La Fille Atomique

Love You Till Friday

2011-05-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

In math, they say it takes 3 occurrences before you can determine a pattern. Based off the fact that I've only blogged two days in a row in all of 2011, I have not yet shown a pattern of being a consistent blogger this year. In the grand scheme of things though, I'm ok with that.

At the risk of sounding overdramatic, there was an event this week that really put things in perspective for me. Those that follow professional cycling were saddened to hear of the death of Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt on the third stage of the Giro d'Italia. I won't go into the details, because frankly, there are plenty of writers who wrote about the event more eloquently than I ever could, but I will say this: Seeing someone die on live television and witnessing the aftermath really makes the whole "Oh no, Blogger went down for 2 days!" thing seem pretty trivial. I'm not dissing any fellow bloggers out there, nor their readers. After all, here I am, on my soap box, taking pictures and writing to anyone and no one, into the void. But on my list of priorities in life, freaking out over posting consistency just isn't ever going to place at the top.

Ok, now that I've probably alienated any readers I had left, let's dive into the clothes, eh?

For one of my most worn skirts, I can't believe it hasn't made it into the blog yet. I bought this last summer and have paired it with pretty much every top in my closet. Yet for some reason, I never seemed to have the opportunity to dig my camera out. I think the beauty of it is two-fold. One, the elastic waist allows it to sit pretty high up, which is about the only way skirts look flattering on me. Two, the print is so out there that it begs to be paired with opposing patterns. Plaid, stripes, polka dots, whatever you can throw at this skirt, it'll take it and make it look fabulous. Oh, and three, it has pockets. I guess that makes it three-fold, which I'm pretty sure isn't an actual term. Oh well, I still love it.

Top (actually a romper): H&M

Skirt: Cooperative via Urban Outfitter

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Forever 21

Color Me Impressed

2011-04-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have this knack for wearing the exact wrong outfit for the occasion. Case in point, not only is it supposed to pour today, but I'm also supposed to spend my day at work cleaning out bike tool kits covered in grit and grime. And yet, I wear a bright skirt that'll no doubt end up covered in grease by the end of the day.

The thing about me is I'm also incredibly stubborn. I'm sure the majority of those reading this blog are well aware, but to the approximately 3 people reading this that don't know me in real life, it's true. I could make some Taurus joke and call myself bullheaded, but I already make enough bad jokes as it is. The point is, as soon as I bought this skirt and top over the weekend, I already knew it'd be showing up in Wednesday's outfit (because Monday and Tuesday already were featuring newly purchased items). So rain and bike grease be damned, I'm going to pull it off.

I think this is the most Urban Outfitters I've ever worn at one time, but I instantly fell in love with the skirt and the 2 for $24, fit like a dream, come in awesome prints v-necks were too good to pass up. As summer starts to peak around the bend, I have 2 major clothing requirements: 1) Is it cool enough to stand up to the summer heat? 2) Can I ride my bike while wearing it? These both pass the test with flying colors. (Sadly, the shoes do not- they won't fit in my toe cages.) What are your favorite picks for this summer?

Shirt: BDG via Urban Outfitters

Skirt: Cooperative via Urban Outfitters

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: thrifted Report via Green St Consignment (Philadelphia, PA)

Say Hi

2011-04-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Uh....this is embarrassing. I meant to call, baby blog. I really did. I promise. It's just, uh, honest... I ran out of gas. I... I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts! IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD!

Oh wait, that's a quote from the Blues Brothers. Oh well, same gist. It comes down to this. When I started this blog, I was burnt out from a job that had me traveling 3 weeks per month. I welcomed the opportunity to take a few months off from working and just do nothing. Of course, this lends itself splendidly to blogging on a daily basis. Nowadays, I'm working 25 hours a week, going to school full time, attempting to teach myself French on my spare time, and learning to knit on top of that. Sometimes, there's just not enough time in the day. So when you find that 1) you've woken up 3 hours before you need to leave for work and 2) that you're smitten with your outfit, you gotta carpe diem and dust off your camera.

I've found that I'm really digging sheer knits this season. It's probably still a bit too chilly to wear this particular outfit without a shirt on top, but it'll be pretty ideal for summer I think. I've been a bit cautious about this whole sheer trend thing, especially because I find it particularly tacky if my stomach tattoos show, but this seems to be a happy medium that may even be work appropriate. Not only is the fabric pretty airy, but the trapeze cut should keep me nice and cool in the dreaded Philadelphia humidity.

Speaking of trends, are leather leggings out? Was that a fad I jumped on too late in the game, like buying a hooded cape in December? Do fall trends translate to spring, or am I assuming so only because the weather is so similar? I don't particularly care, as both my cape and these leggings are some of the most comfortable pieces I own. What's not comfortable are these shoes, which I couldn't resist, and yet after TWO purchases trying to find the right size, they're still too small. And too cute. And I will wear them until my feet blister and bleed and Ray needs to carry me home from the bar.

Shirt: Staring at Stone (??) via Urban Outfitters

Leggings: American Apparel

Shoes: H&M

Sunglasses: Forever 21

Necklace: Forever 21

Nail Polish: Forever 21

The Amateur's Guide to Planning a Fashion Show- Part 2

2011-01-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest, 2011 is probably even worse than 2010 so far. Due to this, I've had 0% urge to post anything. But for reasons unknown, in the 3 weeks since I've had a real post, I've gained 4 new subscribers and I feel like I owe them something for thinking I'd actually have enough posts that they'd need to subscribe to my RSS. Luckily for all involved, I received an email from the San Diego Bike Expo a few weeks ago asking for tips and advice planning their fashion show. The following post is a summarization of my response, which should be considered the sequel to my original post, the Amateur's Guide to Planning a Fashion Show.

P.S. Keep in mind, I was doing a bicycle-themed fashion show. This will not be entirely relevant to a traditional fashion show, but then again, it's also free advice.

Without further ado...

1) Designers-

This should be the first focus. I started contacting designers six months before the show. Get started ASAP! In general, you want to get everything started as far in advance as possible because trust me, there's never enough time!

The expo directors had started a basic list of companies to contact, but it was all pretty loose and unorganized. Organization is definitely key, especially if you're going to have multiple people working on the show. So I started a shared google document spreadsheet that had columns for: Company, website, contact name, email, phone number, and communication notes. I also included yes/no boxes for: Participating and Items Donated or on loan. The communication box was absolutely key. Everytime someone had contact (which was almost exclusively me, but it still allowed everyone else to see my progress), I put a note in the communication box with the date, my initials, how I contacted the (phone, email, etc), and general notes. So it'd look like:

01/09/2011 Received email from Nan re: help with SD fashion show (MJ)
01/10/2011 Sent email to Nan re: tips for planning fashion show (MJ)

Once I got some sort of confirmation that a designer was interested, I sent them a contact to sign and fax back. I'd be happy to send you my copy, once I get home from work. To be honest, this was just a precaution- no one ever got to the point that I had to threaten anything legal, but it did help prevent some major issues. [Designer name withheld] sent her clothes only 1 week before the show. The deadline for receiving clothes was 1 month before. There was no way I could get any models in for a fitting, so her clothes never made it on the runway. Her sales rep was pretty annoyed at me, but I had the contract to prove that [designer X] knew the clothes had no guarantee of being featured if they weren't received on time. That avoided a huge issue. Be sure to be clear about your due dates and any other stipulations.

I also sent an packing slip so we knew what we were going to receive. In theory, it was a great idea. In actuality, it was a bit of a mess and I ended up having to do hand counts anyway. Next year, I would definitely create some sort of spreadsheet form that you can email your designers so that you've got everything already in a digital format. This will allow you to create a master inventory list so you don't lose any items. If you're doing a charity raffle like we did, it'll also help you keep track of what is being donated and what is on loan. Finally, you'll be able to create outfits by looking at what you have virtually, rather than trying to go through dozens of packages. By the way, I definitely encourage a raffle to benefit a local non-profit organization. Almost all of the designers donated something and we raised $1,500 for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Coalition.

One of the places where I could have improved from last year was in the amount of stuff we got. Because we were going to raffle things off, I figured the more the better. While we certainly raised a lot of donations, it created a MESS for creating outfits. I'm not exactly sure how to keep that under control, because not every designer makes both tops and bottoms or you may want to mix and match outfits. Maybe a good guideline is to accept only 2 complete outfits per designer (1 mens, 1 womens). Or be sure that you've got enough bottoms to match the tops and vice versa. If you pick a theme, you'll probably have an easier time creating outfits. Sticking to a color theme (ex: red, black, and white) will also help out. Only accept one size of clothing from designers. Sticking to one size makes everything so much easier.

If you do have items on loan, make sure you've got a decent way to get everything back to them. On that inventory form you send them, be sure to get their return address as well as a way to pay for shipping. Most people will have UPS or Fed Ex accounts. If not, see if they can send you a USPS shipping label or set up a paypal account so they can send you money for you to ship it yourself.

Once you receive clothes (FYI, receiving to your parents house is not always the most convenient!), figure out an organization system. Maybe it's folding and separating by category (jerseys, bibs, socks). Maybe it's getting garment racks so you can see everything at once. Definitely be sure to get garment racks and garment bags for the show itself. We went to Target and got the cheap racks for $10 each. With one per model, it worked out perfectly. Each rack had each outfit detail taped to it so models and helpers could get the models ready quickly and without confusion. I recommend talking to a local college with a fashion design program (or even boutiques if you've got contacts) as they may be able to lend racks or bags.

2) Models

We decided that we wanted to use real cyclists instead of models. They weren't all perfect sizes, but it gave the show real authenticity and ensured that the clothes actually looked right. Other, unintended bonuses were that it was free and they all brought their friends to the show!

We used a local cycling club to email their membership base looking for models. I also contacted local shops and cycling clubs. When all else failed, I contacted friends. We ended up with 6 models, averaging 2-4 outfits per model. After the show, a couple people said it would have been cool to see more models (even if each model only wore 1-2 outfits), so that's something to think about. As with the designers, I contacted potential models months in advance, knowing that people were going to drop out. There were many flakes, a few creeps, and some people that just weren't really suitable. Get more models than you think you'll need and always have a back up ready.

And there you have it! Maybe not the most professional way to run a show, but keep in mind, this was the first show I ever planned. It was also done on a budget of $250, attracted about 200 people, and ended up being covered by multiple media outlets. I may end up writing a part 3; guidelines for the actual show itself. If anyone would like further specific information, feel free to email me or leave a question in the comments!

No More Long Years

2011-01-01T16:45:00.001-08:00

Happy new years, dear readers!

