Tuesday, May 31, 2011

5-31: Links à la Mode: Tech

SpyGirl made the geek list on Independent Fashion Bloggers
here is the post:

 

Bloggers Heart Technology

Edited by Kristin Swenson of BonBon Rose Girls
I think we can all agree that technology has become vital to the daily existence of bloggers. Who among us goes a week without playing around with coding, tinkering with our blog design, tweeting, downloading the newest photo apps etc.? Many of us who started out somewhat technology illiterate are now wearing our chic geek badges proudly. Thankfully, forums like IFB exist to nurture and encourage our self education when it comes to tech issues!
So, I hope you’ll take a moment to enjoy these featured posts. I daresay you’ll walk away with a valuable new nugget of tech related knowledge. Today’s link roundup really has a little something for everyone, no matter where your inner geek’s interests may lie!

LINKS À LA MODE: TECH – MAY 31st

Sunday, May 29, 2011

In 10 Minutes: 5-28

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It took some deliberation, but this is what I ended up wearing at my show reception. I call it the demented wench look.
grey leather corselet - Zoe Hong
maxi dress - my own work
purple chinese jelly sandals
It all started with the grey corselet that I got off of Etsy. You may remember it from this post from May 14. I knew I wanted to wear a rectangular dress underneath but wasn't sure which fabric to use from my vast stockpile. (My original intent to use my cupcake print failed due to lack of lead time for printing @ Spoonflower). I rummaged around and found some contenders:
I posted the above composite on Facebook to get some quick feedback. I was already leaning towards "groovy" but wanted to make sure at least one other friend thought it was not too "out there." Final tally was: Roses - 2 | Sari - 2 | Groovy - 5 (my friends know me well!).

Then I tried the corselet over a similar garment to calculate how long I needed to make it
oooh, dress got kinda short and looks like I can trim the lacing
On to sewing. I used the entire yardage, deciding to wait and trim the hem later.
(No step-by-step on this... maybe next time)
Before hemming, I tried it on and opted for the maxi length:
haha - I look like either a wizard, a 60s Palm Springs hostess or a member of Sun Ra's Arkestra (warning - link HAS SOUND)

Friday, May 27, 2011

Friend Friday: Hair Care - the long and the short of it

LINKS/
Friend Friday. This is an opportunity for fashion and beauty bloggers to share their thoughts on a specific topic and read what others have to say on it. Here are my answers to this week's 5 questions on the subject of hair care.

Click here on Modly Chic to read all the responses. [linkup broken]

Before I go into my answers, I must tell you my hair saga. I had long hair ever since I convinced my mom that "I could take care of it" (I was perhaps seven). I NEVER would have voluntarily gone short, but now that I have, I don't think I'll go back to long.

What caused me to go short?

CANCER! -- I was diagnosed with stage IIIc breast cancer on June 2, 2010. (Ladies -- do NOT ignore any lumps!!!)
I was destined for the works: mastectomy, chemo + radiation. Since it was all going to fall out anyway, and I knew post-surgery long hair would be a pain to deal with, I went with my pal Dez to her salon in Whittier. (Before and After pix at top).
The next day I was surprised to discover my dad's hair on my head! Same cowlick and everything! It was surprisingly thick.

I started chemo on July 27. Twenty days later, my hair started feeling strangely "crunchy" and dead and on August 18, my boyfriend shaved it all off for me (he's an expert, as you can see)
if we had a band, we could call it Eight Eyes

It's growing back in kind of wavy, just like "they" said it would. It sort of looks like my mom's hair these days...
And now, my answers to the questions:

How often do you get your hair cut?
As often as I can. I've gone short with a vengeance.

Do you go to the same stylist each time, try someone new, go to the 
cheap hair cutting chains or live it up in a salon?
For my "first" cut (trim really) I drove 120 miles to my friend Leslie's. Good excuse to visit. And she's great at cutting short hair!
"first" hair cut: 4-1
For my next trim, I'm going to try a branch of Floyd's Barbershop. We'll see how that goes.

Do you color your hair? How often? What’s your natural color? 

Never ever colored or permed my hair. 100% virgin salt + pepper.

The one thing you always do to keep your hair looking great is:
Wash it with Neutrogena anti-residue and condition with H2O Spa Sea Marine. Used these both when it was long too. I'm very particular about the scent of beauty products - the Neutrogena is very neutral, the H20 pleasant (did not like the performance of H20 shampoo). Finding the right conditioner was difficult when my hair was long - I'd find one and then it would get discontinued. The H20 worked well keeping it straight, relaxed, smooth and shiny. Now it's not such a big deal but I still like how it smells.

