paperbag princess

Usually I dress with different characters in mind, but today's outfit felt like one that was more ~me~~. I didn't think about it that way when I put it together, but I just felt very comfortable throughout the day. Then when I was walking home two of the boys from the private school were just sitting in their car like some creeps in their parking lot and I walked past and they couldn't stop grinning so I grinned back and just tried to channel Fairuza Balk in The Craft when she goes to the party (minus the whole pretending-to-be-Robin-Tunney-and-killing-them part) and I think it worked because they were confused. Fairuza as well as this video are good references for dealing with people like that. I'm also starting to think I know an outfit is my favorite when I get made fun of by high schoolers in cars.

For this outfit I was thinking of J.W. Anderson Spring 2011 and the pictures I put with it, the last three seasons of Meadham Kirchhoff, and various pictures from FRUiTS. I pinned this doily from my grandparents' house onto this lace slip wedding dress thing from the Salvation Army, the tee was sent to me by Blood Is The New Black, and the skirt underneath was a gift.

All of the brooches are some variation of thrift/family's old things/gifts except for the beetle brooch on the far right which was sent to me by Mandy Coon. The skeleton fairy charm is from a voodoo shop in New Orleans and I made the MISS WORLD necklace.

Goody tiara (I need a legitimate prom queen one that isn't just a clip, though) and iconography bracelet from a joke shop.

Ban.do sent me these shoe clips that I plan on attaching to everything, but look especially great with these boots I found in our basement. They are the best ugly shoes that I own, despite the fact that they are probably moldy and unsanitary.
BUT IT GETS BETTER:

"LUGZ."
As far as Ugly Shoe names go, you really can't beat that. I think I'm gonna start a band just so we can be The Lugz. I also think I have the name for my future child.

The ultimate accessory, however, is a cold man who will walk by while your self-timer is going.

But those boys in their car aren't the only creeps -- It also seems appropriate after my tiara and Miss World necklace, and last week's outfit, that I finally admit to you all how much of a lurk I really am.
(Avid Courtney Love haters, I advise that you exit this page now. I have warned you, so don't come crying back to me/my comment section if the following photos bring you discontent.)

BEHOLD: my beloved Hole shrine. To make it a little less obsessive and weird, here is something I wrote about Courtney in the summer. This is a tribute to what Hole/Courtney have meant for me personally and for a general kinderwhore-but-not-totally vibe that I categorize on my tumblr as Vomit Pink (C) My Neverending Procrastinating Tumblr. These things have been acquired from all kindsa places.
Doll Parts and a doll my friend brought me from England when we were little.

Live Through This, tiny glow in the dark angel, and my bracelet. I used to have a reflective postcard of the Virgin Mary here too, but I think it got lost on the floor of my room..

I [crappily] drew the logo on an "Avon Valentine Favorites" record from the SA

Courtney on the cover of Dazed & Confused January 2010 and Celebrity Skin

Miss World, Violet, and Courtney on the cover of Bazaar in 1998 when she got all fancy

Retard Girl

The floor (I've only just now realized that this photo says "assy"...)

The ceiling, from one of those flashback pages in Interview

Necklace Marisa lent me and necklace I made.

And now you know my secret!
Maybe one day I will post pictures of my Bob Dylan shrine.
But it's a little creepier.
And includes candles.

gushers

We'll come back to New York later because Christopher Kane's collection spoke to me like no other. Like really, really resonated. So intensely, in fact, that I found myself up at 2 AM digging out from under my bed the remnants of an early 2000's bedroom. It was like I'd been possessed by the mesmerizing colors and movement of the Tropical Tie Dye Fruit Roll-Ups that ran along the skin of Kane's models like veins; by the many glistening reflections of each Lizzie McGuire-inspired sequin. It was then that I knew I had found my own truth to Lizzie's greatest moment: this collection is, in fact, what dreams are made of. (As a sidenote: how TRIPPY is that whole double-Hilary thing? It's like Black Swan. It is exactly like Black Swan.)

It started with these different forms of afghan patterns that I didn't love because a lot of it looks very easily thriftable, in fact, I have thrifted a lot of similar afghan stuff (except for that intriguing crocheted leather stuff that was burdened with an awkward color scheme.) I wish that it'd gone more in the direction of the first look which is one of the more adass outfits a person can wear.

