gettin' graphic

finds from this past week or so, from thriftin'.
suffice it to say, i'm feeling a great graphic push at the moment, in my personal style and expression of such. it's not a new thing, but it's particularly acute at the moment...i'm actually craving that which features bold, abstract prints that are at once restrained and intentional as well as BOLD. no small, introverted, uber-feminine, flimsy stuff for the likes of me.

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ever since i wore the red frilly high-necked blouse over my green handmade jumper and acid washed jeans in one of my most recent wardrobe_remix shots, i have been absolutely rabid for making similar looks with what's in my closet, what i can concoct with with the help of my trusty sewing machine and fabric stash, and what i can find from thrifts and the like. i like the girlishness/demureness inherent in the look, the graphic style possibilities, and the potential for warmth through the layering.
so i'm all about the jumpers right now! making them that is.
case in point: i made a striped denim jumper from some striped vintage denim i thrifted ages ago, and a vintage pattern i have in my collection:

the facing of the top of the jumper is fashioned from some african fabric that was sent to me by eireann of ohbara, who's living in france at the moment. she sent me lots more, in a bunch of lovely patterns and colors. i had planned to use most of it to make a riotously crazy patchwork tote bag, but decided to utilize just a little bit in this jumper dress because it just seemed right.
sure, it can't been seen from the outside, but that's okay by me. i love when clothing has a thoughtful secret inside of it that only the wearer knows...interesting lining, secret pockets, beautiful taped seams that took lots of time, and the like. when i make clothing i try to add things of this nature...it feels warm and almost unnecessary, but i like making the extra effort.

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other similar jumper/pinafore ideas are in the works...the perfect partner to those great graphic blouses that i've been thrifting like mad!

shoes(and)shoelaces=style it up!

older:

newer:

found the yellow pair today while shopping on haight street. as i walked up to the register to purchase them, i saw a big rack of brightly colored sneaker shoelaces on a rack on the wall, and had an fashion-y epiphany: why not buy some shoelaces to fancy up some of my shoes, particularly those of the peeptoe variety? i bought some orange fluorescent laces and gold metallic laces to play around with.

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shoelaces come in a million colors, widths, and lengths. be creative! shoelaces can be used in so many ways. here are some quick styling ideas:

-form a bow on the top of your shoe...simply tie it on like i've done here (wrapping around until the shoelaces are shorter to make a nicer, smaller bow), or use a leather punch to form holes in the top of your shoe, and thread through.

-utilize them as an ankle straps...some shoes come with a little loop on the back near the heel. simply slip the shoelace through and tie on your ankle as you wish! criss, cross, and tie high, or let them slouch low and relaxed around your ankle.

-use them decorate the edge of a plain vintage pump, flat or sneaker in your closet or that you've thrifted: punch holes @ regular intervals along the edge of a shoe with a leather punch, then thread the laces in and out of the holes. you could even do a single crochet stitch around the edge (if you know how to crochet!), a blanket stitch, or whipstitch. instead of shoelaces, you could use great yarn or strips of fabric in the same way...how cool would that be?

the possibilities seem endless, really! make suggestions for more uses! i'd love to hear them.

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i leave you with a thought:

maybe original, trendsetting style comes partly from looking at things in a new manner/from a new perspective...in other words, "how can i interpret this (new or old) item/thing in a *new* way?"

that is what is really quite beautiful about the fact that the world is populated with unique human beings, who are, in theory, all DIFFERENT. we all have different dna, different cells, different bodies, different minds, different life experiences. we're all arguably bound to look at the world around us in different ways. with those differing viewpoints come different thoughts, different ideas...sometimes even completely new and original ones! it's such a beautiful thing!

as one of my missions in life, i want to celebrate, and elevate that difference. difference is what makes us all interesting and special!

finished, found, and a bit of fancy

finished is...

finally, officially, and thankfully done with the zig-zag scarf...i finally got around to weaving in all those ends. came out exactly as i pictured in my mind: a short scarf that serves as a severe shot of color.

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found is...

this enid collins-esque 1960s tote, featuring motifs celebrating rome, paris and london! a little expensive, but too cute to pass up. of course, from my favorite san francisco thrift, glorious, great thrift town.

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a bit of fancy is...

a few feathery fripperies i want to fashion into hats, eventually...just too tweet.