I know I've been MIA recently. My family is going through a particularly trying time lately. 2010 brought many good things (a blog, a new job, a new college focus and 4.0 GPA, wonderful foster kittens, my cousin's wedding, directing a fashion show, and a free trip to SXSW for starters). It also seemed to dump a whole bunch of shit on me, particularly at the end. I, for one, am happy to say goodbye to 2010 and welcome in the New Year. May this year be as wonderfully stable and positive as the past year was manic and turbulent!

Tank Top: H&M

Sweater: Active Basic (New Deal Clothing- Santa Cruz, CA)

Skirt: H&M

Belt: Forever 21

Tights: L'eggs

Shoes: Dollhouse (Eternity Fashion- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: street vendor

Faking the Books

2010-12-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

I call this outfit my "faux"-vorite. Ok, bad pun. But lest anyone think that a) I support animal suffering or b) I have a ton of money, please keep in mind that the fur jacket, leather pants, and suede wedges are all man-made. They also are all my favorite new additions to my closet.

I would have never pegged myself as a leather pants kind of gal, but after seeing so much inspiration on my daily blog list, I finally gave in and ordered a pair from Forever 21. They're surprisingly comfortable, even if I do get bizarre looks from my landlord. I've also been on this unstoppable search for a decent fur long-fur jacket and fate was on my side when I spotted this beauty at Urban Outfitters. Even better, it marked down $100! If there's anything I love more than obnoxious clothes, it's a good deal. Despite the 3/4 length sleeves, this coat is actually pretty warm. That's good news, since temperatures are hovering around freezing and we even got our first bit of legitimate snow this week. Here's to hoping for a white Christmas! (says the Jewish girl with the Catholic boyfriend)

Shirt: Top Shop

Jacket: Kimchi Blue via Urban Outfitters

Pants: Forever 21

Shoes: Dollhouse

Sunglasses: street vendor

Shake, Rattle, Bang Your Head

2010-12-14T13:38:00.000-08:00

I don't have any sisters, but I did attend overnight camp for eight years, so I understand the joy of a virtually-unlimited wardrobe by means of borrowing clothes with the people you live with. Each year, that month-long vacation meant access to a dozen girls' clothes and make up (I went to a Quaker camp, so we weren't supposed to wear any, but try telling that to a bunch of pre-teen girls). These days, it's just Ray and I, which means I'm on my own. Unless of course, your best friend who lives out of town accidentally leaves a hat behind when she's crashing on your couch.

I don't know what made me put it on. It's not really my style. I don't even wear hats! Call it curiosity, call it boredom. I don't know. I was getting dressed, the hat was sitting there on the table, and on it went. Sorry, Lee! I think I may have to add some hats to my own collection, because this thing is awesome. Probably great for a bad hair day too, except I'm having a phenomenal hair day and couldn't resist some sans-hat pictures.

I've had this baby doll dress for something like four or five years. It doesn't get much wear, other than interviews, and I'm not sure why. What's more versatile than a casual LBD? Belt it, throw on a cardigan, mix it up with crazy shoes or colored tights...it's so adaptable! I've got to remember though that if I'm going to wear something that hasn't been worn in months (if not years), I must steam and lint-brush it! Does it show that I've got 4 cats and zero-motivation to put away clothes after they've been washed?

Jacket: H&M

Dress: H&M

Belt: Heritage 1981

Shoes: Forever 21

Tight: Forever 21

Hat: borrowed from best friend

Sunglasses: street vendor

Cold Light

2010-12-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Amazing winter-y things that happened in the past 24 hours: It snowed for more than 30 seconds (but not exceeding 10 minutes). Ray and I bought our Christmas tree. I indulged in two kinds of latkes at various family Channukah dinners. Take notice that I did not include "learned how to dress appropriately for below-freezing temperatures". I don't know what I was thinking when I got dressed this morning, but it clearly had nothing to do with the weather outside. Please excuse the awful quality of these indoor shots, but there was no way I was going to stand outside any longer than I had to.

I've been on the lookout for a decent maxi skirt for a while now, and go figure, I found a perfect one at Village Thrift for $7. In the past, I always was wary of long skirts because I felt like they made me look even shorter, but they actually have a slimming, elongating effect. It's all about cinching it high on the waist and using the extra length to rock some high heels or platforms.

Tank Top: Forever 21

Belt: Heritage 1981

Skirt: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Shoes: Forever 21

Sunglasses: street vendor

The Easy Mark and the Old Maid

2010-12-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

I'm settling into the routine of cold. Layers, layers, layers, plus an oversized cardigan to conceal the bulkiness. I went on a bit of a cardigan spree this weekend at Forever 21. Now normally I wouldn't call buying 2 items a spree, except that the cashier so kindly decided to ring me up double, so being charged for the same sweater twice most definitely constitutes a spree. (grumble, grumble, grumble...)

It was totally worth it though. Oversized sweaters are my new best friend because it's one of the few socially acceptable ways to basically wear a blanket as clothes. Unless you count Snuggies as socially acceptable. I'm pretty sure I don't, so I stick with cardigans. The cool thing about my purchases? My "headband" is actually the belt from the other sweater; as you can see, my hair's a bit of a mess today, so some innovation led to this wrap. Pretty good for 7:00am!

(P.S. Don't you love that everything of mine is covered in cat fur?)

Jacket: H&M

Sweater: Forever 21

Shirt: Heritage 1981

Jeans: Forever 21

Boots: Nature Breeze

Sunglasses: street vendor

With the Transit Coat On

2010-12-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

Like it or not, Philadelphia has settled into winter. After a few weeks of yo-yoing temperatures, teasing me with the promises of eternal mid-60s temperatures, today's gloomy outcast is a high of 42 and a low of 29. Thankfully we haven't had any snow yet, other than a handful of sprinkles on Thanksgiving morning. I've got to be honest, I do not like snow. Even as a kid, I knew the secret: A "snow day" was only a cleverly disguised "shovel the walk" day. As an adult, I've got the added pleasure of digging out my car and trying to drive to work in an icy mess (or even worse, trying to ride my bike). This year, our new apartment has free heat and internet, so I think it's safe to say my winter will consist of never leaving my apartment and instead enjoying my newly purchased Netflix subscription.

The one thing I love about winter (other than enjoying the snowy view from my cozy apartment) is the outerwear. Sure, it gets a bit monotonous, but I'm still in the honeymoon period of breaking in favorite coats and jackets. I picked up this pea coat from H&M a few years ago for $80. It was a warm coat, pretty durable, and stylish so I shelled out the extra bucks. Of course, last fall I saw the same exact coat (in additional colors) for $30. Go figure. It's still one of my favorites and adds an instant polish to any outfit.

Winter is also the time to steal your boyfriend's sweaters. I've been known to "borrow" Ray's clothes in the past, but I find this look is much more advantageous in the winter, when bulky layers can easily be hidden under an oversized sweater. It also allows me to incorporate newstyle into my wardrobe; we're more or less on the same frequency as far as taste goes, but he also picks things I would never give a second glance to but later realize are genius. Unfortunately for him, he can't get away with wearing my cardigans or t-shirts.

Pea Coat: H&M

Sweater: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Scarf: American Apparel

Shorts: thrifted (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Shoes: Forever 21

Tights: L'eggs

Sunglasses: street vendor

Sometimes Our Dreams Float Like Anchors

2010-12-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

Today's look is my best attempt at a "casual Friday" outfit. When considering the office I work at, this is incredibly ironic as my outfit is guaranteed to be dressier than our usual status quo during the week. Still, I've owned this blazer for about six months now, unable to create a look that didn't scream real estate agent. I started day dreaming about this outfit in class yesterday, and thankfully this was one idea that translated quite nicely from my concept to reality.

Speaking of class, I can't believe the semester is almost done! It seems like so recently I was starting classes, not knowing what to expect and praying I wouldn't be the oldest one in my courses (I'm not, by the way). And now I'm three weeks away from finals. It's been an interesting transition, getting back into the college life. I'm definitely appreciating it more my second time around. After high school, I enrolled at a very small, women's art school. It was absolutely the wrong environment for me; everyone was catty and competitive. 90% of my courses were studio-related, which perpetuated the competitiveness, and the majority of my academic classes were not challenging enough. I only really enjoyed my art history classes, but ultimately I decided that if I wasn't interested in a teaching career, it was a pretty useless major.

This time around, I picked a much more appropriate community college. While I was worried about a lack of academic challenge, it's been just the right pace to ease me back into a learning environment. Nobody's got delusions about where they are so there's no snobby attitude. The majority of my classmates are also working, so the class schedules have a lot of flexibility. Not to mention, my teachers are incredible. I'm in a very small program, so I can expect to have the same professors throughout my studies. I've already registered for spring courses and I can't wait!

Shirt: Heritage 1981

Jacket: Express Design Studio

Jeans: H&M

Shoes: Anne Michelle

Sunglasses: street vendor

Blonde Redhead

2010-11-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to report for the old blog (It's a v-neck and skinny jeans kind of day), but hark! I finally touched up my routes! I had completely forgotten how bothersome blond hair is.

Selective Inspiration

2010-11-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

I've been in a bit of a clothes slump lately. I'm bored to death of my current wardrobe, but I've got no money for a shopping spree. I recently splurged at Forever 21, and after paying my credit card bill the other day, it's safe to say that's not going to be happening any time soon. I love what Kendi Everyday is doing with her 30 for 30 challenge, but to be frank, I've been remixing some of the pieces in my closet since high school. I'm officially in a rut.

Needless to say, I take notice when I see another blogger create a great outfit out of items that may possibly be lurking in my closet. Thank god for Google Reader's ability to "star" blog posts, because otherwise I may have totally forgotten about this post from Tieka at Selective Potential.

Right away, I knew I could recreate her warm and cozy, yet functional, outfit. Actually, I even have the pieces to create a near-carbon copy, but I opted to throw my own spin on it. Inspiration is one thing, but straight up copying is another. Instead, I opted to modify this look to include my favorite fall colorway- navy blue and light brown. I also skipped the knit hat, because I look incredible silly in those. I bought one about three years ago and I have yet to wear it. The socks are actually above-the-knee style, but I think I like them even better scrunched down like this. And, of course, the shoes. I really don't mean to keep wearing them, and I swear I do wear other footwear, but hey- the look called for them!

Overall, I'm really pleased with this look. It required buying nothing new, yet is a pairing I've never tried before. Thanks for the inspiration, Tieka!

Shirt: Forever 21

Sweater: Adriana (New Deal Clothing- Santa Cruz, CA)

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch DIY cutoffs

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

Tights: L'eggs

Socks: Forever 21
Shoes: Forever 21

Sunglasses: flea market

These Points Balance

2010-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

After ragging on the weather in my last entry, it appears that the gods must be one of my Google Reader subscribers, because this past week we've been blessed with honest to goodness perfect fall weather. Warm enough that I can show off these incredible tights I just bought, yet cold enough that I can still enjoy a cup (or five) of warm spiced cider and rum.

