Wicked Whimsy

Archive for June, 2010

Probably not my most flattering outfit ever. Definitely not the most flattering photo ever, thanks to indoor lighting and the cats interrupting the other photos we got!

Oversized shirt/tunic – Austin clothing swap a while back

Flats – Aerosoles via eBay

Leggings – Target (need to get new ones, these are a little short for me and the waistband kind of cuts me off at an odd place, creating lumps!)

Secondhand necklace & the belt is F21.

We’d gone swimming earlier in the day – Barton Springs is amazing, by the way, even if Matt complains about it being cold – and so I had some inner-thigh-rub from walking around in a swimsuit. Hence, leggings. This was also surprisingly wearable given the heat outside, I kind of thought I’d be dying! Note to self: stock up on cotton leggings. I have a feeling I’ll be wearing variations on this outfit pretty often – maybe with a slip under the top – because it’s ridiculously comfortable and given the way I’ve been feeling lately (read: in pain!) comfortable trumps everything else. Also, it was surprisingly easy to class up with a belt and a necklace.

What’s your go to comfy outfit(s)?

via weheartit

• Gabi from Young Fat and Fabulous is an MTV TJ finalist! Go follow her on Twitter if you’re not already.
• This PDF cookbook has a whole host of recipes that require less than 5 ingredients and less than 10 minutes of cooking time. I’ve tried a few from it with limited success (I think the conversion rates and different terms have thrown me off a bit!), but it’s definitely worth checking out.
• A post I can definitely sympathize with: Crawling out of bed: internalized ableism & privilege
• I wish I looked this stylish in my PJs…
• Definatalie did a 101 post about fat acceptance, and you should read it if you haven’t already.
• I want a pair of denim suspender shorts!
• Indian pokes some fun at fashion blogger stereotypes, with pretty hilarious results.
• I don’t think the dress would look too hot on my particular figure, so I didn’t enter, but you should definitely check out Sheena’s giveaway of a Shabby Apple dress!
• Circle Sanctuary is the first national pagan burial grounds in the US & one of the first green cemeteries, and I think that is AWESOME.
• Kinkosis, an essay
• Jason from the Wild Hunt has been gone at PSG this week, so guest posters have been filling in, resulting in some really great posts (of course, there was that one I didn’t like so much…): Hinduism, Indo-Paganism, and Cultural Appropriation talks about some of the issues of appropriation within paganism, something I’ve been wanting to write about as well, and Paganism, Magic, and Witchcraft: It’s Academic discusses some of the biases the current academic community has towards modern pagan religions and traditions.
• what my prayers look like – amazing & touching post from Marzipan
• Feministe also kept hitting it out of the ballpark this week, especially Isabel: On Language, Body and Fear, Where are my keys I lost my phone, Disability terminology: a starter kit for nondisabled people and the media
• And! Last but certainly not least! I bring you this interview with Danielle LaPorte. You’re welcome.

So many links this week, y’all! Maybe you should, uh, space them out or something, I think trying to read all of this in one day could cause head-asplosion. & I wish you a happy week free of explosions of any sort (except the good ones)!

Fashion History, Doing it Yourself, and Breaking Stereotypes

Edited by: Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista

My first week editing the Links a`la Mode and it was such a pleasure to peruse the latest jewels from the blogosphere! Imagine viewing the history of fashion through the lens of a exhibition or a syllabus of what you wish was taught. How about taking inspiration from the latest Jeffery Campbell shoe and tricking out your own for less? Better yet, let’s talk about the “nude” trend and its color classification, and while we are at it, let’s question the newest movement in advertising campaigns: Unretouched and real beauty- a breakthrough or a publicity stunt? From fashion tips, finds, and favorite things, this week’s links a`la mode will satiate your hunger for full frontal fashion!

