Barry's 7's Contraption - Add N To X

I knew it was only a matter of time before I came across someone I knew in London, on The Selby.com

Caroline Smithson is the quiet type of girl who never says much, unless she's got something to say. She's quite the efficient worker who spends a lot time at her desk, pouring over old photos and fabric samples. She had a funny sense of humour and I would bump into her at random shows, like the band Chrome Hoof. I wouldn't have expected her to have a black living room. . . but stranger things have happened!

(Photos: The Selby.com )

The Magician - Cinematic Orchestra

Feeling creatively clogged?
Having a bit of constipation of the mind?

I know. . . join the club! But this amazing documentary by Loic Prigent is precisely what the doctor ordered. It's so much better than a bag of prunes. Am currently cursing myself for failing to buy this when I saw it at the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in Boston, over the summer. I watched most of the documentary last night and I laughed at Marc's sweet dependence on his devoted assistant, I smiled at his love and appreciation of art and my eyes widened at his design process. Some of things he does. . . well it all seems so practical and easy. . . but it's not. It's very special and that's why Marc has a certain je ne sais pas that no one can quite put their finger on. He is a true eccentric in the best type of way. .. because he also seems quite kind.

I will be buying this as soon as it's available on line. You should too.

Pieces Froides #1 (Airs A Faire Fuir) - Erik Satie

I usually call this the "winter waiting" time period. "Winter waiting" consists of me buying a bunch of stuff online and waiting patiently for all my purchases to be delivered to my mailbox. It beats the winter blues and certainly takes my mind off the impending holiday of stress and despair (oh Saint Valentine, if only you could see the superficial crap which occurs in your honor). But this year's winter waiting, has become a me-spree taken to a level of insanity. This Mociun dress has been talking to me for about two months, whispering sweet nothings into my ear. "Buy me", "love me", "take me home, I'll never make you blue". I finally couldn't hold my hands to my ears any more. It does make me smile, the dress. The pleasant tulip flare, the way it ties at the bosom. There's something whimsical and girly there, which I adore. Anywho I made another purchase on eBay today. . . something I simply couldn't afford to pass up. And with that, I think it's time to impose an apparel spending ban on myself. (We'll see how long this one last).

Bunny Kick - Tipsy

Pretty Random Objects creates objects so sweet, they remind me of when I'm pouring a cup of tea and I become very heavy handed with my sugar spoon. Some people choose to pour that cup out and start a fresh. But me? Never! I drink it right up happily. And so do some others. That's right Xoomei , I'm talking to you. Lover of all thing sweet and fun.

Skeleton Boy - Friendly Fires

Give yourself one point if you've heard the Friendly Fires.
Give yourself two points if you enjoy dancing skeletons as much as I do.
Give yourself two points if you think this is one of the most fun videos you've seen in a while.

Five points for you! See? Your day is off to a smashing start.

Get Innocuous - LCD Soundsystem

When Cornpudding calls me gushing about fashion. . . I don't walk. . . I run to my computer. She rarely gets excited about fashionable luxuries (because she lives in NYC and feels constantly poor). Imagine my surprise when she rang in the middle of the day, gasping "you have to see the Alexander McQueen for Target photos". I know this is old news to many of you (but I've been out of the loop). There are some truly wearable items in this collection. In my experience, Target designer jeans are usually a good buy. And it's safe to say that because one fifth of my wardrobe is from Target, I can usually tell from the press photos which items are going to be a safe buy for me. Here's what I'll be diving after come next month. (I'm lucky because there's never much competition at my local Target so "diving" is a bit of an overstatement). But that jacket is pretty rad, and I expect it to leave the racks in a matter of days, providing they don't skip on the details.


(Photos: Nylonmag.com )

Suddenly Everything Has Changed - The Flaming Lips

I know I was a bit of a poopy pants about the record number of people rushing into town to witness the historical moment . . . but . . . I realize, it was all pretty magical. How gorgeous is that family? The girls wore J. Crew , specially designed just for them. I sat in my living room, surrounded by family, we toasted with champagne and had a moment of silence for relatives who have gone before for us and couldn't be with us that day. I know somewhere, they were watching too. (And she gets teary eyed for the umpteenth time this week).