I've probably touched on the matter before, but man...23 is such a weird age. Mid 20s in general. I'm not quite a grown up yet (because I still use the term "grown up"), but I'm not exactly the rebellious little shit that I was in high school. I'm not drinking 40s every weekend in a basement while watching my friends' bands open for some iconic punk band that had their heyday 20 years prior. But I'm not attending wine and cheese parties with a 10 pm curfew either. I'm in that weird gray area. Needless to say, if mentally I'm confused, of course wardrobe-wise I would be as well. I can't run around in barely there homemade plaid skirts and fishnets, but I'm not exactly saving up for a powersuit either. So I love when I find an outfit that finds a balance between punk rock and adult, while still retaining my own personal style.

So I kept the Violent Society shirt (because at this point, I honestly don't think I can ever throw it out, no matter how many new rips and tears I acquire) and I substituted fishnets for these lace tights in a fun color (not sure if it's showing up in the picture, but they're navy blue). My hair color isn't natural, but it could pass for it in a pinch. Tattoos are visible, but not obnoxious. Everything in balance.

Tank Top: Violent Society- who knows where from?

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch DIY cut-offs

Cardigan: Heritage 1981

Tights: Forever 21

Shoes: Forever 21

Bag: Fossil

Sunglasses: flea market

Breathe In

2010-11-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

A deep breath is in order. A long, collective, sigh of relief. The fashion show I produced is over. Not only is it over, but it may have even been a success (media coverage pending). Of course, I have no idea how it went, as I was backstage, rushing around to make sure that models not only walked on stage on time, but had actual clothing on while doing so. I'm proud to say that no models went naked, and we may have even stuck to the correct schedule of outfits. Maybe. It was a learning experience, and I'm hesitant to say I'd take on the same amount of responsibility next year, but I'm unbelievably amazed and proud and most of all relieved. I'm waiting for the official photos to come in from 215 Magazine, but you can see some sneak peeks at the link. At the end of this, the final piece of advice I can offer to those wanting to produce their own fashion show (and according to Google Analytics, that's a huge source of my web-query hits): It doesn't hurt to have a bottle of tequila backstage.

October was certainly a flurry of activity. There was all the planning for the Philadelphia Bike Expo and fashion show, finishing up the fiscal year at my job, and classes being in full swing. Somehow, in the midst of all that excitement, Philadelphia completely skipped a season and went directly from summer to winter. Where's the inbetween? Where's the sweater weather? Where's the nights of sleeping with the window open, without sweating or freezing? All I know is, it got cold and it got cold quick. Jeans were a no-brainer this morning when I ran to the local farmers market with Ray. So were layers, which gave me a chance to show off my latest purchases from Forever 21.

This is one of the most comfortable tops I own. I was a bit hesitant when I first saw it, because it's one of those ambiguous shirt-dresses, with a ruching on the sides. But belted with jeans, or tucked under a lace skirt, it's sheer, chic, and effortless. The lace cropped cardigan was more of an afterthought than a conscious purchase, but it's super comfortable and works really well with my new hair color I think. Unfortunately for both the shirt and the cardigan, our handicapped cat Elsa (who suffers from cerebral hypoplasia) fell over in the litter box, then (unbeknownst to me) crawled on my lap, smearing litter and cat shit everywhere. I'm as grossed out as you are. Except more so, because it actually happened to me. Luckily, my favorite part of this outfit, the shoes, were not harmed. Thank god, because I am so absolutely smitten with these babies.

Shirt- Heritage 1981

Cardigan- Heritage 1981

Jacket- H&M

Jeans- Forever 21

Belt & Buckle- vintage (Sweet Jane- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes- Forever 21

Earings- alloneword

Sunglasses- street vendor

Gloves- flea market

Tote Bag- courtesy of SXSW

Work-Rest-Play-Die

2010-10-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Columbus Day...what a useless holiday (especially in the minds of the Native Americans). Though I do enjoy the day off from both work and school, I can't help but wonder why Columbus Day was deemed any more important than, say, Arbor Day or Talk Like A Pirate Day. I figured today would be a lovely day to sleep in, watch Sex and the City, and maybe even do a bit of extra school work or do the dishes. Of course that quickly turned into a busy day of creating a total inventory list of items for the Fashion Show (we're talking in the hundreds), all the while wearing earplugs/not speaking as part of a Deaf-Simulation project for my Intro to Deaf Culture class.The lack of audiological distractions are actually quite nice, but these ear plugs are giving me the worst headache.

So I finally meandered onto my new roof today to take a gander at picture taking. While far less daunting than our previous South Philly "roof top" (which wasn't so much a rooftop as a large ledge), I've now got to contend with our adjoined next-door neighbors spotting me, plus the random Penn student walking on the street and seeing some girl striking ridiculous poses over and over again.

I suppose when it gets too cold, I won't have to worry about spectators but today is just too gorgeous to not take advantage of the fleeting warm weather. We're now in mid-October, folks. That means freezing temperatures, waning daylight hours, and snow are right around the corner. Let's live it up in shorts and tank tops while we still can!

Tank Top: "Art is Freedom" by Rainbow Alternative

Shorts: DIY Abercrombie & Fitch

Tights: Forever 21

Shoes: thrifted Report (Retrospect- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: street vendor in the Italian Market

Philadelphia Fashion week

2010-10-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

So, Philly Fashion Week was....to be honest, a bit underwhelming. I realize Philadelphia isn't exactly Milan, Paris, or even New York. But still, last I checked we were the 5th largest city in the United States. There's tons of stylish designers (though I must admit, I wasn't a fan of Kristin on this season's Project Runway), we've got some fantastic bloggers like Hal and Kimberly. Our vintage and thrift stores are some of the best out there. So, I guess I'm just a bit confused. Maybe I went on the wrong night, as I attended boutique night. I was just hoping for a bit more. The Drexel senior fashion show I attended in the spring was pretty much mind blowing, not to mention had adequate seating). Overall, I had a fun time, and I'm optimistic that next year can be even bigger and better.

Little Bit (in love with you)

2010-10-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Where does a fashion faux-pas end and a trend begin? Yes, I did indeed wear these Oxfords on Wednesday. And yes, I did indeed wear them again Thursday. It's official: I'm obsessed. If only they were more comfortable. After a full day at work and school, accompanied by a long walk to a farther-than-usual parking spot, I was more than happy to swap them for a pair of comfortable moccasins at the end of the day. Overall though, this is one of my favorite outfits lately. I've been super into the rolled-at-the-ankle jeans look, which bizarrely seems to actually make me look taller, despite my worries that cropping my pants at such an odd angle would dwarf my already short stature. I'm also loving how a monochromatic palette makes my new hair color pop even more, allowing for a relaxed yet dramatic look.

Shirt: H&M

Pants: Forever 21

Belt: thrifted (American Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes: secondhand Anne Michelle (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: street vendor in the Italian Market

Feast or Famine

2010-10-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's that long awaited post that I probably should have gotten to weeks ago. Not that I'm making excuses, but to give you an example of what my life has been like lately, here's my schedule for the current week:

Monday
Work- 8:30-2:00pm
Class- 2:30-4:00pm
Model fitting- 7:30-8:30pm
Tuesday
Sick! No work, but still had to go to class
Class- 2:00-3:30pm
Generally being a lump after I got home from school. Total waste of a day
Wednesday
Work- 9:00-2:00pm
School- 2:30-4:00pm
Fashion Show meeting- 5:00-6:30pm
Philly Fashion Week- 6:30-10:00pm
Thursday
Work- 9:00-1:30pm
School- 2:00-3:30pm
Fashion Show meeting- 5:00-6:00pm
Philly Fashion Week- 6:30-10:00pm
Friday
Work- 9:00-2:00pm

And somewhere in between all that, I've got to find time to do school work, create the program for the fashion show, take photos for the blog, do more fittings, and host a friend whose visiting from Buffalo for the weekend!

Oh yeah, I guess somewhere in that time, I must have bleached and cut my hair. Funny how Saturday night seems like ages ago. I'd been itching to do something fun with my hair, but at 23 with a "real job", I'm no longer able to purchase bottles of Manic Panic or Special Effects while still taking myself seriously. I think this is a nice compromise though. I originally planned to do a light orange-y red, inspired by that adorable model with the pixie cut that Mod Cloth has been featuring lately (come on, you know who I'm talking about!). I bought the bleach, bought the dye, and crossed my fingers that everything would turn out right. After the bleach, however, I decided to leave it as is. I know it's a salon's worst nightmare, but it's so perfectly imperfect that I really love it. I then updated my boring blunt cut with the only hair cut I know how to give myself (really chunky layers ala Joan Jett). I love how something as simple as brightening up my hair completely changed my appearance. It's like a permanent accessory that brightens up any outfit and gets attention without having to obnoxiously beg for it.

So this is the outfit I wore to Philadelphia Fashion Week last night for the premiere night. Nothing too fancy, mainly due to the restrictions of this freezing weather Philly's been experiencing lately. I've finally had to bust out my leather jacket and gone are the days of shorts and dresses without tights underneath. I admit, I was a bit jealous of the girls who dared the weather in gorgeous sundresses and miniskirts, but I'll take tweed and mohair just fine. Not to mention these great suede Oxford heels I stumbled on at Buffalo Exchange. They're a bit pricey for Buffalo Exchange prices ($26), but still a steal and exactly what I've been searching for, though I wouldn't mind if they didn't have the side zipper. Something about a side zipper just seems tacky...

(obligatory cheesy telephone photo)

Leather Jacket: H&M
Sweater: H&M

Shorts: thrifted (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Tights: Walgreens

Shoes: thrifted Anne Michelle (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Sunglasses: sidewalk vendor in the Italian Market

Philadelphia Fashion Week

2010-10-06T07:10:00.000-07:00

Cripes, talk about being a bad blogger. I could rattle off the usual excuses (work at Bike & Build, increasingly time consuming classes, finishing our move, the Philadelphia Bike Expo fashion show growing ever closer...). Or I could just promise to be a good little blogger and start posting again. Believe it or not, I actually managed to snag some pictures this morning before I dashed off to work. I'll try to get those up sometime tonight/tomorrow.

And I should have even more new content, as I was somehow able to snag complimentary passes to Philadelphia Fashion Week for tonight and Thursday! Ok, I should say that my boyfriend was able to snag the passes because PFW shares the same venue as the Philadelphia Bike Expo and we're "doing research". But hey, a pass is a pass. I was so bummed to miss New York Fashion Week because of a cycling obligation, so this will actually be my first fashion week ever!

More soon...

We're Going Home

2010-09-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

After a dozen or os nights spent on a pull out sofa bed, coupled by living off the same 6 remixed outfits, I'm finally settled in my new apartment! On Friday, Ray and I moved into our cozy (that's a quaint way of saying tiny) one bedroom in the University City section of West Philadelphia. The neighborhood is a perfect mix of beautiful old Victorian houses, great cafes and restaurants spurred by local/organic food movements, alt/hippy families, and a comforting security by having two major universities (and their cops) so close by. Despite the fact that we only moved 5 miles from South Philly, it feels like we're in an entirely new city.

Our experience moving out of the South Philly apartment was rushed, chaotic, and overall exhausting. A note to the wise: Do not ever try to completely move in under 2 days. It's a) extremely stressful b) nearly impossible c) likely to leave you not speaking to anyone in your closest proximity including friends, family, and loved ones. So, to counteract all the bad memories from moving out, we've decided to take a leisurely approach to moving in to the new apartment. Most of our belongings are in storage, so we're moving a few boxes a day, planning to finish sometime before October 1 (but that's as concrete a finish date as we've got). The experience, to put it lightly, has been wonderful. Yesterday, we took a break in the late afternoon to check out a local festival with flea market vendors, food, and live bands at nearby Clark Park. The weather's been warm in the day, but chilly at night, so I took the opportunity to match up my newly purchased cardigan-thing (it's got some weird proportions) with the longlost items from my closet that were in storage for the past 3 weeks. Let's just say, it was a happy reunion, and perfect for the chilly evening weather that I've been loving so much lately.

Tank Top: Violent Society DIY tank

Cardigan: Mystree (El Quetzal- Philadelphia, PA)

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch DIY cutoffs

Shoes: Thrifted (AIDS Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

Belt: H&M

Sunglasses: sidewalk vendor (Italian Market)

Bag: Deux Lux via Urban Outfitters

P.S. This is such a random afterthought, but today at brunch I recognized a local Philly blogger. Granted, it's a vegetarian food blog, not fashion, but I still got so tongue tied that I couldn't make myself go say hello! Yet, I know that I'd love it if a reader recognized me on the street. Is that weird? Is it even weirder that I'm probably gonna stake the bar out until I've got the guts to say hello?

The Fastest Way Back Home

2010-09-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hello blogland. Long time, no talk. I apologize for the mysterious MIA, but I've hardly had time to even rest, let alone hop on the computer and blog. First, our internet mysteriously went out, only to begin functioning as we found out we had two days to move. The story's a bit long, extremely complicated, and probably not entertaining to anyone at all, even those of us involved in the situation. The only real bit of information that matters is that for the next two weeks, Ray and I are living at my parents' house in the (gulp) suburbs.

It's so bizarre being home. With the exception of a few short stays between moves, I haven't lived with my parents in five years. Every time I come home, if for a day or a week, I'm surprised by how much it's changed, yet how familiar it all is. I no longer have "my" room. In what shall be known as the great room swap of the 2000's, my brother moved into my room, my brother's room became the TV room, and the original TV room became a greenhouse/gardening room. There are new cats I never grew up with (like the gorgeous Harry, pictured above), the furniture is all different, and my parents even bit the bullet and finally got air conditioning.

All of the comforting things remain the same though. My parents still remember to leave coffee out for me in the morning, there's still random pieces of my old artwork throughout the house, and-most importantly-my parents still provide more support than I would ever be comfortable asking for. While Ray and I are technically homeless, they've taken us in and given us a place to sleep and food to eat. They've even taken in our four cats! While I may go crazy at the idea of living in the 'burbs for a few weeks, they've been total lifesavers and we couldn't do it without them.

Top: Forever 21

Shorts: DIY cut-offs, Abercrombie & Fitch

Shoes: thrifted (Philly AIDS Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)
Sunglasses: sidewalk vendor in the Italian Market (Philadelphia, PA)

Please stand by for technical assistance....

2010-08-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

Our Internet connection is on the fritz, so I've limited access to the blog right now. I'll probably be MIA for a little while, but I promise I'm not going away for good.

Also, thank you to those who entered my DesignApparel.com giveaway. Congrats to Victoria, our winner! Someone from DesignApparel.com will be contacting you shortly.

Mind = Blown

2010-08-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

When my mother got back from a recent vacation to Quebec, she had the usual random presents- a jar of homemade jam, a random postcard of a donkey, and truffle oil which I was told oh so politely I could not have, but I was welcome to come to a dinner in which it is used. What I was not expecting was this:

So my mom pulls out this....fabric. I can't even tell what it is. There are two layers of different fabric, these ridiculously long straps, and random button holes (yet no buttons!). What is this thing and why is my mom giving it to me? Well, it's a.....Actually, I still don't know what the name is. But it's designed by Kariza and it's just about the coolest invention ever. There are seemingly endless ways to wrap, tie, and tuck the fabric and straps to produce unique look after unique look.

I've been playing around with the idea of doing a week full of only outfits based off of this garment. Kind of like a less philanthropic version of The Black Dress Project or a lazy version of Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30. I may first want to invest in a less hippy-ish fabric choice (I swear, I don't smell like patchouli oil), and probably order the "short" version while I'm at it. And should I attempt to wear this thing for 7 days straight, I should probably pick up some Fabreeze while I'm at it.

Dress-Wrap: Kariza Designs

Shoes: vintage (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Don't forget to enter my DesignApparel.com giveaway to win a leather beaded bracelet by Lauren! Entries will be accepted until Saturday night at midnight EST.

My god, it's happening!

2010-08-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

(click to enlarge)

With roughly two and a half months till the fashion show, it's finally starting to seem real. We've confirmed roughly 25 fantastic designers, secured a great venue, and even got local beer, wine, and liquor companies to provide drinks for the pre-show happy hour! I cannot begin to stress how exciting this show is going to be and I urge all my readers in the Philadelphia area to check it out.

More details soon!

Designer Giveaway: DesignerApparel.com

2010-08-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, readers. Time to fess up and come clean. I know I've been a bad blog girlfriend. I've been negligent, I've been unpredictable, and at times I've been downright boring and uninspired. I'm sorry, love(s). If you buy flowers to say "I'm sorry" in a relationship, there must be a blog equivalent. Hmm......

Oh yeah. How about a designer giveaway?

I've teamed up with the awesome ladies of DesignApparel.com to offer this great beaded leather bracelet by Lauren

Design Apparel is a great search engine website that scours hundreds of websites to find the best deals on top end designers like Miu Miu, Prada, and Christopher Blue. To enter, leave a comment with your name and email address (one entry per person). This entry is only open to US and Canadian readers. Entries will be accepted until Saturday night at midnight EST.

Good luck!

Career Opportunities

2010-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Cripes, what a busy week it's been! I started my new job at Bike & Build and was immediately thrown into the chaos tornado that is working at small non-profit. Everybody in the office (all 3 of them) are great and the environment is super laid back. Despite only working part-time, it feels as though my entire week left little time for anything other than working and commuting. I haven't even started my college courses yet! I now have the utmost respect for those bloggers who maintain full work and/or school schedules.

Luckily, my office is the type of place where they don't care what I wear or if my tattoos show. As I mentioned, there's only 3 other people there, and most of them are traveling during the summer. On top of that, we have no actual visitors coming into the office, so I can dress as casual as I'd like. Oddly enough, I actually feel a bit weird getting "dressed up" to go into such a casual environment where everyone else is wearing t-shirts and jeans. So far I've mustered up the courage to wear heels and a skirt, but not both at once. Maybe next week, as everyone is traveling the entire week, so I'll be the only one there.

This fantastic skirt was a spontaneous purchase while Ray was shopping for some nice clothes to wear to the Rapha framebuilder's party we went to last week at their popup store in NYC. We went into H&M looking for nice dress shirts, he left empty handed, and somehow I come out with bags of clothes. I think it's a repressed shopping. I held it in for months, due to a lack of funds, and now it's manifesting itself in unhealthy ways. But seriously, this skirt is incredible. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Ray was hesitant, probably because on the rack it looked as if there was serious potential to look like an oversize Easter egg. But I knew the was potential. And look, I was right!

Top: H&M

Skirt: H&M

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

Sunglasses: flea market (the Market at the Piazza- Philadelphia, PA)

At the Piazza, Vol 2: Diva Chic Jewelry

2010-08-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, sorry for the lapse in posts this past week (more on that in my next post), but I'm very excited to bring you volume 2 of my feature for the Market at the Piazza. This past week, I met with Joi from Diva Chic Jewelry, one of the most popular vendors at the Market. I actually gave you a sneak peak of Diva Chic in my last post, because I was so excited over my new finds that I couldn't wait! Check out my interview with Joi below:

What is Diva Chic Jewelry?

Diva Chic Jewelry is a family owned business, started by myself when I was 26. I opened up a small boutique selling clothing, handbags, shoes, jewelry in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Since then, my mother and I have collaborated and formed a great business relationship.

Where does your jewelry come from? Is it handmade or secondhand?

I used to sell hand made beaded jewelry that I made myself when I had the boutique, but now we simply resale great finds from our vendors and from various sources around the world. We find the jewelry that we buy from a variety of wholesalers that we have found to be quite reliable in offering quality merchandis over the years. Also,in our travels we will pick up different pieces that we find to be interesting.

Describe your personal style and how it translates to Diva Chic.

Our style is very glitzy, we like the so called "bling". We try to follow the trends and offer some very bold pieces that you may not otherwise find anywhere else at our pricepoint. A few jewelry trends that I have noticed are that anything with flowers, or animals are really in right now. Chunky and bold jewelry is also really big right now. We sell items anywhere from $3 - $40. with I'd say about $15 being the average for most pieces.

What attracted you to selling at the Piazza? How do you make yourself stand out amidst dozens of jewelry vendors?

We were initially attracted to the Piazza because we were trying to stay away from your typical flea market scene. We wanted a more permanent place to sell our merchandise so that we could build a customer base. We love the atmosphere and diversity here at the Piazza. People from all over come here and it gives us the oppurtunity to promote our business and our website.

I think that we stand out because we do have a pretty distinct style, but at the same time people with all different types of taste can find something that they enjoy. We are consistent with our merchandise, we constantly bring in new items, and our prices our very affordable. We believe that we are successful at the Piazza because we always keep our customers and their needs in mind. We are not here to just make a quick buck, but to build on longevity and to keep our customers coming back.

What are your short and long term plans for Diva Chic?

Our short term goals are to stay here at the Piazza and build up our inventory. People say that we have a lot of stuff, but I think that with the right planning, we can double the amount of merchandise that we put out. Long term goals, I would say is to really build and promote our website. We would love for it to become our main source of revenue at some point. Not to say that we wouldn't continue doing the Marketplace, but we would like to see the website reach it's full potential.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

People often ask us, "How do you guys do this every weekend?" I'd just like to add that we really enjoy what we do! It's not work to us, although we are very tired come Monday morning. We wouldn't trade what we have going on right now for the world.