Links à la Mode: June 24th

• Bay Area Style File Shoptalk: Stript Wax Bar
• Bonne Vie Is “nude” a problem? Or just a color palette?
• Fashion Butter How to deal with the girls (dressing a larger chest)
• Fasshonaburu looks back at the fashion rules she set for herself at the beginning of the year to see how’s she’s done following them
• Fish Tank Fashion Are “unretouched” and “real beauty” advertising campaigns just a publicity stunt?
• Grit and Glamour Photography for the Amateur, Stagefright-Afflicted Blogger
• Hello Beauty have a new makeup lesson video with the Bobbi Brown Beach Collection and Treatment Lip Shines on hello beauty! The lesson is by Bobbi Brown education executive Katrina Rau.
• Intrinsically Florrie From 50s swimwear to an 18th century duchess’s wardrobe; a look at her college’s fashion exhibition
• Living Embellished Take a course in Fashion History…you know, what you always wished your college offered!
• Lovely & Lavish With the help of a stylish scarf you can transform an everyday getup into a chic outfit, Lovely & Lavish explores this season’s best accessory!
• Meowsk Dressing for the playground, reminiscent of recess.
• Miss Jones and Me Shares a Few of her Favorite Things
• Miss Vinyl Ahoy DIY Jeffrey Campbell Tick shoes for under $20!
• Profresh Style Combining prints & textures
• Retro Chick Frock love: Hot picks from the world of reproduction vintage
• Simply Luxurious Summer items to add to your wardrobe
• Stylish Thought Everyone Loves a Quirky Girl: Examining quirky style and women who dress the part
• The Coveted Under the Sea, Closeup view of Cynthia Rowley’s Resort 2011 Collection
• The Curvy Fashionista The opening of Full Figured Fashion Week NYC 2010
• Wicked Whimsy How to build up a versatile & comfortable array of shoes

We’re slowly getting the new place decorated, which is good after living here six months! Mostly we need to get the furniture together; our living room is looking great except that we have, you know, a zebra print scoop chair and a blue recliner in here. ANYWAYS, one of the problems I’ve had is decorating on an extreme budget. We found & redid barstools that way, and I wanted to share a pretty easy (& cheap! woohoo!) way to spruce up a room.

Things you’ll need:

• Assorted photo frames, in various sizes (I got most of mine from thrift stores for 99 cents apiece)
• Tear outs from magazines

The result?

Doesn’t look like much, but I swear, it brings the room together like woah.

A few tips:

• Look at ads as well as editorials. You might have to creatively cut a logo out but some of them have great designs. Protip: using the Tom Ford perfume ads might be a bad idea. You know, in case your grandma drops by…
• And don’t be afraid to cut them up! That image of the chick holding cards in the upper left hand corner was originally a full page photo.

Oh and the total cost? Less than $15 (not counting the magazines, which I already owned!).

It can be a constant battle to be comfortable and fashionable at the same time. Especially because all too often, the “fashion” idea of comfortable shoes amounts to “I can stand for 20 minutes before I have to sit down”. Youch! If you work on your feet or do a lot of walking, that just won’t cut it. But then, so many of the comfort shoes out there look like they’re carved out of a brick (with as few changes as possible to the original design!). The goal here is to have a full wardrobe of comfortable shoes that you can wear without rotating back and forth between two pairs or just the one – here’s my suggestions…

Flats

These are a requirement & will most likely be the base of your shoe wardrobe. Flats don’t have to be boring, try looking for colors other than black and/or shoes with cute details. Make sure to check arch support! Just because a shoe is flat doesn’t mean it will be comfortable (which frustrates me to no end. seriously, shoe-makers: why make flats if they’re just as uncomfortable as heels?!).

From left to right, top row first: Clarks Un.Blend ($88.50 at Zappos), Aerosoles Beckon ($49.95 at DSW), Jones New York Nicebeat ($39.94 at DSW),  Privo Paddie ($39.99 at Amazon)

Clogs

Yes, I am about to backtrack on my dislike of clogs. I may not always think they’re the most stylish thing around (despite what Chanel and Miu Miu say – though honestly, I kind of like those Borns above), but for comfort, you just can’t beat these Scandinavian marvels. Despite the large variety of clogs pictured here, one or two pairs would probably do ya. I just tried really hard to find non boring pairs!

