Okay so I rushed this one a little, but I got so excited about her fur coat thing! Sable colored leather jacket with full rabbit fur train and feathers at the bottom. Doesn’t fit all the way across and is meant to have exposed ribbon to fasten. Would have boning to give it the structure it needed to maintain it’s shape. Lined with deep, subdued teal and worn over a grey mini dress. Heels are dark sable leather and have checkered wedge with cutout center. Maroon and beige checks. True confession: the model was supposed to have an olive complexion, but I messed it up so I had to draw over it. I think I actually like it more with the dark skin though. Anyways.
Went out for dinner with some of my fabulous Miss Oregon sisters last night at one of the coolest spots in P-town, Departure! It is on the 15th floor of the Nines hotel, which sits right on Pioneer Square downtown. It looks a lot like what I would imagine I would want my evil lair in space to look like.
Check out these bathrooms! I was half waiting for Darth Vader to pop out of the stall next to me!
Totally forgetting that I was going to be getting cocktails in the next century, I wore trends that went out in, like, 2013. Still trying to work around this new hair color, I opted for all neutrals with a turquoise geode medallion necklace.
Here I am practicing for the elevator ride:
Next time I go to Departure, I’ll wear something more like this:
I did it. I crossed something off of my bucket list. An idea slow-roasting in my mind’s rotisserie for five years has finally come to pass. I died my hair red. Not a natural shade, but rather like Cherry Coke. I’ll call it Roy Rodgers Red.
WHY would I do this to my hair?!?! A breakup? A quarter-life crisis? A gothic phase? An obsession with Ginger Spice?!?
None of the above. (I lied. I love Ginger Spice ;)) But truly, red has always been a color that I gravitate towards. I love that it has ferocity, femininity, spirituality, playfulness, it is rambunctious, and it is eye-catching. It is the stuff of our livelihood; it is flowing through our veins. Nearly 6 years ago, I saw a young woman who had dark cherry locks and I was mesmerized. I had always assumed hair color to be something that should resemble somebody else’s natural, and if it wasn’t natural-looking, then you better be in a multi-million dollar rock band or a cartoon character. The way this woman wore her hair was not in a way that was meant to be either of these things. She remained polished, and womanly as she carried these flaming locks on her head. I took a mental photograph, and let my thoughts keep circulating.
So when I realized I was at a point in my life when the only thing truly stopping me from scratching this bold-colored itch, was myself, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Mastering a bold color like red is like wearing a flashy accessory that I can’t take off. Well okay I could take it off, but I don’t think a little hair dye will be as bad as Britney’s 2007.
What I’m saying is that I needed to have a plan to execute! A bullseye to puncture! A vision to illustrate! Here are some of my favorite hairspirations:
I found myself constantly gravitating towards these bold, yet, surprisingly refined statements of fashion fearlessness. And I heard PeeWee saying
IF YOU LOVE IT SO MUCH WHY DONT YOU MARRY IT?
Okay so I know I’m not going to marry it, PeeWee, but I was coming to the realization that I was watching other people express themselves in a way I felt expressed me! It was, in short, a reality check. What was I waiting for? Why spend any more time, effort, and money to look in the mirror and see a girl who wasn’t executing her plans?
I saw no reason.
It was about more than hair color.
It always is.
But this time it wasn’t a breakup or a rebellion. This time it was a celebration. It is a celebration that I am on my way to making dreams come true, that I am surrounded by supportive people, and that I’m making a promise to myself to never live apologetically. Why apologize, hide, or comply with other’s ideas when I know my pursuits are those of love, passion, and happiness?
So I did it. Here’s a little “before and after”
*shout out to Stephanie, my wonderful friend and the arteeest behind it all 🙂
What I used to look like in my blogging chair:
What I look like now:
Oops I mean:
Something tells me this is going to be fun…..really fun.
…and I think it would take a lot to put out my new flames 😉
^^ Okay I hope I wasn’t the only one who laughed at that.
On behalf of myself and those firemen: happy hump day.
The other day I needed something freaky fast and freaky delicious, so, naturally, I went to Jimmy Johns. I was wearing Lululemon and Nike clothing, had my blonde hair pulled back, and was looking athletic, although I was actually just lazy and in between studying for finals. So I go in with an idea of what I want, knowing full well how delicious the Beach Club is, and then I see that there is a Vegetarian sub that has everything the Beach Club has but without meat. So as I’m debating these things in my head the 4 staffers behind the counter are watching and waiting and I hear “she is going to go for the six or the twelve”.
