So I had been eyeing those vintage-inspired one-piece swimsuits from Urban Outfitters since I first got the early Summer catalog.  I especially liked the Lolita-meets-picnic-ness of these Lux gingham swimsuits.

Now that they're on sale for 29.99 + an extra 10% off with coupon code 4488welcome , I couldn't resist buying one, even though it's the almost the end of summer now.  But I pondered for quite a while: red or blue???  Red is certainly more retro/pin-up/lolita-ish, but blue is more dorothy/prairie-girl-ish.  The think I would prefer a darker blue because the blue looks like it could be a little bit see through, but red isn't really my color.   

But then I came across this 1940s photograph from "The Library of Congress" flickr photostream, and my mind was set.  I'd rather have red gingham in that (perfect) dress form, but I will settle for it in a swimsuit.

Oh also, despite placing yet another order to Urban Outfitters, I am still quite ticked off that the last order I placed was incomplete.  They went ahead and put the order through without even notifying me that one of the floral rompers and the perforated doctor bag were both out of stock.  Oh well, at least they only charged me $2 for shipping, and the floral romper I did receive is quite darling.

The starting bid is 9.99, but the buy-it-now price is 49.99!!!  They are a re-mix size 8, which is really like a 7-7.5 since they run small.  Here's the link!  Good luck, I hope they find a home with some lovely stylish young lady!

Even after feeling a little guilty from posting my lengthy Fall wishlist/things-in-my-closet-list, I made yet another ebay purchase last night.  I've been wanting a pair of these re-mix vintage shoes for so long, but at $162 they're still pretty pricey.  So I was really excited when I saw a pair of actual vintage 1940s shoes made by Cobbies (a Red Cross shoe brand) that look just like them, only in a solid ivory/off-white/beige color and for much much cheaper.  I hope they fit my feet and I can't wait to to get them in the mail, and I'll make sure to post a picture of them then.

The best thing about my new macbook is that I can watch Project Runway while typing this--my old laptop could never properly unless it was plugged in to the wall.  I hope Leanne puts some new (affordable) pieces in her Etsy store soon.  Also--where did the time go this evening?  I think it was spent learning Bowie and Elton John songs on the guitar :)

Edit://ahahahhahah I just had to add that Tim Gunn just said "that looks like a pterodactyl from a gay Jurassic Park".  Between that and Michael Kors's Jewish witticisms, it's no wonder I love Project Runway so much.

1. Vintage inspired t-strap pumps.  It seems like everyone and their grandmothers are going through a 30s/40s phase right now, and I would have to include myself in that bunch.  I'm still coveting those Chie Mihara Oda t-strap pumps from Anthropologie from last year (there's a pair in my size being auctioned on ebay right now!), but in the mean time I've purchased a simple brown pair made by Nine West.  They have a modest heel and wingtip detailing and are really comfortable for everyday wear.  

I've also been hunting for a pair of tan/light brown t-strap woven low-heeled sandals, and this pair seemed perfect and they were on sale for $19.99 at Bare Feet Shoes in Philly, but unfortunately they were just too narrow and looked weird on my feet.

2. Oxford lace-up pumps.  Yep, it seems like this oxford/lace-up shoes obsession just will not die.  And to tell the truth, I almost feel like I've gone a little overboard with this whole thing, but not enough that I really feel bad about it.  So after months and months of crazed ebay searches for vintage oxfords, I bought a very nice pair of low-heeled Ferragamos.  They're a bit narrow and a size too big, but they were only $10 so I love them nonetheless.  

I also broke down and bought a pair of Made by Elves "Evan" cut-out oxford pumps from Urban Outfitters.  Luckily they were on sale and they're in a lovely nude color.  The heels are a little high and they're about a 1/2 size too big, but with some Dr. Scholl's insoles, they're just right.  

Also, I managed to score a pair of those gorgeous purple Chie MIhara Ote suede noisemaker pumps at Anthropologie on sale + an extra 50% off--an unbelievable steal.  The only problem is that I love them so much that I'm even too afraid to wear them for fear of getting them dirty/ruining them...

3. Multi-strap mary jane pumps.  The ones made by Chloe are so lovely, but I love my Jeffrey Campbell ones in beige/off-white bought at a fraction of the cost from shoebungalow.com (with free shipping + 10% off the clearance price too!) just as much.

