Thanks to each and everyone of you for the lovely comments! Unfortunately, I won't be able to reply until next week. I'm back in Honolulu right now, catching up with family and friends. With sporadic Internet access at best, I'll probably be away from the blogosphere for a week or so. That also means "living in the outskirts, part trois" will be put on hold. Until then, Happy Holidays to everyone and I look forward to catching up on all your wonderful blogs when I return!
I'm not a skirt-person per se, but right now skirts are bringing me oodles and noodles and kit 'n kaboodles of joy. In Part Un of "living in the outskirts", a short, flouncy denim skirt flew high as a Batgirl-cape. Now I've taken my fifth and final NYC thrift find for a drive around the town. Hailing from the Spence-Chapin Thrift Shop, this black and off-white, animal print number has full pleats and a button-down front (or back). As soon as I saw this skirt, I knew I had to have her. No doubt about it. There was one caveat, however: The waistband was a little too snug! Even at the narrowest part of my torso, the waistband was still rather constricting. But as we all know, there's nothing like a dilemma to get the mental engine chugging. There was no two ways about it, I was going to make this skirt work. So began my motivation for a long session of topsy-turvy experimentation: Like a ride down Maui's infamous Hana Highway, the journey took varied twists and turns. There were pit stops for refueling (sustenance) and defueling (of...oh, you know...), as well as breaks to photograph notable sights.
After a few false starts, I decided to stop trying and simply leave the top button undone. In doing so, I gained an extra couple of inches to work with (i.e., breathe in). Of course, I didn't just leave it hanging open like I went to the john and spaced out -- I folded the fly and waistband down over a belt. It's kinda like how you might roll down your boxers or sweatpants (and I'm talkin' 'bout real sweatpants, not the pseudo-, bling-bling, velour variety). The difference, though, is that the waist band does not fully connect; therefore, the belt buckle still shows. This is a pretty subtle twist, handy for the post-holiday feast bulge. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if these photos illustrate that "twist" very well. If you're not following me at this point, hold on a little longer. The next image and description might be more telling.
With the top button undone and the fly thusly open, I was inspired to hike the skirt up a little. Essentially, this is the tried and true skirt-as-dress trick. The difference, however, is that I grabbed the two points (where the skirt typically buttons) and attached suspenders to them. The resulting neckline is multiple increments more graceful than the typical horizontal line we get from regular skirt-dresses. And, since the front of the waistband is hiked up higher than the back, we see a flowier, more goddess-like look (as opposed to the "Hello, I'm wearing a lampshade" style).
Our final destination is skirt-as-blouse. You already saw me do a dry run with this in Part Un, but we get a totally different look with a full, knee-length, pleated skirt. To rein in all the volume, I belted the front half at the waist. In the back, I put the belt under the skirt for a caped-feel. Kimono sleeve party time!
(1) UO/Lux rouge/blue striped button-down top worn backwards, thrifted black/off-white animal-print skirt, We Love Colors gold tights, Moda Spana taupe wedge suede pumps. (2) BCBG Max Azria cream print camisole, Patrick Robinson for Target white pleated vest, thrifted skirt, cream wool leggings, Jeffrey Campbell black leather flats, So Good Jewelry cream/black chainlink necklace, Nine West black leather belt. (3) BCBG Max Azria green ruffled chiffon blouse, thrifted skirt, vintage Bass red leather jazz shoes, navy blue suspenders, F21 gold chainlink necklace on H&M black necklace. (4) Thrifted skirt, J Brand jeans, Jeffrey Campbell black flats, H&M black mesh headband, Nine West black and white belts.
Interactive fashion websites are a dime a dozen nowadays, with what feels like a billion outfit-posting communities. With my perpetually busy schedule and trying to pack for a trip, the last thing I need is more virtual fashion temptation. Allison from Polished Wardrobe Advising dangled the StyleShake bait in front of me earlier this week, but I had to refrain lest I spend another four hours of my day online.
