Peggy Bundy

Recently I decided I wanted a pair of thick, ponte knit leggings to wear as pants; this revelation was brought about after I wore regular leggings under a thin and exceedingly short white dress and spent the day feeling somewhat exposed. I tracked these down at Westfield Mall, and they're perfect: they have a zipper and button fly, and real pockets. They are completely, 100% opaque. By any definition they're pants. And yet. That's right, I felt somewhat exposed.

Don't get me wrong, I love the way this outfit looked, and I'd certainly wear it again. But the form-fitting stretchy pants combined with sky-high heels made me feel a bit Peggy Bundy for my current comfort level. That's ok; comfort levels can be adjusted. But until I get used to these, I think I'll stick to wearing them with upper layers that are a little longer. In fact, the short white dress will be just the thing.

Speaking of Peggy Bundy, I have a good story about her. A couple of years ago Mark and I were in a shop on Haight Street looking at steampunk/Burning Man-style clothes; I was trying on a gorgeous but pricey vest and another shopper paused to tell me how great it looked on me. The shopper was none other than Katey Sagal, who of course played Peggy Bundy. Obviously, I bought the vest!

Cardigan, top: Anthropologie
Pants: Club Monaco
Shoes: Pour la Victoire
Bag: Michael Kors

In other news, I walked into the Michael Kors store while I was in the mall and fell head over heels for this gorgeous navy blue bag. Along with yet another bag that'll make its appearance in a couple days, that's 3 new ones this year. Normally I'm much more of a shoe gal than a bag gal, because few bags really move me the way shoes do; in fact, I've sometimes gone 2-3 years without buying a new bag. So when I see one that really rocks my world, I snap it up. 

Tattoo Tuesday V.72

 

Name and blog name: Tacha // decoratedskin.tumblr.com

Age: 23

Occupation: shop manager at a bakery store, and mother ;)

Age of first tattoo: 15

Favorite tattoo: Difficult to answer as I love most of them very much! I'd say the newer ones are always the favorites so my legs!

Featured tattoo/location: Both shins, a papa deer on the right saying 'Father knows best', and a mama owl on left saying 'mother knows better'.

Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Guen Douglas, 25 to life tattoo at Rotterdam!

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

To be honest I don't really believe that every single tattoo must have a grand meaning behind it! Most of my tattoos I pretty much get for the love of the art. I wanted a deer and an owl for a while, but wanted to make it different and fun. I love everything vintage and 'old' so they had to be very grandparent-y (that's not a real word I know). They sort of represent my mom and dad, but with a humorous twist! They are still in progress, finishing in august! I have the world's shortest and chubbiest legs, but these pieces of art on them make me love my little legs so much more! Getting your shins done isn't an easy thing though, easily the most painful tattoos I have. May I just use this opportunity to let the world know how great Guen Douglas is! Seriously worth a visit when you're in Holland!

 

2) Do you have any other tattoos?  If so, what do you have and where?

I'll list them chronologically:

- 'Dushi' on my loin, was a nickname when I was 15, done by a scratcher! Only tattoo I really regret, luckily it's tiny and never visible ;) On my list to get covered.
- Bows on my shoulders, no meaning to them, just love bows.
- 'Mama' on my left wrist, 'B*J' on the right one. I say B*J stands for Ben&Jerry's when people ask but they actually are the initials of my doggies!
- Cherry blossoms piece on my left side, no meaning,  just pretty. It got stretched out a bit during my pregnancy, need to retouch it and possibly add to it in the future.
- Old school upper back piece with 2 swallows and a heart in the middle (saying 'Nona' for my daughter).
- 'Full' left sleeve, all though some won't call it a sleeve as there is still some blank skin visible. Still not finished, there will be some more extra little things added in the future. It has a pin up girl, a pocket watch, heart locket & key, anchor, rose, gramophone, swan in a frame, a bow, and a little fan.
- Lady Like piece on my right lower arm.  It's a vintage tea-dress with awesome details <3
- My shin pieces.
credit: Left arm: Candy Cane/Eva Dekkers (Weert); Back and shoulders: Spitfire (Antwerp); Side piece: Tony Magic Cherry's (Eindhoven)

 

 

 

 

 

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Yes ma'am! After my legs and left arm is done I'll start on my right arm. Then my feet, and so on. I plan to be quite covered, I'm still full of ideas! If I'd ever win the lottery I would also get my hands done, I love hand tattoos! But it's too hard to get a job so I can't right now..  Also still debating wether to go for a chest piece or not. I adore chest pieces, but they are always visible, and sometimes I like to cover my tattoos up when I don't feel like getting the attention. If I would ever get a chest piece it will probably be simple roses, maybe with a cameo in the middle :)

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)?  Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? 

