Daily Wear: Big Sleeve Steeze

A light layer of chiffon keeps me cool...

in more ways than one!

Look at these big ol' sleeves!  What's not to love?

This chiffon kimono style gypsy lookin' slightly Stevie Nick's channeling number is courtesy of a cheapie store I found down in Chinatown.

(When I say "courtesy", I do not mean it was free...although it might as well been it was such a steal.

I really just mean, "courtesy" as in, thanks to my eagle eyes I found this crap store).

Just goes to show I should not write off Chinatown and its fishy stank just yet...

apparently there's still some goodies to be found down there

(just not fake bags made by kids in Guanzhou.  Ok so they're still down there too...I just refuse to buy them.  Sorry Mom, sorry sister...ain't gonna support child labor or rippin' off the talented designers in my industry.  Come visit me, and go there yourself!)

And no...that is NOT a CHER pin on my bag-as a homeless woman on 8th Ave thought it was.

That is freakin' TOMMY LEE in all his Motley Crue glory of the early 80s. 

DUH!

Do you ever find yourself in a part of town you really really despise, only to find yourself sweetly surprised by something on its streets?

Probably not.

But this particular jaunt around Chinatown...and BAM! I got myself a chiffon, huge sleeved, toss on topper and its an ever-so-perfect addition to my fondness of layers.

Wearing:

*Chiffon topper-unknown store in Chinatown

*Black silk camisole-Express

*Skinny jeans-Uniqlo

*Black heels-Nine West

*Sunglasses-courtesy of Foster Grant

*Fringe bag-H&M

*Vintage Tommy Lee pin-gift from ex (thanks college BF!)

Vintage View #14

It's high summer here in NYC...meaning it's H-O-T out!

It's hard to look nice, stay cool, and keep composed in this weather.

I had a doctor's appt. the other day, and when visiting the doctor I try to look a little better than usual. 

 I don't want them writing anything "funny" in my chart such as I look battered and bruised.

(because I am bruised...I got to a lot of concerts where jabs are received, and sometimes fists and kicks come my way)

Somehow is this dillusional head of mine, I think looking like a lady in a pretty lil' dress will detour the doc's eyes from my usual haggard physical appearance.

-Side note, I did not achieve this goal...sure enough, as was the case at last year's exam, the doctor asked me about my bruises.

(I'm convinced she's written in my file to keep an eye out for possible domestic abuse--its true, sometimes I'm that banged up, but never in the face...and if it is anyone hitting me-well its my own fault, not someone else abusing me...let's just be clear.)

So ok, we've established:

A.) It's HOT outside,

B.) I tried to look like a lady and wear a dress, and

C.) I had a doctor's appointment.

Big fat deal right?

Right!

So let's talk clothes.

I got this "new" vintage dress at Beacon's Closet on Sunday.

I can't tell what decade its from, I'm guessing the '90s.

(Um, Dusty Rose...wanna help me out with this one?)

I was drawn to it due to the yellow nature, I like yellow...not enough people veer toward yellow. 

I also really dig burnt orange-y browns mixed with Black.

So this dress was the whole shebang!

and it was cotton and airy and floaty...completely something begging to be worn in 90+ temps, no?

Overall, it was kinda an entire vintage outfit, but throughoughly workable for the modern day world.

-The purse if vintage from my trip to the Poconos last year

-The belt is vintage from my favorite thrift store in Ohio

-The shoes are vintage, or "gently used" at least, from Beacon's Closet a few years back

Yet, I thought I looked every bit a normal summertime present-day girl;

perfect for a day at the doctor's, even if it did not keep the "bruised" questions at bay.

gah!

Wearing:

*Vintage multi-color print dress-Beacon's Closet

*Vintage yellow purse-some store in the Poconos

*Vintage canvans belt-Thrift Store

*Dolce and Gabbana wedges-Beacon's Closet

*Brown sunglasses-Foster Grant

But ok guys...are you ready for the real kicker?

the most detrimental news I could ever hear at a doctor's office?

I'm only 5'4"!!!!!!!!

I had no idea, my whole life has been a lie, I guess I've worn tall girl shoes for so long I just started to believe my own fantasy.

I'm sorry I've fooled you for so long, but to be fair, I've fooled myself sincerely as well.

It's a huge blow to my "once upon a time tall-girl" ego!

:(

Happy Birthday (so what I'm late)...AMERICA!

Happy Birthday America!!!!!  July 4th, 1776--You're 235 yrs young!  So in true American "fashion", I took my butt down to the tip of Brooklyn, any guesses just where I went?

I'll give you 3...3 clues, just look at these pictures and you'll know how I roll on the 4th of July!

Yeah that's right...my friends and I went to the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest...and it was rad as all get-out!
I've been once before, but this year I enjoyed it immensely!  It was America in all its finest glory, hotdogs, brews, sunshine, and Americans just being American!  What more can you ask for?

Being that I used to be a HUGE carnivore back in the day, I haven't quite given up those ways so I ate a hotdog, why not?  It was really really good!

