Goodbye Norma Jean

Over the weekend I made a major decision: it was time to do away with my Monroe piercing (although apparently mine was technically a Madonna piercing, but whatever). The reason is that I'd started to notice a wrinkle that the piercing was causing; the tug of the post when I talked and smiled was creating a vertical line from the piercing to the upper margin of my lip, which doesn't follow the natural creases that talking and smiling produce on their own. I knew that in another year or so the crease would start to look odd and unnatural among my other lines, so I figured if I took the piercing out now I could stop, and maybe even reverse, the damage. I'd had the piercing for almost 6 years.

Getting your face pierced is an odd thing, because unlike the ears or nose, there's a lot of active tissue there that has to reconcile itself with a foreign object being placed in its midst. As it turns out, the face doesn't really appreciate having a metal rod rammed through it. It reacts initially with fairly exaggerated swelling, so much so that an extra long post has to be put in at first to accommodate the bulging tissue. When things finally settle down, the real healing can begin.

A pierced face heals begrudgingly, slowly admitting defeat and shrinking back to its normal dimensions, though it remains ready at the attack for several months, always prepared to spring forth into violent rebellion at the slightest disruption. Finally after about 6 months it seems to become resigned to its fate, and almost never protests after that. The back of the piercing settles into the soft tissue in the back of the lip, and it's nearly a part of you. Nearly.

Once the offending object is removed however, the face seems to regain its confidence, as well as a renewed sense of diplomacy. It nary makes a fuss, preferring to write the whole thing off as a minor misunderstanding. It's as if it's saying, "Well, thank heavens you've come to your senses. Let's put that little episode behind us." Not 24 hours after I removed the metal post, I could no longer squirt water out of the hole it left behind (a talent I'm somewhat sad to lose); 2 days in I could barely feel the depression that the back of the post left on the inside of my lip; after 4 days even the hole on the outside is starting to close in on itself. Soon it will resemble what it was meant to mimic in the first place: a beauty mark, albeit a very small one.

I loved the look of the piercing but I knew from the start that its time was limited. I have a few more outfit photos to post from before I took it out, but you may have a tough time discerning the first photos where it's gone. Unless you see me up close, it has always been a fairly subtle accessory.

There's one person I know will celebrate the departure of my Monroe piercing: my mom. Moms never seem to love any modification of their offspring's physical being, I find. I suppose they feel that when they made their sons and daughters, they were already perfect.

Top: Asos
Belt: Oscar de la Renta
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: Hue
Shoes: BCBGirls

Columnar

 

Here's an outfit that accents my actual figure; by which I mean that it doesn't seek to manufacture curves I don't possess, but rather accentuates the straight, columnar shape I actually have. And I think this is a good thing to develop comfort with, because many of us devote so much time to making our busts look larger, our waists look smaller, and so on, that we overlook the simplicity of working with the shape we already have. Sal is obviously the queen of positive body image writing, so I'll point you to her blog for the more philosophical discussions of embracing your figure; I thought what I'd do here is discuss the mechanics of how this particular outfit plays to my natural shape.

Since I don't have very exaggerated curves, it's easy for me to wear more androgynous shapes; shapes whose lines aren't disrupted by a big bust or round hips. For this outfit, I resisted the urge to add a belt, and instead let the long, vertical lines rule the day. I let the straight-sided cardigan hang open and gathered the scarf into a single line down the middle. I also didn't clutter up the outfit with too many accessories, and let the vibrant red bag be the single point of color.

The sheer black top fits loosely and hangs straight down, and likewise the skirt is a simple column shape. The leggings brought in some visual interest with the horizontal lines, while still keeping the look clean and simple. This was a comfortable outfit to wear, because nothing was pinching or squeezing or slipping anywhere, and I think in large part it had to do with the way the proportions of the garments fit my body's natural proportions.


