a uniform is never thoughtless

"With a fairly important meeting on the horizon, I started to try on different outfits, lacking any real direction or plan. "Is this too formal? Is that too out there? Is this dress too short?... As I arrived at work, my stress level only increased as I saw my male creative partner and other male co-workers having a "brodown" with the new boss as they entered the meeting room—a room I was suppose to already be inside. I just stood there—paralyzed by the fact that I was not only late, but unprepared. And my sweater was inside out." 

Matilda Kahl's piece for Harper's Bazaar was the first article on wearing a self-imposed daily outfit that hasn't left me wanting to tear our my hair. (See: Stuart Heritage in The Guardian's How to be as successful as Obama and Zuckerberg: wear the same clothes every day. It may work for the President but how would that work for Michelle Obama?) 

I like Kahl's piece because I agree. Uniforms can be powerful. I love Janelle Monae's commitment to her black and white style and have long expressed admiration for the architecture professors of the world who look chic in daily black. Her feeling of panic  at getting dressed is one I have felt many times and I, too, have a standard look that I put on no matter the situation when I'm unsure- dark jeans, a button down shirt, and some oversized necklace. 

Kahl and Heritage agree that thinking about exactly what to wear takes up amount of time and brain space, sometimes distracting from other things that need to get done. Heritage however frames it as time that the busy men he profiles just can't be bothered to take. That taking the time to think about clothes is trivial or a waste. What Kahl gets, perhaps better than most given her job as Creative Director, is that no matter what we wear we send a signal. Zuckerberg does it in his hoodie, and it's a signal that works for him both because of who he is and what his surroundings are. It would not work for President Obama for the same reasons. (And when Zuckerberg met Obama? He wore a tie.) Kahl saves herself time now by wearing a uniform, but it only works because she thought through a work outfit that would always be appropriate. 

Me? I'm not giving up a rainbow of colors (okay, yes, mostly blue and green and sometimes red.) But I get it. Now excuse me, I've got to throw on a button down and get to work. 

tumblights 9/2

In honor of the upcoming fashion week, this weekend's tumblights are all about fashion. In this case, about fashion that's doing things a little differently. Shoes that support independent artists, gorgeous eco-resin jewelry, fashion illustrations that incorporate stitching, and a shopping bag that gets a second life as a coat hanger.

Clockwise from top:

1. Izziyana Suhaimi  combines illustration and stitching via Design For Mankind

2. A Global Street Art Collective Makes Art You Can Wear On Your Feet via Co.Exist

3. The H Bag transforms into a Coat Hanger via Inhabitat

4. Rosella Eco-Resin Jewelry via Design Milk

I'll be in New York next weekend. I won't be attending any shows but am hoping to spot some fabulous outfits on the street. How are you celebrating Fashion Week?

learning sf- the styley

Before moving to the Bay Area, I read up on great local blogs and tweeters. One that I started following early on was Kate Seward, aka The Styley. It took a few emails back and forth to meet up but once we finally got together at Momi’s Toby’s Revolution Cafe, I was so glad we had. Momi Toby’s was a darling cash-only coffee shop/bistro where I could easily spend hours working with a cappuccino or chatting with friends with a glass of wine. Even more fun was Kate who was such a blast to chat with that I frequently forgot to take notes. Luckily, plenty of our conversation was recorded. 

If after reading this, you can't wait to see more of Kate's work, you are in luck. Kate has two shows opening this week! #iSnapSF is a one-night show on Thursday night (tomorrow!) at the Haus of Hipstamatic and One or Two Things I Know About Her opens Saturday with a party and runs through April 7. 


How did The Styley get started?

When I started the blog I had no idea what it was going to be--I certainly had no idea it would become a street style blog. In fact, I started it because I was thinking about moving back to the East Coast. A girl I used to tutor wanted to meet for help writing a letter to a trend forecasting company in New York. I thought, I was in academia, I'm a writer--I could do trend forecasting. I wrote my own letter and managed to get the head of the company to do an informational interview with me. I said, "So, how do you get into trend forecasting?" "She said: The first option is to intern for $7/hr. The second is to start a really successful blog." So I started a blog.  

[The Styley]

Why the iphone?

