bits and bobbins

THE WARDROBE_REMIX(ER) BEING REVEALED:

name: Jodine
flickr handle: graygoosie (named after our little gray cat Josie, the original graygoosie!)
age: It’s a fabulous time to be me!
location: South Orange County, California
website: I want to blog, but don’t have the time. However, I do elaborate at times on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/graygoosie/

DEEP(ER) QUESTIONS:

what do you do for a living?

I can’t keep all the clothing and jewelry that I make or lovely vintage things I find to myself so I opened a little online shop at etsy called LulaGirl.

Married to an entrepreneur, I am the cofounder of a functional juice company. We manufacture exotic juices such as noni, goji, acia, mangosteen and pomegranate as dietary supplements. Also, I’m cofounder of a first aid company with an emphasis on sting medications.

And for fun I administrate the Apron Outfits! group on flickr.

what are your passions/obsessions/hobbies/aspirations?

I’m passionate about being a wife! I love being married and recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. (I was VERY young when we married!)

I’m obsessed with my 4 awesome cats, flickr, vintage buttons, aprons, flea marketing shopping and recently photography…..and did I say flickr!

I aspire to exercise more, keep my motives in check and to always be kinder than necessary.

My goals are to achieve success with my LulaGirl line (working on that now), live part time in Costa Rica and have a long healthy life with my mister.

what inspires you?

Since joining flickr I’ve been inspired to actually do things that I once only dream of. For that I am very grateful. Other things that inspire me are meeting people, traveling, vintage fabrics, button and beads, flea markets, and the ocean. And of course wardrobe_remix, it’s inspiration at our fingertips!

how do you define “style”?

Style is definitely personal but for me mostly about combining prints, colors and layers. Style isn’t about going to the mall and buying an outfit. It’s about acquiring something, anything from an item of clothing, jewelry or an accessory and finding a way to put it together with what I already have. Or better yet, I just remix an outfit by opening the door to my closet!

how would you describe your personal style?

I would have to say that my hairdo defines much of my style, so….. funky? Fashion wise I’m taking myself less seriously lately and mixin’ it up more. Basically, I’m flexible and don’t get into a set pattern, anything goes, really. Life is too short to wear a “signature piece” every day! There is way too much inside my head for that. When we travel I adapt immediately to where I am. In Costa Rica for instance, I become very bohemian and beachy. Off with the make up and on comes the sarong and flowers in my hair. In Mexico City I like to dress up with a more sophisticated tailored look. I know one thing for sure, you will rarely see me in neutrals.

how has your style evolved or matured over time?

I’m becoming much more eclectic and daring with combinations. I’m at a place in my life that I don’t base things on what others might think. I just go for it, and I have a husband that loves me to “peacock” a little. Sometimes I surprise myself with an outfit and I love that feeling!

how does your background (personal history, passions, culture,
nationality, etc.) come through in the clothes you like and wear, if
at all?

Well…..I’ve been thrifting since I was a little girl. So, I don’t get squeamish about vintage clothing and actually prefer to combine vintage with new. So, I have many years of thrifting, yard “sailing” and flea marketing under my belt.

what are some of your favorite places to shop when you want to add
to your wardrobe? online? locally? anywhere in the world? why are
these places favorites of yours?

First of all, I LOVE to shop! Anywhere, anyplace and at the drop of a hat, I’m out the door (or online) to SHOP! But, I’m a smart and thrifty shopper too. I love to hit all the thrift stores and even include them in our travel plans. I get in moods to shop the off price stores, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Loehmanns. But my favorite place locally is the Long Beach Flea Market, in Long Beach, California. But, honestly I get so excited taking pictures that sometimes I forget to buy things….. Oh, and I love eBay!

if you’re into thrifting/secondhand shopping, share with us a great tip for thrifting, a fun thrifting story, or tell us about something great you found!

I joke sometimes that I have “secondhand blood” because I’ve been thrilled with the hunt since childhood. Our family would go to Denver almost every Christmas and I couldn’t wait to go thrifting with my aunt and cousins. I still remember the giant thrift store and the vastness of the place. I was always looking at coats. I guess I was cold! I think I still have a bracelet I bought there (with my allowance!)

Nowadays, living in South Orange County, Ca the vintage selection and prices aren’t what they used to be growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, but I still go to the Goodwill at least once a week. I head straight to the skirts, then the pants, (I tend to buy tops new). Then off to the housewares.

