Umbrella-Top-Hat

Vintage 80s Norton McNaughton velvet jacket, self made high-waisted pants, Forever 21 wide brim felt hat/fur bag, Shoeone boots.

Apparently velvet is going to be huge for FW '11. While velvet has never been my fabric of choice, I like this jacket a lot for it's shoulder pads, lack of collar, simple buttons and the complete absence of embellishments on the sleeves. While the cut may be simple, the pattern speaks for itself. I added a hat wide enough to function as an umbrella just in case it rained.

Disappointingly, just like the $400 I was told would be paid back in 2009, the rain turned out to be an unfulfilled promise.

A few days ago a child ran up behind me in a market, pet my purse and scuttled away. I had an almost identical incident when I was about 7 with a bag that doubled as a stuffed Shetland collie...the more things change...

Lastly, of late I've been eating like a queen on microwavable food. Nomenclature plays a large part though -- I could say I had a raw spinach salad with a salmon fillet and balsamic vinaigrette, or I could be honest and say I microwaved some frozen fish and tossed it into a bowl with months-expired dressing and whatever greens are still edible.

See what I did there? No? Good. I maintain the illusion of being fabulous.

Youth Bucket

Yesterday I was standing in a line on Sunset Strip when a cab driver pulled right up beside me in a van. I nearly choked -- he had the roundest head, the droopiest eyes, the saddest mouth and a most extraordinarily rotund belly. I almost exclaimed out loud, "Good Lord, it's Alfred Hitchcock driving a van," but when I looked around I realized I was surrounded by people who probably didn't even know who Hitchcock was. We were in line for a rock concert. Classic cinema was probably the furthest thing from their minds -- and should've been from mine as well, I reckon.

It seems like I'm always out of step with whatever group I find myself in -- which is fine -- but I'm always one or two beats off. I wonder if I'll ever find a way to reconcile a night of headbanging with Hitchcock.

Pink Yellow Green Ash Brown

Thrifted crochet fringe top, Levi's denim cutoffs, Shoeone platform boots, Forever 21 hat, antique jade necklace, misc. American Indian ring, unknown fur bag.

I told myself I would stop being a hippie when Summer ended and start being more of a 90s grunge child. Apparently my aesthetic, like far-right old people and the soda machine at the library, is resistant to change.

I am usually on the fence about crochet but never about fringe, which explains the acquisition of this somewhat awkward top. I can't tell if it's too big or too small; maybe my shoulders are too wide. Maybe my awkwardness is purely personal rather than sartorial? Oh dear.

That fur bag was quite a purchase -- I bought it half off in August (not really the season for fur anything, explaining the markdown) and was told immediately upon showing it to my family that it was obviously discounted because it was ugly. Since then it has garnered a good deal of attention, but more the kind usually reserved for ventriloquist dolls and other dubiously inanimate objects.





It's been a Superfly kind of a season.

Synthetic Woolen Skeins

Levis high-waist cutoffs, misc. grey tank, self-made off-white sweater, Indian hammered silver bangles, American Indian turquoise ring, Trashy Vintage knuckle rings, Forever 21 felt hat, Jeffrey Campbell Litas.


Finally the sweater is done! I started knitting this back in August and everyone told me it was absurd to knit in the dead of Summer. However, a laminated sign in JoAnn's fabric reminding knitters to "get busy before the holiday season!" vindicated my perhaps premature start on this project. If I've been away from the internet some, this is why -- I've been making things, and what a lovely thing it turned out to be, if I do say so myself. I'm heaps proud of this.

The shape and drape of this sweater was modeled after the kimono trend we saw during SS11. The collar and baggyness in the sleeves is meant to be evocative of a happi coat.

The sweater is surprisingly simple -- it is 100% garter stitched. I originally got started making the border with a stockinette stitch, but it began rolling itself like a fat pug on a plush carpeted floor, so I was forced to switch back to basics.

As you might notice, there is a child reflected in the chrome of my ring. He wasn't there when I was taking these photos. While an invisible child isn't all that alarming, I find myself both perplexed and perturbed. Should I be?

Cold Pointy Domestic Bits

Self made saffron corduroy shorts, thrifted crochet sweatshirt, misc. Chinese thigh highs, Forever 21 ring, Glaze boots (not pictured.)

I wasn't even looking for this sweatshirt when I found it, but I'm glad I did because it's a perfect transitional piece. Speaking of, SoCal seems to have meteorologically regressed and dumped us somewhere back in August, which is why I'm sitting on the floor in front of the refrigerator drinking milk from a carton like a savage.

