Paris is Burning.

Photo by Tara Peters

Or at least it was during last weekend's heatwave. If you have yet to be informed, you should know that I am in Paris. It's strange to think about, seeing as the "trip" was not something I decided to do all that long ago. I stumbled upon a Surrealist seminar while browsing study abroad opportunities, saw that it was in Paris, and threw together an application a couple days before the deadline. I'll save you from the additional peripheral information.

The point is, I am so grateful to be here. It's beautiful, the culture is stimulating, and going to class is more than a pleasure. I've been fairly vigilant as far as photographing things, so hopefully more than a few pictures (shot with a Canon point-and-shoot, mind you) will surface here. Our class schedule is fairly full with adventures and museum trips, etc., but I also plan to see a great deal on my own (the Balenciaga exhibition, the Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton exhibition,and the Père Lachaise Cemetery to name a few). I have already been to the Centre Pompidou, Sacre Couer, and plenty other tourist-y sort of things—not that I haven't done anything else. Anyway, I'll be keeping in touch. Bisous.

Farewell, Anna Piaggi

Fashion journalist Anna Piaggi died today and such a loss should not be taken lightly. She will be called a fashion icon, an eccentric, and plenty other overused labels, but there is truth in this instance. Even with age, her dedication to flamboyant style never wavered. I have always praised her for being both a journalist and an influential fashion personality all her own. Many fashion journalists do not share her visible interest in style. Perhaps it's an attempt at feigning objectivity (I think the word is a crock, in any case), which always seemed rather soulless and false to me. There is a reason why these people work in fashion—hopefully, it's a love of clothes, beauty, style, etc.—so neglecting that or pretending it's not there is a bit strange. As a journalist myself, I've always fancied styling myself in a conspicuous way and have found myself inspired by Piaggi's insistence on the same. She gave me hope in a world of monotony, was a true original, and will be dearly missed.

What do we have here?

In an unsurprising turn of events, my blog has been on hiatus. It's been an eventful couple of months, to be sure. I lived to turn 21, finished my academic year, and met some very inspiring people. My old computer found an untimely death before the school year ended, but having acquired a new one, I can't claim that I have much of an excuse for not posting. Perhaps the instant gratification of reblogging photos, videos, etc. on tumblr has made me a convert to sheer laziness. My brain has also been in a strange place, as I've been constantly mulling over what the hell I'm doing with my life. In any case, I hope that this Summer sees something of a resurgence of posts, especially since I will be studying in Paris for a month (more on that later).
Fiona knows where my head's been at.

Not here, nor there.

Outfit Overload

I seem to be a hopeless blogger, as my posting is hardly regular. I often play the game wherein I confess my laziness and say something about making posts happen more often, but I'll just avoid making any promises. It's Spring and in typical Seattle fashion, it's pouring down rain tonight. Oddly enough, it's been rather nice otherwise. The whole transitional weather thing makes getting dressed a constant battle (life is rough). But enough about the weather, since this isn't a bad date. This is an overdue outfit post, so let's be quick and dirty and just get the thing over with. I've recently become friendly with the owner of an amazing vintage store in Capitol Hill called Indian Summer. I'd been there before and bought a now-beloved wrap coat that used to be hers for next to nothing. She showed at UW's Everybody Every Body Fashion Show and we fell in love over talk of things like Kate Moss's old runway walk, so naturally I had to revisit the store. The sequined sleeved sweater and the plaid wrap skirt are recent acquisitions. The rest is made of bits and pieces I've had forever. Socks and sandals man.

Vintage sweater and skirt, American Apparel thigh-high socks, Dolce Vita sandals
This was taken when the sun began to show itself, so I felt compelled to be colorful. The skirt is a semi-recent purchase from Red Light and is made for someone without bones. I actually bent down to clean up a mess I made in favorite cafe and the button popped off. I already had the shirt around my waist, so it all worked out and I didn't scandalize the kind people of the U-District any more than usual. Too bad.

