Parity or Parody?

The styles of these clothes look vaguely familiar... oh, maybe because they look like conceptualized versions of what I always cross my fingers to find in vintage and thrift stores.

There is a great article in the New York Times today about designer fashion taking its cue from the hippies and hipsters of yore, (and by yore I mean the 60's and 70's), who's bohemian pieces are now the fountain-of-youth-in-fabric... they don't age, and everyone wants them.  So much, so, that designers have taken the liberty to sew replicas of these pieces and charge hundreds of dollars for them.  Well, at least that takes the difficulty of digging through stuffed racks and bargain bins out of the picture, (but isn't that the fun part?).

In the article, "What's in a Label?  Say it in French," the Critical Shopper, a self-proclaimed army surplus and vintage hunter enthusiast, describes her experience in Isabel Marant's very chic boutique:

"I pulled my own jeans and gray sweatshirt back on and hustled out of the store — an act of self-preservation that saved me nearly $600. Was my own wardrobe achieving parity or parody? Only my hairdresser knows for sure."

I'd say it's parody, but not on her side of the universal closet - on Fashion Week's.  And everyone knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Aw, shucks, garment district.

But seriously - if you've got $800 to blow on an embroidered tunic - hands off my $20 ebay score!

Two Crushes + A Trip

Love # 1: a turquoise ruffled party dress from New Bohemia that would surely make me feel like a cross between a mermaid and a whale with ruffly baleen plates for teeth.  I could catch a few floating krill in all that lace?  Probably not enough to merit the $199.00 price tag, though.  Some loves just aren't meant to be.

Love #2:  This is blogger love, and I have total girl crush on the lady behind Buffalo Parade.  And maybe her boyfriend, too, who is also all sorts of cute.  Plus when I opened her page just now, she had Smashing Pumpkins playing.  Bonus love.

Trip: I'll be in Little Rock with Lennon over the weekend, as he's performing poetry with the Arkansas Literary Fest.   I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Worth Mentioning

From Yes&Yes: True Story: My Mom Died When I Was 19

"This is one of many interviews that make up the True Life series, in which we learn about amazing, intriguing people and the things that they've experienced. This is the story of Tyler, whose mom died of ovarian cancer while Tyler was a sophomore in college."

"Shopping for black clothes for the funeral was really weird. One of my sisters and I went to Forever 21, and we had to flick through the racks of cheerful, colorful stuff to find the few black items they had. What are you supposed to say when the salesperson asks you if you’re looking for anything in particular? It was bizarre."

My dad took me to Dillards.  When he came up to Arkansas from Texas he hadn't brought a suit with him because he refused to believe he would have to go to a funeral.  He bought a pin stripe suit.  I got a black and white floral skirt.  I wanted a pink one.  I point blank told the sales lady my mom died four hours ago.

"The funeral was so surreal. I’m really emotionally guarded, so the funeral was the first time I had ever cried in front of people that weren’t my parents or sisters. It was liberating, in a way. The funeral itself went… well? I don’t know if that’s the right word."

I didn't cry at the funeral.  They made us walk in after everyone else down the chapel's center aisle and everyone was staring.  I actually felt like I was getting married.  We'd scattered the ashes before the service and no one wanted to get up and tell stories because we wouldn't have made it through two sentences.  In retrospect I wish I could have been stronger about that.  My defense was to be a stone in the pew.

"I also dream about her all the time. Sometimes, in the dream, I know she died, but other times it’s like she never got sick."

I used to have the most terrible dreams where she had died, but came back to life and didn't know she'd been sick or died, and everyone else had moved on, or she and my dad would want a divorce.  Or worse, she'd be dying physically but was still alive, and everything about her was falling apart.  I think I've only had one good dream about her, and I can't even remember it.  


"For people with a death in their own families, you should know that there is no right way to grieve. Don’t look to anyone else for how you’re supposed to feel or what you’re supposed to do."

Agreed.

Florence and the Machine

Four Exciting Things & One Super Exciting One: The Slam is Back!

 Exciting Thing # 1

Tieka, from the incredibly beautiful blog Selective Potential, had the brilliant idea to start a feature called "The Man Behind The Camera."  Being a night owl, I caught her post calling for submissions quite quickly, and sent in all the props I have for my lovely photographer, Lennon, who I usually turn the camera on after our photo shoots to even things out.  He made it into her first round of featured photographers, (she's going to make it a regular feature, so heads up if you have a special someone taking pictures for you).  Lennon is a tall bugger, even in high heels I barely come up to his chin - one more reason I find him adorable.  Although, his light catching ears are still my favorite feature :)

Exciting Thing # 2

Again, Amy at Ha ha.  Wait.  What? is far too kind, and shares all of the awards she racks up (and deserves) with me.  I can't tell you how much they make me smile - I may need to provide photographic evidence!

