Once When I Was

It was just two months ago that I was on a Spanish holiday.  It’s so crazy how the summer is zooming by.  There was a great week where all I had to do was go to the beach, eat, shop, eat, read, drink, eat, sleep.  Not necessarily in that order. 

I always think I am going to really dress up on holiday but pretty quickly I get a bit lazy and begin to live in cut off shorts and easy tops.  This chiffon top is Saivana c/o Bollare, the silk parka is Rendez-vous by Paul & Joe Sister for Urban Outfitters, the cut-offs are c/o Joe’s Jeans.

The sunnies are c/o Cheap Monday & and my favorite, the Bonnie flatforms are c/o 80%20.  The earrings were a score from the 25 cent bin at H&M one day last summer, my bird ring from Echo of the Dreamer and of course, I am never without my Shashi friendship bracelets.

Links help you get yours and photos taken by BC.

A major trend that I love right now is the maxi skirt.  Being a mini size person the maxi doesn’t always work.  It requires the perfect balance between top and bottom to pull it off without looking like you are dressing up in your normal sized friend’s clothes.   It was our first night in Spain and I was dying to wear this Rebecca Minkoff maxi skirt.  It felt so feminine and silky with a fantastic swishy effect.  I layered it with a tie-dye tank c/o OBEY Clothing and a slouchy tee c/o Line + Dot and my suede MIA sandals.  We went out and ate pintxos and drank Txakolí every night.  The best place we found was A Fuego Negro. 

Oh man, was I jet-lagged at that point. 

Photos taken by BC and links lead to shopping.

Do you Believe? 

I got this adorable long sleeve tee shirt from MNKR and I have to say this phrase is really giving me a lift in attitude. 

Yesterday’s outfit.  I’ll get a post up of it one day. 

I am having a moment of obsession with silk blouses.  It’s all I am ever looking for when I am vintage shopping.  I still daydream of the ones that have expired; I had an amazing fuschia Christian Dior Chinese silk blouse that I bought at the thrifty with my Nana Kitty. Ugh, it would be so Marc Jacobs SS’11 right now.  But I wore it to death; literally it began to rip and shred in not a cute, distressed way. 

It’s not like me to wear only one obsession at once.  No, I have to pile them on.  Next thing I know I am tossing this vintage tie-dyed blazer over a vintage dalmation spotted blouse and call me crazy but I think it works.  I roughed it up with my faux leather shorts from H&M and my kinda sorta punk-cowboy boots c/o 80%20 designed by the style-setter CeCe Chin.

These adorable wood carved pins c/o Good Wood. …. Normally I wouldn’t wear a tank under a silk blouse but it’s freakin’ cold.  I wear the Uniqlo Heat-Tech camisoles under everything and I can’t live without them.  Super thin, ultra soft, long enough to stay put under anything and affordable to boot.  Makes winter bearable.  The sun was out for a second and the shades are c/o Calvin Klein.   The fringe tights I bought from NastyGal and they are Bebaroque, a beautiful legwear out of the UK.

Click links for shopping or websites. If you have any questions about anything I left out just ask.  Photos by BC.

I love to mix patterns in unusual ways.  I paired these half lace tights from H+M with a snakeskin printed cashmere sweater by Cake and somehow it looks fresh and youthful not at all like what you imagine when you hear the two words together.  For me I immediately have images of Heart and Lita Ford music videos during the 80’s.  So without an ounce of hair gel here is my interpretation of Lace + Snakeskin paired with a blue cape style turtleneck sweater c/o G-Star and wool shorts from H+M and my shearling boots from Rockport.  I felt much more of a Little Red Riding Hood vibe that was sweet and demure with the slightest bit of edge.

How about now?

Too much?  You tell me.

Uniqlo Heat-tech and FCUK tank top Vanessa Bruno vintage top.

The thing about New Year’s Eve is that the best part of the night tends to be getting ready before you even go out.  Sometimes it is the wildest, most adventurous night ever and other years it is as if the whole night is off track.  No cabs, lame parties, no kisses, over priced drinks, miss the band, can’t connect with your friends, lost purses, dirty puddles, broken zippers, dislocated knees; I’ve had it all happen.  It is the night of high expectations and low returns.  But for me, my favorite part is the dress.

