happy birthday, wardrobe_remix!

September 13, 2006

wardrobe_remix is one year old today. this was the first ever W_R photograph, of yours truly.it started with one person, myself, and it has grown to over 1300 members today.

wardrobe_remix is a DO-IT-YOURSELF street fashion community.

sometimes the group gets unruly, and sometimes i wonder if it was a good idea or not! mostly it's really great and fun to watch all the photos and read all the descriptions that everyone has added to the pool.

i had no idea it would grow. but something about it resonated, and it caught on. i wonder where it will go, if anywhere.

i'm still amazed that people participate, are interested, and like it. it makes me feel like i've accomplished something, though it's a very small thing, in the scheme of things. i guess you could say i'm proud, mostly of all of you! thank you.

*** reflections on set and setting, one year later:

the photo above was taken during the first couple weeks of class, when i was starting my second semester (of three) at parsons. i took it with my camera's self-timer, balanced on my staircase (that led up to our "bedroom"), as my husband pete was out of town at the time (he takes almost all of my W_R photos).

this photo is typical me: some kind of denim, bright colors, vintage clothing/accessories (mostly), even a little handmade-ness (the earrings, made by me for me). this is who i am, good or bad.

i started taking pictures of myself because i wanted to show the world how i put it together. i'm a legend in my own mind sometimes! really, i'm just having fun. i've said it before: i think of dressing as an art, and consider clothes and accessories to be akin to the paints a painter uses to make his or her art. it's a way to express oneself creatively, to make a personal statement.

*** and some personal sadness i feel looking at this photograph:

above, i'm standing in the middle of my beloved bushwick apartment, back in brooklyn.

i miss living in NYC so much my heart is about to break. SF and life here is simply not the same. it's pretty lonely right now and i don't know where my life is going.

times were different then, when this photo was taken. learning so much, working hard. there were so many opportunities and potentialities there! i wonder what life would have brought had i been able to stay. i really wanted to stay.

perhaps i would have been able to find a job there! frankly, it's not so easy here for fashion-y types, in this land of hills and microchips.

*** but...anyhow. here's to another year gone by!! cheers.

bits and bobs...

September 10, 2006

i really like this quote about fashion, trends, and street style by diane von furstenburg (who happens to be the president of the fashion trade organization, CFDA), from an article in the wall street journal about counterfeiting in the fashion industry, that was linked to/posted about in the very, very interesting blog about fashion/style & intellectual property/law, counterfeit chic: WSJ: People argue that copying propels the fashion cycle because it creates trends.

Ms. von Furstenberg: You will still have trends. Why all of a sudden is everything yellow? Why all of a sudden do young girls wear combat boots?

It starts from the street. That's the mystery of fashion.

nice that she's giving credit where credit is due. the REAL trends, the amazing new ideas, come from the grassroots, from creative, everyday folks who push the limits, experiment, and express themselves. yes, there are plenty of creative, innovative designers out there, but if you ask me, many of them depend a little too much on trend forecasts, and the alleged zeitgeist. i think we all get influenced by trends in fashion, if we're fashion lovers, but things really get interesting when people push themselves and the expectations of themselves and the world at large by trying something new. i'm sick of seeing the same thing from so many designers, and i'm also more than a little sick of people blindly following what's given to them fashion-wise by the fashion industry at large without thinking about what they are doing or whether it really works for them or their personalities.

on that note: i have yet to take a look at the NYC fashion week offerings as yet. part of me doesn't care, really! but in actuality, i'll likely drop in toward the end of the madness and see if there's anything that appeals...but for now i'm holding off and thus withholding my commentary. i'm enjoying just making and not giving into the hype, for now.

***

lately, i've been ridiculously addicted to this new bookmarking tool called stylehive...someone tipped me off to it's existence a couple weeks ago by adding my blog as one of their bookmarks over there. basically, it's a "collaborative shopping community" where stylish people can share products, blogs, designers, stores and such-like. anyone who's been reading my drivel for an extended period of time knows i like to post and share photos and links of things i love in my blog...so this is a collection of said links that others can look at, explore, and share. i wouldn't be sharing this if i didn't think it was neat (and HELLO...addictive!!)...i don't recommend things unless i really like them or think they have merit.

here's a link to my bookmarks over at stylehive, to give you an idea of what i like and how the site works: http://www.stylehive.com/bitsandbobbins you can also add any hive to your feed-reader (there's an RSS feed button on the page/in the address bar). pretty neat, huh? :D

***

so, how have i been keeping myself busy these past few weeks? by knitting and crocheting until my hands ache....and thrifting way too much.

some in process knit & crochet projects include:

-some wool/mohair crocheted bonnets for the fall (i might sell them, if anyone is interested in buying anything from me anymore!) -a giant mutli-colored stole/scarf made from noro's "blossom" -a small raglan swing coat made from a rainbow palette of leftover bits of chunky wool/mohair yarn -a granny square afghan for a baby arriving later this year, in white and canary yellow -that completely self-designed acid green sweater i posted about back in july, which i am waiting to put together until after i take a class at artfibers next weekend about sweater finishing (i can't wait! nicely finished knitwear beats the pants off nicely knitted but crappily constructed knitwear any day!)

pictures to come in the coming weeks. i'm waiting on the arrival of my dear penelope (my dressform) to take proper shots. she probably won't be arriving for at least a couple of weeks (our stuff is still in storage in NYC). i'm yearning for her, and really, all my creative tools (namely, my sewing machines). soon, soon, soon.

wardrobe_remix(ers) o' the week

September 7, 2006

people have been joining wardrobe_remix like mad! i love it. not sure what's bringing people there (if you know, tell me!), but i can't complain. thanks again to all that participate, and all who have helped make it grow. it would be nothing without *YOU*.

one tough thing about more people joining: it becomes increasingly difficult to pick just a few to show off to you each week! i suppose that's not a bad thing, whatsoever! so i've included a few more than usual this week.

lebonbonmulticolore: