I am Jack's complete lack of surprise

I'm being driven to madness at work this week- pure ridiculousness. I was sitting in my little area, back to the stunning view of lower Manhattan, from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM yesterday, dealing with silliness. I really want to start a fight club today.... Who's in?

Sigh.

I saw this adorable sweater on Svetlana's blog. I want to knit one for myself.

I saw this cute Lacoste look on someone else's blog. I love that sweater and the 20's shape of things- derived from mens' sportwear but purely feminine.

I want to go back to school and this time really pursue my dream.

Bows and Girls

Okay, I am completely obsessed with Wardrobe Remix right now. I cannot stop checking the Flickr group for inspiration. I have two new wardrobe heroes: boboniaa and m.bibelot. Both of these ladies have full-stop style all their own. Boboniaa's style to me is modern and urban. I'm totally inspired by the way she layers dresses to create unique shapes, and manages to blend masculine with super cutesy-feminine in a sophisticated way. M.Bibelot is queen of blending designer duds with thrift finds, and she often matches with her husband. I love her primary-color heavy wardrobe and tongue-in-cheek preppy looks. Something these two have in common is their penchant for wearing bows. They mix them some well, they never end up looking too saccharine.

Studly

In high school I wore Converse Chuck Taylor black monochromes with steel studs screwed into the eyelets. I still love that look punky look, and recently acquired a couple pieces that are a more sophisticated version of that same kind of aesthetic.... Now all I need it this Alex & Chloe necklace to complete the look!

Slate swing coat with motorcycle jacket detailing and oxydized pyramid stud buttons

Nine West black ballet flats with pyramid studs and patent toe caps

Runway to my life

Now that I'm on this pay-attention-to-what-I-wear kick, I'm getting excited about how to incorporate my vintage pieces into my work wardrobe again. I love how quirky and yet sophisticated Moschino is, and I thought the two above looks were perfect examples of ways to mix vintage shapes with more current ones. I happen to have a high-waisted black trumpet skirt from the 40s (thrifted for $2 at Salvation Army in Oregon!) and several belted dresses in my closet. I'm going to try mixing it up a bit.

What I Wore Feb. 20

I met Jet Li today at work, and this is what I wore.

I got a lot of compliments, but I think that's mainly because I was wearing a dress, which I've rarely done in the winter time. Reviewing this and my past few day's outfits, I think I need to experiment with more color.

...and two more make four!

I've made (almost) four Upper East Slouch hats now. My friend S commissioned a golden yellow one for her boss as a birthday gift, and that one is totally ready to go (pictured above). The fourth needs a slight adjustment due to shorter yardage in the ball than expected, but it almost there. It's a gorgeous fuchsia color, and I'm keeping it for myself. The yarn used for both of these in Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky, which offers many gorgeous colors in a lovely, soft wool/alpaca blend single-ply. I'm going to make more of these and give them to everyone I know.

Aubergine, olive you

I obsessively watched the Michael Kors Fall 08 show on Full Frontal Fashion the other week. I LOVED the colors and shapes of every single look that came down the runway. What a perfect display of vintage aesthetic with a shot of modern colors. I loved the men's looks too. Seems like, from that show and others (like Rykiel Men) aubergine to fuschia shades and olive are going to be big, along with cobalt and more greys and browns.

Images from the Sonya Rykiel Men's Fall 08 and Michael Kors Fall 08 shows

FOs: Scarves for Others

Last month I knitted two scarves:
- a Montego Bay Scarf as a gift
- a Mistake Rib Scarf for my BIL to match the beanie I made him for Christmas

I'm finally putting the finishing touches on these items (lightly ironing, sewing on my labels, photographing/documenting), and am feeling the desire to have a self-made scarf to keep even more acutely.


Pattern: Montego Bay Scarf by Amy Singer, in Interweave Knits Summer 2007

Yarn: Incense from Elann in Lagoon (I think), 50% wool, 25% silk, 25% bamboo

Needles: Thrifted aluminum size 10 straights

Reactions:

-Pattern: This is a super-easy lace pattern that still manages to be interesting because of the growing bias it creates. I read others claiming that this is lace for the non-lace knitter/wearer, and I think that's definitely true, considering myself a non-lace person in general. I think this scarf will suit the recipient well. She loves to dance, and fishnet-y lace has a nice weight and cling to it that'll compliment movement well. Note that I left off the fringe. I'm not against fringe, but I actually ran out of yarn.

-Yarn: I made this scarf for someone who has the most gorgeously natural, brilliant red hair- I'm talking Pre-Raphaelite hair, people. I'm so excited for her to get this in the mail because I think the silk and bamboo shine of the yarn combined with the pretty blue color will totally pop with her coloring. The yarn is lovely- I'll buy again. It's soft, non-itchy and shiny, but still has that "toothy" woolyness to it that I find so reassuring.


Pattern: basic Mistake Rib, "my own pattern"

Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes, Cascade 220, and Plymouth Tweed (see this post for the matching hat)

Needles: Clover bamboo size 8 straights

Reactions-

Pattern: I wanted the scarf to match the hat, but I couldn't bare the thought of bothering to knit 2x2 ribbing for the length of an extra-long scarf (my BIL is over 6 feet tall), and then having it bunch itself to half the width, as rib knit tends to do. So instead I knit a mistake rib scarf, which still bunches, but less so. Believe it or not, this did not languish on the needles. I was watching season 3 of Lost and America's Next Top Model marathons throughout January, and this was the perfect companion. I washed and blocked this scarf before moving, but it wasn't satisfactorily flat, so I ironed it today and even lightly steamed it. Now it's very flat and fluid.

An excercise in vanity

Inspired by Piksi, Midwest Jess, Susie Bubble and the countless others who post pictures of their daily wardrobe online, I've started a What I Wore photoset on my Flickr page, which I plan on finally maintaining with regularity. The main reason I'm doing this is guilt, not vanity. See, I'm a wonderful shopper, and yet in recent years I've lost the confidence to wear creative and expressive outfits. Instead, I fall into a routine of v neck sweater and trousers for work (I'll add a chunky necklace or more often a scarf once at my desk); knock-around Levi's, running shoes and my Brooklyn Industries hoodie on the weekend (or "dress it up" by wearing skinny jeans and boots instead). While that has proven fine and functional, I feel guilty each time I open my closet and see all the great things I've collected over the years and rarely- if ever- worn. Talk about wasteful! Not to mention, I used to get so much joy out of creating looks for myself, based on my mood and tasks for the day. New York City is the least judgmental place I've ever lived in, so why hold back on a creative outlet I used to love? On the occassions when I have made more of an effort, I always feel better about myself. So this has come about organically as a resolution that I'm going to work on this year- caring about how I dress. It's selfish, vain and trite maybe, but I can't help thinking that this little indulgence could make positive impact in my life where it isn't expected. It's an experiment, so we'll see as the year progresses.


P.S.- I've finally started putting up pictures from my Oct. '07 Mexican vacation on Flickr, too!

Bag Tag

I was bag tagged a month ago by the awesome Shayna. I absolutely love sharing the mundane details of my life with you- that's why this blog exists! So here goes. Here's what can be found in my bag:





The fine print, clockwise:
- Kenneth Cole distressed black leather biker-chic bag
- Blue mesh coin purse with sequins, a gift from my sister maybe 8 years ago
- Le Sportsac makeup bag
- pocket tissue
- Elizabeth Arden blush and shadow kit in pinks and browns
- MAC concealer
- MAC Studio Fix powder foundation
- Lush Flying Fox fragrance balm
- Bourgois lip gloss
- MAC lip glass in Nymphette
- Moisturizing Chap Stick
- Burt's Bees Fig lip gloss
- random Korean cartoon drawstring bag with Ibuprofen inside
- 80's Esprit hunter's plaid scarf, originally my aunt's
- Marc by Marc Jacobs fingerless gauntlets, birthday gift from friend S
- BAM movie stub
- useless for texting/game playing/dialing Motorola RAZR
- my knitted hat
- thrifted lavender suede wallet from Goodwill in Portland, OR

I tag anyone who's interested!

Big Scarf

I was just scrolling down the Sartorialist's pictures on New York fashion week on the Style.com blog, and noticed that almost every picture featured a big scarf. Examples below, shamelessly pulled from the website:

Please note that the last one pictured is not wool, but fur. Actually, maybe Nina Garcia's is also fur? I can't tell. Anyway, I will not rock that look for a myriad of reasons (financial limitations, moral problems with skinning creatures for their pelts, and fear of being doused in red paint as I walk down the street among them), though I do love the luxurious look of it. Maybe a great solution to this would be knitting a sumptuous brushed suri alpaca version, in a lovely shade of grey? As we speak, I'm knitting myself my very first planned scarf for keeps. Yes, I have a few scarves that I made when I was first learning, but really the only reason I have them is because they're too ugly for me to give to anyone, and I only made them to hone my skills. My current project is a simple nautically-striped number in alpaca colors intended to compliment my winter coat (Max Azria Collection midnight blue cashmere bought on eBay). But after I finish that, I might have to quickly make myself yet another scarf in a more voluminous design to fit with this trend.

Love

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful day and get to share it with some loved ones. I'm still trying to locate my digital card reader in order to upload pictures and provide you with more interesting posts, so in the mean time I'll leave you with a few lovely looks from the Bill Blass pre-fall collection.