Can't Touch This - MC Hammer

Dear DC Metropolitan,

I know we've had a tumultuous relationship. There have been times when I have referred to you as "a little stiff" or "fashionably conservative". Well . . . that just means all the more hammer pants for me at H&M ($5)!! And it would appear the hammer pants arrived right on time.

(I couldn't find a single photo where I wasn't pouting here. I really have nothing to pout about. Life is just fine).

Never Misses A Beat - Kaiser Chiefs

Karl's living space is as cramped as mine!
Karl tells dirty jokes!
Karl uses wite out on his drawings!
Karl can be fairly self deprecating!
There's a sign in a bathroom at Chanel which states, "Pissing everywhere isn't very Chanel".

Ever since I restarted my netflix, I am catching up on my documentaries (particularly in fashion and art). Nothing brings me more joy than curling up and watching someone creative, do their thing. If you've ever thought "I hate Karl Lagerfeld", you may just want to watch this film. He's quick, he's witty, he never misses a beat. Though he does a tendency to open his mouth and cram his foot inside (he can be quite unforgiving in regards to others), I get the feeling a lot of what he says is taken out of context. He makes fun of everyone pretty equally. Including himself.



(Photos: The Fashion Spot )

My Favorite Things - John Coltrane

Oh Alexa Chung! I already told you we could be friends, you didn't have to go out and buy the same shoes as me. By the way, I love what you've done with the socks. I think I might do this a lot more in the fall. Thanks for the tip.

I hope my brand of humour isn't wasted here. Surely we all know Alexa Chung probably didn't have to wait for the Neiman's Super Duper Uber Sale to pounce on these height defying wooden shoes.

Shoes: Marni

Craft Talk - Leslie Hall

Hey Shotgun Sally, I know you've got a new favourite hobby. But I really think we need to get back to crafting. We're better suited for it. I'm not so sure I could be handle a semi automatic as adequately as you appear to. Plus Leslie Hall, inspires me to heal the world. One bedazzled sweater at a time.

Bella Símamær - Björk

Age 12 and 14, Cornpuddin' and I were hopelessly glued to E!'s Fashion File and Model Life. We were religious watchers of both and I credit those shows with nurturing my budding interest in fashion at a young age. I particularly credit Fashion File with my knowledge of designers and who did what and when.

I never thought I would be a Betsey Girl, I wasn't at all the girl who liked flower prints or frilly dresses. Little by little Betsey Johnson grew on me as the grunge rock era unfolded before my childish eyes. Before I knew it, I was salivating over Betsey dresses at the boutique in Georgetown. It would take me years before I would finally own an outfit (purchased by Cornpuddin' who always gets the best presents). The older I get, the more I realize that not having the things I wanted handed to me immediately was actually good for my soul. People that are handed everything so easily fall out of love with everything so quickly. No surprise I picked an outfit which was re-issued to pay homage to her previous collections in the 90's.




(Betsey Scans: Dazed Digital )

Brown Paper Bag - Roni Size

Small enough to fit in my tiniest purse, big enough to stuff groceries in, stylish enough to go from ballet to drinks with the ladies, these bags from Flip and Tumble are pretty much perfect for me. I am fairly consistent in forgetting my reusable grocery bags and often feel quite guilty about it. It's either paper or bundle my groceries in my arm and scramble to my car. I have a tendency to never forget things which are stylish and pretty (I know, how vain) and I like a couple of these colours (though I prefer the grey handle to the light blue). Another thing to add to my list of Things-Which-I'll-Buy-When-I-Am-Domestically-Settled.

(Photos: Flip and Tumble )

Sugar Hiccup - Cocteau Twins

Swede enough for you?


It's very easy to look at these three and think "yes, they're pretty". But to me Peas and her sisters remind me of a pack of C. Howard's Violet mints. Crisp. Distinctive. Sweet and refreshing.


(Photo: I realized I paid $2.50 for three individual packs when the The Candyland Store sells a 24 count pack for $11.99. Raise your hand if you got ripped off today . . . hand in air . . . ).

Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady

I call it the Queen Michelle Effect . The ability to find an item you would normally never give second thought to wearing as an every day piece and yet slowly but surely you find yourself trying to piece together exactly how it would work out in your wardrobe. Queen Michelle has encouraged many buys and trends in my wardrobe over the years (like fringe). You might already know that I'm a sucker for a fancy collar but these by costume designer Millie Cockton are simply magnificent. (Did I mention Cockton is only 19? Another young over achiever to make us all sweat bullets and feel old and worn). I would happily and regally wear a Cockton collar with many plain shift dresses as anything else might be a bit too ornate. I would also take extra care to ease myself gracefully through any door way (otherwise my family would pop a gasket laughing as they watched me struggle . . . and I refuse to give them too much entertainment on my behalf).




(Photos: Dazed Digital )

Letter From Home (Spoken Word) - DJ Shadow

It's no big secret that the art of letter writing is lost on our generation. Who needs a letter when you have twitter and facebook? Well, I refuse to let such a beautiful thing die a quiet death, so I've decided I'm going to start writing one letter a week until I've wrote every person I can possibly write. I started with a dear friend who is going through a rough patch in his seemingly rosy life. This particular friend is always good to me and kind.

Why Letters Are Better Than Email:

1. The receiver feels a sense of caring that is irreplaceable.
2. No one prints emails (except me), people save letters.
3. You can spray a letter with parfum (more seductive than a flirtatious email).

Guidelines For Writing A Good Letter:

1. Write while listening to NPR, it's inspiring and you'll feel like you're multi-tasking.
2. Think about what you want to say while you're stuck in traffic (or waiting in line).
3. Write about a great day you recently had. Who was there? Why was it great? What did the sky look like?
4. Write about someone you admire. If it's a crush, all the better. People love hearing secrets and if they live far away, you needn't worry about your secret getting out.
5. Keep it positive (if you can). No one likes a letter full of moping.
6. Don't write expecting a letter in return, you rarely get one. But that doesn't mean the receiver doesn't appreciate the gesture.

(Photo: Totokaelo.com )

Damn - TM Juke

Lately I've noticed that Kate Moss has been catching some flack for her recent Topshop collections. If you know me, you know usually I'm first to defend anything in regards to her royal highness of fashion (generation X and Y speaking). But good uuuugly moogly Mossy! If I actively set out to look like a 90's tart, I could certainly do it for far cheaper than $80, don't you think?

(Photos: Topshop.com )

More Than This - Roxy Music

Sunday night I drove home with the wind in my hair and this song on my i-Pod. I wish that every person could find one fantastic addition to their life, which stirs their heart in the way that ballet awakens and livens mine. Dancing on stage with your friends, while your family and closest friends applaud . . . well, it's hard to find a feeling which is similar and matchable.

More Than This (1999 Digital Remaster) - Roxy Music

Any Fun - Coconut Records

The funny thing about intense experiences is that in the moment, they always seem incredibly painfully intense and in retrospect, your mind can never recreate the intensity. This week I moaned about how exhausted and sore I was from ballet all day every day. But now it seems like such a good thing. Such a change of pace and such a positive experience.

Needless-to-say I've had fun. Last performance is tonight then it's back to real life. Until I return, here's a video featuring Chloe Sevigny doing what she does best: being cool as a cucumber.

I love myself some triple 8 video footage. There's a rustic quality to it which is always fantastic.

Deepest Blue - Deepest Blue

I dedicate this photo to Sister Wolf . Not quite the hand to face photo you were expecting? All jokes aside, that photo illustrates how unbelievably exhausted I am from this week. The girls that I dance with often comment (occasionally suspiciously) on the fact that I always get out of rehearsal/class and slip into a dress. It's usually a "why do you insist on getting all dolled up" sort of voice. Well, I'm sweating like a pig (so that cancels out a fair amount of the comely touches). But, after wearing sweaty tights and a clingy, damp leotard for six hours straight, I just would prefer that NOTHING touches my body for the remainder of the afternoon. Floaty dresses are as close as I can get to strutting down the street in my birthday suit. I could not gather the strength to lift my arms and remove the flowered hair piece which is a part of my costume from my hair. I think it went quite nice with the ensemble.

