Bumbershoot 2009 Day One

My sort-of three day Bumbershoot extravaganza is the closets thing to homeless this middle-class white boy has ever experienced. Well, perhaps not. On second thought, there was the service project in Mexico years ago. In true Seattle style, the weather was completely bipolor, raining one second and burning me to a crisp the next. Even so, the festival was a fantastic time, and as always, an integral part of my summer.

I began day one waking up at the ungodly hour of 9:30am. Alas, I am a teenager and it is the summer. I frantically packed a bag to bring to my friend Ben's apartment, where I would be staying a night or so. My dad then drove me to the light rail, which is far too slow in my opinion. I got off sometime after 11 and started walking to Seattle Center from Westlake Center. I walked briskly-no maniacally, not only because the lovely Katy Perry was playing in just under three hours, but also because I am an impatient mess. I entered the festival and stumbled upon the line, which to my annoyance was already ridiculously long. I thought I was obsessed with Katy, but apparently some people were more intent on coming early. Of course plenty of irritating kids who no doubt did not appreciate the upcoming experience as much as I did, decided cutting in line was perfectly acceptable. After waiting and waiting, the line began to move. I showed security I wasn't carrying any guns, bombs, or god forbid a recording device and broke into a speed walk. Every now and then, when security didn't yell "No running!" I tried elusively jogging. My methods turned out to be quite effective and I got into the pit, one 14 year-old girl behind the fence before the stage. I probably should have been embarassed when someone next to me squealed "Happy 12th Birthday!", but I was not. This is something to expect at a Katy Perry concert. The set was decorated a bit like a suburban yard, with a white picket fence, flamingos, and lots of pink.



The photos in the One of the Boys album booklet are inspired by Lolita and summertime after all. After plenty of waiting and odd interaction with a middle-aged, over-friendly gay man, the show started. Katy came out in a ruffled romper, stunna shades, and a giant blow-up strawberry.



I'm already peeing my pants at this point... Kidding. Really.

The crowd was lame for the most part. I of course, knew all the words, danced the whole time, and ripped my bag in the process. Worth it. Whether she recognized me from the last show, or just appreciated my super fan status, Katy looked at me just as before. I'd like to think she remembered me as the gay kid in the gold sequined shirt. Who knows? Katy played most of her album, as well as a cover of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now". Without them, she says her music career wouldn't exist. How very perfect. And gay. Love. She closed with "I Kissed a Girl" and of course, did so.



Yes, that is cherry chapstick in one hand (a prop) and a bra in the other (not).

She gave a farewell and I departed the pit (screw the All-American Rejects), met up with my friends Julia and Anna and went to see Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. Their set had started before the Katy show ended, but luckily we didn't miss "Sophisticated Side Ponytail" or "Me and Your Daughter", which are my personal favorite songs by the band.



They were a lot of fun, as always. Hooray for light-hearted, non-depressing local music! I still love you Death Cab...Nirvana...promise.

After, the girls and I decided to walk around, buy overpriced food, and relax/people-watch by the fountain. Some guy even climbed the fountain, with help from his buddy.




His landing was not so graceful.

Julia and I topped off the night with the Matt and Kim show. If you've never heard of this pair, I recommend checking them out ASAP.



The pit was packed and rowdy as hell. It was easily the craziest show I've been to in a long time. After, my feet were smashed and my shoes had gone from looking like sunshine to...not.



I even had grass-stained ankles. Ouch.
Julia and I made our way over to the Mural Ampitheater to meet Anna after Eric Hutchinson. After bidding the ladies adieu, I started walking towards Ben's apartment. Feeling nutrition-deprived, I grabbed a delicious vegan burger from one of the stands, making an absolute mess of myself, obviously not willing to stop to eat it. Once at Ben's, our friend Julie came over, and the three of us watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and ate cookie dough ice cream. I was exhausted from only having gotten 4 hours of sleep and walking/dancing all day, so I kept drifting off to sleep. Then, I passed out on Ben's floor.

(Because this post is ridiculously long, I've decided to tackle each day of my Labor Day Weekend, one post at a time. Xo.)

I realize I've been posting a lot about Lady GaGa over the past week, but it's as if she's trying to catch my attention... Either that, or she's just doing everything right. Apparently this image is from Vogue UK, which is quite obviously a serious fashion magazine.