Around 3pm, I headed to the metro in order to get to the Creative Coalition ball where I spent my evening conducting interviews until the wee hours. Sometimes I get so stressed that I forget that I have a really cool job with amazing opportunities. I'm quite the chatty kathy, so talking to people is practically my second nature. The footage from this particular job will be used in an on air thirty second spot for a television network as well as on the network's website. I definitely found Susan Sarandon to be effortlessly charming. Before I started the official interview, we briefly chatted about not watching tv. I wish she were my neighbor. I bet she would loan you good books.

Last week was crazy busy. The big monday. . . a short film to be entered into a film festival and a stage managing gig. I feel like I haven't seen my family and friends in ages. I've also missed you guys. So without further adieu. . . back to fashion.

(Photos: Boston.com . Please click on "historical moment" and prepare to be overwelmed)

We Carry On - Portishead

As the DC metropolitan grows more and more chaotic for this historical moment in history, I become more and more irate with the madness. I am sick of cops on every corner and roadblocks. I could do with less people standing in the middle of the street snapping photos (and not watching for oncoming traffic). And I'm a little annoyed with the local news for getting everyone so hyped up and frantic.

But most important and the most irritating of all, I am completely bewildered by the smug, self satisfied looks I get from strangers on the street, proudly grinning in my direction as if to say, "I voted for a black president, aren't you so proud of me?". I regret to inform you people that I ran out of gold stars, back in November. You're going to have to present an interracial baby, in order to receive a fist bump from me. So kindly step aside and carry on. End rant.

(Photo: Amazon )

I Am You - Depeche Mode

Zadie Smith is one of my biggest inspirations as I lean towards writing. There are plenty of days when I wake up and think how nice it would be, to be her. (She might beg to differ, but she writes beautiful novels, has a handsome husband and lives in Italy. I think I have enough to stand on for a decent argument). When I lived in North West London for a heartbeat, I had heard that Smith lived in a nearby neighborhood of mine. I had hoped for a chance encounter at our neighborhood Sainsbury. Never happened. Maybe she's more of a Tescos girl.
Magic Molly recently started the discussion among a few of us about the age old pretty vs. charming/funny/interesting argument. I find this to be intriguing as I felt my beauty and charm came at a much later date in life than I would have preferred. I don't consider myself the most prime example of this phenomenon but lemme tell you. . . that which I have, I have worked very hard at, humour and grace. I rarely tell people this but one of the reasons I started dancing ballet is because I am recklessly clumsy. The conclusion among the comments which was nearly reached was that, in order to be both, in most cases you've experienced some amount of indifference or adversity in your life. A crappy upbringing. A natural wallflower. An awkward phase even.

Zadie Smith writes about a lot of what she knows best, growing up as a multiracial English citizen and that formula works very well. I can't help but to think she definitely felt displaced and experienced her own awkward phase to which her shyness is a direct result. Never-the-less, the verdict is clear Smith is beautiful, Smith is smart. The age old story of the Ugly Duckling (or rather the isolated duckling. . . something tells me "awkward" has never been used to describe Smith). But in this case, the swan has the quickest wit of anyone in the pack. She's also a bit of a spitfire , which I find hilarious. (Though I know, had I entered that literary contest, I might be whistling another tune).

Peas and I started reading White Teeth at the same time. But Peas thought it dragged on a bit. Some chapters are a little slow. . . but it all comes together in the latter half of the book. On Beauty however. . . made me feel Smith had properly earned her place in the world of great writers. Smith's strength lies in the fact that she creates characters, we all know. At one point, she describes a disappointing orgasm in words which are unpretentious and so spot on. I actually snickered aloud. I breezed through the book with ease and immediately passed it to my sister, Cornpuddin' who I knew would devour it. And she did.

So Zadie Smith, you may be sour faced and find it hard to get excited for the masses you must speak in front of. . . but regardless, I find you utterly intoxicating and think it would be nice, to be you. Love that yellow dress.