This award didn't come with any rules, but I want to pass them both along to a sampling of the blogs that post frequently and always catch my eye when they do:

Miss Vintage Vixen

Bella Vogue

Kookulai

Lauren Elizabeth

Little Reminders of Love

Sara-Jane

Texas Hearts

Is that too many?  One more!  The wild card choice - my friend, Ben - who won some type of genius-grant-type-thing to go study martial arts in Thailand.  He blogged while there and it was GREAT, but then got injured, which is not great.  I think he needs to keep writing, even state side.  As motivation for one of my favorite poets and neatest (yes, neatest) people I know, these awards also go to you, Ben:

Talking With Your Fists

Exciting Thing #3

 

I stayed up till 3AM the other night reading HTML and blog tutorials and completely revamped my page.  It is now three columns, has a nifty navigation bar, (not all of the buttons lead anywhere... yet), my favorite insect flanking all of the titles, no "blogspot" banner on top, has a pretty background, (I love orange), a centered banner, (what a headache to figure out!), and the middle column is wide enough for my pictures, (another huge headache).  But I'm done, and I'm so proud, because I am so not techy!

Also, just a reminder to some readers, if you haven't updated your links or feed readers yet, I am no longer a .blogspot address, but got a domain, so the new(ish) URL is:

www.dishevelledstars.com 

Exciting Thing #4

 

I finally joined the Flying Saucher's UFO club!  My friend JB joined the "ring of honor" not long ago, and being a frequent customer at the Saucer, it seemed high time to give myself a goal in going.  I really like craft beers, and I got Lennon a book on home brewing for Christmas, so we've cleaned out our under-stairs closet to get it ready to try our first batch.  One of our favorite places in Little Rock was Vino's Brew Pub, and we talk about the possibility of having our own brewery/pub/venue, some day in the distant future.

Tonight was trivia night at the Saucer, and I casualed-it-up by reverting back to my blue jean habits.  Team Lumberjzack totally lost - but with some polish we'll fare better next time!  The Razorback basketball team also lost to UT while I was there, so double boo.  

Jeans: Sevens from Buffalo Exchange

Shirt: Target

Cardigan: Target

Shoes: Sperry's Top Siders

I want to start documenting (for my own recollection) the beers that I try each time I go, so thus far, I've had:

1) Shiner Bock (draught) - one of my favorites, and a Texas original.

2) Deschutes Green Lakes Organic Ale (draught)

3) Spaten Franziskaner Dunkel Weisse (draught)

Exciting Thing # 5

The new season of the Austin Poetry Slam kicks off tomorrow night!  It'll be every Wednesday at 8pm, and for the kick-off, my roommate Eirik, otherwise known as Big Poppa E, will be hosting.  It's only $5 at the Independent.  I'll be there after my guitar class ends, and if you're lucky, you can see both Eirik and our other room mate - Lennon - in all of their glorious (??) antics.  See evidence below:

50 Of The World's Best Design Blogs

The Times Online posted a list of their picks for the top fifty design blogs on the interwebs.  If you're girly, domestic, or just visual like me, then you'll probably find more than a few blogs you'll want to follow from here on out.  I poked through a few and my eyes are still sore from stretching to take in all of the lovely photographs.  I'm including a few teaser pictures of all of the delicious images and ideas there are to peruse from the blogs on this list.

 Dinner under the gum tree and open bird cages

Country Style via Delight by Design

Frank Juery via Please Sir

Thai paper lotus flowers photo by Ellie Snow at Mint

Can we talk about how much I want the "paper" crane pendant?

Collage by Oh Hello Friend

 Kane Longden photo via Bliss

Collage by Pia Jane Bijerk, partially based in Amsterdam.  Her Amsterdam photos are dear to my heart as I lived in the Netherlands for three years, (Never Never Land, according to my 1st grade self).

I admit it.  I like blurry pictures of pretty girls staring off at things.

Photo by Daydream Lily

After watching Marie Antoinette on the home theatre screen, I'm feeling a renewed passion for turquoise.