Over to you. Do you ever try accentuating your natural shape, rather than going for the standard hourglass? What types of clothing play up your real figure, and how do you feel about wearing them?

Top and leggings: Black Market Baby (Etsy)
Skirt: Asos
Scarf ring: from a shop in Buenos Aires
Shoes: Bobbi Blu
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Bag: Foley + Corinna
Cardigan: Anthropologie

Convergence

I just loved the way the soft cream, yellow and black of these platform sandals matched so perfectly with the pattern of this skirt. It was another one of those serendipitous wardrobe convergences; I didn't buy the shoes to go specifically with the skirt, but it happily worked out that way.

Blogger had some issues last week and seems to have eaten a bunch of comments, so I apologize if yours was deleted.


Top: F21
Skirt: unknown
Jewelry: Betsy Johnson
Shoes: Pour la Victoire

In Full Swing

Over the weekend I put together a few days' worth of outfits and recruited Mark to take some photos outside, just to mix things up a little. As you can see, spring is in full swing according to most of the plants, although the bougainvillea seems to disagree; it's half-heartedly putting forth a few small leaves, but seems content to hibernate a little longer until it warms up. I can't really say that I blame it.

For this outfit I kept it springy with the pale pink and off-white skirts, even though with all the layering it was designed with cool weather in mind. It was also the perfect vehicle for this fab new harness that Mark made. Actually I 'ordered' it from him; he had this very pretty caramel-colored, smooth leather in his stash and I thought it would look great for spring and summer in a lightweight harness style. This harness is the basic "Jane Doe" style, with straps that are thinner than the original. This strikes me as being a great option if you've been wanting to try out the harness trend, but don't want to look too edgy or bondage-y. The color reminds me of some of the leather accessories seen in Lanvin's SS11 RTW line.

Tank Top, pink skirt: Anthropologie
Jacket: French Kiss, thrifted
Harness: Audra Jean
Tulle skirt: Noa Noa
Tights: Hue
Shoes: John Fluevog

Easter Egg

I think I like using the larger picture format for my lead outfit shots; the detail is much easier to see, isn't it? Of course you can always click each photo to enlarge, but it seems like it's easier not to have to go through that extra step. Feedback is appreciated!

I felt like an Easter egg in this outfit, in the best possible way. I'm not usually one to wear lots of pastel colors together, but I really loved how the deeper teal shades gave the outfit some contrast. Note that none of the colors really match, but they all go together: the shoes, for instance, contain shades of teal that are just on either side of the skirt in terms of intensity, and the purple panels across the tops of the shoes tie in the purplish top without being exactly the same hue. This was a fun outfit, both to put together and to wear.

Making the outfit even more fun was how many of the items in it were gifts; note the list below.


Top: a gift from Mom
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Belt: a gift from my sister
Skirt: a gift from Sal
Tights: Hue
Shoes: John Fluevog
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Necklace: Ambiance on Haight Street

Tough but Sweet

Lately I've been getting a lot of use out of this beautiful leather jacket. Its open front and cropped length make it not quite winter-worthy, but it's the perfect outer layer for spring and all the way through fall in the mild San Francisco climate. I loved the way it looked over these light chiffon layers; it added just the right amount of toughness to the soft, feminine look.

Dress: Fremont
Skirt: Anthropologie
Boots: Timberland Boot Co.
Jacket: Skin Graft

The Lost Dogs

This was an outfit that ended up being very different from where it started out, and far different (and more casual) than I initially imagined it would be. It was really comfy though, and thankfully Georgie showed up to accessorize me. Too bad I couldn't take her with me to work; I thought she really made the outfit.

