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Archive for July, 2011

Mushroom Death Suit

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

There’s not really a lot to say about this article beyond the title of this post. To sum it up, in case you’re not interested in reading it yourself, artist and inventor (a surefire mad scientist combination if I ever saw one) Jae Rhim Lee is cultivating mushrooms to eat her body after she dies as a more eco-friendly way of dealing with death. Behind this project is the belief that humans need to be more accepting of death and not damage the environment in an attempt to deny its existence. She’s actually creating a suit that the mushrooms will grow on that would be put on the corpse to decompose it.

The article is fascinating, but I think it’s also rather creepy. I’m not sure if this is because I haven’t really accepted death or if it’s because decomposition and breaking down the body really freak me out. I personally want to be cremated once I’ve gone, since I think it’s kind of a waste of space to keep my husk around. Also kind of nasty. On the bright side, at least she’s using mushrooms and not worms.

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Changing It Up

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

OK, so I think that this blog thing isn’t quite working for me. Or rather, this style of blogging. So far, I’ve been trying to write posts mostly about fashion and similar to blogs that I really like in the past. But it’s been sort of an uphill fight with my Impostor Syndrome issues and the fact that I’m just plain lazy.

So! Instead of trying to do structured blog posts with daily outfits and insightful comments about fashion, I’m going to try something new. Every time I would post a link to zephyr or Google+ or something similar, I’m going to instead put it on my blog. It may or may not have commentary, and it will more likely than not be about fashion or design, because I’m still really interested in those. I will still try to put up pictures of outfits that I’m wearing that I think are notable in some way. I may start taking random pictures of people on the street (assuming it doesn’t get me punched out or something). Anyway, to start out with, I would like to share a quote from a random blog post that the Keachinator shared with me:

THIS CONVERSATION LEFT ME WITH NOTHING TO SAY

Nora was in her usual post-shower goofy mood. Something about getting wet makes her a nutcase. Maybe we should think about switching shampoos.

Nora: Look at this string! It’s from my sock.

Me: Okay.

Nora: It’s like a memory. A memory of my sock!

Me: Mmmm.

Nora: And if I hold it like this [holds string horizontally] it’s like past and future. Okay, listen. Say today is to your left, okay? And to your right, is [spooky voice] 100 MILLION YEARS AGO. Everything’s fine, though. But watch! [Tilts string diagonally to the right] OH NO! THE ECONOMY OF THE WORLD IS RUINED!

Me: [speechless]

Nora: [mostly to herself, more spooky voice] Which way should I tilt it? WHICH…WAY…? The Earth is spinning around and [tilt] OH NO NOT AGAIN! NO MORE ECONOMY! [pause] Anyway. Say goodbye to the memory string! [goes to throw it in the garbage]

Me: [more boggling, more speechlessness]

Seriously, what the hell was that? With the time travel and the string and the economic collapse? Should I get Madeleine L’Engle and Alan Greenspan on the line?

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Alice

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

So I decided today to try a more whimsical outfit (versatility etc). I’ve used the same shoes and the same colors as the last one.

The shirt is from Putomayo, a Japanese lolita/punk brand. The text references the Wizard of Oz, although I think the decor looks more Alice in Wonderland-ish. I also have this hilariously adorable and sort of macabre hoodie from them that you’ll probably see at some point.

The puffy skirt, a favorite of mine, is from a random store in the basement of Kichijoji station, where I spent a lot of my time my first summer in Tokyo. It’s very versatile, and I like how it makes my waist look smaller because of its volume. The one problem with the skirt is that the ties that hold it in that puffy shape often come undone, and fixing them in public is sort of awkward.

The hat that I’m wearing has been called by friends my Mario hat and my communist hat, among other things. I happen to think it’s really cute and helps, along with my shoes and giant cherry earrings, add a bit of color to the very monochrome outfit. I got it in Paris when I was on my crazy backpacking trip in March. The cherries were a gift from Jasmine during our last round of Secret Stereotype (er, don’t ask). They were a gag gift and are a bit heavy, but I’ve actually worn them a bunch since then.

Also, I got a haircut recently! My hair’s wet because I’d just come out of the shower, but here you go:

Every time my hair gets to about chin length, I start dithering over whether or not I want to grow it out or cut it all off again. Inevitably, I’ll be walking somewhere or have a couple hours free, and I’ll almost impulse decide that I want it gone. This time I went to the John Brody Salon in the Castro and asked them to cut my hair like Kate Lanphear.

