(not so) random links

-mai of the SF street fashion blog fashion.ist mentioned a fashiony exhibit going on at san francisco's asian art museum that looks intriguing, entitled stylized sculpture: contemporary japanese fashion from the kyoto costume institute. it's on through january 6th of next year, and features the works of nippon's most innovative and acclaimed designers, including rei kawakubo of comme de garcons, issey miyake, and yohji yamamoto. when i get a free moment, i want to dash over and take a look at what i am sure is amazingness. if you're in the city by the bay, why don't you do the same? thanks for mentioning it, mai!

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-smagglestyle (whom i found b/c she recently commented here on bits and bobbins telling me she wrote a post about wardrobe_remix...hello! and thank you!) has a small, sassy list of quality quotes in this recent post of hers. read them all! i like this one especially, from THE coco chanel, as i think it relates rather well to my recent post, be yourself:

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.

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-this was clearly one sexy, swingin' par-TAY (posted on square america, from the same individual who's behind the boat lullabies). keep your eyes peeled for the "hand pants". *ahem!*

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i am unabashedly and now admittedly in much love with the livejournal community, vintage_ads. thought-provoking, graphically interesting, old = goodness. check out this one, this one, and this one.

(not so) random links

-i have long been a fan of the novel and the new when it comes to fashion. meaning: if it hasn't been seen before, is a clever twist on what exists, or feels innovative, i love looking at it (even if i don't actually wear it). show me something i haven't seen, you know? in the words of mike skinner, let's push things forward...! so on that note...chances are, you've heard of style bubble. in case you haven't (hello, have you been living under a rock??), i'm letting you know now, susie's the go-to girl for the deliciously cool, the envelope-pushing, the novel...when it comes to fashion. and she seeks it all out, test drives and mixes it up on herself, and writes about it all in a personal, personable way that transcends the usual fashion blogging fare (as you might guess, i am ALL ABOUT that which transcends the usual fashion blogging fare!). i openly applaud her for being herself in a sea of sameness.

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-via craft, a link to teen vogue's fashion DIY archives (an online repository of the DIY features in their monthly mag), on the teen vogue website.

my favorites? the mulberry carry-all bag DIY, and the henry holland tee DIY (b/c i've always had a little bit of a thing for the tacky). the latter would be an interesting embellishment on a simple frock, if used singularly...like, one giant letter spelt out in rhinestones, methinks.

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-a recent article from the telegraph entitled 'people must stop buying and buying' features vivienne westwood's opinions on the current over-consumptive, outrageously fast-trendmill-of-fashion-world we now live in, and it REALLY hit home with me. i love a woman with strong opinions...and really, i couldn't agree more, viv. trends aren't the be-all, end-all. some quotes from the aforementioned:

"Dame Vivienne Westwood thinks we should all stop shopping for clothes. "If you ask me what I think people should be getting next season," she says in that softly bossy northern accent of hers. 'I'll tell you what I'd like them to buy – nothing. I'd like people to stop buying and buying and buying.'"

"Granted, we are now greater consumers of fashion than ever, thanks to the fast turnover of trends on the high street. But, with endless style guides and television makeover programmes at our disposal, as well as accessible designer fashion, aren't we much more style savvy?"

"'There's something really awful about the way people dress now," she says, her eyes rolling skywards. "Everyone looks the same. Everyone wants to look neutral.'

Knitting her brows with genuine concern, she explains that, with so much fast fashion available to us, we are not giving ourselves the opportunity to develop good taste.

'There's this idea that somehow you've got to keep changing things, and as often as possible. Maybe if people just decided not to buy anything for a while, they'd get a chance to think about what they wanted; what they really liked.'"

favorites...and stuff.

(more here at the ye olde flickr favorites page)

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the new apartment is glorious, and slowly coming together...we are now officially on our way to getting it all settled and it's starting to feel more like a real home, rather than a repository for boxes! i spent a lot of last week moving furniture about, trying to put little decorative items in their place (though, admittedly, maybe not in their most permanent place, as is the way with things in a home...they are fun to move around). my studio is actually pretty much put away, which is the most wonderful thing in my world. i remember it taking ages for me to get around to doing such in our previous apartment...mostly because i was unhappy in that apartment and had recently made a move i was less than happy about. but oh, how times have changed. i couldn't WAIT to get my studio in order so i could start creating!
ah, still no camera (goodness, how i MISS it!), and still busy as a bee (working, settling)! so, hence the slowness. please forgive. i'm thinking everyone has probably disappeared. anyone even bother reading this anymore? haha!

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anyway, some things i am obsessing over or that i am loving at the momento:
-high-waisted skirts and pants. i've been wearing and making such (just started putting together a high-waisted skirt in a few free moments i had yesterday)...and i have, as previously alluded to in a post a while back, been pleasantly surprised that such actually looks decent on me! it's also proof positive that i can, on occasion, give in a little to a trend. or give in a lot. :P
-riding my bike to the grocery store! oh god, it's so cool to be able to do that now. something about that just seems so right. you live so close you can ride there, and you only get what you need, rather than filling your gas-guzzler to the hilt to stock up for a longer haul (a week or more...of things you might not even have time to eat in said time period). one more reason i believe that the suburbs are missing the point! (i'm convinced i'm allergic to suburbs, btw.)
-ripple stitch patterns! i have a sick amount of random balls of yarn that need to be used up and i think this might be the answer. sort of a continuation of the aesthetic of that zig-zag scarf i made ages ago, perhaps-a-mundo.
-the superb outfits that miss sherbet tone (who posts to wardrobe_remix) dons. she's got an amazing eye for stylish discards and puts everything together with panache. she's the type of person i feel i created wardrobe_remix for, when it gets down to brass tacks.
-the cat eye. galadarling and the coveted have recently covered/paid homage to the allure and execution of such maquillage in recent days. i used to wear said look years back, and have started playing around with again of late. fun!

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say, what's inspiring YOU right now? chime in if you please.