(not so) random links

quiet few days for news, apparently! just a few for you for now.

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-a bits and bobbins reader (thank you!) tipped me off to a very cool-model search going on in the UK: the bbc is looking for "eight women with disabilities compete to prove they have what it takes to become a mainstream model". the chosen few will be featured in a television program, called britain's missing top model, and the winner of the competition will get to participate in a high-fashion photo shoot, and will get a magazine spread. it's apparently a subversive take on the "top model" franchise, and really, an idea whose time has come. "imperfection" is beautiful! (see also the suburban queen's call for disabled and "different" models)

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-not couture asks, is millinery back? i say 'duh'!!! see these old posts (one, two, three) of mine about vintage hats and making your own hats in general way back in early 2007. the more hats, the better, i say!

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the quick and oh so dirty:

-make do and mend by gail bryson: a perfect print to suit your savvy sewing space (via design is mine)

-some handmade crochet goodness trend-spotted on etsy by crochet today's brett bara

-an interview with danielle of final fashion by jill of the laboratory, two amazing THINKING fashion bloggers i admire greatly having a conversation.

-how to feel miserable as an artist by keri smith (via design that kills)

(not so) random links

lots of stuff to share lately! it's all too good to keep to myself. i really love the comments and discussions they foster here. thanks for piping up about how you feel about these bits and bobs of news, too, as i am consistently floored at your intelligence, wit, and willingness to participate in discussion. you, my dear readers, rock! and also, thanks for letting me know you like these kinds of posts, and for letting me know you find them interesting or get something out of them...i enjoy putting them together for you!

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-burdastyle's fabulous co-creators nora abousteit and benedikta von karaisl share some inspirational restyling tips (from the adding of accents or mending those pesky seams and holes) that will assist you in sassing up your current wardrobe (from the ny daily news). i am all about the idea adding in of bright, spring-like colors to your wardrobe as a way to ease into the coming season. but really though, brights are always relevant, always welcome, always beautiful no matter the temperature.

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-more from the ny daily news: a little six question interview with a mood fabrics employee. apparently fashion designers stressed out because of fashion week are more annoying to work with than bridesmaids. color me unsurprised! haha!

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-can you believe it? polyester is back! (via the wall street journal) here's my take: if they can call it microfiber and make it feel NOTHING like that spongy, oily, unbreatheable junk from the 70s, i *might* give it another go. but generally? i prefer the naturals: linen, cotton, wool. synthetics just can't beat that traditional stuff sometimes! it lingers on for a reason.

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so, not only do fashion designers want their runway models skinnier and whiter than ever these days, they want them to be disposable beauties, "sacrificial virgin[s]", knock-kneed, and so impossibly fresh-faced, it seems as if they just walked immediately from the school yard to the runway. they are then pitched after the end of a fashion season, never to be seen on a runway again. no one even knows their names. the driver? to get the freshest-faced girls one can obtain...it's all about the fantasy of young, lithe girlhood. because, frankly, "saggy-breasted" women don't sell clothes...to use older or even seasoned models is too much of a financial risk. (via the times online).

i know i bring this up a lot, but really, it's kind of sick...western society is INCREDIBLY obsessed with the young, the perfect, the tall, the skinny, to the point of absurdity. any deviation from those strictures is considered disgusting and ugly by many, especially those who consider themselves to be arbiters of style and fashion trends. how have we gotten so far away from reality? is that just the way it is, not something to be argued with or questioned? is skinny, young and tall really what's "best"? anyone else get the feeling these girls are somehow being used?

