52 Pick-me-up: 52 Ways to Remix Your Closet

LINKS/

my closet, captured in a candid moment

A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? In a style rut?

In case you hadn't noticed, I approach my wardrobe like an artist does her palette -- my garments are my "paints" and I mix them up in all sorts of ways.

So I made a list of closet remixing prompts from an artist's point of view: 

  1. Boyfriend/girlfriend

  2. Complementary colors

  3. Red/white/blue/black

  4. Floral bouquet: mix your florals with…

  5. Go with the flow: long, loose, and drapey

  6. Choose your shoes first. Then get dressed.

  7. 70s

  8. Fruit salad: peach/orange/lemon/lime

  9. Wear the same garment 3 ways during the week. Will anyone notice?

10. Stripes

11. 80s

12. White it out

13. Fill your favorite mug (or tea cup) with your morning brew. Now dress to coordinate.

14. International relations: wear garments from two different countries

15. 90s

16. Texture salad

17. Tone poem: mix a bright and a berry tone

18. Put your accessories on first. Now get dressed.

19. MROW! Leopard/cheetah/tiger

20. [Paint it] black

21. Graphic tee and girly bottom

22. Analogous colors

23. Trend salad*-- wear as many trends as you can IN ONE OUTFIT.

24. Blue hues

25. Dance of the seven veils – how many layers can you pile on?

26. Plaids -- two or three or... 27. Royal purple flush

28. Mixed metallics

29. You have not worn it for a year. Now is the time.

30. Pantone color of the year [any year]

31. 10s – 1910s or 2010s

32. Choose a scarf. Wear those colors.

33. Short over long

34. Lots of dots

35. In the pink

36. Dress like your favorite cocktail

37. 20s

38. Locate your craziest socks. Now build an outfit.

39. Get green

40. Geometrics

41. 30s

42. I pity the [April] fool: Mr T is your fashion muse

43. Yellow fever

44. Woodland creature – dress like a tree

45. 40s

46. Wear something back to front

47. Something that was your Mom’s

48. 50s

49. Long over short

50. Uptight/alright: wear that thing that’s a little too small

51. Pattern max -- how many can you wear at the same time?

52. 60s

And then I thought, wouldn't it be fun to see what others do with the same prompt? As a weekly theme with a linky for sharing? Starting tomorrow, this will become a regular Wednesday gathering. I'll post the prompt for the week on Wednesday morning and you'll have through the following Monday at 11:55 Pacific time to add your link.
I'll sketch and post my favorite look on Tuesdays.

Tomorrow, the fun begins with "Boyfriend/Girlfriend"

This post was initially inspired by IFB Project #100: "Write a List Post"
*I got the term "trend salad" from GOMI.

I'll format the above list into some handy PDFs tomorrow. Do we want a special badge? SpyGirl, what a silly question. OF COURSE we want a badge!

Why Did I Start SpyGirl?

"Why did you start blogging?"
On the eve of International Fake Journal Month, now is a good time to answer this question.

SpyGirl from the start has been a fun, creative outlet.
I found my cartoonish avatar under a bush in March 2010. Click here to see what I did for my first posts.
Things were slow that first year, due to health complications.

In 2011, I did another fake journal, and that's when I became a "real" fashion blogger.
I started following fashion and style blogs regularly, I joined IFB, I paid more attention to trends, I started taking outfit photos.

Also in 2011, I got the urge to fashion sketch again (had stopped after freelancing at Mattel dried up in 1999) and started experimenting with different techniques. My Fashion Icon series is one completely digital approach that I'm happy with, but involves a lot of work.
Recently, I've come up with a half analog, half digital hybrid that I really enjoy.

The 2013 Fake Journal, "The Digital Catwalk" shall commence tomorrow, April 1st.
It's going to be a blast!

