sip and shop

Her goal is to make a difference by bringing money back to the community, which is why proceeds from this year’s Sip & Shop at Chapel Bar (July 24th, 6p-10p) are going to Sew Beautiful – a local organization offering youth empowerment programs for young women of color by incorporating fashion and art. The event also brings the focus back to local designers and artists including Otra Vez, Flutterbudget Jewelry, Mac Fashion House, and Cookie Lee among others.

Fashion and art seem to be common themes in Kanika’s life – after graduating from WSU and putting in two years in the corporate world, she realized how important it was to get back to these childhood passions, while still thinking outside the box. She had always been driven to draw and sketch, but she felt that in the very complacent working world that drive gets lost. It’s like running on a hamster wheel, forgetting what you love to do. She had always gone against the grain stylistically, crediting her mom for her fashion sense.

Looking outside her Washington roots, Kanika realized that if you’re going to do fashion you go to New York – the “capital of fashion” here in the US. She applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where she realized that it was meant to be, as everything began to slide into place. While at FIT she began to flex her career muscles in fashion merchandising and management. She still took time out to mentor – working with BlackGirlsRock Inc, a DJ program set on empowering and broadening the horizons for young women of color. Her motto was simple; work to engage young girls in something that interested them, planting seeds for brighter futures.

School has taught her a lot about business, and the fashion world; especially how everything trickles down the corporate ladder. She understood that the movers and shakers in New York recognized this – for example Michael Kors was incredibly hands-on and pleasant. This taught her to get in, make her mark, and remember that attitude is everything. New York was the experience of a lifetime.

Of her internships, she says,

“It made me realize what kind of a person I was. I left my comforts – my car, my apartment, etc – to follow a passion. I went from comfort to freedom, challenge and obstacles. It taught me how much courage I had to really pursue what I was most passionate about. I learned how to operate with integrity no matter how long the day is or how people talked. I didn’t quit and I continued to persevere. And many times I wanted to throw in the towel, but I didn’t. I left with a New York state-of-mind: Keep going and power through. It’s much easier to be in your comfort zone than to step out of that. It makes you realize that everything does happen the way it should.”

And it’s that drive and passion she’s brought to Seattle for the Sip & Shop events.

Kanika and Samarah both went to school together and then left the Pacific Northwest, only to reunite here again to incorporate fashion, community, and networking. The first Sip & Shop event was held at Waids last year, as a benefit for the Umoja Peace Center. Kanika and Samarah planned the event from scratch – from start to finish with no street team to help; the biggest challenge was to make the dream a reality. Kanika smiles when she talks about their first event, recalling their success with over 75 attendees, and a number of artfully hand-picked vendors.

This year they’ve stepped up the scale, bringing in twice the number of vendors to Capitol Hill’s hip digs. Working with Chapel Bar, Kanika and Samarah have an even more exciting event planned this year, including VIP goodies and the fashion show presented by Mac Fashion House (8p). The event will offer a fantastic combination of music, art, fashion and community, and the venue couldn’t be more perfect. Each vendor is meticulously hand-picked, Chapel will offer appetizers and cocktails, DJ Topspin will provide the music, and guests are invited to relax, to Sip & Shop.

Related posts:

1. Wholestyle Manifesto
2. NYFW Envy!
3. Links à la Mode: Playing Dress-Up

From their summer 2010 lookbook:

Your orbit string art poncho & savoy pant - Wear it to northwest art openings at Jam Fest galleries (Like Cullom Gallery) while waxing poetic on Hiroshige’s influence on impressionist art

Flaming heart tank & denim legging - Wear it to work with a boyfriend blazer to battle the difference between the AC in your office and the blazing summer heat.

Pointelle leggings & bullet cami - Wear it on date night, while you’re sipping mojitos and watching the sun set on Alki.

Asymmetrical wrap, flame skirt & pointelle leggings - Wear it to your friend’s Friday shindig at Golden Gardens – because the beach is the best place to picnic and people watch.