Tank: All Saints
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Jeans: Joe's
Shoes: Faryl Robin
Bangles: Amrita Singh

While we're (sort of) on the topic of dogs, and pit bulls in particular, I thought I'd discuss the book I just finished reading, The Lost Dogs by Jim Gorant. It tells the story of Michael Vick's dogs, who were seized from his dog fighting operation and subsequently rescued and in most cases rehabilitated. The first part of the book is terribly sad and horrific, covering the brutality and mistreatment that the dogs endured. If you were ever a fan of, or were even indifferent to Michael Vick, you'll thoroughly despise him after reading this book. In my mind there's really no punishment harsh enough for people who are cruel to animals. There's a special place in hell for monsters like Michael Vick.

However, the second half of the book focuses on the dogs, and the multitude of compassionate and committed people who made their rescue possible. This is the part of the book that really restores faith in humankind; I only wish there were more people out there who could see past pit bulls' bad reputation, and who cared about helping these amazing animals. Many of the Vick dogs went on to be successfully adopted by loving families, some became therapy dogs working with hospital patients, and one is used to help children learn how to read. Far from being aggressive, most of the Vick dogs were fearful and withdrawn, but in time they came to trust people and learn the things that come naturally to a pet dog: playing with toys, jumping up on the couch, engaging each other in play. Dogs, and especially pit bulls, are truly resilient creatures.

PBS did a story covering many of the highlights of The Lost Dogs as well as some of the people and dogs involved. Grab a kleenex, and click to watch.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Pit bulls were once a favorite companion breed, renowned for their loyalty and sweetness, but in recent years they've become the latest in a long line of breeds that have suffered from hype and bad press. According to The Lost Dogs, the bloodhound was the most feared breed in the early nineteenth century; after that it was the German Shepherd, and with the rise of the Nazis it became the Doberman pinscher. These days it's the pit bull, in part because their stamina and determination make them attractive targets for exploitation by drug dealers and dog fighters, and the resulting overbreeding, neglect and abuse leads to more dogs that are unsocialized and fearful of humans. In truth, pit bulls are naturally wonderful dogs; intelligent, fun loving, and deeply attached to humans. They've got boundless energy but are also consummate couch potatoes and expert snugglers; they are clever and are easily engaged by puzzles and thinking games, but they also love physical play and roughhousing.

We call Georgie the solar-powered dog; here she is recharging.

Georgie is a pit mix (mixed with what I don't know), and was also a rescue; I got her from a family who had found her as a badly beat up stray and was fostering her. She's the best little companion you can imagine, and Mark and I absolutely adore her. When I first got her she definitely had a lot of fear issues from whatever she endured before she was rescued, but she's a very confident and happy dog now; in fact she probably gets sick of all the affection we heap on her every day. I never get tired of hearing her grunt with satisfaction when she snuggles up with us on the couch, seeing her roll over on her back when she wants her belly rubbed, or feeling her velvety soft face next to mine. I feel truly blessed to have Georgie in my life, and I cherish every single minute I get to spend with her. I can't imagine what sort of a person could be cruel to these sweet, loving dogs.

If you love animals, The Lost Dogs is a tough book to read and one that inspires a lot of tears, but ultimately the outcome is uplifting. It's easy to pretend that things like dog fighting and animal abuse don't exist if you're not exposed to them, so reading this story is a harsh but necessary reminder that the problem is far from being solved. There's still a lot of work to do, from raising funds for rescue organizations to rehabilitating abused dogs, or just giving one animal a much-needed loving home. If you're interested in volunteer work or rescuing a pit bull, please check with the following organizations:

Pit Bull Rescue Central (lists shelters by location)
BAD RAP (this wonderful Bay Area group was one of the key organizations involved in rescuing Vick's dogs)
Out of the Pits
Bull911 (advocacy group)
Pit Bull Lovers (lists rescue organizations)
Recycle-A-Bull Rescue
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (took in many of Vick's dogs and rehabilitated them)

And here are a couple more things you should check out:

• See how your state ranks in animal protection laws
• Support the Patrick's Law campaign (read more about Patrick here)

Please share your thoughts and ideas, or if you have an organization or more reading to recommend, leave a link!