Lemonale ala W.C. Fields. No it isn't. Yes it is. Now it's milk ala Roger Sterling. What?

It amazes me how many people think their kitchens are too small. Mine is that wide across the whole way -- not even as wide as my legs are long, apparently. If you know me you'll know my legs are about as long as two magic markers conjoined at the cap, which is insufficient breadth for a kitchen. Not that I'm complaining, it suits me just fine; I just find it funny how many people go on house hunting shows to bemoan their insufficient cooking space two minutes before making a trite joke about how all they can use is a microwave.

My own kitchen is littered with vaguely frightening ceramics made circa the 50s. I don't know why they all have Kewpie eyes.

Night People

Self made palazzo pants, misc. cotton shirt, Forever 21 hat/necklace/purse, Glaze boots, Trashy Vintage knuckle rings, Pakistani bracelet.


I made these pants today 20 minutes before going out. Don't have something to wear? Make something; not that that's a problem I often find myself with...


They are the the result of a number of recent influences coming to a head, including Red Dead Redemption, an obsession with a pair of silk Zara trousers I've seen on both Rumi Neely and Sandra Hagelstam, seasonably inappropriate heat and a general distaste for pants (but not in a Louis Vuitton ss12 sort of a way. )

I see lots of neon signs in Los Angeles that never seem to be turned on, even in the dark. Maybe my timing is just off and I never get to see them...it's really a shame, seeing as a darkened neon sign is about as useful as a steak knife to a person drinking consommé.

Starving Artist

Thrifted Levi's mens jeans, Jones New York blazer, self-made beanie, misc. white burnout tee, taupe suede boots, misc. pyramid ring.

An eccentric but friendly artist who loiters in front of a Starbucks in Beverly Hills stopped me on my way out. He told me, "You've got a vibe going; you've got swagger!"

I didn't know what to say back, so I thanked him awkwardly and said that was the best news I'd heard all day. Then I left.

I fear the appropriate response might've been, "You too," but I failed to deliver it. Luckily he's perennially jolly and didn't mind.

I am developing a surprisingly good rapport with the street people of Beverly Hills. First the hobo, now this.

Autumn Incoming

Charlotte Russe cropped sweater, misc. harem pants, grey tank, Soda wedges, F21 spike ring, unknown brand scorpion ring, self made elephant necklace.

Today didn't go the way I expected it to. I failed to realize when I got dressed this morning that the drop crotch pants combined with the oversized sweater were going to simulate the experience of being a flying squirrel all day...gotta get some of that faint Fall breeze under my wings.

Is it a scorpion? Is it a lobster? Depends how sober you are.

Finally it's starting to feel and smell a bit of autumn in southern CA. The angle of the light is dramatically different (and dare I say, best)in October.
However, it seems like the seasonal changes make people wistful. A man stands against a stop sign across the street and just stares forward from afternoon to nightfall every day. I can't imagine what he's waiting for; at this point I don't think he knows what he's waiting for either.

Chinese College Town

Self made real leather/denim hardware shorts, thrifted silk blouse, misc. black tights, Forever 21 hat, antique jade necklace, Jeffrey Campbell Litas.

Went down to FIDM today for the open house and had a fantastic time. Their Merchandising programs look pretty promising, except that I really don't have the money for tuition. Guess I'll have to be creative, like I was with my shorts.

Afterward my companion and I were feeling a bit peckish and popped down to China town for some food and quick blogshots. Possibly better than the whole college tour, I saw an old man with a Confucian beard, half-moon glasses and an ipod sitting on a bench. He was also fantastic.

Lumberjack

Self made saffron corduroy shorts, thrifted Korean red flannel shirt, self made beanie, Charlotte Russe sunglasses, Charlotte Russe double belt worn as cuff, Forever 21 cuff, Shoeone Korean boots.

This photo is one of the more current ones. Yellow cords are a surprisingly versatile addition to my wardrobe, but in keeping with the hype about color blocking this whole year it's easiest to just throw them next to red or blue and call it a day. I've never enjoyed the texture much, but corduroy redeems itself by being easy to work with and comfy for fall.

Speaking of Fall, ever since the semester started I've been holed up at ^ this desk in the library nearly every day. Like the shorts, the desk is also very comfy. The bookcase behind the chair provides much needed privacy and keeps the draft at bay.