One of the first cool street style photos I took was with my iPhone. I was on Fillmore Street, and it was what I had. I thought it might be cool to do a street style blog with just iPhone photos, but my younger brother said no, absolutely not. So for the next few months I focused on my SLR, which I bought a few years ago and then didn't use. Then, this past fall, my tutoring business got really busy and I didn't have much time to go out and shoot. The iPhone was easy, and it was always there. Now I figure that if anyone is going to hire me as a photographer, they're going to hire me for my eye, and I can worry about the mechanics then.

[The Styley]

It’s gutsy to go up to people and ask to take a picture. Have you gotten more used to it?

It's actually not that hard to do. Most people that I want to photograph have put some time and effort into what they're wearing, so they're usually flattered. Occasionally people look at me like I'm crazy, or ignore me. A lot of the time I just don't ask--I love candid streetstyle. There's a bit of a high that comes from it, because you just don't know whether or not you're going to get caught. I'm always running across the street or ahead of someone so that I can take their picture, or trying to look casual standing on a street corner waiting for someone to walk into my frame. 

[The Styley]

You currently are working also as a tutor and (non-blog) writer. Are you hoping to become a full time blogger or do you like the balancing act?

I want to do something that combines my two favorite things, writing and photography. In my fantasy life, I would working for Vanity Fair--or some similar magazine--and doing portraits, taking the pictures and writing the text. And getting paid a lot of money, of course.

This might sound weird, but I wouldn't say that I'm obsessed with fashion that way that personal style bloggers seem to be.

I don’t necessarily need to go to the shows. I want to be on the street outside the show photographing the people going in, or at the after party taking pictures and talking to people so I can capture who they really are. Doing portraiture. I'd love to photograph designers and interview them about their process, their philosophy, their aesthetic. I'm interested in people, their stories, and how the way they dress is part of who they are and how they see the world. And okay, I lied. It would be awesome to go to the shows.

[The Styley]

 I first started following you on twitter, then your blog. What I loved, and was so unique, was the text you paired with each photo. When I found out that you are an academic coach, it just made sense to me, because of your writing, which is really just a few words with the photo.

Thank you! I think I hit on something with that combination of photo and text. I really like Duane Michals. A lot of his work has a textual element--he writes by hand underneath the images. If there is an app that lets you write directly on an iPhone photo so that it looks like your handwriting, I want it. That's another reason I like shooting with the iPhone--being able to get the text directly on the images. Maybe there's a way to do it in Lightroom (I don't have Photoshop), but I haven't figured out what it is yet.

I've been writing since I was 8. I started taking pictures at the end of high school and all throughout college, although I didn't have a "real" camera--my first was a Pentax K-1000 that a bunch of my friends bought me for my 21st birthday--until my senior year of college. When I graduated I felt like I had to decide between photography and writing, and I chose writing because I had done it for longer. I focused on writing for years, and then when I started the blog, the photo stuff came back. I remembered, "Oh, yeah, I love this." And once I hit on that writing/photo combination I really felt like I was onto something. That's when I really got into Instagram.

Being a street style blogger is definitely different from being a personal style blogger, at least in terms of how to get into the industry. In some ways, it seems like it might be easier to be a personal style blogger, because there's a more obvious connection to brands.

[The Styley]

Very true. And also there is less connection with a street style blogger, since you are actually behind the camera. Readers don’t see you and learn as much about you.

Actually, I hate having my picture taken. I never, ever, like how I look. And in terms of writing about myself, I've been reluctant to reveal a lot, but I'm thinking about opening up a bit more. I'm not sure what's appropriate, and how much readers care. But I guess that is part of the trick, seeming to be personal without reavealing tons of stuff that is personal. And yet you have to be yourself, right? I guess it's all about finding balance, like everything else in life.

[The Styley]

Describe your perfect SF day:

First of all, it would be sunny and 65 degrees, not too cold, but just breezy enough to wear a T-shirt with a sweater. Then I would go to Blue Fog Market and get a Blue Bottle coffee and take my dog on a walk to Crissy Field. Then I would meet up with a friend and go to brunch at one of three places: Rose's Cafe in Cow Hollow, Dottie’s in the Tenderloin, or Just For You in the Dogpatch. I would spend the afternoon walking around the Mission taking pictures. Then I would go out to dinner--it would have to be with friends who have cars and who drive because I don't have a license--at the Buckeye Roadhouse in Marin. I would eat steak and order all the desserts on the menu. Eating, walking, photographing, hanging out with people I love--that would be my perfect day.

