One day you might find yourself with bright red hair eating soup outside in a parking lot on an unusually hot March day. Your head might be pounding a little because you decided to have a couple shots of whiskey last night after your shift at the bar. Your pants might have gotten to that point where you need to diet or buy new ones and you may have just needed to pull down the back of your shirt to protect your decency.

You may sit there in the hum of the traffic realize you are an idiot human. You have spent thousands on education, but you spill with some frequency. You still get spellchecked by the computer when you spell words like “piece” and “field”. You still haven’t figured out why your apartment is always messy.

You may decide it is wonderful to be such a moron; drooling, dropping, and dawdling. And the weight on your shoulders may just evaporate in the perfect sun and realign you with yourself. Your senses would filter the outside world just as they should, and sitting pensively as people pass you in a parking lot suddenly wouldn’t make you feel so naked.

You may realize that today, you’re just harvesting inspiration by watching red shopping carts deport and return; deport and return, seeing children wearing pink sequin fedoras as their parents silently foster their independence, and admiring fresh, bright spring clothes being debuted under a cloudless sky. You might find yourself drawing your eyes up to clean lines and natural materials of the attractive modern building as it towers over pairs of shoppers that don’t notice. Ice in your to-go cup might tingle and freeze your tongue as your back starts to ache from sitting on the hard, elevated concrete. You may have come one step closer to inspirational nirvana as your skin turns slightly pink.

And after all this spiritual bliss you might realize the whole time your buttcrack was hanging out.

Awesome.

Have an amazing, inspired Saturday. I hope it’s sunny where you are too 🙂

Xo

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 😉

This is for all of my Iowans who need a good laugh. Click here.Too funny.

My Monday fashion class assignment for this week was to do a little comparison shopping. At 3 different stores with different pricepoints with the same garments. I opted to pick my two favorite looks of the season and do a little shopping… With fingers crossed for no unexpected purchases…  🙂

So on my break between classes, I zipped downtown to do a little research!

My clothing crush on the Gucci spring looks I blogged about yesterday was a must-find muse, and I also opted to hop on the B&W bandwagon because this isa striking, yet more wearable trend for P-town.

So here you have it!

If I sold my car:

(prices not listed)

If I didn’t buy groceries until May..or June:

Store: BCBG

Ah yes. Mama likey. Just pricey enough that I felt like they could set the standard as top tier, but not too pricey that I would be too afraid to get any skin cells on the fabric. The store was baron, so I was in and out in a jiffy. Thank goodness I got out with my lunch money still in my pocket!

Left: Jacket: $368, pants: $228, tank: $68

Right: Jumper: $248, necklace: $98

If I was searching for style in in a conservative world:

Store: GAP

Older crowd here, and definitely for a more structured lifestyle. If I needed something less flash but still with flair, you’d find me there! Still not sure the boxy cut was worth $50 bones, but I understand that can also be forgiving for people that don’t have wiener dog torsos like me.

Left: Shirt: $22.95, Jeans:$ 69.95

Right: Sweater: $44.95, Ankle pants $49.95, Necklace: $29.95

If I’m willing to support copy-cats for cheap:

(Oh wait… I am. Bought these pants)

Store: H&M 

Quality of materials was definitely compromised and less garments were lined. The pattern on the pants was clearly adapted from the same inspiration as the BCBG pants, but instead of silk fabric they were made of a thick, stretchy cotton blend and the details on the printed lace were less clear. But they say if a man on a horse can’t tell then it’s not worth worrying about! Next time I’m wearing my new pants and I see one of those horse cops I’ll ask him.

Left: Jacket: $34.95, Tank: $24.95, Pants: $34.95

Right: Dress:$17.95, Necklace: $17.95

:

Vat ve have learn here:

Fashion doesn’t always have to mean quality, but when I was wearing $800 dollars worth of clothing, I felt like $800 bucks. The conservative comfies at Gap were definitely not as satisfying as those BCBG duds but it was nice to know that even a mom on the go could find something worthy of spring flair and lunch with friends.  For me, it’s $35 dollar finds at H&M  that allow me to bide my time on a student budget, and still give me a boost that lets me gussy up when I go out for a bevy on the weekends.

Fortunately for everyone involved, I found this mystery shopper hat at the end of my journey…

Maybe next time, shady egg hat, maybe next time.

Gravity, in many ways, is anti-art. You sculpt something; it sits there. You paint something; it’s stuck on the canvas. It doesn’t let these labors of expression swim freely through the air seeking out anyone who might need some inspiration. We take all these art-things and plant them in museums, homes, offices, and other miscellaneous places while we wait for people to pass through to come reap the benefits of their aesthetics.

Just last week I was in a cafe and a woman in her late 50’s walked through the door wearing deep turquoise from head to toe (much like that color in the middle pic below!). Belted trench, ankle length pants, five-inch heels, a floral scarf and hot pink lipstick. I don’t normally turn my head for women(ha)…but as soon as she walked in my head turned and I saw this fresh dash of energy.  I was instantly happier. She was a walking expression of the beautiful sunny day in one of the rainiest cities in America.

In my alternate reality, where I am a filthy rich superstar with a walk-in closet, I am wearing the Gucci 2013 spring collection.

It’s got groundhog-may-care explosions of color that avoid apologetically pastel and dismal neutrals, and instead uses hues that are shouting out a celebration of vitamin D! I love it because even though I can’t afford it (price points ranging 1500-7000 for ready-to-wear) I will have no trouble making it Portlandable. Let’s face it Portlanders– ain’t nobody gonna be walkin down the street in one of these beautiful getups:

Columns of color are my absolute favorite thing in fashion. I love having an outfit that doesn’t apologize for being orderly and also eye-catching. I did a little e-hunting for info about this collection. Turns out Gucci designer Frida Giannini primarily designed these bold looks as daywear- making her evening collection a showing of mostly blacks and whites.  It was late 1960’s/70’s inspired with tunics and trousers, oversized ruffles, and complete with ornate beaded works of art that looked like fairytale jewels atop clean, bright blasts of color. Of the countless photos I’ve sifted through from this season’s trends, these floral-hued slaps in the face were the only things that woke me right up.

Notes for myself on what I’ve learned about my style:

– Memorability wins over details

– I love columns of color

– I identify with the balance of elegance and playfulness

– I’ve learned you can express yourself even if you are getting a bagel and coffee, and you just might brighten someone’s day

Gravity, in many ways, is anti-art. It binds our art to the earth’s surface. If we aren’t creating our own, we can’t expect to reap the benefits unless we find it. Whether it be nature’s art, like a flower, or human art, like a museum installation, it is unmoving.

Lucky for us, we have feet to seek out art and spread art, and it will continue to awaken our spirits.

But what if we let it defy gravity? What if we let it surround us?

I guess that means

fashion is art defying gravity.

And until I can send canvases floating down the streets of my neighborhood, I think I’ve found some new meaning in my morning routine…

…or lack-thereof  0:-)