(provided by gagadailiy.com)
The photo is fabulous, no? I don't remember the dress from F/W 09, but along with the bracelet and her hair, it looks absolutely stunning.
I feel as though a lot of the fashion media has been hesitant to include Lady GaGa in their coverage, some people even challenging her love of fashion, declaring that is in fact a love of show, not fashion. But dears, fashion is all-encompassing... Anything can be fashion... Even a sad t-shirt from Hot Topic. It's just like Miranda Priestly said, "...it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff." This quote may not apply so aptly to Lady GaGa, whose outfits are often unique, one-of-a-kind, avant-garde pieces, but it does for every person who spends at Target or JC Penney or any other store we fashion-conscious people look so down upon...

That's all.

Jezebel just did a wonderful piece on Lady GaGa.

(image from maxim.com, obviously)

Sexuality in Fashion

It feels to me that Fashion has decided to embrace sexuality, for the time being. "Sexy" has always been an adjective used to describe certain garments, but never in my life have I seen sexuality so blatantly expressed nor accepted by the Fashion world. Even style.com has named lingerie-inspired dressing a key trend for Fall 2009, dubbing it "boudoir crossing". Bondage also found its way into the Fall collections. This may have been clear in my post about Paris Fashion week in the winter, but it seems to be popping up almost everywhere now that Fall is on its way. Some favorite designers of mine to participate in this slight sexual revolution are Marc Jacobs for Louis Viutton, Stefano Pilati for Yves San Laurent, Alexander Wang, and Nicholas Ghesquière for Balenciaga.

Marc Jacobs' collection for Louis Vuitton featured lots of lace, exposed bras, and thigh high leather boots. His first look was a lace blouse, exposing the models breasts. Now, Fashion is no stranger to nudity, but sometimes it can seem prudish.
I loved this look:


At YSL in Paris, Stefano Pilati showed a lot of leather and this little number:

The leather unitard(?) reminds me of a wicked and fashionable Playboy bunny. It's genius.

Alex Wang's clothes are always aggressive and sexy. I think his emergence as one of America's top new designers may have had an effect on his more experienced peers. Lily Donaldson look dashing in this perfectly evocative dress:


Finally, Balenciaga's entire collection was sexy, but in a very lady-like fashion. There were polka-dotted tights, velvet wrap dresses, exposed bras, and loads of satin.
I adore Raquel Zimmerman in this draped pant and jacket. The beautiful bra takes it to a whole nother level.

(all runway photos from style.com)

In addition to SEX walking the catwalk, some female celebrities have been photographed wearing arousing ensembles. Most recently, Rihanna posed for Italian Vogue.

(photo from Vogue Italia via worldofrihanna.ru)
And of course, Lady GaGa has been a diehard patron of sex whether it relates to fashion or not.


(photos from V Magazine via gagadaily.com)
Her interest in bondage wear is nothing new, but she's been appearing in several magazines dressed for the bedroom. And unlike Rihanna, Lady GaGa takes these looks to the streets.

(photo provided by igossip.com)
Rihanna did wear pasties out on the town recently, but GaGa has a leg up on her in terms of wearing underwear as outerwear, among other contraptions as you can see above.

So take heart prudes. This fall, a lovely assortment of sheer, lace, cutouts, and leather will be everywhere!

At times I forget that Lady GaGa is an artist and not just another chart-topper. I've been fascinated with the woman for over a year now, but for some reason I equate mainstream success with selling out. I therefore subconsciouly dismiss praise of her and her work. It doesn't really help that Perez Hilton is one of her most outspoken fans. The truth is, she hasn't created hardly any new music to sell out with, and her wardrobe gets more avant gard as the days go by. Watching this video made me very, very proud to be a GaGa fan.



Oh and remember those bunny ears I just posted about? Well, GaGa wore them much earlier than the Olsen twins did. I recognized them while scrolling through one of her fan sites.


She is wearing the ears as a sort of veil as well. The Olsens wore them reversed. I hate to be so assuming, but I don't take Mary-Kate and Ashley for Lady GaGa fans. You never know... I despise it when writers try to connect certain celebrity's personal styles to others, so forgive me for that slight slip.

Pretty little things...

I could go broke on pretty little things like jewelry... Correction, I have gone broke on pretty little things. When it's something so small and seemingly insignificant, buying is so much easier. While checking the blogs this morning, I saw some amazing little pieces that are no doubt out of my price range. One of the pieces is a pair of tights, which I wouldn't wear anyway, but they're incredible.