For more information on Diva Chic Jewelry, check out their website. Those living outside of Philadelphia can still purchase Joi's great jewelry at the online shop.

The Market at the Piazza runs 12:00-7:00pm, every Saturday and Sunday, year round. For more information on the Market or to inquire about vendor opportunities, check out the Piazza at Schmidts website.

Wake Up Exhausted

2010-08-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

Oh hey blog. Long time, no see. God, it seems like the last week just flew by with barely a second to rest or collect myself. My schedule looked something like this: Interview, other interview, Rapha Continental party in NYC, event at the Trexlertown Velodrome, promo work for the fashion show, and conducting my own interview with a local jewelry maker for the At the Piazza feature I'm doing for the blog.

Oh, and somewhere in there I got one of the jobs I interviewed for. Ok, actually I got offered both jobs and had to make the hardest decision ever. The job I turned down for was at Urban Outfitters headquarters, working in the sourcing department for Anthropologie knits and intimates. Total dream job, but the hours were temporary and only going to last two months at the most. Instead, I took a part time job working for Bike & Build, a local non-profit that raises funds for affordable housing projects through cycling. Not only does this allow me to continue my career in an industry I love, while also getting that "warm and fuzzy" feeling from contributing to a good cause, but it also allows me more time for school, my overall #1 priority. I'll always wonder what I gave up by turning down the Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie job, though. Who knows? Maybe after my 2 month temp was over, there would have been a full time position available in another part of the company. It would be great to work there, but I think I made the right decision.

On a completely unrelated note, can we take a moment to notice how juiced up my legs are looking? I don't know if it's the yoga I've been doing or just riding my bike, but leg muscles keep appearing where I didn't even know muscles existed. I won't lie- I'd love to have stick skinny legs, but I also know that will never be a possibility, so they may as well be as ripped as possible. A+, bulbous calves and monster quads.

Romper: Pins and Needles via Urban Outfitters

Belt: Divided via H&M

Boots: Ariat

Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange (Philadelphia, PA)

Ring, Earrings: Diva Chic Jewelry (Philadelphia, PA)

At the Piazza, Vol 1: Rainbow Alternative

2010-08-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased to announce a special feature that will be running throughout August. I was contacted by the folks at the Piazza at Schmidts to promote their weekly Vendor Market, Philadelphia's largest outdoor market place. I've written about the Piazza many times on this site already because it's one of my favorite locations in Philly to shop, eat, drink, or just hang out and watch whatever's playing on their jumbotron. With over 200 vendors partaking in the Market, there's no way to cover everything, so I'll be bringing you a weekly feature on one of the many great designers you can find at the Piazza.

First up is Nicole from Rainbow Alternative, who creates [mainly but not limited to) LGBT-inspired spray painted designs on just about anything you can image. I had the pleasure of visiting her at her Gayborhood workspace to see her in action.

Tell me about the idea behind Rainbow Alternative.

The idea behind it when I first started in 2008…I had never made shirts before, I just made them for myself and my friends, and so I decided to basically give it a go and try to sell them. The whole idea was to do pride events, like Equality Forum and Philly Pride, but I wanted to do something that was completely different than run of the mill. LGBT pride events are saturated with the same shit, y’know, with a rainbow slapped on it. People buy it, don’t get me wrong, but there’s not a lot of variety. And that’s everywhere- here, Atlanta, New York….any pride event that I’ve been to has had the same wholesale, bulk order crap. So I wanted to make something a little different.

Who would you say your target customer is?

It doesn’t just have to be someone who’s gay or lesbian. That’s the niche that I think is undersaturated that I want to target, but there’s also stuff like my “Don’t Block the Box” or “No Labels” or Hall & Oates or onesies designs that are not necessarily geared towards a specific group of people. I make things that I like and that I would want to wear. I bounce ideas off my girlfriend and my friends and see what they think. When I was selling at the Piazza last year, I had a middle-aged "soccer mom" buy one of my shirts with two girls kissing and she said “Oh, my girlfriend’s going to love this!” I was pleasantly surprised. And that’s happened quite a few times. It’s not always just a younger crowd or an older crowd. It’s pretty mixed.

Where do you get your design inspiration from?

The design with the two girls kissing is one I’ve had from the beginning, and I’ve tweaked it since, changing the hair. That and the “No Labels” design are inspired by the LGBT community. Everything else comes from ideas or images that I like.

Do you do the artwork yourself, or do you manipulate existing images?

Both. Obviously I didn't create the "Don't Block the Box" sign, but in that case I manipulated a photo in photoshop & hand-cut the stencil. For my other designs I either used that same process or hand-drew the design, then stenciled.

What is the actual process like, going from an idea in your head to having a finalized shirt?

As an example, I’ll use the Hall & Oates shirt because it was a pain in the ass and I’m not thrilled with the way that it came out. It was an idea for me. I’m going to make a Hall & Oates shirt because I want a Hall & Oates shirt. So I found an image online that would work and then I manipulated it in photoshop. Then I hand cut the stencil, which took forever. That one in particular was a huge pain in the ass, I guess because it’s larger and there are two faces. Faces are usually tricky because if you screw it up, it doesn’t look like the person you’re trying to make them look like at all. The way you make a stencil, you’re cutting out the negative space, which is the color that you see on the shirt. You have to tweak whatever you draw to make sure that it will hold up and that the design won’t fall through. As far as spray painting goes, when I started, it was totally trial and error. I used to use hardware store spray paint and I learned a little trick that helped with the under spray. When I first started, I didn’t know how much pressure to use and the spray would leak through, so there weren’t crisp lines. The shirts now look much better than the shirts when I first started. I’m always learning something and trying to make it better.

How did you get involved with the Piazza, how long have you been selling there, and what attracted you there?

Last year was my first year and I vended there a lot last summer. I had heard a lot about the Piazza but never got up there, so I finally went. I liked the fact that it’s enclosed, yet open. I liked the crowd that was there; everyone seemed very receptive. It was easy for vendors because you would go, you’d pay $30, and you’d vend the whole day. There wasn’t any registration and rules and regulations. It was very easy and if I didn’t have any events lined up, I could do it spur of the moment. I could wake up, say “let’s do this today”, put my stuff in the car, and go. I like the crowd and the environment itself.

Do you do this full time, or is this a side project?

This is a side project. I would love more than anything for this to be full time. I have a regular 9-5 day job, which pays the bills but it’s nothing that I love to do. Over this past year, I’ve tried to step up Rainbow Alternative. I have an Etsy store. My girlfriend Nicole designs jewelry and housewares, so we vend together and we’ve been trying to do as many events as we can fit in this year. I’m trying to get my name out there. It keeps me motivated to make new designs and keep going. I would love for this to take over.

What are your short-term and long-term plans for Rainbow Alternative?

I can’t sew. I would love to be able to make my own clothes, but I can’t, so that’s not going to happen. I want to branch out. When I first started, it was an experiment. I didn’t know if people were going to like it, I didn’t know if people were going to buy anything. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that it was well received. The first year was geared towards the LGBT community as a target audience, but now I want to branch out and do more things that are fun. I just got a stock of onesies that people had been asking for, so I’m going to have them now. I’m trying out new things right now. I got a dufflebag and I got a pillow from Ikea, and I got towels. Basically, different things. It’s cliché to say the economy sucks, but it does and people don’t want to commit $22 for a shirt, but they’ll buy something smaller and more manageable. I started making things that are less expensive for me to buy and you to purchase.

What’s the typical price range for your products?

T-shirt are $15-24. I have a sale bin at most of my events with t-shirts that I’ve had for a while or that are irregular, that ranges from $5-10. Neckties are $10. Canvas bags are $8.

What’s the most rewarding part of Rainbow Alternative?

I used to be really into art when I was younger and then I didn’t do anything for a long time. This project is something that excites and motivates me. Because of the process of how I make the shirts, I have a very wide window as to what designs I can do and what I can put them on. I’ve made definite progress, but I still want to get better and expand.

For more information on Rainbow Alternative and to check out Nicole's upcoming schedule at the Piazza, you can visit her Etsy, Twitter, or Facebook.

You or Your Memory

2010-07-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

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

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.
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!
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

2010-07-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

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)

Nothing but Flowers

2010-07-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night, the crew at Bilenky Cycle Works squeezed into my small Jetta for a mini road trip to the Trexlertown Velodrome for some good old fashion track racing. When I lived in California, I spent at least 2-3 nights per week at the Hellyer Velodrome and even attempted some racing of my own (albeit with embarassing results). I absolutely love being at the track. I love watching the riders load in from the parking lot multiple wheel bags in hand, the strange sound of a disc wheels cutting through the air, the mind tricks and strategy involved in the points races or miss-n-outs. I even love the inevitably cheesy commentating by the announcer.

Yesterday was pretty mellow. Lots of cleaning up our apartment, which falls into a state of disarray easier than I'd like to acknowledge. One of the motivating forces to clean up (other than, y'know having a nice looking place) is that when I finally hang up all my clothes, I'm reminded of all the pieces I forgot I owned. I have enough clothes that I can stretch out doing laundry for at least a month which consequently leads to not seeing some items for weeks on end. It's a terrible habit, I know, but at least I'm being resourceful and not wasting any clothes.

We needed a break from the cleaning, so we headed to window shop at Ikea. This is a very dangerous idea, of course, because we want nearly everything in the store, but we managed to curb our spending urges to only a handful of items for $35. We picked up a desk, 2 coffee mugs, a travel mug, magazine holders, and a giant rug in the "as is" section for $5! On the way home, we stopped at a new park to snap some pictures. I keep finding all these great parks in Philadelphia I never explored before. I used to pass this one every day on the way into work at an old job, but I never had the time to stop. It was actually pretty cute. Lots of cute dogs and random sculptures and an empty playground that allowed me to climb on the jungle gym without the leering looks of weirded out moms.

When I was getting dressed today, I asked Ray, "does this outfit look ok?". He responded, "yeah, but there's...you know, a lot of flowers". Well, yeah. That's the idea!

This is one of my favorite tops, though I hardly ever wear it. I picked it up from a local thrift store for under $2.00 and it's perfect for summer. It's super sheer and light, and has some interesting bunching going on. It most likely belonged to someone's grandmother prior to my purchase, but I think when paired with the cutoffs and sneakers, it breathes in new life, perfectly acceptable for an afternoon spent at the playground.

Top: thrifted (Ameican Thrift- Philadelphia, PA)

DIY Cutoffs: Abercrombie & Fitch, gift

Belt: vintage (Sweet Jane- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes: H&M

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

Featured: Selective Potential's "Guys Behind the Camera"

2010-07-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to Tieka of Selective Potential for featuring me and Ray in July's edition of "Guy's Behind the Camera"!