4. Lace-up riding boots.  I bought these early on in the summer when Fall seemed so far away.  Then I saw Urban Outfitters' Fall shoe line and was glad that I bought them so early and avoided the $150 pricetag and the inevitable rise in auction prices on ebay that would follow.  Actually, I also happened to find a pair of vintage Jordache buckle ankle boots/skimmers from Goodwill for less than $4 early in the summer, and now Urban Outfitters is selling a very similar shoe for $98.  Hooray for vintage finds!

5. Frye boots.  I can't tell you how many hours I spent on ebay searching for a decent pair of Frye boots.  Either I'd lose the auction at the last minute, or win the auction only to find that the boots were too small once they arrived.  Finally I decided to just splurge and took advantage of the buy-it-now option on these beautiful cuffed tall campus style Fryes in a lovely caramel/saddle brown.

6. 30s/40s inspired floral dresses.  I'm a little disappointed that The Edge of Love seems to not be opening in the states any time soon, because it would just fuel my 30s/40s mood even more.  But in the mean time I can always watch another Knightley period piece--Atonement (that gorgeous green dress!)  Anyways, here are some of my favorite dresses in my closet at this moment, the green one is from Anthropologie and the black one is from H&M.

7. Flapper dress.  After seeing Chicago a few years ago I had such a strong urge to buy a flapper dress and dance the Charleston all day.  I just bought one off of ebay a few days ago, and when I get it in the mail I'll put up a picture.

8. 60s mini dress.  So I know I'm all over the place now when it comes to decades, but I can't help but love long-sleeved 60s mini dresses.  I decided to finally buy this one from Etsy after I missed out on also buying a floral 40s style wiggle dress from the same store.  I couldn't let this one get away!

It's still not as nice as this elephant print dress worn by Liebemarlene though, which I would kill/give up half the dresses in my closet for.

9. Floral rompers.  I feel a little guilty for buying two of these from Urban Outfitters when I knew I could find cuter vintage ones for the same price but I just didn't feel like keeping track of bids so much.  Plus, these were on super sale so I don't feel so bad.  Also, I know the idea of grown women wearing rompers is a little funny, but I loved how Rachel McAdams looked in hers in The Notebook (the part where she runs from the car to her house and is surprised by her dad sitting on the porch--she's wearing a lovely little red floral romper) so I decided that dressed up, they are more like functional little dresses.

10. Plaid skirts.  I'm so so glad that I took that impromptu trip to Goodwill a couple of months ago where I found these two plaid skirts before I even thought about buying this $168 one from Anthropologie.  The pencil skirt is Emanuel Ungaro and I don't recognize the brand of the other one (it has pockets!), but both together were less than $6.

11. High-waisted menswear-inspired trousers.  Ok, so this may be the one thing that has changed dramatically in my taste from last year.  I used to hate wide-leg trousers because I thought they made me look so short and stubby, but I realized that if I wear heels instead of flats, that they actually look quite lovely.  These are a pair that I bought from Anthropologie many years ago but haven't worn much in the past few years.  They're not quite as high-rise as I would like them to be, but they still look nice with my t-strap pumps.

12. Neckties and bows on anything.  More of my favorite dresses and blouses in my closet right now.  Pink dress and blouse are from Anthropologie, the brown one (which needs to be shortened a bit) is vintage, via ebay.

13. Long leather gloves.  This is the 30s/40s bug speaking again.  I haven't really hounded ebay for these yet, but I'm sure I will find a pair soon...

14. Doctor bag.  I bought this along with my floral Urban Outfitters rompers, so I'll post a picture when I get them in the mail (hopefully soon?).  

15. Mustard yellow anything.  I don't think mustard yellow is really my color, but I love it so much that I don't really care.  Early in the summer I bought what was marked as a "mustard yellow shirt dress" from ebay, but it turned out that the material was a really thick knit, plus it is sort of A-line and has pockets and cute buttons--making it the perfect late Fall/early Winter coat!  (the color is a bit more muted than in the picture)

Also I bought this American Apparel "sleeveless funnel neck shift dress" off of ebay in melange mustard.  The shape doesn't do much for my body, but I like it layered over a long sleeve shirt and with a thin brown braided/woven belt.