This picture is killer.

image from French Vogue via fashionista
All the gold together with the black elements like the skull, font, and makeup just gets my Magpie heart pumping. Not to mention, I adore Lauren Santo Domingo. She always looks effortlessly chic and rock n' roll at the same time.


These tights are just sick.

image from Vogue Deutsch via fashionista
There is something very wicked about them, which just leads me to gush like no other. Paired with the Chanel bag, some sexy black platforms, and bare ass makes an interesting, erotic photo indeed.

Finally, I just love the ears Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are wearing.

image from thefashionspot via Coco's Tea Party
When I first saw them, I thought they were a drawing or something. But no, they are expensive lace headpieces. The bunny ears at Louis Vuitton F/W 09 were wonderful, as were Zac Posens's Mickey Mouse-esque ears from F/W 08. These playful pieces by Maison Michel will set you back about $300 a pop at Collete. Oh and by the way, they're sold out. Those girls definitely know how to sell...

Fashion week is in a little more than a week! I can't wait!

Writing, writing, writing...

In an successful effort to stay awake and ultimately fix my sleep schedule, I watched Juno-a film close to my impenetrable heart-and all of the special features on the SPECIAL EDITION DVD. Ain't that special? Many of them highlighted the genius of screenwriter, Diablo Cody, a former stripper, whose writing career started online. It's comforting knowing a little skankbot like me could one day write a script that will be cherished by teenagers everywhere. Unfortunately, business has been slow and I'm an attention-deprieved wreck. I'm talking about boys of course. Excuse my wangent (That is, wicked+tangent, though I don't know how wicked it is. All of the teen speak from the movie is pulsing through my sordid mind), but I find sharing my feelings so very easy. Anyway, the awesomeness of Miss Cody...


(Just look how cool she is!)

...led me to question my ability to write a screenplay or novel or some other sort of lengthy writing piece. I'm impatient, indecisive, and irritable. My feelings and ideas change from day to day, and commiting to characters and a storyline is difficult with so many ideas. I guess the only thing to do is approach such a project with some sort of organization, a killer idea, and lots of love. I'm afraid learning to be patient (at least in some aspects of my life) will also be neccesary. Here's to trying new things!

Goodbye

On Wednesday night I had to bid my best friend Gillian farewell. In the company of other friends, it became quiet once we realized how little time we had left. It didn't help that "This Time Tomorrow" by the Kinks was playing. This time tomorrow, where will we be? Well...not together. My friend Julia kicked off the waterworks and I followed shortly thereafter. As I was saying goodbye, my sobs grew louder and more horrendous-sounding. It made us both laugh, because I am not someone who cries very often. I realize that this wasn't the last time I shall see my dear friend, but when you're used to spending almost every day with somone, the fact that they're in another state is a bit frightening. I've always been one to look forward, but I could never give up on Gillian. I fear that change is inevitable, but I will just have to face it. It's up to us to keep our relationship going strong. All of this relocating has got me thinking... What will happen when I move to my beloved New York? Whether that's in college or out. Obviously, it is not certain that I will move across the country, but it is something I am very determined to do, even if that means I am thousands of miles away from everything I have ever known. Even if Gillian is in Portland, and other friends are elsewhere, we share the common bond that is home. When living on the East Coast, people don't go to the West Coast all that often. Especially not broke college students/graduates. I feel because I'm going to the UW, I will not have the same experience as many of my former classmates, who will be going to new places, without knowing anyone. I have Nina, I have Julia, and I have several other friends from high school. I'm a bit lost in thought...

On a slightly lighter note, I am listening to the entire discography of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who I will be seeing next weekend at Bumbershoot. "Maps" played and I can't help but to hurt. Gillian..."They don't love you like I love you" Sad times. Hopefully everything will go smoothy and this storm cloud over my head will soon fade. I move in September 24th. Less than a month to go...

I'm ready. Let's go!

How I love Dorm Life...

Of course, I'm not speaking of life in an actual dorm, but instead of the internet mini series that mockuments the lives of a bunch of fictional college kids.