It was only a few weeks ago that I had been hearing whispers and mumblings about Polyvore, the "free, web-based tool for creating collages and scrapbooks". I first caught whiff of the hungry fashion community in the context of Fierce Factor, the LiveJournal competition that pits aspiring stylist against aspiring stylist. (Incidentally, I do believe Fierce Factor is run by Camilla from Glam & Tonic.) Apparently the competition requires one to compose her outfit submissions in Polyvore. After that, slowly but surely Polyvore crept into my consciousness until I could avoid it no longer. I finally broke down and went to the site the other day, thinking I would just breeze through it ("to sample the functionality", I justified). Unfortunately, the greeting page is set up to lure in those on the fence. "Try it!" the site nudges. Well, try it, I did. I made the above collage with images uploaded by others. (I think the quality is poor since I created it in the trial area and not as a registered member.)
Polyvore users are able to snatch web images, such as a pair of shoes from Zappos or a background image from Photobucket, as well as access other people's images; from this collection members can cobble together entire looks. Like any other social networking site, Polyvore also has capability for sharing, commenting and rating. The company itself was started by ex-Yahoo software engineer Pasha Sadri and has the potential to earn some serious revenue. Each consumer good featured has a link back to its original online retailer; if the item is purchased, Polyvore could very well make a percentage. To the best of my knowledge, this has not gone into effect yet. It is, however, food for thought...
In spite of my perseverance, I have succumbed to the polyvorous creature in me. Let this be a warning to you: Polyvore is addictive. Addictive as salt and vinegar chips. You'll want to gobble and chomp your way through dress after hat after dress, making outfits 'til you're stuffed to the gills.
No doubt, Jean-Pierre Braganza's Spring 2008 collection had me at "hello". I couldn't chime in with the rest of the admirers, though, until I processed it all a smidgen more. (Yet again wondering if I should have called my blog "Style Snail"....?) Yes, the meticulous tailoring and jaw-dropping shapes were sublime. But I wanted to understand more, to understand where Braganza was coming from and what his sensibilities were. What was this show, "Convincement", all about? I wanted to be able to appreciate Braganza's work in the most frivolous ways and in the depths of my soul. To fully fall under Braganza's influence, I examined what was perhaps the biggest key to his style: the names of his collections.
"Shakespearerotica" immediately leads us to literature, to tragedy, passion, ego, vice and sensuality, while "Mytholactica" reminisces of the gods, the ethereal and imaginary, and perhaps even space, as in "galactica". Next we have "Testamental" again ringing bibliophile bells, this time of a biblical nature; the "mental" part of the word possibly indicating a religious sort of fanaticism or madness. "Hubristerical" strikes chords of pride and hysteria; "Subtyrannical" seems subterrannean and oppressive; "Plutonicon" also points to the underworld. "Genus Ravenous" is clearly a play on the biological classification system, but "ravenous" in particular makes me think of a primal, savage hunger. From the battles in Greek mythology to Pluto, the ruler of the dark side, a sense of violence and death dwells beneath all these names.
Then we arrive at Spring's "Convincementavia". The "-avia" leaves me a little bewildered. Does it denote flight or is it just the pretty ending of a word? "Convincement", on the other hand, gives us so much food for thought. We all know what it means to be convinced; it means we have been persuaded and now believe in something. In its obsolete form, to convince also means to overcome, to overpower. And in the Quaker culture, convincement specifically refers to the persuasion to the high path, a surrender to a higher power.
Taken all together, I see a dark seduction running through the veins of Braganza's work. Quietly blended with the streamlined is the allure of submission and dominance, the celestial, the otherworldly, the underworld. There's a yielding to an ardently commanding temptress, a relinquishment of the self to the obsessive shadows. Like others, I was hardly able to resist the eerie charm and crisp craft of Braganza's work. But now.... But now I am completely swayed...and absolutely under its intoxicating spell.
