Happy Holidays!

This should bring some cheer!

Street Style Round-up: Combat boots, Doc Martens, Dread-falls, and Velvet

These are from the Easy Fashion of Paris blog. This is one of my favorite street style blogs, ever. Those Parisians really know how to dress.

I post these because they have inspired me, and hope they can do the same for you.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="The drape-y dress looks like she rouched it up herself. Looks great with the Doc boots. Also, those sunglasses -- I got ones that look IDENTICAL at a $0.99 store in Vegas."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="That coat is to die for. Looks vintage. I love the dark wash jeans with the white Doc boots. I want to try and do a look like this with my faux fur leopard vest."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="What's not to love here? When you have a brightly dyed hair color, you can get crazier with hair accessories. They purple headband looks great with her dreadlocks poking out behind! You can find similar headbands at dollar stores, or could easily attach a large bow to a headband you already own. I love the colored chain link choker as well - it would be very inexpensive to recreate. Also, this girl is gorgeous!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="512" caption="This a very classic look that appears to have been inspired by Anne Bancroft's character in The Graduate. I love chiffon tops and dresses, especially in animal print. I have a chiffon night gown by New York & Company that I got for a couple bucks at a thrift store. I wear it as a tunic or a dress. I can belt it at the empire waist or tie a knot in the side and let it be a flowy peasant blouse. This woman has belted hers with a cord or rope, which looks like the kind they sell as curtain tie backs. (You could use that to make your own belt!)"][/caption]

This last one is from Lookbook.nu:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="476" caption="I post this girl's looks a lot! I love velvet, and I love lace. Both are readily available in thrift stores, especially since they were both so popular in the 90s. Forever 21 also has (or at least had) velvet skirts like this one for only about $12-13. I know, because I bought one. I am also a fan of this girl's hair."][/caption]

Cultural Inspiration: Tibet, Traditional Tibetan Clothing

The people of Tibet have one of the most beautiful cultures in the whole world.  It's very tragic that they are being displaced and oppressed by the Chinese government, not only because they are losing the land they've inhabited for centuries but because they are in risk of losing their culture and traditions, as the people are forced to spread out across Asia and the rest of the world as refugees. Sadly, this has been going on for decades.

Here are some photos of Tibetans in their traditional apparel. Let these photos inspire you in your own looks.













Their culture is so rich and so vibrant... it would be a shame to see it fade away.

3 Tips for Building Your Thrifty Wardrobe

I'm having some issues with my computer's SD card port, so I can't upload photos of recent finds! It seems the universe doesn't want me to share such thriftiness.

So, to make up for it, I'm starting a new series of posts to offer you ways to be stylish but cheap... err, not cheap, thrifty! More money saved equals more money for cool stuff!

Tip #1: Knee high stockings/hosiery.




Knee-high and over-the-knee stockings and socks seem to be pretty "in" right now, based off of my constant Lookbook trolling.  (It's a problem, I admit, but it gives me lots of ideas for my own outfits. I don't need rehab!)

A lot of young people (like me) seem to have forgotten or perhaps never knew of cheap pantyhose. I'm talking about the kind that comes in the plastic bubble gum machine eggs.



That photo above is basically what they look like. They cram the stockings into those little bubbles. I imagine these don't sell as fast as they used to back in 40s, 50s, and 60s when women wore hosiery almost all the time. These would have been cheap enough that a woman could buy a new pair each week.

You can find this hosiery-filled bubbles in the underwear or intimates section of department stores like Target, Wal-mart, K-Mart, and so on. These things are CHEAP! I got a pair for $0.34!  And, believe it or not, they're decent. If they rip, just buy more. They come in tan, black, and navy. You don't have to splurge on price-inflated stockings from places like American Apparel if you don't want to. One warning -- the pair I bought is slightly sheer. So if you want that opaque look then socks are your best bet.

Tip # 2: Vintage slips.



There's always a rack of slips and silky nightgowns in every thrift store. They are never all that expensive. If your not creeped out by the thought of wearing someone else's slips, these can be pretty neat. I mean, they're not panties or anything. I got mine for around $1.50!

I have three slips. Two are the gown kind that you wear beneath a dress and the other is just a skirt slip. These are good for dresses and skirts that are a little see through, but they also serve as a cheap alternative to a petticoat. While they won't help with that full, poofy skirt effect, they will add a more feminine touch if the bottom peeks out a bit, showing off the lace. If you have a skirt that's just a smidge too short for you to wear out anD about, wear a slip underneath it!

Tip # 3:  Thigh high hosiery.




This tip is less about saving money but more about appearance. If you're like me, you might have a little bit of pudge around your tummy. Now, don't get me wrong, I love pantyhose, but I hate that no matter what size you buy the top of it always cuts you off strangely. Even if you have very little pudge, it will still create a muffin top effect. So, your left to either just deal with it and have a lumpy looking stomach under your dress or scrunch it down around your pelvis, and then that looks bulky. You really can't win. I see women who seem to have mastered wearing pantyhose without these afflictions, but I haven't quite figured it out yet.

For years I avoided wearing pantyhose with dresses and only ventured to wear them with high waisted skirts because I didn't like how the pantyhose maid my stomach look. Then, while in Las Vegas this past summer, I found a part of vertical striped black thigh-high nylons. I wanted them so badly, so I got them. I realized that these solved my problem completely!  So, if you have the same problem, why not give thigh-highs a try?