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-speaking of older women in fashion being irrelevant, i found out through the suburban queen that some young (and predictably 'anonymous') finnish bloggers think anyone over the age of 25 has no right to be speaking about style via this new media of blogging. makes me a.) wish i knew finnish, and b.) want to give those little ignoramuses a piece of my age-addled mind. personally? i think the older one gets, the more interesting their personal style has a chance to become. the years bring gifts like acceptance, confidence, wisdom, and life-experience...all of which can shape a beautiful, idiosyncratic wardrobe that expresses one's fashion personality and inner soul to a tee. only age and time can deliver these blessings (though, surely, there are exceptions).

what do you think? do only the young have the right to speak on matters of fashion and style? does this 60s-esque adage ring true, "don't trust any [fashionista] over 30?"

if that's true, i better go put a down-payment on my coffin now... :)

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-two (one, two) thought-provoking posts about the state of fashion blogging (and how she's bored of it) at the moment, from julie of almost girl (she's behind the blogging network cotorture). i can't really relate to most of it because i most definitely still consider myself a fashion outsider (in a myriad of ways, including in the realm of fashion blogging), but i can see where she's coming from, having observed the changes in fashion blogging over the past few years: freebees, press passes, and more are common and more frequent with more and more fashion bloggers. those who were once outsiders are now insiders. julie asks (and i paraphrase): have some fashion bloggers lost their critical eye as a result of these perks? has fashion blogging lost it's soul? maybe, maybe not. but here's my take (i always have one!): it's never a bad idea to step up one's game, to strive for greatness...and most certainly, it's NEVER bad to shake up the status quo. i think it's great she even brings the subject up. (via danielle's recent post on final fashion)

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and oh, oh, oh!...the quick and diiiirty (just two!):

-just found a new, and quite lovely knitting blog, i like lemons. the photography over there is simple and stunning. this little ball pattern is *adorable*. i want to make some as toys for my future bebe.

-this doily racerback tank on craft chi is pretty pretty...and hey, it's sort of similar to some clothing design/embellishment ideas i already had swimming around for such in my head for some time now. zeitgeist, ahoy! (via craft:)

(not so) random links

-this post ranting about clueless PR people by a dress a day really hits home with me. i've started getting a rash of PR and product/brand shilling emails this past year, and i've got some tips for those people, on the off-chance they might actually be reading this (fat chance, i know):

a.) first, spell my name right, or heck, address me with my actual name...it's at the top of the blog if you need a refresher.

b.) take a look at my blog to see what i actually like, talk about, and post about. only about 1% (or less) of the pitches i get via email are relevant to the subject at hand here or are relevant to me or my design sense. i'm not into rock music, teeshirts, cellphones, celebs, or super trendy fashion stuff. if you're sending me anything on those topics you're wasting your time. DO RESEARCH. make the email you're sending to me personal. and that means more than a sentence saying "your blog is GREAT!" you probably say that to everyone.

c.) take the time to spellcheck and make sure the email is reasonably grammatically correct. (see erin's post above for reference to why the converse is crazymaking).

anyone else (who blogs regularly, i guess?) get these pitches and such? how do you feel about them? i feel like this is a really common thing, i can't be the only one who finds it a little maddening! or maybe you like them?

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-seems there's a growing trend for not washing your hair. meaning, forgoing the shampoozle. i am in this camp...i had no idea it was something gaining popularity! my hair is dyed red...in order to preserve the color i only wash it 1x a week, pop a showercap over it most other days, using bumble and bumble hair powder (in red, natch) and a blow dryer in the interim. anyone else embrace the dirty daily, or are you an everyday hair shampooer?

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-pamela golbin, curator in charge of of the musée de la mode et du textile in paris shares a choice tips on how to preserve one's vintage clothing pieces (via the wall street journal).

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ooh, ooh! some quick and dirty:

-"stop, drop and drool" (over your shoes) is right! especially when it comes to these chie mihara lovelies (thanks fashion is spinach!) and finsk for topshop stunners (scroll down).

-delicious subversion: how graphic designer/artist scott king would sink american vogue (via creative review, via someone else whom i forgot, eep!). if only this would really happen. HA!

-these mottled beads you can make from old newspapers are rather intriguing...they look like stone! i'm almost compelled to make some giant ones and pretend i'm wilma flintstone or her gal-pal betty rubble. (via a storybook life, via craft:)