jean greige

Interlude - Ashish UK Ltd.

2012-03-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Ashish AW12

BRB...trying to remember how breathing works.

Interlude - Davy Jones

2012-02-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

I am so freaking bummed out to hear that Davy Jones passed away today. I grew up watching Nick at Night reruns of The Monkees, hopelessly in love with Davy Jones like every tween girl who had come thirty years before me. In fact, my attraction to stylish men who are short in stature probably stemmed from this initial preoccupation with the ever-fashionable Davy Jones, who stood at just 5'3".

Here are some videos from The Monkees. I'm going to watch them now and fall in love with Davy Jones all over again.

1. The Monkees Theme Song

As a kid, I tried to make my friends perfect that cross-over Monkees walk with me on the playground.

2. I'm a Believer

This was the first song I learned how to play on ukulele.

3. Daydream Believer

I texted my boyfriend the sad news about Davy Jones, to which he replied, "Cheer up sleepy Jean...Greige." So clever, that one.

4. Last Train to Clarksville

This is my favorite Monkees song ever. I'm forcing Lamson (boyfriend) to play it for me tonight when he gets home from school. I'll probably cry, because I'm apparently a crazy person who is fixated on a celebrity from my childhood with way too much personal emphasis.

163 - Basically Garth

2012-02-29T02:53:00.001-08:00

Coat - c/o Lamb & Flag (LOVE, go check it outz if'ns ya fancy), Flannel - thrifted, Cropped ribbed tank top - Urban Outfitters clearance section ($5!), Shorts - c/o Romwe, Jewelry - Konstantino & a truck stop (seriously), Boots - Doc Martens via eBay

Don't I basically look like a female Garth from Wayne's World in this outfit?

I actually feel like this is not the first time I've made this comparison... Garth is pretty much my ideal man, so it's not that big of a deal either way. Helloooooo, foxy.

So, yes, this outfit is pretty grungy. It is uber-comfortable and perfect for LA's schizophrenic approach to winter (Hi, it's 75 degrees! Now it's 45!). I like that the shorts have a baggy yet still relatively-high-rise fit. Also, I picked up both the white and black version of this tank top from the clearance section at Urban Outfitters for just $5 each. I LOVE THEM. They just go with everything and are a perfect layering piece. Isn't that such a stupid cliche thing to say? "What a great layering piece." Who do I think I am over here? But it's true, I tell you! Are you ready for the next cliche fashion-y thing? It's even worse, I promise. I ADDED THE SHOES FOR A BIT OF COLOR-POP. I know! It's true, too, though! I went "POP!" when I put them on. I am probably the first person in the world who has used Docs for a pop of color. The gods of grunge and punk are surely staring down at me with wrath right now.

Before I forget, THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who watched my rambling video! The feedback was amazing. I really appreciate all of you so much. Isabel posted a great video response on her blog. Ms. Frannie Pantz posted a great write-up about why she blogs, as well. Check it out, folks.

Lastly, I've been asked on Tumblr and Formspring before why I don't smile in my blog photos. It's because when I try to smile, this happens:

That's what about half of my blog outtakes look like. PURDY LADY. Dontcha wanna dance up on me? Mmmhmmm, get it.

Interlude - A Video in Which I Ramble On!

2012-02-27T22:02:00.001-08:00

This is a video about my personal experiences and opinions regarding fashion blogging. Oooh, aaaah! It was inspired by this video on Fashion Pirate.

Fair warning: the tone of the video makes blogging out to be some strange LIFE OR DEATH scenario. I am well aware that it is not -- it is just people takin' pictures of their outfits. However, that said, it is an excellent conversational tool for democratic development in an arena that is typically female-dominated, and for that alone, it is an important thing.

We are ladies, talkin' about stuff we like, makin' our appearances about US and not about how we can make dudes want to bang us.

That right there is unfortunately pretty revolutionary.

So, feel free to watch! It's long, it's Madeline-centric, it's probably pretty irritating, but it might also be interesting to you, should you care about the social implication fashion blogging has for female youth, how we consume fashion, etc.

Also, that table behind me is freaking messy as all get out. Ignore that -- we are almost done redecorating our apartment, and that table has become the place where all yet-to-be-given-a-home items go to congregate.

At the very least, you can see me without makeup and watch me attack and retreat the camera at nauseating intervals, as though I am battling it with my rambling words!

WATCH THE VIDEO TO WHICH I REFER ON WWW.FASHIONPIRATE.NET

Interlude - Lookbook Cookbook

2012-02-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

Apple Pie Smoothie

Gingerbread Pancakes

Gingerbread Mousse

Cinnamon Roll

This is seriously the best thing I've ever seen. Lookbook Cookbook is a blog of vegan recipes and pictures of hot girls eating the finished concoctions. It's PERFECT.

162 - In Which Madeline Befriends A Variety of Plant Life Whilst Attempting to Dress Like Dolly Parton

2012-02-26T09:56:00.001-08:00

Shirt - c/o 2020 Ave, Shorts - Vintage Levi's Cut-Offs, Boots - Vintage, Belt - Vintage (children's -- bordering on inappropriate cultural appropriation, but I'm going to be okay with it because it is SUPER old vintage), Jewelry - Konstantino & Flea Market Finds, Jacket - Holiday Gift from Mi Novio (vintage from the flea market)

Gettin' back to my roots here. Everything is vintage except for the Konstantino jewelry and the shirt, which was a gift from my newest sponsor, 2020 Ave. I was happy to work with 2020 Ave because they have really great price-points and a large selection of product. For anyone who doesn't like to throw down big dollars on new articles of clothing, they are a great alternative to mall goliaths like F21. They are the same folks who gifted me that bustier I wore in the outfit where I really should have had my hair down and worn a beanie, but waddayagonnado. If these are my regrets, I have lived a life of no uncertain privilege.

Okay, so I wore this outfit to go to my boyfriend's school with him to drop off a camera lens he had rented. We both got out of the car for about half a second when my dogs stomped on the door lock and locked themselves in the car, us out of the car, the key in the ignition. Great. Way to go, dogs. Fortunately, it was a bit chilly, otherwise I would have had to bash a window open so that they didn't overheat (okay, it would have been a little bit fun to break a window). While we waited for the locksmith, we explored this little wooded area around his school, and since he had his camera in hand, and since I have not been updating ye ol' blog as often lately, it kind of worked out perfectly.

The first thing I found was this cactus. A cactus! Why?! Why were you there, cactus? I stood next to him. "TAKE MY PICTURE NEXT TO THIS CACTUS!" I commanded of my boyfriend. He seemed nonplussed with the cactus idea. I thought the cactus matched my outfit, but he thought the lighting was too weird. I got one cactus photo, though, and it is my favorite out of the bunch, even if technically, it is on the wonky side. So, then we went into this wooded thicket where I met a variety of other plants. Still, none of them were quite as enthralling as that cactus.

Two more points before I cut the rambling:

1. Yes, I am trying to make cowboy boots "happen" again. I had saved these from my teenage years when cowboy boots had enjoyed popularity. They are the perfect vintage cowboy boot, so I held onto them, thinking, "Someday I will wear you again." Since cowboy booties are in fashion, I thought I'd throw caution to the wind and go with the full boot. Take that, mainstream western wear micro-trends.

2. I totally conquered that hill in the third photo. Check me out, all victorious. Hill = dominated.

161 - Skin Wall

2012-02-25T09:59:00.001-08:00

Cougar-embroidered T-Shirt - very old!, Shorts - c/o Your Eyes Lie, Vest & Pins - Vintage, Boots - Dolce Vita, Jewelry - Konstantino & Unearthen & A blue bottle necklace that was a gift from my mother!

Isn't "Skin Wall" just about the creepiest phrase ever concocted? I only call this wall "skin wall" on account that it is the same color as my skin, but the B-movie horror nut in me loves the connotation.

Also, I am fully aware that this outfit makes me look like I'm auditioning to be the fifth member of Jem and the Holograms.

Looking at these photos, I just keep thinking about how bizarre I look. What a bizarre-looking person, walking around, out in the world! Why do I have a claw hand in that first photo? Why is my wrist the same size as my hand? How stumpy would my calves be if I didn't stand on tip-toe in every photo? Why is my jaw like that? The other day, Blake said something brilliantly Blake, which is that blogging kind of gives you body dysmorphia because you see SO MANY photos of yourself. It's just overkill. Your brain can't process anything but the details after a while, and all of the details look askew, like if you say a word too many times and it loses all meaning. It's just sounds. That's how I feel about the way I look right now. Like, my brain can't even process that I'm a person. I'm just oddly smooshed-together pieces, and nothing seems to fit together in the right way.

Also, nothing really seems like an outfit to me anymore until I add a hat. It's only half-done! I should have worn a hat! (sigh) FASH-UN. I'm hungry. What was I talking about again?

Interlude - New necklace!

2012-02-24T10:14:00.000-08:00

I picked up this necklace from the Long Beach swap meet last weekend with Brit. It's an ankh with an evil eye on it.

Outfit posts soon... I promise! I hope you like the little inspiration interludes I have been posting in the meantime.

Interlude - Pretty Much in Love: Courtney

2012-02-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is Courtney. She is like the unlikely combination of Coury and Severine. I think she might be perfect.

Check out her blog here: A Bevy Of

Check out her Lookbook here: Courtney

Interlude - Kinda Feelin' This for Spring

2012-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Simple for Spring

(from the sourceless hellhole that is Tumblr)

Interlude - Luv AJ Lookbook

2012-02-21T14:04:00.000-08:00

Luv AJ Lookbook

via Being Perfect is Hard

160 - Midtones are Overrated

2012-02-20T00:33:00.000-08:00

Shirt - c/o When to Wear vintage, Shorts - vintage Levi's DIY cut-offs, Flannel - thrifted, Denim jacket - vintage (boyfriend's), Ankh choker - eBay, Spaceship ring - boyfriend's, Yin-Yang triangle ring - gift from Brit, Evil eye ring - I think from a quarter machine maybe?, Sunglasses - Rose Bowl Flea Market, Shoes - Urban Outfitters, Lipstick - Revlon in "Wine Not"

I'm really into cat-eyed sunglasses right now. These ones are PERFECT, and they were only $10 at Rose Bowl.

This shirt was a gift from one of my readers, Kelsey (sidenote: I hate the term "my readers"; doesn't it just assume that I have some bizarre ownership over anyone who stumbles upon my blog? You are MY readers, MINE...it just seems freaking strange and egomaniacal to say that, especially because so many of MY readers are actually bloggers themselves...anyway...). Kelsey runs an Etsy vintage shop called When to Wear.

When to Wear has a lot of great garb for really affordable prices. Here are some of my favorite items:

Click on the picture to go to the listing, or check out her storefront here.

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IN OTHER NEWS

Tomorrow (Monday -- perhaps it is TODAY by the time you read this!) we post new schtuff up on Tunnel Vision! We've got 160 new items to show y'all!

As we said on Facebook, tomorrow's update will feature:

ankhs, yin yangs, evil eyes, abalone, acid wash, THAT CAT RAINCOAT (FINALLY!), rough-cut crystals, horse jackets, velvet, palm trees, tie-dye (duh!), floral, jean jackets, crescents, embroidery, fringe, crop-tops, midi-dresses, turquoise, lace, kimonos, and more!

Remember: you get 50% off of all new arrivals on the day they are listed when you use the magic fancy Facebook code. The code will be listed tomorrow on the Tunnel Vision Facebook page (you may consider "liking" should you like us).

Should you not be interested in TV stuff and only be interested in my blerg, thank you for letting me basically spam you!

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Interlude - Pretty Much in Love: Sam

2012-02-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Sam Adams on Lookbook

Interlude - "Shangri-La" Tunnel Vision Lookbook

2012-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

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Shangri-La

Model: Taylor Dunn

Styling/Staging/Photography: Brit & Mad

Store: Tunnel Vision

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Behold! This is the newest Tunnel Vision lookbook, Shangri-La, featuring the ever-awesome Taylor.

Can I just say that I am really impressed with us on this one? It's a little intimidating trying to create a professional online presence with basically no dough, but I think we really pulled through on this thing. Brit had the brilliant idea to do this magical rug/pillow/tapestry set-up, and we used our babely buddy Taylor as our model. Three lights and one camera later, BOOM. It feels great to DIY something and be proud of the end result.

