bits and bobbins

i was inspired by a style bubble blog post to shed some light on the cogs of my personal style. in other words, show some of the essential pieces of my wardrobe that “i can’t live without,” that basically express my “trademark” style and personality.

(click to see larger)

1. my black rayon vera scarf and orange bakelite bangle. found at a going out of business sale at a vintage store in nyc’s soho. probably cost less than $5 US. in the colder months i wear it nearly constantly. it’s soft and drapey and works perfectly with everything. the bangle is from a now gone vintage jewelry store in nolita.
2. patch-kneed levi’s jeans. i found these in amsterdam last summer at a levi’s store. the perfect straight legged stovepipe jean. i like the fact that they are patched (bought that way) and broken in but not scruffy.
3. enameled metal earrings, and clip-ons. i have a huge collection of these (i’ve lost count!) and i wear them with everything. they can be found for a song at thrift stores everywhere. no one else seems to be buying them, or wearing them! i love that.
4. dark brown vintage boots. perfect vintage boots found at the goodwill on e. 23rd street in manhattan.
5. dear birthday’s patchwork obi belt.
6. tall orangey-brown vintage boots. i wear these and the dark brown boots constantly in the colder months. i am chomping at the bit to be able to wear them both again, though this pair is in dire need of repair and probably needs to be checked into the shoe hospital.
7. black vintage cowboy boots. with suede butterflies! only $20 US.
8. weird handmade knits. this represents the bright, bold, crazy knitwear i make and throw on with everything. i’d be swathed in such knits right now if the weather wasn’t so damn hot. this particular piece is an example of some scrumble crochet i did a couple years ago.
9. gold-tone octopus necklace. a christmas gift from my husband. there’s something totally sexy and insane about this necklace. i love it.
10. red-orange velour A.P.C. sweatshirt. my favorite color this past year. i try to wear this color as often as humanly possible.
11. bruno magli gold peep-toe wedges. my favorite shoe shape.
12. TN-29 green peeptoe pumps.
13. diane von furstenberg wrap dress.
14. gold elgin watch, gold beaded necklaces, and gold resin earrings, plus my wedding bands and engagement ring. pete inherited the gold elgin watch from his grandfather, who passed away last year. he doesn’t wear watches, so i wear it with great love and reverence.
15. patchwork needlepoint bag. one of the bestest thrifty finds, ever. found in florida.
16. orange cowlneck tunic. made by me from orange thrifted sweatshirt fabric a couple years ago. LOVE.
17. 70s red-orange tunic sweater. has fuchsia buttons, raglan short sleeves, and pockets. i wear this entirely too much. but i can’t resist.
18. rainbow necklace. bought on the street in soho NYC in 2003. if i could pick just one item that expresses who i am and my style in general, this would be it.
19. patchwork skirt, and acid wash levi’s jacket. the patchwork skirt was made by me, from a pattern i drafted myself, and is made from a thrifted patchwork wrap skirt. the little acid wash jacket is from a thrift down in florida, last winter. i am hopelessly addicted to that denim jacket…it’s a boy’s size, but it fits me perfectly through the arms and back. up there with the needlepoint bag as far as being one of my favorite finds ever.
20. tan vintage heeled boots.
21. worishofer slingback peeptoe wedges. my summer 2006 shoes. grandma chic.
22. crazy patchwork skirt. made by me several years ago. bits of old fabric, buttons, crocheted doilies, ribbons, hand embroidery, vintage embroidered patches, etc.
23. leather/snakeskin belt, and marc by marc jacobs gold leather tote. the snakeskin belt is from zachary’s smile, a vintage store in manhattan, and the gold tote is really the bag of the year for me. kind of an expensive purchase, and i use it all the time because i love it, and also, HELLO, when i pay more for something, you bet your sweet bippy i’m going to use it until it disintegrates.

and there’s also this marc by marc jacobs trenchcoat, which i don’t seem to have a picture of myself in:

it’s from several seasons back (spring 2005). when the weather’s cool, i can’t seem to be separated from it. it’s beige, it goes with everything. i put it on and instantly feel dressed. it’s an awful photo, but it’s got a drop waist, a rounded girlish collar, a full skirt, big gathered patch pockets, and a big sash belt that ties in a bow. made of the softest twill, and has bias bound seams inside. twee yet sophisticated. the perfect trench for *me*.

***

there are more things, of course, (i’m thinking of my favorite miss sixty skinny jeans, for starters!) but those are some of the major ones. i’ll disclose and display a few more of my cogs down the road, perhaps later this week. perhaps i’ll even get a better shot of that trench!

it was hot out there tonight. yuck. seen here going out for burgers and beer with pete and mike in the west village.

-amazing handmade tunic tank top: anti-factory
-bleach spotted vintage levi’s 501’s: thrifted @ hell’s kitchen salvation army
-80s hot pink wedges with flower shoe clips: thrifted in florida
-red-orange plastic earrings: thrifted in florida
-red-orange vintage enamel flower pin: thrifted in florida
-green lucite ring: alexis bittar
-little boy’s levi’s jean jacket: thrifted in florida.
-gold leather tote: marc by marc.

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.