And I saw a man on stilts, oh wait, that's Uncle Sam, right?

I also had to witness some very questionable acrobatics, not sure these "pure" eyes should've been privy to that view...eek!

And of course...who are we not to hit up the beer garden?  Especially when its a shithole sandpit called "Beer Island"?? um, amazing!

And what would you expect me to wear on such a holiday as the 4th of July?  Last year I wore a cropped top American flag tee, so this year I simply could not do that again...instead I went just for the "rock'n out at the beach, on the 4th of july" look--by that I mean, trashy as possible.

If you've ever been to southern indiana during the summertime, this is something similar to what you'd find at this thing called "Thunder on the Ohio"--believe me, I was channeling my Indiana roots with these cut-offs for sure!

Boy oh boy...did I bring the heat to the beach!  Is it hot in here, or is it just me???
bahahahahaahaha, um more like the sun was like someone opened a screendoor to hell if we wanna talk "heat"...I got some sun, it was freakin hot out there, i'd hope i got some color.

Regardless, with a lyric like this on the back of my vintage Poison tshirt, I'm going to bet I brought some higher temps with me as I walked too and fro.

So whatever you found yourself doing for the 4th, I hope it was fun.  I hope you got to kick back, relax, and enjoy some ice cold beverages of whatever sort you prefer.  Throw in a hotdog here and there...and that's a damn fine 4th of July.

America, I'm just gonna say..."you're birthday rocks my socks!"  Wait, I'm not wearing socks...

Wearing:
*Vintage concert tshirt-thrift store
*DIY cut-offs-GAP
*Sunglasses-Foster Grant
*wedges-Target

Daily Wear: At the Movies

This is an outfit from last weekend, which should've been posted earlier, I know!  But hey, its finally summertime and when that occurs that means I'm rarely at home more than just to sleep.
Also, being summertime, we know what that means--me in SHORTS!  LOTS OF SHORTS!  Probably cut-off white trash jean shorts moreso than these, but I'll keep it classy starting out; I'm just warning you its all downhill from here.

I wore this to the movies...we went and saw Bridesmaids-one funny laugh after another I tell ya!  Holy cow, I almost lost my coke zero thru my nose when I took a huge gulp and then they flashed a painting of Wynonna Judd on the screen; did anyone else seem to think this scene was as funny as I did? 

This shirt is a cheapie from Forever 21, although at what age do I need to STOP shopping there?  It's still ok right?  I am 31, but I act 21...soooooooooooooo; you figure it out for me ok?  I need to know when I am too old for that store.  Or is it moreso when my style outages the store?  Because my true age is just a #; my style age is something different.

Anyway, I do like this shirt because I think its a pretty lil' print.  Sweet and not my usual go-to style.  This is usually how I do it when I'm shopping at F21.  I steer clear of their cheap jersey items, the things that look like a 14yr old would wear it, and I go for the silky, sheer, and lightweight drapey pieces--they always look a little more expensive and of higher quality, right?  That's how I figure I can get away with shopping there at my age.

I also am really into "ititials" these days.  Not so much that I'm going to run out and do a "Sex and the City" nameplate necklace, heck no!  I despise that show and the girls in it...its sooooooooooo not NYC, so not realistic; and I'm very anti-Sarah Jessica Parker-we won't even go there.
But I do like initials...and I found this cute little typewriter key at Urban Outfitters. It was on sale, how could I pass it up?  I've had it for a few months, but I don't think I ever take a pic of it.  Just thought I'd show you NOW what I'm into.

Anyway, even though its summertime i'll try to blog steadily, a few times a week.  I won't give up these duties for sunshine just yet--but believe me, I'm ready to soak up the sunshine whenever possible as well!  So we'll see how I balance it all.
(clearly I didn't make it out to photograph this in the sunshine, ha...nothing like some nighttime shots of an overall daytime outfit.)

Wearing:
*Ivory silk blouse-F21
*Denim shorts-F21
*Yellow wedge sandals-Target
*Earrings-Beacon's Closet
*Necklace-Urban Outfitters

-yeah, this may very well be the cheapest outfit EVER!

(and PS-Gary, stop ogling my legs!!!)

The Garrott Tee: Look #16-DIY Ventilation

I've got some more DIY up my sleeves this time around with Garrott Designs' "Without my Muse" tshirt!!!
And just in time for the hot hot heat!  Lets just say I've installed some built in ventilation, to keep cool thru the dog days of summer

You might recall the Garrott Tee started out slouchy with the size I chose.  And my first DIY with it was to cut the neck making it more of a "Flashdance" off-the-shoulder look:

After the first DIY, I then took to the sleeves and chopped those off for another look:

This time, I just went to town with my scissors!  Cuts, slashes, ties, more fitted in the front-completely ripped to shreds in the back:

Oh, and I chopped about 2" off the length at the bottom of the tee.

So, want to know just how I did this?  Probably not...but I'm going to tell you anyhow so you can get yoursellf all air-conditioned this summer too.