Not only is the exposure obviously great (hello new readers!), but it's great to see Ray getting recognition for being an irreplaceable asset to my site. Click here to read the full feature.

Uncorrected Proofs

2010-07-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

First off, I've got corrections. No more had 24 hours passed from my last post than there was a call from my mother reminding me, ever so delicately, that they had in fact taken me to at least a two 4th of July parades and one fireworks viewing. My bad mom, you guys did let me indulge in cheesy Americana pastimes. But let's face it, parades in Rhode Island and fireworks is New Jersey don't hold a candle to bottles of wine on the back porch.

Today was a big first for me, you guys. I gathered all my courage figured out how to turn my camera bag and tripod into a traveling bike-friendly bag, and pedaled toward a cute park I've been meaning to check out. After getting over the initial awkwardness, shooting was actually not that bad. I'm glad I invested $22.00 in buying a remote control. It's so easy to use, and makes you look a lot less crazy when you're not running back and forth from the camera every 30 seconds.

As I was wrapping up, a group of four kids came up and asked what I was doing. I wasn't about to go into trying to explain the subtleties of a fashion blog, so I told them that I was taking pictures for fun and asked if they wanted any pictures of themselves. I don't know why, because I clearly had no way to give them the pictures. But they were super excited and jumped at the chance. They all wanted to learn how to use the DSLR, which filled my head with thoughts of sticky fingers on the lens and a tumbling tripod, but once on the auto setting, they caught the hang of it pretty quickly and we all had a blast getting the absolute cutest shots.

Dress: Go Jane

Belt: Divided via H&M

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

Sunglasses- flea market

Frenchy, I'm Faking

2010-07-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

According to Google Analytics, French readers account for 16% of my site visits. Lest I alienate my 5th most popular country, happy Bastille Day to those reading from France! On Friday, I actually did celebrate Bastille Day, as I have for the past four or five years. Despite our decidedly eastern European ancestry and the fact that my parents have never thrown a 4th of July barbecue, nor indulged in parades, sparklers, or even an American Flag shirt, their French independence celebration has become something of a family tradition. Each year their neighbors and closest friends arrive for a casual potluck full of French food, French music, and-most importantly-French wine. Lots of it. I must have counted at least fifteen bottles.

I know, I know. Bastille Day is today. And what could be more French than watching the Tour de France climb through the Col de la Madeleine into Gap. Watching le Tour is my own annual tradition; waking up earlier than my body is willing to accept to catch as much live as Versus will air and listening to Phil Ligget's soothing voice narrate the day's goings on. My boy Andy Schleck rode into the maillot jaune yesterday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Saxo Bank can help him hold onto the win in Paris.

My dress today is a gift from my mom. Recently she bestowed upon me an incredible collection of her old vintage dresses (although, I suppose they weren't vintage at the time...). I honestly never thought I would be interested in her clothing, but I also used to dress exclusively in band shirts, skintight jeans, bullet belts, and creepers. Now that my style is maturing, I consider myself super lucky that she held onto these treasures, despite endlessly insisting that she should just donate them to Good Will. Some minor alterations by my friend Emmy M were required to modernize the dress a bit, but the unique details still shine through, like the great neckline and intricate flower embroidery. I had hoped to be able to turn this into a romper, but the skirt was just too tight. This is just one of four great dresses I received and I can't wait to feature the others. Even better, there's apparently a vintage Pierre Cardin suit from one of her trips to Paris, waiting for whenever I'm old enough to pull it off.

Dress: vintage, gift

Shoes: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Sunglasses: flea market

Umbrella: Sonn Collection

Beat the Heat

2010-07-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

A thunderstorm is currently rolling through Philadelphia, so in lieu of an outfit post (which I'll manage to get pictures of, one way or another), check out my tips for dealing with the weather this summer.

Sunglasses- Sunscreen is certainly important, but don't neglect your eyes while slathering on the SPF. With so many fashionable choices (oversized and Raybans being my favorites), protecting your eyes can be practical and stylish.
I can't survive without my daily cup of coffee (Maxwell house from the coffee maker if I'm rushed, La Colombe french press on weekends) and summertime means indulging in iced coffee as much as possible. Keep a couple trays of frozen coffee ice cubes in your freezer onhand to prevent your drink from getting diluted with water.
I love the start of summer because it means I can count on hearing the ring of the ice cream truck at any given moment. Vanilla soft serve please!
For the truly lazy (and broke), a spray mist fan is essential for hot days with no air conditioning.
Slip N Slide. No, I don't have a yard, but I'm pretty sure I could make this happen if I really wanted.
I don't know why roller skates are on here. But you tell me they don't scream "summer!". I generally avoid strenuous activity in the warm weather, but I'll make an exception for roller skating any day.
If all else fails, take a vacation to Southern California. I hear they're having a wicked cold streak right now.

How do you guys stay cool in the heat?

Tattoo You

2010-07-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about living in Philadelphia is the history. Unlike when I lived in San Jose, a city with what felt like no soul, Philadelphia can't escape its roots. Despite all the new restaurants and renovated townhouses that pop up, all you need to do is walk around the crowded South Philly neighborhoods to see evidence of 400 years of generations. Case in point, this tiny cemetery I stumbled on a few blocks from my apartment. It barely takes up half a small city block, but the weathered gravestones date back as far as the 1800s.

I was a bit hesitant to take pictures here, out of fear of trying to appear morbid and out of respect. I'm glad we went though because this was one of the most serene places I've found in my neighborhood. Ray and I were the only ones there and all the chaos of the outside world seemed to cease. Gone were the sounds of people screaming at each other and the incessant honking of horns or blaring of bad rap music. Instead, the trees offered welcome protection from the unrelenting sun and all we could hear were birds chirping away.

Shirt: Heritage 1981

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch DIY cutoffs

Belt: Old Navy

Boots: Nature Breeze

Sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange (Philadelphia, PA)

Lately, I've had a lot of questions about my tattoos, so here are some clear pictures/descriptions:

Left forearm: Mom peony (April 2008) , Right forearm: Dad sunflower (June 2008)

by Hudge at FU Tattoo- Santa Cruz, CA

Left under arm: Right Japanese sugar skull (May 2009)

by Kate Collins at Universal Mind Design- Cheltenham, PA

Needs color touched up

Right lower arm: "Berfdays was da Worst Days" cupcake (September 2009)

by Josh Baker at Hot Rod Tattoo- Atlantic City, NJ

Right elbow: Laurel with Juniper berries (November 2009)

by Josh Baker at Hot Rod Tattoo- Atlantic City, NJ

Right upper arm- Squid (May 2007)

by Steve Tiberi at Olde City Tattoo- Philadelphia, PA

unfinished

Right shoulder: Thomas Tew pirate flag design (July 2006)

artist/shop unknown- Hamtramck, MI

Stomach- Pistols (October 2006)

by Steve Tiberi at Olde City Tattoo- Philadelphia, PA

Unphotographed:
Lower Lip: Silly Girl (December 2006) by Doug at High Rollers Tattoo Studio- West Chester, PA

Right forearm: Kenny Kramer autograph (January 2010) by The Gus at Olde City Tattoo- Philadelphia, PA

A Cat Named Virtue

2010-07-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you about the sweetest boyfriend ever. He's the kind of guy who not only showers you in praises and kisses constantly, but goes as far as to create a two-person only bicycle club when you tell him that you feel like you don't fit in with other people. He even brings home handmade spoke cards and has ideas for t-shirt designs just so you feel like you finally have somewhere you belong. What a guy. I know you're jealous and all, but sorry, membership to Meow Meow Bicycle Club is closed.

Yesterday being the 4th of July in the former nation's capital, there were tons of holiday options from barbecues and tubing with friends to watching fireworks at the Phildelphia Museum of Art and seeing the Roots and Goo Goo Dolls (what??) play a free concert. Instead, we opted to take it easy, watching the Tour de France and strolling around the neighborhood looking for a suitable shooting location. The sun was waning and I had nearly given up hope of finding anywhere when fate struck. Imagine my elation to find a temporarily abandoned construction site. Man, I don't know what it is, but gigantic power tools are just so cool.

I know I've featured this romper before, but given the sweltering 100-degree temperature and lack of any real plans that put me in direct contact with the anyone but Ray, this seemed the practical choice. There's something fantastic about essentially being able to wear pajamas outsider, under the guise of an "outfit". I definitely hope to acquire a few more before the trend fades.

Hope all my American readers had a great holiday weekend!

Romper- thrifted Forever 21 (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Shoes- Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses- Buffalo Exchange

Children In Heat

2010-06-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Can the residents of Philadelphia all let out a collective "ick"? One.....Two.....Three........"ICK!" Seriously, this heatwave can suck a fat one. I've been cowering in the luxury of central air due to a massive heatwave that's sent temperatures soaring into the mid-nineties. The prospect of walking to find a suitable shooting location was daunting, so I caved for the first brick wall with character I could find. I swear, my camera melted, just a little bit.

Choosing clothes on a day like today is like choosing whether you want to die by suffocation, drowning, or being burned alive. Nothing really sounds appealing, but it all gets the job done. Point in case, until public nudity is legal (and I've got the courage to actually participate), there are pretty much no suitable clothing options for weather like this. You can dress in light colors, you can wear short shorts, and you can adorn the sheerest fabrics, but you WILL sweat and you WILL feel disgusting. So you may as well try to look good.

Rather than bemoan the heat and its inevitable impression on my outfit, let's talk about sheer knee highs. Like many of my readers, I relied heavily on tights to spruce up my winter wardrobe, transforming an otherwise dull outfit into something trendy and chic. Then summer came and bare legs just seem so...plain. Boring. Ordinary. Not to mention, it accentuates my inability to acquire a tan. There's no way I'm wearing full tights, but the idea of knee highs intrigued me. Fully opaque would be too kitschy (and dare I say it, juvenile), but semi-sheer fits just right. And at 50 cents a pair from my local Walgreens, this fits into my "only indulge if it's cheep" rule regarding passing trends. It's the little victories that count.

Top- Forever 21

Shorts- Abercrombie & Fitch pants, cut into shorts

Belt- vintage (Sweet Jane- Philadelphia, PA)

Knee Highs- Ravinia

Shoes- thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Sunglasses- Forever 21

Designer Highlight: Alexandra Cassaniti

2010-06-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Now that we're officially in summer, the desperate search for weather-appropriate clothes begins. Despite what my outdated wardrobe may say, my ideal closet would be full of sheer, white garments that hang as loosely as possible. Enter Alexandra Cassaniti. Through her genius use of cheesecloth of all things, she's reconstructed the basic white t-shirt into a perfectly summer appropriate trend. As if you needed any more reasons to love her, all shirts are biodegradable and compostable. Though her clothing line is somewhat limited, Cassaniti has a great line of bags, shoes, and accessories, perfectly suited to her apparel.