My tip for great thrifting is this: Go with an open mind, Shop at about 11:00 A.M. if possible and tell yourself that there is something great inside and then go find it. Fleamarkets: Go early, take cash, dress cute, take pictures and share on flickr!

many fashion-lovers and wardrobe_remix(ers) are concerned with ethics, sustainability, and green fashion these days. if you consider yourself to be one of those folks, how do you go about looking and feeling good while resisting the urge to always have something new to wear?

This question is very timely for me. I’ve actually considered not shopping for new clothes for 12 months. After September 11, 2001 I didn’t buy anything but food for a long time, it was my way of mourning. So I know I can do it, but do I WANT to? We’ll see and probably not. I think the way I shop is somewhat “green”, after all it’s about 50% vintage or secondhand. Another way to get around the “guilt of consumption” is to buy from designers who only use recycled materials, like lorimarsha on etsy.

does your location (where you live) affect your style? if so, in what ways? describe what your city or area is like with regard to fashion.

We live near the beach in South California, so my relaxed and casual style fits right in. In Laguna Beach for instance, you get all kinds. The darling girls in expensive outfits from South Coast Plaza, surfers, business people, the very rich and the starving artists. As for affecting my style? It’s an artist colony, so anything goes and I love that.

what do you think is next in terms of fashion? perhaps something that is currently flying under the radar, but could be really cool and popular later, or perhaps something amazing you’d like to see more of that needs to come back or be the new thing?

I have no idea what is next, but I hope clothing continues to be as cute and colorful with lots of mixed up patterns, details and trimmings (like Anthropologie) for years to come. The grunge era just about killed me, I really didn’t like that. No gray for the graygoosie!

what does the future hold for fashion? what do you think fashion will be like in 20 years?

I’d love to see less synthetic fabrics, have you noticed how much polyester type fabrics are in the stores? I like a bit of lycra in my jeans, but all the stretchy tops have got to go. And I want to see a little more coverage. I think clothes have gotten way too skimpy!

you are super creative with your clothes! share a creative tip or
idea about a way people can remix/style their clothing in a fun or
innovative way.

Oh, I have an answer for this! Just add a cool vintage apron to any outfit and you are instantly unique and different. I think aprons are way too cute to only be worn in the hot kitchen! I’ve seen the cutest halter aprons that are adorable as jumpers, half aprons with jeans and even smock aprons at tops.

how did you come across wardrobe_remix? why do you post there? What do you like about it? has anything positive come about for you as a result of posting to the community?

I remember the day my life changed like it was yesterday! A photo of cupcakes lured me from the Yahoo homepage onto to flickr. Then I saw wardrobe_remix in the “Groups We’ve Noticed” section. WOW! I thought. I clicked and saw mavenhaven! I can feel the excitement just thinking about that day. I thought “this is for me”! It wasn’t long after that I posted my first photo (which made Explore!) in the wardrobe_remix group. That day I started making friends around the world and how could that of ever happened without flickr?

other favorite wardrobe_remix(ers)? who, and why?

mavenhaven - I’ve never seen someone wear retro better than her!
snoof - She is over the top cuteness and her style is unsurpassed. She gives me courage to mix it up more and more.
vasiliisa - I love her unique color combinations and outdoor settings in her photographs.

suggest an interesting or intelligent question to ask of
other remix(ers) for the remix(ers)_revealed feature!

I would like to know how life has changed for members since posting in wardrobe_remix.

anything else you’d like to say?

Under my desk pad are these quotes:

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men (or women) to do nothing.”

“Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.”

“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”

“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, hated and scorned. When his caused succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”

Thanks Tricia for giving me this opportunity to share with others. I had a lot of fun with this interview and look forward to many more wardrobe_remix(es) to come. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say thanks for the group. You did a great thing when you started it!

thanks Jodine!

to address the question you posed concerning how life has changed for other remix(ers), check out the previous remix(ers)_revealed posts!

if you have any intelligent questions you’d like to hear wardrobe_remix(ers) expound upon or wardrobe_remix(ers) who you’d like to see revealed, feel free to send those suggestions my way! thanks!