What hair trend do you love and wish you could rock?
I actually briefly attained the short hair look I wanted when my hair was growing back: short pixie ala Jean Seberg or Mia Farrow
photo source
My mom saw this photo and said I looked like a prisoner
ok, maybe it IS a tad short
I saw this look recently and it's my new hair goal:
photo source
(I know, it won't lay flat like this... but a gal can dream!)

Thursday, May 26, 2011

5-26 80s flashback

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text:
Found this necklace while looking
for something else. It reminded me
of one of my favorite 80s outfits:
------
top - Reminiscence, bought @ Front Porch, Prov, RI
skirt - vintage black cotton pique, bought @ Roxy Deluxe, Prov
white ankle sox
witch shoes - vintage from Roxy Deluxe
necklace #1 - Mark got me this? from flea mkt?
necklace #2 - Patucci made this from vintage Bakelite parts found @ Wolf E Myrow in Prov
everything from late 70s-early 80s
necklace #1
necklace #2
witch shoes
sadly, all that I have now are the accessories

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Tech Tip: How to Turn off Captcha in Blogger

[Note: this is the 2011 edition. Updated 2012 version is here]

This is thanks to Kimi @ allthefussandmore
I made a comment on her blog and noticed it uploaded right away without one of those horrible Captchas. I asked her how she did it, and now you can see how too!

~ this is only for Blogger bloggers ~

1) go to your dashboard
2) click on settings


3) click on comments

4) scroll down to bottom, on "Show word verification..." tick No
5) SAVE!
your commenters will love you!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

In 10 Minutes: 5-20

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my third day of appointments @ Harbor General:
neon lime scarf  - Sanbourn's, Mexico DF
hawaiian mens XL shirt  - outlet in Phoenix
Leon Max rayon shorts circa 1992
sadringham blue leggings - free sample from work
stripe wicked witch socks - sock guy, St Mark's Pl, NYC
blk clogs - Amsterdam flea mkt

the moment I realized that I matched the wall trim + floor
I dressed for comfort - needed to get to hospital by 6:30 so that Dr would see me first (@ 9am) then continuing on to work. MORTIFIED when I discovered how matchy matchy I was with the decor. That legging color bothers me anyway -- too close to the color of my high school winter uniform. Maybe I'll tie dye them.

In 10 Minutes: 5-11

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what I wore to see Elvis Costello @ Wiltern:
vintage mens blazer from ?
leopard chiffon scarf, sample from Rosemary Brantley, 1988
vintage paisley dress from Larry Quint
aubergine leggings - sample from work
Happy Socks
Sanitas brown patent Mary Jane clogs


what a great concert!
there was a free photo booth and my boyfriend and I partook
I'll talk at length about that paisley dress at a later date... stay tuned

In 10 Minutes: 5-10

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new skirt scored at TJ Max for $10!
found in beach coverup section. could also be a dress.
tee via boyfriend. he found it at a record store in MA somewhere
the same old chinese sandals (you would think I only have these and black clogs)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

iPad 2 giveaway

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I’m posting this to enter a contest offered by MeridaHome 

at Design For Mankind

I want to win the iPad 2! 
 
(and I love Erin’s vimeo!)

In 10 Minutes: 5-4

what I wore to go poppy gazing

tee: mens XL from boyfriend
skirt: Indian cotton gauze with printed paisley motifs and silver sequins
chinese plastic sandals
hat: HATattack, swirl sale

Monday, May 16, 2011

5-16 clown-fidential redux

This post is for my FB pal (AND high school classmate!) Carrie DD.
She mentioned the Clown-fidential post from last year and I haven't worn that look yet this year!
I was happy to find the skirt still fits (yeah elastic waists), so:
a pinky glow suffuses me today!
what you can't see, because I'm not enough of a contortionist with my iPhone, is the matchy clown graphics from this band tee:
(I am not endorsing this band. I picked up the tee at some LA pop gig in the late 90s. They are not on my iPod. I don't remember what they sound like. I got the tee for the scary clown)

I like how the CMYK Happy Socks kick it "up to eleven"
plus
polkadot clown skirt, Macy's sale purchase, late 90s
black clogs from Amsterdam flea mkt, 1997

Sunday, May 15, 2011

In 10 Minutes: 5-3

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a happy outfit for an all day wait at Harbor General

green twill Levi's XL mens shirt 
purple + green "Have a Nice Day Cafe, Atlanta" tee
yellow, green + gold jingle skirt from Cottage Art, Artesia
stripe Happy Socks
blk plastic chinese sandals
neon yellow scarf from Sanbourn's, Mexico DF
neon red wristband, Harbor ER

detailed pix of skirt here

Saturday, May 14, 2011

5-14 reception look

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text:
I just bought this "Erica
corselet" on Etsy from Zoe Hong.
So excited.