Small business: 1

Intimidation: 0

All of the new things happening at Tunnel Vision today:

SALE items - 57 of 'em!

LOOKBOOK

DESIGN update (kinda...just a couple of little things!)

Stay tuned for the new product update. It's gonna be soooooo good. We're just putting the finishing touches on the new items' listings now! Mandrels and measuring tape abound...

In case you missed it, we decided to do a special Facebook friend appreciation thing. From now on, Facebook fans will get 50% off of all newly posted items on the day they are listed! Get your boxing gloves ready...last time we did a 50% off day, the hottest chicks on the internet nearly started brawling with one another.

Thanks for dealing with my shameless self-promotion guys. I really hope you like all of the updates!

Interlude - Wasteland Spring 2012 Lookbook

2012-02-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Wasteland Spring 2012 Lookbook

Photographed by Jason Lee Parry

159 - Money Talk(s)

2012-02-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

Guatemala shirt - vintage (boyfriend's), Belt - vintage (eBay), Boots - c/o Dolce Vita, Tank top - ASOS, Shorts - vintage, Long necklace - gift from Brit, Earrings & most bracelets & rings - Konstantino, Large cuff - c/o JFR

These are the boots the Dolce Vita sent me in an effort to coerce me into tell you about that crazy contest they are doing. I already mentioned it once, but they are giving away 50 pairs of shoes per day, every day, until March 1st over on their Facebook (Severine won a pair!).

So, you may not know this, but the "write up" portion of my blog isn't open to paid endorsement...which is strange, because up there I just told you that Dolce Vita sent me a free pair of shoes so that I'd tell you about their contest. I made the exception this time for two reasons:

1. Dolce Vita is a brand I personally love. Their shoes, in particular, kill me. I have some amazing Dolce Vita heels that I wear and love dearly, so I felt a-okay about reppin' their brand on my blog. It's just more of the same that I usually wear! Speaking of...I've been meaning to show you guys the amazing leopard print Dolce Vita shoes I bought a couple of months ago. I need to get on that; they are beyond amazing.

2. These shoes are so awesome that had I known they existed prior to DV emailing me, I would have just bought them for myself anyway (fact).

3. The contest is so awesome that I would have just shared it with you anyway, without prompting, because I quite like free shiz and I think you do, too.

So, there you go. I broke my own rule, just this once, but I feel okay about it.

Sponsorships and advertising is a rather touchy concept when talking about fashion bloggers. It's no secret that there is a sea of "courtesy of"s on nearly every fashion blog. As someone who attempts to live in accordance to at least a baseline modicum of ethics, I find it interesting to consider the different angles of fashion blogger morality.

I never once thought there was anything unethical about accepting clothing gratis to wear on my blog. My thought process was always this: if I like the product and I think you'd like it, too, what's the harm in showing you? Bloggers are inundated with multiple requests every single day from companies wanting to collaborate. Believe it or not, we do exercise restraint. My house is already overrun with amazing vintage garments and accessories of which I refuse to let go. The last thing I want to do is compromise precious closet space by bringing in piles of new clothes just because they are free. In fact, nothing irks me more than when a company offers to send me a piece, I select what I love, and then they send me a bunch of other stuff, too, unsolicited, that I don't love at all. I find it to be extremely wasteful. That is product the company could be selling to someone who WILL love it, that is product out the window that adds to the demand chain and causes more product to be manufactured, and that is one more trip I have to take to Goodwill to donate it. The free clothing I do accept is because I genuinely like it and think it adds something special to my wardrobe, and I don't accept anything beyond that.

My personal ethical boundary is the idea that someone might pay me to wear an item on my blog. That, to me, was always a very obvious "no-no". The addition of compensation into the equation might cloud my judgement. Instead of looking at a company and saying, "Oh! You have some great things, so I'd love to partner with you!", I feared I might look at a company and say, "Well, I guess this is the least of the terrible, so I'll wear it once on my blog, take the money, and not worry about it again." That is why I, personally, will not accept cash compensation to wear an item. The only "compensation" that I will accept for wearing a piece in a blog post is the piece itself, but when you have a closet my size, that's hardly compensation at all usually, because I tend to wear different items every single day, so I don't get much use out of the piece after I wear it once on my blog! With the exception of staples like jackets, shoes, and denim shorts, I tend to wear a piece only once per year or so* (what can I say, I have a LOT of clothes, and I feel okay about that, because most of them are vintage, and when I get rid of old pieces, I just donate them back into the great life(re)cycle of thrift stores).

*Now, on a side note, I will say that I am still getting a lot of use out of my Wasteland X UNIF tee shirt. That is the one free item I have that somehow ends up on my body every day. It's what I wear in that awkward time when I am in between pajamas and real clothes, but need to step out of the house. I freaking love that shirt.

So, if I'm not getting paid to wear anything on my blog, how the heck do I make money off of it? Should I even make money off of it? Is the idea of making money from your blog an unethical idea in itself? I would answer that last question with "no". Blogging takes a lot of work, and while most of us do it because it's fun (and some of us do it because we like to look at pictures of ourselves and feel important [I fall into the latter half of the latter half of those scenarios -- I personally hate being photographed and looking at photos of myself, but it's fun to trick yourself into thinking you're doing something with your life, even if, in reality, you're just posting pictures of your outfit to a website every day]), at the end of the day, bloggers provide a service. Whether you look at fashion blogs to gain inspiration or you look at fashion blogs to balk in horror, you are deriving some form of entertainment from what we put out there, and at the very least, there is nothing wrong with us being compensated as entertainers (though I would blog for free all day, every day, and still love it to pieces). However, it's not like we're going to charge you, the reader, just for reading. Instead, we charge companies who want to get you, our readers, over on their websites as shoppers.

So, how does the compensation structure work? Ideally, I post content that makes you want to come to my blog. Maybe you like what I wear, maybe you like the way I write, maybe you like being perplexed by my odd fashion choices. Whatever the case, my job is to post content to amuse you in some capacity. If I do it well, I have a lot of site traffic. If I have a lot of site traffic, companies begin taking interest in my blog as a source of advertisement. They may "advertise" by gifting me a piece to wear (which, again, I only accept if I truly love and would wear anyway), or they may advertise by putting a banner up on my sidebars. How do I make money off of my blog? From those sidebar banners. Look at 'em, over on the left there. Those are my advertisers. Advertisers work in different ways. The ads from Chicwish, LSD, and Telltale Hearts, for example, were put up gratis, because I really like those people. I try to offer something special to women-owned small businesses by doing free ads in that manner. 2020Ave, Wasteland, Blowfish, Lucky Vintage, James Rowland Shop, and Sunglasses Shop are all paid advertisers. They pay me a monthly fee to keep their ads up there, hoping that you'll click on them. A lot of those companies I truly, truly love to pieces (I promised Lucky Vintage a free ad, actually, but then turned into the worst blogger ever and slacked off for weeks on end and never put their free ad up, so they turned into a paid advertiser), and I am proud to have them as sponsors on my blog. For Nasty Gal, Free People, and Urban Outfitters, I am part of their Google Affiliate Network. That means that they don't pay me by the month; instead, they pay me based off of clicks, or based off of a commission on any sale generated from the ad on my blog. Each of those Google Affiliate Network ads have different terms, and I don't remember them off the top of my head.

Now, the big question: how much money do I make from blogging? It varies from month to month. I usually only make money when I bring on a new advertiser, because they tend to sign up for multiple months in bulk. So, some months, I'll make nothin', and some months I'll make around $500. Most months, it's around $100 or so. That's it. Not that much dough, is it? It's certainly not that much dough when you consider the amount of money that goes INTO blogging. I do buy more "wow" pieces of clothing now that I blog, because I'm excited to share them with my readers, and the cost of that alone far outweighs any income.

With the right mindset, blogging can be extremely lucrative, and I'm sure that a lot of bloggers with the same amount of followers as me make a lot more money than I do from their blog. However, I am not in that mindset right now. I have my job, which I love, and Tunnel Vision, which I love. Blogging truly is a hobby for me, so I offer very low advertising rates and I don't ever solicit advertisers. When I pick up an advertiser and make a little extra money, I high-five my dog and go spend it on household stuff. Glamorous.

Interlude - Free People "Color Me Pretty" Lookbook

2012-02-16T15:14:00.000-08:00

"Color Me Pretty" Lookbook by Free People

Free People has gotten even more spendy lately, much to my chagrine. I WANT EVERYTHING!

158 - Band Aids: The Ultimate Fashion Accessory

2012-02-15T16:00:00.001-08:00

Bustier - c/o 2020 Ave, Leggings - American Apparel, Flannel - Vintage, Boots - Alice + Olivia for Payless from Crossroads, Crescent Moon Necklace - gift from Brit, Ankh Necklace - Taddeos, Rings - Konstantino

Yup, that's a Band-Aid on my shoulder. Sometimes my purses give me terrible shoulder rashes, so I wear Band-Aids there as a purse-strap buffer. Yesssss, sexy, I know. Oooh lala.

How rad is that ankh necklace? It was made by one of my coworkers, then another one of my coworkers bought it for me as a present. They are just too awesome, all of them. I really recommend checking the webshop out. It's called Taddeos.

Also, it was like a billion degrees when I left the house, but then by the time I got to Brit's, it magically turned like five degrees, so I was doing the dance of freezing coldness in that second picture, yelling, "THAT'S FINE, I'M PUTTING MY FLANNEL ON NOW, I'M PUTTING IT ON, ARE WE DONE? WE ARE DONE! PITCHARS TAKEN." The flannel didn't look so nice over the outfit, so I didn't make her photograph me in a state of warm repose. The bustier is from my newest sponsor, 2020 Ave. They have a lot of goodies that are in an affordable price range, like THIS THING which is only $23 and THIS THING which is only $28.

Speaking of deals, we implemented this new idea with Tunnel Vision. We know that vintage is expensive, and it kinda has to be for us to break even, but we like everyone so much and stuff, so we came up with a compromise. Here is how it works: we are going to do a big massive update to the shop every month. On that update-day, all of our Facebook fans will get 50% off of new arrivals, just that one day only, and only on the new additions. That means that if you don't get it then, it's gonna be it's regular price into perpetuity, until some un-facebook-savvy shopper picks it up at full price. We figured out Facebook fans are probably on the younger side and more budget-conscious, so we thought it seemed like a fair way to give those who need it a good price break. We're going to try to always update on or around the second pay-day of every month. We're shooting for this Friday for the next big update, so like us on Facebook if you haven't already and watch for the new listings and the discount code.

Lastly, before I go (gosh this was rambly), I want to write more about things that matter. The problem is that I've run out of ideas. Do you have any fashion-related thoughts that you'd be interested in seeing me address? Let me know. I'm in a concept-block right now.

PS: Yes, I know my leggings are baggy. It's a real issue. My legs aren't even that skinny! How did I stretch them out?!

Interlude - Inspiration

2012-02-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

Topshop Lookbook

Interlude - 30-Second Runway Reviews, Fall 2012!

2012-02-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

NYFW is upon us, and you know what that means around these parts: time for my 30-Second Fashion Week Reviews! This installment focuses on my absolute favorites from the runway thus far.

FALL 2012

Ooh, girl, I love you so!

Nicholas K

All I really want out of life is to be a futuristic motorcycle medicine woman who heals New Mexican cowboys. Nicholas K understands that, and for this, the brother-sister team is officially my new favorite NYFW designing duo. Nicholas K, I am officially out of paper crowns. I'll have my people send your people some gold stars...ninja stars, that is. Also, by "my people" I mean my cock-a-poo and my arguably overweight dachshund. You'd be surprised at how much they can accomplish despite lacking opposable thumbs.

Suno

Suno, from whom are we hiding and why are we in a garden? Seriously, this collection borders on an unexpected feminine grunge aesthetic because it's like an attempt at floral camo. Screw the Garden Party, this here is a Garden Militia, and I love it. Sign me up -- my weapon of choice is hot tea. Scald! Scald! Retreat! Repeat! Good plan, Suno. They will never see us comin'.