Pictured: Dansko Bree ($145 at Zappos), Dansko Sienna ($120 at Zappos), Born Jolina ($90 at Zappos), two different colorways of Dansko Professional ($105 at Zappos). Keep in mind pairs of Danskos in decent shape can be found for $10-30 used on eBay.

Sandals

Depending on where you live, there’s a good chance that sandals will be needed. I myself was not really a big fan until we moved to Austin, where it’s pretty much sandals or fried feet in the summer. Look for flat sandals or ones with a very low wedge.

Pictured: Bare Traps Valerie ($39.99 at Famous Footwear), Bare Traps Raylyn ($44.95 at DSW), Clarks Unhelm ($110 at Zappos), Lassen Sabrina ($59 at Zappos), Indigo by Clarks Smooch ($90 at Zappos)

Low, Versatile Heels

Look for wedges and thick heels. Stability is the name of the game here. Unless you work in a particularly dressy environment, one or two pairs will most likely be fine. Unfortunately, comfortable and well made heels (that aren’t super dowdy) tend to be more expensive. Looking at sale or clearance sections and on eBay can cut that price down quite a bit, though.

Pictured: Naot Artiste ($171 at Zappos), Clarks Diamond Heart ($90 at Zappos), Born Gellar ($88.62 at Zappos), Dansko Becca ($145 at Zappos). Note that the Dansko Bree from above would work, too.

Boots

You know what I’m going to say – stability, low heel, chunky heel or wedge, blah blah blah. Again, check for padding and arch support! The amount of pairs you’ll need varies on where you’re living and your personal preferences – places where it gets really muddy or wet in the winter might require more than one pair of (water-proofed!) boots. My boot addiction is well documented, despite living in someplace super hot, so do whatever makes you happy.

Pictured: Indigo by Clarks Illusion ($140 at Zappos), Lassen Reia ($80.26 at Zappos), Born Mccabe ($95 at Zappos), MIA Buckaroo ($178.95 at Amazon – cough cough, look familiar?)

General tips:

Brands to watch for: Clarks (and its sub brands, Privo and Indigo, which tend to be a little more trendy), Born, Dansko, Naot, Lassen, Bare Traps, Ecco

Where to buy: 6pm, Amazon, eBay, Zappos, and DSW all have good sales and are places to peruse for bargains. Savvy Circle is a pretty useful tool here – you can sign up and get a tool that lets you bookmark items on various websites, and when the price drops, they send you an email. When I find something I like but can’t afford at the moment, I usually bookmark it on Zappos, Amazon, and whatever other places that have the item.  This pretty much guarantees getting the best deal (um, eventually).

eBay also has a handy dandy “saved search” function where you can search for various brands/sizes/styles (example: one of my saved searches is “(born, dansko, naot, clarks, privo, indigo) shoes” narrowed down to my size & color preferences) and they’ll email you updates when new items are posted. However! This can be a bit dangerous for the budget. Use it wisely. Don’t go over to the dark side and definitely do not look at the emails when you’re broke!

I know looking at the prices above can be pretty intimidating; but I pretty much never buy shoes at retail price or new unless they’re a. really cheap or b. I really, really want them. Last week I found a pair of Born flats for $15 including shipping, and a pair of Aerosoles flats for the same price (both cute, of course). eBay also has a lot of sellers who get overstock and then sell the shoe at a drastically marked down price (there are several brand-new pairs of the Born Jolina shown above for $46 on eBay right now, instead of Zappos’ $90), but, you need to make sure you know your size in the brand because many of the sellers don’t accept returns. You’ll also probably have to pay for shipping ($10-15).

What do you think, anything I forgot to cover?

