THE WARDROBE_REMIX(ER) BEING REVEALED:
name: Jodine
flickr handle: graygoosie (named after our little gray cat Josie, the original graygoosie!)
age: It’s a fabulous time to be me!
location: South Orange County, California
website: I want to blog, but don’t have the time. However, I do elaborate at times on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/graygoosie/
DEEP(ER) QUESTIONS:
what do you do for a living?
I can’t keep all the clothing and jewelry that I make or lovely vintage things I find to myself so I opened a little online shop at etsy called LulaGirl.
Married to an entrepreneur, I am the cofounder of a functional juice company. We manufacture exotic juices such as noni, goji, acia, mangosteen and pomegranate as dietary supplements. Also, I’m cofounder of a first aid company with an emphasis on sting medications.
And for fun I administrate the Apron Outfits! group on flickr.
what are your passions/obsessions/hobbies/aspirations?
I’m passionate about being a wife! I love being married and recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. (I was VERY young when we married!)
I’m obsessed with my 4 awesome cats, flickr, vintage buttons, aprons, flea marketing shopping and recently photography…..and did I say flickr!
I aspire to exercise more, keep my motives in check and to always be kinder than necessary.
My goals are to achieve success with my LulaGirl line (working on that now), live part time in Costa Rica and have a long healthy life with my mister.
what inspires you?
Since joining flickr I’ve been inspired to actually do things that I once only dream of. For that I am very grateful. Other things that inspire me are meeting people, traveling, vintage fabrics, button and beads, flea markets, and the ocean. And of course wardrobe_remix, it’s inspiration at our fingertips!
how do you define "style"?
Style is definitely personal but for me mostly about combining prints, colors and layers. Style isn’t about going to the mall and buying an outfit. It’s about acquiring something, anything from an item of clothing, jewelry or an accessory and finding a way to put it together with what I already have. Or better yet, I just remix an outfit by opening the door to my closet!
how would you describe your personal style?
I would have to say that my hairdo defines much of my style, so….. funky? Fashion wise I’m taking myself less seriously lately and mixin’ it up more. Basically, I’m flexible and don’t get into a set pattern, anything goes, really. Life is too short to wear a “signature piece” every day! There is way too much inside my head for that. When we travel I adapt immediately to where I am. In Costa Rica for instance, I become very bohemian and beachy. Off with the make up and on comes the sarong and flowers in my hair. In Mexico City I like to dress up with a more sophisticated tailored look. I know one thing for sure, you will rarely see me in neutrals.
how has your style evolved or matured over time?
I’m becoming much more eclectic and daring with combinations. I’m at a place in my life that I don’t base things on what others might think. I just go for it, and I have a husband that loves me to “peacock” a little. Sometimes I surprise myself with an outfit and I love that feeling!
how does your background (personal history, passions, culture,
nationality, etc.) come through in the clothes you like and wear, if
at all?
Well…..I’ve been thrifting since I was a little girl. So, I don’t get squeamish about vintage clothing and actually prefer to combine vintage with new. So, I have many years of thrifting, yard “sailing” and flea marketing under my belt.
what are some of your favorite places to shop when you want to add
to your wardrobe? online? locally? anywhere in the world? why are
these places favorites of yours?
First of all, I LOVE to shop! Anywhere, anyplace and at the drop of a hat, I’m out the door (or online) to SHOP! But, I’m a smart and thrifty shopper too. I love to hit all the thrift stores and even include them in our travel plans. I get in moods to shop the off price stores, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Loehmanns. But my favorite place locally is the Long Beach Flea Market, in Long Beach, California. But, honestly I get so excited taking pictures that sometimes I forget to buy things….. Oh, and I love eBay!
if you’re into thrifting/secondhand shopping, share with us a great tip for thrifting, a fun thrifting story, or tell us about something great you found!
I joke sometimes that I have “secondhand blood” because I’ve been thrilled with the hunt since childhood. Our family would go to Denver almost every Christmas and I couldn’t wait to go thrifting with my aunt and cousins. I still remember the giant thrift store and the vastness of the place. I was always looking at coats. I guess I was cold! I think I still have a bracelet I bought there (with my allowance!)