Mara Hoffman

The team over at Mara Hoffman must have had an Alejandro Jodorowsky movie night recently or something. Holy Mountain, right? Did I get it? Am I in on the joke? Because I mean one time a friend dragged me to see Holy Mountain at this strange little independent movie theater that is semi-secretly owned by Quentin Tarantino and I nearly watched the whole thing and when it was over I pretended to understand it and everything. So, can we hang out later or what?

Kimberly Ovitz

Nobody does 1998 Givenchy by Alexander McQueen like 2012 Kimberly Ovitz. That sounded snarky, but I swear it's actually a legitimate compliment. We've mourned, and now the world is ready for a new McQueen. Kimmy, baby, keep on givin' us all you've got...and let me borrow that dress on the far right...I've got a thing coming up in a couple of weeks.

157 - Wasted

2012-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Shirt - Unif X Wasteland, Pants - Urban Outfitters (on sale for $10!), Boots - Urban Outfitters, Vest - eBay (children's), Faux Fur - H&M, Hat - Vintage, Cuff - c/o JFR

Um, I cannot take off this tee shirt. It's stupid. I think I've been wearing it for a week straight, in ever way possible. With cut-off shorts, with jeans, as a dress, with tights, with patterned leggings, with boots, with tennis shoes, with jewelry, with a beanie, with a flannel, with a military jacket, with leather shorts...you name it. I'm in love with this thing. This is probably the least expected outfit I've worn with it. I like the bohemian grunge weirdness of it.

The only thing that would make this better is if my hair were navy blue or teal. Teal is Kool Aid-able, so that's probably most realistic.

Teal me about it, stud (ha!).

EDIT: WTF, how is this a real thing? Dolce Vita is giving away 50 pairs of shoes per day on their Facebook until March 1st. WHAT THE HELL. They sent me a pair of orange cowboy booties to bribe me to share their giveaway with my readers. Joke's on them -- I would have told you all anyway, and bought the shoes myself. FREE SHOES FTW.

http://www.facebook.com/shopdolcevita

Interlude - My, my.

2012-02-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

My, my. I had no idea Yves St. Laurent was so into seapunk.

Suede starfish platform wedges - $1,365

via Net-a-Porter

156 - Witchy Woman

2012-02-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

Top - vintage from Squaresville, Shorts - renewed vintage from Tunnel Vision, Boots - vintage from Tunnel Vision, Necklaces - vintage (two longer necklaces from Tunnel Vision), Rings - Unearthen & random quarter machine evil eye ring

Ahhhhh this shirt is so freaking cool. It was $22 at Squaresville, an awesome little vintage store in Vermont in Los Feliz here in LA. Pretty much everything else I'm wearing is Tunnel Vision vintage stock. The shorts were modified by Brit. They have awesome brassy gold textured studs all around the waistband. The middle necklace I'm wearing is part of our new stock. Avid shop followers will note that we were uber excited to post a lot of new stock, then suddenly halted all uploads. Why, you might ask? Because we came up with an idea (lightbulb!). Trust us, you will LOVE this idea, however, the idea means that we are not uploading additional stock until February 15th. Hmmmm....

However, you can still shop the new additions that squeaked on through here: http://shoptunnelvision.com/collections/new-in-stock

Guys, it's the weekend, so I'm going to leave you with some wisdom from Andrew W. K.'s twitter:

"The number one killer of partying is stress.

The number one killer of stress is partying."

So, go forth this weekend dudes/dudettes. You know what to do.

155 - Nighttime (Big Star optional)

2012-02-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

Overshirt - thrifted, Tank Top - Mink Pink, Shorts - thrifted Levi's cut-offs, Boots - c/o Romwe, Jewelry - mostly Konstantino, Blush - Benefit Hula, Lipgloss - Stila Banana, Eyeshadow - Revlon Black

So, it's midnight, and everything is rather peaceful and serene around these parts right about now. It quite reminds me of one of my favorite songs, Nightime by Big Star:

Lovely, right?

In other news, I have been living in these boots from Romwe. They are half chelsea boot and half cowboy boot and they go with just about everything in my closet. Chelsea boots are the best boot for the season, I think. I mentioned them in my Fashion Week recommendations over on the Crossroads blog.

Since I am a tad bleary-eyed at present moment, I will leave you only with some photos of my favorite chelsea boots on the market right now:

(click image for source)

154 - A Spring in my Step (SEE WHAT I DID THERE)

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hat - c/o Romwe, Croptop - Melrose Trading Post flea market, Shorts - c/o Gigi Vintage, Belt - boyfriend's, Shoes - Wholesaledress.net, Jewelry - mostly vintage or flea market (that multi-stone bracelet was a holiday gift from Brit!), Bag - vintage

Holy moly, isn't this outfit so spring-y? I've been doing this thing lately where I alternate between dressing grungy and dressing kinda...erm...boho-y? It's the best way to appease my two favorite styles, and it's the easiest way to be a poser two times over. The only things that stay consistent between the two looks are my denim shorts and my platform shoes, because my legs will always be short and both will always make me feel as though I look a bit taller. Sidenote: seriously, why do I feel like I need to look taller? It's such a strange stupid pressure to put on myself....

To satisfy all of your bohemian urges, try lusting over the jewelry on this Etsy store. My first reaction is that I want to put my mouth on all of it...you know, to claim it. "It's mine; I licked it and everything."

153 - Who Cares

2012-01-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

Shirt - Human Dust, Jacket - Virgo (downtown LA), Shorts - c/o Romwe, Jewelry - mostly c/o LSD, Boots - Jeffrey Campbell Tardy's (mine are actually red -- I photoshopped them to be black in that first picture, shhhhhhh!)

When I lived in San Francisco, I had a totally awesome boyfriend named Brian. He is freaking rad. However, we eventually realized that we were really just supposed to be friends, so we split up, but did not split ways. Now, Brian is one of my best friends and favorite people on the planet. Dude is awesome. He is in two really awesome bands (Punch and Loma Prieta), and he takes pictures and makes art, and he makes books, and he designs t-shirts for bands and for huge companies like Banana Republic and Nike, and he models, and he runs an online merch store for hardcore bands, and (as if all of that weren't enough) he runs his own t-shirt line called Human Dust.

WHEW. So, when Brian showed me the designs he was working on for Human Dust, I flipped out over this Who Cares? tee. I love that it looks like the Nirvana cover for Nevermind. I forced him to send me one, then I cut it into pieces and tie-dyed it (and now he is probably regretting even sending it to me -- too late, sucka!) and now it is my favorite shirt ever. EVER. So if you have $25 to spare and want a rad tee shirt, I recommend taking a look at his store.

GO LOOK AT IT NOW:

HVMAN DVST

Okay, I'm done trying to force you to look at my friends doing cool stuff. Sorry...

In other news, this jacket is modified vintage from Virgo, a semi-legendary store in downtown LA that is run by two rad ladies who do amazing vintage mods. This jacket is a combo of a denim jacket and a baja hoodie, and I freaking love it. They also do cool stuff like combine bleach-splattered denim jackets with leather motorcycle jackets. If you're ever in LA, it's a must-see store, and it's conveniently near Santee Alley (holla).

Blah, blah, blah, talk, talk, talk.

151 - Giveaway...also, "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones is a very common first dance song at weddings, which makes no sense to me, since I'm pretty sure that's a song about heroin addiction.

2012-01-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Sweater - c/o Romwe, Western Chelsea Booties - c/o Romwe, Shorts - vintage Levi's c/o Gigi Vintage, Backpack - c/o Blowfish, Jewelry - mostly vintage

Why, hello there. Did you see my backpack? Oh, this? It's just a backpack. Backpack, backpack, backpack. Ha, that's what I imagine these pictures would say if they could talk. I can't help it -- I teamed up with the fine folks over at Blowfish Malibu and they were kind enough to send me this lovely little backpack (backpack, backpack, backpack) and offer my readers a...

GIVEAWAY! INTERNATIONAL!

WIN YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF BLOWFISH SHOES!

Isn't that just the nicest? Okay, here is how you enter:

Go on over to http://www.blowfishshoes.com/. Find your absolute favorite pair of shoes on the site (not that I'm trying to sway your decision or anything, but I'm into these and these and these and these and these) and...

LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW WITH YOUR NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS, AND FAVORITE PAIR OF BLOWFISH SHOES FROM THEIR WEBSITE!

Be sure to check out the two other giveaways listed in posts below. Wasteland is giving away a pair of UNIF shoes and Tunnel Vision is giving away a necklace.

Oh, and that tidbit about "Wild Horses"? I picked that up during a brief stint working as an assistant for a wedding photographer, and the southwestern-y horse-y vibe of this outfit reminded me of it. I think having your first dance at your wedding to that song is a total romance fail. "I love you like heroin!"

EDIT
Thank you all for your entries; the contest is officially closed, and we are pleased to announce that our winner is one Ms. Janie! Please stay tuned for more rad giveaways from my amazing brand partners in the future!

Interlude - UNIF Giveaway O'er at Wasteland!

2012-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

The mega-babes over at Wasteland are giving away a pair of ponyhair UNIF Hellraiser flats. Say what?

Do any one of the following to enter:

1. Like 'em on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall telling them how much you want those bad boys.

(OR)

2. Follow 'em on Twitter and RT their post about the giveaway

(OR)

3. Follow 'em on Instagram

Do all three for three entries. Ain't life sweet?

Also, it's like crazy giveaway central on my blog lately. I have two more giveaway to post -- egad! Get your free on.

Interlude - GIVEAWAY! RADICAL!

2012-01-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

Y'all like this radsauce handmade Pakistani Tunnel Vision necklace? Because I sure as eff do. I wanna wear it with a beat-up white tee shirt and cut-off denim shorts all summer long.

If you haven't liked Tunnel Vision on Facebook yet, now is a good opportunity to do so because it will help you...

WIN THIS HOT LITTLE NUMBER

Click that shiz for all the deetz. The contest is being hosted via Facebook, so get your entries in there.

TV FB

TV TWEET-TWEET

150 - The Short and Long of It

2012-01-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

Top - American Apparel (hand-me-down from Brit), Skirt - thrifted, Shoes - Deena & Ozzy from Urban Outfitters, Cuff - c/o JFR.SE, Other Jewelry - random...

Let's talk about this whole bindi thing. A lot of people have been inquiring as to whether or not it is offensive for a white American woman to wear a bindi. I'll let you decide.

What is a bindi?
A bindi is a small forehead decoration typically worn between the eyes. There are many different kinds. Some are powder-application thumbprints (more traditional), others are ornate felt and gemstone fashion accessories. Bindis at one time held cultural (an indicator of marriage status or caste) or spiritual (a good luck symbol, increasing concentration) connotations in the regions of India where they were traditionally found, but tend to no longer hold connotations -- even in those areas. The crystal and highly-decorated adhesive bindis have become simply a fashion accessory in India, and other parts of the world, that evolved from a more traditional idea.

Why would it be offensive to wear a bindi?
A white woman wearing a bindi is a form of cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is when one cultural group adopts something, anything, from another cultural group. Cultural appropriation connotatively becomes a bad thing when a dominant culture adopts something from a less powerful culture who has been marginalized and demeaned, especially something that is otherwise sacred. Acts of cultural appropriation can act as a "slap in the face" to a person who has been mistreated by a dominant culture for things inherent to their heritage and lifestyle, only to see elements of their heritage and lifestyle "cherrypicked" for acceptable use by the dominant culture.

Why would it not be offensive to wear a bindi?
Taking into account that bindis are now simply fashion accessories most of the time, lets remove the specificity of the term and look at the real issue. Is it offensive to wear a fashion item from one culture when you belong to another? On a daily basis, visual elements of international culture mix. In the US, we wear clogs, we wear kimonos, we wear turbans, we wear Tibetan jewelry, we wear silk, we wear plaid. Furthermore, non-visual elements of our culture mix. In the US, we eat sushi, we eat burritos, we eat bratwurst, we drink tea, we eat chocolate. In the US, we do yoga. It seems hypocritical to select one thing and deem it off limits when elements of our culture mix so thoroughly every day in myriad ways.