[The Styley]

Do you have other favorite places for taking photographs?

I suspect that Hayes Valley is good but I haven't spent much time there. A month or so ago I had brunch at Just for You in the Dogpatch and got a few good shots. Japantown can be interesting. Downtown too, but less than you'd think. I feel like I spend a lot of time in the same places, and I need to broaden my horizons. I would like to go out to Berkeley, to Oakland. I feel like there might be interesting things going on there.

So no, I don’t have favorites. I’ve had a lot of luck in the Mission. There is always someone to photograph there, but, I hate to say it, I feel like there is also a lot of similarity. I love photographing when there is something happening, like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, because all kinds of people turn out. I also think it might be a good idea to try some areas that you don't necessarily think of when you think about style, like lower Fillmore or the Bayview.

[Despite hating being photographed, Kate let me take a few pictures of her. She really is The Styley!] 

What places would you recommend to someone visiting or just relocating to the Bay Area?

I would definitely take them to SFMOMA. It's a great museum--totally manageable. I would take them to Bi-Rite for ice cream. I would take them the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building, the one that’s totally touristy and still really fun. I would take them on a walk to Crissy Field and on the Alcatraz tour, which is awesome. I would take them to Dolores Park and around the Mission. I would take them to Hayes Valley for shopping. I would take them to Jeremy's in SoMA (Ed's note: or Berkeley!) Oh, and if the Alonzo King LINES Ballet was having its season, I would take them to one of their performances because Alonzo King is unbelievable.


Thanks so much, Kate! Go check out her shows and follow her adventures around SF at The Styley. 

how to: spray painting leather

Sometimes I have pieces on my closet that I love, but over time I come to love more out of sentiment than the style itself. A purse I bought on a trip in early high school to El Salvador is one of those favored items. I love (most) the memories of the trip, but haven't actually carried the bag in many years. On the style and DIY blogs I read, I've been seeing lots of neon and spray paint and a jolt of color is just what this bag needs to wake it up. So thanks to Geneva of A Pair and a Spare for the many neon inspirations, including a market bag, and to Kristen of Glitter and Glue for helping me be brave enough to spray paint a leather purse. 

I mentioned on twitter that I painted another bag that didn't turn out so well. It was a canvas tote with writing so be sure to use primer if you need to cover up a design first. If you can find the color you want, I'd definitely recommend using fabric paint on canvas instead of spray paint. Additionally, make sure you have that tape down securely at the edges!

This how-to is for spray painting leather though, so follow the simple steps below!

[The purse originally]

diy: lace shorts

I'm excited to share my latest DIY. I may have accepted the fact that it is fall, but hey! This is (northern) California! And in Northern California, September is the warmest month. Yesterday was the perfect day to wear these shorts, though I kept it warm with a long sleeved top.

My original inspiration for these shorts was far daintier but I had a set of jean shorts that were really just too short to wear publicly and could stand an extra two inches of fabric. It was also nice to practice sewing lace on the shorts since I am sewing machine-less and had to do these by hand. I may still have to make a sweet little pair too.

Inspiration:

[Tranquility shorts from BHLDN]

[A DIY from HonestlyWTF]

DIY:

I did three-quarters at the craft show on Saturday and then quickly finished them up yesterday, spending about two hours total but none of that was super dedicated time. The lace came from my wonderful trip to Britex Fabrics. Photo tutorial and the final product after the jump.

fashion for a cause

Tonight I went to Fashion for a Cause, held by GayRVA as part of their Fun for the Cause benefit for The Fan Free Clinic. It was the first fashion show part of Richmond Fashion Week, which kicks off next weekend. I have to miss the first weekend of shows for work, but am excited to make it to many of them. Here are some of my pictures from tonight's show...

[The wonderful opening act]

[There were actually several men, but few of my pictures of them turned out well.]

[This skirt is one of my favorite pieces from the show.]

oxymoronic fashion

[Lily Cole in a factory in India]

"It is oxymoronic, just in terms of the name 'fashion' meaning trends... But I don't think it's particular to the clothing industry. It's a problem with the manufacture of everything. I mean, the fact that there's already a second iPad out now is 'fashion', in a similar way. I don't think this is fashion's fault. It's a broader issue to do with the capitalism, and an economy which needs us to keep buying, and creating this superfluous kind of waste. It's not that I don't believe in creativity and innovation and new ideas, and the creativity that comes with fashion, which I really respect. But one of my biggest concerns is just how cheap we expect everything to be."

