this heat has got me thinking cold.

summer's nowhere near over, but already i'm thinking about fall. while bopping around the apartment today and working on some mending/alterations from my restyle pile, i got inspired to throw together some fall outfits, and dress up my mannequin, penelope. i'm proud to say that nearly everything she's wearing is hand-made or found second-hand.

-psychedelic bandana: thrifted in florida -red/white vintage tee: thrifted in florida -tiny denim jacket: buffalo exchange -button-front patchwork skirt: pattern was designed by and made by me, with fabric from an enourmous thrifted wrap skirt that was thrifted ages ago in florida. -brown vintage boots: thrifted @ goodwill on e. 23rd street, manhattan.

-simple orange wool crocheted scarf: hand crocheted by me -green wool oversized sweaterdress: designed and hand-knit by me -70s peach colored tank: thrifted in florida -vintage levi's 501's with bleach spots: thrifted at the salvation army in hell's kitchen, manhattan. -brown/beige snakeskin shoes: old stuart weitzman's, from beacon's closet

-yellow 70s henley knit top: beacon's closet -red long-sleeved vintage peasant top: beacon's closet -red leather belt with snakeskin patch: zachary's smile -vintage gold beaded necklaces, thrifted in florida -acid-wash skirt: from a vintage store in east london, UK. -floral canvas and leather bag: miss sixty store in amsterdam, NL. -yellow/tan campers: camper store, NYC.

***

question:

tis better to follow trends, pick and choose them to your taste, or eschew them altogether?

i'm not saying one is better than the other, not at all. i just wonder where other people stand on this sort of thing.

i've been following many fashion/style blogs lately, and some of my favorites tend to focus on seasonal trends. while i do keep all three eyes (hah!) open to all things fashion-y, i don't always spend a lot hitting the fashion fashion spots trying to keep up with the latest and the greatest. instead, i truly just go out and find what appeals to me, whether it's trendy or not. sometimes my whims intersect with the hottest trends, but often, they don't. it is as if i simultaneously care and do not care.

i wonder if this is because i am somewhat older (31 in 8 days!), and am set in my ways? i often find myself obsessing or fixating on certain things, and these span several years or seasons or even years, though some do have a shorter shelf-life.

i also have a sort of hard-to-fit figure, so even if it's the hottest thing off the runways, it probably won't fit me or suit me anyhow.

then there's often the waste angle: i don't want to spend good money on a bunch of little trendy things, to have them fall apart after a few washings/wearings, or spend a lot on something designer-y but trendy, to have it become declasse too fast. i'd rather buy something i know i'll love and use again and again, if i'm going to bother spending more than a few dollars on it.

i think of styling clothing as an art: it's a singularly fun form of expression. it's about color, texture, proportion, design...clothes and accessories are to self-expression as paint is to the painter or words are to the writer. we all put the elements around us together in a different way. the way things fall together on my body (or perhaps yours as well) is about serendipity: found objects come together and tell the world about who i am: who i have been my whole life, what is dear to me, how i am feeling that day.

trends can fit into that expression, that story, but for me, they can't be the whole story. i have to be me, or i feel i'd be pretending to be someone else, or telling another person's tale.

hard won.

my diploma finally arrived today! seems i graduated with honors! how nice.

i actually almost shed a tear at the sight of it, as i pondered (and shuddered at) the actual cost of that piece of paper, not to mention all the mental and physical stress and whatnot i went through to get it! *groan*

however, the diploma did arrive a bit wrinkled! i blame both the new school (who are notoriously negligent in things of an administrative nature), and also our local post office...they do not have a very good track record when it comes to all things mail. *sigh* but it's here, and for that i'm thankful.

i must also admit: i miss being around people, learning, and having something significant to do. yes, i need a JOB. :) that will be one of my major tasks once i get to san francisco (one month until the big move). i'm truly yearning to get out there and work and do something with myself professionally...whatever that is. working for someone, working anywhere, working for myself, etc. making money and paying back what i owe, saving for the future.

things in our apartment are in a state of disarray at the moment, as the process of sorting through our things and doing a little packing has already commenced. i'm ready and eager to get out there, to california, and to get settled, and to start the next part of the journey...

moves made.

so, i recently made a move from livejournal, to my very own wordpress blog, now run off the server of a friend. i made the move for a myriad of reasons:

firstly, using a personal publishing platform like wordpress allows me more control of my blog, allowing me to shape it and mould it to my liking.

secondly, running a blog off our friend's server allows me to track traffic to my blog more easily. i can see where people are coming from, which is really, really nice.

there are other reasons, but suffice it to say, it was just time to go, and it was an amiable departure. i plan to check in with friends and communities from time to time over at livejournal, but i intend for this blog to be my main home on the web from here on out.

***

with this move, i also intend to streamline my blogging content even more than i had before. i want to focus *even more* on:

• street fashion and it's intersection with art and culture. this is probably one of my greatest obsessions.
• fashion design, in general. this is the field in which i have been recently trained, and perhaps this blog can be a window into where that career track may take me.
• fashion and/or design pieces that moves me, what i'm currently obsessed with, and why. this might or might not intersect with what's "trendy," but i could give a crap! i tend to prefer smaller, artisan-esque, mostly foreign labels, but i am not really a supporter of fashion elitism, or and generally not a slavish fan of labels or a member of the cult of high couture. i feel that fashion can come from anywhere: the garbage, second-hand, and one's own hands, in addition to the usual suspects (high-street/mass stores, boutiques, major labels, etc.). i love to see how high and low fashion mix, mesh and intersect.
• the process of making things. i make lots of things (sewn, knitted, crocheted, etc.) and blogging about my ideas, my process, and the results helps me keep track of the creative insanity.
• the visual arts, with a particular focus on the fiber arts. when i find amazing, inspiring art or artists (past or present), i like to spread the word.
• thrift-reports and thrift styling sessions. thrifting is a huge obsession of mine as well, and i rather love showing off and mashing up my thrifty finds and seeing what comes of it.
• the wardrobe_remix project: i'll likely keep up the wardrobe_remix posts, wherein i show off particularly interesting outfits i wear, and occasionally, the amazing outfits of other group members.

generally, i like to keep personal things personal, but being that i'm a human, and i have a blog, the personal stuff is bound to slip out on occasion, and that's not always totally awful. but i want to try and keep that to a minimum.

i was doing all of these things, to a great degree, over at livejournal, but i suppose i want to make an even greater effort to stay on topic now that i have made a fun, fresh start.

***

down the right side of the blog, you'll see that i have added a list of fashion/art/craft-related blogs, and websites, and a huge list of street fashion links. these are all blogs and websites i follow and love, and i highly recommend all of them.

if you are aware of a great fashion or art blog or street fashion website that i don't already have listed, i would love to hear about it/them! i'll be adding and changing the list of blogs and websites as the blog matures. ***

and i have to ask, who are you? how did you find this new blog? i'd love to hear from you, if you are so inclined.

cheers!