I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t turn out as well, since my face isn’t as thin as hers is, but I think it turned out pretty well. Hopefully I’ll be as stylish as she is one day.

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It Lives!

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

I have finally started sewing again. I got home yesterday around 6:30PM and sewed until about 3AM, with an hour or two off for food and showering. It’s brilliant.

Every time I sew for long periods of time, I want to quit my day job and just keep sewing. I’ve said it before, but it’s probably still true: I think I’m in the wrong industry.

So the project I’m working on has been simmering in the back of my mind for quite a while. I have a bunch of t-shirts that I no longer wear but for various sentimental reasons, don’t want want to throw away. So I’m taking some of those shirts (I think it will take 5 or 6 shirts) and making them into a jacket. I spend a while yesterday dithering over the design, but this is what I finally settled on:

Hopefully my sewing abilities surpass my drawing abilities – the sort of squiggly mess in the back of the coat is going to be like half of a double circle skirt – I want it to swish a lot, but I decided that the fabric didn’t quite work for a carefully tailored tailcoat like I had first imagined it.

Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

The back of the shell:

Say no to scurvy!

Posted in creations | 2 Comments »

This Is Just To Say

Friday, July 8th, 2011

I have eaten
the brains
that were in
your head

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so squishy
and warm

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No Place Like Home

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

So I’ve been reflecting on my personal style lately, and on top of it being really monochrome, I’ve been thinking that it’s a bit … juvenile. It’s often cute, punky, a little weird, but not really elegant. So this outfit is an attempt to mix it up a bit while still keeping my own style.

I really like the tux shirt+vest combination. It appeases my occasional cross-dressing tendencies but is still fitted and stylish, unlike my cargo shorts. I really like men’s formal wear – I own a tux jacket with tails, and I hope to get a men’s kimono one day.

I really like how bright the skirt is – it adds a lot of color so that my outfit isn’t monochrome like with the pants suit pants I would usually wear, contrasts well against the tights, and (mostly) matches my shoes. I haven’t worn it a lot because I feel like the red can sometimes be a bit difficult to match with things. Too much red in an outfit can be a bit blinding, and this skirt in particular is also a bit darker than the cherry red that most of my other things are. The skirt’s shape is also different from what I usually wear – I like a-line skirts because they better disguise the lump of fat around my stomach.

The tights are the Wolford Hero tights, which Audi introduced to me. I debated with myself about buying them for a while – they’re quite a bit more expensive than any other tights I own. When I saw they were on sale, I snapped them up, and I’m so glad that I did. The stripping really emphasizes the shape of my calves, which I think are one of my best features. Also I love the way they feel with the skirt brushing against them. I may have been converted to buying pricier tights.

I got my shoes at Fluevog (sensing a pattern?) a month after I moved to SF, and they were my first non-black/brown shoes. I’ve worn them a lot since getting them, and I always feel more fashionable when I do thanks to the bright color. I also like how the shape makes them a bit whimsical and playful – sort of Dorothy in Oz and sort of Japanese schoolgirl-ish. Hopefully they don’t take away from the more adult/elegant look that I’m trying for.

Sorry the photo quality’s a bit poor – we snapped this picture while running out the door this morning and in between searching for Erik’s shoe (which he still hasn’t found). The corner you see is in the living room of my new place, which is currently a barren wasteland. Besides the trash can and the pile of boxes left from moving, all that is in the room is my futon from Tokyo folded up on the floor. We’ve been using it as temporary seating while watching Arrested Development on Erik’s laptop. Hopefully we’ll get some real chairs or even a couch soon …

Posted in outfits | 1 Comment »

Has anyone in this family ever even seen a chicken?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

About a month ago, my friend Melanie sent me this link, which is about feathers in the fashion industry. Apparently in the last year or so, feather prices have risen by 300-700%, and fishermen are having trouble obtaining feathers for their lures. The writer links the trend to the circus performance group El Circo, which started around 12 years ago and to whom the San Francisco Bay Guardian credits the creation of the post-apocalyptic fashion associated with Burning Man.

I was very amused, therefore, to see photos from Jean Paul Gaultier’s winter/fall 2011 collection today and the large number of feathers in evidence.