Simple Tee X (cropped)- $115.00

Tank XXXX (Past Knee)- $130.00

Summer Bummer Sweatpants- $55.00

Really Big Weekend Bag- $400.00

Sandblasted Face It Sunglasses- $80.00

You can see more designs at the website.

Teenage Graffiti

2010-06-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

Since getting this new camera, I feel like a little kid with a shiny new toy I can't put down. I've always enjoyed the writing aspect of blogging, but to be honest, uploading and editing pictures always bummed me out. The lighting always looked terrible or my shoes would be out of focus or everything would be so dark that no amount of fill light could salvage the photo. Now I'm genuinely giddy to pop in that memory card and see what great shots Ray got.

With my rekindled enthusiasm comes a desire to explore locations other than my rooftop ledge. Unfortunately this heat wave has limited me to stick close to my South Philly apartment, not the most scenic of places. Do I want to take pictures by the dive bar on the corner with a bullet hole in the door? Maybe the neon lights of the multiple nail and braiding salons would provide an interesting background. Or there's always the side streets littered with neighborhood drunks and junkies. Hmmm...

Little did I know, Ray had been eying this abandoned truck across the street. I never gave it much thought, but it did provide a beautiful background, even with the fading afternoon light. I've never shot directly on the streets of my neighborhood and I probably won't do so anytime soon. Too many weirdo mutants staring at us as I held bizarre poses in a semi-sheer shirt with the wind trying desperately to blow my skirt up.

Ok, so the outfit. It actually just kind of came together. It's been so muggy and sticky that I wanted to dress as loosely as possible. The tank top is incredibly sheer and breathable, while the skirt, though double layered, is light and bouncy so it actually retains a lot of air flow. I hardly ever wear it because it's such a busy print that I never know how to pair it, but I think these work rather nice. It's very busy and chaotic, but it works. Please excuse the rats nest of an excuse I call my hair. I spent the majority of the day nestled in the apartment with the air-conditioning on full blast, with no thoughts of attempting to run a brush through my hair.

In other news, the fashion show I'm planning is remarkably starting to come together! I've already signed contracts with about a dozen designers and there are at least another eight or so in talks. Clothing has started arriving, waiting to be mocked up into outfits on my dress form. We're even in touch with a very large and very well-known clothing company to sponsor the event! I don't want to jinx it, but their participation would be huge and relieve my remaining worries about the actual production itself. For those in the Philadelphia/mid-Atlantic region, the event is free and open to the public. You can read more and check out the designers at the Philadelphia Bike Expo website.

Tank Top- BDG

Skirt- Forever 21

Shoes- thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Sunglasses- Forever 21

Tomatoes and Radio Wire

2010-06-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

See anything different? I got a new camera! To be specific, I purchased my first DSLR, much to the dismay of my wallet. I'm still trying to figure out how it all works, but thankfully I've got a photographer boyfriend to hold my hand through the learning process.

Despite temperatures nearing the mid-90s yesterday, I couldn't resist going to Rittenhouse Square to enjoy the sunshine and play around with the camera. I always forget how beautiful the park is and every time chide myself for not taking advantage of it nearly enough. Yesterday I counted no fewer than a dozen dogs and listened to a kid randomly playing banjo for everyone and no one.

Dressing for Philadelphia in June means dressing for sticky, awful humidity. Given that I was 1) riding my bike 2) leaving directly for class afterward, I needed as few layers as possible to avoid looking like I crawled out of a sauna by the time I got to class. This dress is perfect because of the thin, breathable cotton, while the bleach burns add an interesting touch. I've been wanting to wear this belt for ages, but it's way too large for me. I figured out how to pull it through the buckle without securing in one of the holes, so I was able to make the dress a bit more figure flattering. Jokes on me, the only part of me covered in sweat by the end of the day was my waist. (I know, ew).

The tennis shoes were a much-needed perfect final touch. Nothing screams summer like a pair of tennis shoes, but pairing dresses with sneakers can be tricky. These shoes are usually relegated to an outfit consisting of cut off shorts and a basic t-shirt. But when worked in with a polo dress, it strangely works. And let me tell you, my feet were very happy for the day off from heels. Happy feet = happy Molly.

Dress- American Apparel

Belt- vintage (Sweet Jane- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes- Urban Outfitters

Sunglasses- Forever 21

Elephant, Elephant

2010-06-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Imagine this, if you will: Faux-conjoined twins covering Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" on a shared ukulele. Ok, now you have an idea what my Friday night was like.

For those who aren't in the know, Evelyn Evelyn is the twisted brain child of Amanda Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame) and Jason Webley, the premise being two Siamese twins, joined at the side sharing two arms, three legs, and the same name who play wacky songs about pet elephants and prospective boys only wanting to date one of the Evelyns for her sister. They rolled through Philadelphia last night, giving way to one of the weirder shows I've ever seen and a definite contender for best musical performance of 2010 (the other being the Appleseed Cast playing Lower Level Owl Volumes I & II in their entirety). If you haven't heard Evelyn Evelyn yet, do yourself a favor and check them out.

Ack. It's these wedges again. And these shorts. And damn it all to hell if you haven't seen these sunglasses twenty million times since I got them in May. I call this my outfit of favorites. Favorite thrifted shirt (which was even featured on Mod Cloth!), favorite thrifted shorts, favorite new shoes, favorite shades, even my favorite way to wear my hair (weather permitting). I'd think it was actually a pretty unoriginal way to plan an outfit if it didn't look so darn cute. Sometimes you choose between a quick choice and a chic choice. Sometimes you get both.

I know this post is all over the place with clothes and conjoined twins and whatever ramblings are falling out of my head, but have I introduce you readers to one of our foster kittens? This is Merckx, the poor little guy who I mentioned is in quarantine due to ringworm. He was being so adorable during our picture session that I had to snap some photos. How could something this cute be so filthy?

Shirt: thrifted Aeropostale (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Shorts: thrifted (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Shoes- Forever 21

Sunglasses- Urban Outfitters

Busy Signals

2010-06-16T09:09:00.001-07:00

Ugh. Today is one of those days where I've got twenty things to do and not nearly enough hours in the day. I desperately need to run to the pet store for cat food,.Merckx (one of our foster kittens) has ringworm and needs to be kept company in his quarantine. I need to go to Kinkos to print out blueprints of the fashion show venue. I've got a zillion emails to send out to designers, both introductory and follow up. I need to write a piece about the show for the website. Dishes need to be washed. Clothes need to be folded. Yoga needs to done. I've got a chapter to read in my textbook for class tomorrow, not to mention starting an assignment due Saturday. Ack! It's enough to make me want to crawl under the covers and never come out. Thank god the weekly fashion show/bike expo progress meeting was canceled!

You can tell what kind of pace I plan to take by what outfit I pick out. A leather skirt with no stretch and heels I can hardly walk in? That's most likely going to translate to watching Bad Girls Club reruns on the couch all day and maaaaybe walking to a nearby bar later that night. Jeans and a tank top with shoes I can jump hurdles in? Now that's a battle outfit if I ever saw one.

I just snagged these wedges yesterday, but I can already tell they're going to be one of my favorites. Not only are they surprisingly stable and comfortable, but I can even wear ankle socks with them to avoid blisters from cheap faux-leather. I also scored this top yesterday. It's so sheer and weightless, so I know it'll be perfect when temperatures start nearing 100°, yet it also adds a thoughtful chic touch to an otherwise ordinary outfit. The exposed front zipper is completely functional, so I can't wait to rock this as a summer vest as well. All in all, not too shabby for a errand-running look.

Top: Forever 21

Jeans: Forever 21

Shoes: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Forever 21

Dancing in the Wrong Shoes

2010-06-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

I don't hate on girls that can afford Alexander Wang's latest sweater or whatever animal print Miuccia Prada has decided to adorn her S/S collection in. In fact, I would love to be one of those bloggers lamenting the fact that her A.F. Vandevorst shoes are on back order. But the truth is, I've got a very tight budget with no real allowance for new clothes on a regular schedule. What extra money I do have is usually spent on my cats and current foster kittens (sad, but true) or used to vamp up the apartment I share with my boyfriend. Occasionally I even treat myself to an expensive hunk of cheese from Whole Foods.

The point is, I don't chase trends simply because I cannot afford it. If I'm going to spend good money on new clothes, they're going to be classic staples (say a sturdy pair of jeans or a warm winter coat). I only allow myself to indulge in of-the-moment-trends if they're cheap enough that I won't care if I can't wear said item in six months. Enter these fantastic shoes:

Brown leather riveted clogs with a real wooden heel, reminiscent of the Chanel/Jeffrey Campbell clogs from this past spring collection. I don't have $1,200 to buy the Chanel originals and I won't let myself spend $135 on the JC knockoffs that I know will be passe by winter. That's why I think the shoe gods were smiling on me when I so randomly found these clogs on sale at Spring, Aldo's younger, cheaper sister, knocked down from $70.00 to $14.95. Yep. Almost 80% off. No biggie.

Dress: Charlotte Russe

Belt: Divided via H&M

Shoes: Spring

Sunglasses: Flea Market

The Boys Who Do Brunch

2010-06-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Oh blog. You've been neglected. You're like that new puppy I begged my parents for and promised I'd play with and take for walks every four hours and always cleanup when he had accidents, only to get distracted by the next cute thing. I swear you're more than that. I've changed baby. I'm a different woman! No more posts once a week. No paragraph long posts or uninspired outfits. I promise darling. You're not like all those other blogs I had before. You're special.

Truth is, a lot of my time has been divided between three equally important time consumers (class, planning a fashion show, and fostering 2 kittens) and my creativity has felt stifled by two unpreventable forces of nature (disgusting heat/humidity and a lack of sleep for the past two weeks).

My dress has actually been sitting in my closet for about four months now, begging to be worn but always feeling too dressy or girly or out of place for daily activities. I was intending to debut it at my cousin's wedding in August, but why wait? So what if the only occasion I had to wear today was just going to brunch at the South Philadelphia Tap Room? This dress is cute, romantic, flattering, and-most importantly- perfectly suited for muggy weather. Though it looks like there's tons of layers, there's really only two. A gauzy mesh ruffles on top, with a sheer slip built in underneath. It's as close as I can get to wearing nothing without breaking any public laws.

