apparently bits and bobbins (that'd me me, and uh, the blog you're reading right now...) and wardrobe_remix were featured on threadbanger, "a web-based network for people who make their own clothing". how bad ass of a concept is that? a pretty freakin' cool one. here's the episode with yours truly in it.
http://threadbanger.com/embed/player
awesome!
i'm def. gonna check out the rest of the videos when time allows!
go, check 'em out!
thanks to the gorgeous and talented mallory, of the indie style blog miss malaprop whose recent blog post about her being featured on threadbanger brought this to my attention! big ups/thanks to threadbanger and mallory! (w/o her i would have had no idea!)
p.s. threadbanger's most recent video also mentions galadarling, who i've mentioned here before, quite recently. i mean it, go read! her blog is like an amazing fashion and lifestyle magazine that touches on everything from marriage to how to get a great tattoo, to defining what is chic, all from gala's irreverent and joyful perspective.
on the question of risk-taking and dressing your age
risk-taking...in the fashion or style sense, i mean.
should it be commended or ridiculed? is it good, is it bad?
some find it hard take risks, right? and that's perfectly okay.
other people take risks, try new things that fall outside of their personal comfort zone. some go quite far out.
and at times, they slip-up somehow. maybe it's not quite successful, maybe it's just not right altogether.
but i think, "you know, at least they tried!"
it makes me think of the quote, "nothing ventured, nothing gained." if you try something, if you take a risk, if you put forth a new idea, you're bound to have detractors, people who disagree with you, think you're wrong...this being a diverse world with different folks with different ways of seeing the world (see last post, heh!)...and well, that's just fine!
but honestly, personally, i'd rather take risks and look like a fool to some, than to have never tried at all.
i'd rather please myself than please others, when it's boiled down to the essence of the matter.
i'll stand the stares, the laughs. i've had plenty to this point and it's okay. i'm a survivor! :P
as some might say, it's "just clothes"...right?
so, as a rule, should we cow to others opinions? should we stop taking risks, expressing new ideas (in fashion, or hell, anything else) if others don't agree?
i have to come down on the side of "no" there...
but pray-tell, what do YOU think? fashion-philosophically?
***
so yeah, i have a penchant for dressing girlish, tossing colors or perhaps outfits together with what some might deem as abandon or childlike manner. it's fun...but others seem to see it as perhaps being more than a little immature (though i can assure you, it's rather calculated).
so i've been thinking...
-what is age-appropriate clothing?
-when is someone officially an "adult"?
-after what age should one dress like "an adult"?
-what does an "adult" dress like? what does an "adult" act like in regards to style? are there "rules" that people should abide by once they pass a certain age mark?
-does adult equal conservative, clean, restrained?
what say ye, my pretty peanut gallery? :)
***
[thanks to commenter ann, for giving me delicious food for thought this morning!]
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.
***
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.
***
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!