Impatient

This fun, patterned dress is from my adventure at Desigual with Sal. We both tried on a lot of the same items that day, but if I remember correctly this is the only one we both bought. All that bright color and the fact that it's sleeveless really makes this more of a summer dress, but I got impatient to wear it and layered it up for a cool weather outfit. Not wanting to completely obliterate the summery vibe, I added a pink tank top to fill in the neckline and add some brighter color near my face.

Dress: Desigual
Cardigan: American Eagle Outfitters
Boots: Miz Mooz
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

Marie Antoinette

There's a wig shop right down the street from our house, and they always have these outrageous Marie Antoinette-style wigs on display in the front window. Naturally, I desperately want one. So the other day I was walking back from the hardware store and I decided right then and there that I was going to march into that wig shop and buy one, not so much because I have any use for it at the moment, but simply because I thought it would be fun to come home from shopping carrying some landscaping staples, an aluminum dryer vent, and a Marie Antoinette wig. You know, just the necessities.

Sadly the wig shop was closed that day, so my dream of assembling the most random assortment of purchases in the history of shopping will have to wait. Who knows, maybe next time I'll also be carrying some lightbulbs, a pack of guitar strings and a pumpkin. 

Today's featured new thing is this camouflage-patterned infinity scarf, which my mom gave me for our belated Christmas. I think it would look great with a Marie Antoinette wig, don't you?

Scarf: Express
Jacket: French Kiss, thrifted
Top: All Saints
Skirt: Anthropologie
Boots: Timberland Boot Company
Jewelry: Betsey Johnson

Sneaky Hangover

If you read Sal's blog you probably can already guess where this dress came from; I bought it in New York when we visited the Desigual shop. That was an interesting shopping experience, to say the least. It was the morning after my night of poorly planned and even more poorly executed drinking at the Empire Hotel, and I woke up feeling remarkably chipper, so Sal and I happily scampered off to Desigual before she left for the day to visit a friend.

Everything was going along swimmingly until about 30 minutes into our shopping session, when I was suddenly overcome with a wave of sweaty nausea and lightheadedness in the dressing room. By the time I was ready to bring my purchases to the counter I had to sit down on one of the displays, for fear I might pass out or vomit right then and there. Sneaky hangovers are the worst. But you can see what a committed shopper I am; even in my wretched and half-dead state I was able to pick out this and another dress, plus a tunic-length top. I just love the beaded silver go-go dancer on the dress, and the fact that it has long sleeves makes it great for the San Francisco climate.


I paired the dress with this adorable scarf that was given to me by the folks at Eileen Fisher when we visited their studio. I love all the pompoms around the edge; it's like a party around my neck. To secure the ends of the scarf I added a brooch that my aunt gave me for our belated Christmas gift exchange.

Scarf: Eileen Fisher
Dress: Desigual
Tights: Sock Dreams
Boots: Bronx

Springy

This is the last outfit from before the trip, when it suddenly got really warm and sunny in SF. This outfit felt springy while still giving me enough skin coverage for the chilly temps that tend to set in at dusk. Because my feet have a hard time with peep toe shoes, I added some little half socks to keep my toes from being chafed.

If you only look at the detail shot, this outfit looks pretty glam with all the sequins and sparkly jewelry. But notice how the addition of leggings and flats brings the outfit down a couple notches in terms of dressiness. If I swapped out the leggings for black nylons and the flats for pumps, I'd have a perfectly good outfit for going out.

Top: Forever 21
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: Noa Noa
Leggings: Foot Traffic
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Shoes: Bobbi Blu

Home at Last

Well I'm back, and boy is it good to be home. Despite the fact that I now feel like I've got a cold coming on, I had a great trip; I met many wonderful bloggers in New York and spent lots of time with my dear Sal, I saw both my friend Lisa and my sister Jessie get married, and I visited with family and friends. I also spent a great deal of time being cold and having dry skin. Again, being back in San Francisco feels great.

