My Little Underground

Lately, I've been struggling with the perfect blogging schedule. Ideally, I would post every day, and for a couple months I was able to do that. Now my life is getting busier, my Internet connection is spottier, and opportunities to take pictures don't arrive until well after the sun is down. I could take a couple quick photos and post the details of where everything came from, but I don't know if that would interest the handful of readers I've somehow managed to attract to this site. However if I wait until the stars line up perfectly, it could well be a week or two. As a new blog, I know I've got to establish some regularity in posts but at the same time keep the quality top notch. So I ask you, especially those of you who do not know me in real life, what topics would you like to see? More designer showcases? Blogger spotlights? Season style guides? Book/music/recipe suggestions? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

To be honest, I can't get enough of these shorts that I snagged last month. I find their my default choice when I'm feeling lazy or uninspired. While searching through my closet for a complimentary top, I came across this polo I bought on a trip to San Francisco when I lived in California. I can't find any information about the designer, but it has a definite Miu Miu vibe, except that it was bought two years prior to her collection's debut.

These pictures were shot outside Franklin Square, a beautiful park in the historic old city district of Philadelphia. They just renovated it a few years ago to include an old school merry-go-round and mini-golf course. I wanted to get pictures on the merry-go-round, but there were dozens of families and I could feel my cheeks turning crimson at the idea of trying to do a photoshoot in front of them. Instead, we opted to shoot in front of the entrance to the park, which I think may have even turned out better.

Polo- Energie
Shorts- vintage (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)
Bracelet- flea market
Shoes- vintage Report (Retrospect- Philadelphia, PA)
Sunglasses- Urban Outfitters

Year Long Summer

The calendar may say we've got another month of spring, but the weather in Philadelphia begs to differ. With ice cream trucks, slip and slides, and trips down the shore on my mind, today seemed like a perfect day to put together my entry for Chictopia's "Moxie Sweet Summer Style" contest. The premise is to put together a killer summer look and detail your must haves for staying stylish in the summer heat.

To me, there's nothing better in the summer than a sweet sun dress, the shorter the better. May close attention to fabric choice too. There's a ton of great cotton or jersey dresses available this season and they don't have to look plain or casual if paired with the right accessories. Sleeveless dresses are comfortable and stylish, and can easily be transformed from a day to night look by pairing with a t-shirt underneath.

Speaking of which, winter accessories are much different from summer accessories. While a pair of black tights and knit scarf may have been your best friend during the cold months, you're going to die in the sun if you try that in July. Stick with final touches that don't add any weight or layers, like a belt or jewelry. Sunglasses should already be a part of your wardrobe, but if you don't have a solid pair, now is the time to invest. There's no sense risking permanent damage to your eyes and stores like Urban Outfitters always seem to have great pairs on sale. If you live in a humid city like I do, ask your stylist about frizz-fighting products so that you don't have to spend the entire summer rocking a pony tail. I use Redkin shampoo and conditioner, John Freida leave in conditioner and Frizz Ease serum, and Ruskin flat iron protection spray.

Dress- Silence and Noise (via Urban Outfitters)

Shirt- Mandee

Belt- Divided (via H&M)

Shoes- thrifted Sam Edelman (Philly AIDS Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: Urban Outfiters

Please take a look at my entry on Chictopia and vote if you're into it!

Bikeage

Ok, ok. I think I'm back with some regularity now. It's been a weird couple weeks and I'm ready to return to some semblance of normalcy. Today was spent working on an installation at Moore College of Art and Design (my ex future alma mater, before I dropped out in 2007) for the Philadelphia Bike Expo. The event isn't until October 30-31, but they're getting a head start on publicity by displaying bikes crafted by local handmade bike builders. Today self-taught builder and all around awesome guy Chris Wright dropped off a beautiful Parisian light cargo bike, and we got some pretty sweet bags from REload, who I featured back in April. It was pretty weird being back on my old stomping grounds, but everyone was super nice and the security guard even remembered me from four years ago!

I knew today was going to be a busy one, so I didn't want to be limited by a skirt or dress. There's nothing like standing on the top rung of a ladder to hang something and wondering who's looking up. In a rush to get down to Moore on time, I inadvertently grabbed one of my favorite shirts that I always forget I still own. Violent Society is an old local band that I guess you can say "made it big" in the street punk world. Their singer, Pat, has been an old friend for years now and hooked me up with this sweet shirt. It originally was a size large or so, but I reconstructed it into a tank top right away. I pretty much wore this thing to death from ages 16-19. The cotton is worn down so much that it gains new rips and tears with each use and the silk screened lettering is peeling off. It still fits like a glove and reminds me of my scrappy punk youth.

As much as I look back on my past with a smile, I am indeed 23 now and can't get away with leopard print skirts and turquoise hair. I'll always fondly remember cramming in to a sweaty basement to watch my friends bands play and hanging outside the beer store waiting for a homeless guy to buy us 40s. Of course, it's also nice to be able to get into 21+ shows and order gin on the rocks at the bar.