THE WARDROBE_REMIX(ER) BEING REVEALED:

name: Katherine
flickr handle: one daaaangerous easter egg
age: 26
location: LA
website: I don’t have one yet but I plan on opening up an etsy store very soon.

DEEP(ER) QUESTIONS:

what do you do for a living?

I’m currently working a 9-5 job but I plan on returning to school very soon to get my Masters in some area of Psychology. I haven’t quite figured out which one yet.

what are your passions/obsessions/hobbies/aspirations?

In terms of fashion, I’m obsessed with sewing! I’ve been doing nothing lately but looking for vintage fabric on ebay. I’m drawn to anything colorful with a great pattern. As far as everything else goes, there’s just too many things to name. But another huge hobby of mine is reading. I can’t get enough! I try to read every free minute I have, and usually it’s true crime.

what inspires you?

Anything that has ever inspired me has its roots in my mom. She taught me how to sew, crochet and knit at a very young age. I was exposed to such great pop culture
like I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show and That Girl and groups like The Supremes and The Shirelles. These images are now embedded in my mind. I really loved the style of the 50s and early 60s because it’s so womanly and feminine, and the whole bombshell, pinup girl style is especially appealing to me.

how do you define “style”?

I think style is knowing how to create the best version of yourself. It’s knowing what looks good on you and playing up the things that make you unique. But it’s also about how you carry yourself, and how you present yourself. The best part of clothing is how it makes you feel, and that comes through in your body language.

how would you describe your personal style?

I would say it’s fun, feminine, and colorful, but also simple and ladylike.

how has your style evolved or matured over time?

It’s evolved quite a bit over the past few years. I went through a long phase of being a jeans and t-shirt girl, but I would always have a hard time finding pants that fit right because of my shape. So I started wearing dresses all the time because they fit me so much better. When I found that really cool dresses weren’t always available, I started making my own. I also started wearing brighter clothes
because I work in an office, and most of the time people are wearing neutral colors.

how does your background (personal history, passions, culture,
nationality, etc.) come through in the clothes you like and wear, if
at all?

My background definitely influences the way that I dress. I’m Filipino, and I have a huge family with a ton of aunts. I grew up with all these women that were always
dressed up, always had their hair done, always had the best makeup on, and always were ultra womanly. I’ve always just thought, “This is how women look.”

what are some of your favorite places to shop when you want to add
to your wardrobe? online? locally? anywhere in the world? why are
these places favorites of yours?

I don’t really have a favorite place because I’ll pretty much shop anywhere. For vintage clothing there are a few thrift stores and flea markets that I go to a lot. In terms of retail, I like H&M, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters, although I haven’t really been shopping there much lately because it’s too expensive. And of course, ebay’s a great source for everything! I’ve found some of my favorite pairs of shoes there.

if you’re into thrifting/secondhand shopping, share with us a great tip for thrifting, a fun thrifting story, or tell us about something great you found!

I found this incredibly cute navy and white polka dot dress a couple of weeks ago. It has white rick rack detailing at the neckline and the best shape ever. I didn’t think it would fit but I brought it into the dressing room anyway. I was pretty surprised when it zipped all the way up, and then when I checked it out in the mirror I nearly screamed because it was absolutely the most perfect fit! I haven’t worn it yet because it’s been a little too hot for it (the fabric’s pretty thick.) But once it gets a little cooler, that baby’s coming out of my closet!

many fashion-lovers and wardrobe_remix(ers) are concerned with ethics, sustainability, and green fashion these days. if you consider yourself to be one of those folks, how do you go about looking and feeling good while resisting the urge to always have something new to wear?

Lately when I’ve wanted a new dress to wear I just make it. I do like to buy clothes and I enjoy shopping a great deal, so this is my way of making it up to the environment. I have to say though that since joining wardrobe_remix, I’ve been shopping retail less and less and buying vintage more and more.

does your location (where you live) affect your style? if so, in what ways? describe what your city or area is like with regard to fashion.

I live in Los Angeles, where you can pretty much be whatever you want to be. This makes it easy to be experimental with style. If you’re dressed a little different or downright crazy, chances are there’s someone even crazier just down the block. And the weather is a huge factor in the way I dress. I can’t always get away with wearing a lot of layers since it’s usually pretty warm, so I have to get creative in other ways. But I gotta say that I do thoroughly enjoy the few months out of the year when I can wear scarves and tights all the time.

what do you think is next in terms of fashion? perhaps something that is currently flying under the radar, but could be really cool and popular later, or perhaps something amazing you’d like to see more of that needs to come back or be the new thing?