I'm still coveting those Jeffrey Campbell mustard yellow t-strap pumps worn by the lovely Liebemarlene, but I can't find them anywhere!

Whew!  That's a mighty long list (and totally counter to my efforts to downsize, but I really have gotten rid of a lot of stuff this summer), but luckily I've got most of it covered, sans the gloves, mini dress, and trousers, so I guess this is really more like a list of things I'm looking forward to wearing this fall than things that I really want.  Plus, I'm starting a fashion blog in a couple of weeks so I guess I have to get in the swing of things.  Oh, and I can add red lipstick to the list, though I have no idea if that will turn out to look ghastly on me.  We shall see!

Also, my parents were nice enough to buy me a new guitar instead of me buying one for myself.  They didn't the Fender acoustic-electric or the Little Martin in stock at SamAsh, so I settled for another Yamaha, a FG700 acoustic.  It's kind of similar to our old guitar (which I realize now is 10+ years old, and the strings haven't been changed once!  oh boy...) but shinier and new and with better sound and rust-resistant strings that don't make my fingers bleed.  Darker guitar is the old one, lighter guitar is the new one.

Also, with my hard-earned summer job paychecks I bought a brand new macbook to replace my old Lenovo 3000.  Macs are really more compatible at swat, I never even got my wireless to work with my pc last year...

anddddddd look at our backyard!  so much corn!  organic vegetables! :)

I really really want it to be Fall already, but I feel that every year over the summer.  I just can't wait for crisp breezy Fall weather so that I can whip out my floral dresses and tights and cardigans and t-strap pumps.  I'm going through a very big 30s/40s phase right now, enough so that I even want to kind of see The Edge of Love, a period biopic about Dylan Thomas.  The costumes are truly lovely--what is it with Keira Knightley starring in period pieces with lovely costumes??? Atonement, Pride and Prejudice...and My Fair Lady soon (maybe?). 

that mustard cardigan!  that floral dress!  so so lovely...it almost makes me want to purchase a curling iron, but maybe I'll just start off with some red lipstick.

less than 3 weeks til I go back to Swat...haven't been on track with starting to review for Latin at all...

So I spent this past weekend in DC with my friend Eliza.  I took one of the Chinatown buses, the "New Century Travel" one (2000coach), and it wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either.  Tickets were $28 round trip, and while that's pretty cheap, it still didn't really make up for the cramped seating, the smell of the bathroom that wafted through the whole bus, and the chaotic manner of boarding the bus.  Two weekends ago I went to NYC via Bolt Bus, and it was an infinitely more pleasant experience--boarding near 30th street station, left on schedule, clean and spacious seating, no bad smells, no loud rattling like the bus is going to fall apart, free wi-fi, and orderly (somewhat) boarding.  Plus, tickets for Boltbus are cheaper than $20 round-trip (the price of Chinatown buses to NYC) sometimes--they can be as cheap as $1 if you're willing to get up in time to make the 6:30 AM bus!

DC itself was a very nice experience, although the city seemed so empty.  The metro is efficient and cheap, and sure beats Philly's public transportation system.  And even though apparently it's starting to fall apart now with age, it looked pretty new and clean to me, but I guess that's in comparison to Septa, which is a lot older.  So on Saturday it was a kind of downcast day out, so we decided to go to the National Gallery of Art with our friend Eric (also from Swat).  The special exhibit right now is "Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum in Kabul".  It was nice, but I kind of got the feeling that it was like a "oh well, we destroyed your country and now we're going to make up for it by salvaging some of your art", but it was interesting to see how Afghani art was so strongly influenced by Greek and Roman art.  Post-art museum trip (admission is free, btw, another way in which DC one-ups Philly) we went to this adorable little bookstore/coffeeshop called Politics & Prose that I loved.

That night we watched this god-awful movie called "Fat Girls", thinking that it would be hilariously bad, and it was--but almost painfully bad.  The director/writer, Ash Christian, self-indulgently cast himself as the lead role, and basically fails on all three fronts.  The sound and filming were bad, the script was bad, the acting was bad, the storyline was bad and full of already-done closeted-gay-male-living-in-small-rural-town-where-no-one-understands cliches.  All in only 82 minutes. 