Personally, I wear things borrowed from others cultures in mass every single day. I find it telling that nobody is concerned about the Greek or Tibetan or Chinese influence in what I wear as a threat of "appropriation", but the bindi is called out instantly because people are not quite used to seeing it. In my opinion, this is demonstrative of the lack of rationale behind these inquiries. One cannot be conflicted about the wearing of a bindi, but be fine with the wearing of Tibetan earrings or of turbans. There is a disconnect in this thought process, and these inquiries very obviously come from a place of unfamiliarity and discomfort. The bindi is uncommon, and it makes people uncomfortable to see something with which they are unfamiliar.

Can culture mixing be good?
A lot of social and political bias stems from a very obvious we-they dichotomy. A lack of familiarity with other cultures frightens people. Racism is the manifestation of this fear. People can respond very negatively to things they do not understand. People become defensive when their securities are threatened, and aggression becomes a coping mechanism for a lack of comprehension that ultimately can translate into a lack of control over a situation. I firmly believe that culture mixing breeds familiarity and encourages international/intercultural respect, as long as we utilize these elements of other peoples' cultures in the same ways that their original developers would themselves utilize them, and otherwise treat all other cultures with respect and dignity.

What would happen if we did not culture-borrow?
White people who are offended by other white people harmlessly (keyword: harmless -- based on the bolded assertion above and the further discussion to follow) borrowing elements of non-white culture tend to suffer from an overwhelming amount of white guilt. I, personally, have a great deal of white/American guilt (my boyfriend makes fun of me for it constantly), and I make it a point to recognize my privileges every day. However, this guilt should not lead to a hyper-sensationalized radical approach to living. It is when the line of respectful consciousness is crossed that we instead see an irrational "watch dog" approach to policing each others' activities. I often wonder what these types of radical "watch dog" irrational finger-pointers would prefer that the world be like. A world without culture mixing would mean that we would only have access to the things developed in our own country, or in countries that are dominant to ours -- because apparently, it is acceptable for dominant cultures like the US to export our fashion trends, like jeans, to the world, but it is not okay for a country like India to export its fashion trends, like bindis, to the rest of the world. It must, then, come down to an issue of dominant cultures being permitted to permeate all other cultures with their values, even to the extent that it becomes expectation for everyone to dress like them and look like them and speak their languages (how many traveling Americans expect every one in every other country to wear denim and speak English -- it's appalling!) WITHOUT that being offensive, yet it IS OFFENSIVE when a smaller, less dominant country successfully exports one of its own values, aesthetic or otherwise. Bearing all of this in mind, dominant cultures failing to adopt any elements of smaller cultures would result in one of three things:

1. A world where we only experience what is immediately outside of our doors, and are largely unfamiliar with everything else. This is the most frightening prospect to me of all. Can you imagine how frightened, then, everyone would be of other cultures? How defensive would people feel and act? How much MORE would they hate someone else based on their perceived cultural background, on account of it seeming so alien? I shudder to think...

2. A world where everyone borrows only from the dominant culture. Can you imagine if everyone everywhere just looked and dressed and ate and acted like white people? The horror...I don't even want to imagine it!

3. A combination of both of the above elements, where people dwelled in all things indigenous to their land, with the only exception being the spread of dominant western culture's trends and ideals and beliefs and values.

To me, all of these are grim ideas. I prefer to think that the world should be a respectful exchange of ideas and aesthetics and experiences, and I believe that the steps towards shared global respect and the dissolution of racism lie in the integration of a variety of different vantage points and realities into the dominant scope's eye. The more we share and borrow form one another, the more we blur the lines between who "we" are and who "they" are, taking positive steps towards acceptance and coexistence.

When is culture mixing bad, and how do we keep the respect?
Culture-mixing becomes a bad thing when it is done without respect. How do we stay respectful when using elements of one anothers' cultures? I think that a good approach is what was already stated above: use these elements in the same way that the persons to whom the thing -- whatever it is -- is indigenous would use it. Don't wrap an obi around your dog. Don't use a turban as a toilet paper cozy. Don't take sacrament as a hangover remedy. Don't use a sculpture of the buddha as a tire-stop. Don't wear a sacred Native American ceremonial headdress to make yourself seem more interesting in your Facebook photos. Don't describe any textile that is non-white as "tribal" or generically "ethnic". Don't dress up as a "Gypsy" or an "Indian" for Halloween. Don't call traditionally non-white articles of clothing beautiful, but then represent beauty as though it had only a white face. Do watch foreign films, and try new foods, and embrace fashions made in other countries. As long as you aren't being condescending or inappropriate about it, embrace anything you see fit.

149 - Harley Hat (or) More 1970's Glam-Biker Shiz

2012-01-15T21:46:00.000-08:00

Hat - Vintage from Reveille , Shirt - Vintage, Pants - Santee Alley, Boots - Thrifted, Bag - Military Surplus, Jewelry - Konstantino (mostly), Jacket - UNIF c/o Nasty Gal

So, I am wearing four things that I absolutely LOVE in this outfit.

1. This leather Harley Davidson hat. WTF. How is it real? It's from Reveille, a vintage/new store in Portland owned by two friends. They have a webshop here.

2. These leggings. They are my favorite thing ever. If I were a cartoon character and could only have one outfit by which people identified me into perpetuity, it would definitely involve these.

3. These thrifted shoes. They were supposed to be Tunnel Vision stock, but they aren't in the best shape. So, instead, I grabbed 'em for myself to wear into the ground until they completely fall apart.

4. This effing rad UNIF jacket from Nasty Gal. You know how jackets never fit me? Well this sucker fits LIKE A GLOVE (say it like how Jim Carry said it in Ace Ventura when he pulls into that parking spot, okay?). You can't quite tell with the oversized asymmetrical radness going on, but the arms and shoulders fit perfectly. I think it's probably on account of Christeric Christine being so tiny herself. So yeah, UNIF makes tiny jackets, for all you tiny ladies out there. Also, the inside of this one looks like it was made out of Luna-Dog's excess fur. WIN.

So there you have it. That completed my glam biker look.

Apparently the Golden Globes were today. I don't much care about the awards, but it was fun to see people all dressed up in fancy clothes...and there's that creepy thing where I want to make Emma Stone my best friend.

SPEAKING OF CELEBRITIES, Casey Strawberry* and my friend Ceilidh and I saw Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top at the flea market today! It blew my mind. I started jumping up and down shrieking; he turned around as I watched him walk by, and he did a little half wave with a smile, as though he were saying, "Yes, peon. Acknowledge my greatness." And I did. I acknowledged his greatness HARD.

*In case you were wondering, Casey is BEAUTIFUL in person -- I mean, she photographs gorgeously, but even those don't do her justice. Just, WOW. Furthermore, she is very funny and kind and smart and interesting.

148 - Stealth Mode!

2012-01-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

Jacket - Ralph Lauren, Bralet - Urban Outfitters, Shorts - Vintage, Boots - Vintage, Belt - Hat Band from Urban Outfitters Hat

You see that strange white ghost in the bottom photo? That's the dog Brit told you about, Luna. Luna was supposed to stay the night at our house for one evening, but my boyfriend had a hard time letting go of her, so now we are all pretty sure that Luna is Lamson's dog. Mo-Dog is mildy amused by her half the time, and completely nonplussed the other half. Anyway, dog stuff is not related to fashion stuff, so that's all I will say on that issue.

I think it's pretty funny how this outfit just blends in to my natural environment of Koreatown. Behold! A wooded thicket! In front of a Denny's! Har-har. This is the jacket I showed you in my Black Friday video, and it's pretty awesome. It's the lightest weight out of my three military jackets. Also, it's been stupid hot here lately, so it seemed perfectly acceptable to wear a bra and booty shorts out in public. Really, Koreatown should just be glad I got dressed at all. The jacket was just a gesture towards decency.

I haven't been outfit blogging as much lately because Tunnel Vision sucked up all of my free time! Brit and I were working like maniacs to get everything ready to launch on Friday, and WOOOOO did it pay off! We had a launch that was infinitely better than we ever could have hoped! I feel so honored and fortunate to have the support of so many amazing individuals. So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. Thank you for your kind words, your encouragement, your feedback, your orders, etc. If there is ever anything we can do to help return the favor, you let us know! Also, if you have any additional feedback, please email it to me or leave it in the comments below! The harsher the critique, the better chance we have of growing to better provide for y'all.

Since everything started selling out like CRAZY within the first four hours we were open, I wanted to let you guys know four things:

1. You can see all in-stock items here: http://shoptunnelvision.com/collections/still-in-stock

2. I know it's hard to find larger sizes in vintage stores, so you can see all Size Large and Size Extra Large items here: http://shoptunnelvision.com/collections/sizes-large-and-extra-large

3. Everything already ordered will ship from California on Tuesday via USPS

4. For those of you shoppin' on a budget, I've put together a grouping of in-stock items that are $40 or less: http://shoptunnelvision.com/collections/in-stock-and-under-40

Items in-stock and $40 or less include the following, plus much more:

Okay, I promise to try not to spam you with TV stuff on my personal blog. I am just very excited right now, so it all comes spewing out! Gah!

Interlude - 50% Off Tunnelvision Today Only!

2012-01-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite picks from the Tunnel Vision Spring lookbook!

The store is open for prelaunch (you'll need an access code!) with 50% off today only.

Like us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter for the deetz on how to access and how to get that discount.

Here are some of my favorite items from the site, but it's all selling really fast, so who knows if they will still be around!

If you can believe it, we have around 300 women's items and 50 men's items. Egad!

Everything resumes full-pricedness tomorrow.

Interlude - Awwwwwwesome

2012-01-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

This is why I love Wasteland.

Pre-Spring Lookbook

Photographed by Jason Lee Parry

147 - Why We Need to Plan a Field-Trip to Petsmart

2012-01-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

Velvet Shirt worn as Dress - Thrifted, Creepers - Anarchic via eBay

How much better would this outfit be with a spiked choker?

I guess we better all head out to Petsmart or something to pick up dog collars...

Ponytails and dog collars this summer? Ohhhhh yeah.

146 - Meet the Misses + Photo Overload

2012-01-05T05:05:00.000-08:00

Cardigan - c/o Chicwish, Velvet Burnout Bralet - Free People (holiday gift from my dear friend Ceilidh!), Shorts - vintage cut-off Levi's, Boots - Steve Madden, Jewelry - Random (including bracelet holiday gift from Brit and bracelet holiday gift from my boyfriend)

I really dig this outfit -- I think the rich jewel tones of the ~~Romwe~~ Chicwish (dear lordy, I've been incorrectly listing a slew of items as being from Romwe when they are really from Chicwish -- if you like this cardigan, the cropped pullover from my last post, the holy cardigan from the post before that, and the salmon-colored party dress, you can find them at Chicwish!) cardi-thing make an interesting pair with the forest green bra/top thing. As you can tell from my outfit in these photos, it's been around 90 degree in LA for the past few days, and it's nice to be able to run around town in cut-offs.

Since I'm feeling especially braindead, I thought I'd just do a photo-oriented post in which I introduce you to my boyfriend, Lamson, of whom you have heard many things. He is my size, and my favorite articles of clothing usually come from his closet (he really does have immaculate taste). He takes most of my blog photos and is one of those people who is disgustingly good at everything they do. Were I a better model! I am a quite difficult person with whom to work, I'm afraid.

Here are some photos I snapped of him (I am not quite the photographer either, sadly):

And here are some gushy photos of us together sitting in a random patch of grass on a Beverly Hills sidewalk:

Since I am worthless with words at the moment, here is some recommended reading:

http://www.theblindhem.com/

http://kellykate.tumblr.com/

Final things worth noting:

Tunnel Vision will be up soon -- I swear!

Those of you who emailed me about drawings, I'll be getting to those in the next week or two!

145 - Flowers in an Orchard

2012-01-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Shorts - vintage via Wasteland, Sweater - c/o ~~Romwe~~ Chicwish!, Shoes - Urban Outfitters, Jewelry - mostly Konstantino

These shorts are probably the coolest things ever. They were vintage pants that some smart person hemmed into little shorts, with floral pockets and tuxedo-esque floral stripes running down the side. I picked them up at the Wasteland on Melrose for $18. I had thought that I'd end up wearing them with a ripped-up black vintage tee, but it's been chilly lately as I traipsed up and down the west coast on holiday adventures, so this sweater did the trick. Come summertime, though, the tee shirt thing is happening.