Every short episode brings me joy due to the stereotypical, yet honest portrayal of college life. Obviously I have yet to actually be a part of that life, but I feel as if it does a fine job in the melding reality and comedy. It even makes me excited for the adventure that lies a whole MONTH ahead of me. Many of my friends have already left or are leaving shortly to their respective colleges, while I, along with all my fellow Huskies have to wait... I am finding myself in a constant state of anxiety and expectance. Thank to Facebook, I've witnessed the new lives of my friends, but must sit around until I can be apart of the same thing. To me, my house is a prison. Sure, I could go out, but I've done the incredible deed of spending most of my money, and by most, I mean MOST. So until I finally move in on September the 24th, I will be living my life vicariously through Shane, Courtney (my favorite), and the rest of the Dorm Life kids.

Lots of love,
S.

The relationship between film and "real life"...

More often than I "should", or perhaps more often than I'd like to, I find myself living vicariously through film, music, literature, etc. These cultural, creative pieces often have the power to truly affect my feelings, emotions, and even decisions. Maybe it's the dreamer in me that hopes life can be "just like the movies..." I realize it's probably naive of me (and I credit myself with being quite aware of the world and its workings), but I don't care all that much.

A day or two ago, I watched Broken English, starring indie actress Parker Posey.

Parker plays a woman named Nora, who feels intense pressure to find "the one" and be married. Her desperation can be cut with a knife at times, and she's a mess of anxiety more often than not. This makes her character oddly lovable, and unfortunately relatable. Maybe it's just me, but dating drives me up the wall sometimes... I of course, am not looking for "the one", but for some excitement, scandal, sex, etc. Nora meets a man named Julien, who she finds something with (after a few short days), but because he resides in France, she is left in pieces yet again. I'm not sure what this film is trying to say, but it made me lust for some odd form of companionship. Three days with a gorgeous French man sounds fine by me. It also reawakened my desire to travel to Paris... Ohhh Paris! This film was sweet and exciting in a way. It also had Drea de Matteo (of Sopranos fame) in it, whom I completely adore. I would recommend this one to anyone who interacts with people in any form. So everyone. Hopefully.

This early morning, I watched Steel Magnolias.

This film is about a tight-knit group of Southern women who support each other through life's ups and downs. Not only is Dolly Parton in it, but the movie is incredible in itself. The relationships these women have with each other are beautiful. Their care for one another reminded me of my own relationships with friends and made me realize how fortunate I am to have such an impenetrable support system. The relationship between Shelby (Julia Roberts) and her mother M'lynne (Sally Field) is extraordinary. It doesn't always make sense, but they love each other anyway. Towards the end of the film, I started thinking about my own relationship with my mother, how much I love her, and how much she's done for me. The theme of death hovers about the movie (though I won't divulge details) and it made me think about what the future holds for my life. I thought about funerals (my own and my mother's), how I would want it, how she would want it, what I would wear, what I would say... It was obviously quite depressing to think about, but at the same time I was happy knowing that our relationship is strong, and if anything were to happen, we've done pretty good by each other. That's probably not something people say often, but I feel comfortable with the fact that one day we'll all die. Perhaps comfortable is not the right word... Anyways, the film was fantastic. It made me laugh, it made me cry, WATCH IT.

Early Morning "Escapades"

I don't know whether I would consider myself a "morning person" or a "night person". I think I'm more of an "awake person", as opposed to a "sleep person" if that makes any sense at all. Last night after returning home from Gillian's house, I took my usual spot on my bed with my laptop on my lap, of course. After endless web surfing, computer games, and an unsuccessful attempt at a late-night rendezvous, I went downstairs to the cave-like domain of my father and brother. I watched trashy TV until I stumbled upon old episodes of Queer As Folk. I guess some might say QAF is trashy, but I think there is more substance to it than say, Daisy of Love. I've only seen the first season of the beloved gay show, so this re-run in which Michael not only has a partner, but a teenage foster kid, threw me to say the least. Yet it was enjoyable nonetheless.

After a couple hours of LOGO-appropriate soft core porn, I switched to the PS3 and played Tomb Raider. Lara Croft will never cease to amaze me. Around 5:30 I decided it would be an excellent idea to go running, and so I did. The fact that I am severely out of shape did nothing to deter me, nor did the fact that I was running on no sleep and a Pepsi. Oddly enough, the run wasn't all that awful. I probably shouldn't have pushed so hard, but I'm not an athlete anymore, so it doesn't really matter (right?). And now here I am, squeaky clean after a cool shower, in my usual spot (that's hard to say). Now you must excuse me while I go get something nutritious to eat.