Vintage blazer, skirt, scarf, and clutch; gold tank from Gillian, Koto button-up, American Apparel thigh-high socks, Jeffrey Campbell shoes
I wanted to look cute while getting frozen yogurt. Brrrr.

Thrifted faux fur, Urban Outfitters stripped long-sleeved t-shirt, vintage skirt, Messeca wedges, faux fur hat from Gillian
I was bluesy one night and watched Breakfast at Tiffany's, only to remember that what I was feeling was the mean reds. The next day, still high on Tiffany's, I tried to channel a darker Holly Golightly, perhaps in the hopes that her wit and the constant glint in her eye might rub off on me. The coat is a huge old men's Burberry that my friend Julie found at a garage sale or something. It's been in my closet for a while now, but this was the first time I actually left my apartment with it on. It was perfect for the rain, but I didn't have any kind of romantic climax with a man and a cat in an alley. Devastated.

Burberry coat, Urban Outfitters stripped long-sleeved t-shirt and gloves, belt and shorts from Gillian, American Apparel thigh-high socks, Deena & Ozzy shoes
This is just a Monday after a glorious weekend in Portland visiting Gill. The skirt is vintage Jay Jacobs and the t-shirt was free at the Marc by Marc Jacobs store on Fashion's Night Out a couple summers ago. The little cowboy-inspired booties are a new vintage purchase from Red Light. They have horse faces and guns on them, which is part precious, part ridiculous. But really, what more do you need than gold lame, naked Marc, and a headscarf?

Vintage Levi's denim jacket, vintage skirt and boots, drug store nylons, Marc Jacobs promotional t-shirt, belt from Gillian
Oh my god one more. I'm exhausted. Summertime means wearing big things with no pants and one hundred million pieces of jewelry. This caftan mini-dress was just purchased at Lucky Vintage on the ave and it's my new favorite thing, even though it's colorful. Hah. It even has little dots of glitter glue on it. Tacky, perhaps, but they make me smile.

Vintage dress, American Apparel thigh-high socks, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, vintage Levi's denim jacket

Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang's latest collection is being hailed as his most grown-up and developed by a laundry list of critics and editors. I don't imagine having Gisele close his show hurt. It was certainly more controlled, leaving the Downtown, Model Off Duty aesthetic in the dust. That is integral to his image though that I wonder if Wang fans may be disappointed. I personally love that he typically errs towards that aesthetic, but it's often shrugged off by biggies within the industry as if it's immature.



The emphasis of the collection was on outerwear with pieces mostly in black and white with some deep burgundy mixed in. In a video interview with style.com, Wang spoke about his interest in Surrealism and fabric manipulation.



Tweeds were laminated, leather was shrink-wrapped, all so the textures provide for a skewed perception. Perhaps it was a comment on luxury? The shine of the clothes was a paramount point of interest, though runway photos do the textures little justice. The aforementioned style.com video provides a much better look.



The extreme coverage of the clothes—heightened by the mesh turtlenecks over most of the models' faces—might serve as a perfect armor for dealing with charity canvassers and people dying to tell you about Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior. Unsurprisingly, the glazed black leather motorcycle jacket inspired pieces particularly caught my eye, as well as the boxy gun-case inspired bags. The latter again seems to challenge his typical aesthetic, as the bags have a vintage feel that I've never known Wang to explore. The white men's shirt-inspired fringe dress is another favorite that has not completely abandoned the party girl spirit. I can't say I would put this among my favorite Wang shows, partially because it seemed a bit too focused. But come next season, I may change my mind. We all have to grow up sometime—or at least that's what they say. Photos via style.com

Prabal Gurung F/W 2012

I've been far too absent as "Fashion Month" has come and gone, but pretending I'm studious has taken precedence. The casting of Prabal Gurung's show reflected his thematic interest in the journey from Hell to Heaven, with dark-haired girls in black opening the show and blondes in shimmering whites and golds closing the show. Nevermind what sort of implications that has for those of us that are not fair-haired. The darker section of the show included an eye-catching iridescent oil slick motif that I'd love to see in real life, as it looks a bit dense in photos. It may be one of those, "I like the idea, but the execution..." sort of things.