----------
the cupcake print is on spoonflower -- my first!
I like how the cupcakes sort of look like roses, until you get close.

I was hoping to wear this for my opening reception on May 28, but lead time for printing the fabric too long. Oh well. Maybe for the cupcake tasting on June 12 - minus the corselet!

Friday, May 13, 2011

FBFF: Outside Influences

CREATED/ LINKS/
Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. This is an opportunity for fashion and beauty bloggers to share their thoughts on a specific topic and read what others have to say on that same topic. Here are my answers to this week's 5 questions on the subject of outside influences. Click here for all responses.

1. What magazines do you subscribe to?
The New Yorker (I've been reading it for more than 40 years) Los Angeles Magazine
Recently stopped long-running subscription to Vanity Fair -- got tired of all the articles about the Kennedys, Marilyn, the Royals, etc

2. Do you watch any fashion TV shows? 

ANTM, Gossip Girl (the rest I get on netflix - too cheap to get cable)

3. Beyond blogs, what websites do you frequent for fashion 
inspiration? 

 coolhunter, pinterest

4. Advertisements play a huge role in forming public opinion about a 
product or brand… what ads do you like and why?
I enjoy seeing Mark Jacobs, Prada, for the art direction

5. Do you own any fashion books?
Get ready! it's a long list... (all links were Amazon affiliate in 2011... no longer allowed in CA). The numbers after the titles are the ISBN numbers, unless it's Library of Congress (LC).

shelf 1
Balenciaga 0847810798
Designs By Erte 0486233979
Making Waves 0877013985
Intimate Architecture: Contemporary Clothing Design (MIT 1982)
Yves Saint Laurent 0870993615
New Look To Now 0847811395
Rudi Gernreich: A Retrospective (The Fashion Group 1985)
Dior in Vogue 0517544482
Fellini's Faces 0030614791
The Citizen Kane Book 0436230305
Star Treck Sketchbook 0671002198
Frederick's of Hollywood 1947-1973 0877495823
Whalebone To See-Through: A History of Body Packaging 0498025098
Antonio Retrospective 1963-1987 (FIT 1988)
Oriental Rugs (Smithsonian 1978)
The Rudi Gernreich Book 084781422x
Otis Designs (Otis 2008) I am on p.147
Todd Oldham 0789300443
Birds of Paradise 0440508940
Sonia Delauney: Art Into Fashion 0807611662
La Belle Epoque 0870993291
The Fashion Makers LC 67-27050 [Library of Congress #]
Modern Leather Design 345023773395
Costume History Class Binder (1986)
What People Wore 0517143216
Textiles Class Binder (1985)

shelf 2
Blood Memory 0385265034
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo 0060911271
The Wonderful World of Women's Wear Daily 0841501262
My Life 0871400812
Dressmakers of France LC 64-13647
The Fashionable Lady in the 19th Century (Victoria + Albert Mus, 1960)
Batik Art and Craft LC 64-13647 [Dutchess Day art prize, 1970]
The Dressmaking Book LC 66-20933
Secrets of Creative Tailoring + Finishing (Leiter's Designer Fabrics, 1971)
How To Sew Leather, Suede, Fur LC 76-123531
Fashion Illustration 0847802485
Meet the Ladies LC 72-77287
On Human Finery
Cecil Beaton 184212613x
Fruits 0714840831
Fresh Fruits 0714845108
The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste 0060164700
Roman Isho Ten: Evolution of Fashion 1835-1895
Ceramic Art of the Malibu Potteries: 1926-1932 0295973722
Victorian and Edwardian Dresses (Met Mus of Art, 1939)
Let's Disco K-tel, 1978
Pattern Design 0486407098
A Twill of Your Choice 0934026068
Luchetik, Publacions Pokok (no date)
Guatemala Rainbow 0876544448
Romanian Folk Textiles LC 78-52284
Fabulous Fabrics of the 50s 0877018111
Tartans: Abbotsford to Fraser 0764309617
Tartans: Frederickton to MacNeil 0764309625
Tartans: MacNichol to Yukon 0764310291
Showing Your Colors 0877013810
Tidying Up Art 3791330039
Russian Printed Shawls (Mochba Cobetckar Poccnr, 1986)
Novelty Fabrics 0810917416
A Dictionary of Textile Terms (Dan River, 1980)
Warp and Weave (Leclerc 1971)
Twills and Twill Derivatives
(Landis 1977)
Fun With Crewel Embroidery LC 65-26942
Quick Knit Dresses LC 68-3133
if I hadn't been answering these questions,
I wouldn't have excavated this book
There are more scattered around the house but I think this is enough!