the clothes 2011

It had been too long since I went down to Solo Point (a part of Puget Sound near my house), so the other day after dinner and as the sun was setting I set out to visit the water. It was as beautiful as ever and there was seal playing in the gold-tinged sound. I'm wearing jeans again; this pair is Cheap Monday who was another one of the wonderful sponsors for the Weardrobe Conference. Sara of Style Magent snagged the same green pair and I'm definitely channeling an outfit she wore during the conference. As I said before, the other bloggers were a very inspiring bunch and I hope it will be reflected in some slightly more eclectic style from me this fall/winter.

Outfit details: vest- gift from a friend, sweater- Gap, jeans- Cheap Monday, shoes- Urban Outfitters, necklace- Talonalia, bag- secondhandNasha enjoyed the trip down to the sea shore; she's always up for an adventure.

Down in the valley come meet me to-night,
And I'll tell you your fortune truly
As ever 'twas told, by the new-moon's light,
To a young maiden, shining as newly.

But, for the world, let no one be nigh,
Lest haply the stars should deceive me,
Such secrets between you and me and the sky
Should never go farther, believe me.

If at that hour the heavens be not dim,
My science shall call up before you
A male apparition -- the image of him
Whose destiny 'tis to adore you.

And if to that phantom you'll be kind,
So fondly around you he'll hover,
You'll hardly, my dear, any difference find
'Twixt him and a true living lover.

Down at your feet, in the pale moonlight,
He'll kneel, with a warmth of devotion --
An ardour, of which such an innocent sprite
You'd scarcely believe had a notion.

What other thoughts and events may arise,
As in destiny's book I've not seen them,
Must only be left to the stars and your eyes
To settle, ere morning, between them.

poem by Thomas Moore, photograph by Andre Kertesz

P.S. Today is the last day to enter the Talonalia giveaway. If you haven't yet, go here.

This dress has been worn hundreds of times, the belt is ages old, and the combination with black tights is something I've worn more times than I care to count last fall...Yet, with the addition of a new massive cowl courtesy of YarnOverMovement and my new oxfords heels via Seychelles, I'm no longer bored with it.
This cowl will be keeping my neck marvelously warm this fall and winter and styled in various fresh ways; it's super long (I can triple loop it), deliciously soft, and so prettily textured. Honestly, I don't think I've ever possessed such a soft and nicely made scarf before (most of mine have been linen...). So, a big thank you to Tara-Lynn of YarnOverMovement for such a fantastic creation!

Outfit details: dress- Urban Outfitters, scarf- YarnOverMovement, tights- Walmart, shoes- Seychelles, belt-vintage, ring- a gift from my sister, necklace- Yellowstone Park gift shop, nail polish- Knock Out Cosmetics
P.S. You can still get 10% off your purchase of the Cambridge cowl (in any color) OR a free Norfolk bow (in any color) if you mention "the clothes horse" in your message to the seller. So, for a great fall essential of fantastic quality, visit her store here.

The entire web seems to be buzzing with news of Fashion's Night Out and all the special events that took place that evening. One such occasion in NYC that somehow managed to combine my love of fashion, illustration, and graffiti was hosted by Coach. Keiko Lynn (and other bloggers) were invited to attend and received tote bags customized by either streetartist Pesu or illustrator Kiersten Essenpreis.

Kiersten's illustrations are whimsical with a delicate touch and often seem to play with a dark sense of humor.
Pesu's graffiti is colorful and bold; often bringing nature to the New York city streets and subtly referencing his Japanese roots.
Both Pesu and Kiersten created live art on Fashion's Night Out, customizing totes before the admiring eyes of those who attended the Coach event. With this eclectic pairing (and reaching out to fashion bloggers) Coach is definitely breathing new life into the historic house. It is exactly these sorts of pairings that make me so excited about fashion.
*Please note this took place in NYC and I'm in Washington State; I did not attend this event.

The other bloggers at the Weardrobe Conference definitely gave me a lot of inspiration for outfits and new swag is also useful towards changing things up. One my of first outfits back in Washington state was inspired by this outfit that Erin (who just received an award on Strawberry Koi) wore.

The vintage dress plus oxford heels feel like a perfect transition into more fall-inspired outfits. My dress was one of the pieces I snagged at the clothing swap on our last morning. Keiko Lynn added it to the mayhem. If you haven't visited Keiko's shop Postlapsaria filled with her own designs and reconstructed vintage pieces I suggest you do. The Seychelles oxford heels were another gift from our sponsors and "Green is Good" tote bag from Hayden-Harnett originally held much of our swag. The heels have a hidden wedge which make them very comfortable and the tote is nicely sturdy--I look forward to using it often. It's remarkable the pieces I received that I feel I would have bought myself and the ones that are outside my comfort zone that I look forward to stretching myself with...
I actually packed this entire outfit to wear while I was in NYC for the conference. When packing I wanted more pulled-together looks and fall colors...but of course the weather in New York didn't cooperate and this ended up seeming too warm to wear. Details: vintage dress, self-made bow belt, secondhand skirt, secondhand shoes, Shopruche purse, Talonalia necklace, and Fred Flare sunglasses.
I'm still loving this matte nail polish which I snagged in gray as well as red. I left two nails red (one on each hand) for variety...Delightfully Tacky just named me "Blogger of the Moment" and there's a wee interview of me here. She asked some very thoughtful questions that I really enjoyed answering. Thanks Delightfully Tacky!

I've been admiring the Kate Spade Fall Lookbook on many of my favorite blogs, but I still couldn't resist a post on it myself. Re-mixed dresses, color bright tights, flats, and prints? This has "me" written all over it...other than the price tag.

via Kate Spade

From day one at the Weardrobe Conference we were all walking on air...