My family is pretty much used to them, especially my brothers and sisters, they all have some tattoos and all want more :) My mom loves them but she does says she never ever thought I would get so many! My father doesn't like them and says I'll regret them. My partner has not a single tattoo yet! People often think that's weird, they sorta expect me to have a tough-looking fully tattooed hubbie ;) He does love them on me, and he's planning his first real soon!
So far I have not gotten any negative remarks from strangers, but boy do I get looks/stares! I work in a bakery store and luckily I don't need to cover them up, so when I'm wearing a dress (which is often) people see my tattoos. But no one has ever made a bad comment, I do get quite some questions about them: where I got them done, did they hurt, etc etc. When I'm walking on the street I get many, many stares. Some people even stop and turn around to look. I really need to get used to that attention, as I'm a shy person ;)
I guess most people still think tattooed ladies are all "bad girls", wearing biker clothes and looking mean, they are not used to a girl who's very lady like and has a lot of tattoos ;) I can't wait till Nona goes to school, it will be interesting seeing the looks on the other mom's faces when I drop her off!

 

5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

The basics I guess! Find a great artist, look around, don't just settle for the first one you find! Good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good! Think good about what you want, altough I think impulsive tattoos can be fun too (if done by a good artist)! I'm just saying there's no need to think about an idea for years and years (trust me, I know such people)  and to keep on talking about it but never getting it done.  You only live once!
Take good care of your tattoos, avoid sunshine if you can, I'm pale as a ghost but my tattoos are nice and bright! Don't worry too much about what it will look like when you're 70. I mean really, you will have other things on your mind by then ;). Be original! Do not copy someones custom design, it is really rude and disrespectful. I've had my lady like piece copied, and both the artist as myself were very offended by it. If a piece is custom made, it's usually personal and meaningful. You wouldn't copy someone's tattoo if it were a portrait of her grandma, would you?
I'll end with a pet peeve of mine: Do not get your hands or neck done as your very first tattoo! I'm seeing it way too much lately, 18 year olds getting their necks done? Think about it! Anyway, hope this was helpful in a way, and be sure to ask my questions on my tumblr if you have any!

Long Weekend

I wore this outfit for the last day of conferencing, because as soon as the conference was over I was going directly to meet Laura in the Tenderloin neighborhood, which is close to the conference venue, for drinks and a show. Since it was the last day of the conference I didn't mind dressing on the casual side, and I needed something that was comfortable enough to wear all day and  into the night. My sequin blazer gave the outfit a touch of glam while still being easy to wear.

The blazer has a shrunken appearance and is cropped short in the back, giving it a tailored look even though the fabric underneath the sequins is a stretchy jersey. My only gripe is that it buttons a little high for my long torso; I think the next time I go to my dry cleaner/tailor I might have them add a lower buttonhole and move the single button down a few inches so that I can button it closer to my natural waist.

The show was terrible, by the way. The band featured local hero Mike Patton, who Laura and I have seen in all of his incarnations every time he plays in town, starting waaaay back in the 90's when he was the front man for Faith No More. This permutation was mostly screaming and atonal banging on the piano, which was frustrating because the man has an incredible singing voice that he simply opted not to use. Maybe 10 years from now I'll get what he was trying to do, but here in 2011 we just left early and called it a night.

Jacket: B. Bella
Top: Max Studio
Jeans: Joe's
Boots: Bronx
Necklace: Manu Lizarralde (Argentina)

It's a long weekend here in the States, so I'll be taking the day off on Monday. To get your weekend started right, let me leave you with a catchy tune from great artist I've recently discovered, from France by way of Japan. Last year some close friends went home to Lyon for the summer and brought me back a mix CD of French hits. My favorite track by far was called Je Veux by gypsy-jazz artist Zaz. Fast forward to last month, when Laura returned from a trip to Osaka bringing me a great CD she had found at the listening station at Tower Records (yes, they still exist in Japan!). You guessed it, Zaz.