Nowadays, living in South Orange County, Ca the vintage selection and prices aren’t what they used to be growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, but I still go to the Goodwill at least once a week. I head straight to the skirts, then the pants, (I tend to buy tops new). Then off to the housewares.
My tip for great thrifting is this: Go with an open mind, Shop at about 11:00 A.M. if possible and tell yourself that there is something great inside and then go find it. Fleamarkets: Go early, take cash, dress cute, take pictures and share on flickr!
many fashion-lovers and wardrobe_remix(ers) are concerned with ethics, sustainability, and green fashion these days. if you consider yourself to be one of those folks, how do you go about looking and feeling good while resisting the urge to always have something new to wear?
This question is very timely for me. I’ve actually considered not shopping for new clothes for 12 months. After September 11, 2001 I didn’t buy anything but food for a long time, it was my way of mourning. So I know I can do it, but do I WANT to? We’ll see and probably not. I think the way I shop is somewhat “green”, after all it’s about 50% vintage or secondhand. Another way to get around the “guilt of consumption” is to buy from designers who only use recycled materials, like lorimarsha on etsy.
does your location (where you live) affect your style? if so, in what ways? describe what your city or area is like with regard to fashion.
We live near the beach in South California, so my relaxed and casual style fits right in. In Laguna Beach for instance, you get all kinds. The darling girls in expensive outfits from South Coast Plaza, surfers, business people, the very rich and the starving artists. As for affecting my style? It’s an artist colony, so anything goes and I love that.
what do you think is next in terms of fashion? perhaps something that is currently flying under the radar, but could be really cool and popular later, or perhaps something amazing you'd like to see more of that needs to come back or be the new thing?
I have no idea what is next, but I hope clothing continues to be as cute and colorful with lots of mixed up patterns, details and trimmings (like Anthropologie) for years to come. The grunge era just about killed me, I really didn’t like that. No gray for the graygoosie!
what does the future hold for fashion? what do you think fashion will be like in 20 years?
I’d love to see less synthetic fabrics, have you noticed how much polyester type fabrics are in the stores? I like a bit of lycra in my jeans, but all the stretchy tops have got to go. And I want to see a little more coverage. I think clothes have gotten way too skimpy!
you are super creative with your clothes! share a creative tip or
idea about a way people can remix/style their clothing in a fun or
innovative way.
Oh, I have an answer for this! Just add a cool vintage apron to any outfit and you are instantly unique and different. I think aprons are way too cute to only be worn in the hot kitchen! I’ve seen the cutest halter aprons that are adorable as jumpers, half aprons with jeans and even smock aprons at tops.
how did you come across wardrobe_remix? why do you post there? What do you like about it? has anything positive come about for you as a result of posting to the community?
I remember the day my life changed like it was yesterday! A photo of cupcakes lured me from the Yahoo homepage onto to flickr. Then I saw wardrobe_remix in the “Groups We’ve Noticed” section. WOW! I thought. I clicked and saw mavenhaven! I can feel the excitement just thinking about that day. I thought “this is for me”! It wasn’t long after that I posted my first photo (which made Explore!) in the wardrobe_remix group. That day I started making friends around the world and how could that of ever happened without flickr?
other favorite wardrobe_remix(ers)? who, and why?
mavenhaven - I’ve never seen someone wear retro better than her!
snoof - She is over the top cuteness and her style is unsurpassed. She gives me courage to mix it up more and more.
vasiliisa - I love her unique color combinations and outdoor settings in her photographs.
suggest an interesting or intelligent question to ask of
other remix(ers) for the remix(ers)_revealed feature!
I would like to know how life has changed for members since posting in wardrobe_remix.
anything else you'd like to say?
Under my desk pad are these quotes:
“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men (or women) to do nothing.”
“Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, hated and scorned. When his caused succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
Thanks Tricia for giving me this opportunity to share with others. I had a lot of fun with this interview and look forward to many more wardrobe_remix(es) to come. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say thanks for the group. You did a great thing when you started it!
thanks Jodine!
to address the question you posed concerning how life has changed for other remix(ers), check out the previous remix(ers)_revealed posts! :)
if you have any intelligent questions you'd like to hear wardrobe_remix(ers) expound upon or wardrobe_remix(ers) who you'd like to see revealed, feel free to send those suggestions my way! thanks!