Pic by Mr.Newton
Day One (also known as, what I wore on the plane and my hair is weird) snapped by Erin: Urban Outfitters dress, vintage fascinator, Shopruche purse, and Bona Drag shoes.
Day Two, also snapped by Erin: ASOS dress, Talonalia necklace, Shopruche purse, and Bona Drag shoes.
Day Three, "I don't know what I'm doing here," snapped by Sara: vintage dress, Shopruche purse, Yellowstone National Park gift shop necklace, Gap cardigan, secondhand and Etsy rings, and Bona Drag flats.
Day four snapped by Erin of Calivintage. I also took her "outfit" shots for her that morning before we caught our shuttle to the airport and headed to our separate planes. I really enjoyed photographing her and all of the other bloggers this past weekend. I'm going to miss having such willing and photogenic models...and I'm going to miss them as people.
The dress is H&M, the tights were bought at Fred Flare (where the people are as sweet as their shop is cute), and my shoes are secondhand. We posed in front of the Gramercy Park...where we might or might not have gotten kicked out of by a rather bellicose lady...One of the most exciting items (to me) in our goodie bags was matte nail polish by Knock Out Cosmetics. It's rather crazy, because I've been wondering what non-shiny nail varnish would look like for months. In person, it's so odd, but subtle and very cool.Also, the winner of the YarnOverMovement Giveaway is Kristin of Leproust Vintage. Tara-Lynn is also kind enough to offer anyone who mentions "the clothes horse" in the note to the seller in a purchase of the Cambridge cowl (in any color) 10% off their purchase OR a free Norfolk bow (in any color). So, if you didn't win you an still get your mitts on some handknit goodies at a discounted price! Visit her store here.

My Magpie claw necklace from Talonalia is clearly one of my favorite recent purchases. I can personally attest to the quality of this necklace; sometimes I find myself holding it up close to my face to stare at the details and textures of the claw. It also garnered a number of compliments from other bloggers at the Weardrobe Conference.

New temptation has been added to the shop in the form of single Hawk and Owl Talons instead of entire claws. The talons are a slightly more subtle, but still a incredibly edgy. These will look great layered in a mass of other necklaces or worn singly as a statement piece. Considering my fandom of my own claw, I'm super excited to announce this giveaway sponsored by Talonalia.

One Talonalia Owl Talon is up for one fortunate reader. The winner will even be allowed to pick the length of chain they want with their claw (24" or 30").
To enter merely leave a comment below. Please one entry per reader and if you are anonymous leave some form of identification in case you win. The winner will be announced on 9/18/09.
P.S. Last week's winner will be announced tomorrow.

Some readers have been asking me how to get invited to a blogger conference like this one. Well, this is Weardrobe's first one and the answer is simple: join Weardrobe. Everyone who was invited is an active member of Weardrobe.
All the bloggers were so great: nonjudgmental, noncompetitive, and super friendly. I suggested we all start a fashion commune with a single shared closet and I think the idea might really take off. I should attempt a copyright...

One the great things about this Conference was the variety of styles that Weardrobe pulled. There were vintage bloggers, modern and eclectic styles, glamazons, and the grunge-inspired. I think it gave everyone a chance to see a different perspective up close and personal. A cool experience I had was styling a mannequin for Eryn Brinie with Lucrecia of Fashion Is Poison. We have vastly different style, but collaborated and compromised to come up with an outfit. Instead of putting it directly on our mannequin we decided to test it by each of us trying it on and it goes to show you how one outfit can look completely different on two different people when their personality continues to shine through. Side note: Lucrecia is so sweet and so laid-back and a real pleasure to meet.
Earlier in the morning before we styled the mannequins we met up with Craig of Altamira. Craig had great concepts for every group photo he took. We drew quite a crowd of tourists once he started snapping in the middle of the street and between dodging cars we all were photographing him photographing others and photographing the tourists staring at us. It was full-circle photo-taking experience. You can see some of his pics of the bloggers here.

Erin of Calivintage (one of my ex-roomies!) snapped this picture of me posing in front of the Craig-induced madness. I'm wearing the velvet vintage dress I bought while I was in NYC.

On the very last morning we had a yummy brunch in the Gramercy Park Hotel penthouse (one of our frequent meeting spots during the weekend) and dove into an awesome clothing swap. There were so many wonderful clothes and so much overweight and overstuffed luggage that some people ended up going home with the items they brought! Not me though, I ended up snatching several amazing pieces from various bloggers. Out of sheer eagerness I was a bit aggressive to be honest, but even I resisted adding too much more to my luggage. Still wonder if I should have snagged more or less...
This picture snagged by Sara of Style Magnet is a fantastic example of my size. People are always surprised by how petite I am in person (5'1"); so I thought I'd share this comparison since I don't usually pose with other people. Please note, The Glamourai is not a giant nor even of model height (though she is wearing heels and I am in flats); I'm just petite. And I love this image.
Here's a couple more outfit shots of me from Day 2 of the Conference these were snapped by the gorgeous Claire of Faboo. She's an aspiring photographer who admires Annie Leibowitz among other photographers and I really am enjoying all the wonderful images she is posting. I'm wearing an ASOS dress, my Bona Drag flats, my Talonalia necklace, and a secondhand scarf.

P.S. I'm in the new issue of Spilled Milk. Check me out on page 30!
I'll finish this entry with a creepy pic of me on the last morning snapped by Erin of Calivintage.
P.P.S. A reminder that today is the last day to enter the YarnOverMovement Giveaway. Enter here.