Sunday was a day at the zoo, and then it was off to board the Chinatown bus again.  This time it took a full 3.5 hours to get back to Philly because of the traffic, but I guess I would still take it again.

Muse: Tracey Emin for Vivienne Westwood

Posted by Cajsa Lilliehook

My partner and I had a date last night and since he has been away for a week, i wanted a special dress and know he always likes my dresses from Art & Fashion. I knew he would love this one because he was going to get if for me for my birthday, but i had already purchased it.

If you don't know Lady Thera Taurog's work, you are in for a treat. Taking inspiration from great artist like Van Gogh, as in this dress, but also Monet, Cezanne, Magritte and Kandisky to name just a few, Lady Thera creates incredible fabrics by reimagining some of their great works. A lesser artist might clone stamp selections of the original art, but if you look at this dress or any of her others, you can see that she recreates the work - in new and beautiful homages to the original.

Now I have never asked her, but I assume Lady Thera likes to dance because she designs ideal dresses for dancing. The flexi-prims are soft and flowing, generously distributed and spaced artfully to give discreet flashes of thigh while you dance. Her dresses are designed with such craft that they retain their flow and soft romantic feeling while you dance.

The dress comes with an alternate top for more casual wear and with gloved sleeves as well. I combined it with dark blue shoes from Aphrodite Creations to match the dark blue in the bodice and a pair of long dangling earrings from Untone.

You can see more photos of the dress at my Flickr. Closer snap of the bodice and earrings as well as style notes after the jump.

• Shape: melli2 by Hatchy Mills
• Skin: Amy 05 by Laqroki
• Hair: Mandy Red by Muism
• Earrings:: Tsubaki by Untone
• Dress: Lady Thera's VAn Gogh Starry Night
• Shoes: Serenity Dk Blue by AphroditeCreations
• Pose by Lost Angel

There are dozens of creative, innovative designers in Second Life but there is only one Lady Thera Taurog. Lady Thera designs clothes that incorporate textures inspired by great masterpieces of the world's finest aritists. This dress is inspired by the iris paintings of Vang Gogh. Lady Thera doesn't just copy a texture square and paste it into her clothing texture, she reimagines the texture and incorporates it into the gown with innovation and imagination.

As a bonus, Lady Thera's flexi textures such as her skirts are amazing. They float, they sway, the move naturally as your body moves. Lady Thera is the sort of designer who once you own one of her items, you will want to own all of them...and luckily, she has her entire collection for sale in a box....though I noticed that far to late to benefit from the discount.

Wearing Shape Melli2 by hatchy mills, skin: amy 04 by RaC, Hair: Mandy by Muism, Eyes:L Soulful Hazel by IC Eyes. Dress: Iris by Lady Thera's Art & Fashion; Shoes: AC Serentity by Aphrodite Creations.

In thinking about what I want my wardrobe to look like when I'm finished with it, I would like to get rid of everything (except for really high-quality items) that I don't wear.  And that's a great deal of it--I'd say I only wear about 10-15% of my wardrobe regularly. 

Even though I'm getting rid of a lot of stuff, I would also like to make some new additions to my wardrobe.  Clothing not only represents your aesthetics, but also about your habits as a consumer.  So for 2008 (and beyond), I'm going to try to buy more clothes that are made without unethical labor practices (i.e. sweatshop free) and more clothes made with organic cotton.  I'm also thinking about buying organic cotton bedding.

It's so hard to tell what's sweatshop free and what's not.  Even if it's made in the USA, that doesn't gurantee that it's made any more fairly than elsewhere in the world.  But good ol' American Apparel is pretty reliable, and reasonably priced, which I guess is why it's such a staple among college students.  And even better, they've recently included a few organic pieces into their store.

The organic fine jersey tee comes in a girly or unisex fit and a handful of beautiful and rich colors.  I particularly like ultraviolet (as shown above) and galaxy.  It sells for $15.

The organic unisex fine jersey v-neck tee comes only in natural, but I think it has a slimmer fit and longer sleeves than the normal fine jersey v-neck.  It sells for $17.