The Day Dress - Wear it to that afternoon wedding because it’s both sleek and daytime-casual.

Can you tell I’m enamored?  Also, how do I fill my closet with all these things?  Their website offers a bundle of stores who carry the line including Clementine in West Seattle and a quick list of online retailers.   In fact, Tobi is carrying this hoodie that would be perfect for our strange Seattle weather:

And check out what others are saying about the line.  What do you think, ladies? Love it?

Related posts:

1. Heart of the Nile
2. Style Vs. Fashion: Links à la Mode
3. New Top

Fashion History, Doing it Yourself, and Breaking Stereotypes

Edited by: Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista

My first week editing the Links a`la Mode and it was such a pleasure to peruse the latest jewels from the blogosphere! Imagine viewing the history of fashion through the lens of a exhibition or a syllabus of what you wish was taught. How about taking inspiration from the latest Jeffery Campbell shoe and tricking out your own for less? Better yet, let’s talk about the “nude” trend and its color classification, and while we are at it, let’s question the newest movement in advertising campaigns: Unretouched and real beauty- a breakthrough or a publicity stunt? From fashion tips, finds, and favorite things, this week’s links a`la mode will satiate your hunger for full frontal fashion!

Links à la Mode: June 24th

• Bay Area Style File Shoptalk: Stript Wax Bar
• Bonne Vie Is “nude” a problem? Or just a color palette?
• Fashion Butter How to deal with the girls (dressing a larger chest)
• Fasshonaburu looks back at the fashion rules she set for herself at the beginning of the year to see how’s she’s done following them
• Fish Tank Fashion Are “unretouched” and “real beauty” advertising campaigns just a publicity stunt?
• Grit and Glamour Photography for the Amateur, Stagefright-Afflicted Blogger
• Hello Beauty have a new makeup lesson video with the Bobbi Brown Beach Collection and Treatment Lip Shines on hello beauty! The lesson is by Bobbi Brown education executive Katrina Rau.
• Intrinsically Florrie From 50s swimwear to an 18th century duchess’s wardrobe; a look at her college’s fashion exhibition
• Living Embellished Take a course in Fashion History…you know, what you always wished your college offered!
• Lovely & Lavish With the help of a stylish scarf you can transform an everyday getup into a chic outfit, Lovely & Lavish explores this season’s best accessory!
• Meowsk Dressing for the playground, reminiscent of recess.
• Miss Jones and Me Shares a Few of her Favorite Things
• Miss Vinyl Ahoy DIY Jeffrey Campbell Tick shoes for under $20!
• Profresh Style Combining prints & textures
• Retro Chick Frock love: Hot picks from the world of reproduction vintage
• Simply Luxurious Summer items to add to your wardrobe
• Stylish Thought Everyone Loves a Quirky Girl: Examining quirky style and women who dress the part
• The Coveted Under the Sea, Closeup view of Cynthia Rowley’s Resort 2011 Collection
• The Curvy Fashionista The opening of Full Figured Fashion Week NYC 2010
• Wicked Whimsy How to build up a versatile & comfortable array of shoes
• Tog and Trappings Les flâneurie: How observation of life can inspire creativity

Related posts:

1. Style Vs. Fashion: Links à la Mode
2. Links à la Mode: Beyond Fashion
3. Links à la Mode : The Heavyweights

Image from rangefinderforum.com

There has been so much heated talk about ‘nude’ in fashion lately that seeing this article from Elle blogs about the runway nails trend was a breath of fresh air.  It seems to me that nude is not necessarily a good name for color, but it’s worth noting that nude is a great look concept – for example, “mannequin hands”.  OPI has developed several shades with a nude palette in mind, like a color story instead of one catch-all color.

