the clothes 2011

I got the Urban Outfitters Holiday catalogue in the mail awhile back and it really swept me away. The images of pretty girls in feather masks, high buns with giant knits, sequined cardigans, and socks with oxfords were lovely enough, but the little illustrations at the back of the catalogue? Even better. There's a real charm to the simple, black and white sketches.

Way back in the dark ages of my youth (junior high to exact) I had a red hooded winter coat that could never be considered stylish, but I loved. Part of the love came from the fact that when I wore said coat, a certain friend would sing "Hey there, little red riding hood; you sure are looking good" to me. There's nothing like a serenade to cement the beauty of an outfit. Of course, I eventually grew out of that jacket (more figuratively than literally, unfortunately...), so I like to think of my discovery of this coat on Shopruche as providence. It comes with a detachable hood, which I removed in order to wear my sequin beret.

A good bit of contrast, no? Little black dress with glam neckline details, ridiculous white tights, and a rugged plaid coat on top...I'm fairly certain none of these things were intended to be worn together, but somehow I'm 'making it work.' Fall weather certainly encourages unlikely combinations.

These tights are a DIY and I wrote a little tutorial for them over at World Ugly on Chictopia. They were inspired by the Emilio Cavalli tights I've been seeing online.

Little Red Riding Hood,

I don't think little big girls should,

Go walking in these spooky old woods alone.

What big eyes you have,

The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad.

So just to see that you don't get chased,

I think I ought to walk with you for a ways.

I'm gonna keep my sheep suit on,

Until I'm sure that you've been shown

That I can be trusted walking with you alone.

Outfit details: beret- vintage, coat and dress- Shopruche, tights- DIY, shoes- Pineapple Express, necklace- Anirtak

These tights seemed to rip the second I put them on, however I've kept wearing them. After all, ripped tights are in, no? Unfortunately for me, apparently most people around me have not gotten the memo...Every time I wear them out, someone kindly feels the need to inform me that my tights are ripped. I'm not just talking friends and acquaintances, but bonafide strangers will walk right up to me and point out the rips...Does anyone else have this problems? Or am I the only victim of non-fashion-y, good Samaritans?

No matter how many street fashion sites I stumble across, I always return regularly to Dropsnap. Perhaps it is because my first introduction to "fashion" was Japanese street fashion which I became obsessed with in Junior High, or perhaps it is because this site doesn't prescribe to a specific style tribe. I like how a very wide and eclectic ranges of fashion is photographed: vintage, harajuku, gothic lolita, etc. Every pictured seems to be the definition of personal style. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Can you feel the fall in these pictures? We have the weather for layers and knits here in 'ole Washington; and in my particular case: layered knits. I have been wearing a surprisingly wealth of neutrals this year...which if you've been following my blog for ages, is unusual for me. I did top this off with mustard yellow in an attempt to keep it from being too blah and predictable. I think I must be highly susceptible to my surroundings considering how often I end up matching them...

Devon Aoki is one of my favorite models, so really any editorial featuring her will captivate me. The fact that this editorial manages to make mundane settings look marvelous and features rich hues and interesting lighting woos me even more.