Some background:
I completed the rigorous BFA Fashion Design program at OTIS in 87 and was immediately hired by the department chair, Rosemary Brantley, as a design assistant for her company in downtown LA. After two years, I moved on to designing Barbie Dolls at Mattel. Four years at Mattel totally burned me out on fashion design and I quit to return to my original creative passion: fine art.
I quickly became uncomfortable with my lack of funds and started doing various freelance gigs, including a part-time return to Mattel. OTIS then beckoned with a teaching position in Digital Design in the Fashion Dept, where I ended up in charge of my area through 2005.
I continue to teach Digital Design for Fashion and Textiles in the CE Department at OTIS. My primary day job is designing prints for mass-market loungewear and underwear.
I am still doing fine art (I will never give that up again) and am looking forward to a figurative workshop this summer with Rebecca Campbell.

At 56, I can say: I love what I'm doing.
"Why did I start blogging?" For fun!
Why did YOU start blogging?

Inspired by (but too late to include) IFB Project #87: Why Did You Start Your Blog?

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday since I'm no shrinking violet. 

SpyGirl HQ: In My Lair

Here I am, in my lounge-panted glory, surrounded by a glorious mess.
The ambient glare from the monitor highlights my pallor. 

My studio is no better. The desk is blocked by a fortress of boxes, etc.
Better do something about that. Have to start a new sketchbook!

This post comes to you courtesy of IFB Project #85: Where Do You Blog?
Go see how honest my fellow bloggers are!

My Over-50 Muse for IFB #50

Many of my style icons are over 50, a good thing, since I turned 56 today.
I have a Pinterest board where they mix and mingle.
Who shall I anoint as the queen of my influences?

Carrie Donovan, by Jessie Frohman
(source)

It will have to be Carrie Donovan, the former fashion editor for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and The New York Times Magazine. It was seeing her giant rounded glasses that inspired me to go the same route when I gave up contact lenses for good.

My glasses are Calvin Klein, sold as sunglasses in the late 90s.
I saw them at my optometrist's and knew they were for me.
I have a stockpile of several pairs.
I cannot count how many complements I've received for them over the years.

Thank you Carrie, for your bold eyewear inspiration.

SpyGirl on IFB's Links à la Mode

I am thrilled to be a part of this post!

Art At The Heart

For many of this week's submissions, art was the center theme. From DIY projects to festivals, museum exhibits and dramatic runway sets - there are so many ways that art manifests itself in the world of fashion, not just in the clothes we wear. We create it, it moves us, it changes our mood and makes our world a more beautiful and magical place. I loved reading posts about the Costume Institute's new exhibit, Chanel's crystal runway set - and even how to make a glitzy pair of Mui Mui-inspired sunnies.
Edited by Taylor Davies

LINKS À LA MODE: THE IFB WEEKLY ROUND UP: MAY 17TH

• A Casa da Va: 10 Ways to Achieve Bohemian Bliss


• Beauty x Pose: Colorblock Your Shoes


• Bleu06: Sh*t Guys Should Know About Fashion #7


• Bugwear: Royal Mail issues Great British Fashion stamps collection


• Crystal Eyes: White Out


• Dress Code: High Fashion:


• Fashionista's Diary: Crazy for Crystals


• Finely Made: DIY Glitter Mui Mui Catwalk Noir Sunglasses


• Fly Songbird: Orange Lips Love


• Get Fierce Style: The Freedom In Loving Your Body


• Meredith & Gwyneth, the new yorkie: DIY No Sew Feather Dress


• Pink Pineapple: Internship Essentials


• Pret-a-Porter Palm Beach: festival fashions


• Real Girl Glam: How To Wear A Denim Jacket


• Spy Girl: Blog Essentials: Designing a Memorable Business Card


• The Curatorial: Duchamp, Pop Art & The Rodnik Band - Art As Fashion


• This is a Yes: Frieze Art Fair New York


• Toronto Shopaholic Blog: 3 Fun Uses For A Multi-Tasking Barette


• Tse Parfait: Anthropologie Summer '12 Fashion Show


• Votre Garcon: Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations

SPONSOR:
Skirt Sale at Shopbop: DKNY, A.Wang Skirts, Helmut Lang, Minis, Jean skirts, Splendid, Jenni Kayne, AG Skirts, Tibi, Cacharel, ALC, Pencil & Hervé Skirts

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE.