Image from Newsodrome.com

Using “nude” as more of a color theory and a set of “tones”, rather than a color description means more matching things to your own skin tone (like foundation, girls).  It means that a nude shoe is totally your unique experience because you want something that blends to make your leg look longer.  You’re looking for something within a range of colors that suits you – it could be sand, it could be tawny, it could be porcelain, it could be honey or toffee.   Calling things a “nude trend” indicates that what’s “in” is your skin tone – where the model it’s on (you) dictates what “nude” is.

Once more for the ladies:  to wear the nude tones means picking things that complement your own skin.

Maybe to change this whole concept of “nude” and the angry debates over skin tones that follow, we need to just realize that the wide consensus is this: there’s no specific color for the term nude, much like the term “chocolate” could be indicative of a variety of shades.

Ashe Mischief asks, “Are you going to be mad that a shade of brown is described as chocolate and it doesn’t match your skin if you’re African American? That you’re dark chocolate colored and not milk chocolate colored? Or not amaretto caramel fudge colored?  I am damn disappointed my flesh is not named after yummy candy, and I get disappointing words like beige and taupe (which are too yellow for me).  What do I get?  Peach? Fuck that shit.  You can call me Petit Four White, please.”

Nude tones are as varied as the people on this planet.  Use a nude palette as your color theory instead of a considering the color like a Pantone swatch.  “‘Nude’ covers an array of shades like whites, pinks, yellows, beiges, ivories and browns, so why get bogged down by terminology?”

Manufacturers and designers know that nude is a palette – using names like chai, wheat, and flax within the group of nude tones.   It only seems to be reporters and mags who are still in the dark.  In thinking about the underlying semantics, we have the ability to shed a conscious light on a wide palette of colors and make nude tones more accessible.  As Michelle from Wicked Whimsy reminds us, “fashion magazines have a tendency to use the narrowest selection of models possible.”  So when Marie Claire does that mag shoot for “nude”, we expect it might all be “porcelain”, which is a nude tone on the ONE white model they used (why were there not other models? Budget cuts maybe?  That’s a different problem in itself).  We all know damn well, those models aren’t representative of a wide majority of people in any way, shape or form.

Image from Jezebel.com

Hell, even I know that most nude tones (including that Marie Claire photo) would never match my skin tone with its ruddy pink here, brown there and delicious freckles.  It’s worth noting though, that the term nude is not that big a deal since it’s consistently considered a palette rather than one specific color (Pantone?  You hear me?  Nude isn’t a color, dudes.  Even CRAYOLA says so).   Picking a nude tone is like picking a foundation off a rack of different tones.  Brush off that anger because the world is ignorant (yes, darling.  It’s true, but as Ashe mentioned, “you’re making mountains out of molehills”.  Anger gets us nowhere.) … and maybe send Marie Claire a *nice* note about using more variety in their models instead of being angry at the fashion world for the name of one of it’s color palettes.

Related posts:

1. Color Alchemy
2. Wholestyle Manifesto
3. New at The Demoiselles: Who Are You Dressing For?

So when my class was asked to view the Fleeting Beauty exhibit at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, I was thrilled – especially because our tour of the museum was with none other than the exhibit’s collectors, Mary and Allan Kollar.  Fleeting, it is – each print depicts the ‘Floating World’, a culture surrounding the licensed red-light district in Edo.  There are scenes from kabuki theaters, tea houses and of course, brothels.  Each print depicts a number of lifestyles; courtesans, lovers, samurai, geisha, actors and Chonin – the townsmen who frequented this world.  For a little over 200 years, the society thrived and lives on through the bold lines, intricate detail, and color.  The color itself is fleeting too – Allan, the collector, mentioned that it was rare to see some of the colors in the prints; some of the pinks, and vibrant greens would have faded away to grays and tans.  Many of the reds have turned to black – the prints themselves are as fleeting as the world they embody.  He mentioned that once the exhibit is over, the prints won’t even be the same as they were the day they were hung.  That fact alone strikes a chord with anyone viewing these prints – everything about them embodies the floating world, from the figures in them to the disappearing color.