Also, yes, my boyfriend forced me to lie down in the dirt to take pictures. Typically, I would have flat out refused, as I am the least "model-y" person on the planet, but on this particular day, I was feeling rather sick, so lying down really was an awesome request. Sure, I'll just fall asleep here in this random orchard, and you can do all the work taking blog photos for me. Perfect.

Lastly, I am totally rocking the ponytail. I'm really into it -- it's one part 1990s heroin chic and one part 1950s Americana. That's always a good combo, and I think it pretty much sums up this look.

****AND NOW WE TALK ABOUT ACTUAL THINGS****

One thing that has always irked me is aesthetic critique. I absolutely loathe it when people go out of their way to broadcast negative critiques of others' aesthetics. Celebrities often face this in those terrible "Worst Dressed" lists that you see in supermarket pseduo-tabloid smut magazines like People. Bloggers often see this in terms of online commentary. We all often see this in our peer groups. I find it tacky and just plain rude when people air their disapproval of anyone else's aesthetic in a public forum, especially when we have to deal with so much pressure from society at large anyway to look a certain way. Freedom of opinion is fine, but I do believe that it's nice to fall back on some basic manners.

What is the proper way to respond to a blog or a look or a red carpet outfit that you don't particularly like? In my opinion, it's to ignore it, and move along with your business. I'm not a perfect person -- I occasionally laugh with a friend a bit over someone's outfit, but I do this understanding that I'm just speaking from my oddball taste, and that a lot of people probably like that sort of thing, and that is really just fine with me. Furthermore, I would never speak about this in public, because it's not necessary, and more than that, it's just not very nice.

What has happened to adhering to some modicum of social consideration?

Pre-blogging, celebrity fashion critique bore the brunt of my gross-out reaction to this sort of thing. Celebrities have a lot of excess in their lives, which is a great impetus for us to consider just how deserving any one person is of such wealth and lifestyle. However, being appalled or jealous of that wealth or beauty or attention does not make those people any less people. They are real, and they have doubts and insecurities, and happy days and sad ones, and perhaps even more than us, they feel the pressure to be beautiful and well-dressed. I rarely pay attention to red carpet events, but it's impossible to deny that at events like The Oscars, these are simply people who got dressed up in something fancy, who left the house feeling beautiful, and who later may have to see pictures of themselves on Worst Dressed lists in magazines with terribly rude headings, while people sit back and discuss just how horrible they looked, and all for what? So that we average people can feel better about ourselves? I have a lot of qualms with celebrity culture, but a large amount of my issue with it falls upon the public's reception of celebrity culture. We create a vicious love-hate relationship with these avatars (I say "avatars" because we don't even know the real people), and we thrust our money and adoration upon them, but so eagerly wait for them to fail in some way so that we might viciously tear them apart. It is a sad and unfortunate process.

We see the same process occur on a mini-level with influential bloggers. The public seems so eager to dismiss or critique fashion bloggers, failing to realize that most fashion bloggers are not speaking from a position of authority, but rather from a position of peer participation. As a fashion blogger, I recognize that not everyone is going to love what I do (I mean, I don't relate to 99.9% of the blogs that I see). In fact, as a weird fashion blogger, I recognize that a good chunk of the population won't relate to what I do. Urban Outfitters may have popularized this aesthetic, but at the end of the day, the looks that I favor are still a bit kooky. It baffles me that anyone would feel the need to point out anything a fashion blogger does, specifically, and discuss why he or she does not like it. There are not enough hours in the day for me to do this, and I wonder why on earth anyone finds it so important to address something that is already taken for granted by a good number of people. To be clear: I have no problem critically discussing trends on the whole; it is the specificity of narrowing it down to one person that amazes me with its audacity, as though the recipient of such negativity weren't an actual person who might chance upon your critique.

Personally, I feel guilty even discussing trends that I dislike. In some online interviews, people have asked me what I would not wear or do not favor. I have begrudgingly admitted to not finding flared skirts or classic pumps or blazers (typically, not always) to my particular taste, but just saying that seems as though I am judging people who prefer to wear those types of things, and that weighs upon my conscious. Floral mini-dresses with blazers and knee-socks and pumps suit a lot of ladies just fine, and it's not my place to judge that.

At the end of the day, I think judgement is the issue to which this all boils down. To judge something implies a position of superiority, and in a matter as subjective as aesthetics, there is no superiority, only our personal taste. I would hope that we can encourage one another to be critical of our own language when discussing aesthetics, and attempt to be a bit more polite than we have a tendency to be. There is so much in the world that validly deserves critique and analysis, and it is arbitrary to direct our negativity towards something so harmless and personal as the way someone chooses to dress.

Aesthetics should be fun and easy, and an interesting exploration of our identity (both global and personal), not a platform for Mean Girls-style bitchery and foulness.

Comments? Leave them below.

Questions? Ask them on my Formspring.

I'd love to know what you think about all of this, and I always love hearing viewpoints which I may have not considered. These are just my general ideas, and I am not so stupid as to think that I am so smart I cannot be wrong.

*********************************

UNRELATED: I want to draw more stupid little pencil portraits like the ones listed under my illustration section. If you want one done of you, email me your picture. You can find my email under "About Me" at the top.

Interlude - Leather Shorts

2012-01-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

I just ordered these faux leather shorts from Romwe, and it inspired me to make a couple of Polyvore sets about how to wear leather shorts.

SUMMER GOTH

I definitely don't feel like black lipstick is dead yet. I think it's actually having a mini-revival-revival. Also, I have been desperately seeking a pair of strappy black platforms that look a little bit Cher from Clueless. I think these babies do the trick. They are Steve Maddens, and while I will not purchase them because I am trying to no longer purchase new previously-unused leather items, you can bet that I'll be scouring eBay for these bad boys on the off chance that some fashionable gal in the know accidentally breaks her ankle on them or something and decides to get rid of them fast.

CAZZZZHUAL

Tennis shoes! What a novel idea. This whole outfit kinda reminds me of this chick:

Her blog is called India Rose. Her style is in some ways the same as mine but totally opposite, if that makes sense. I love how effortless it is. That's a word that will never be used to describe my look, but I respect it immensely on other people. She wears tennis shoes a lot, too, which I think is really rad.

144 - Music! Hole-y Moly!

2011-12-31T07:03:00.000-08:00

Dress - Native, Sweater - c/o Romwe, Boots & Beanie - Vintage, Jewelry - Konstantino (mostly)

I'm finally back in California after spending a few days in Portland, Oregon! Portland was rainy and miserable, and I pretty much lived in that Chicwish parka that I love so much. The one thing I have learned about spending time in Portland is that nothing beats a pair of waterproof black boots. These ones are the best for running through puddles.

Brit took these photos on our drive. It's a simple little grunge outfit and was very comfortable for 15 hours spent in a car. I usually dislike contemporary clothing that has been distressed, but this cardigan is so over the top that I quite like it. It feels self-conscious, if that makes sense, as though perhaps it is in on the joke?

With the grunge revival being my go-to trend and all, I thought it would be nice to talk about how music influences fashion. Music is such a binding force in any counter-culture. It embodies sub-groups' political, social, and aesthetic values, and becomes a key factor in identifying "kindred spirits" out in the world. I've put together a list of the top 5 albums that have influenced me from each decade (each links to my favorite song from that album on Youtube), complete with a look that is inspired by each.

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1950s

When most people think about 1950s counter cultures, the beatniks come to mind. However, Teddy Boy fashion is much more favorable to me. I love the combination of Edwardian and classic Americana influences.

My 5 Favorite Albums from 1950-1959:

1. Louis Prima - The Wildest!

2. Billie Holiday - Billie Holiday Sings

3. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly

4. Patsy Cline - Patsy Cline

5. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley

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1960s

The 1960s were a versatile period capturing the mod look, as well as bohemian overtones that would emerge into the bohemian movement. Bold shift dresses worn with chandelier earrings, Twiggy eye makeup, and Beatles-esque boots make a great party look -- even better if the dress is vintage.

My 5 Favorite Albums from 1960-1969:

1. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde

2. Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line

3. The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat

4. The Beatles - Rubber Soul

5. 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

Runner-Ups:

The Beatles - (The White Album)

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

The Kingsmen - Volume II

Nico - Chelsea Girl

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1970s

The 1970s were by far my favorite period for music. From psychedelic rock to punk and the start of post punk, everything good had a role in that decade. I love the glam quality of 1970s fashion with mixed textures and prints.

My 5 Favorite Albums from 1970-1979:

1. The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

2. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

3. T. Rex - Electric Warrior

4. Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record

5. Lou Reed - Transformer

Runner-Ups:

James Chance & The Contortions - Buy

Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers

The Clash - London Calling

Pere Ubu - Modern Dance

The Germs - The Germs

The Slits - Cut

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1980s

The 1980s were more of a transition period than anything else. The post-punks were the ones with the best style: simple beat-up jeans and a band tee every day, hair bleach optional.

My 5 Favorite Albums from 1980-1989:

1. The Violent Femmes - The Violent Femmes

2. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

3. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead

4. Beat Happening - Jamboree

5. The Dead Milkmen - Beelzebubba

Runner-Ups:

Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit & Rotting Vegetables

The Cure - Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

AC/DC - Back in Black

********************************************************

1990s

We've seen so much about '90s fashion lately that I hardly feel obligated to comment. However, I do recommend checking out the '90s Drew Barrymore Tumblr if you have not already.

My 5 Favorite Albums from 1990-1999:

1. Nirvana - Unplugged in New York

2. Neutral Milk Hotel - In an Aeroplane Over the Sea

3. The Pixies - Trompe le Monde

4. The Make-Up - Sound Verite

5. Pulp - Different Class

(^this is actually a link to a song from a different Pulp album^)

Runner-Ups:

The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I

Half Japanese - Fire in the Sky

Morrissey - Bona Drag

Weezer - Pinkerton

********************************************************

2000s

Too soon, dudes -- no Polyvore set for this one!

My 5 Favorite Albums from 2000-2009:

1. Weird War (as Scene Creamers) - I Suck on That Emotion

2. The Soft Pack (as The Muslims) - The Muslims

3. Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress

4. The Libertines - Up the Bracket

5. The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2

Runner-Ups:

The Strokes - Is This It (STFU, I love this album)

Sleater-Kinney - All Hands on the Bad One

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

Animal Collective - Feels

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

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Reminder: you have until the first to enter the Line & Dot giveaway here!

143 - A Holiday Outfit & Presents

2011-12-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

Jacket - Vintage (boyfriend's -- same from the last post!), Dress - c/o ~~Romwe~~ Chicwish, Boots - Dolce Vita, Jewelry - Konstantino

Whenever I see my family for the holidays, I try to make an effort to dress up a little. However, I find that it can sometimes be difficult finding a balance between something a bit "nice" and something that is still very "me". I liked the Hepburn quality to this dress, combined with the bright color (it seems festive and fun and light!), but felt the need to balance out the sweetness with the motorcycle jacket, and then add the shoes for an appropriate level of WTFness. This outfit basically says, "Hi, I recognize that this is a special occasion, but it's not like I can magically stop being weird just because it's a holiday." I think that's a good place to be.

The low chignon is my new favorite hairstyle. It even looks good on normal not-fancy days if you pair it with an eff-ton of jewelry (big fancy chandelier earrings!) and super dark lipstick.

On an un-outfit related note, the holiday has been quite enjoyable for me. The highlight of last night was definitely my father, who is over 6 feet tall and covered from knuckles-to-neck in tattoos, singing "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka to my cousin's three-month-old baby. That baby freakin' loved it, let me tell you. It was cracking up like a mini maniac.

Okay, I have two holiday gifts for you all.

GIFT #1: Sharing My New Favorite Blog, "Lights Drive My Soul"

Her name is Sea, and she is beautiful and well-dressed and kind and interesting. I recommend checking out her blog here: http://lightsdrivemysoul.blogspot.com/

GIFT #2: Line & Dot Giveaway

Check out my previous post for how to enter! The winner gets to choose an item from the Line & Dot website. Details are provided upon winning!

**************************************************

Normal outfit posts will resume soon -- you know, ones where I opt to look more like Kelly Bundy than Frenchie from Grease.