From the Washington Post:

PARIS — Jean Paul Gaultier was the fox in the proverbial hen-house, serving up a feather-filled and plumage-plastered fall-winter 2011-12 haute couture collection on Wednesday.

Every conceivable bird was there. Rooster, ostrich, swan, turkey and pheasant feathers peeked out from the hemlines of trench coats and fluttered out from beneath the necklines of bustiers and other Gaultier staples. And even when they weren’t visible from the outside, the feathers were there on the inside, stuffing the puffer jackets and A-line skirts made from down-filled duvets.

Some of my favorites:

The first dress is a bit different from what I normally like – more feathers, for one, but also brighter and with a busier mix of colors. I’ve been trying to brighten my personal style though, which has been pretty monochrome since I started college, where all the free t-shirts and the convenient BDUs were black. Additionally, I love the shape – the flaring reminds me of 50s dresses. The next two dresses are pretty classic me, I think, both in color (dark) and style. I’ve liked sleeveless garments ever since I played soccer in high school and sleeves were just one more thing to get in the way of smooth movement. The lack of sleeves emphasizes the model’s shoulders, making her look stronger, and the length really compliments her height. The third dress, on the French artist Mylene Farmer, is just gorgeous – I love the flaring shorter front and the bustle-like back. It’s almost like a reverse-colored wedding dress, which reminds me of when I told my mother around when I was 7 that I wanted to have a black wedding dress (she was pretty unhappy). I also just love how crazy the fourth design is – the Telegraph tells me that Jean Paul Gaultier was the first to propose dresses for men in the 1980s, and man, he’s still at it. I love the gradient on the feathers.

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Vrooom

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

I’ve finally managed to move everything out of my old apartment, although I still have the keys to the place (oops, need to return those…). I’ve also managed to do a reasonable amount of cleaning in my new room, so it’s not quite a disaster zone. I’ve still got piles of clothes that want to be packed away or turned into other clothes lying around, but I’ve only got two boxes left to unpack. Progress!

What this all means is that I can finally start sewing again! I’ve moved my lovely sewing machine out of Monument and into my room, and it now occupies the place of honor near the windows overlooking the Haight.

Sorry the lighting’s bad – I snapped these photos quickly before running of to work this morning, so it’s all sort of back lit.

Here’s a closer photo of the arm of the machine:

And one from the other side so that the lighting’s better:

I got this gorgeous machine for less than $150 off of Craigslist – the guy I bought it from thinks it’s probably from the 1950s or so. It needs a bit of oil, but other than that works really smoothly and looks like it’s been pretty well taken care of. The motor sounds amazing.

I can’t wait to start turning all the scraps in my room into gorgeous clothes.

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Mugler’s Homer

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

I haven’t been posting this week because I just got a new apartment and have been moving. The new place is awesome! My new room is more than twice the size of my old one, and the kitchen is incredible. And now I have enough room to have my sewing machine, so it’s time to start all those projects I’ve had in mind.

In other news, today I watched the video of the Mugler Fall 2011 Women’s collection, and it is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The whole thing is stunning – the music, the hair styles, make up, stage, everything. And of course the clothing is amazing. But it actually went beyond that for me. I’ve always thought that fashion was about communicating human struggles with human things – modern Epics constructed out of cloth and dreams, wrapped around the bodies of men and women, put to music and placed on a stage. But I’ve never felt it as fiercely I did when watching this video. I don’t know what it was, but something about it really rang with me. I might be crazy, or maybe it’s just the fact that it’s really late, or maybe Nicola Formichetti is just an absolute genius. I’m going to have to watch this a few more times to figure this out.

Actually talking about the collection though: I love the silhouettes of Formichetti’s designs. The sculpted sleeves and the elegant, sleek lines remind me strongly of skeletons. Combined with the archways, it all brought me back to the Catacombs in Paris, which I explored this last March. The makeup and the hair, however, still give it a very alive, intense element. Details as small as the smooth, glossy arcs made by the models’ ponytails snapping around as the they turned on the catwalk really stand out to me.

My absolute favorite look is the first one down the runway. I love how it’s androgynous and almost masculine, especially combined with how the model’s hairstyle, but still somehow emphasizes the elegance of her very feminine body at the same time. I also love the juxtaposition of her very graceful, classic runway walk with the almost drunken stagger near the beginning.

This is why I love fashion.