BUT THEN! THEN we get to lava lamp MAGIC and it's all too hypnotizing for me to care about the olive green leather that was previously showcased. Do you see the Fruit Roll-Up resemblance? I know it can probably most definitely be considered tacky, but that's why it's so great! These lava lamp streaks know they're supposed to be fun and aren't trying to be anything else, that's why they're squiggly! And it's balanced out with some slick black shapes, for the sophisticated woman.
But that I am not! So the final looks were my favorites:

Back when I shared a room with my sister I earned some major cred among friends because my room had all the hippest stuff that the middle-schoolers were giving away at their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. This included a lime green inflatable armchair with a frog on it, a fake lava lamp full of glitter, and a lot of smiley face memorabilia. But my favorites were the bead curtains, copied almost EXACTLY above. I have a lot of love for these borderline ugly (in a good way! Always in a good way!) technicolor frocks that accurately represent both how our bedroom looked as well as sounded (regardless of being too young to get to see Josie and the Pussycats, I knew every song.)

Bask in the glory! And please note the collars. I hope they're sold on their own like Miu Miu did that one time.
Way important clutch that, however amazing, is probably not worth the thousands of dollars it will be priced at. Lucky for you, I have composed a simple procedure for acquiring one on your own for way less dough!
1) Befriend a nice but hopelessly unhip Jewish family. Wish them a good Shabbos every Friday; attend a Sukkot party if invited. Enter their home with the right kind of Challah. Ask if they prefer Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm. Mention that a friend of yours has David Axelrod over for Passover every year, and sure, you'd be happy to get them in touch.
2) Make sure that the family contains a kid with an upcoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah. This is key. You should also make sure that the parents are out of touch with both their kid and with what the kidz are into these days.
3) Since you've been Honorary Jew for a few months now, you will be invited to the kid's Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Attend, tear up at the parents' blessing, make small talk with the distant relatives, and be generally polite and tactful -- until the DJ CONTESTS, that is! Whatever your skill may be -- limbo, hula hoop, dance, or catch-the-money-in-the-suffocating-lawsuit-body-bag-not-unlike-that-scene-from-Matilda (we had this game at mine) -- be ready to show off! You'll look stupider than you have in your entire life, but you must throw these insecurities out the window. Remember what you have that the 12 year olds don't -- your body odor is more controlled, you don't have to worry about going to school on Monday to be reminded of your actions (I KNOW WHAT YOU DID AT JONAH'S BAR MITZVAH: movie event of the year), and you don't plan on ever seeing this family again! They're hopelessly unhip, remember? And because of this, they chose prizes for their kid's Bar/Bat Mitzvah that would've been cool when my big sister was BM-hopping, but are now hopelessly dated. Until Christopher Kane's Fall 2011 collection, that is! So when you go to claim your prize after beating a middle-schooler in musical chairs, pride yourself in the Kane-esque lava lamp pencil case purse that, essentially, really only cost you some small talk and a macaroon canister.

And now, reasonably but not completely related moodboard:

Grace Miceli, Rose McGowan and Thora Birch,Versace Spring 2004 ads, sea kay on flickr, Rose in Jawbreaker, Christy Turlington in unknown designer, Jawbreaker, Craig Masson and Andrew McMinn's home, Ghost World, Kate Moss by unknown photographer, Grace Miceli again, and late 90s Comme des Garcons. As always with unknowns, email me if you have an answer!

miss world

Oops! Fashion Week posting is a bit spotty since free time has to be spent on homework, and I need more time to let all the fancy clothes I've been seeing ~marinate, so an outfit for now. I've been paying some homage to Hole/Courtney, as one with a tiara should.

Goody tiara, thrifted top and shoes, skirt was a gift from Miu Miu. Thank you Angie for taking this picture!

This is me at my first strip joint! The West Gentleman's Club, to be precise. The complexgeometries presentation was held there, and I was bummed to see there were no strippers. But I will still always remember that night as the night I Became A Man. Speaking of rites of passage into male adulthood, I saw Justin Bieber's documentary Bar Mitzvah montage last night. It was enjoyable! And in 3D. So when he pointed and sang "you make me smile," it was like I make him smile. I am pro-JB because someone has to be a tween dreamboat pop boy and he's not going away, but what started out for me as "I'm just gonna embrace him" has become a bit of an obsession. Plus he started out playing on steps outside a theater. Though that might've led the most annoying part of the movie:

A girl, about 12, is playing violin outside theater steps in Canada. JUSTIN BIEBER approaches, entourage and camera crew in tow, and stands before her with his arms crossed, grinning.
GIRL: (After a few moments) Are you Justin Bieber?
JB: WHY YES, YOUNG LASS, YES I AM. YOU SEE, I TOO USED TO PLAY OH SO HUMBLY ON THE STEPS OF THE OLE' THEATER, AND LOOK AT WHERE I AM NOW! SEE THESE WHITE JEANS I'M WEARING? SEE EM? 200 BUCKS, THESE BABIES COST ME. NOT FIT FOR DIRTY STEPS SUCH AS THOSE YOU PEASANTS PLAY ON, OH NO! SO REMEMBER TO ALWAYS FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, AND MAYBE IF YOU'RE LUCKY, YOU'LL END UP LIKE ME! ME AND MY WHITE JEANS! (Hair flip.) NEVER FORGET THOSE WISE WORDS, YOUNGUN, AND BECAUSE I'M IN A GOOD MOOD TODAY, I'LL DROP THIS PRETTY PENNY INTO YOUR VIOLIN CASE.
GIRL'S EYES: why are you here i don't care about your jeans let me play my classical violin god

Marisa let me borrow this way important necklace.
Self portrait, blah blah blah.

and so it begins.

