I Still Keep Your Heart Around My Throat.

This oversized Ralph Lauren shirt is one of my favorite thrift store finds EVER. Typically I'm not one for obvious logos or epaulets, but both work on this shirt, and it's sooooooo soft.  Also decided to rock the forest green hat I found at an antique mall in Grapevine, Tx. It just happened to match my nail color. It's the little things, ya know? 

On a more sentimental note...

When I was a baby before I even had the capacity to create lasting memories, my Poppy (grandfather on my mother's side) gave me this delicate little heart locket with my initials engraved on it. I never got a chance to know him. There was an accident and he became a paraplegic when my mother was around 22. By the time I came along he had been pretty incapacitated for years (unable to speak etc) and eventually he passed. When my mom talks about him she says he was funny. Not in a joke-y cheesy way, but more of an always messing with people kinda way. She said he was handsome, and a great dancer. I was never particularly close with his wife, my NaNa and furthermore, I don't know ANYTHING about my Dad's father (he left when my Dad was small)... 

So Poppy was it. I've always liked to think that him and I would've gotten along or that maybe I am more like him than I am my Grandmother. Maybe I got my sense of humor from him, or my sweet dance moves. Oddly, I miss him tremendously and I never even knew him. This little heart locket is all I have of him, in fact. I've never worn it because it is so precious to me, but I decided to start. Needless to say he is on the top of my list of people I can't wait to meet on the other side. 

Sorry if that was long winded and sappy. Just tryin' to keep it real up on my blog, y'all. 

P.S. Did anyone get the Get Up Kids Reference in the title? Kudos if ya' did.

Belt, RL Shirt: Thrifted, Mixed Metal Bracelets: Yard Sale, Shoes: F21 (old), Corduroys: H&M, Hat: Antique Mall, Aviators: Army Surplus Store. 

I can't, I'm Sandra D

We ventured all the way to Downtown Sunday evening for a friend's birthday. Jonathan and I had never really explored downtown, but the area we were in reminded me SO MUCH of Deep Ellum. It's just at the foot of downtown, graffiti everywhere, very industrial, tons of loft space and dank dive bars....I was just waiting to round a corner and see the Double Wide. I was really overcome with nostalgia just driving through it. 

A note about these pants. 

They are super tight Sandra D. pants. Typically I don't wear them without a blazer covering my bootay or an over sized sweater but lately I've been all, "YOLO!!!!" and "I'm not going to be in my twenties forever!!!" so EF it. I'm givin' the world a look at dis' aaassssss! I feel pretty alright about it. 

Let's be honest. There are many things that we own which sit in our closets or go unworn because maybe it's form fitting, or shows a lot of cleavage or maybe even because it's completely covered in sequins or a little over the top. I've been trying lately to just own it (tastefully). It's easier to do when you get dressed without the worry of what other people will think. I'm pretty sure that's something we all struggle with from time to time. Let's get over it collectively, yes?

Blouse: Thrift, Pants: American Apparel, Hat: Gift, Clutch: Garage Sale, Shoes: Cole Haan, Cuff: JCP

Shoppin' in LA

Friday was the first drizzly and significantly chilly night in LA this season so  Jonathan and I kept it low key, cruised around Hollywood and stopped at two of the best shops in LA. Jet Rag Vintage, and Amoeba Records.

Our friend has been urging us to go to Jet Rag, promising we would love it. Holy Shite. He was right. (Rhymes! You're Welcome!)

Soooooo Jet Rag is pretty much the Amoeba Records of Vintage Stores. By that I mean it is massive, and honestly you could spend hours in there and still not see everything. There had to be over 500 vintage dresses (organized by color and era), over 200 pairs of boots, plenty of sequins, tons of options for Halloween costumes, and on and on. When I walked in I was totally over whelmed. To shop here you need to be well fed (for energy), caffeinated (for more energy) and wearing sweats (so you can easily try stuff on and for mobility....there are stairs). The prices are completely reasonable as well. Simple vintage dresses for $24. If you are in LA, go there. 

And of course, Amoeba. We had to scoop up some gifts for a good friend. We got him staples for any vinyl collection. 

Bob Dylan's Soundtrack: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

(In my top five favorite Vinyls ever. It's Folky and westerny and the first instrumental track played as I walked down the aisle)

Smokey Robinson and The Miricles Greatest Hits

(Such good party/mood boosting Motown)

Willie Nelson: The Troublemaker

(Jonathan has been on a Willie kick lately)

If you're record shopping, any one of these albums is a great buy. We got some Phosphorescent, Shangri Las and Pinback for ourselves. I guess we were feeling mellow. 