I couldn't embed the official video for Je Veux, so 

click the photo of Zaz to go to the YouTube link.

I would never make any comparison to Edith Piaf lightly, but Zaz really earns that distinction. I'd actually describe her voice as a cross between Edith Piaf's plaintive vibrato and Eartha Kitt's sultry purr. She's also no neophyte, having been a singer for many years and just recently finding more widespread success in her 30's. Je Veux was her big hit last summer, but another of my favorite songs from the CD is Prends Garde à Ta Langue; I couldn't find an official video for it, but click below to listen. Happy weekend, everyone!

Cropping Up

Well, I warned you that these cropped pants would be, er, cropping up again soon. A weekend had intervened after the last wearing of them, I was at a different conference, and since aside from me there was virtually no overlap in attendance among my colleagues, I figured no one would be the wiser if I wore them again. This time I paired them with an equestrian styled blazer and leopard print blouse. The open-top shoes with bare feet proved to be the absolute wrong thing to wear for the soggy day it turned out to be, but other than that it was a great semi-professional outfit to wear on the first day of a conference.

I feel like red shoes would've looked better with this outfit, but I was lacking the correct red shoes to do the job, so I stuck with taupe. I did go with red earrings though.

Top: Forever 21
Blazer: Karen Millen
Pants: Cynthia Steffe
Shoes: John Fluevog

Alpha Omega tattoo tattoo i desgned

Alpha Omega tattoo tattoo i desgned

Japanese Tattoos

Koi Fish Tattoo Design

Koi Fish Tattoo Design















image source: www.tattoo4live.com

Giddy

For day 2 of conferencing I figured I couldn't go wrong with my Helmut Lang blazer. Originally I intended to wear this blazer with the All Saints dress I posted yesterday, but sadly the proportions aren't right; the blazer is just a little too long in front for the dress. Thankfully these cropped pants had just arrived via Gilt, and the sunny weather that day offered the perfect chance to try them out. They're really comfortable, and the pale beige color means they match my skin tone and thus don't shorten my legs. Expect to see a lot more of these pants -- and surprisingly soon, too.

If I look extra happy here, it's for two reasons: Jess was in town, and I was spending my workday in San Francisco. If it isn't already obvious, let me just state for the record that I am giddy with love for the city I live in. It never gets old for me; all the interesting things to do, amazing restaurants to try out, beautiful scenery, and most of all the people. Not a day goes by that I'm not filled with pride and gratitude to be a part of this unique and special place. I love it SO MUCH!!




Ahem. As I was saying... After I got home from the conference, I dressed the outfit down by swapping out my jacket, shoes, and necklace. Georgie was there to supervise.





Black blazer: Helmut Lang
Top: Ann Taylor
Pants: Cynthia Steffe
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors
Military jacket: French Kiss
Flats: Fly London

Downtown (things will be great when you're downtown)

I recently attended two back-to-back scientific conferences in San Francisco, which was such a treat. Conference #1 was on a Thursday and Friday and Conference #2 was the following Monday - Wednesday; 5 straight business days of getting to live my dream of essentially never leaving the city limits except for personal reasons such as travel or visiting friends. Why would I ever want to leave when everything I need is right here? Everything's waiting for me!

The last time I got to live and work in San Francisco was in 1992; I worked at a photo lab downtown, and although my bosses were two of the most horrible people I've ever had the misfortune to meet, I still got a thrill every day out of taking the subway downtown and being in the midst of city life. I always thought it would be cool to be one of those well-dressed professional women, with their blazers and heels and stylish handbags, because obviously, working with chemicals in a photo lab didn't really lend itself to wearing nice clothes. When I attend conferences in town, I feel like I've finally become one of those women.

This All Saints dress was just the perfect thing to wear to a conference, because it has many of the interesting details that are key elements of my style, while still offering a tailored and elegant look.  Conferences are great opportunities for networking, so I generally dress a little more professionally for them than I do for my usual kooky office looks. For what purpose I might wish to network at an industry conference I'll leave it to you to guess. Shhh... just don't tell my boss.