As you'll see in the following post, I have a subtle obsession with darkness. When I glimpsed this photograph by Tung Walsh for Qvest Magazine, I simply stared, entranced. Mahret from F&ART has scanned the entire editorial, but it is this photo that particularly captures my attention. I love the shades of brown, the texture provided from the two sets of laces (one up the boots and one down the pants) and the blouse pleats...and the sinister aura. This image gives me shivers and makes me uncomfortable in a eerily romantic manner.
Walsh is also known for a controversial (and, in my opinion, hurtful) shoot with American Apparel pieces for i-D. However, some of his other work for the magazine is of a purely delightful wicked nature.
In what might be the first rumblings of celebrity on this blog, I unabashedly declare that I am fascinated with Chloë Sevigny. It goes without saying, then, that I was amongst those bouncing up and down on her tippy toes in keen anticipation of Chloë Sevigny for Opening Ceremony. First there was the Liberty printed, handwritten invitation to the cream of the cream; articles, interviews and photos flooded out later in September. Preliminary public response was less than gleeful, as many felt the look was too niche and unflattering for the masses. I, too, was a speck crestfallen but for dissimilar reasons. I was expecting uniquely constructed statement pieces of the sort to make me wheeze frenetically and jump on the first Fung Wah to Opening Ceremony in 
That being said, I still adore these looks as a whole. I'd also gladly take any of these kind clothes into my home, had I the occasion. I suppose the letdown lies in the fact that the resourceful and hoardful amongst us can harvest these looks on our own -- the culmination of sniffing around thrift shops, idling in boutiques, obsessing on eBay, scurrying through H&M and picking at (or deep sea diving through) years-old stash squirreled away in our personal wardrobes. Quite simply, none of the CS for OC items are a standout on their own. The flipside of all this is that if you hunger for the frumpy-sexed up-country club-rebel style (which I do!), you can achieve its effervescence without ever having stepped a ballet flat in the Big Apple. So that's what I did.
Come January when the line unleashes on the public, I may be considering the five-hour bus ride to NYC/Opening Ceremony; for now, I've crafted my own Sevingy-inspired outfit. I actually didn't start out trying to cull crumbs of Chloë, but in due course I realized I was subconsciously going for the stick-in-the-mud-hot-prep-punk attitude. Once that switch went on, I found enhanced focus for the outfit. The elements are all very Chloë, from the mini-florals to the FBI G-man glasses to the black leather over-the-ankle boots. I've also got prairie (yes, once an admitted inspiration from the blase, golden horse's mouth itself) down with the poufy sleeves and pale gold vest. Obviously, I'm no Chloë (why would I want to be anyone else besides me?) but I am loving her motley-hodgepodge-mish mash-jumble-medley influence....
Deborah Sweeney floral silk bow blouse, H&M gold wool vest, Cheap Monday jeans, Ash black leather lace-up boots, eBay glasses.
At times you might catch me in a meditative state, trying to sneak little moment of Zen into my day. The rest of the nutty time, however, I'm one fidgety nerd. Part of it is that I like to move, I like to work with my hands. Another part of it is that I don't just see how things are; I see how they could be. And when I see how things could be, and could be better, I take the action needed to make that change. While I try to apply this philosophy to the rest of my life, I also employ this in what I wear. Some days I'll go into work sporting one outfit and walk out donning a completely different look -- without ever having added or subtracted a single item of garb. Instead, I'll have fussed with buttons and strings, turning things inside out and upside down. (My serendipitious sweater-halter, a.k.a the impromptu spaghetti bib, comes to mind....)
The final item from my much-much-much-overly-blabbed-about NYC thrift trip was a skirt that I described as malleable. I saved it for a separate post, not only for its versatility, but because I wanted to include it in a mini-series on skirts. What I realized is that skirts in general are quite moldable. In all, I have three skirts, each a different style, that can be worn in more than one way. As usual, I've already taken all the pics...just give me time to crop and resize and write!