1. You'll need just 3 supplies: scissors (nice shears used to cut fabric, do not use paper scissors!), a marker, and a ruler.

2. Place ruler vertically from neckline down to hem.  I chose to make slits 1" apart from one another, therefore I marked 1" hash marks all the way down. (I started 2" down from neckline as you can see)

3. After marking my spacing all the way down to sweep, I then drew horizontal lines across the back of the tshirt.

4. Get ready to cut!  I found it easiest to pull up the shirt and create a little fold where hash marks were, this makes inserting the scissors easy.  I then proceeded to cut slits all the way across horizontal lines on the left half of the shirt.  I then went back and cut the other half on right side of shirt.

5. I tried the shirt on and thought it was too long, so I cut off the bottom 2-1/2" of the tshirt's length; this is a personal preference all your own.

6. Finally, I cut the top 2", right below neck, in half--I created a tiny little tie with these two sides, thus creating a more fitted looking front view than the tshirt originally had.  (Look back near beginning of this post and you'll see the little tie at center back neck that I'm talking about).

So there you have it...completely DIY'd and ready to go thru the hot summer days.  At this point, the shredded shirt really isn't appropriate for much more than casual attire; um FLIP-FLOPS!  (yeah get a good look now kids, me in flats...let alone flip flops???  Rare rare sight!  This happens about as often as 3 eclipses in one month--which is also happening this June, I know because I read my horoscope! LIBRA, lets here it for the creative artsy fartsy venus ruled sign!!!)

Just how are you going to cut up some tshirts for summertime?  You know you wanna!

Wearing:
*Gray "Without my Muse" tshirt-Garrott Designs
*Blue denim shorts-F21
*Black flip flops-unknown
*Silver leather bag-Cole Haan
*Black sunglasses-Foster Grant

I'm With the Band

Ok, that's a lie...I'm not really "with the band", more like just "following the band".  I've been a little preoccupied the past few days running here, there, everywhere--taking in 3 concerts in less than one week's time.  Phew!  I'm no rockstar like I wish it were, so needless to say I'm a little worn out.

First up, last Wednesday night I was at Madison Square Garden.  And what's not a lie is that
"She grew up in an Indiana town, had a good look'n mom never was around"
(ok that's a lie, my mom was always around)

"But she grew up tall, and she grew up right...w/'em Indiana boys on 'em Indiana nights"
(true story, they do grow up pretty tall and right in Indiana...we're cornfed and European descent, what can I say?)
I'm guessing by now you might've figured who I saw at MSG.  Free Fallin'?  American Girl?  ummm...YES PLEASE!  Tom Petty and the Eff'n Heartbreakers!!!!!  (my friend just told me the other day that her boss said only white trash from the midwest like Tom Petty...fine by me, I'll be white trash and I'm completely MIDWEST  if that's what it takes because that was one good concert I'll tell you what!)



Then, last Saturday, in case you missed our tweets--my friends and I headed to Prospect Park to claim our spot in line for an 8:40pm show...we're the REAL DEAL-considering we were there to be in line at 3:30pm!

And this is the only documentation of an outfit I have in over one week's time...and eeek!  That's No Outfit!  That's just me in my regular weekend attire these days, Cut-off shorts...
(silk dress-Urban Outfitters, DIY cut-offs-GAP, Vintage Owl Necklace-gift from Leprouse Vintage, vintage belt-Thrift Store)

But who cares about outfits when we're talking a FREE SONIC YOUTH show!!!  It was pretty rad and well worth the long long wait we endured in line.  We were probably about the 75th people to enter the stage area, so it was not too shabby of an idea that we parked our butts in the queue when we did.

And then last night, I rushed outta work-hit the subways-found myself somewhere in the middle of Brooklyn to take in a night of some of hip-hop's finest (and I'll admit, I'm such a white girl-laugh now, but least I wasn't called "Snowflake" like Mel was!  I'm sorry but it was pretty funny!)

Another FREE concert--I'm so there!  And who wouldn't want to go to this if given the opportunity?  I got to see Slick Rick (evidence shown above--I bypassed the security so cunningly as I snuck my camera into the "no cameras allowed" concert-yeah!)

And NAUGHTY BY NATURE!!!!!

And when the night was goin' good...they brought out a "special treat" for us:
BUSTA RHYMES!

But girls...get ready for this one:

Are you ready....ready for this fierce little duo (because sadly, breaks my heart...but they're missing the cool one-Spinderella)?  SALT N PEPA!!!!!!!!!!

So tell me now who wouldn't seize this opportunity to see this show?

So yeah....I've been taking in the concerts, soaking up what it is to live in NYC during the summertime.  It's one fine place to live, I'll tell you that much....FREE CONCERTS GALORE-and those that aren't free are pretty bigtime dudes in the music industry, and well worth every penny!  So while I merely wish to claim,  "I'm with the Band" (sometimes Pamela Des Barres style), I can really just tell you I'm watching the band.  And I'm rather quite liking the view!

Outfit posts to resume shortly....like when summertime is over and my social agenda sucks.