Kollar says that we’re lucky in that we have at least two pieces in the collection that we absolutely should not have, including Hokusai’s “Red Fuji” and this work:

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Hokusai’s most famous print, the first in the series 36 Views of Mount Fuji.

It was there, in majestic blues, Hokusai’s most famous print; in fact, probably the most well known woodblock print.  It hung, almost suspended in time – the real thing on a wall at the Asian Art museum.   The most amazing part was that you could see the oarsmen in each boat as they fight the swell – man versus nature.  There they were, struggling, tiny layers of lines laid down – all the layers stacked on top of one another – and it wasn’t a far stretch to imagine all the time that went into creating the print – between the designer, the carver, the artist, the publisher.

The following print, Kollar mentioned, would have at least 8 plates, colors stacked on top of one another.

“Plum Garden,” Utagawa Hiroshige, 1856-’58.

These prints were important in many areas of life: in fashion, they depict characters in haute couture – fashion guides driving the popular mode of dress.  In fact, designers would copy the artists renderings to bring the à la mode to life.  The fashions of courtesans were copied onto print and Japanese women learned to copy hairstyles, mode of dress, and poses.

The prints often satirized the cultural norms, showing humor in the glamorous lifestyle – a tongue in cheek commentary.  Many of the prints were somewhat erotic and were produced for erotic catalogues – a robe here, a smile there, hands here – but whose hands are they?  At times the prints are sweet and serene, busy and frenetic or highly sexually charged.  There’s so much depth in each print that is only seen through careful consideration.  It was humbling to see the detail in each artwork – there, in true form, like no artisan has been able to produce since.

“Courtesan Seated Smoking With an Adolescent Client,” Kitagawa Utamaro, 1799

The exhibition is impressive, and the background behind it is fascinating.  In time, the color will be washed away as was the fleeting beauty of Edo itself.

Related posts:

1. Beauty Defined
2. Winter Inspirations
3. A Picture of Beauty

Image from "My culture is not a trend" on Tumblr - the girl on the right? guh! *shudders*

Michelle of Wicked Whimsy and I had this conversation a few months back and we affirmed our stance that when you’re going to borrow “looks” you should at least know what you’re borrowing – know why your look is significant to a culture, so that you can respectfully represent that people/symbol/culture.  Know that there are things that would totally piss people off if you just wore it around like nobody’s business.

So what does that mean when it comes to headdresses?  (I love this image because it displays the significant item with such taste – it’s about the item, not the human figure wearing it.)

From My Culture is Not a Trend

This?  This is the first thing you think of when talking about feather headdresses.  This is a War Bonnet.  Stop and think for a minute about the implications of that name…

From Native Languages.org:

Warbonnets (or war bonnets) are the impressive feather headdresses commonly seen in Western movies and TV shows. Although warbonnets are the best-known type of Indian headdress today, they were actually only worn by a dozen or so Indian tribes in the Great Plains region […]

Warbonnets were important ceremonial regalia worn only by chiefs and warriors. Also, only men wore warbonnets. (Women sometimes went to war in some Plains Indian tribes, and there were even some female chiefs, but they never wore these masculine headdresses.)

In the 1800′s, Native American men from other tribes sometimes began to wear Plains-style warbonnets. Partially this was because of the American tourist industry, which expected Native Americans to look a certain way. Partially it was because many Native American tribes were forced to move to Oklahoma and other Indian territories during this time in history, so tribes that used to live far apart began adopting customs from their new neighbors. In most cases, the feather warbonnet did not have the same significance among the new tribes that adopted it. For them, it was a matter of fashion or a general symbol of authority. But for the Plains Indian tribes, feather warbonnets were a sacred display of a man’s honor and courage, and each feather told a story. Eagle feathers are still sometimes awarded to Plains Indians who serve in the military or do other brave deeds today.