Photo from 1st-Option via Lobster and Swan

(although I love this blog, I want to poke fun at the name, as well as the Snail and Cyclops - another I love - and start my own mishmash-named-blog called "Lice & Prawns."  Don't copy!)

Starry eyed, photo by Dress, Design & Decor via Frolic!

Apparently, I'm not the only one who felt the need to dig up Marie Antoinette for it's lush imagery.  Apartment Therapy did, too.  I feel stylish now.

The Marie must still be in me, since I was instantly drawn to these lovely cake stands.  That, or I've always felt affectionate for vintage tableware, mint green, and peony pink... if you need more proof, see the invitations from my wedding that were never mailed.

Photos from BBC Homes & Antiques via Tea For Joy, the compiler of the Time's list.

With that, I'm going to go survey my own messy domain, maybe reach for a vacuum.  Maybe.

Flapper Dress: 101 + Female Writers of the 1920's

To paraphrase the Austin Eavesdropper, tomorrow night is when gardening meets Gatsby at The Liberty bar in East Austin.  This means it's time to break out the fringe, feathers, and fedoras to go out on the town and have a "hotsy-totsy" good time.  I love dressing up, I love sustainable gardening, and I certainly love a party.  Also, keeping in mind that once an English teacher, always an English teacher: I love female writers of the roaring twenties. 

Dorothy Parker - Often recognized as a member of the Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker is an author who is often quoted but too little read.  She had a sardonic wit, a tumultous love life, and a busy pen, seeing as she wrote short stories, novels, poems, screen plays, magazine articles... a sad theme of her work was typically along the lines of "you're born, you think life is great, really it sucks, then you die," but in between the start and the finish, she's really funny and painfuly astute.

Zelda Fitgerald - "The Flapper awoke from her lethargy of sub-deb-ism, bobbed her hair, put on her choicest pair of earrings and a great deal of audacity and rouge and went into the battle. She flirted because it was fun to flirt and wore a one-piece bathing suit because she had a good figure ... she was conscious that the things she did were the things she had always wanted to do. Mothers disapproved of their sons taking the Flapper to dances, to teas, to swim and most of all to heart." - Z. Fitzgerald, 'Eulogy of the Flapper.'  A dancer, a writer, a drunk, a hell-raiser, a muse, and an entrenching subject of biography. 

Gertrude Stein - While I don't understand her tender-buttons type writing, I felt like The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was peeking into a 1920's Paris salon through a telescope.  I have monolithic respect for a lady who didn't need a man to take care of her, kept the egos of the day in check, was a proprieter of art and literature, and didn't feel the need to follow the rules of "ladylike" behavior.

So, in celebration of the flapper era and the swell women who occupied it, here are my tips to dressing up like a genuine, renaissance lady of the roaring twenties:

1) High-heeled, strappy shoes with round toes.

2) Strings and strings of faux-pearl necklaces.

3) Swirly skirts, drop waist dresses, sleeveless blouses, sequins, and fringe that emphasizes the swing of your hips when you do the Charleston.

4) GIN.  (bathtub optional).

These are items I dug out of my closet, but if you want a true education on dressing in vintage style, then it is imperative that you visit the Vintage Vivant herself: a fellow Austinite, and also a former Arkansas girl (and U of A alum, too!) Amelia.  You can find her at Toy Joy, her daily fashion blog, or at her Etsy shop, where you can purchase hand sewn, lovely, (and sometimes naughty), items, such as this tidy-cloth.  Also be sure to read her post on how to apply 1920's style makeup, it's very important for proper appearances tomorrow night!

It seems only appropriate to end this particular post the following way:

My candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--

It gives a lovely light!

 

Because first and foremost, Edna St. Vincent Millay is my homegirl.  See you tomorrow!

The Urban Housewife Does Austin

One of my favorite bloggers (and would probably be one of my favorite vegan bakers if I ever got the chance to taste her creations), The Urban Housewife, recently visited Austin and did two great posts about her exploits - both the gastro and the generally grand variety. 

You can read all about it, and get motivated to go out to eat, in her two-part series here and here. 

Girl Adores Globe

I'm very lucky. I come from a family that adores history, antiques, and has no fear scouring dust, rust, and the occasional bug to find something special. My grandmother owned an antique store in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, before she died, and most of my early memories are of watching adults go nuts at auctions over broken pieces of jewelry and furniture missing hinges and knobs and other unsightly blemishes. My dad restored the pieces we brought home as a hobby, specifically antique rifles and clocks, so having something new in our house was a novel and exciting concept. I remember being mad when I told my parents I wanted a desk, and the first thing they got me was a lady's writing table from the 1800's, when all I wanted was a white Pottery Barn style computer desk like all my friends had. My parents were much wiser than I gave them credit for.