I got a few shots of Ray for the Bilenky Cycles blog and of course, he couldn't help being a turd and impersonating my poses in his pictures.

I hate to say it, but he pretty much nailed it.

Tank Top: gift

Jean: Forever 21

Scarf: vintage Anne Klein (Antique Mall- Philadelphia, PA)

Belt: vintage Levi Strauss (Sweet Jane Vintage- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes: thrifted (Philly AIDS Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Welcome to the Working Week

Oh my god, I can't believe it's been over a week since I wrote a proper blog entry. The past couple weeks have been crazy ones, but everything should be settling back down. Or, at the very least, I should be able to get myself somewhere with an Internet connection on a regular basis. I start courses at the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, so at the very least, I can blog before/after class.

If you thought this outfit doesn't seem like a typical choice for me, you're right. I had a spur of the moment interview (that turned out to be garbage, but that's a whole other story) and put this look together that morning in a mad rush. I bought this Express jacket from a closet exchange a few weeks ago and immediately started salivating over the possibilities. As it turns out, it's a bit harder than I thought to rock a tuxedo jacket without looking like a real estate agent. However, I think the blazer as appropriate for the interview, where I was told to dress "business casual". I hate that term and it always makes me think of Seinfeld:

GEORGE
Hey, she wants me to dress uh "smart casual." What uh, what is that?


JERRY
I don't know, but you don't have it.

As I was uploading the photos, I realized this is an all thrifted/vintage outfit, minus the sunglasses. I usually stay away from all thrift looks because I usually only end up buying eclectic, funky clothes/shoes/accessories from thrift shops. I tend to cheap places like H&M or Forever 21 for basic staples that I know will either be out of style soon or won't last very long due to shotty craftsmanship. But I think this outfit works, and it cost me under $25!

Dress: thrifted (Goodwill- Morgan Hill, CA)

Blazer: vintage Express Design Studio (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)
Shoes: vintage Report (Retrospect- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: Urban Outfiters

Quick Update!

I swear, I'm not dead! My internet connection is still unsteady and combined with a busy weekend and my car breaking down, I've had my hands full the past couple days. I realize this is terrible timing, as I just got a surge of subscribers in the past few days, but I promise I'll have new posts up shortly.

Cheers,

Molly

Dead By 23

Sometimes I feel like such a hack of a blogger. I haven't been able to update the past few days because I couldn't pick up an internet signal. That's right, I don't even have a steady internet connection. Worst little blogger.

So this outfit is actually from Thursday, when I went out to dinner with my family for a belated birthday celebration. We were going to Blue Sage, a nice vegetarian restaurant, so I wanted to dress up a bit. This is certainly fancier than I typically dress, although it's actually a pretty simple outfit. I found this Forever 21 dress at a thrift store earlier that day and couldn't wait to wear it. There's really nothing all that special, but the color is so rich and compliments my skin tone really well.

I feel like such a grown up wearing a shawl. I don't know why, but it just seems so fancy and adult. I guess it reminds me of my mom. She's got an enormous scarf and shawl collection that I'm pretty jealous of. I've never worn this style, but it instantly classes up a look and kept me pretty warm on a chilly spring night. I'd like to invest in more as an alternative to cardigans or boleros.

Dress: thrifted Forever 21 (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Belt: Divided via H&M

Shoes: vintage (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Shawl: vintage (unknown)

Sunglasses: Forever 21

I may have mentioned that we've been fostering a cat for my friend Megg. Waffle's had a rough time adjusting and was initially very aggressive to our cats, Wumpus and Henry. I think she's had a rough life of getting kicked around by unpleasant roommates, so it's been very rewarding to see her open up to us very slowly. She still swats at the other cats, but every once in a while, I'm able to catch them all getting along for a few seconds. Then it goes back to chaos.

W

Waffle - Wumpus - Henry

Designer Highlight: Kork-Ease

We are living in an age of increasingly eco-friendly tendencies and "green chic" trends. It's refreshing to see that some companies that have been employing such practices for decades. Such is the case with Kork-Ease, producing stylish, naturally produced footwear out of Brooklyn since 1953. After essentially creating the wedge (or so they claim) in the 70s, these iconic shoes earned their place among only 25 styles in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Landmark Shoe Collection. Today, Kork-Ease still cranks out great looks with a minimal carbon footprint, environmentally safe design, biodegradable construction, and wide selection of "vegetable" leather designs for those who prefer cruelty-free footwear. Even better, they do so at a modest price, running about $150-200 per pair.

While not available yet, Kork-Ease is also planning to introduce a men's line. 

Liliana ($155.00)

Gabriela ($145.00)

Alva ($225.00)

Nelly ($135.00)

Francis- ($150.00)

Rita ($145.00)

Who knew green fashion could look so good?