You know, it’s really hard for me to say. It seems like anything that comes into
style only remains there for about 3 months. A while back I thought that the early 90s were coming back, but that went out the door before it even came back. So who knows? But I would like to see more of everything, meaning that I’d like to see people trying everything out, even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else.

what does the future hold for fashion? what do you think fashion will be like in 20 years?

Hopefully there will be a revitalized interest in handmade goods. It’s discouraging that most independent fabric stores are no longer in existence, but I’m hoping that will change eventually. In my ideal world fashion will be created and influenced by everyday, talented people, not gigantic corporations. It is encouraging, however, that there are groups like wardrobe_remix where real people can get together and appreciate fashion outside of the realm of celebrity.

you are super creative with your clothes! share a creative tip or
idea about a way people can remix/style their clothing in a fun or
innovative way.

My advice is to experiment! You never know how something is going to look until you try it out. And I’ve always believed that you can tell everything about a person’s
style from their shoes, so if you’ve got a so-so outfit, put on some great shoes and everything will be all better.

how did you come across wardrobe_remix? why do you post there? What do you like about it? has anything positive come about for you as a result of posting to the community?

I have another flickr account that I use for personal photos and when I’d look around I kept seeing tags for wardrobe_remix. So I finally checked it out and after lurking for a while I finally joined. It’s such a great place for anyone that’s into fashion. Everyone’s very supportive and sweet and welcoming. One of the best things that has come from my joining is that I’ve had way more inspiration for my sewing projects. Thanks girls! And thanks to everyone’s nice feedback I finally feel ready to take my hobby to the next level.

other favorite wardrobe_remix(ers)? who, and why?

It’s really hard to pick because everyone is so amazing and creative. And it seems like there are new fascinating people popping up everyday. But I have to say that vasiliisa is definitely one of my all-time faves. She has the best prints and colors in her wardrobe. I also love warholuva because she has this really effortless, clean style that I really admire. And just jenny is the cutest girl in the whole world!

suggest an interesting or intelligent question to ask of
other remix(ers) for the remix(ers)_revealed feature!

How far is too far? Is there anything that you wouldn’t wear or do for fashion? What’s crossing the line?

anything else you’d like to say?

Thanks to Tricia for this opportunity and thanks to all the rest of the remix(ers) for being such great inspiration!

thanks Katherine!

if you have any intelligent questions you’d like to hear wardrobe_remix(ers) expound upon or wardrobe_remix(ers) who you’d like to see revealed, feel free to send those suggestions my way! thanks!

THE WARDROBE_REMIX(ER) BEING REVEALED:

name: V-STAR (haha)
flickr handle: I change it frequently. Right now it’s he looks at my
dick and then he says goddamn.
age: 12.24.1983
location: I live in a village in WI USA right now.

DEEP(ER) QUESTIONS:

what do you do for a living?

I’m an industrial designer working at a design consultancy. Current projects I’m working on include footwear and medical equipment. As far as personal work, I’m gestating a project dealing with casual interaction of people with objects where the experience of the interaction accidentally becomes design process.

what are your passions/obsessions/hobbies/aspirations?

People watching. Questioning everything. Becoming a better person.

what inspires you?

Everything.
Usually, exuberant charismatic people, politics, history, behavioral patterns, patterns in general, genetic mutations, cultures different from my own.

how do you define “style”?

Clothing is merely one of the communication tools of personal expression, and ”style” is the pattern of how one chooses (through time) to articulate, construct, accent within the structure/system that is created with this particular tool.

how would you describe your personal style?

It’s flexible. Mercurial. Guarded.

how does your background (personal history, passions, culture,
nationality, etc.) come through in the clothes you like and wear, if
at all?

On object level, since I grew up in Russia in Uzbekistan, I tend to own/appreciate clothing items from those cultures. Slightly gender confused, I’m enamored by androgyny and try to include it subtly in my outfits.

choose one item in your closet that you feel completely expresses
your personal style and/or aesthetic. describe it. what is it and
why is it “you”?

