You or Your Memory

Yesterday was the first day in recent memory that Philadelphia has had a break from the heat and humidity. As Ray got ready to go to work, I sat in the living room, windows wide open, no A/C, reveling in my shivers and goosebumps. Naturally, my mind wandered to my latest current obsession: fall. The chilly breezes and perfect hoody weather of autumn seem like a foggy memory. I can almost remember what it felt like to experiment with layers or find the perfect tights to compliment my dress. It seems so far away that I was able to fall asleep under a comforter every night and wear my hair down without worrying about what havoc humidity will wreak.Yesterday's weather made me that much more nostalgic, and filled me with optimism that good things are only a few months away.

Speaking of fall, it seems as though every social networking fashion site is running a "back to school" contest right now. I immediately wrote off an entry as those days are long gone, until I realized that I am indeed returning to school this year. After a couple years as an art history major, followed by many more years of indecision and feeling like an allover waste, I've finally made the decision to return to college to become an American Sign Language interpreter. So, at 23 years old, I guess you can call this my attempt at a "back to school" outfit.

Check out my submissions at Chictopia and Weardrobe and throw up a vote if you're feeling it!

Tank Top: H&M

Cardigan: So What? via Kohl's

Shorts: DIY cut-offs Abercrombie & Fitch, gift

Tights: Walgreens

Wedges: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange

Belt: thrifted (American Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

P.S. Some of my first shots came out overexposed, but still kind of cool I think. I didn't want to post a bunch of contrasted MySpace-esque pictures, but I thought I'd give you guys an idea of what ends up on the cutting room floor.

Quick Update

It's looking like it's going to be a busy one today, so I most likely will not have time for an outfit post. But here's a quick insight into my life as of late

1. How cool is the Moncler Gamme Bleu s/s 2011 menswear line? I was tipped off by Momentum Magazine as to their bicycle-inspired headwear. I'm sure tons of bike snobs would get all snarky at the idea of high fashion intermingling with "bike culture", but I think it works rather well. Besides, both communities are pretty snooty as it is, so maybe it's an inevitable match made in heaven.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Speaking of fashion shows, the fashion show I'm planning for the Philadelphia Bike Expo is starting to come together pretty nicely! Unfortunately, the major sponsor we were banking on decided to play a smaller sponsorship role in the Expo only (which makes no sense to me, as they're a major clothing retailer), but we managed to get a smaller sponsor, Nutcase Helmets, to shoulder some of the burden. I signed on about 25 designers, and the last few should be returning their contracts any day now. We secured a great venue for the show- the sanctuary of a local historic church. In lieu of building a stage, now we can have the models come on to the alter and use the center aisle between the pews as a runway. There's lots of seating and even a second floor that will allow for great pictures. Finally, we're hosting a pre-show "cog"-tail hour (heyo!) and will be serving wine from a local vineyard, compliments of Boyd's Cardinal Hollow Winery. Next up begins the search for models. I can't stress how great of an event this is going to be, and I hope all my readers in the Philadelphia/mid-Atlantic area can make it!
   
3. Finally, on a sad note....our latest foster, Elsa, is sick. She started running a very high fever on Monday night and Tuesday morning we rushed her into the vet. It turns out she has panleukopenia, a very fatal and very contagious feline disease. The mortality rate in kittens is astoundingly high, even if you catch it early (which we did). I called the vet yesterday and Elsa seems to be doing better, but she's not out of the woods yet. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers and send some well wishes her way.
   
   
   
   
   

God Loves Ugly

Introducing the world's ugliest shirt. Really. This thing is bad. It's like a vintage Hermes print gone wrong. And yet...I couldn't say no. It called to me. My mom, my shopping partner at the time, raised a skeptical eyebrow, asking me, "really?".

For the longest time I couldn't figure out how to actually style this shirt though. Print aside, it's about three sizes too large. I ended up taking a hint from Natalie Off Duty, and pairing with a pair of cut offs and flats. I mean, clearly she rocks the looks way better. But she's a drop dead gorgeous model (and probably a good foot taller than I am), so I'm not going to get anywhere if I try and make comparisons.