So when I, (and probably a lot of other people), hear that Keith Johnson, a buyer for Anthropologie, has gotten a show chronicling his travels around the world to buy dusty antiques for an over priced catalogue, respectively called Man Shops Globe, I turn a little green, and a little red. Salon.com quickly followed up with an article titled "Overpriced Antiques for Anxious Yuppies," citing the upper middle class's obsession with rustic objects d'art as a quest for meaning in an otherwise cardboard boxed, pre-packaged, quick-fix world. While the criticism of a trend is fair enough, it seems weak to poke at people who are "existentially wobbly" and long for something meaningful, even if that something turns out to be an ottoman from the former Ottoman empire, or a blown glass lamp from Tunisia.

Anthropologie also owns Urban Outfitters, the store I did not discover until my freshman year at college in Washington, DC. This is when I discovered that the curly-cued wrought iron adornments and faded fabrics my parents had so adored were being mass produced with a hipper edge, and I liked it. Around ten years old I told my parents I'd never buy anything that wasn't new, because old stuff was creepy and dirty, so I suppose my infatuation with the Urban Outfitters apartment section was the beginning of my regression from those words - a compromise between new and dingy.

I think the entire marketing strategy of stores like Urban Outfitters is to make everything look like a patch work quilt sewn together with pretty, textured fabrics. Nothing really matches, but that's ok.

The thing with purchasing from a catalogue that the Salon article railed against, and which I fully agree with, is that objects such as the mirror above from anthropologie.com and listed for $500.00, are a ridiculous way to go about acquiring unique pieces. Part of the value of being a collector of antiques and art is doing the scouring and the searching yourself, and knowing exactly where the piece came from, and if it's a new handicraft from an exotic location, then getting to experience where it came from and meet the person who made it. As far as the mirror above, I could definitely smash a few old $5 throw away frames and glue them onto a new one. Someone write me a check!

Of course, being a quick-fix protege of the times, I get frustrated not knowing the outcome of things, so part of the allure of places like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters is that the final product is already done for you. Collecting takes time and patience, and it's easier to order part of a whole - such as a sofa from a picture of a completed room - with the final design in mind. This is something I need to work on - letting go of the desire to know the ending. None the less, I want that scarf. And that hat. And that jacket. If I got that $500 check, it might cover all three pieces.

Of course, for the poorer people amongst us, including myself, there was always Target's Global Bazaar, which I again agree with the Salon article when it describes these objects as focuses of resentment when they pale in comparison to legit antiques and handicrafts after coming out of the shopping bag. Nonetheless, I will always love Target.

Here, Keith Johnson examines carpets in a Turkish carpet store, another activity that I loathed my ninth grade year as my parents looked at unrolled carpet after unrolled carpet in stores across the country. Living in Izmir, we get to travel frequently around Turkey, so I maintain that, despite my annoyance at the time, I'm a lucky girl. And as beautiful as some of the pieces he selects here may be, they still will never hold the relevance that a carpet my mother picked out from the store in Izmir where she had tea every week with the shop keeper while I petted the almost-stray German Sheppard outside does; one of many pieces that still make me think of her when she was alive and the wonderful year my family spent together in Izmir. These are the things that make an object powerful. Sorry, Anthropologie. It's just not the same.

Sunday Afternoon Visits

• This is what I need to do. It might make moving next Saturday much cheaper.


• Controlling relationships: I'm inclined to agree with her take on Bella & Edward


• Can not WAIT to see this movie! I will be wearing my Sendak shirt to opening night.


• I hate hate hate that teacher's are expected to censor themselves 24/7. Some of these stories horrify me, (some people got what they deserved, I'll admit, but others, no). Where is the ACLU when you need them...


• "People need the courage to be lonely"


• It's never too late to change your life - posted at iCing, well worth re-posting.


• Advice for reading poetry out loud - all things I wish some of my students would consider.

from ilove

Favorite Things ...this week

• Sometimes it's hard...


• We forget these things sometimes


• Out of tragedy comes...


• Hamsa tattoo


• Tuber or not tuber, THAT is the question.


• The killer of girl love


• Bad/good news for non-profits & the arts


• Living Enlightenment
• Duck butt!

and finally....

from iLove