142 - GIVEAWAY! LINE & DOT

2011-12-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Jacket - Vintage (boyfriend's), Faux Fur - H&M, Sunglasses - Vintage, Jewelry - Konstantino, Boots - Lucky, Dress - c/o Line & Dot

Happy holidays, dudes! To celebrate, the fine folks at Line & Dot have decided to offer my readers an awesome giveaway for one article of clothing of your choosing!

Here's how you enter:

1. Like Line & Dot on Facebook

2. Leave a comment below with your name and email address! Be sure to use (at) or [at] in place of the @ symbol so that evil trolling demon computers don't steal your email address!

Good luck!

Interlude - Armenta (or) Make Me a Dress Entirely Out of This Jewelry Please

2011-12-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

I have a soft spot for jewelry (shocker!). In particular, I love fancy jewelry. Like, we're talking REALLY fancy jewelry. Something about the precious metals and meticulous craftsmanship just makes me swoon. Jewelry is such a special thing to me, like acquiring an heirloom. It's both timeless and an indication of cultural history.

Anyway...

Behold! Freaking rad pieces by Armenta, the line from Emily Armenta (a beautiful pixie-sized woman with a smile and energy as engaging as her jewelry). I can't even handle it. I need these to be on me always. The craftsmanship is simply breathtaking -- each piece is handmade in Armenta's US design studio, with tens of hours spent on every style. The craftsmen have been individually trained regardless of background or original skill-set. Each employee at Armenta is hired based on their spirit and passion, rather than their resume -- the Vice President of Product Development was originally the custodian at the owner's office space!

Bonus: when attempting to survive a post-apocalyptic society structured by a barter-based economic system, some genuine precious metals will get you far, my friends. It's an investment in your future, really.

141 - Crocodile Rock (oh yes, I just went there)

2011-12-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

Dress - c/o Crystal Hearts Vintage, Motorcycle Jacket - $20 from eBay (used kid's jacket), Earrings - $5 from eBay, Necklace - $25 Melrose Trading Post flea market, Shoes - $20 from Crossroads (secondhand Alice & Olivia for Payless), Purse - Vintage (gift from a family member), Spike Pendulum Ring - $215 from Unearthen , Cuff - $1600ish from Konstantino, Filigree Ring - $200ish from Konstantino, Other Rings - $5 each from Santee Alley, Bindi - eBay

I included a little bonus up in the item descriptions and put in links to my searches on eBay. I feel like I'm an eBay searching master, so hopefully you'll enjoy what you find there. For your reference, I fit into a size 14-16 in children' jackets. Buying children's jackets is a great way to grab a good used motorcycle jacket for $20 when women's-sized pieces come in at over $100.

Also, did you appreciate my horrible cheesy dad-style Elton John reference? There was a period when I had a pixie cut and had put on a little weight where I looked exactly like Elton John. You can click on that link for evidence. I thought the crocodile-print vintage dress from Crystal Hearts warranted the EJ tie-in.

People who follow my strange rambling Twitter may remember that last week, I went to a fake NYE party. Los Angeles is like that -- you'll end up going to a lot of "fake" parties where people are filming things (this one was a music video), and then they eventually turn into real parties when the filming is over. So, this was my fake NYE outfit. Brit neglected to tell me that it was supposed to be a NYE party in 1999, but I assume this is because she knew I'd dress like a '90s train wreck anyway, without provocation. Rumor has it Mischa Barton was there wearing a Timothy Leary X Wildfox Couture collab shirt "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out" (they didn't really collab on that -- if Timothy Leary had learned a little bit more about copyright law and a little bit less about LSD, though, he could have trademarked that slogan and made a pretty penny, I'll bet). Someone on my formspring asked if I would ever post photos of my boyfriend, since he is well-dressed and stuff, too. Here is a photo that Brit took of us at that fake-then-real party:

See? My-sized boyfriend in a matching motorcycle jacket. He is so handsome.

Here are some candid shots that will serve as an outro for the post:

Look at how cute my stupid dog is. It's ridiculous. I want her face near mine always.

Interlude - THE BEST DISCOUNT CODE EVER

2011-12-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

15% OFF

WASTELAND ONLINE

WITH THE CODE

JEANGREIGE15

As you probably know, Wasteland is my favorite store on the planet. I think that Brit and I would clothe ourselves entirely in Wasteland garb every day for the rest of our lives if possible. While Wasteland physical stores specialize in affordable and extremely well-picked vintage/used, their online store carries a spectacular assortment of rad shiz (UNIF, Shakuhachi, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Dolce Vita, Jeffrey Campbell, Stylestalker, amazing vintage, etc.). So, this is probably my favorite discount code ever because you can get 15% off of all of that schtuff if you use the code and use it fast.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from their shop, up for grabs with that discount now:

AYFKM? DYING.

140 - Dip, Drip

2011-12-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Jewelry - Konstantino, Shirt - c/o Crash & Burn, Leggings - random brand from NM Last Call, Boots - Lucky

Why, hello. Do you like the multiple variations of dead face, as well as this lovely shot in which you can see up my nose?

This shirt was a gift from LA company Crash & Burn Apparel. Isn't is freaking awesome?! They have a lot of really good pieces that have a multi-textural facade due to dye techniques. Also, they were kind enough to extend a discount to my readers:

20% ALL CRASH & BURN WITH THE CODE JEANGREIGE20!

I try to make the important things really easy for everyone to see.

139 - LAMB X FLAG

2011-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

Jacket & Sweater Dress - c/o Lamb & Flag, Boots - Lucky, Earrings - Random, Spike Pendulum Ring - Unearthen, Filigree Ring - Konstantino, Vintage Ring - Flea Market

It wasn't very long ago that I was on the search for the perfect army jacket. Now, I have three. It's madness, I tell you, especially because all of them are really quite perfect. This one is from Lamb & Flag, with whom I am doing a partnership today for Lookbook. Their military jacket zips off into a cropped jacket, too, which I imagine will look really great with cut-offs, black tights, and a ripped-up vintage tee.

I put on this outfit and thought that perhaps it was just a touch too safe, so I added this bizarrely dark lipstick. I only feel comfortable if I look a touch brooding, I suppose. It keeps the wrong kind of men away, at least, and for that I am grateful.

Here are some inspo photos on army jackets. JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH.

(as always, click on photo for source -- I do not know the source for the last image as it was gleened from Tumblr; if you know, please tell me!)

138 - Velvet Shoes, Tie Dye, Booze

2011-12-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

Harley Davidson Tank Top - Lucky Vintage Seattle via Chictopia Shop, Tie-Dye Leggings - American Apparel, Velvet Boots - c/o James Rowland Shop, Flannel - boyfriend's, Hand Necklace - c/o LSD

Yes, these are tripod photos in my apartment. While I took them, Brit's crazy dog Belka was trying to eat the camera. She didn't like the clicking noise it made when it fired. My apartment sounded like this:

*CLICK* *NOM NOM NOM NOM* "BELKA, NO!"

So, that's why I was only able to get like three photos before Belka and I collapsed on the floor together wrestling, her gnawing on my wrist while I shrieked and giggled, and my uptight crotchety dachshund looked on with contempt.

To make up for the boring photos, I thought I'd add some strange film textures via Photoshop. My lame thought process was that the shirt looked good and '70s, so I'd do some '70s action with my photo techniques. Well, obviously it came out atrocious and I was too lazy to adjust, so that's what we're stuck with here. I promise the next photos I post will be of a better quality. I'm out of practice. You deserve better.

I actually really, really love this outfit. This is the tank top that I bought off of Chictopia Shop. I had never purchased anything from ChicShop before, but they take PayPal so it was really easy, and I'm glad I snagged it (that reference is for Taylor) because that lady from Lucky Vintage knows how to pick her product.

Okay, last but not least, when you blog, a lot of companies email you about things. Sometimes they want to partner with you, sometimes they just want to show you their lookbook. Most often, sorting through those emails is a pain and hassle. I feel as though companies just take a machine gun approach and email as many bloggers as they can all at once without stopping to consider whether or not the blogger is the right fit for their company. It's a waste of my time to look at ballet flats and dresses with bows on them, and it's a waste of time for the representatives from those companies to even include my name in the BCC field of their emails. I know my style is varied, but it's like these companies don't even pay a little bit of attention. Once in a while, though, a company will email me photos from their lookbook, and when I click (expecting to see something that I would never in a million years appreciate in the way that they are hoping) I actually see something I absolutely love. It catches me completely off guard.

In a mass of emails that are completely irrelevant to my taste, Molten Store was one of those delightful rarities. This wonderful little webshop carries jewelry and gifts, featuring must-have celebrity lines like House of Harlow 1960 and Low Luv, as well as some under-the-radar collections like Anndra Neen and Maripossa, and in-house collection Molten Relic. Here are some of the absolutely stunning photos from their lookbook:

I'm dying. That model is fantastic (look at her eyebrows!) and the pieces are really quite remarkable. My personal favorite happens to be the simple metal choker. I love how space-age '90s that look is.

I highly recommend checking out their webstore here.

137 - Basically Pajamas

2011-12-07T20:01:00.001-08:00

Sweater & Shoes - Urban Outfitters; Leggings - Santee Alley; Jewelry - JFR, Random...

I look super exhausted and blah in these photos, but whatevs. This outfit is super comfy -- it's basically pajamas.

I just made a Formspring.

It makes me feel ancient. What is this thing? How does it work? Why doesn't MTV play music videos anymore? Is it cold in here?

Anyway, I thought the formspring would be a good way for y'all to ask me any questions you might have. I try to keep all blog talk fashion-related, but you can ask me non-fashion-y questions there, too, should you desire. I have incendiary political viewpoints and am full of opinions.

136 - December in California & Why Vintage Costs More

2011-12-03T20:47:00.001-08:00

Jacket - c/o Chicwish, Knit Shorts - c/o Chicwish, Tank Top - Alternative Apparel, Shoes - c/o Lucky Vintage Seattle, Earrings - eBay, Silver Ring - Konstantino, White Ring - c/o Gypsy Warrior

Here is my jacket in action! Also, knit shorts! They are only $25 on Chicwish right now. This outfit might sound ridiculous in theory (um, shorts and a parka?), but it's actually kind of perfect for Los Angeles' December.

Oh, hey, you might also like my shoes, hmm? They were sent over by the Etsy store Lucky Vintage Seattle. Lucky Vintage is probably one of my new favorite Etsy shops; I just bought a vintage Harley Davidson motorcycle tee from their Chictopia Shop "12 Days of Chic" collab (it's the same one in which Tunnel Vision is participating). You know (all together now), support women-owned small businesses. Blah blah blah. Sorry if I sound like a broken record.

For your consideration:

Leopard-Print Catsuit

Hand-Painted Tiger Purse

Snakeskin Front-Zip Bodysuit

Arm Cuff

Tooled Leather Briefcase

I really wanted you guys to know that this exists in the world, too:

It was just there, parked in my neighborhood. How?! How does this exist, let alone just end up parked in my immediate proximity?! My boyfriend was like, "Take a picture near it!" My response was, "I am not dressed trashy enough to do this thing proper justice." It's for sale, and a small part of me wanted to take down the phone number. How could you not want to buy this thing? It's a total monstrosity. I need twelve of them -- a land armada of raised mini-monster-truck El Caminos with bulldog masts on the front.

Okay, I have decided to post ACTUAL content today, not just pretty pictures. I want to talk about pricing vintage.

WHY IS VINTAGE SO EXPENSIVE?

As you all know, I have a $30 rule. I tend not to purchase things if they are over $30, unless I have considered the purchase for a long while, or if it is a great bargain. As an avid thrift-store shopper, I find that I can get most things I like for around $5 from a local thrift shop. The more familiar one is with the prices of used garments, the more shocked one might be by the prices that vintage stores charge for the same used items. A dress may have cost $5 at a thrift store, but is sold for $80 at an online vintage store. How is this justifiable? I have broken down my explanation for vintage pricing into three categories: sourcing, overhead, and relative value analysis. Keep in mind that this is based on my experience owning a brick-and-mortar plus online vintage shop in San Francisco, as well as opening up Tunnel Vision with Brit, so it is a Madeline-centric business experience.