One of the rooms for dresses:

Jonathan's signature "let's get outta here" key twirl.

Waiting for the lift (I'm British) at Amoeba.

 Black Riding Pants: American Apparel, Cable Knit Sweater: Cotton On, Boots: Vintage, Bag: Vintage Coach.

¡BANDIDOS, BANDEROS, ESPECIAL!

Excuse the lack of posts this week, I've been a bit under the weather. The good news is I received a package full of vintage dresses and blazers from my Kimono designing, tea drinking, forever cat having , minimalist Godmother. I was the recipient of the casualties of her recent closet cleaning. Most of the items are simple and clean, but well made, vintage and fit me perfectly. WOOHOO!

I tried my hand at this Nicole Miller dress first. The beaded trim detail on the dress reminded me of the Mariachi-like hats Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short wore in ¡Three Amigos!. 

I straddled that desert/southwestern inspiration into the preverbal style-sunset. 

Snake Necklace, brothel thigh-highs (which Jonathan warmly refer to as "whore-socks"), lace-up frontier-ish boots, and some turquoise. Aaaaand a hat to tip to strangers/hide my unwashed hair. I guess I could get away with calling this a "messy side braid" but lets be real: it's a dread.

I will admit, this is a little costumey, but 

GIMMEABREAKIT'SOCTOBERIJUSTFELTLIKEITSTOPJUDGINGMEEEEEEH!!!!!

On a serious note, I really do adore the details of this dress. I love the texture of the dupioni silk. The cut of the bust line and the back especially made me want to put it on immediately. And of course the beading at the bottom. It's amazing how texture and cut can turn an other-wise boring piece into something special. 

Boots: UO, Thigh Highs: Spirit Halloween, Neckalce: Brooklyn Flea Market, Hat and Nicole Miller Dress: Gifted, Bracelets: Thrift

She Might Go All The Way

This is one of those looks that would be nothing without accessories. Sometimes you just want to be completely comfortable yet still stylish, and I think you can achieve that by layering on gobs of ridiculous accessories. I think the rule is actually only to have one pop to keep it classy, but I just went for it from head to toe. Thankfully it worked. You could probably just pick ONE of these and be good to go...

50's inspired scarf to feminize an otherwise ordinary pony tail.

Giant statement necklace for a solid shirt or camisole. (In this case my carousel horse which is one of my favorite pieces that I just don't wear enough).

A bright clutch/shoulder bag in place of the usual black or brown.

A HILARIOUS rhinestone belt inherited from my NaNa. (I have to be careful what I choose to pair this bad boy with or else I end up looking like a cougar trolling at a sports bar).

Bright green suede shoes I found at a thrift store. I like to call them Harlem Church Going Shoes. 

And of course, three watches....none of which work. What I'm doing here is making an ironic statement about the irrelevance of time (no I'm not).

Scarf, Necklace, Watches, Jacket and Shoes all vintage or thrifted, Belt: Gift, Jeans: F21, Pink Cami: H&M, Glasses: Cotton On

I'm Your Huckleberry

Sad, sad news. My camera is acting up. It tells me my aperture is at 0.0. NONSENSE! So, we'll all have to deal with iPhone pictures for a bit. Until I get rich enough approved for a credit card to get a Mark II. This is good though. I need a new camera, and though I'm deeply attached to my 40D, it's time for a new chapter. 

Here's my Western inspired look. See: Skirt, hat and cactus.... and cactus poo. Please notice the two dried cactus pieces on the ground that look like doo doo. I didn't notice till I uploaded the pictures, but it's okay. If you know me then you know I think poop jokes/poop talk/ things that look like doo doo for 1000 are hilarious! 

I don't know WHAT I was looking at on the left side of the frame, but it must've been mesmerizing because I'm gazing in that direction in almost every photo. Probably a Venice tumbleweed (a sleeping homeless person) or maybe it was doo doo!

Please enjoy the detail shot of one of my favorite horsey belts!

(If you don't get the Tombstone reference in the title, we are not friends anymore).

OH! I should've titled this post "Howdy Doody!" OMG I'm cracking myself up.

Some Day My Prints Will Come...