Okay, that's all for now! Happy thrifting!

Street Fashion Round-up: Plaid, Lace, Velvet, Cream fabrics...

Win a SWEET bag!

Follow the link below to enter to win a Picard bag!

http://cruel-kid.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-picard-bag.html



The blog itself is lovely. The writer has great fashion sense and I love how she's decorated her home.

The Ramones: And every time I eat vegetables, it makes me think of you.

One of my ALL TIME favorite bands, The Ramones...










They were the primary influence on my high school fashion sense. In those days, I wore mostly faded jeans, tight-fitting band shirts, often with the sleeves but off, and converse. I know, pretty overdone and cliche, but I thought I looked pretty rockin'.

New favorite outfit...

The big, bold polka dot bolero is from a church thrift store, where you can fill a paper grocery bag full of stuff for only $2! I love that place.

Zebra cropped cardigan was from Ross (discount store) -- I think it was something like $5 because it had a tear that I eventually mended. The purple top was originally a dress but it shrunk in the wash, so now it's a shirt! It is from Susie's Deals, a store I came across in Las Vegas where everything is $5.99 and up, but nothing was really over $10. This was $9.99.  Shorts are old and from Old Navy a few years ago, and the sandals are Mossimo from Target.








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Street Fashion Round-up: Black, Lolita, Fringe, James Joyce Sunglasses

Gosh! I've been neglecting this! My camera is not working for unknown reasons, so until I get that figured out, here are some badass outfits from Lookbook.nu.

Street fashion trend: All black outfits & How to Make Them Work, with Kat Von D, Jordin Sparks and more!

This isn't news by any means, but I am so into all-black outfits. They've been showing up fairly often on runways for awhile. I think Gucci had a fall or winter season a few years ago where they showed off all black looks, and suddenly I was in love. Whereas before I thought all black outfits looked awkward and overdone, I now saw elegance and beauty in them. But... what did these designers know that I didn't? My black outfits were failing miserably. As a teenager, I was into the whole goth scene: the music, the look... but goth clothing can appear tacky and cliché when not styled properly, like this.

Here's how Kat Von D wears it:



How does she pull it off? When I was in high school I'd try on all kinds of outfits in my bedroom. I had a few pairs of black jeans, and I'd try pairing them with a black top, but somehow the outfit would feel awkward. Those outfits never made it beyond my bedroom door.

So, what's the secret? There's a trick to making a look like this successful. It's all about LAYERING! Think about different textures, like leather (real or pleather), velvet, suede, cotton, lace, shiny vinyl or PVC, matte fabrics, cable knits, and so on. A cotton shirt with a cotton shirt in all black's just going to look boring and just doesn't feel right, kind of like this outfit Jordan Sparks (American Idol) wore:



The fabrics are just too similar. That's not to say that she looks bad, but the outfit lacks spice.

Here are some more successes like Kat Von D's...



She mixes a matte knitted (and high shouldered) top with leather shorts and  leather shoes. Her accessories (leather bag and round Chanel-esqe specs) really help to make the outfit interesting. Some times it's all about accessories. Accessories, like silver and gold toned jewelry, can really set an all black get-up on fire... in a good way.



With black, you have more options than you might have thought. Lace and sheer mesh are in right now, so it's easy to find them in stores, but you'll certainly be able to find pieces with a lot of character while thrifting. I just got a sheer black blouse at the Salvation army that will go GREAT with my $2 thrifted leather pencil skirt and black bra. (I know, I desperately need to show off my recent finds. Sorry!)



Another thing you may want to give a second chance is fringe. Fringe may have had it's heyday in the late 60s and on into the 70s, but by the 80s and 90s it got stale, tacky... People ran around with puffy leather jackets with swede fringe hanging from their arms, while the fashion police cringed. Lately though, daring fashionistas as well as celebrities have been adopting this misfit into their outfits. Fringe is back! Some designers are taking a new approach to fringe, like these from Giuseppe Zanotti:



And with studs and chains being so popular right now,  I guarantee you'll find a cheaper alternative. I was just in Rue 21 a few days ago and they had spiked black stillettos! Craziness. (I wanted them but decided combat books and a lace top were better investments. I don't have many fancy occasions to get all gussied up for these days.)

Let these looks inspire you!

Fashion Icon: Siouxsie Sioux

I first discovered Siouxsie & the Banshees sometime before or around high school. I was drawn to the slow and dark sound of their music, but also to Siouxsie Sioux.



She was first known to run around with the Sex Pistols and their posse back in the late seventies. At that time she had a bleach blonde buzz cut, and often donned men's button up shirts and ties.

After the band dissolved, Siouxsie was able to make an image for herself, reinventing her style drastically, helping to start the gothic subculture that grew during the 1980s.



I admire her style for a lot of reasons. Some are superficial. I love layering different textures of black. I like the goth subculture because I think it's cool. Yeah, that's very high school, but I also love her style because it's sexual in a way that's assaulting to the onlooker. In her early days she'd wear shirts so thin you could see her breasts, vinyl underwear so tight they looked like they were painted on... Her sexuality wasn't there to impress men. She was in control of it, using it as a tool to stand apart from the public.



Basically, she's badass and I love her.







I have been terrible with updating, and I have a ton of thrift store finds to share, so stay tuned guys.

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