out there, let me just say that I greatly appreciate the kind words. I get the sense, though, that there's some misunderstanding that I actually wear, say, sequin capelets plus stripes plus gingham to the office. The fact of the matter is, I do nothing of the sort! I'm a die-hard denim and classics devotee. It's an atypical day when I get really gussied up. So, you can probably understand why I've been wanting to figure out an efficient way to make distinct what's workwear and what's "NSFW"—the latter, obviously, being tongue-in-cheek for play clothes. Until I settle those issues, along with other possible minor organizational changes that continue to nag at me, I'll keep trucking on as I have been, describing the circumstances of the outfit in meandering verbiage such as this.


Outfit: H&M ruffle top, H&M tuxedo jacket, Gap parka, Club Monaco scarf, Evolution not Revolution skirt, Bass patent leather loafers, Unearthen x Alexandra Cassaniti vial necklace.

clearly, somebody needs to get with the seasonal program

Speaking of wanting sneakers that work well in the cooler months.... Why, hey—it's a fall '09 outfit!

I worked that in pretty smoothly...eh?

*crickets*

Outfit: Vintage boys sweatshirt, AA jean skirt, drugstore tights (navy, not black!), Jeffrey Campbell oxfords, F21 necklace, Gap belt.

flora and fauna

As I was flicking through the latest Anthropologie catalog, I came across an artful jumble of canvas kicks. I'm sure you can picture it: Staged just so, so as to give off the look that a small flock of carefree indie girls had returned to their summer beach house and ever so casually kicked off their shoes as they dreamily ambled towards shabby chic couches upon which they would drape their necessarily lithe bodies about in various poses of languor.

Ahem.

Anyway, I was curious as to the brand of the shoes and—since Anthro and baby sis Urban Outfitters apparently have a congenital defect that prevents them from listing the names of designers whose work is featured in their very pages—I checked online to see who made them. Upon ascertaining the sneakers were by Superga, I proceeded to hit up trusty Zappos for a wider selection. Out of the webpage sprang some hairy zebra-striped sneaks. (Limited edition, on sale, blahblahblah.) Indeed, they are reminiscent of the Opening Ceremony x Keds collaboration, but I am partial to Superga's black midsole and overall sturdier look. And, even though nobody puts Baby in a corner/does a light summer trainer like Keds, the more substantial Supergas have the benefit of looking better with both summer and winter outfits. (When one's bundled from head to toe, it can be mighty tough to pull off flimsy looking shoes.)

Another patterned kick carving out a modicum of mindspace as of late is this floral iteration from the New Balance x Nine West collaboration. My mild aversion to printed Converse loosely extends to all trainers, but I'll surely make an exception for these ditsy buds on my feet.

Background image: Dandelion.

it's showtime

Hiking in Maine. Nowhere near as treacherous as it looks.

Apparently, once one stops blogging, starting up again is quite the task. To clarify, I haven't been interning in NYC all this time. When I first got back, I was immensely busy playing catch up at work and with slumber. This doesn't account for the entirety of my absence, though. I've also spent much time reading books, watching movies, walking for the sheer pleasure of the motion, basking in the sun and quasi-crafting. And those are just the tactile activities—it goes without saying that many an hour were spent on self-reflection, experience cataloging, development of concepts and revisions of goals. There were moments when I thought that I ought to get back to blogging, but the satisfaction of partaking in the aforementioned activities always won over. Quite simply, I had come to enjoy life as a private citizen.

Whether it takes a great deal out of oneself or not, the act of displaying oneself, online, requires performance at a unique plane of existence. A heightened awareness, of one's experiences, is certainly at work; at the same time, I think there's a lack of awareness or, rather, disregard for confidentiality. The level of readership is irrelevant—you're out there, publicly, for the world's observation.

Blogging, then, is truly at odds with my primarily reclusive nature. Like the ocean's tides, there's a perpetual push-pull. Sometimes I enjoy coming out to frolic and engage on the shore, other times I find my peace in retreat, seclusion. And, yet, turtle-nature and all, there's something I find quite satisfying in publishing—that composing of a compendium of my fashion cravings, experiments and achievements. (Surely the word 'achievements' is none to great for describing outfits that have made one happy!)

All this is my roundabout way of greeting ye and catching ye up, once again.

working girl

Once again, I've dropped the blogging ball—but not without good reason! I've taken some time off of my normal gig and routine to head to the Big Apple for fashion week. As it is, I'm already in the trenches interning for Generra. With Christina and Swaim Hutson (of the shuttered Obedient Sons and Daughters) now at its creative helm, the former eighties cult and relauched noughties nondescript jersey line is set for major rebirth, part two. (Click here for more insight into the rejuvenation.) Over the past few days, I've spent the vast majority of my waking hours either parked in their design room painting wares or trekking about the landscape to scavenge for accessories. Our small team's efforts will culminate in this Friday's show, and I am psyched to be playing but a microscopic part in making it happen.