Gurung broke up the contrast with shots of blue, inspired by Japan's blue rose. The prints, which included cow skulls reminded me a bit of his fantastic Spring collection, which I regrettably left alone with the rest of the season's collections. That kind of recycling could be considered a bit redundant or conversely, focused, as Gurung hasn't exactly laid down a concrete DNA. Committing yourself to an aesthetic seems limiting to me, but that's another conversation. The strong colors and the intense, sometimes excessive details (print, ruffles, fur...) within different looks in the collection are really what I found compelling.



More than a few writers have suggested a bit of inspiration by way of Riccardo Tisci's work at Givenchy, which I don't think is totally baseless, but any sort of reference to organized religion (the Phillip Treacy hats in particular) might place any designer in danger of such a comparison. In any case, it seems that Gurung is certainly growing and finding his voice as a designer. I wouldn't usually expect something so tough from him, but it doesn't seem as if he's trying to be someone else. My hope is that he continues to explore, putting forth interesting collections that could be deemed beautiful on saints or sinners alike. Photos via style.com

Marc Jacobs's Valentine

Marc Jacobs presented his Fall/Winter 2012 Ready-To-Wear collection last night and as usual, he did not disappoint. More on that later. I'm still absorbing the fantastic work New York Fashion Week has put forth so far, so when I catch a break, I'll be sure to review my favorite collections at a more in-depth level.

For now, enjoy look 49, a mix of dark and light, fantasy and street, pilgrim and 90's rave culture (the hats were apparently inspired in part by Jamiroquai). Marc has got me thinking I should have put on more red today.


Photo via style.com

Straight-up Silliness

In Gillian's Box/Aquarium/Fort while on a Portland visit to see her. Pretty blue lights and Slurpees make me happy.
A mirror picture of me in a cute gold lamé skirt that my friend Julie hates.

A sideways video of me at the zoo, pretending to be a penguin.

"No Sweat My Pet"

Aside from the fact that I managed to sleep through my 8:30a.m. French class, I greeted the morning with a decent attitude. Wearing a Steve Urkel t-shirt and bright blue jeans may have had something do with it. The shirt is a favorite, as it reminds me of a huge vintage band tee, but it's all the more ridiculous, especially because of the various sayings that frame Urkel's face.

A friend came over and I made us coffee while we chatted. Uncharacteristically sunny and optimistic, I found myself dancing around my apartment with an audience of one. I don't think it was just the caffeine. After he left, I spent my time working on a Gillian's valentine. Once done, I threw together an outfit and went to the post office. It's always notable (if such a thing can be) when I wear much bright color. Even that orange sock is glaring through between the jeans and shoes. My apologies for not at all being remotely capable of taking photos of myself.


Vintage 1980's blazer, thrifted and gifted Steve Urkel t-shirt, Blanco jeans, Messeca wedges, American Apparel circle scarf, plaid dress hem (worn as scarf), 7 Chi studded bag, assorted jewelry

I've been meaning to post a close-up of the shoes for a while now. I got them fairly recently on Piperlime and I wear them constantly. Ignore the twelve inches of dust visible on my floor.


Test shots are mildly entertaining. I think there was a campaign with the models heads chopped off sort of like this, but I can't remember. The photographer probably photoshopped their veiny arms though.