Did you earn the feathers in your headdress?  I know that’s a loaded question to ask, but did you think of that when you purchased that little sweatshop-made gem at Urban Outfitters (of all places)?  And as Michelle noted: “…as far as “ceremonial” items go, not all Natives even have access to these cultural relics any more, due to the poverty within the community.  This makes it especially douchey for UO to do cheap, appropriating knock offs.”  I concur!  And Michelle brought to mind a good point from the Threadbared article:

“So while it’s great that you can walk around feeling like hot shit in your feathered headband, there are many Native Americans still too ashamed or afraid to even discuss their ethnicities or cultures with their children. “

On a contrary note, I have respect for the girl who builds her headdress herself – and I wonder if that’s just being contradictory.  The Warbonnet clearly irks me… but can I really blame the girl who makes her own feather headband?  Hell, I enjoy sticking a feather or two in my hair and heading out to a party.  And are feathers in your hair only representative of indigenous people?  I think using the headdress that looks like a warbonnet – with dipped feathers and all – for all intents and purposes is appropriating something that’s culturally significant.  Pairing it with warpaint is incredibly more ridiculous (I’m talking to you, girls who dress like this for their Myspace pictures)!

From My Culture is Not a Trend

When you look at the meaning there:

The Indian headband is also well-known from movies and other popular images of Native Americans. However, this style of headband was typically only used by a few tribes of the northeast Woodlands. Usually the headband consisted of a finger-woven or beaded deerskin strip with tribal designs on it. This band was then tied around the brow with a feather or two tucked through the back. Not only eagle feathers but turkey, hawk, egret, and crane feathers were also used for Woodland Indian headbands.

Unlike many of the Native American headdresses… both men and women wore headbands, which were not associated with war. The number and type of feather did not usually have special symbolic meaning, though in a few tribes that bordered the Plains eagle feathers were reserved for warriors. For the most part, Woodland Indian head bands were worn for their beauty, and were often decorated with intricate patterns, wampum, beads, and quillwork.

Here, you’re not taking the honor that you may not have earned and turning it into your next hipster party gag.  And where do we draw the line between honoring a culture and oppressing them?  As Ashe Mischief pondered: “and in theory, if I wore one, albeit a sparkly one, how do we know I’m not saying, I’m a modern leader among my tribe?”  To make one yourself – using colors and decor significant to your human experience – is that truly taboo?  In my opinion, if you make yourself a headband to wear feathers in your hair, you’ve earned it (though I still advise against using the warbonnet as a point of cultural significance – I don’t dress like Geisha for shits and giggles, or an evening out and I definitely don’t wear a Ganesha mask to dress-up parties) – but I think that if you didn’t bead that shit yourself (therefore putting your own cultural story into it), or obtain it from someone who made it as cultural memorabilia to celebrate their heritage, stealing cultural symbols is basically as taboo as buying counterfeit bags and slanging them as the real thing.  We all know it’s cooler to DIY anyhow.

Michelle says:

I found extending appropriation to some items a little odd. In a few posts about appropriation I’ve seen it extended to items like bone jewelry, which presents a bit of a conundrum for me…

Something like bone jewelry has existed in a huge variety of cultures over the years, not all of them Native American. Wearing bone or other bits of animals (for lack of a better term!) has a long history …

As the above, previously referenced commenter put it:

“Dressing up as “a Native American” furthers the already popular notion that they aren’t real, diverse, complex human beings.”

I remember a conversation with my dad about the Atlanta Braves – he didn’t see the name as an issue because the team played well and wanted to show their honor and proud, fighting-spirit.  Where does that differ from wearing a headband with a feather in it?  A warbonnet? Does the meaning of the item/word/idea have relevance in making that distinction between appropriate and culturally insensitive It seems as if we’re picking and choosing – but it comes down to not picking and choosing.  Lumping all these unique cultures into one denies their uniqueness.  Dressing with influence from indigenous people is different than dressing like a “Native American”.  Pairing war paint with that pretty feathered headband tells me you don’t know your ass from the cultural history of your country.  It’s hard to know whether or not you understand the significance of what you’re wearing unless you show up looking like a Drugstore Indian (and for the life of me, I can’t find you a good image.  I’ll take a picture of the one on the ave, posthaste).  Your stereotypes are often obvious.

