A lovely winter's outing in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. I am wearing She-Bible cowl neck sweatshirt. American Apparel T dress layered over vintage slip. Black tights (wardrobe necessity). Vintage lace-up ankle boots (25 cents at thrift store!) and the hat I picked up from a street vendor on St. Marks Place.




Stay warm!

My Style Idol: Cassie

These days every time I walk in to a store my head is brimming with Cassie thoughts. Everything Cassie would wear jumps out at me. Vintage inspired lace pieces, sparkly golds and though its not my style I want it all. That is what Cassie does to you.

Cassie Ainsworth is a character in the British television show Skins. Played by Hannah Murray, she is a bit odd and well in an mental health clinic for her anorexia and low self esteem and drug use in the beginning of season 1. But she has charm and grace and a gorgeous sense of personal style. Her clothing choices are best described as having a nod to classic hollywood stars like greta garbo and Clara Bow. But her romantic lace and gold pieces are also balanced out by quirky patterned skirts and a fair share of color.

To explain further, I was in a vintage store with friends and I felt slightly uncomfortable picking out all my Cassie items, since they have a fair bit of glitz and I saw these strange shoes and I liked them yet I couldn't figure out why. I realized later that they were identical to a pair of shoes Cassie wears in one episode of season 1.

From Buttons & Lace

The good, the bad, and the just plain ugly.

In high school I had a few friends whose style would best be described as tacky. "It was so ugly I decided it was cute" were the words they used to describe their newest Goodwill or Value Village find. Today I still own a few items that have a tackiness that appeals strongly to me: a sweater tunic with large dangling gems all over the front, a pair of metallic pink high heels...etc.

These items are great. And though I get some weird looks when I'm walking down the street I'm also still getting compliments.
We also have to recognize that "ugly" has become a phenomenon. From Leslie Hall's gem sweaters to the scum-stache ugly has taken over. I might go as far to saw that it has (*gasp*) become a style.


So this leads me to one crucial question: How do we decide if something is "so ugly that it is cute" or just plain ugly?

Super Powered Inspirations

        I recently checked out the Met exhibit, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy (See here).  It was very interested to discover that this exhibit features the fashion much more than anything else. Costumes by designers Alexander McQueen and Moschino popped out at me from every direction. Each piece was either the original costume of a superhero film star or was designed by one of many international designers. All were  inspired  by the many concepts behind the superhero. In addition to recently having seen The Incredibles, the designer character is my favorite, this exhibit got me thinking about how we can incorporate the superhero into our own lives. 

So what super powered elements can we incorporate into everyday looks?

The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. features a great variety of tear-free tights and capes as well as many other gadgets that suit any superhero's lifestyle. Plus proceeds from sales go to 826NYC, a non-profit that provides free writing tutoring for kids.

or if you want to show some skin to go with your superpowers check out this look:

   

The Beginning of an Era

      This is the beginning. It is where everything gets started. What is being started here is a journey. Some might say it is a story. This will not be your average fashion blog. In fact, it isn't really a fashion blog at all.  I don't have the expertise to tell you anything new about fashion that you couldn't read in Nylon Magazine. What I do have is a love of textiles and clothing. I have an emotional attachment that many of us are familiar with. That is why I am starting this: a narrative of clothing. It will be a tale about what we wear and how it makes us feel.

Could this journey possibly have a better introduction than that?