Dress: All Saints
Blazer: Promod (Prague)
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Necklace: Wendy Brandes
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Bettye Muller
Bag: Coccinelle

Tattoo Tuesday V.71

 Name and blog name: Meg Gagnard - http://dequelleplaneteestu.com 

Age: 21

Occupation: Communications &amp; Marketing Student in Paris

Age of first tattoo: 16

Favorite tattoo: Leg sleeve (still in process)

Featured tattoo/location: Bouquet/paisley leg sleeve. Left lower leg from ankle upward. Eventually I would like this piece to go up to my knee, but my trips back to the states are once every year, and I don’t have the heart to let another artist work on it quite yet! I’m taking it slow, but it will be done someday!

Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Asa Rogers at Under Your Skin in Aurora, Colorado.

 

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

The leg sleeve started with one of those rushed tattoos- the tree on my inner ankle that my sister and I did together. I had always been fascinated by sleeves and thought I would like one even more on my leg. I spent a lot of time contemplating what exactly I would put when I came across the two most simple things that I adore: flowers and paisley. I like flowers because everyone can make them their own and add their own spunk to them. Along with the flower idea I wanted to have another “main part” as the tree took up the whole inner ankle, which was when I decided I wanted a dia de los muertos head. My mother has always been obsessed; pulling out her dolls every year (even though we have no Mexican roots) but the beauty of the dolls always fascinated me. Nowadays it has become more cliché, but I stick by my mother’s collection and think of how I always found them to be so stoic and stunning. Thus, since I am not a rose person, I decided to put two zinnias on the sides of the head, making it blend more with the surroundings. My mother is an artist (and tattooed a bit also to say the least!) so in that sense it links back to her, but in general it is about the beauty of the objects themselves as well. The paisley I just find to be simply pretty. I am a gal who likes patterns and shapes, and paisley is just a field day for me. I think my artist, Asa, has become pretty good at free-handing paisley by now. As for now I want to incorporate more flowers and paisley, having the paisley blend into a full bouquet by the time I get to right below the knee. I don’t plan on doing color- I dig the simple black ink. So to sum up the blabbering: a random collection of things I find pretty.

 

2) Do you have any other tattoos?  If so, what do you have and where? 

Yes, I have a small sentence in Arabic (kind of cliché, but as a hydrologist, my dad lives in the Middle East) on the back of my neck. I also have some doodles on my right foot, with a sketched simple globe on the top of my right foot (which I did when I was 16). The doodles I added when I was 18, going to the bottom of my anklebone. These were originally inspired by Arabic henna, having spent time in the Middle East throughout my childhood.

 

 

3) Do you plan on getting more?

Yes, I plan on continuing the bouquet on my leg sleeve up to my knee. I fancy sleeves and especially ¾ sleeves, but not sure if I would actually pursue one on my own body. Shoulder pieces I find also to be stunning. We will see where the wind blows me.  I am not sure, however, if I would ever get a color tattoo. For now black ink does it for me, and I feel that it fits me more. But on verra en tous cas.

 

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)?  Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

What’s funny is that most people would never guess I have a tattoo until I put on a pear of shorts or a skirt- it oftentimes brings about interesting yet amusing responses. My close family doesn’t think anything of it. I have a twin sister, and both of us are pretty into tattoos- different styles, but same ole ink. My brother does not have any and I’m pretty sure my dad rolls his eyes, although he is pretty young at heart and isn’t against them. My mom has a few- a small ankle one and also a smaller one more on her foot (the arrow). I do not remember initially asking my mom to go with me to sign the papers as I was a minor, but I’d be anxious to know what went through her head when I asked because I definitely got what I wanted! The sentence in Arabic was my first one, nothing with bad taste or silly connotations, which could be the reason for which she gave it a go. It is to this day a tattoo I get complimented on- especially by those who speak Arabic, which I also study (in response to the question: “Do you know what it means???”).

My friends are hard to put into one grouping. I have many friends who also have many stunning tattoos and also many friends who do not have any, who question my initial motives and probably think I will regret it later in life. But regardless, this would never affect the relationships I have with my friends. They may think I’m a bit crazy, but that’s not a first! They love me for who I am [and like my tattoos] no matter what their views are, which is why I’m lucky to have such a diverse group of friends.

In terms of adversity or negativity, living in Paris, France there is a handful of that. I am originally from Denver, Colorado which is a moderately artsy town filled with inked up adults and creatives… already with more of a tattoo stigma existing already in urban and non-urban areas of the US. But in Paris, this fad hasn’t quite hit fully yet.