The Good Humor Man, He Sees Everything Like This - Love

Isn't Frank Zappa so incredibly timelessly stylish? I love the cascading pubic hair popping out of the top of his banana hammock. Catch me, I may faint. Someone close to me is having a 70's handlebar mustache contest at their government contracting job. Whichever employee lasts the longest through the month of January without ridding themselves of any offending facial hair gets a gift card to their restaurant of choice from the company. I laugh when I think of _______ sitting in a meeting with high profile government clients, twittering with his freshly grown 70's 'stache.


Some of the coworkers of said company have began forwarding examples of the facial hair they hope to grow. I've heard people express to me beliefs that people in the DC metropolitan are uptight. They just don't know the right people.

(Photos: can't properly credit these, they came to me by way of email)

Shall We Dance? - Gotan Project

But every time you sense the mental anguish of some girl telepathically crying out in pain, but smiling through it because goddammit, she feels beautiful and everyone in that darn ballet shop is smiling at her like a bunch of knowing slightly evil Cheshire Cats. . . well that my friends is the feeling of someone getting their first pair of pointe shoes. I gotta stop with the spending soon. See that snowboard behind me. . . yup, that too. (But I bought it from Salvation Army for $20). There's also an APC dress recently purchased, and a pair of APC jeans in the mail. My credit card is crying out in pain.

But I can't stop dancing around on my hard wood floors to Gotan Project (I'm sure my neighbors want to beat me senseless with my new heavy shoes). They may hurt but the pain is exquisite and . . . I feel beautiful, so who cares?!?! So I can check that off my list of "things I should do this lifetime".

Judy Is A Punk - Mark Mothersbaugh

The sweet smell of judgment is in the air and it's strong. JG and I were talking about a show which we worked on together where everyone hated and had personal vendettas with at least three separate people on the crew. (But the host of the show was the bingo chip because EVERYONE hated him equally. There were many bonding moments over hating on the show's host). Well turns out everyone hates someone else according to Dazed Digital and fashionista . Staying productive people.

(Illustration: Oh Gee )

Paris (Aeroplane Remix) - Friendly Fires ft. Au Revoir Simone

Paris (Aeroplane Remix) - Friendly Fires

I have no inspiration these days. I am dry, empty, out. This seems to occur every winter it seems. I haven't been to Paris since I was fourteen. It's time to go again, as an adult. I am mildly enamored with this Secrets of Charm dress. It seems like something one would wear in Paris with some thick black tights and a leather jacket. Maybe I'm getting overly inspired by the sloppy knit beret the model is sporting and maybe I'll make my own version of this dress (since this is no longer available for purchase). And ta-da, there goes 5% of inspiration ladies and gentlemen. That's why I blog.




I do find these Petah Coyne sculptures to be uplifting and oddly beautiful. Coyne uses a variety of mediums for these victorian style masterpieces. Here's an example: Silk flowers, silk/rayon velvet, feathers, wooden cradle, chandelier, artificial birds, candles, specially formulated wax, acrylic paint, black spray paint, chicken wire fencing, metal hardware, plywood, felt, quick-link shackles, pearl-headed hat pins, pigment, thread, chain, jaw to jaw swivels, Velcro, wire, wood, cable, cable nuts.

If you left me alone with a room full of these ingredients, I highly doubt the result would be anywhere near as beautiful.

(Photos: Ravin Style and Galerie Lelong . . . suddenly, I miss New York. . . if only for a second).

Heads Roll Off - Frightened Rabbit

Many of the wonderful men in my life often ask for my advice on what to wear and where to shop. I am honored by the fact that they consider me an authority on the matter, being that I'm not a man (and sometimes have a tendency to look like a fashionable train wreck). If it were up to me, you all would probably be fired from your day jobs with my picks. But who needs a stupid job when you have style?

To get an idea of what I like on a guy, I would say Oki-ni has the right idea. Maybe I've just been hanging out on Lulu's page too much or something, but I happen to to think Rick Owens, looks nice on all. And who doesn't love a Jil Sander bag? Go on Jamesy and stuff your laptop in that beauty in the bottom right. Matt observe for future Berlin dressing.




(Photos: Oki-Ni )

Like New - Deerhunter

First blog post of 2009 and while my New Year has so far been recklessly uneventful and I am starting it as a single, new woman, I hope your New Year started with a bang. Pun completely, utterly and absolutely intended under penalty or perjury.

(Thanks JDP for the link )