I had so much fun in this outfit when I wore it to the AIGA/NY Winter Bash that I decided to wear it again to celebrate New Year’s Eve!
I believe I was officially the sparkliest person in my hometown of Starkville, Mississippi on this particular evening, and while my outfit may have temporarily blinded some unsuspecting party-goers, it was really my insides that felt like they’d been coated with glitter. Surrounded by my mom, stepdad, sister, brother-in-law, three of my best friends since childhood and their fellas (one all the way from where he’s currently stationed in South Korea), I spent the evening beaming. It was a pretty decent way to start 2012, which I predict will go down in the books as “The Year of The Sparkle.”
- green sequin shirt - $55 (+$9 shipping) Etsy: BambieJonesVintage
- pink tule skirt - $18 East Village Buffalo Exchange
- embellishments - $12 Guvnor’s and Downtown Brooklyn Goodwill
- red tights and silver Rockette shoes - in my closet 5+ years
- TOTAL - $94
there’s more...
Here’s the look I chose for giving my TEDYou Talk. Holy moly was I nervous. Telling my Week’s Worth of Undies story plus showing the outfits plus sharing my Nothing-New Insights in only 3 minutes? Yikes! I really had my work cut out for me. Here’s my little story about how it all went down…
Before your talk, the awesome TED team will tell you, “When you get up on stage, take a deep breath, center yourself and then start.” So at approximately 8:45 a.m. on Thursday morning, I took the TEDActive stage, took my breath, opened my eyes and noticed the giant red numbers on the timer already glaring 0:22 seconds at me. What? In that spilt second, I made the decision to just go for it in a way that felt right, and not look at the timer again. Adrenaline kicked in, somehow I hit all my points, I kept myself from being startled when the audience laughed or cheered, and then, it was done. Standing ovation! I can’t even explain the feeling of relief and joy. I was incredulous. I was frozen in space and time. I nearly teared up, and then like a spirit guide, Ricki Lake jumped on stage (um, yeah, didn’t I mention she was moderating the session?) and announced, “For the record, that was about a minute and a half over, but she was so darn cute I couldn’t stop her!” I shook her hand with true gratitude, resisted the overwhelming urge to squeal, “I LOVE you, Ricki!” and exited stage left.
Nothing-New Insight #5
Confidence is the key. If you think you look good in something, you probably do. If you don’t think you look good, you’re also probably right. I was lucky enough to grow up with a mom who taught me this, but it took me until I was 30 to internalize its meaning: if you truly believe you’re a beautiful person inside and out, there’s really no look you can’t pull off.
- multi-colored bedazzled clip-ons- $7 Rancho Mirage Collector’s Corner
- lavender dress - $8 Cathedral City Angel View Thrift
- metallic pink belt - $3 Palm Springs Revivals
- purple boots - $9 Palm Springs Angel View Thrift
- TOTAL - $27
there’s more...
After the craziness of what was South By Southwest, I’m back to publishing my Week’s Worth of Undies outfits…
While at TEDActive, wearing only what I found in Palm Springs thrift stores, a fellow attendee asked…
Is this your style or is this what you happened to find here?
Kinda both. We all know no matter where I am I’d dress colorfully, so I’d say 70% of what I ended up wearing could have been the same if I’d been home in Brooklyn. But it was the other 30% that really got me excited: pastel hues and floral prints I might not normally wear, tons of “leisure wear” (hello elastic waistbands and oversized casual blazers), and the mother load of tennis skirts! While I decided to forego anything short and pleated, I did work hard to integrate what I decided to call mature-lady-in-a-western-oasis authenticity into my outfits.
Nothing-New Insight #4
Embrace your inner child! Sometimes people tell me I look like I’m playing dress up, or that I remind them of their seven-year-old. I smile and say thank you. There’s lots of evidence to support the position that maintaing a childlike perspective is a key to creative thinking.
- red cowboy hat - $3 Palm Desert As Good As New
- floral blouse - $6 Moreno Valley Goodwill
- iridescent sequin tank - $5 Palm Desert Revivals
- magenta blazer - $6 Palm Desert Revivals
- green jeans - $8 Rancho Mirage Collector’s Corner
- brown riding boots - $10 Rancho Mirage Collector’s Corner
- TOTAL - $38
there’s more...
It’s finally here! Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m wrapping up this week of red and pink with a color blast from the past. I can only imagine the fun this dress has seen since it left the rack for the first time in what I’m going to guess was 1986.
But the fun doesn’t end here; this dress is about to hit the road! Proudly presenting Lucky So and So’s first ever (drumroll please)...
Do you have a special occasion, dance party or walk in the the park coming up that’s crying out for some pink ruffley goodness? Share your idea for the dress and become one of its next wearers!
Here’s how I think it will go down: I’ll chose three people whose ideas for the dress I like, and they will in turn send me their mailing addresses. I’ll send the dress to the first person on the list who will wear it, document it, dryclean it and then be responsible for shipping it to the next person on the list. Kind of like clothing chain mail… or Netflix for dresses? I’m really into collaborative consumption, and I’ve been searching for some way to creatively lessen my closet’s load. So let’s see how it goes! Ideas will be selected based on creativity and whimsy and may involve a guest judge. To be considered, submit your idea as a comment to this post by Thursday, February 17.
there’s more...
