the clothes 2011

Here's another "a picture an hour" post to save all those cats dying of curiosity. I have been doing these posts irregularly since January, but always like to wait until I have a fairly interesting day to document. Travel definitely affords one variety, but there is the frightening unknown one must always confront. Where and when will dinner come tonight? Or more stressful to me: will I snag a few hours of Internet at tolerable speeds? Well, without further ado I will allow the pictures to speak for themselves.

The human need to adorn and decorate ourselves is long-standing and documented. Yet, as our society progresses and our advancement leads to less hard labor and more time thinking, the way we beautify gets conceptual. So, what will be the next jewelry trend? Shadows, perhaps?

We spent two full, wonderful days visiting with my sister and being treated to her homemade peach shortcake among other treats before trooping onward on Saturday. Since then we've crossed multiple state lines and visited national monuments and tourist traps with equal aplomb. The road trip is thus far going mightily well (knock on wood), there is so much to see and little chance for boredom. I'm feeling the temperature drop as we venture northward, though these outfits were clearly snapped in warmer states on sunnier days...

This "Mutants" series by artist Gad Charney is a statement on mankind's transforming potential--hybrids of animals or the plastic surgery craze. Despite the chalky coloring given to these dissected and reborn plastic toys, I find them somehow endearing. Perhaps it's the knowledge that each of these creatures is completely alone and without brethren or their seeming helplessness due to being headless or of disproportionate build.

This is the documentation of my Tuesday done in the format of one picture for each hour; busy-ness and travel being what it is means travel posts will be a wee bit delayed when I manage to get to them at all! I traveled through two time zones on Tuesday, but to save confusion all the times here are recorded as PST.

6:00am We left behind typical Washington State weather: rainy and grey.

7:00am We're in the air.

8:00am Mid-flight snack.

9:00am Denver airport layover.

10:00am Ice crystals on the plane window.

11:00am Spotted Susie Bubble in this month's Teen Vogue!!!

12:00pm The flight is quite crowded.

1:00pm We land in Oklahoma and pick up a rental vehicle.

2:00pm Reading "Vanity Fair" in the backseat.

3:00pm Ice cream break at Braums.

4:00pm What I'm wearing: cardigan- secondhand, dress- Urban Outfitters, shoes- Bona Drag, bag- Pull and Bear, necklaces- Talonalia & China Town (I wore tights on the plane, but abandoned them when we landed.)

5:00pm A quick e-mail check and post planning.

6:00pm Ate dinner at a little Italian place with a pretty ceiling.

7:00pm Sunset

8:00pm Getting lost on unfamiliar roads in the dark.

9:00pm Watching a little Roman Holiday on TV.

10:00pm Late night snacking on white chocolate.

The saying "diamonds are a girl's best friend" was immortalized by Marilyn Monroe and is as true today as it was then. Anirtak's Etsy shop has a modern take on the timeless diamond and at a price that means a girl can buy her own rather than receive it from a gentleman caller. The whole shop is filled with lovely jewelry, from wing lariats to delicate drop earrings. I'm delighted to offer one reader this lovely necklace.

Here's one of the last outfits I wore before I left Washington State; I'm officially in Oklahoma City now (there's a "picture an hour" post coming up when I find the time to upload the pictures). I seem to be on a teal and black kick lately and I recently dug out my favorite harlequin tights. I originally bought these tights in Athens, Greece as part of a Halloween costume, but I knew they would get a lot of wear outside of the costume sphere. Also, this is the dress I remixed six different ways here.

Alexander McQueen. Speechless.