For denim, everything made by Loomstate is 100% organic cotton.  Since it's premium denim, their jeans are a bit pricey, and they're also quite difficult to find.  Levi's also has an "eco" denim line.  The skinny jeans shown below retail for $68, which isn't that bad.

And of course, I've also been on the hunt for a solid and sturdy canvas bag/tote that isn't so frumpy looking.  Luckily, after the "I'm not a plastic bag" craze, a lot of designers have been coming out with eco-friendly bags.  I particularly like this one by Beau Soleil that's made from organic cotton and has lots of small compartments/pockets.  It sells for $44 from shopbop.com.

As for the Frye boots that I'm still coveting, I'm going to go hunting for them at vintage stores in the city on Monday.  I look on wardrobe_remix and it seems as though somehow everyone has managed to buy a pair for ridiculously cheap prices (as low as 25 cents!) at yard sales, thrift stores, etc., so maybe I'll have some luck tomorrow.

13-year old Briony Tallis is a budding writer with a dangerous imagination, one that causes her to mix up fantasy and reality, one that causes a lie that destroys the lives of Cecilia, her sister, and Robbie Turner.  Wrecked by guilt, it is only years later that Briony seeks atonement.

I first read the book Atonement, by Ian McEwan, as assigned reading for AP Eng. Lit two years ago.  The book was overall enjoyable and readable, I just didn't know what it was doing in an AP lit class. 

The book, however, does transpose onto film beautifully.  Saoirse Ronan does a great job of portraying young Briony, as I found myself hating her for her arrogance, her naive but know-it-all attitude.  But Keira Knightley and James McAvoy steal the show--their chemistry together as Cecilia and Robbie is undeniable.  Although the movie is a bit heavy-handed at times, the ending brought me to tears (especially because I had forgotten what would happen).

And whoever was in charge of costumes did a great job--the green dress Knightly wears is absolutely stunning.

Edit:// I just had to include another picture of that dress to do it some justice.  The cut, the color, the drape...absolutely gorgeous.

Unfortunately, it was custom made  and designed for Knightley by the film's costume designer Jacqueline Durran, so it's not like you can even buy it in stores anywhere.  Damn I wish I could pull off 1930s clothing like Knightley does.

So should I do it?  Should I break down and spend the 200-something dollars?  And what color?

Saddle, banana, or dark brown?  I think I prefer saddle...

Unfortunately, during sales, shirts tend to sell out incredibly fast.  I wanted this shirt, called "One Handprint of Nature" but of course it's sold out already:

click here to check out the sale...

edit://I forgot to mention that today is also the late Kurt Vonnegut's birthday.  I'm sure he would've found it amusing that he shares a birthday with such a funny holiday.  RIP Mr. Vonnegut, we miss you.

Man were they fast!  By the end of that same day that I placed my order, they had already processed the order and shipped it out to go.  It arrived today, and much to my surprise, this is what came in the mail:

Not only was the delivery prompt, but they also gave me an Of Montreal pin and an Owen sticker!  Plus, instead of the shirt being a youth medium in a Hanes 50/50 shirt, it ended up being a girl's medium American Apparel t-shirt!  So it fits better and it's sweatshop free!  and to top it all off, an air head in my favorite flavor, watermelon.  Polyvinyl records, you are too cute!

So here is what I love about this year's fall fashion:

Deep, rich color palettes in hues like purple, red, green, blue, mustard yellow.  All of the clothes below are from J.Crew's fall collection, which has a lot of very simple styles in bold colors. 

Knee socks or over-the-knee socks over tights.  I can't really find a good picture of this though.

Bright colored jeans and cords.  And yes, I still like them skinny; wide-leg jeans just look terrible on short people.  Below: by BDG, from Urban Outfitters.

Lace-up pumps, stacked heel pumps, anything oxford or spectator style. (first row) The first two are from Chie Mihara and available at Anthropologie, as are the third and fourth.  The fifth shoe is Marc by Marc Jacobs. (second row) first two are from Frye, but all three are available at Urban Outfitters.

Berets.  I've been hand-knitting a ton of these, they're so fast and easy!  Ones below are from Urban Outfitters.

DIY fashion!  My sewing machine has been collecting dust recently, so I'm trying to get re-motivated (at least somewhat) before college by buying some sewing books.