One of my favorite parts of our workspace is that on Fridays, my Studiomate Skylar brings in his French Bulldog, Pinky. She adds so much joy to the studio, finding patches of sunlight for her adorable naps, jumping from lap to lap, and entertaining us with her games of fetch (or as Pinky interprets it, keep away). Since this week’s theme is red and pink, it’s only appropriate that today’s outfit photos include cameos of Pinky.
- red blazer - $5 Burlington Salvation Army
- pink blouse - $3 Starkville Palmer Home Thrift
- red belt - $2 Baltimore Salvation Army
- high-waisted jeans - $18 Sideshow Clothing Co. of Hudson, NY
- magenta Reebok high tops - $24 Etsy (seller Kasifoundthis)
- TOTAL - $52
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I found this dress the day before the iconic East Village vintage toy and clothing store, Love Saves The Day, closed its doors for good. It was 75% off of $60, so I had to grab it, but until yesterday, I’d never actually worn it. I’m glad this week’s theme of red and pink finally provided the excuse I guess I needed, and now I’m addicted to swooshing around the studio in layers of crinoline and taffeta. This was a great dress for welcoming alumni and professors of the Mississippi State University Art Department to Studiomates for drinks. (In case you’re wondering, bourbon only increases the desire to swoosh.)
I miss Love Saves The Day, which I will go out on a limb to say is possibly the best name for a store… ever. I guess I’ll have to make a trip to its new location in, get this, New Hope, Pennsylvania.
- pink wooden beads - can’t remember… from college
- red cashmere cardigan - passed down from my friend Casson’s mom
- pink and red print dress - $15 Love Saves The Day on 2nd Avenue
- grey belt - $1 Starkville Salvation Army
- grey heather burnout leggings - $20 Alternative Apparel (link below)
- mauve Frye boots - $20 DUMBO Parent’s Association Stoop Sale
- TOTAL - $56
there’s more...
In keeping with this week’s theme of red and pink, I’m unveiling a brand new dress, found this weekend at the Brooklyn Flea. I was so excited to purchase this dress because while in theory I knew the tulip sleeve must exist, it is exceedingly rare. (I myself have never even seen a tulip sleeve in person.) I could barely contain my giddiness on the bus home from the Flea, and Creighton, goodness love him, actually acted just as excited. I guess it’s not hard to see why he’s the one for me.
Today deserves a very special dress because today is the first time an event (outside of Beer Friday) is being hosted in our Studiomates space! Two of my studiomates, Mandy Brown and Jason Santa Maria, are organizing a Typekit Talk with Tim Brown, and we’re expecting 75 attendees! Why wouldn’t I want to look my best?
- pink satin ribbon barrette - borrowed from my friend Casson
- pink beads - $2 Manhattan’s 23rd Street Salvation Army
- red wrap dress - $30 Jelly Roll at Brooklyn Flea
- purple tights - $10 The Sock Man on St. Marks
- tan slouch cowboy boots - $48 Etsy (seller PureVintageClothing)
- TOTAL - $90
there’s more...
I’m kicking off the Week of Red and Pink with this, the outfit I wore last year on Valentine’s Day. We celebrated by having dinner at our neighborhood favorite, Vinegar Hill House. As we waited for a table and drank fancy pants cocktails at the bar, a sweet older gentleman felt compelled to tell Creighton, “You’re a lucky man. Your date has the best costume in the whole place.”
That’s right… costume.
- pink librarian’s sweater - $15 Jelly Roll at Brooklyn Flea
- red cherries - $5 Alameda Swap Meet
- plaid flannel skirt - $10 Jelly Roll at Brooklyn Flea
- charcoal heather tights - $8 The Sock Man on St. Marks
- brown peep-toe oxford pumps - $28 Etsy (seller PowBamBoom)
- TOTAL - $66
there’s more...
It’s grey and icy outside. My studiomate Rob commented that it looks as if someone turned down the contrast on the view from our windows. In an attempt to counteract this, I’ve decided to celebrate the week leading up to Valentine’s Day bumping up the saturation with one of my favorite color palettes: red and pink. So get ready; here comes a Strawberry Shortcake smack to the February blahs.
Who needs all those other silly colors when you’ve got pink and purple at hand? And adding smiley faces to the clouds? That’s nothing less than a touch of genius! This resplendent example of rainbowdom was created for me by the four-year-old Ella Joy as a thank you for helping her live her wish to be a Rainbow Princess for Halloween. As if seeing her excitement upon delivery of the costume wasn’t enough! Every time I look at this my heart becomes a puddle.
I also, totally unnecessarily, received a very generous Amazon thank you gift certificate, with which I almost immediately purchased this. Now I just need Kelli to come over and show me how to work it! Thank you, Ella (and Tina).