- Lily Cole, on her The North Circular with the Environmental Justice Foundation


Image and quote from the Guardian profile of Lily Cole.

military prep: the tutorial

I recently posted an image from HonestlyWTF that had planted an image in my mind and a friend gave me a treasure trove of vintage odds and ends, so over the weekend I finally got around to making my mental image a reality. Image a few of these brooches on a blazer or

All of the lovely jewels seen above are now available at the Blue Elephant on Strawberry St. I also have posted a tutorial after the link if you want to attempt your own.

fashion week debrief

[Spring/ Summer 2011 trends, worn all together]

From Wallpaper*

"Artist Erwin Wurm tasked his architect Gregor Eichinger to model the season's big trends for Wallpaper*. It seems that things are looking a little, well, layered for Spring/Summer 2011."

Click on the image or here to see what designer created each piece on the model. I wish they had also identified the 'trend' the piece represents since it's hard to get much of a view of each item.

indulge me: SAG awards

Design includes fashion, so here are a few of my favorite looks from the SAG Awards:

[Mila Kunis in Alexander McQueen]

[Don't actually watch Mad Men, but the print on January Jones' dress by is fantastic.
Dress by Carolina Herrera.]

Many of my favorites were actually worn by some of my favorite funny ladies. For some reason, I can't get this picture of Heather Morris to format properly, but doesn't she look lovely?

[Tina Fey. Oscar de la Renta]

[Mindy Kaling in Tadashi Shoji.

And if you are on Twitter and don't follow @mindykaling, you are depriving yourself of multiple daily laughs.]

manrepeller

I had not seen my college roommate (of all four years!) since graduating a year and a half ago, so last weekend I went up to New York/New Jersey to visit. The week before I discovered a new blog to love, The Man Repeller. This was fortunitous timing for many reasons. First, because roommate L and I often were items that would have graced the pages of The Man Repeller. They had names like Boxer Dress and Sailor Suit. Secondly, because we had already stated that no men should attempt to talk to us during our weekend of girl time. So we swore to each other to do our manrepelling best and I took the following photos to document the weekend. Many of my piece repeat as I took the smallest luggage possible for the long weekend.

[Chinatown bus in RVA]

[With our very adorable non-manrepelling friend at brunch. Romper=manrepeller]

[In Central Park. Fur coats=manrepeller.]

See more after the jump.

favorite things: alexander mcqueen

Gilt.com has Alexander McQueen on sale today. I still can't come close to affording any of it- and even if I could, where would I wear it? My favorites:





There are some slightly more wear-able pieces (though not more affordable) but I love how fun yet elegant these pieces are. I'm not sure if these are designed by McQueen or by his label posthumously.

patriotic dress

July 3: Military-inspired for a day at the farm

July 3 evening

July 4

I recycled a lot of accessories throughout the weekend- same sandals, vintage purse from Rumors the whole week and same thrifted bracelets the second two days and same belt twice. This week was particularly heavy on vintage/thrift items and less so on my own designs.

July 3 day: Shorts [JCrew], t-shirt [Hanes], vintage gold bracelet, vintage belt from the Junior League

July 3 evening: Skirt worn as dress, vintage and gifted from college roomie, vintage belt
You can't see the details super well* but there is a thin tan line on the belt that matches the tan inside the nautical ropes of the red and blue bracelets, which goes with the tan purse. Ah, the coordinating!

July 4: Skirt [Tulle], tank top [Target], necklace [me!], Junior League belt and nautical bracelets

*How do so many bloggers have wonderful pictures of themselves? Friends who take the pictures? Tripods? Having someone take pictures of my clothes or taking them myself in public is so awkward for me, but maybe it's just something I should work on.

favorite things

Kartell + Moschino+ ballet flats + 100% recyclable

Found on DesignMilk. Image from Mocoloco.

guilt-y purchase

Just ordered these from Design History, on sale at Gilt.com. I really hope they fit correctly; I'm a bit nervous about the romper. I ordered it a size up because things that fit too snug around my waist are not flattering. The dress is a much more forgiving cut, so it should work great (fingers crossed!) Each was $45, about 60% off the original listing. The gray dress will be a summer constant, because right now it's too hot for clothes. Only bad part is they won't come for 8-12 days!

