Bikeage

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

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

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

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

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

Tank Top: gift

Jean: Forever 21

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

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

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

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

Welcome to the Working Week

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

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

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


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

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

Dress: thrifted (Goodwill- Morgan Hill, CA)

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

Sunglasses: Urban Outfiters

Quick Update!

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

Cheers,

Molly

Dead By 23

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

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

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

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

Belt: Divided via H&M

Shoes: vintage (Buffalo Exchange- Philadelphia, PA)

Shawl: vintage (unknown)

Sunglasses: Forever 21

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

W

Waffle - Wumpus - Henry

Designer Highlight: Kork-Ease

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

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

Liliana ($155.00)

Gabriela ($145.00)

Alva ($225.00)

Nelly ($135.00)

Francis- ($150.00)

Rita ($145.00)

Who knew green fashion could look so good?

Featured on: ModCloth "Favorite Finds"

It's my birthday today, so I'm taking a day off from cameras and Picasa and blogger. But I had 2 great pieces of news I couldn't wait to share.

1) My loving boyfriend Ray bought me a domain name! From now on, you can reach the site at www.lafilleatomique.com!

2) ModCloth featured me on their blog's "Favorite Finds" section! You can read the full post here. Thanks ModCloth! This was truly the best gift I could ask for.

(click to enlarge)

Catch 22

Ah, my last day of being 22...I'll get really sappy if I let myself, but I will say that the last year has been turbulent with both positives and negatives. I won't dwell on the negatives, but rather acknowledge where they have taken me. This morning I registered for my first college course in two years, in what I hope will be the start of finally finishing my degree. By finishing, I mean starting over from scratch, which isn't so much daunting as motivating. I'm glad to see 22 go and I look forward to wherever 23 takes me.

If you can't tell, I was absolutely dying to show off my new purchases from this weekend. I'm one of those people that has to re-try on everything I purchased the second I get home. I'm in love with these tweed shorts, the first pair of non-denim shorts I've bought possibly ever. I love the folded over detail at the waste and decorative buttons. The moccasin pumps seemed like perfect match, and I'll never say no to a little extra height!

I'm running into a real conundrum as the weather gets nicer and I delve farther into my fashion obsession. I've completely run out of room to store my clothes! Between my bureau and closet, everything is jam-packed. Shoes are especially a heinous sight. I'm thinking of purchasing a garment rack, although I have no idea what to do with shoes. Are you guys confined by small living spaces too? If so, how do you organize your clothes?

Shirt: Divided via H&M

Shorts: vintage (Closet Exchange- Abington, PA)

Tights: Walgreens

Shoes: vintage Sam Edelman (Retrospect- Philadelphia, PA)

Hair bow: Forever 21

Sunglasses: Forever 21