I froze. This voice was lower than that of my conscious. I looked at the menu. #6 was the Vegetarian sandwich. #12 was the Beach Club.
It was one of the guys working the sandwich line who spoke my innermost thoughts. I felt so naked and exposed! How could he know! My stubborn side said eff that, I’ll get the Italian Nightclub or the Vito! But my stomach said no. I wanted those crisp cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, crunchy sprouts, and creamy avocado in and around my mouth. I couldn’t hide it. The only choice was deciding if I wanted the turkey on the #12 or just the veggies with the #6!
I went for the #6, and contemplated what had just happened as I devoured that beautiful sandwich. That guy at Jimmy Johns didn’t know anything about me other than what I looked like, and somehow, he knew that I wanted a sandwich with avocado and cucumbers. I was a victim of customer profiling. Judging by my athletic wear, he was correct in guessing that I am healthy conscious like to have nutrient rich foods, like tomatoes and avocados, on my sandwich, and the Beach Club and Vegetarian sandwiches have the same combo of veggies; the only difference being that the Beach Club has turkey and the Vegetarian does not. All of this he could tell by my clothing.
What’s more, is that this happened to me just one day after getting word that our next fashion class assignment would be about customer profiling. I need to determine a customer to profile and design outfits for them. The decisions people make based on their age, interests, income, region, and others truly do reflect in the choices we make as consumers. For example, I am a student in her early twenties who lives in the Pacific Northwest values health. This means I’ll probably need some versatile and comfortable clothing for running between classes to get Jimmy Johns sandwiches with avocado on them.
For this project, however, I need to decide upon someone who is going to order a different sandwich than myself. For that reason, I’ve decided on the 60+ affluent urban sophisticate.
This grey-haired fox is an independent lady of NYC. She walks her little spoiled dogs through Central Park daily, drinks one martini when she attends swanky art gallery openings, and is enjoying the twilight of her lucrative career. She shops, but not excessively. She is smart with her money and knows when quality is a factor of timelessness, yet, she also has the money to spend on quirky expressive pieces. She stays relevant with fashion, but dresses for herself and for fun! She loves to celebrate beauty, art, and laughter.
Inspirations:
Next steps will be designing outfits, finding swatches, and creating a presentation. Stay tuned 🙂
Wrapped up the fashion illustration drawing series today, and I think it is safe to say I’ve made vast improvements. I’ve always been able to sort-of draw, and I’ve always been good at not following directions. This combination is surprisingly worthless. Oh wait, you’re not surprised at all? But overall it was a great reminder that sometimes talent doesn’t mean being gifted- it can mean persevering and applying knowledge! And my fashion illustrations can be as fabulous as I want them to be, as long as I am patient and allow myself to keep seeking out growth!
OH LIFE LESSONS. You sneaky devils interrupting my blog posts. *Insert toddler style stink-eye with arms crossed here*
So not to toot my own horn, but
TOOT TOOOOOT!
I’m finally seeing some of my artwork that I’m actually proud to show off!! This was what I presented to my classmates after only an hour of illustrating. Can’t wait to work on the final project and spend a lot more time on it. I’ll post within the week. Below is our lovely model! Oh-let’s name her! we’ll call herrrrrr…… Gisele! (pronounced GEE-suh-LUH. A name I thought sounded beautiful in my head in 7th grade German class, and I chose it to be my “class name” for the semester. Well I found out quickly it sounds more like a smelly migrating bird than a Victoria Secret model #middleschoolproblems…. moving on) Here is our faaaaabulous model Gisele and she is ready for fall. She is capturing the essence of rock-hipster-glam in this purple/camel plaid zipper dress complete with leather sleeves. Notice her dress is lined to keep her extra cozy along with that faux-fur scarf and heeled combat boots. A perfect outfit for grabbing a 16 oz soy pumpkin spice latte on the way to watch her boyfriend’s band play a fairly cool local venue. Rock on, Gisele. Rock on.
There you have it, folks! So glad I know the rules now, because you have to know the rules in order to break them 😉
Being the imposter Portland trendster that I am, today I decided that a subdued color motif and jeans I wore yesterday would truly capture the essence of a casual urban Sunday in the “city of roses”. My team of elite stylists agree that presentation is everything, so I made sure not to wash my hair, put makeup on, or put contacts in. I would have definitely destroyed this powerful statement of hip-ness… OH the things I do for fashion!