I. SOURCING

The first category worth discussing is sourcing. Sourcing is the most important part of selling vintage. It is always a challenge to find the best of the best in actual vintage garments. I am pretty lenient on how I define vintage: my rule is that anything over 10 years old is vintage. Vintage snobs will tell you that is ridiculous and will argue it is more like 30 years, but as the trend cycles shorten, I find that we revert to more recent trends with more frequency, redefining what is vintage or retro.

When you pay $80 for a vintage dress, you are not just paying for that dress itself. You are also paying for the time and energy that went into finding that dress. Vintage sourcers rely on a variety of locations: thrift stores, rag houses, and out-of-town locations.

When shopping local thrift stores, there is relatively no cost, other than to pay for a day's worth of work sorting through thousands of garments. The downside to thrifting is that the bulk of the product in the store is not actually vintage. Most thrift store items are between five to ten years old. In this sense, the customer is paying just as much for the items that WERE NOT purchased as they are for the items that WERE purchased. It takes a trained eye and a lot of patience to sift through every piece on the hunt for something of aesthetic or cultural value. Avid thrifters will know that it is a lot of work to shop thoroughly through an entire store, and one day of hardcore thrift-store sourcing will often encompass deconstructing five stores or more. It is fun, but it is also hard work, and most importantly, it is extremely time-consuming and monotonous and when shopping fo resale purposes, you often do not find more than two or three sellable items per store. Each item sourced from a thrift store is typically around $5 to purchase.

There is only so much that can be found at a thrift store, though, and a vintage reseller can never have enough product from which to choose. Most vintage resellers will also rely heavily on rag houses to source vintage products. Rag houses are big warehouses filled with bales (big rectangles of compressed clothing tied together with plastic) of secondhand clothing, sorted by garment type but not by era. Most rag houses require the sourcer to purchase by the bale, meaning they fork over the cash for hundreds of garments, even though only a handful of items from each bale will be sellable for them. Some rag houses cater towards vintage buyers and will allow them to piece-buy with a relatively large minimum purchase amount. If you go the rag house route, you will end up paying more like $10 per sellable item.

The last option is getting out of town. This is extremely important in order to insure maximum variety in your product. Living in LA, thrift stores are often extremely over-picked. Furthermore, there is a large vintage industry here, and even thrift store staff know designer names and will mark items up accordingly. Traveling to a different city to thrift source (especially a smaller town) means that you are getting a different type of product (for example, sterling silver and leather in the southwest) and more of an opportunity to find special pieces that have been otherwise ignored (I once found a Christian Dior sweater in a Fresno thrift store for 95 cents). If you take into account the cost of travel, each thrift store item found in a different city probably costs around $10-$20 per item.

II. OVERHEAD

Once the reseller's vintage stock has been sourced, they have a great deal of overhead to take into account. "Overhead" refers to the expenses that arise when running a business. Typical yet conservative overhead costs for an online vintage retailer include:

1. Storing your vintage stock: between $200-$700/mo (relatively the same price as rent in any city)

2. Packaging materials for shipment: $100/mo

3. Renting a studio for product photography or building and maintaining your own studio, including:

A. Purchasing lights: $500 one-time purchase, $25/mo for maintenance

B. Purchasing seamless backdrops: $50/mo

C. Purchasing a high-quality camera and lens: $1000 one-time purchase

4. Hiring models for your photography: $200/mo

5. Hiring hair and makeup artists for your photography: $200/mo

6. Hiring a photographer, models, hair, and makeup for an editorial shoot: $500/season

7. Graphic design services: $200/mo

8. Web-store maintenance: $100/mo

9. Advertising: $100-$500/mo

10. Paying yourself! This is actually an overhead cost. Your salary as an owner is predetermined. You make a certain amount of money every month, and if you have additional income beyond that (lucky!) it technically belongs to the STORE, not you (if you took it, you would actually be embezzling). The store then uses that money the next month to pay for all of the overhead. If you live in a metropolitan city and have typical rent and bill obligations (telephone, car or other transportation, health insurance, student loan payments, internet bill, etc.), it is very hard to live off of less than $2,000/mo. Even $2,000/mo in Los Angeles is extraordinarily difficult off of which to live, so this is a conservative estimate of start-up income.

In a city like Los Angeles, overhead costs (if you are cutting costs every way possible!) can come in at roughly $3,200. In order to have the stock on-hand to support that type of income (estimating roughly 30% sell-through of your merchandise), you need to be spending around $2,500/month on product (crazy, right?!). This means that if you are a vintage reseller working out of Los Angeles, you need to be selling roughly $5,700 per month just to keep your store operable and keep food on your table without going into debt. This means that a $5 dress will end up costing $5/mo to store, $10/mo to photograph, and $5/mo to list, making its actual cost $25.

Now, with that in mind, we vintage sellers tend to call in a lot of favors from our friends, so we are able to save money on models, hair and makeup artists, photographers, and graphic designers most of the time! If you already lived in a big place, you may even be able to get away with not having to pay extra in rent to store your stock and studio set-up. There is a lot of variation here, but it helps to give you an idea of the expenses associates with used clothing resale.

III. PERCEIVED VALUE

In a perfect world, each piece would be priced based off of its individual overhead costs, including its original purchase price. However, pricing varies from garment to garment based on the purchase location and style type, and nobody likes to see chaotic pricing all over a website -- customers like to know what to expect from each store, so garments need a relative structure for selling price. With that in mind, we do tend to think about how much someone will realistically pay for each item. We try to understand who our customers are and how much value they will place on the item we have found, then make sure that our acquisitions balance each other financially. A pair of shorts that may have cost $25 total to purchase, store, and photograph might sell for only $30; but a dress that cost $25 to purchase, store, and photograph might sell for $80. These items balance each other out.

Furthermore, we as sellers try to make sure that we are only sourcing items that the customer cannot find anywhere else. Vintage is special because it is unique. In order to insure that your customers maintain a strong perceived value for your items, the seller needs to keep their product at a high caliber. Vintage should never be about "how much I can get for it." Every piece should be worth the price tag put on it because it is remarkable, one-of-a-kind, and a little piece of history.

AT THE END OF THE DAY...

Selling vintage is a great way to make a little side money if you are gainfully employed, but in order to make a full living off of it, it is a costly endeavor that needs to be treated like a real business. I hope this helps demonstrate why a $5 dress from a thrift store might be sold for $80 on your favorite vintage store's website. At the end of the day, every piece is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it!

Interlude - OMFG Jackets.

2011-12-02T17:33:00.001-08:00

(click image to go to store)

Interlude - Video! Black Friday \m/

2011-11-30T10:24:00.001-08:00

What's the most metal day of the year? Black Friday, duh.

\m/

Ash Wednesday is a close second, though.

Anyway, here is a video in which I ramble on for an uncomfortably long amount of time about shopping on Black Friday, misuse the word ubiquitous (I swear, I was just on a different train of thought -- I know what "ubiquitous" means!), and get all preachy about privilege and supporting small businesses to make up for my overwhelming guilt at having bought into the corporate shopping hype machine.

Then, my dog makes a nest on all of my clothing. Man, dachshunds love to burrow. Hey, here's a picture of a burro:

Hello, burro pequeno (burrito?). One day you will be full-grown and I will ride you down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Three cheers for homophones.

OMG GUYS, if I make a shirt that says "Homophones not Homophobes", would you totally wear it?

Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, a video.

After I filmed the video, I took some Photobooth pictures of myself. My first instinct was to make this face:

Then I was like, "Oh, my mom will be really proud of that one. She already has to tell her friends that her daughter never went to law school." So, I forced myself to take some in which I try to look pretty.

You know, as pretty as you can look when you're dressed like an extra from a No Doubt music video in 1997.

Why yes, I have fingers. Oh great, now I feel guilty about being snarky regarding my fingers. Every finger is a privilege, people, remember that.

Here I am pointing to where my migraine is. Right there. Yep. It's brought on by the stress of pretty much working two full-time jobs, then feeling guilty about blogging during day-work hours, even though I technically count this as my "lunch" break. The food component of lunch is actually just me eating chocolate chip cookies constantly throughout the day.

I hope you all learned something special about me today:

I suffer from chronic anxiety disorders and am overly-communicative.

But man, do I love a good deal!

(Say that last part like every horrible female "am-i-right-ladies" comedian ever. "Am I right, ladies?!")

135 - An Outfit Post! Oh my wow.

2011-11-29T10:06:00.001-08:00

Sweater and Shirt - Vintage (thrifted), Skirt - Thrifted then cut, Boots - Vintage from eBay, Jewelry - mostly c/o LSD, Belt - Forever 21, Lipstick - Revlon

Oh man, I have a blog?! Coulda fooled me, since it's been FOREVER since I did an outfit post.

I was wearing these boots in my good ol' hometown of Fresno over Thanksgiving weekend (shout out to my Fresno blogger babes Kelly, Deanna, and Ashley -- w00t w00t) and a very...ermm..."normy" looking girl complimented them while waiting in line at the coffee shop. I was so perplexed that when she said, "OMG, cute boots!" I just said, "Uh, really?" They are beyond beat-up, and she was wearing glittery ballet flats -- not that there's anything wrong with wearing glittery ballet flats; do what you wanna do -- but it was a very strange Odd Couple moment. I instantly pictured a montage of she and I hanging out together, new BFFs: going to the mall and flirting with boys and having sleepovers (her sleepover shirt reading "I <3 My Boyfriend" and mine reading "I Ate My Boyfriend"), me using her eyeliner as lipstick, me forcing her to go to shows, her giving me Cosmo to read while I thrust David Foster Wallace upon her. I'll bet her name was Bailey. Yeah, Madeline & Bailey, BFFs forever.

These boots are evidently the great unifier.

I did this maniac hometown thing where I went to Black Friday sales at midnight. If I can muster up the strength to put on makeup today, I'll do a video of my scores and post it later. It was sheer shopping madness, I tell you!

Also, I have like a buh-jillion absolutely amazing clothing things to show you guys. Carpet shoes! Crocodile-print babydoll dress! My collection of 80 amazing jackets! Dolce Vita leopard-print boots!

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Tunnel Vision news: the launch has been postponed, largely because Brit and I are just having mental collapses every fifteen minutes. I swear, it will be up and running soon. In the meantime, we are kicking off pre-launch by selling on Chictopia's 12 Days of Chic! It's the best way to shop a few special pieces until the real launch.

Interlude - Purple Plain-things-Eater

2011-11-23T10:44:00.001-08:00

Instead of a purple people-eater, this blog is a purple plain-things-eater, because it destroys all wardrobe items that are plain and instead replaces them with POW! Click the pictures to go to the shops.

Sorry I haven't been updating lately, guys. We shot something like 4,000 product shots for TV. We don't have thousands of products, more like hundreds, but it has been exhausting and now we have to go through and pull our selects and color balance them and stuff. BLAH.

My next blog post is going to be about why vintage from online stores is so gosh-durn expensive. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears goes into it, let me tell you! The band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, actually. They come over and help us style all of our shoots.

...

That's not true; I don't know why I lied to you.

...

I am clearly loopy from neglecting proper sleep. Do you guys want to see a sample of our product shots? They are kind of awesome and hilarious and our model is a mega-babe super-fun unicorn.

Model Hannah Doerksen wearing Tunnel Vision Coin Choker, Tunnel Vision Vintage Velvet Shrunken Blazer, Tunnel Vision Vintage handkerchief dress, Tunnel Vision Vintage Black and Silver Southwestern-Style Belt, Tunnel Vision Vintage Black Harley Davidson Motorcycle Boots, Tunnel Vision Vintage Sterling Silver Jewelry, and my gross old beanie

Also, thank you SO much for your input on the previous post. In response to the fine feedback, I am proud to report that we are:

1. Including "style with" tips on every single item, to show you how to wear our crazy pieces! Woohoo.

2. Including a variety of sizes. I know this is a big deal. It's really hard to find vintage in larger sizes, as people were tinier the further back in history you go, but we are doing our best to include a variety. Off the top of my head, I know we have a phenomenal southwestern-style jacket in size XL, a gorgeous nude and sheer black maxi dress in a one-size-fits-most up to an XL, a pair of really cool floral print denim shorts from the 1990s in a size L, and some awesome boots in a size 9. I know there is even more than that, but I am spacing at the moment.