But enough with the introduction. First up is this short, flouncy indigo denim skirt. I found it at Urban Outfitters awhile back for only 5 USD. In the above pic, I'm wearing it as intended (i.e., as a skirt). Truth be told, though, I don't wear it very much for fear of breezes and staircase climbing. As such, Poor Ms. Flouncy sleeps the long sleep, relegated to the bottom of the clothing heap.
Then the Fall 2007 Lanvin show sashayed along on its endless legs. Its purple cape-dress provided much inspiration for many a DIY-er. I, too, was inspired, but before reaching for the needle and thread, a fluorescent light bulb popped on in my head. (Indeed, the fluorescent light bulb was installed for conserving precious brainpower. The way I see it, the more energy I save by not DIY-ing, the more energy I can put towards outfit- and brownie-making.)
Eureka! exulted my brain. You can wear the skirt as a mini-cape! Why, yes, my dear noodle, that's not a bad idea at all. So on went the skirt over my noggin, settling down on my shoulders. I immediately loved the effect, but it took me several weeks before I could connect all the dots. "Slim" seemed the glaringly obvious choice for the rest of the outfit, but how to implment that? My usual default of skinny jeans was the quick and painless answer, but I pushed onward in hopes of one-upping myself. The use of several different colored separates seemed amature and incoherent. Eventually, I realized that I was loving the Batgirl vibrations I was getting from it, so I decided to make for the dark side (which, by the way, is not an uncommon place for dreamecho to dwell). Everything soon fell into black place, with small details like lace socks over fishnets and a black big studded bracelet over the shirt cuff. I may be a smidgen late for the Halloween gala, but to that, I say pah. Come midsummer, I'll still be the impish bat, perched on the steps of the Boston Public Library engrossed in her copy of Notes from Underground.
1) H&M animal print bow blouse, Rebecca Taylor taupe wool blazer, UO/Lux flouncy denim skirt, Enzo Angiolini white square-toe flats, Nine West white leather belt. (2) Express black/tan striped oxford, UO/Lux flouncy denim skirt, UO/Lux black shorts, Givenchy black fishnets, F21 black lace socks, Dolce Vita black leather jazz shoes, Banana Republic black skinny belt looped through skirt belt loops, F21 black stud bracelet.
Finally, we get to the CLOTHES! I've been yammering on about posting my NYC thrift finds for-EH-ver, so I don't blame you if you became weary while lingering around for them. Before we continue, let us take this moment to thank Captain Lauren for kindly taking the timid dreamecho aboard the S.S. Fops and Dandies. She expertly navigated us through the rocky waters of the NYC shopping-scape.
[Moment of silence.]
Now, all of the thrift stores we visited were in the Upper East Side. I bought five items of clothing in all, but only four of them are featured here. The fifth piece is sooo...let us say malleable, that it deserves a post unto itself.
From the Spence-Chapin Thrift Shop came this wool, pinky-taupe Sonia Rykiel for Henri Bendel sweater-tunic. Maybe it could pass for a dress, but I don't really want to go there (that is, "not there"). Without any sense of shame, I am gladly about to tell you that this was Lauren's cast off: Lauren mused over it for awhile, but decided against it because of her coloring and the extra-long sleeves. Well, we actually have similar coloring, so that should have been reason enough for me not to get it, but I could not resist the pretty color (my coloring be damned!). I also could hardly resist the siren call of the collared, cowl-like material around the neck. The top is meant to be buttoned, but I prefer to leave it unbuttoned to show the additional material. Later, when I arrived back at my Cambridge digs, I realized that the sleeves looked cute folded up. Long-sleeve problem solved!
(1) Thrifted Sonia Rykiel for Henri Bendel pinky-taupe tunic, Patrick Robinson for Target brown cotton shorts, Cronet aubergine thigh-highs, Chloe brown leather flats, F21 gold chainlink necklace hung on an H&M black thin chain.
Earlier in the day, we pulled into port at the Arthritis Thrift Shop. Here, I found two items: a deep seafoam green, wool skirt from Ungaro and a silky, mauve top by I. Magnin. The top is nothing special, just a normal T-shirt sort of thing, but I loved the color and think it will prove handy for layering.