I opened a vein at the art store today. Well, I nearly did. I definitely contemplated dumping red paint on myself and gasping for air at the checkout. I needed markers and pencils and papers and doodads for the second half of my fashion drawing series which is tomorrow. I’m really excited to learn how to illustrate clothing, but I had to do a little investing beforehand in some supplies.
I found out quickly these ain’t yo mommas Crayolas. Each Prismacolor pen costs several bucks, and I, being obsessed with color, became weak at the knees at the sight of all the pretty hues! And you can’t just get the pens. You gottttta get the shmancy colored pencils and the paper and the thing that blends the pens and the sharpener for the pencils and the bag to put the crap in and blah blah blah (I loved every minute of it…) So I bought the required supplies and a few extra to appease my appetite for creativity and then came home to play with my goodies.
A couple weeks ago, I blogged about the progression of my sketches (see here), so I’m installing one more into that timeline today. I finally got my hands on those awesome markers and took them for a test spin! I am obsessed. The soft strokes, the fluid lines, and the vibrant colors are way better than any school supply ever was before. And here I was still worshipping the sharpener in the 64 pack….
…(sigh)….those were the days….
Realizing I haven’t completed my ideal design for the project I did over Christmas break (see here and scroll to bottom) , I decided to draw a more completed version!
My favorite part, was working with the deep maroon and sepia colors together. I loved being able to give the body some shape without making the paper get so moist it pills. I went for a darker maroon look for the skirt, and actually think if I were sewing it, I would use a different fabric that maybe gave it just a little bit of a darker feeling. Who knows!
I realize now I was a little too abrasive with the pencil, her hair is more Miss Frizzle than P!nk, and her lady lumps are, dare-I-say, fergalicious… Also, I decided last minute to outline her figure and garments, and I wish I wouldn’t have. And the delete button didn’t work!
So anyways, it is a start!! Or, rather a check point 🙂 I am really excited to see what I can churn out after this weekend- stay tuned!
Before that I might need some Adele and alone time with my Crayolas.
It’s Spring Break for meeee! Yippee!!! Just got done with finals and I am in desperate need of an eye massage. My eyes have been stressing themselves out this week, and they need something pretty to look at! Checking out my notes, spellchecking my essays, and of course checking boxes on my to-study list. I’ll tell you the only kind of checks I’m really interested are these from the Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 collection ! Although if anyone has a blank check they’d like to give me I think I’d have an interest in that too…..
Reviving granny panties and throwing out bras? I think my dreams are coming true.
Twin convention? Or did nobody tell me it’s twin day for homecoming week??!
The Spring collections actually debut in Fall, so I’m well aware this is all old news to any fashionistaaaas, but I’m feeling Springy now! And this is my blog I do what I want. 🙂
Fun fact: This show was actually only 6 minutes long, which is kind of crazy considering how much work it takes to make these sorts of things.
What inspired Marc Jacobs (head designer for Louis Vuitton) to make this collection as stark and grid-like as he did, is actually a piece of minimalist installation art called Les Deux Plateau. Notice the varying lengths and bold contrasting lines. Jacobs captured the different heights through using the different lengths on the garments, and kept the streamlined look of the pole by giving boxy and lean silhouettes to the models that walked down the runway in pairs.
I have been a smitten kitten with these optimistic yellows and retro-esque shapes. These signature checks have become my “Where’s Waldo” of the season, and celebs are popping up everywhere rocking their subtly-louis frocks.
^^ I never buy Elle magazine but was so excited to see Taylor in one of my favorite looks that I bought this month’s. Unfortunately I don’t get to wear the dress, but my coffee table does.
I think I’m going on a hunt for some cheap checks of my own. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to look like a
“big….beautiful… pineapple!” ?
Or date a guy named Doody…? 😛
Ahhhhh my eyes feel so much better! I think it’s time I run off to go find some Spring Break sun fun! My best friend Nadia is in town! More on that later.
The assignment: pretend like it’s a different time period and you are the forecaster for upcoming trends. What would you have predicted future trends to look like and why?
My decade: the 1990’s.. We’ll never get it all in, but I think we will just try to hit the high notes (Mariah Carey style of course) and have some fun reminiscing!
WHooooAAAAAAAAaAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH BOOM! …. ouch! What just happened??
We just traveled back in time to the 1990’s!
Brandy and Monica just started arguing over who the boy belongs too, you went to see Titanic with your date last weekend, and you’re still secretly panicked about the armageddon coming with Y2K! Your toe ring might have gotten a little tight during travel, but hold on to your overalls, your Royal Freshness, because we have got some trends to predict!