Dress - homemade (first patternless dress I made which didn't fall apart immediately)
Shoes - thrift Target )
Bag - Marimekko

Jane Fonda - Mickey Avalon

I saw Jane Fonda at a party once. I ain't gonna lie, she appeared to have her head shoved pretty far up her own derriere. She and that Vagina Monologues woman sat in a corner, being anti-social and behaving like high school mean girls. Ick.

But . . . this photo does make me laugh. Wear it proud, lady.

(Photo: AOL )

There Goes Summer - Silver Sun

This jacket from Brooklyn Industries ("luckybreaks5" for 30% off) may just be my favourite red jacket ever (and I've had a few). The fit is phenomenal for the price. It hits right at the point where my ribs start to ache. Yes, aching ribs. Aching everything.
I am doing a ballet workshop this week, every day from 10 - 4pm and when I get home I collapse in the bath tub (bath salts are my dear friend). This is pretty much highlight of my summer as I'm not going anywhere wildly exotic. Performances are on Saturday and Sunday and after that, blogging will pick right back up. I'll be sure to post some pictures of me with my hair pulled back so tightly it hurts my eyes and my new pink tights and shoes.

(Photo: Brooklyn Industries

Brigette - Stereolab

When Garance Dore blogged about one of her favourite illustrators, I knew it all looked very familiar. Then I remembered. Summer 2001 visiting my sister in Bournemouth, England where she resided for six months or so. I was dumbstruck by all the amazing illustration in the UK on notebooks and note cards, wherever you looked. Everything was so visually stimulating, I went a bit nuts. I left with three different types of stationary. Among them, a set of David Downton blank cards, which I lovingly referred to as my "pretty lady" cards. If you were lucky enough to be the receiver of one of those cards (from me), you must have done something wonderful.

(Illustration: David Downton )

56 - µ-Ziq

I can see you rolling your eyes in disgust at my predictability. I never said I wasn't a sucker for t-bar shoes. And I certainly never said I wasn't a sucker for mint green. And I never think anyone can have enough flat shoes. Plus I think chocolate and mint green is a fantastic colour combo. I know at least one of you out there is thinking of ice cream, right now. Ambika, feel free to back me up with this one. You know you love them. They have your name all over them too. For some odd reason, you were the first person I thought of when I saw these. I can see you wearing them in your new place.

I picked this song/title because last time I counted, I had more than 56 pairs of shoes. Meaning: put that credit card away.


(Photo: From Shop Ruche , which is a great little site with pretty decent prices).

Lorelei - Cocteau Twins

On Saturday, I trekked downtown to check out the opening of Treasury (formerly known as Listopad Treasury), a new treasure trove in DC, full of carefully curated vintage items. Washington DC desperately needs more places like this. I met some really cool girls outside, learned how to fishtail braid, and tried on some fantastic pieces. I left empty handed, but I'll be sure to check back in later. You should too. After all, the girl who got the leather travel bag was awfully satisfied with her purchase. Welcome to the neighborhood, Treasury !

Yea Yeah - Matt and Kim

She who smirks at her sister's shoe misfortune soon finds her identical sandals chewed up by a rambunctious dog precisely five day after said conversation. Apparently Serendipity thought to fix my little red wagon? Now neither of us have our Target sandals anymore. Yaaaaaaaay.

Tamacun - Rodrigo Y Gabriela

It is the last day I can wear these espadrilles. I bought them thrifted (they were brand new). I thought "of course I'll fit an 11. . . no problem". One year later, the ankle ribbons have parted ways with the shoe and without them, I have nearly wiped out no less than ten times. At that height (five inches) you don't mess around with sizing, unless you want to snap your ankle in two. So if you wear a size 11 and you would like these shoes, email me. Just pay the shipping and they're yours. The ribbons could be easily re-attached, I've just been lazy because they don't fit me.

In other news today, I took my neighbor's dog for a walk and fed one neighbor's cat. The thrilling life of the nearly unemployed.

Shirt - Marimekko
Skirt - H&M
Shoes - thrift
Bag - Permanent Vacation