Sunday, May 29, 2016

52 Pick-me-up: White / Instinct

••• 

GASP! 
White shoes before Memorial Day! Issue me a Fashion Citation!
I call them my stompin' clompin' clogs. They combine flavors of Western, Moto, and I think a whisper of Dutch. Made by Fiorina, obtained in Hong Kong in 2004, I only recently discovered that they stay on my feet if I wear them without socks (much to the chagrin of my co-workers. These babies CLOMP).

Lets move slowly up the outfit, shall we?
My "skirt" and my leg.
Double houndstooth. Score!
The skirt is a tube of horrible 60's nylon jacquard. It's sticky and VERY synthetic feeling. I will not allow it to touch my skin. It plays nicely with my $2.99 polyester leggings obtained last summer at Jack's in NYC. 
I'm a walking symphony syntheticony.

The big picture:
Yes, I'm holding up my stomach. Ho ho ho!
No, I'm not pregnant. I'm way beyond that possibility.
I'm linking this up with Patti's Visible Monday.
Die Laughing was a store in Pasadena, from the time before Pasadena had Old Towne.
This tee saw the light of day strictly for this post. I then changed into a black tee with a message about crying. You'll have to wait until the next edition of VOGOFF to see that.
Unless you saw my #selfiesketch on various social media, that is. No, I'm not going to help you find it. 
Use your Instinct!
Bwahahahaha.

White / Instinct -- link and tell!






Monday, May 23, 2016

Chris Francis at the A + D Museum

Chris Francis, my favorite shoe artist, has some very unusual footwear on exhibit at the A + D Museum in downtown LA.
Chris Francis, Cages In the Sky
Inspired by Brutalist architecture, he challenged himself to create impossible shoes.
Chris Francis, Hard Cuts and St. Vincent's Default
Chris Francis, Tower Blocks
Chris Francis, Hardscape
Chris Francis, Invisibleism
I sketched these while Chris was explaining his design process during a curatorial walk-through last month.

The installation is part of the group exhibition Come In! DTLA, up until 6/23/16.
The A + D Museum is located in the Arts District, 900 E. 4th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (enter on Colyton).

Sunday, May 22, 2016

52 Pick-me-up: Grey / Release / Remission

••• 
If there was a word that jumped out at me this week for 52 Pick-me-up, it had to be Remission
That word takes on a huge presence when one has had a brush with cancer.
Cancer patient, doctor, nurse, caregiver, friend -- it is the hope at the end of treatment.
I AM currently in Remission
Where was I six years ago? 

Pages from my journal, 5/25/10: 
I was WAITING! Waiting in lines, waiting for appointments, waiting to hear results -- lots and lots of waiting.
I took a sketchbook along to help pass the time. It was a godsend. 

What triggered this trip down memory lane?
The "grey item of clothing" search that lead me to this Stussy shirt:
It's still a cool print, and the fabric is a soft sanded cotton.
It's missing some buttons though, so onto Repair Mountain it goes.
This shirt became my post-surgery shirt (twice). Roomy, soft, and turned inside out, the pockets can hold drains!

Today, I put it together with some grey lounge pants and my trusty old clogs:
Reenactment of my Harbor/UCLA Hospital appointment look.
And that's my story of Grey / Release / Remission.
What's your's? Link and tell!




Sunday, May 15, 2016

52 Pick-me-up: Ivory / Rejection

••• 
Continuing with my "Brights served with a side of Neutrals", here is Ivory:
Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday
I've worn this tunic many, many times:
This is the first time you've seen it with sleeves!
I loved it before, now it's perfect.

Last week, I forgot to give you the list of upcoming Neutrals (distracted by the fashion show).
Here it is, feel free to link up any usage of any neutral any time until 6/25.

••• 45. 
(last week) Beige / Impartial / Fairness
••• 46. (this week) Ivory / Rejection
••• 47. (5/22) Grey / Release / Remission
••• 48. (5/29) White / Instinct
• 49. (6/5) Black & White / Destiny
••• 50. (6/12) Silver / Confusion / Clarity
••• 51. (6/19) Wine / Creation



Ivory: / Rejection -- Link and Tell!




Sunday, May 8, 2016

52 Pick-me-up: Beige / Impartial / Fairness

••• 
Beige is this week's color? Really?
Are you ready for 7 weeks of neutrals, SpyGirl style?

Week 45/52, Beige. 
BOOM!
A Phillip Lim 3.1 x Target scarf that became the front panel of a tunic. 
I hear the Enid in you saying "I don't see any Beige, SpyGirl".
Oh yes there is!
Let's dance this mess around:
Dancing photos taken by Severo. He learned about the "Burst" feature on my iPhone.
Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.
That's what I wore to my alma mater's Fashion Gala at the Beverly Hilton.
I actually paid for a night ticket this year, since Rosemary Brantley, the founding chair of the Otis Fashion Department, is retiring after 35 years. She was my boss twice -- first I was her design assistant for my initial job after graduation, then, a few years later, I taught digital design in the Fashion Dept. for 10 years.

I did my usual pre-show quick sketching at the Step and Repeat booth.
Here's a fast gif of the roughs:




Did you enjoy the seven-week PURPLE linkup party?
Now until June 25th, it's a NEUTRALS party. Can NEUTRALS party?
Let's find out!



Beige / Impartial / Fairness -- link and tell!




Sunday, May 1, 2016

52 Pick-me-up: Periwinkle / Balance

••• 

This is our final week of PURPLE and our last color is Periwinkle, a color combining purple, blue, and grey. Balance is the emotion cue word, very apt for me after my month of fake-journaling as Enid.  I also blogged the tartans of US and Canada A-Z every day this month (except Sunday) over on Pattern Recognition. Exhausting! Extremely unbalanced!

Periwinkle was one of the colors in Enid's rainbow of crayon colors, here is my Periwinkle outfit from 4/21.
SpyGirl in a Periwinkle colored stripe tee
Anyone remember the brand Kensington Blue? They made my striped tee.
Hey 80's. I got the ikat scarf at that time too. 
Relics that still fit! Hurrah!
Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday
I shot an outfit photo every day this month to sketch from -- easier for me to look at the preview on my camera vs imagining what I looked like. I'll be making a compilation of the month's photos, but not today. I'm too busy being a groupie! (Smithereens gig at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. It's sound check as I type.)

It's all about Balance, right?

This is your final week to add anything PURPLE to the link-up.
Periwinkle / Balance -- Link and tell!