(500) Days of Summer!

Finally after months of waiting for this glorious indie-esque film to come out, it has. Unlike Harry Potter, I did not see it on opening night, but happily had an impromptu movie night with Julia and Gill downtown. I adore Zooey Deschanel, and of course I am swimming in nostalgia with the casting of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Who knew Cameron would ever grow up? As the poster states, the movie is no love story, but almost a study of relationships and love and everything in between. Zooey's character, Summer, is a free spirit who would rather not get serious, while Tom is a hopeless romantic. Not only is the film clever and humorous, but it is lovely to look at as well. Like all good indie-esque movies, the soundtrack was quite swell (Regina Spektor, The Smiths, She & Him to name a few...). Overall, I loved it. My most recent trips to theaters have been quite disappointing, but not this one.

Here's a look at the trailer...Enjoy!

Was I right...

OR WAS I RIGHT?!

It's Couture Dahhhling!

This past week, Fall/Winter Couture was shown in Paris. I'm always amazed by the workmanship involved in Haute Couture, even if I don't love the aesthetic itself. My favorite just might have been Jean Paul Gaultier, who mixed Old Hollywood glamor with some futuristic garments, providing for a questionable point of reference. In any case, I loved it. Some of the clothes even looked a bit GaGa.

Lara Stone in the opening look


Liu Wen in an amazing leather concoction


Thana Kuhnen


Lara Stone


Magdalena Frackowiak

I predict that Lady GaGa will happily claim this look as soon as possible.

Alright so I didn't showcase any of the more Old Hollywood looks, but the above were my favorites. On a more somber note, Christian Lacroix showed in what might be his last show due to his bancruptsy. Sad times.

And onto more commercial fashion, I had my second day of work yeseterday and I loved it. I adore all of the girls I work with and the atmosphere of BP is upbeat and exciting. The Anniversary sale is going to be insane ya'll!

Xoxo

Just stopping by...

A whole lot has happened since my last post. Prom, a roadtrip to Oregon, Graduation, Gay Pride, and most recently the 4th of July. I have been quite saddened by the infrequency of my posting, but all I can do is move on and stop being such a slacker. Now I present you with a long, detailed post all about my life. I hope you missed me :)

I wasn't expecting that much from Prom. I actually think it's all a bit stupid. Ugly dresses, ugly hair, ugly corsages, and a hyped up tradition that isn't all that fun. Gillian and I decided we'd be dressing up in the spirit of Lady GaGa, because let's be honest, she's amazing. This was my main motivation for going really... My group went kayaking that morning on Alki. The sky was gray, but our activity turned out to be quite the workout, so we were nice and toasty. Not to mention it was exhilarating and at times a bit frightening. Then, sandy and salt-watered, we went to Sunfish, an excellent fish and chips restaurant run by a very friendly, very boisterous Grecian family. After that deliciousness there was getting-ready to be done. This meant pleather, sparkle, and black lipstick in a geisha style, as seen in GaGa's "Paparazzi" video.


Love these people...

Dinner was at a fancy waterfront restaurant that I felt quite obtrusive in. They clearly don't see very many rouched pleather leggins come through. The name of said restaurant escapes me. The dance was fun, especially during Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself". After, a stop at my friend Juan's house, and then more dancing and poor decisions at Neighbors.

After the seniors' last day, 7 of my friends and I fled to Oregon!
We rented a house outside of Newport, on the beautiful coast. The trip was quite relaxing and a lot of fun at the same time.
There were lots of incredible things to see...


...as well as a lot of sleep to catch up on.


Goodbye Oregon...

Overall, the trip was a grand old time I will not soon forget.

Graduation was simply a boring ceremony, which I tried to ruin as best as I could. Gillian and Julie decorated my cap for my ill head.


What followed was a long Grad Night in which I spent a cumulitive 4 hours rollerbading.

The Gay Pride Parade was wonderful and crazy as always... Jana, Nina, and I enjoyed our annual outing with Jana's friend Jill.

The freaks were out to my great pleasure.

Jana was even punished by a member of the BDSM community.

I am so glad we live in a world where we can act this way for at least a day...

I apologize for the awful excuse for a post, but I have been impatient about getting this one done, despite the fact that it took me a month or so to start...

And now I must really get to bed... I have not told you, but I'm working at Nordstrom now! Work tomorrow. Goodnight my dear followers (as they call you).