I'll try to put together a recap of my trip later this week or next, but first I need to get caught up on some of my pre-vacation outfits, of which this is one. In the meantime, check out these posts, which detail some of what I was up to:

• Sal's New York recap

• Sal's Eileen Fisher fall preview

• K-Line's New York recaps here and here (you should also check out the beautiful cape she bought while we were all shopping at Barney's together)
• A variation of what Sara wore for our shopping extravaganza
• Wendy B's Fashion Week recap -- including a great shot of several of us doing the Wendy B signature pose
• Cameron's recap of our blogger meet-up at the Empire Hotel (in which she mercifully does not mention how drunk I got)
• Rad's description of our Brooklyn meet-up (in which she mercifully does not mention how hungover I was)

I think that about covers them all. Also, be sure to stop by at Inside Out Style and take a look at the Stylish Thoughts guest post I did. Thanks to Imogen for including me!

Hat, sweater, socks: Noa Noa
Shirt: H&M
Dress: All Saints
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Tights: Foot Traffic
Boots: Bastien

Ringleader

I really liked how this outfit turned out; it had sort of a circus ringleader vibe to it, and all the pieces worked together so well. I did discover the particular challenges that this skirt presents for taking public transportation though; its snug fit and zero stretch fabric make stepping up onto a bus stair really problematic. Thankfully the zippers are actually functional, so I was able to unzip one of them a few inches to give my legs more room to bend.


I've never worn this shirt before; it's mainly used to style harnesses and belts for Mark's Etsy listings, so it doesn't get hung up with the other shirts in my closet. That morning I happened to spot it hanging up with some finished harnesses and knew it'd be perfect to pair with the striped skirt. Of the few things I ordered last year from Clockwork Couture, this shirt is the one item that has reasonable quality; the others have had belt loops that tear free at the slightest tug, buttons that fall off, and fabric that looks cheap. Hence, the other shirt I ordered from them ended up being relegated to use as a prop.



Shirt: Clockwork Couture
Velvet blazer: a gift from Sal
Vest: Last Kiss
Skirt: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Boots: All Black

Another Airing

You can tell how warm it still was when I wore this; we had some unseasonably hot weather which reached its peak the day the Giants came home for their celebratory parade. This outfit was worn right before it turned chilly again, when I had checked the forecast and thought I could eke out one more day of bare legs and arms. I took the opportunity to try out one of the cute pairs of ankle socks that I bought just as the last heat wave was ending.

I wore and posted this outfit almost verbatim last month; all I did to change it up was to replace the gray tank with an off-white one, swap the cowboy boots for socks and sandals, and add different jewelry. But I couldn't resist giving it another airing, because we don't get too many days around here that are suitable for wearing something like this, and I wanted to fully enjoy what was potentially the last really hot day we'll see until spring.

Vest: F21
Dress, skirt: Anthropologie
Socks: Sock Dreams
Sandals: John Fluevog
Jewelry: Betsy Johnson

Creative Alteration

I love this skirt more every time I wear it; the construction is superb and it's so thick and sturdy that it needs no lining or slip to make it opaque. Admittedly though, it can be a bit challenging to work with. I had actually hit upon pairing it with this pink top before, but found that the hip-length top was too long and threw the proportions off. However, adding the elastic belt allowed me to take up some of the length, by folding it neatly underneath the belt and tucking it out of sight. I've got a million tricks up my sleeve, let me tell ya!

This reminds me of the episodes of What Not to Wear that I was watching over the weekend, in which Clinton and Stacy kept telling people to make the clothes work for them. This is so true; you do not have to settle for flaws that make a garment less than perfect for you, nor do you have to pass something by completely, simply because one minor element is off.

Beyond the obvious fixes like taking up length, you can alter the shape of a garment by adding darts or pintucks, make straps narrower or even wider (this was a suggestion of Clinton and Stacy's; take a couple inches off the hem of a dress and use it to make wider straps), turn a dress into a skirt or a romper into a dress, and just about anything else your imagination can dream up. These options are particularly important to keep in mind while you're thrift shopping, because when the original item is so affordable it's not as big of a deal to take a chance on a creative alteration.