Dress: vintage BCBG (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Shoes: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Good Friends, Bad Habits

2010-06-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Of course, the Drexel fashion show was fun and all, but I'd be lying if I said that getting ready for it wasn't more exciting. Not only did the show allow for a full-on girly session of primping with Lee and Emmy, it also.gave me an excuse to finally wear this great vintage dress I bought while at SXSW in March. I was immediately drawn to the bright yellow textured fabric and the mod cut sealed the deal, but the 15 pounds I've lost since purchasing the dress made it increasingly difficult to wear. The dress has no shape and looks like a muumuu without something to cinch the waste. The belt I'm wearing is a temporary solution until I get it tailored.

I can't get over how cool the Urban Outfitters HQ was. We didn't get to explore much, but we did take advantage of the koi pond, oversized arm chairs, and beautiful oak doors adorning each office.

Urban HQ is tucked away in the Philadelphia naval yard. In recent years, the area has become trendy for its cheap rent, large office spaces, and beautiful Annapolis campus-like feel. I hadn't been down to the ship yards since I was a kid, when my dad's architecture office was located there as well. I couldn't resist getting a picture by one of the docked ships for old times sake. I can't wait to go back and do a whole photoshoot there!

Dress: vintage (Buffalo Exchange- Austin, TX)

Belt: Divided via H&M

Shoes: thrifted (Village Thrift- Pennsauken, NJ)

Sunglasses- Urban Outfitters

Showcase: Drexel University Senior Show

2010-06-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was the annual Drexel University Senior Fashion show, which my best friend Lee and good friend Emmy invited me to attend with them. As embarrassing as this is to say, it was my first legit fashion show I attended. I've been to a couple smaller shows, including some at other colleges, but they weren't close to being as high production as this. To start with, the event was hosted at the Urban Outfitters world headquarters. Though I knew their HQ was only five minutes from where I live, I'd never been. The building was incredibly breathtaking and seeing the racks of clothes and accessories at peoples' cubicles made me desperate to somehow work there one day. Fat chance, I'm sure.

The show itself was a great success. They squeezed about 55 designers, including three dozen full senior collections into two hours without seeming chaotic or rushed. Not everything was my taste, but there were no obvious clunkers and some of the senior designers really impressed me. I shot about 250 pictures that I'll spare you, but here are some of my favorites. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures and jot down whose collections were whose, so I can't give credit to these great pieces. I also apologize that our seats were awful (yes, fashion shows may notoriously run late, but you should still show up early to snag decent seats), so I wasn't able to get full body shots.

"Love"

2010-06-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

I think love is the most beautiful thing
in the world,
and I don’t give a fuck,
because I have no original ideas.

I’m a pathetic man
whose goal is to read poetry
in order
to get women
to fall in love with him,
and you’d think I was reprimanding myself
and revealing my horrible dark side
by saying that,
but I was really saying
“women who hear this, fall in love with me, or else,”
because that’s what it comes down to —
an ultimatum,
life or death,
and sure, maybe I’m being extreme,
but you walk around and tell me
that things aren’t extreme,
Jesus,
I’ve seen a man jack off to a gap window display,
so don’t tell me that love isn’t important.

and maybe you didn’t get that series of lines,
that’s OK,
most of them are subtext
designed to impress people
who know too much about art,
all you need to listen to is
the 12 percent
which contain words like “fuck,”
and “ass,”
and “ride my dongstick, you naughty schoolgirl.”
because in a poem about love
we all need to know the relevant things,
because we’re all looking for the complete definition of love,
if only we could open our encyclopedia brittanicas
and look up love and know,
but love isn’t that easy.

they say cupid loved my so called life
and when the show was cancelled
cupid cried and cried and cried and
decided that he was going to fuck up
all of humanity,
and this is why china has a trouble with its birthrate
and arkansas rhymes with date rape
and iraq is iraq,
and the fat lipo-sucked out of california
could be
its own island.

but this isn’t a poem about geography,
this is a poem about love,
the bane of my existence,
the reason why I hate valentine’s day
and halloween,
which is about ghosts
and I think you know where I’m going here.
I’m going to the land of girlfriends of halloweens past,
and maybe I’ve only got three ghosts in this land,
but this doesn’t mean that they don’t bring their friends,
who are the ghosts of girls who have rejected me,
because girls rarely travel alone in this land
. lydia is from this land.

I used to kiss her
while listening to
the cure’s “just like heaven,”
now I don’t see her anymore,
so that song makes me sad,
why must we associate music with
our love lives?
I’m not trying to be profound here,
I’m just saying that music really takes me
back, way back,
and I can’t explain the memory process involved in that,
because I am not a psychology major,
and maybe
my problem with picking up women
has to do with me always asking,
“what’s your major?”
but that only makes me as cheesy
as 90 percent of guys
looking for women,
and 86 percent of them have women,
so what’s the deal here?
maybe I shouldn’t think of women in terms
of picking them up,
and maybe I should open up my sensitive side,
but really,
the sensitive side sucks.
I’ve been there.
you can only imagine the kinds of sweaters
they make you wear.
it’s not fair,
love is not fair,
and war is not fair,
and I don’t care what anyone has to say about
any of that,
I feel unloved,
I’m sorry I need people
to tell me I’m cool,
I’m just that way.
aren’t you?
am I the only one?
I know that I can’t be that
misunderstood.

but you don’t want to
understand me!
you just want to hear the part
where I talk about my small dick again,
because the asian man will always be plagued
by this rumor
until he is brave enough to fling it out
and say,

“HA! WE ARE GIGANTIC!”

this is not the direction
I wanted to take
this poem.
honestly, I just want to be in the arms
of my true love, in a house, in a room,
in a wonderful, perfect world with our
two children,
a boy and a girl,
helga and lamar,
but maybe I shouldn’t have said this,
woody allen taught us
that marriage is a death trap.

I’m almost as old as his girlfriend.

she could be the long lost sister

I’ve been looking for,

maybe my mother gave her away

when we lived in china,

wait, I never lived in china.

I think I’ve begun lying in this poem.

I was hoping to talk about love

for 3.4 minutes

and then

come to a conclusion,

somehow defining love

within the poem,

but

I don’t have any answers

and I’m looking for help from anyone,

because love has got me fucked up

and dying,

because I feel retarded without anyone to hold me,

and maybe that’s sentimental,

but what’s wrong with sentimental?

to self: fuck you, I’m OK!

you see, I can’t even decide what I need

much less understand what I’m saying.

you see, all I’m saying

someone love me.

-Beau Sia

Tank top: Forever 21

Lace leotard: American Apparel

Skirt: vintage H&M (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

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

Sunglasses: flea market

Bracelet: flea market

The Amateur's Guide to Planning a Fashion Show

2010-06-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few weeks of uncertainty, I can finally now announce that I am the director of the fashion show for the Philadelphia Bike Exposition! I am beyond excited that I was given this chance to merge my two of my three greatest loves, fashion and cycling. (The third being my cats, of course.) The show will be held on Saturday, October 30 at 8:00pm and will showcase athletic apparel for everyone from the daily commuter to the experienced cat-one racer. We will be featuring all-local cyclists to model the apparel and are hoping to include clothing raffles to benefit the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. The event will be free to the public and I encourage anyone in the Philadelphia area to stop by!

Now, as excited as I am, I am also completely freaking out. I so readily accepted the job before realizing, hey Molly, you've never planned a fashion show before! The only experience you even have is doing makeup for an art school showcase! Oh yeah, I forgot about that whole part...Luckily, I've got the support of one enthusiastic boyfriend and a representative of the Bicycle Coalition who's got more industry contacts than I have friends in my phone book. Between the three of us, we divided and conquered until we were able to put together a rough outline of what it takes to host a successful fashion show:

Secure a venue. [We are hosting the show at the same venue for the Bike Expo, the 23rd St. Armory]
Determine the length of the show. [30-60 minutes]
What is the theme? What looks will you showcase [We are deciding between categorizing by weather (windy, wet, warm, and cold) or type of rider (city, mountain bike, or road)]
Secure both a DJ and emcee.
Decide what sort of stage you need and measure your venue to ensure it can accommodate the stage.
Scout for models. [In an effort to keep the show authentic, we are recruiting everyday racers from local cycling teams. We are emailing a call sheet to shops, colleges, and other cycling community contacts with basic information, contact numbers, and what we need interested models to provide.]
Approach designers. [We are contacting apparel and accessory companies via email with information about the fashion show. Though we are only asking for sample items on loan, anything donated will be raffled off in an auction to benefit the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.]
Recruit hair stylists and makeup artists. [I looked to a friend at the Paul Mitchell school, who said she can provide 3-4 stylists in exchange for school credit. Everyone wins and it doesn't cost us a dime!]
Think sponsorship! [Urban Outfitters is based out of Philadelphia,so we plan to approach them for sponsorship money. In turn, all publicity would mention the "Philadelphia Bike Exposition Fashion Showcase, presented by Urban Outfitters"]
Start planning as early as possible! Visit local fashion shows, especially college presentations, for ideas and inspiration. [The show isn't for 5 months, but there's no such thing as being too prepared!]

Easily, the two biggest challenges at this time are finding designers and models. I'm just beginning to circulate emails out, but we've got a couple designers already signed on, which is a huge encouragement. As a result, there's less time for dressing fancy and more time spent like this:

Do any readers have experience planning fashion shows? What am I missing, and what random advice do you have for an overwhelmed first-timer?

Must Haves: Summer Accessories

2010-06-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

With startling speed, summer is bearing down on us in a blaze of humidity-filled glory. Rent, gas, electric, and cable bills were all just due, so I'm temporarily put out at the moment. That can't stop me from lusting over the new arrivals at Top Shop, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, and Modcloth. My goal this summer is to keep everything light, airy, and always subbing jewelry in lieu of the heavy layers I favored this winter.

Summer Accessories by mollyisoverrated featuring Jeffrey Campbell shoes

Jeffrey Campbell Roks Wedge
$148 - urbanoutfitters.com
More Jeffrey Campbell shoes »

Doodle Darling Wedge
$40 - modcloth.com
More shoes »

Canvas Multi Pocket Backpack
$60 - topshop.com
More TopShop backpacks »

Forever21.com - New Arrivals - 2055985847
$5.80 - forever21.com
More Forever21 watches »

Forever21.com - New Arrivals - 1077478055
$4.80 - forever21.com
More Forever21 watches »

In-spire-ation Necklace
$18 - modcloth.com
More necklaces »

Strike Twice Ring-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage Clothes
$12 - modcloth.com
More rings »

Keeping Tabs on You Ring Set-Mod Retro Indie Clothing & Vintage...
$15 - modcloth.com
More rings »

Forever21.com - Accessories - Jewelry
$8.80 - forever21.com
More Forever21 watches »

Topshop - VITA Lace Peep Toe Boots
28 GBP - topshop.com

UrbanOutfitters.com > Matiko Nicki Peep-Toe Wedge
$148 - urbanoutfitters.com

My Little Underground

2010-05-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

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