Somehow, it is already time for the Fall 2011 season so this is a scheduled post as I head to NY. I haven't even looked at some Spring shows! And Pre-Fall! And Couture! There's still a lot of stuff from last season I want to write about! And so, to test the timelessness of these clothes (see how I make myself seem less lazy by making this seem like a clever conceptual endeavor?), I will continue to write about Spring while Fall is going on. Fashion needs to take a note from Frankie and just relax for like, TWO SECONDS.

Meanwhile, this is what I wore to the Hideout thing last week. It was fun! Really fun! At least, as far as I can remember, though it's entirely possible I said some really stupid stuff. Thanks to the kind folks who came and said hi and stroke up conversations about Suze Rotolo and thrifting!

I wanted to be red and graphic-y? This is more a "character" outfit than an interesting printsy layery one. I've been doing more of that kind of dressing lately. Vintage Betsey Johnson dress, Soft cardigan, backpack from when I was little. The girl scout patch is from eBay.

rosie the robot

Yesterday I really wanted to wear my wig and dress like a mermaid but I didn't have the ethereal materials (yeah I'm a poet now) to be a serious one so I settled for a kind of retro-futuristic Jetsons version.
Manic Panic wig, Alexander McQueen top from Browns, thrifted long sleeve, structured Target skirt, We Love Colors tights, Pierre Hardy x Gap platforms (I wore shoes much more snow appropriate when walking.)

I've been spending a lot of time in the bathroom lately. Not due to any health problems -- oh no, one needn't worry about my bowel movements! -- but because my wig just goes with it so well.

When I was walking home a car of sooper kewl teenz drove by and rolled down their window and this one dude was like "NICE HAIR! Har har har!" and I think I just smiled but at that point I was all grumbly because of the snow so it's possible I attacked him or something. I can't remember. We'll have to look for injured and unconscious bodies once all the snow melts away.

I treated myself to the McQueen top when Browns had that big summer sale on its site but haven't worn it much because it's so hard to do justice. It didn't even occur to me until yesterday afternoon that it's soon the one year anniversary of McQueen's death. Even though I found it appropriate that his very last collection whispered instead of screamed, the Atlantis he created for Spring 2010 will always be his swan song to me. And even though it's not news to anyone, the graphics in that collection were crazy beautiful, so I scanned my shirt and all its detailed glory like they do in Elle Collections.

wish you were here

Today was a snow day with no school or internet or phone connection so I had to rely on old-fashioned forms of entertainment such as "books" and "television" instead. It was a revelation of an experience that taught me a lot about what's important in life. And like, I totally know what it's like to be Amish now.

And so, I made another real-life moodboard (others I've done here & here) on the desk in my room based around this necklace contraption that the folks at Proenza Schouler recently sent my way. Summer camp/friendship bracelets/bike lock/bungee chord/backyard streams/geology vibes. I really wish it was summer.


So about this necklace, which is a bit too clunky for the delicate connotations that the word necklace implies -- it is beautiful summer camp perfection. Usually when I wear it I just stare at the rocks and zone out. And probably the best part about the non-necklace-ness is that I don't have to be really careful when wearing it. A complain I'd like to file, however, is that the size isn't adjustable. You'd think that when half of it is made out of bike lock/bungee chord material there would be some clever and simple way to adjust it. I've taken to latching the large loops onto the smaller ones sticking out of the side. Maybe that's what you're supposed to do, actually? Hmph.

The necklace is displayed here against a record I bought at the Salvation Army because for some reason it seemed really necessary to own a record of a high school band from an Illinois suburb in the 70's.


Lizard bracelet is from a watch I bought at Target in like 5th grade and the other bracelets my friend made. Meagan gave me this Risto skirt and, like her with her eyebrow glasses, I got extremely Double Rainbow over it. Which would be appropriate, considering the Proenza necklace is from their stoner collection.

Sonic Youth's Murray Street and Guatemalan worry dolls.

Top also sent to me by Proenza.

Finally, if you live in Chicago and have nothing to do Friday night, I'm part of a fun interview lineup at the Hideout! Do you enjoy small venues with friendly people? How about alcoholic beverages? Were you a member of the Wheaton Central High School Band in 1977 and want to know what I thought of your tuba playing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, come say hi! Especially the tuba player -- I have a lot of notes for you.