For negative reactions, I must say that the number of double takes I get tends to be exponential when the weather is nice and I whip out the shorts. I can’t help but wonder why people waste their time staring me down questioning my morals with a broken, rude or uneducated rhetoric. Yet, it is just one more reason to hold my head high as I defend the fact that I am a bilingual independent woman with an outstanding education and big plans for life. This kind of negative reaction is also something I knew I would get going into this whole “having tattoos thing” which makes it less and less bothersome to me.

BUT! The board goes both ways: in this city of lights I also get numerous compliments from an artistic standpoint- people asking me where I got the tattoos done, or why I did them, or simply just a compliment about them aesthetically. It is heartwarming when people recognize the artistic value in tattoos.

I firmly believe there are many reasons to be against tattoos and that there are a plethora of distasteful tattoos that are inked deeply into peoples skin layers that gives them a bad name and bad stigma- in addition to historical stories about tattoos in places like prisons or gangs- but above all, there is the artistic side that exists in modern society, that some people are too blind to see. Which is life, c’est la vie. I think they’re beautiful and can be a classy mode of expression or individuality, so getting over the negative reactions fades away. As we all know, it’s a permanent thing, but it certainly doesn’t affect a mentality or an intelligence level. There are crazy people everywhere, as well as impactful people who will change the world- and what is on their skin or what they’re wearing isn’t going to change their heart and mindset. This topic, however, leads to the question of working. My tattoos can be covered up completely without having to make major alterations to my wardrobe, but what I do hope for in future working environments is that I do not need to hide the fact that they exist. I have no problem with covering them up for what come refer to as ‘professional’ purposes, but why doubt that they exist? It’s a piece of my personality that could ultimately help me be better understood as a person in any context.

The question on the significant other: my boyfriend Louis is French, and wasn’t really used to the artistic side of tattoos as he claimed when he first met me a year and a half ago.  He had only met someone with the random-type-of-tattoo without real reasoning or artistic value (i.e. a badly colored smurf or something on hipbone)- the kind when you pop into the shop you pick anything you like out of the plethora of images surrounding the entrance of the studio. I think the first time he saw my tattoos on my leg he may have been a bit surprised, but he assured me that it was a non-negative surprised reaction. I asked him bluntly about he topic for this questionnaire he just replied, "I love you and you have things that you love, so why wouldn't I love those things you love?"  I don’t think he’ll ever get one of his own, but I can definitely see him observing them on others more and more now that he knows my views on tattoos as an art. All in all, he likes them!

 

5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but hasn’t gotten one yet?

My advice to someone interested in getting tattooed but hasn’t done it yet would definitely be to not rush. Take your time and design something you really like that you think will be aesthetic, and also to not be afraid to go against the artist’s design or ideas. Sometimes they come up with ideas and you don’t want to be mean and change it but ultimately its YOU having this injected into your skin and making it a part of your body, so don’t be afraid to speak up or settle for anything less than what you imagine in your head. Secondly, do not be afraid of just other people. You’re living in this world to and can tattoo yourself if you want to! People are going to judge, but you know what, they’re wasting their time if you’ve got confidence for the choice you made even if it’s just a little design you happen to find pretty. People will ask you about it nonstop even if you try to avoid it, but don’t be shy. At first I found myself being apprehensive about telling people about it but really I’m proud to tell people about it now as it something visible. For all the negative reactions out there don’t forget that you’ll get positive and complimentary ones as well. Thirdly and lastly my advice is to be tasteful and unique. Even if an image is “cliché” you can always make it your own. Keep  in mind that nothing is ACTUALLY new and everything’s been done before, so just always make it pertinent to YOU and YOUR individuality.

Covered in Color

Well it's spring, and right now it's also cold. Clearly this makes dressing in a springy way very challenging, so for this outfit I simply deployed as much color as I could possibly pile on. Electric blue legs, green scarf, orange jacket, yellow bag. When you're this covered up, the best you can do is to cover yourself with color. 

Dress: Desigual....  Scarf: Rhapsodia (Argentina)....  Jacket: Tulle....  Bag: Coccinelle....  

Tights: Foot Traffic....  Shoes: MIA