I have a few NYE dresses that are in rotation. One is a late 50’s black fringe cocktail dress that saw the century out in London with fireworks and dancing til noon.  Another is a thrift store find of a 70’s flapper style dress made out of a cheap sari fabric that leaves a trail of glitter in my wake.  It sounds crazy but looks very Stevie Nicks on her most glitzy day.  Even though it had to be tweaked with about twenty safety pins it was well worth the five bucks because after those nights traipsing about in the LES and dancing all night at Don Hills I could throw it in the washing machine and not worry about the booze that was spilled all over it. 

Which brings me to my new favorite that I got recently; this Elizabeth & James sequin tunic.  I used to have a thrift store version that was all black and not nearly as nice.  This dress works best worn in Las Vegas and on NYE.  It is great fun to wear because it moves when I dance, I can eat as much as I want in it and people cannot help but to complement me on it.  It’s a showstopper, kind of like wearing a Times Square neon billboard.  This year I paired it with thick black tights, Prada ankle booties and my Alexis Bittar ring and Noir earrings.

Click links for where to by and click here for photos.

Yes, it’s freakin’ cold out.

I say YES.

Uniqlo heat-tech polka dots and FCUK navy lace.  MJ pear.

Sometime outfits revolve around the smallest detail.  You wake up and realize you haven’t worn something in a year and you just have to make that piece work.  Today was all about the socks.  It was a cold but bright day just before the holidays really set in and that frantic I-need-to-shop-vibe was in full effect.  At work I spend a fair amount of time making sure wardrobe looks nice, pressed & fresh so in response to that I tend to look quite rumpled and disheveled even if it is put together.  Today was a prime example of that.

The socks are Benetton, they came in a 3 pack in the same color-way, so I have diamonds and a solid pair in addition to the stripes.  The boots are c/o Zodiac and I am crazy about the tassels.  These are very comfortable and have a vintage inspired wooden stacked heel.  The thermal leggings are from American Apparel.  The dress is E’Toil Isabel Marant and was a hand me down from a friend to another friend then to lucky me because I love it.  Thanks COC & CN!  Being from the South, I don’t handle the cold very well so naturally I am a big layerer.  Over the dress I have on my oversized grandpa cardigan with silver lurex stripes from Martin + Osa.  For outerwear is the Topshop coat with 3 felt pins I got years ago at a Ports 1961 fashion show and the scarf was another fashion week score from the goodie bag last season at the Nicholas K show.  It was the first show to open up NYFW at Lincoln Center.  We always run Nicholas K menswear in ANTENNA but last issue we got the gorgeous and wickedly funny Aubry Plaza in this amazing top by them.  My gloves are H&M, the bag was a gift and the sunglasses are a new brand called KBL and the necklace is an old Marc Jacobs watch. 

It’s a challenge to work in this industry and not always want something new.  I have the luxury of getting to see the most beautiful clothes first.  For myself (and the planet) I am trying hard to fight against the very thing I do for a living.  Which is convince others to buy buy buy new new new.  I tend to shop vintage, recycled or thrifted. I accept hand me downs and buy on Ebay.  I am fortunate to get gifted a fair share as well.  Does this mean I don’t buy new?  Of course not.  I do. But right now I am working on making a conscious effort to WEAR all that I buy and own.  Don’t get me wrong, I love fashion and there are many things in my closet that I will probably never wear again (either they don’t fit, are falling apart or are too costume at the moment) but they live there in the dark corner of the closet.  When I stick my head way back there it’s like finding an old photograph and a wave of memories of experiences wearing those clothes washes over me and I feel fine that those pieces are taking up real estate in my tiny little closet.

Click links for Where to Buy or more info.  Photos by BC.

I wasn’t planning on this looking so patriotic.  It just turned out that way.  In my mind I was going for the fuzzy sweater Ann Margaret - Bye Bye Birdie thing (with leggings, of course).  But even after living in the cold for nearly 15 years I still forget that in this weather you end up mostly in your coat and hat a lot more than what is going on underneath. 