IFB: 365 pieces of jewelry

Do I have that many? I wonder...

I've been toying with the idea of doing a 365 (taking a photo every day) project and the gals over at IFB convinced me to take the plunge for their Project #29. I'm going to take a picture of a piece of my jewelry every day in 2012. I will use the Pose app [stopped using in March] and the posts will go to my Tumbler and my Twitter (@annembray) feeds. I'll do monthly summaries here.
[a few days later]
THE BEST LINK to this project is on
my Flickr 365 set, which has an RSS feed
[a month or so later]
way behind on updating Flickr
here is the public link for my Pose set for shots through March
[May update - so badly behind... Pose became horrible to use, I switched to Instagram. The Tumbler archive is probably the best place to go for now... Can I just go to a deserted island that has wi-fi so I can upload all my photos since February to Flickr????]

Here is the first one:

four African necklaces from ???
Pose link

To see more 365 project links, click here.
There is also an IFB-365 group on Flickr here

And now a word from the stylist:

"rawr"

IFB Project: don't bother the anne

CREATED/ LINKS/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED/

painting gear = freedom

The IFB Project #3 -- INDEPENDENCE: 
Do you have an item you purchased that made you feel independent? Something that made you feel liberated? Share it!

It has to be my painting clothes

concert tee circa 1984
vintage apple print skirt from Larry
giordano denim mens shirt bought in HK, 1992
purple chinese jelly sandals, HK, 1992

because when I'm painting, I am doing the thing I truly love

let's look at the details:

Perkins Palace, 1984. "A Bill Made in Hell"
I was there. Die Schloflosen? Hellish. The Cramps? Heaven.
I started wearing this as studio garb in 1986

I'm sad this skirt is too worn to wear "in public"
ADORE the print

detail of paint encrusted on shirt that I tie as an apron --
could be a painting!
I am a slob. I wipe my hands on my clothing when I paint.

And as far as Independence Day goes,
what is more American than denim, apples and the Cramps? 
I promise myself to wear this tomorrow, July 4, 
and START PAINTING again.
Hold me to it, friends!

Check out the other entries on IFB.

Greetings from Portland Oregon!

view full image

While online at my pal Lisa's desk at the HQ of Pendleton, I discovered that I made the IFB Project Roundup list with the post about my grandmother's dress.

[the next day]

Here is what Nubia wrote:
[dead linked photo removed]

"The amazing thing for me about wearing something with sentimental value is the feeling I get while wearing it. It brings back a specific memory of when it was given to me and it’s a beautiful thing. Perhaps everyone doesn’t feel the same way I do, but I believe it’s essential to cherish the smaller things in life. I’d pick something with a lot of value to me over something designer with no problem."

IFB PROJECT ROUND UP:

1. Lost in Translation: Check out the story behind this charm bracelet Linda’s mother gave her for her birthday.
2. Mon article préféré: An elegant YSL perfume bottle gifted from a loving mother.
3. A Hidden Treasure: A lovely rhinestone bracelet gifted by a great grandmother.
4. IFB Project: Heirlooms and Matchy-Matchy: A classic nova check Burberry blouse.
5. Jewelry Box Tattoos: An adorable jewelry box with many lovely pieces inside including a meaningful bracelet.
6. A Treasure Story: A gorgeous brooch gifted by a grandmother.
7. IFB Project: A Sentimental Value Item: A ruffled silk blazer handed down by a mother.
8. Never Out of Fashion: Doc Marten’s handed down by a father.
9. Old Hats: How to Have had a grandfather as a hat collector, check it out.
10. Something from my Closet: Why I love Vintage: A gold sequined purse from a Dutch mother in law.
11. IFB Project: Heirloom Tomato: A hand tailored dress from British Hong Kong
12. The IFB Project: Whiskey Dogs: A classic whiskey dog brooch.

Thanks to those who participated and I hope to see more next week. To see all the entries from this weeks project you can check here. Check back Friday for our next project.