The skirt comes with many loveable features: tulip style with top pleats, pockets and, of course, the color. You may notice the shiny material peeking out of the bottom. That's actually the lining. Silly me, I decided to wash the skirt; while the wool shell shrank, the lining didn't. I haven't decided if I like that extra layer enought to leave it there or if I should bother to take it up a bit.
(2) Calvin Klein black tank, thrifted Ungaro green wool skirt, Faryl Robin black platforms. (3) Thrifted I. Magnin mauve top, H&M mens' army green jacket, thrifted Ungaro green wool skirt, space-dyed tights, Moda Spana taupe suede wedges, H&M purple wool beret, F21 tan wooden and plastic beaded necklaces.
CancerCare Thrift Shop makes up the last of this triumvirate of thrift stores. After awhile, I started to realize that I was picking up mostly plain things -- nothing on the flashy side. Oh, well. Every day can't be a gaudy day. Here we have this heavy, navy blue skirt with dangly gold trimmings over faux pockets. It also has some pleats at the bottom (I do seem to be going on about pleats these days...) that these photos have failed to capture. I got a sense of conservative-nautical from this skirt, so I immediately counteracted it with a zebra print. Va-va-voom.
I hope.
(4) Calvin Klein black tank, thrifted navy blue skirt, Jeffrey Campbell black flats. (5) Calvin Klein white tank, F21 zebra print tunic worn backwards, thrifted navy blue skirt, American Apparel cobalt blue socks, Faryl Robin black platforms, F21 gold chainlink necklace (not really visible).
For more thrifting fun in the UES, check this out.
Slowly but surely, I am catching up on my November New York shopping trip goodies. Of course, the ever-prompt Fops and Dandies managed to get hers up in record time, but I cannot move nearly as fast. Thank you for bearing with the dawdling turtle that I am. And now, for your viewing pleasure, are some pics from the December 2007 issue of So-En. As I mentioned earlier, So-En is Japan's first fashion magazine; I grabbed with my cupcaked-sticky fingers my own copy from Kinokuniya in NYC.
This editorial was simply named "Accessory". To some of you, this may be nothing special, but I'm still enrolled in Accessories 101 at Fashion University (FU, for short....). We in this course are just learning how to don adornment without looking like we fell into the clearance vat at Claire's Accessories. These looks give me hope that one day I, too, will be able-accessoried.
Yes, yes! If you can possibly believe it, I've finally photographed all my treasures from last month's NYC shopping trip - but I just don't have time to crop and resize them all! In the meantime, you'll just have to settle for my completely random fussing around with two pairs of colored tights. One pair is a bright blue (a cerulean so radioactive that, in my analog life, co-workers shielded their eyes from...); the other, a violet-y purple. This time around, I was dabbling with neutral clothes agains the bolder tights. Keen eyes will notice that the two outer outfits are identical, barring a change in shoes. That's where you come in (yay for feedback!): Which do you prefer: red shoes or taupe?
(1) Express grey camisole, Lux charcoal drapey top, Rebecca Taylor taupe wool blazer, Burfitt blue skirt, Alloy blue tights, Dolce Vita red leather pointy-toe flats. (2) Calvin Klein black tank top, H&M grey cardigan, H&M black shorts, We Love Colors purple tights, grey faux-suede wedge booties. (3) Same as (1), but with Moda Spana taupe suede wedge pumps.
Background: A subtle rainbow
Without further ado (because it seems there sure was a whole lot of that going on), here are the FRUiTS December 2007 photos I planned on sharing. I have never been terribly gung-ho about Japanese streetstyle, but what I am fast learning from these creative creatures is that their genius is in the details. Whether it be in the cocky angle of a leopard-print bowtie (photo #2), a highwaisted pants fly hanging down (photo #10), or even some scars on the leg of a helluva scrappy chica (photo #8), one can see these females' attitudes in the most minuscule of elements.
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© 2007-2010 dreamecho