Gilt is an invite-only, free website that lists a few designers a day and has fantastic deals. Often the clothes are still a bit out of my budget (a $600 dress for $200 is still $200) but there have been some great deals and the clothes are often fun to look at even if I can't afford them.

Think you may want to sign up for Gilt? Use this code! (It gives me credit if you end up buying anything, so I'll love you forever.)

it's in a book

Check out these shirts featuring iconic book covers, from Out of Print (viaReady-Made blogs.) As a bibliophile and cover art junkie, I love the idea. I think some of the cover art works out better as a tshirt than others. Some screams "book cover!" while others are an interesting graphic statement on their own. Still, at $28 the tshirts aren't unreasonably priced and Out of Print donates one book to a community in need in Africa through their partner Books for Africa. (You knew I had to link that, right?)

I loved the Catcher in the Rye and love the choice of this cover for a shirt. Would I feel like a phony wearing it? Since I've read the book dozens of times, definitely not.

Fahrenheit 451 is another favorite of mine. My copy didn't have this image, I'm pretty sure if was more minimal but I'm guessing this was the original cover. It's a solid choice for the tshirt because it's interesting but clearly reads as the book cover. The "read and destroy" seals the image for me.

Walden just doesn't excite me as a tshirt. It looks like "I loved the book Walden so I bought a shirt with it on the cover. Period." Blah.

When I first read on Ready-Made about this company, I knew there was one cover that I would have to buy the shirt of if it was available. Sadly, Out of Print has the Fitzgerald above (a very nice shirt) but not the one I'm obsessed with.

I love the Great Gatsby but I fell in love with the cover before I read the book. While reading, I frequently closed the book to study the cover for connections. In fact, I wrote a paper in 10th grade about the connections between the colors/images on the cover and the story itself. In Puerto Rico, I saw someone with just the woman from the cover tattooed on his arm and immediately recognized the image (and accosted him but he was glad to discuss his favorite piece of literature.)

The cover art was commissioned while the book was being written and the artist didn't have the whole book to read. After the cover art was done, Fitzgerald saw it and liked it so much that he "wrote it into the book."

Out of Print, please make a Great Gatsby shirt!

a hipper hippie

Back in January I found a post on Shabdi's designs on Ready Made Blog and the images are absolutely stunning. Sadly, I can't pay $100 for a tshirt. Over Earth Day I ended up dieing a tank top but it came out more stereotypically hippie while I wanted the soft colors and empty spaces of the first photos. I also love the bottom two images that are more vibrant. How would I achieve these effects? A commenter on Ready Made Blog mentioned Shibori, which I looked up on Wikipedia. I'd like to learn more about techniques for dieing. Anyone know of resources?

Time Out New York's 50 most stylish New Yorkers.

Below are some of my favorites, though the accessories shots are perhaps the coolest.
There are 4-20 shots of each person, so click through.

[Cara Clinton, 28, head buyer of Beacon's Closet and accessories designer]


[Cats McDaid-Kelly, 25, MFA student at Parsons The New School for Design]


Holy self-made chain, Batman!
[Christian Joy, 36, costume/fashion designer]

Why do so many of the amazing women have names that start with C? And I must say, I love "Cats" with an s. Something to think about? Perhaps not.


[Kelly Framel, 26, stylist, jewelry designer and fashion blogger]
Disclaimer: I have long loved her blog theglamourai.com


[Jeralyn Gerba, 28, DailyCandy editor]


Sequins were all over Copenhagen and I regret not buying anything with sequins when I was there (I actually bought NO clothes other my awesome- and needed- woolen mittens!)
[Mary “Mz. Skittlez” Seats, 22, rapper-singer, fashion guru, student and stylist]


[Jessica Delfino, 27, twisted minstrel and subversive art lady]


[Golden Triangle]
[Alix Brown, Carly Rabalias, Vashti Windish]

I love a dandy.
[Bill Webb, 67, retired Wall Streeter]


Just for fun.
[Cheryl, Disco Shamans]

More here.