Ballgown Styling

  

On Tuesday evening of this week, I had a makeup test for my ballgown styling with a coworker of my friend Sooz, who kindly offered to do the makeup for my presentation. We played with some dramatic layers of eye color, but in the end, we decided that an understated smokey eye with a pop of dark green was just the ticket. To keep things simple but polished, we threw in a nude lip and some soft blush. I love it - it's the exact amount of subtle prettiness that I wanted to complement the dress.

Plus, it picks up just a little bit of the color from my delicious Chie Mihara pumps! (Clearly, matching the shoes is the most important.) Overall, styling this gown has been a bit more of a challenge for me; I usually like to pair vibrant colors together, but the aesthetic of the dress is so soft and romantic that I have to be careful of upstaging it with fancy accessories and overpowering colors.

Good thing I've got Monsieur Pooper to help me out!

Happy Friday!

Shoes! Fluevog Amandas, To Be Exact.

My camera crapped out this afternoon while I was taking pictures, so for today here's some shoe goodness from the Fluevog site!

I went into the city this afternoon and picked up a pair of these Fluevog Amandas.  I tried them on a few days ago, went home and took a long hard look at my closet to make sure that they'd be a practical  purchase - inasmuch as a pair of pink oxfords can be practical - and then returned today to buy them.  These will fill a gap in my closet of shoes that are relatively casual, polished enough to wear with a pair of slacks or a skirt, and low-heeled for walking, which I do a lot of these days.

And have I mentioned that they're pink?

Photo copyright Fluevog.

Outfit Post: Galileo Rules the Day

Yesterday I didn't have class, so I had a day off to do some laundry and run out for coffee with a friend.  I went to my closet with something easy in mind, but then felt a little bored with the outfit I came up with, which was the jeans and shirt.  I put on an obi belt over the shirt, slipped on some Fluevogs, and blammo: secret agent laundry expert extraordinaire.

In other news, I had a measurements class on Saturday that taught me a few things that I didn't know about my body.  It's funny, because you really do have to get comfortable with every aspect of your body when you're designing for yourself: in order to fit everything correctly, you have to know every single measurement, even the awkward ones - there's no space to feel self-conscious about the imperfect tummy or full lower thigh measurement, because your garment flat-out won't fit right if you don't pay attention to them.

So I've found out in the last six months that I have prominent shoulderblades, my right shoulder and left hip are each higher than the other, and that I have a long waist-to-crotch measurement, which would explain why jeans almost never fit me correctly and contemporary high-waisted pants often hit just above my hipbones.  It's really interesting to learn these things and figure out what kind of fit issues they create, and how to work around and flatter them.

Anyhow, back to the outfit!

I was really excited that I had a chance to wear my super awesome Fluevog Rules Galileo boots - I totally wouldn't have pegged these as my style when I first saw them, but after trying them on I was smitten.  They really do look snazzy with a pair of skinny jeans, a feat not accomplished by any old shoe.  I used a Christmas gift card to buy them on deep discount at the January Fluevog sale, and I feel super tall and badass whenever I wear them.

Chartreuse blouse: Cut Loose

Rose obi belt: elizabethkelly on Etsy
Plum jeans: DL1961

Booties: Fluevog Rules Galileo

Merry Christmas

So hey, have I mentioned yet?  I made it home to Seattle.

My flight actually wasn't very bad - the first was a two hours flight to Korea, which went super fast.  I had a four hour layover in Seoul, which was not the most fun I've ever had, but I had an epiphany about my Japanese skills that was pretty cool.  When the Korean airlines would make announcements, they would have them in Korean, then Japanese, then English.  Strangely enough, I understood more of the Japanese than I did the English.  It's also funny that I've started to be able to recognize when Japanese is accented: a vowel here, an intonation there.  I feel sometimes like my English skills have deteriorated - I find myself struggling for words or almost saying something in Japanese.  At the same time, it feels like a novelty to be in a place where I can speak my native language, almost like it's cheating to be able to understand every word in a sentence.

The 10-hour flight was similarly not too bad.  I slept for about five hours of it, and watched some really bad movies for the other five hours.  Since then, it's been a whirlwind of yarn stores, hanging with old friends, and lots of last-minute Christmas shopping.

My favorite present this year was one that I already knew about: my mom bought me a pair of Fluevogs!  They are the most comfortable heel I've ever worn, and I'm a sucker for the bright yellow.  They've got some great touches - there's white floral embroidery on the toe, and a cute little button that connects the strap to the body of the foot.  The design sort of reminds me of vintage dishware.  I have a feeling that they're going to get a ton of wear, and I may be converted to a full-blown Fluevog addict if I'm not careful.

Also, remember this belt?

My mom is super stealthy and got one for me, shipped all the way from the UK!  I love it, and would definitely buy from the seller again!  Please note the super hippie hair.  I do my college proud, man.

Tonight it's off to see Tron with some friends and prance around in my new shoes.  So far this Christmas has been a good one, and I hope it's a good one for you too!  For those who don't celebrate Christmas, hope that you're having a lovely Saturday!

Epic vintage haul: Part I

This morning, I went to trade in my rental car and get a ride from a knitting buddy, who is being incredibly gracious in letting me borrow her car until August so that I can make the commute to Cleveland. She also happens to be an avid thrifter, so after dropping the rental off, we went on a whirlwind vintage/thrift tour of Elyria. I picked up quite a few things for not very much money, and I spent the most on two pieces that are beautiful dresses from the 50s or 60s - both of which fit perfectly and are only obviously handmade from the hand-stitching and seams. The first is this white lace number, bought at a great little boutique called New To You. It's hard to see, but it has a pink lining and a crinoline and fits like a dream. I can see it being a classic wedding dress with the right accessories - not that I need to worry about that anytime soon.


They had a lot of newer thrifted items as well as a fabulous collection of vintage garments. It was generally a little pricier than the other two places we went today, but the quality was very good. I passed up a super cute Rosie the Riveter-style dress from the 40s - polka-dotted denim (maybe chambray?) with puffed sleeves and a pleated skirt. It was very nearly a museum piece, and even though it didn't fit, I was tempted to take it home, give it a wash, and properly store it for posterity.

I'm not going in any particular order of buying, but this is another cute one I found today. It was $4.99 at Salvation Army in Elyria. I've been wearing it all day, and it's super flattering if a little bit shorter than I usually wear. The weather has been terribly hot and humid lately - even though I think it only got up to 85 F today, it felt much hotter. The dress went on a ride to Crocker Park for martinis and curry and held up great the whole time. It's sort of hard to see, but it's a red gingham, not-quite seersucker fabric. I love the details at the neckline!


Also: due to cosmicpluto's awesome shoes posted occasionally on her blog, I have a serious crush on Fluevogs. This pair in particular. Sumatra:


And, ok, maybe this pair too; Mitte:


And yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe this pair too; Cana:


Shoe love siiiiigh.

Shoe photographs copyright Fluevog website.

Occasionally, I finish things. And post more than once a month!

Winter Wheat mitts in Fibre Company Road to China. Beautiful, amazing, soft yarn. 20 bucks for 70 yards, and dammit, I made 'em last. This yarn told me what it wanted to be, so I did its bidding.

Also pretty (&) new: grey trenchcoat from Martin & Osa. Love love love love. Plus, they gave me a student discount. Win!



And last but not least, a pair of shoes that came into my life not too long ago:

Noo brown shoes, hyacinth socks (cookie a summer sox in Araucania Ranco)

This last weekend I went to the first swing dance of the year. I got to catch up with some friends, do a little dancing, and generally socialize with the first years. (They are so cute. Seriously.) But the best part? Somebody came over, plunked these shoes down in front of me, and said, "Here. If these fit, take them." They were a men's size 8: too big for many women, too small for many men. I'm like freakin' Goldilocks, because they fit me juuuuust right. Can't argue with fabulous and free.