Here is what is going on under all those layers… Kors Michael Kors sweater dress scored from a consignment shop.  The leggings are those shiny ones from American Apparel.  I have mixed feeling about AA but they do make a lot of basics really well.  The white scarf is a gift and long drapey sweater is a DKNY cozy.  The sequin knee socks and blue coat are from Topshop a few seasons ago.  The socks are one of my favorite things.  I always feel very Liza - Studio 54 in them.  The leather satchel is an unknown, turned up in my office about a year ago and I put it under my desk waiting to see if it would be reclaimed.  I forgot about it until I was doing a major cleaning and found it in a box.  Finders keepers.  The shearling boots c/o Rockport have become a staple this season, they are so incredibly comfortable.  The red vintage hat is a find from a thrift store in Syracuse.  I love the suburbs for thrift shopping.  Treasure troves.  I am in love with the hat even though I have to admit wearing fedoras or hats with a brim is especially difficult when you are as short as I am.  To converse with pretty much anyone except small children I have to look up and with all this hair, in addition to the thick scarf and heavy coat on, inevitably I turn my head up and the hat goes down over my eyes.  Most of my time is spent pushing the hat out of my eyes.  Oh well, I love it anyways, how good does a red hat look with red lips?

Photos by Barnett Cohen.

I think about clothes a lot.  From the moment I wake up, all through my workday until I fall into a book when I am trying to drift off to sleep.  My clothes, your clothes, men’s clothes, women’s clothes, clothing I have, clothing I want, clothing I will never get to wear.  In the morning, as I am just barely trying to open my eyes, I am already planning my outfit that was being conjured up as I slipped away into dreamland the night before.  This outfit, like every day’s, can be developed according to so many variables.  Where am I going first?  How am I getting there?  Who am I meeting with today?  Will I make it to the gym?  Am I really going to get drinks and hit the after work event I rsvp’d to?  Is it a desk day or a running around day?  Studio or location shoot?  And let’s not forget the biggest factor in this city:  the weather. 

For me, it usually begins with thinking about a pair of shoes or something random like a pair of socks.  Perhaps I was digging in my closet and saw an old piece of vintage waaaayyyyyy in the back that has been out of rotation for a number of reasons.  Maybe I stopped being able to breathe comfortably while wearing it.  Maybe I can’t move my arms anymore when I wear it.  (Not that these are reasons to let a piece go completely, because you never know.)  Most likely it was back “in fashion” so I got sick of it because it no longer registered as quirky.  One day that piece slipped into “common” and it started moving further and further to the darkest deep corner of the closet that I can’t really reach without effort.  Serious effort.  A couple years go by and then it hits my radar again because in some fashion magazine, there it is, a new shiny version of something being neglected in my very own closet: my treasure chest.  Suddenly, with all the inner indie rock nerd living in a fashionista body I hear the refrain: I did that first! I wore that first!  Just like the bands I feel are “mine” because I bought their EPs and first releases from actual record stores when they were on proper independent labels; I have dresses from thrift stores scored nearly 20 years ago stashed away in the closet waiting for their reissue in a Volkswagon commercial on prime time tv, uhhh, I mean fashion dot com.

Which leads me to now.  I think about fashion, style and clothes all day long.  Menswear fills my brain and discussions all day at work.  I ride the subways and walk to city checking people out all day.  Appreciating the strangers that I pass in my mind every few minutes.  Sometimes I spew out complements without the person even hearing me.  It just comes out: nice shoes, I like your tie, pretty dress.  I have learned to not even register the offensive, the boring, the “they truly don’t know any better and can’t help it”.  I know that sounds so awful but it is the truth.  Most people don’t think about fashion and clothes the way I do.  The way we do.  Those of you still reading this and going, “oh yeah, I totally do that too!”  An outfit has to be completely dumbfounding for me to even feel like my eyes are being hurt by looking at it.  This city is filled with inspiration.  People are making an effort and putting their best foot forward.  It’s not easy.  Some days all I can muster is jeans and a tee shirt.  But with me, because I am lucky enough to work in fashion (yes, I said lucky, but that is another blog post) even my tee shirt and jeans have a story to tell.

That is how I relate to my clothes.  They are all elements to the story of that particular day.  It makes all the difference.  What you are wearing when something happens (or doesn’t happen) totally plays into the moment.  Why else would that freakin’ wedding dress cost so much?  As much as smell connects into my memories; so do my outfits.  I remember things I wore when I was 4 years old.  Yes, photographs help.  And in this age of virtual documentation you can never forget a single fashion misdeed.  But right or wrong, I love them all.

So here I go, putting a new hat in to my hatbox.  I am style blogging.  Here’s to 2011.  Now where the hell is the shirt in this picture?