The end result was actually pretty great. The top was was thin, light weight, and incredibly breathable. The overall effect was a great relaxed look perfect for the summer heat and incredibly versatile for running errands around the city or just barbecuing with friends (both of which were on the menu yesterday). Maybe I'll repeat this look, without such a heinous shirt next time.

Shirt: secondhand Talbots (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Shorts- DIY cut-off Abercrombie & Fitch, gift

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

Sunglasses- flea market 

(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave

Don't let the smile fool you, Saturday was nearly enough to make a girl cry. It all started out when I had to miss the final "real" stage of the Tour de Frane to run errands. Ok, not awful, I could just watch the 2:30 replay. I had to take one of our foster kittens, Merckx, to the vet to get neutered. Then we were stopping by my parents house to pick up our weekly share of vegetables from the Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA we joined this spring (which, by the way, I highly recommend to anyone who's been curious about joining a local CSA!). After that was a quick pop over to Jersey to stop by Ray's parents' house. And finally, we were going to reward ourselves with a trip to Village Thrift, previous home of many of the clothing featured on my blog.

You can tell by my dramatic pause that, clearly, things did not go as planned. We had driven about 4 blocks when suddenly.....nothing. My car literally died, about six feet from being splattered by a Septa bus in a real hurry. Did I mention Merckx was in the back seat, in his carrier, nearly dying of heat exhaustion? The next two hours were spent walking Merckx ten blocks back to the apartment, on the phone with my dealership, waiting for a tow truck, and quickly realizing that no, I would not be picking up vegetables, we would not be seeing Ray's family, and we most certainly would not be browsing the aisles of Village Thrift. Not any time in the foreseeable future.

As you can tell by the myriad of faces, I was not a happy camper. I was snarky (picture #1) and grumpy (picture #2), but we did the best to make light of a terrible situation (picture #3). The oppressive heat, combined with our terrible luck, resulted in the urgent need for drinks. One of our favorite local bars, the South Philadelphia Tap Room was hosting a summer wheat beer fest, just blocks away. I'm typically more of an IPA or gin drinker, but there's something so refreshing about a cold wheat beer on a hot day. It's even more refreshing when all the beers are $3. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the best day to decide to wear jeans. I'm so sick of wearing the same 3 pairs of shorts, and I didn't have the effort to style a dress in 90+ degree weather. Ray kept saying I needed big hoop earings to match my Jenny From the Block outfit. I kept saying I needed a bottle of water and scissors.

Tank Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Forever 21

Shoes: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Sunglasses- flea market (The Piazza- Philadelphia, PA)

I realized I've mentioned our fosters here and there, but haven't given proper introductions. Allow to present, in order, Ina, Merckx, and Elsa SchiaPURRelli (get it?). Ina's ready to be adopted, Merckx is most likely going to stay put with us, and Elsa is our newest addition, having only spent four days with us so far. I wish our apartment would allow for more fosters, but when combined with the small space and our two other permanent cats, five animals is our limit. 

Jersey's Best Prancers

Today's outfit features another dress compliment of my mother's closet. I wasn't kidding when I say I hit the jackpot in this latest dress haul. I've only actually seen about five minutes from the pilot episode of Mad Men, but I'm fairly certain this dress would fit right in on set.

My curves used to complex me. Up until puberty (I know, ew. I'll try to avoid using the "p" word), I was straight up and down like a board. Suddenly, all these weird concave and convex surfaces appeared. I definitely gave some thought to the idea that I was switched at birth or even (gasp) adopted, given that I bore absolutely no resemblance to my mom. I didn't understand where this hourglass figure came from, and I definitely didn't know how to dress my newly foreign body.

For years, I attempted to camouflage my figure rather than accentuate it. I didn't realize that what works for one girl looks heinous on another, due to no fault of her own other than different genetics. Enter: vintage dresses. They just don't make 'em like they used to. Nothing flatters a small waist and hugs hips like a pattern from the 1940s. I especially love the neck detail and interesting darts. This dress is a bit flashy for everyday wear, but when paired with a cardigan to hide my tattoos, it was the perfect choice for an interview earlier today. Keep your fingers crossed for me guys!

Dress: vintage, gift

Shoes: Predictions via Payless

Sunglasses: flea market (The Piazza- Philadelphia, PA)