High-waisted long skirts will always get me. This one in particular reminds me of Frida Kahlo. The detail of the print on this fabric is fabulous. It's hard to find a unique printed ANYTHING these days. All the patterns are ikat or polka dot or ditsy floral or tribal or ombre or most irritating: crucifix print. 

Here is my rant for the day: I am not offended or turned off by crosses/crucifixes. It just irritates me that they're so trendy/mass produced right now. Have you seen it? Everyone is wearing upside down skinny crosses, or silky button ups with them printed over and over. It's like they are the new skull....{which I'm also over}. By all means wear a cross, ESPECIALLY if it is sentimental or the symbol means something to you. Rosary that was your grandmother's? Go for it! Celtic cross you found on a trip to Scotland? Yep! Star of David your mother gave you from a trip to Israel? Fabulous. However wearing crosses just because they're trendy is a no go in my book... as with any religious/spiritual symbol. 

Oh gaaah, remember when pentagrams were trendy? Sorry, but BARF. 

Okeeeeeyyyy I went off on an fortuitous judgmental tangent. (what else are blogs for?!?!??!) My original point was: it seems to be difficult to find affordable pieces that sport an eclectic, unique print. Unless of course the piece is vintage. Just to clarify, I wear almost all of the prints and patterns mentioned above in moderation, I'm just chomping at the bits for some new trends in textiles. 

 Anyhoo, there is still summer weather in Cali even though it's fall, and no matter how many spicy candles I light I still can't seem to manipulate this sunshine and warmth....so here's a sunshine-y look:

All things vintage/thrifted except the sandals which are from jcp.

Secret of Nimh

It's one of those things that's been hanging in my closet for many years, has been put on and taken off again, but never got to go for a good spin around the block. It's metallic, it's high-waisted, it's vintage... all things I love. Not sure why it's taken me so long to warm up to this metallic skirt, but it will be on a regular rotation from here on out.

Also featured in this post is my "Secret of Nimh" necklace. I was obsessed with that movie when I was young, and I went on a mission around the age of 22 to find a piece that resembled the one the mouse wore in that movie. I found it at Pandaemonium in Dallas. I love pieces like that...ones you have intense sentimentality towards. You can't really see it in the close up of my wrist, but I'm also wearing a gold bracelet with the ten commandments on it, found at a thrift shop. At a glance, yeah, the outfit's cute, but having all the little trinkets that are special to only you make the whole experience more fun...more childlike...more personal.

Just been kicking around town lately. Not doing anything of much importance besides running errands, trying to learn new recipes to change up our normal menu for fall, working on photos, and oh...I tried surfing and got my ass beat by the Pacific ocean. That's no joke. I felt sooooo cute walking into the water in my bikini bottoms and hot pink surf shirt. Walking out of the water...not so cute. Pretty sure the shirt was somehow backwards, snot was running out of my nose, my hair was a horrible tangled mess and I was speaking at a volume several decibels louder than normal because of all the water in my ears. 

"WHAT? WHAAATT?? IS IT NORMAL TO SWALLOW A GALLON OF SALT WATER??!"

Metallic Skirt, Belt, Bracelets: Thrifted, Ring: Flea Market in Austin, Shoes: Mtng Platform Sneakers Shirt: Husband's, Sunglasses: Cotton On

Ode to Mom Pants

Doesn't it irritate you when you feel like lookin' somewhat adorable (i.e. are in the mood to wear high shoes or something that is fashionable over functional) and you have absolutely nowhere to go? For example: I wore this to IKEA. This is a ridiculous outfit to wear to IKEA, but I didn't go there to give a fuck, so.......

In more news: I drove on the 405 by myself awwwlllll the way there. It was the first time I've done it since moving to Cali. How I've avoided it thus far is beyond me. 

More MOM pants in this post. You might remember my other pair from here or here. I LOVE them. Relatively easy to find in most thrift stores too. The trick is to find a pair made with good quality fabric. You can typically tell if they are made well by the way they drape on your body/you get a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. If you don't get a quality pair your just gonna look like every other damn hipster (not that there's anything wrong with that), and you won't be able to dress them up a little. Which is my favorite thing to do with 'em.    

Another tip: If you do find a great pair but the length is wrong, or you wish they got a little skinnier at the bottom, just roll them up all messy like OR french roll them. 

So go get some. Wear high shoes with them. Run some errands in that shit!

Belt, Shirt, Pants: Thrifted. Glasses: F21, Shoes: Sam Edelman