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

So…who’s up for a trip to Iceland? (via yes & yes)

• Cruel (Tribal) Summer – the word “tribal” is one of my pet peeves, love that Threadbared did a post on this!
• 11 wisdoms that you can turn into cash…and crazy love
• Catcalls: Flattering or fatal? & on a related note: Street Harassment Season Begins
• Biggest loser finalist says show gave her an eating disorder
• Vote for Zach!
• How to deal with a hangover – handy advice. my remedy is drinking lots of water before/after, take some advil and a vitamin before bed, and then drink lots of water the next morning + have eggs on toast. It works in all except for the most drastic of cases! (in which case, honestly, sleeping it off is your best bet.)
• True Story: I grew up in a queer household
• Why Not Wednesday: Move
• Religion in Science Fiction – super awesome series of posts! I didn’t read all of them (I’ve never read or seen Dune, for one), but the Battlestar Galactica post made me want to watch the series. /geek

I hope you’re all starting the week off right! We had a slight snafu with the roommate thing – the person who was going to move in on Saturday couldn’t at the last minute. But we actually found a new roommate yesterday who is moving in today or tomorrow, so, AWESOME. Good start off to my week! Also – happy summer solstice/Litha/Midsummer!

I think this is a little outside of the boundaries of this last week, but it’s too awesome not to share. We found this little dude outside, I picked him up and took him down to the river ’cause I was afraid he would get squashed!

This is the only photo I have from the wedding last weekend right now! Matt looked so freakin’ dapper. I wanted to get photos of the two of us together but I was, um, a little hungry and wanted to sit down and eat and then somehow got food on my dress. WHOOPS.

On Monday morning, I finally got to pick up my Dryad Designs Freyja statue. More photos here. I LOVE IT, it is SO gorgeous and detailed and really captures her, I feel. I bought it from this seller on eBay.

This is our second bedroom, previously only used for storage. It’s entirely empty now except for that table and the posters on the walls – the tiny desk and black chair are now in our living room. We’re getting a roommate in helps of stabilizing our money situation some, she’s moving in today! Here’s to hoping it works out better than our last roommate arrangement, for sure.

Touched up my hair on Tuesday night! In case you’re curious, this is about a fairly even mix of Fishbowl, Blue Mayhem, and Manic Panic’s After Midnight Blue. I was warned ahead of time that AMB bleeds, so I didn’t even bother touching up the purple (which had faded to various shades of medium purple and pink) – the blue filled it in nicely. It came out a pretty nice dark turquoise, I think, and will hopefully fade to a lovely shade as well! Also: yes, I have still not got over the novelty that I can pull my hair back. I wear it in pigtails all the time now, the last time it was this long was…three, four years ago? SO WEIRD.

I find it kind of funny that in the official music video they went the whole “lusting after a boy” route, because this song always struck me as more spiritual than anything else. I guess that’s the nature of marketing, though!

Lyrics here.

I found this recipe a while back, I can’t remember where – it was listed as vegetarian, but looking through the ingredients, the only thing keeping it from being vegan is the addition of the vegetarian faux hamburger. It is spicy but not too spicy, super filling, and best of all, makes a TON of chili. I had a huge bowl the day I cooked it, stuck another huge bowl in the fridge for the next day, and then filled something like 10-12 quart ziploc bags for the freezer. The ingredients cost something like $25, I think, but that comes down to something like $1.75-2 a meal. Not bad!

Amaaazing fingernails.

• Confessions of a former snarker
• American Apparel jumps on the fail-wagon again! Anyone surprised?
• On “reverse” cultural appropriation.
• Seven Kinds of Awful: Fashion Industry Scouting in Brazil
• So to be fair, I’ve never seen Glee, but I thought this post was good/interesting.
• Why I won’t be watching the Avatar: the Last Airbender movie.
• Check it out: I wrote a guest post for Rachel at Glass of Win, reviewing Runemarks by Joanne Harris.

We got in okay last night, although I was so exhausted that I pretty much showered, ate something, and went to bed. There was terrible traffic right before the Texas border that put us two hours behind schedule! The wedding went well and the photos I’ve seen so far are beautiful; if it’s okay with Coni, I’ll post some when I get them. I hope you all  had a great weekend and that your week is getting off on the right foot!