Where warbonnets – the headdress you picture when you think “TV Indians” – were important symbols, feather headbands were worn because they were pretty.  Think about it – just consider the reason that thing you want exists.  Whether it’s your red Doc Martens, your feather headdress or any other culturally borrowed item.

Related posts:

1. In Fashion: Cultural Appropriation vs Inspiration
2. Style Vs. Fashion: Links à la Mode
3. Never Nude?

Isis Ring

Isis was a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic. She was the friend of slaves, sinners, artisans, the downtrodden, as well as listening to the prayers of the wealthy, maidens, aristocrats and rulers. Isis is the Goddess of motherhood, magic and fertility.

The goddess Isis (the mother of Horus) was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the Overarching Sky, and was born on the fourth intercalary day. At some time Isis and Hathor had the same headdress. In later myths about Isis, she had a brother, Osiris, who became her husband, and she then was said to have conceived Horus. Isis was instrumental in the resurrection of Osiris when he was murdered by Set. Her magical skills restored his body to life after she gathered the body parts that had been strewn about the earth by Set. This myth became very important in later Egyptian religious beliefs.

Isis is also known as the goddess of simplicity, protector of the dead and goddess of children from whom all beginnings arose. In later myths, the Ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile River flooded every year because of her tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris. This occurrence of his death and rebirth was relived each year through rituals. The worship of Isis eventually spread throughout the Greco-Roman world, continuing until the suppression ofpaganism in the Christian era.

Anubis Ring

Anubis is the Greek name for a jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the Pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the Dead but he was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris.

He takes names in connection with his funerary role, such as He who is upon his mountain, which underscores his importance as a protector of the deceased and their tombs, and the titleHe who is in the place of embalming, associating him with the process of mummification. Like many ancient Egyptian deities, Anubis assumes different roles in various contexts, and no public procession in Egypt would be conducted without an Anubis to march at the head.

Black Gold Ring

Those are a few of my favorites, but the artist uses gold, silver, plastic and wood if you’re interested in jewelry in other media.

You can bet I have my eye on the Isis and Anubis rings though!

Check out Arosha on Etsy, or through the Artist’s design portfolio.

Related posts:

1. In Plain Fashion
2. Winter Inspirations
3. Color Alchemy

I didn’t really think about how what I wear impacted my credibility at work until very recently.  I know that your style says a lot about you, but I thought that having worked here for the last 5 years would negate the need for me to “work it”.  After all, they all know me and my capabilities, right?  Well yeah… but  have customers to contend with, a new hire who needs both a supervisor and a mentor, and the people I’ve worked with for so long need to know that I’m taking my role seriously.  I also think it’s truly not about dressing for the job I have, but the job I want.

In a highly mobile environment, where first impressions are important and where selling oneself is the most highly cultivated “skill”, the construction of appearances becomes more and more imperative.

(Ewen, 1988)

Many of the “Dress for Success” mantras focus on proper business wear, not the casual attire so many of our people sport.  Classic “business” attire focuses on suits as a whole.

From Workchic com - this business is too much business!

The common mantra of what to wear to work is all talk about what’s “appropriate” but with so many workplaces adopting the attire of “business casual” and with the importance of self-expression, it can be difficult to know how to make your personal style mesh with a look that speaks authoritatively at work.  How do you do it?  What’s your work style?

I’m currently keeping it business casual with some simple pairings and a lot of creativity: Fun frocks and dark denim stay structured when paired with a cute blazer, or little swing jacket.  Graphic prints or tees are paired with trousers and cardigans.