What's the most creative or dramatic alteration you've ever made to a garment? Did you do it yourself or take it to a tailor?

Top: Weston Wear
Cardigan: Express, a gift from my aunt
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Necklace: Manu Lizarralde
Skirt: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Boots: All Black

Spectacle

Yesterday Mark and I walked down to the big parade and celebration for the Giants, and what an amazing spectacle that was. It's estimated to have been the largest attendance for any San Francisco event, ever. I originally intended just to go for the morning and then head off to work, but I ended up taking the whole day off because the city was so jammed up with traffic there was no way I was going to get out. It was an ideal day for such a celebration; our weather has been glorious the last several days, and yesterday it was sunny and in the low 80's.

This denim jacket was a thrift store find, and I was mighty excited to find it. A denim jacket is something I've been seeking for well over a year now, and for some reason I got it into my head that I wanted to find one second hand. It's one of those items that I just can't bring myself to pay retail price for. The jacket is by Tulle, one of my favorite brands, and has all the elements I wanted; lots of shaping, cute pocket details, dark wash, and short but not cropped length. At $7 this was a fantastic find.

The ankle boots are new, purchased a couple of weeks ago during some sale that Endless was having (damn you Endless, for tempting me with all your sales!). I purchased them along with another pair of soon-to-be-revealed boots, and since these bumped my total purchase price into a bigger discount level, I essentially got these for free. They received mixed reviews on comfort, but I took a chance because I've had good luck with the brand, and it turns out that my finicky feet really love them. The common complaint in the reviews is that they are a very high heel, but since high heels tend to be more comfortable for me than flats, these feel great. I'll be getting a lot of use out of them, I'm sure.

The outfit was inspired by Sheila's casual Friday looks, in which she usually incorporates a graphic tee with other dressier items such as skirts and heels. Underneath the graphic tee I layered a chiffon-trimmed tank to echo the color and texture of the skirt. I chose leggings that matched the boots in order to give my legs a long, interrupted line and keep the focus on the top half of the outfit.

Jacket: Tulle
Tank: Anthropologie
Graphic tee: All Saints
Skirt: Anthropologie
Leggings: Noa Noa
Boots: MIA

Machine Gun Bikini

Ah, memories... these pictures were obviously taken when it was still really hot here. It's actually pretty nice today, but it rained like hell all weekend long, so our little summer is definitely over. It was a good weekend for getting things done though, and a GREAT weekend for sports -- I can't believe it, but our San Francisco Giants are going to the World Series! I can't even yet dare to hope for the outcome of the series itself, but the fact that they made it is wonderful.

Also, sorry Yankees fans (if indeed there are any -- everyone I know just loves to hate them), but holy hell am I glad they got defeated! I'm not sure I could stomach seeing them in the World Series again. Take a few years off, okay guys? It's nice to see other teams make it to the finals once in awhile, and the Texas Rangers have more than waited their turn.

Much of the weekend was spent inside working on creative projects, so if you check the Etsy shop you'll see lots of new stuff there. I've got several new hats up, and Mark created a listing for an elaborate custom piece that he did for a customer's Halloween costume; it's the machine gun bikini harness from Lady Gaga's Alejandro video. Originally it was going to be a one-off sort of creation, but it turned out so well that Mark decided to list it in case anyone else is looking for one. Hey, in this town you never know -- it might be too late for Halloween, but in San Francisco I'll bet you could find dozens of events during the whole year where you could wear a little number like this.

 The harness is hot for sure, but this Dorothy Hamill 

hairdo is not Gaga's best look.

Shirt: All Saints
Skirt: Anthropologie
Jewelry: Betsy Johnson
Shoes: Cydwoq