On Saturday, I'll be interning for another designer's show—more info to come later! On another note, as you've probably come to expect from me, activity here will be virtually non-existent for the next couple of weeks. If I hadn't already established a healthy track record of spotty posting, I'd tell you not to worry, that I'll return. But you already know the drill: I eventually find my way back, one way or another. Until then, keep it real. Thanks for your continued interest in this little ole blog o' mine!

taking cue from an imaginary dinosaur

It's been jeansjeansjeans around the clock since winter traipsed in, but these lilac tights, a gift from We Love Colors (thanks, Heather!), were worth getting gussied up for. Ever since I got into snazzy legwear, WLC's microfiber tights have been my go-to for opaque, rainbow-saturated, sturdy tights. I ain't kidding here—I think I have them in 15 different colors?

In other personal disclosures, allow me to 'fess up to the inspiration for this outfit: Barney the Dinosaur. I loathe the show, but the excruciatingly saccharine T. Rex did get it right in combining purple and green.

Outfit: H&M ruffle jacket, UO silk top, Label sheer dress, vintage velvet minidress, We Love Colors tights, vintage Papagallo oxfords, F21 necklace.

playing ketchup

Playing outfit catch up, per usual. Conserving words as well. But for what it's worth, a story about the tweed jacket: It's by Trovata, and I found it at the Barneys outlet store a year ago in Hawaii. 'Twas a bizarre unearthing to say the least; certainly, they do sell a modicum of cold weather gear in the islands, but it's no oasis of wool and down. The people there, uh, generally aren't in the market for such things. In any case, the jacket was something like 70% off and a no-brainer for this Beantown-based lass.

Outfit: Deborah Sweeney bow blouse, Trovata tweed jacket, faux fur collar from Gap parka, BDG jeans, We Love Colors socks, Pierre Hardy x Gap sandals, Gap belt, Piel backpack, glasses necklace.

extracurricular activities

In an attempt to a) share some of my non-fashion activities with all y'all and b) indulge in my list-making tendencies, I've decided to start a brand spanking new, quasi-regular series called Extracurricular Activities. It's kind of like nogoodforme's "Snapshot: Listening, Watching, Reading, Wearing, Wanting," except that it won't have Listening (because my musical life is fairly static in progression), Wearing and Wanting (because, this being first and foremost a fashion blog, I usually make separate posts out of the latter two). However, given that I spend hours each week slouching on the seats of the MBTA's various subways and buses, in conjunction with being a devout BOOKWORM FOR LIFE, you can count on the Reading category to be perpetually in flux. The Watching category should also stay active, if the three DVDs per week binge that I've been on for the past few months is any indication. Also, I may or may not toss in a third, wild card category each week; first time around we'll start with Eating.

Sit back, relax and scroll down for a break from my sporadic sartorial updates.

Reading

Finished The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham, and so glad to be done with it! Appreciated the point of the book, but can't say I'm much into Maugham's style of story-telling over story-showing. Towards the end of Razor, started side flings with not one but two YAs: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.

Watching

It's been one big orgy of DVD watching these days: The Unbelievable Truth, The Lost Boys, WALL-E, Out of Africa, Synecdoche, New York. Also rented Gilmore Girls Season 7 because I had lost TV reception right before the series finale. Finally, closure after 2 1/2 years! I love that series to pieces—the intro song alone sends me into sobs! Wrapped up a spree of Carnivale (topmost image), which must be one of the most epic and extravagant TV series ever. Like Twin Peaks and Lost in its languidly unraveling mystery, but so beyond in costume and setting.

Eating
Gnawing on ever-evolving attempts at homemade mac and cheese with aged cheddar and steamed broccoli. Also enjoying Trader Joe's Steamer Clams in garlic butter sauce with linguine, as recommended on Luxirare.

i like a strong brow

For literally two years, I'd been on the prowl for some sturdy browline glasses, à la Malcolm X. My first pair, a cheapie costume iteration off of eBay, rocked but were only for show. I needed some spectacles that were well-made enough to handle prescription lenses. Vintage eyewear shops seemed the logical solution but yielded nada. Moscot's Yukiel, meanwhile, appeared promising but was contingent upon a visit to NYC to give them a spin. My paws were about thrown up in surrender when, lo and behold, Meggy from Fashion for Writers premiered her ivory frames from SEE. After she confirmed my inquiries of other colorways, I decided it was time to pay the retailer a visit. Long story of multiple visits (to ensure that this was the frame) short, I got myself some snazzy new specs. These are first pair I've ever had that actually possess enough pizazz to step out of the house in, and dang if it wasn't worth the two year wait.

P.S. Tall thanks are in order for Fumika and Katie at SEE's Harvard Square branch! Two of the sassiest and most charismatic people I've met, they adeptly answered my questions and listened patiently to my diatribes about not being able to find stylish frames for low nose bridge persons like myself. Two thumbs way up!