Funky, fun jewelry is added to the mix to keep outfits fresh – it’s amazing what some bright, bold jewelry will do for a black tee and cigarette pants.  Shoes are well-tailored flats, or fun wedges – nothing over-bold, but with a demure attitude.

Each outfit is a mix of shapes and textures.  Wide-leg denim trousers call for a slim silhouette on top.   Texture is important – boucle skirts call for something sleek finish.  Anything glittery that isn’t jewelry is best left home, but metallics make some of the best accessories (handbags!).   Bright colors are a must!  After the gray Seattle winter, popping into bright colors brings a breath of fresh air into the office.

Cowl scarves are a fun, over-textured way to stay warm in air-conditioned offices and long sleeve tissue tees provide the lighter layers that transition from a/c to outdoors.

I still feel like it’s a work-in-progress.  I’m trying to balance hints of my personal style with the drab dress-code of power-suits.  Looking authoritative helps me feel authoritative and sends the message that I’m here, I know what I’m doing and where I’m going, and I have the means to get things done.

I scanned the internet for a few business-casual inspired outfits and here are a couple I really liked:

Image from Heidikins.com - Stripes, dark denim and bright colors

Image from Workchic.com - I LOVE this look!

What do you think?  How are you balancing YOUR personal style and work wardrobe?

Related posts:

1. Combatting Casual Wear
2. New at The Demoiselles: Who Are You Dressing For?
3. In Plain Fashion

I snapped a couple pictures before I left the house.  I bought this dress at a STREET FAIR of all places!

It’s from a place called “Silk Dragons” or something and is my go-to party dress.  It’s a fantastic deep blue – though it looks brighter here with the lighting.  Don’t mind the ugly comforter under the sofa…..

I wore it with a little light-blue vintage hat, white gloves, and these crazy gold platforms from Hale Bob – which, I have to say, I’m disappointed in!  Over the course of only a few hours, the finish on the wedges had started to come off around the bottom exposing the white wedge material beneath.

I also tried a new and super-easy method of pincurling, where you use a small barrel (1″) curling iron and set the curls in place, then pin them to your head until you’ve done your entire set.  When you pull the pins out and softly brush through it it creates this curly, wavy look that I achieved.  I didn’t use setting lotion, only this crazy “Big Sexy” root-boost-mousse that I bought at the grocery store, and a little hairspray and I had curls 3 DAYS LATER!

The jewels you see here are vintage.  Krystal of Smashing Divas fame found me the most incredible deal – her great aunt was getting rid of excess and she invited me over to take a look.  I’m wearing a demi-parure I found that’s TOTALLY Trifari.  It’s fantastic.  the pearl bracelet is from the same vintage set.  Notice the incredible “hot magenta” manicure – I felt a little springy and went all out with an insane electric-Barbie color.  Totally eye-catching!

Related posts:

1. Outfit: Smoke and Mirrors
2. Outfit: January Blues
3. Outfit: Blue Belle

The skirt is an interesting gray, with draping in the front and a backseam (it used to only go halfway up the back of the skirt, but I fixed it so it a) fit me and b) didn’t look like a buttcrack � ).

The full silhouette is very slim and I added a break in the heavy almost Deco-style patterned top with a waist-belt.   The top is a Deco Modiste original!

The rest of my accessories needed to incorporate well with the pattern, but I also felt like I needed a little color.  These green resin earrings came from Banana Republic, and I tossed on some simple silver bangles for fun.   This outfit is worn with my Where CARA brogues.  It’s warm enough for spring in Seattle without feeling overdressed.

I, personally, love the tailored maxi skirt look.  I feel like it’s not done nearly enough though!  The tailoring on this skirt gives it a sort of Steampunk/gawth feel, but is very versatile.  What’s your feeling on the maxi skirt?  Love it?  Hate it!?  Tell me about it!

Related posts:

1. Outfit: January 6, 2010
2. Outfit: Deco Modiste
3. Outfit: January Blues