In a bout of laziness after reading for class most of the day, I surfed Netflix and hulu, hoping to find something interesting to wind down to. I was pleasantly surprised to see "The Fashion Fund" on the hulu homepage. Vogue has previewed pieces of the series, which chronicles the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists and was eager to see something more in-depth. Sure, the results are no longer a secret, with Joseph Altuzarra of Altuzarra (my personal favorite) taking the top prize, but it's thrilling to see the process. There is more than a little runway and studio footage, which is a thing of visual pleasure to say the least. It's also compelling to hear the thoughts of fashion industry veterans, like Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg, as well as previous finalists and winners. The documentary, Seamless, took a similar look at the Fashion Fund, but this series is much slicker and inundated with beautiful images. I am looking forward to watching the episodes that follow.

The Art Teacher

I've never really been a Rufus Wainwright fan, probably because I haven't thoroughly investigated his work. I love his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," but other than that I have a very limited scope on his work. Today I saw that my friend posted this song on his tumblr (I have one myself) and I fell hard and fast. There's something to be said about fantasy relationships between teacher and student. I myself have yet to fantasize about any of my professors, but then again, most of them are female. I suppose I fantasize about the fantasy itself. In any case, this is a lovely song that may see me looking into a broader scope of Mr. Wainwright's work.

"Fuck that shit, I wanna be her."

This little clip brought to us by Matthew Frost and Jalouse just makes me smile. Susie Bubble was not so amused, but you can't please everyone. More than anything, it's a cute (the word makes me wretch) little short. I've never been all that impressed by Ashley Smith just because she's a Lara Stone look-a-like, not unlike Georgia May Jagger. In any case, I've been converted ever so slightly. I think the last outfit and hair combination is lovely. The video itself compliments my impression of the magazine as a playful, slightly whimsical contribution to French fashion. Other than that, I don't have to much to say. I wish I had some polka dots.

Une Fille Comme Les Autres from Jalouse blog on Vimeo.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Tom Ford

I, for one, was quite excited about Tom Ford's comeback of sorts, though now it seems as though he's hiding in the background, though not by choice, I imagine. He's never been one to shy away from the camera. Not only is he devastatingly sexy, but he is exceedingly talented. Today I happily stumbled upon this video that coincided with his revered return. He speaks about personal style, his past, and film-making, among other things. I particularly appreciated him speaking about dressing extravagantly, as I hope to be one of the few that bring energy to the streets by my form of dress. But instead of rambling about myself or breaking down the video, I'll let the man speak for himself and simply hope to see more of him. Enjoy.

Style Forum Special from Music Guy on Vimeo.

I wore fake Hermès to French class today.

Today was the first day of Winter quarter at the great learning institution I attend. I have French class at 8:30 every morning, but luckily New Years fucked up my sleep schedule so much that I've been going to bed at a reasonable hour over the past couple of days. The fact I woke up at 7 today is otherwise astounding. After coffee and some breakfast, I went to my closet with France on my mind. In fact, last night I listened over and over to "La Vie En Rose" and a Lady Gaga performance in which she sings in French. Soon, I'll be one of those annoying Francophiles that only drinks black coffee and smokes imported cigarettes. I suppose that's not too far off though. Anyway, my natural tendency to choose black and a never-dying memory of a Carine Roitfeld street style photo left me with the coat, the ripped nylons, the booties. The headscarf was something I had been thinking of since the night before and for some reason I was set on it. I tried for something more playful à la Louis Vuitton bunnies or Alber Elbaz's illustrations. I love the whimsy of some French designers, like Sonia Rykiel, alongside those who are preoccupied with being chic. That creative dialogue, of sorts, provides me a very interesting impression of what Paris is really like. And, I suppose, outfit inspiration, which is obviously of the highest importance.




BB Dakota Coat, thrifted scarf, drug store nylons, Banana Republic Booties, (barely visible) J.Crew button-up

I can only blame my own laziness for the grainy—and mildly comical— cellphone photos. My digital is without batteries and I lack a live-in camera-savvy boyfriend like Rumi or Susie Bubble. Taking pictures of yourself is frustrating. And quite strange, I suppose. In any case, I'd rather embarrass myself with terrible photos rendered in a MySpace-like fashion than not post at all. Resolutions.