just the most absolutely basic-seeming outfit where everything feels secretly special - a chunky zippered sweater from H&M that is a rip-off of Alexander Wang, distressed skinny denim from Current/Elliott, and mouse slingback flats from Marc by Marc Jacobs.
these pants are ridiculous. the glittery label says Nude and i think they're from the 90s. there's no zipper at the fly, or any other closure. they are open at the ankle. the inseam is an out-seam. not to mention the extensive beading and painting. they were $14 at buffalo exchange, so i bought them, but i have no plans to wear them. obviously, they fit, but i wish i had a friend to give them to.
keeping the rest of the outfit basic with an H&M tee and only Two bohemian vintage necklaces. one is a chain of pink beads and pearls with tiny buddhas. the other necklace has a pendant of mirrored peacocks. (sorry i dropped the ball on a close-up.) the woven platforms are Lucky Brand, but you can't see them.
a REAL Zac Posen dress, made of double-faced silk. there are buttoned cuffs at the bicep, and softly origami'd bows where the collarbone becomes the shoulder, and a draped décolletage. there is a bias panel at the waist, and three little pleats at the arm, to keep the shape generous. at the skirt and in the back, there are oval topstitched darts of some sort, but i do not know what to call them. i would love to go on a tour of this designer's maison.
i paired the dress with velvet Cole Haan d'orsay pumps, and starry rhinestone ear cuffs that i found in a junk shop. i made a patent purple lip from wet'n'wild black lipstick and Illamasqua Underworld gloss. my Hotcakes ring features the eyes of Louise Brooks, the greatest silent screen actress.
can't imagine wearing this outfit anywhere, but that's kinda the point. it began it's life as a sweetly-designed and shockingly well-manufactured garment, then was sadly it was warped and shrunk after a round in the washing machine machine. the highlight of its use was swing dancing at Mimi's in New Orleans. the skirt, which is not gathered or gored, but cut on the bias to employ as much material as possible, flared out fantastically. the back of the dress had angled caps that framed the shoulder blades. Zac Posen isn't my style, but i have so much respect for his technique, and i'm amazed that he wrung such craft out of a collaboration with a mass retailer like Target.
pink polka dot dress by zac posen for target
iridescent disco wedge boots from H&M
clear vinyl collar from CyberDog in London
victorian-lookin' schoolgirl shift from See by Chloe
tophat i ordered twenty years ago
vintage boots
my great-aunt anne's locket
this is a great post because i think whenever Shua and i work faster, the resulting images look more like fashion illustrations are supposed to. we get comfortable and there's a great casual posture in the lines.
mens' Koto sweatshirt
thigh-slit Versus Versace fluorescent woven skirt
Topshop kinbaku/shibari suede and lucite platform heels
yellow rhinestone necklace by Rachel Leigh
Cynthia Vincent for Barneys New York (gathered and draped silk with gold Egyptian motif)
H&M pencil skirt with leather insets
shoedazzle pumps
Ethiopian silver collar that my mom got back in the 70s
(i'm using my arms to sort of mimic that Grecian wave pattern)
worth noting that Shua re-interpreted the pattern -- that's how fashion illustration goes.
the shirt in the first look is by Timing, which is to say an obscure sweatshop label. i found it at the thrift store, but it could be from Rainbo or a small boutique. it's trendy, but not garishly so; sheer, but not obscenely revealing.
the wide-leg wool trousers are rag & bone, and are beautifully cut - especially in the seat and hips, which is the best way to contrast against the volume.
in the second look, the t-shirt in made of a thin gray cotton blend, gathered and knotted in the center. it isn't terribly uncomfortable, but as the wearer, you perceive an unusual gravity bumping against your sternum. i love knotted and draped things, but this piece isn't particularly flattering on me.
the shoes are by ShoeDazzle, which seems to be a successful enterprise based on selling cheaply-made clubbing shoes to a consumer who isn't overly particular about quality of workmanship, materials, or even exercising personal taste. (the idea is that you fill out a survey, and the warehouse sends you one pair every month.) i found this pair - a pointy-toe, black, flocked texture with a metallic gold spike heel - at the secondhand store, so i don't feel bad.
my mom bought the filigreed silver bangle at a craft fair before i was born. i guess it counts as vintage.
if i wasn't dead-set on wearing skinny pants all the time, this is a silhouette i'd lean toward. it seems very grown up but still body-conscious.
i'm not pregnant. the look here was inspired by a mix of the Precisionism movement and American Constructivism. i say this even though the tones are very plain and the shapes are soft. you still get a lot of impact with homespun fabrics that hang away from the body, which is akin to how craftspeople and the workingclass dressed at that time. while i wouldn't claim that waffle-knit cotton and chambray betoken a socially conscious ethic, there is an element of the ascetic and modest.
it is still cold enough to chicago to wear sorels. it hasn't been a very snowy winter, relatively speaking, but it's been damp. i haven't been wearing heels except at home, since i walk, or take public transit everywhere. the elizabeth and james heels give a completely different interpretation of the skirt and shirt, and work with the color blocking and neutral tones.
free people draped waffle knit shirt - a dropped shoulder is always romantic
american apparel chambray full skirt
sorel boots
elizabeth and james gathered suede taupe heels
crystal bullet-casing necklace from anthropologie 
recently, because my mama was moving, i was able to ask her for a painting that had belonged to her parents. the back is signed Flavel Mostra, but there is nothing on google that results in further information. no other abstract expressionist works, no history.
when my brother visited from alaska,last week, we got into a shouting match over whether or not this painting was fantastic. (he didn't think so. sorry i'm standing in front of it, which makes it impossible for you, dear Reader, to judge for yourself.) it's a controlled composition that makes me feel both anxiety and ebullience. even though it isn't worth anything, looking at it makes me feel so grand, in my little, cheap-o pilsen apartment.
ochre velvet zipper tee by ecote
wool riding skinnies by maison martin margiela
moss suede ankle boots from anthropologie
vintage necklace from afghanistan
