Friday , July 30, 2010
A Day In The Life: Dopest Shit We'll Wear This Spring
SWEETHEART-ISM/PRETTY IN PINK (AND PURPLE)/STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CHIC
As far as colours go, pink has gotten stuck with a pretty raw deal. Most adults (excluding Georgian sorority sisters and Paris Hilton) tend to eschew it for being frou-frou and immature; really, the only demographic man enough to embrace and believe in pink's potential is four-thru-seven year old girls. And me. As of late, all I want is to be a sweetheart from tip-to-toe, and the only people I want to interact with are other sweethearts and our Sazeriacal dude counterparts, Gentlemen (you know: the near-extinct ilk of dude who buys you every drink instead of just the first, or none, kisses you on the cheek, and regularly visits a tailor). The springing of spring always makes me want to wear loads of colour; this year, I want to pounce around primarily in berry tones. This spring, I want to pin down The Sazerac of Gentlemen, and I want to be his Pink Champagne of Sweethearts.
1. DE-BORIFYING BLACK/HOLY GHOST LANGUAGE STUDENT, PT. IV: My grape and raspberry plaid A-line mini may look like mid-sixties vintage, but it's actually from H&M! Kablammo! I have worse style than you thought I did! Ba-da-bing, Ba-da-boom, Ba-da-spring-is-in-bloom. This skirt is a real jerk. It is finicky, and matches nothing, except for a plain black leotard. I am not exaggerating- it even looks kind of stupid with a plain white wifebeater. I initially interpreted the fickleness of my jam-plaid skirt as a huge drag, since I hate black, especially in springtime, unless you are attending a springtime funeral (if you are, I'm sorry for your loss). But then I realized that my alleged "fashion dilemma" was actually just further proof of pink's awesomeness: look how "non-black" this almost all-black outfit looks! The innate sweetheart-ism of the colour pink is unbeatable. Good has triumphed over evil. This is another one of those outfits I sometimes come up with that I think should be what school uniforms look like.
2. HOPEFULLY MY INTELLIGENCE SHINES THROUGH: How can you not feel totally awesome about every single aspect of your life when you're wearing a tank top with a picture of a Chef Raccoon on it, Bazooka Joe-coloured jeans, and a purple-on-purple Mad Hatter cap? (this photo does not do the hat justice; HERE is a cooler picture of it) The answer is: you can't. This outfit would be really fun to get Asti Spumante-drunk in. I don't always want to look this stupidly childlike, but when I do, I'll wear this. I just wish I still had this purple plastic Babs Bunny purse I used to wear when I was a kidlet; it's the missing link of this Look. BTW, the raccoon tank is by Insight, they also make a killerly cute coin purse of it. What should I name the raccoon!?!?!?! Maybe "Spencer".
3. SCARLETT O'HARA WITH A CHERRY ON TOP: This one's all about pushing Sweetheart-ism to the most extreme possible extreme: pink flowery beret, pink lace dress, pink pearls, pink flowery flats, pink wine, pink lipstick, a kitty-cat. Everything changed when I wore this outfit. My posture improved, I had better manners, I said "like" considerably less. After a lifetime of tomboyishness, it's refreshing to be a bit ladylike from time to time, especially since I am growing up and all. The cat I am holding in this picture is my new roommate/BFF; his name is Blake, and I think that him and Pillz should date. It would be decidedly TOO FELINE FOR YOU.
4. IF YOU THINK PINK CAN'T BE BADASS, THINK AGAIN, LOSERS: This outfit proves that, even while wearing an outfit that is two thirds pastel pink, I can still be scrappy, rebellioso, and punk rock. Pink is so misunderstood! It ain't just for babies anymore, you closed-minded pink-haters! On a non-pink tip, isn't it amazing for me that I found a pink hooded t-shirt with an illustration of the cover of Let it Be with skull-Beatles in place of actual-Beatles? Isn't it amazing for me that I am now the proud owner of not one, but two t-shirts featuring Beatles/skull imagery? (the other one can be seen on Day 18 of the UFC) This spring, everything is coming up roses for Laura Jane Faulds.
PS: DUDE, WHERE'S MY STRAWBERRY HILL BOONE'S FARM? (Laura Jane)
SURFIN' NERD + SKATE HIPPIE x MISS PRISS = LET'S JUST MAKE THIS UP AS WE GO ALONG
At first my spring fashion concept was "Surfin' Nerd" (kinda like the Trashmen song, but nerdier): I was gonna tell you about how Emily Richmond and I are going surfing on April 18, and how even though my soul is basically the same as the non-criminal part of Patrick Swayze's soul in Point Break, at the end of the day I'm a total four-eyed dork whose mellow is generally harshed real easy. I had ideas about surf + nerd, like really fly tropical-print boardshorts + some amazing vintage R.E.M. t-shirt that I can't find to save my life - which still sounds fantastic, but it's so constrictive. So then I opened it up to "Surfin' Nerd" + "Skate Hippie" (cuz boy skate hippies are the apex of hotness in my book, and why can't there be girl skate hippies too?). But that all seemed a bit more tomboyish than I can deal with, so next it became "Surfin' Nerd" + "Skate Hippie" x "Miss Priss" = I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ANYMORE, STOP PRESSURING ME!