It probably would have to be my thrifted red/blue sweater:

Its vibrant colors, its pixelated pixilated (hehe) look, its comfy bagginess summarize what I generally want out of my clothing: colorful, tech-y, whimsical, not accentuating my body. Too bad it got a bleach stain on it. I might have to make a blanket out of it.

do you collect anything? if so, what?

Junk and memories.

what are some of your favorite places to shop when you want to add
to your wardrobe? online? locally? anywhere in the world? why are
these places favorites of yours?

I am dealing with an internal battle. I do realize the cyclical nature of fashion and am angry at manufacturers/businesses for creating hype over “what’s in? what’s out?” to drive up sales of flimsy clothes manufactured by underpaid workers in countries w/ sub par working conditions and barely existent environment protection systems. Yet, as an industrial designer I’m fascinated by fads, especially fashion fads, since clothing/accessories have such a quick turn around production (the only quicker produced forms of mass expression are print/video/music, really) they are the most direct visual object-based manifestation of what a society is going through right now. I am both repulsed by mass-produced clothing and am craving items that would allow me to participate in current culture…a guilt ridden mix of cheap new, expensive new, cheap thrifted used, expensive vintage used bought on-line, local goodwill, given for free by a friend. I make some of my clothing myself, mainly knit.

what do you think is next in terms of fashion? perhaps something
that is currently flying under the radar, but could be really cool an
popular later, or perhaps something amazing you’d like to see more
of that needs to come back or be the new thing?

Sustainability and “green” hopefully will become more than buzz words abused by the media and the western society would be able to gain a deeper understanding of how their purchasing actions affect the world.

I think, the escapism that brought us neo-baroque, current gothic revival, everything romantic/nostalgic, fascination with cute/child-like will fade away as people are now more then in the previous years are ready to face the issues they’ve been hiding from. The fade of the escapism, I think, might show itself in more unisex approach to
clothing. Not a “traditional” bland, uniform like unisex, though…more ornate, flamboyant, drag like.

Becoming more accepting of different cultures and lifestyles, I think, people would allow themselves and others follow their inner fashion sense. US-wise, increased
immigration in next 20-30 years, might present some interesting examples of how other cultures’ interpretations of American subcultures juxtapose with the actual subcultures. Gosh, that was a mouthful, but I’m not sure how to say it differently.

Personally, I would like to see a move away from traditionally “sexy” female clothes, unless we start objectifying a male body in mainstream culture in the similar manner, but since when objectification is a good thing? It still won’t make it acceptable in my mind… I just, personally, would like to live in a place where women don’t feel pressured to dress “sexy” at all times, dressed not in what they themselves find sexy, but rather what they are told is “sexy”.

you are super creative with your clothes! share a creative tip or
idea about a way people can remix/style their clothing in a fun or
innovative way.

When you see an item or an outfit you have a strong opinion (positive or negative) ask yourself “why?” Deconstruct your opinion, see what underlying reasons are…once you break it all down, you’d be surprised how much it will help you crystallize what is “you”.

style icons: do you have any?

Not rly. I’m mainly inspired by men’s wear, any stylish male that would fit the description of kinda dior homme kinda on acid w/ a folk flair of sorts.

how did you come across wardrobe_remix? why do you post there? What do you like about it? has anything positive come about for you as a result of posting to the community?

I think I started participating in W_R at the end of 2005 after you, bits and bobbins, started experimenting with it on your LJ…it was a fun thing to do. Has anything positive come out of it? Gosh…lots of new on-line friends, being featured in Adorn and LetGo magazines.

other favorite wardrobe_remix(ers)? who, and why?

I mainly check out what guys are wearing. My favorites are usually lewis.samuel,
fixes, hunn. (I wish fixes and hunn posted more…but those few outfits they did contribute to W_R, I totally love them). As far as gals, sjwhidden and hogan wren (I often feel that there’s something in their attitude similar to mine).

anything else you’d like to say?

Well, first of all, thanks for giving me a chance to blab
about clothes in self-indulgent manner!

And, this is my favorite quote LIKE EVER by Iona Opie…

“A child who does not feel wonder is but an inlet
for apple pie.”

Have passions, ask questions, be amazed.

thanks v.!

if you have any intelligent questions you’d like to hear wardrobe_remix(ers) expound upon or wardrobe_remix(ers) who you’d like to see revealed, feel free to send those suggestions my way! thanks!