Let’s find some “looks” in women’s fashion that are all that and a bag of chips and see if we can forecast what’s going down in the new millennium!
Right out of early 1990’s so-cal, one can’t help but scratch their head at the boxy, loose-fitting duds of the sitcom superstars we grew to know and love. In the early nineties, pants were still hitting at the natural waistline, and even had pleats! (oy vey) Bulky structures, lots of denim, and hoodless sweatshirts were holding on to their hairsprayed 1980’s roots.
Angsty teens and sexuality became culture trends and started really catching momentum in the mid-nineties. Television became less filtered and shows like “90210”, “My So-Called Life”, and “Dawson’s Creek” fed a darker side of teen-related programming that addressed sexuality in a way that had massive influence on fashion. No longer seen as a risk-free tango for two and, yet, breathing freely post AIDS scare, sexual identity and empowerment began to really take off. The waistline began to lower, the midriff saw the light of day, and clothes tightened up considerably. A great snapshot of this is the band TLC. One member Lisa “left-eye” Lopes wore a condom over her left eye to promote safe sex.
Knowing only this (because it’s the 90’s still, remember?) , what can we predict here? Well, I predict we see the sexuality of the 90’s continue on to new levels. In the new millennium, I’m betting that showing a little more leg will be less taboo and women, in particular, will keep things pushed and pulled and skin-tight to celebrate their sexual empowerment.
In the late nineties, pop music was experiencing a resurgence of expression. Taking cues from the punky songstresses of the eighties (think Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Paula Abdul), the stars were no longer just showing up and looking good, they were showing up and making a statement. My favorite study in this trend are the Spice Girls. They took the globe by storm with their unapologetic identities, each one having a identity-cueing name and manufactured, yet-authentic-enough-to-digest personality. Below (from right to left) Sporty Spice, Posh Spice, Baby Spice, Ginger Spice, and Scary Spice were five women who didn’t adhere to their singing group/band identity, but rather to their individual identities. This brain-child of Simon Cowell was able to celebrate their differences and therefore allow their followers and fans to connect with their quirks.
The Spice Girls may have been spreading their signature “Girl Power”, but the nineties was a time for the “woman”. Women were needing to find their identities more-so than ever before, because they were taking on more than ever before. More women were balancing families and jobs, finding themselves in the boardroom, and making strides in a man’s world. Pop stars were getting identities, working moms needed identities, and everyone was seeing the advantages of being unique
Knowing what I know here in the 1990’s, what would I predict for the next millennium? Since standing out is becoming more effective for success, I predict that the 2000’s will be a woman dominated world. More groups like the Spice Girls will show up and show off their uniqueness. In the 2000’s, to be on the bandwagon, is to be off the bandwagon.
THE MILLY TRENDS:
So while I was watching Spice World in theaters here in the 1990s, I came across the scene where the Spice Girls star in their own movie about being crime-fighting, futuristic hotties! That MUST be what the future looks like!! Silver structured outfits will probably be necessary to protect ourselves from all of the Y2K havoc.
Fun fact: Clearlyinfluenced by the upcoming change in numbers they’d write in their checkbooks, some Chicagoans invented a dance called “the Milly.” Basically it was a macarena-type dance we could all do at our spaceship weddings.
Taking these cues, I’m liketotally predicting lots of harsh angles and silver metallics. Like this:
Okay just kidding…..;)
Oh! We can’t forget about….
THE GRUNGE TREND:
Native of the Pacific North West, this was another music-related trend. With Kurt Cobain in the walkman and flannel tied at the waist, it didn’t get more unsexy than this. The 1990s has been said to be the anti-fashion decade and this trend embraced going against the grain. Plus, who didn’t want to wear those comfy Birkenstocks?
Who knew it would be so hot to dress like your dad doing yard work?
My predictions on this trend: Everyone will still be wearing the same outfit.
Okay just kidding, but if this is still the 1990s, then I think it is fair to say I don’t see this trend lasting forever. Except for your dad.
Well, I think we’ve seen as much as we’re going to see of the nineties for today. Back in the time machine!
Whoaaaahhhwhahaahahahahaoooooooohh!!! BONK!
Phew! We made it safely back to Portland and it’s 2013!
Wait……
…..are you…….
did we…..
…..is this?
Maybe we never left……..
Hehe.
Thanks for getting your daily dose of fashion knowledge in! If you could travel in my time machine, what would you bring back from the 90s?
Dorky Chick in Lipstick 