Probably all the time this spring I'll wear my Iron Maiden Vans that LJ pretend-bought me for Christmas and that I for-real-bought myself last week. They are life-changing and the best thing anyone's ever pretend-bought me in my whole sweet existence. And some good jeans, and good t-shirts (like my very favorite tee right now, that Amsterdam one above, which I bought Saturday at Buffalo Exchange along with this Paul Frank top and this lame-ass faux-vintage Black Crowes shirt I'm in love with). And some kinda knit hat, mostly so I can get away with going longer than 6 weeks before touching up my highlights. Switch up all that with some cute little spring-y dresses (like that hot-pink number seen above, another Buffalo Exchange find), and we're pretty much good to go, except I also want all these things real bad:
-a lightweight cerulean-blue beanie to replace that knit hat above, which'll be way too toasty once the weather warms up
-the elusive & amazing vintage R.E.M. t-shirt, at long last
-hot-pink nail polish, which I probably wouldn't wear with the hot-pink dress
-more sundresses, preferably in white even though I'd be scared of spilling on them
-Hellz Bellz's Agent Bellz jacket (below, at left)
-Lizzie Fortunato Jewels' Electric Kool-Aid necklace (below, at center)
-Madley's crochet tank (below, at right)
And a surfboard, and a wetsuit, and a house within biking distance of the beach. Oh, and a bike. That's all, I think. Happy spring! (Liz)
THE ANTI-CONCEPTUAL/PRO-INSTINCTUAL
I usually love a fashion concept. Being narrative-oriented, I love making up stuff like "1920s chorus girl meets space-age librarian" or "Little Drummer Girl as styled by Courtney Love circa 1992" or "Fran Lebovitz got wasted and went shopping at Forever 21 instead of Comme des Garcons" or whatever. But a few things happened on my way to a spring fashion concept:
1. The longest winter-feeling ever. I feel like it's been cold and dreary since October!
2. My eyes becoming a little tired with visual cacophony. The visual landscape feels really cluttered to me these days; is there such a thing as too much fashion in the world? I didn't realize this till I went home a week ago and felt myself go "ahhhhh" as I looked out at a relentless flat Illinois countryside at sunset, full of clean lines and beautiful, muted colors of grey, green, tan and just a bit of blush pink.
3. Having no time for fashion and shopping. I used to wonder what women in their 30s were talking about when they went on and on about how busy they are and how there's no time for anything, including clothes. Now that I am in my 30s...whoa. It's true.
4. Defaulting to the "indie gamine" thingie I did during lots of college for my daytime uniform, which is just skinny jeans with either oxford shirts or t-shirts, and either boots (usually my riding ones) or Converse. (And also my Veja trainers; gotta keep waving that eco-friendly flag.) It just feels really mobile, requires not a lot of thought, but feels true to where I'm at.
4. Generally feeling stable and committed to the idea of "more quality, less quantity" because I find that it's working in my particular life.
With all of that, I realized that fashion concepts are fun and enjoyable on the cerebral level, but lately I like a sense of looseness and clarity around fashion. Spring fashion for me in 2009 is not about concepts. Conceptualizing is an intellectual, broody winter-type activity -- spring is about bodies being free, fresh air and pink cheeks, the delicious feeling of wind and sun on newly bared skin. It is about instinct, emotion and sensations, being responsive and spontaneous and clear-eyed. All I want from fashion this spring is a bit of austerity leavened with moments of brightness and lyricism. I'm not sure how this plays out, but right now it means lots of dove grey, really simple lines and shapes and fabrics that feel beautiful and substantial against the skin. Oh, and I'm looking to get a new pair of glasses, too. The hightly ironic thing is that I've already done my spring shopping for the most part, but the stuff is really unexciting from a fashion blog standpoint. (Jeans, a grey striped oxford shirt, a grey dress from American Apparel, that one dress everyone got from the Alexander McQueen collection for Target but somehow makes nearly everyone look amazing, a pair of shoes from Aldo. I love it all.) Sadly my camera is dead, but here is a compensatory collage of things I like and would maybe buy if I were ceaselessly rich and had a bottomless closet. (I actually own one of these items, and if you are the first person to guess what it is, I will send you a mix CD for spring just for kicks.) (Kat)
1. Bvlgari Pour Femme eau de parfum: floral, subtle, elegant, classic
2. A Zero Maria Cornejo dress
3. A Foley & Corinna City Tote in glossy black
4. An American Apparel oxford shirt dress
5. Miz Mooz "Heroic" oxford flat
6. Angg navy silk dress, avail. at Oak
7. Mirror/Dash abstract print top, avail. at Urban Outfitters
Tags: anti-fashion, austerity, Beatles skulls, Blake the Cat, gentlemen, girlishness, indie gamine, lyricism, minimalism, non-scrappiness, Pillz the Cat, pink, R.E.M., Sazeracs, skaters are hot, springtime, Strawberry Hill Boone's Farm, Strawberry Shortcake Chic, surfers are hot, sweetheartism, The Pink Champagne of Sweethearts, the Trashmen, Vans
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lj: i'm really jealous about the 'let it be' skull hoodie! and i almost included that insight top in the list of things i want for spring; omg we're so in tune. also: pillz is always looking for new dates! technically she's married to hallie's cat bruce, but blake looks like he could handle a girl with some serious junk in the trunk more than bruce ever could.
kat: i heart "Little Drummer Girl as styled by Courtney Love circa 1992." i want to steal that for fall. i don't know where the time goes either; maybe that's what i miss most about my 20s. (btw, CLove twitters: http://twitter.com/courtneylover79. i hope it's not a fake like that paul rudd ish i was hoodwinked by earlier today. sigh...)
By Liz
on March 24, 2009 5:29 PM
Laura Jane, ur cat is precious! love the fluffy factor! lol
By Jill on March 25, 2009 12:12 AM
kat...i think it's the totally sweet bag. am i right? do i get the spring mix?
By sarah on March 25, 2009 9:22 AM
sarah, you are totally right! t is the bag and it is indeed sweet. you get the spring mix! xo kat
By Kat
on March 25, 2009 2:44 PM