3. Offering fair pricing. As mentioned above, a lot of time and money goes into selling vintage, so we won't be able to make every piece super affordable (we have already invested thousands of dollars into this whole thing and we haven't even launched!), but we are making an effort to include a fair range of items. While a lot of items will fall between $50-$200, there will be pieces more in the $30 range, and as you all know, liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter will give you the chance to shop before anyone else, and to use a huge discount code. That should help a little. Sorry -- we can't do anything about shipping. We will charge cost on international shipping, but it shouldn't be too outrageous, especially because the US dollar is weak internationally, so it will seem like even less money to those of you in Australia or Great Britain or Japan (which are the most expensive places to ship). We will ship everywhere, though, worldwide.

For those of you who just look at photos and don't read (no shame, I do it occasionally, too):

THIS IS NOT A PICTURE OF ME. IT IS A MODEL.

PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT TELLING ME HOW HOT I AM. SHE IS HOT, OF COURSE. SHE IS PAID TO BE HOT.

Interlude - Sneak Preview, Tunnel Vision

2011-11-18T08:51:00.001-08:00

Models: Jon Oswald & Hannah Doerksen, Photographer: Lamson To

Alright dudes, here is a sneak preview of the first Tunnel Vision lookbook. You can get a little taste of the craziness on which we have been working. Yes, that's a bindi and a backwards baseball cap paired with a sequined bustier. Wait until you see the rest of the photos. They totally blew my mind.

I've been trying to wrap my head around what I want us to accomplish with Tunnel Vision. There are so many amazing vintage stores on the web; how do you stand out from the rest? What makes our store different? I think I finally wrapped my head around an answer. Our store is just a little nuts. No, really. It's kinda out there. However, that doesn't stop our product from being wearable for the right kind of guys and gals. For example, I don't know what most vintage lovers would do with a sequined bustier, but we paired it with a backwards baseball cap and Harley Davidson motorcycle boots.

What I hope we accomplish with Tunnel Vision is this:

having tons of merchandise in the store at all times
having hard-to-find vintage pieces...crazy embroidered maxi skirts and leather-and-fur jackets and beautiful printed dresses
offering crazy customized vintage pieces
(eventually) carrying Bad Vibes, the house brand of Brit's and my designs.
always being a little unexpected
keeping you all constantly engaged

I am crossing my fingers that when we open, we won't let you down with any of these things.

What do you guys think? What is missing from most online vintage stores?

What could we do with Tunnel Vision that would make you want to high-five us?

134 - Maxi(mum) Grunge

2011-11-16T09:45:00.001-08:00

Beanie - Boyfriend's, Shirt - Boyfriend's Vintage, Flannel - Boyfriend's Vintage, Velvet Maxi Skirt - Thrifted Vintage, Bag - Army Surplus, Necklace - c/o LSD, Necklace & Most of Rings - Konstantino, Black Bracelet & Wolf Earring - c/o JFR, Fingernail Ring - c/o Gypsy Warrior

Interesting story: this is the shirt my boyfriend was wearing when we met seven years ago. We haven't been together for seven years, but that's still a long time to know someone, right? Getting old is weird. We met when his band played my friend's photography show in LA. I was wearing a crazy outfit with a million vintage fur stoles piled on top of each other, pinned together with vintage brooches. I am a tacky, tacky person. He sauntered up and started petting them. I didn't live in LA, but we stayed pals through the years, until I moved down here. Anyway, that's not really fashion-y, so I suppose it's just irrelevant rambling.

I promise you that my next post won't have a beanie in it. I PROMISE. I can't make any promises about Brit's next post, though...

Beanie-rific.

I seriously love grunge so much, but it sucks knowing that anything I do, Bebe Zeva already did a year ago.

I think I'll break away from this strange obsession with my youth soon.

LASTLY: Wasteland just plopped an ad up in ye ol' sidebar. Ch-ch-ch-check it out.

133 - I like candy, sci-fi, and you, okay?

2011-11-15T00:45:00.001-08:00

Beanie & Jacket & Marled Sweater Hoodie - Boyfriend's, Cut-Offs - Thrifted Pants DIYd, Boots - Docs from eBay, Earrings & Ear Wrap & Black Coiled Bracelet & Sugar Skull Ring - c/o JFR, Crossbones Necklace - c/o LSD , Other Jewelry - Random, Dog - Animatronic

Sorry to repeat the boots from the last post, guys! They are just so perfect that I find myself wearing them a lot, especially on the few days of rain we have had 'round LA. JFR sent me a new little goodie package o' jewelry, and I am totally loving the crazy earrings. I wish I would have seen this snakeskin cuff, though! It's only, like, $22 USD and is mega-rad.

Also, Charlotte from LSD sent me over this awesome crossbones necklace! Heck yeah. I saw it on Severine recently, too:

She has a really cool blog -- I definitely recommend checking it out.

Lately, I've found myself dressing like more of a badass. I think it has something to do with the stress. I'm worn so thin that I feel like I don't have time to mess around. Be prepared to see this beanie pretty much permanently affixed to my head as winter takes full charge. Also, I haven't been updating as much because I've been basically falling over dead every day from working two jobs. Once real work ends, Tunnel Vision work begins. Egad, I can barely keep up. Twitter followers would have seen this sneak-peek image from one of our product shoots over the weekend:

That's our model Hannah, pretty much killin' it. We shot 59 garments on her in one day -- and we still have four more days of product shots to go. Needless to say, the store will be STOCKED.

Guys, I can barely form sentences due to overwhelming exhaustion. I don't really know what else to say right now. I like candy, sci-fi, and you, okay? Okay.

132 - Who can tell me the difference between a shirt and a dress?

2011-11-08T00:59:00.000-08:00

Sweater - Vintage (gift from boyfriend), Shirt worn as Dress - Vintage, Bra - Urban Outfitters, Belt - Forever 21, Prism Necklace - Unearthen, Virgin Mary Necklace - Virgins Saints & Angels, Skull Necklace - DIY, Antique Sterling Silver Rings - Courtesy of LSD, Tooth Ring - Courtesy of LSD, Other Two Rings - Can't Even Remember..., Boots - Dr. Marten

I spent a good portion of the day watching Youtube tutorials on cheek sculpting/highlighting with makeup. My hair and face have just felt so plain lately. I think that I am going to give myself some Bosworth hair soon:

Doesn't it just make the most out of an awkward hair length? I'm also going to invest in some sort of blush system. I say "system" because it appears that you really need a dark shadow, highlight shadow, and then actual pigmented blush if you want cheekbones like David Bowie, which I do.

In other news, Charlotte from LSD was kind enough to send me two new rings. They are amazing! They were cast from antique rings, if I recall correctly. She also sent me a very cool spooky necklace (the same one Severine is wearing here) that I can't wait to show you all, too!

I know that I have a tendency to wear shirts as dresses (evidence A, B, C, D, E, F), but this seems excessive, even for me. I really am one pair of tiny biker shorts away from blatant indecent exposure, but I really don't care. I had originally put this outfit on with burgundy shoes, but thought it was too "matchy-matchy". The blue Docs gave this outfit the right amount of WTF-ness.

I have had a lifelong love affair with Dr. Martens. I remember my mother wearing them when I was a child. I think I got my first pair in junior high, then built a nice little collection from there. By the time high school ended, I had acquired black, blue, red, and yellow. Unfortunately, I sold them all when I moved away from my hometown. Imagine my delight to find these blue bad boys on eBay for just $40! They are authentic Docs and everything (we're the Bouncing Souls no one can beat us...), but they have some interesting detailing, including the hardware in place of traditional eyelets and a very interesting painterly finish that almost makes them look metallic.

In homage to the boot that has defined nearly ever Western counter-culture youth movement since the '60s, I put together 10 Polyvore looks for Fall, each featuring a different pair of Docs:

Watercolorist

East Meets West Meets California

The Drive-In Bingo

London Calling

Counter Culture Clash

Bohemian Blitzkrieg

She's a Lady

Doll Parts

Chantilly Lace

Long-Haired Child

131 - DIY (Tie-Dye & Self-Timer)

2011-11-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

Jacket - Vintage Levi's, Shirt - Thrift Store, Shorts - Thrifted Pants DIY Tie-Dyed, Velvet Boots - Vintage Courtesy of James Rowland Shop

With my boyfriend working so much, it's difficult for me to get blog photos taken. Brit has been kind enough to do them for me when she isn't at work, but I spend my days at home staring at a computer screen doing my real job, so it has been tricky. When my boyfriend set up the tripod the other day to take our John & Yoko photos, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Oh, duh. We have a tripod and that camera has a self-timer. I'm an idiot. So, this is my first attempt at taking my own blog photos. The angle isn't so great, and I'd imagine you'll get bored seeing this piano over and over again, but it's a great option when I go long periods of time without being able to coerce my loved ones into working for me for free.

These shorts were tie-dyed way back when I lived in San Francisco. A friend threw an amazing tie-dye party (because she is a genius) and I grabbed a pair of high-waisted pleated white slacks from the thrift store around the corner from her house and made myself some awesome shorts. We apparently made a pair of tie-dyed cut-off denim shorts that are the exact same color scheme for Tunnel Vision because Brit tried to wear them the same day that I wore these and we just looked like we were going to the Sadie Hawkins Dance together or something.

These shoes are...um...uh...whoa. I can't believe they exist, let alone that they are mine. They are so cool, and they feel like sock-shoes. Water socks! Do you remember water socks?!

These velvet buddies are from James Rowland Shop. Seriously, that store blows my mind. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've heard it all before. I only hope that the shoes and bags Brit and I carry in Tunnel Vision will be half as cool as the James Rowland vintage shoe shop.

Hey! Lastly, Wasteland sent me their first lookbook, shot by Jason Lee Parry!

130 - Black Accessory Trifecta (aka BAT)

2011-11-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Dress - Miracle Eye, Everything Else - Vintage

Something about the lighting in this photo combined with the fact that I decided to get "craftsy" and apply a film effect in Photoshop makes it look like I have no shadows on my face, like maybe my face is just some big flat thing without any shape whatsoever. It's bizarre to look at, but I'm too lazy to undo the filgrain brightness thing, so that's what happening, right there, boom. The good news is that you can see more detail in the jacket, I guess, and my hair does look ever so shiny! Look at it there, glistening in the awkward light.

Okay, so I have this theory: if you add a black motorcycle jacket, black fedora or black beanie, and flat lace-up black boots to ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING in the world, it instantly makes it a fine-looking outfit. I've been testing this theory out a bit at home, and I am finding it quite foolproof. Throw on anything I can grab, then add the BLACK ACCESSORY TRIFECTA (BAT -- that's what we are calling it now, people) and presto! Quite pleased.

I am going to name this the BAT system. It has a nice vaguely-spooky-but-kinda-cute effect.

REAL BAT:

MY BAT:

I love it. It feels like a timeless tribute to '77. I can't wait to get my hands on a really pretty deco-esque dress with which to try it all out!

Interlude - Malibu Beach Party

2011-10-31T23:29:00.000-07:00

On me: (really, a poorly considered outfit barely even suitable for a day at the beach due to its haphazardness) a very old velvet bikini from Ross Dress for Less (had it since 7th grade...), ripped up vintage tie-dyed tee turned tank, thrifted flannel, vintage denim jacket that the boyfriend bleached, DIY thrifted cut-offs, sunglasses from ASOS, a ring from a costume shop

On Mo-Dog: a collar that my boyfriend made for her

On Brit: my boyfriend's flannel, the coolest hat I have ever seen, what I think is an American Apparel bikini?

I imagine that 99.99% of my followers also follow Britney, so it should be no surprise that we spent her birthday at a really amazing hidden beach in Malibu, since she already posted photos of the day on her blog. I didn't want to post a lot of pictures of her friends here, since I don't know them very well and I'm not sure how comfortable they would be with their faces popping up on an acquaintance's strange little fashion blog and all, but there was a good turn-out and it was a lot of fun.

I know that I gush about Brit a lot here, but I still feel like it's never enough. There are a lot of really amazing people in the world, but I always feel so overcome with privilege and happiness when I have the pleasure of spending time with one. Britney is truly one of the most amazing people that I have ever met. She is wise, humble, kind-hearted, open, honest, generous, and loving to everyone she meets. It was wonderful to spend the day at this beautiful little beach, celebrating her birthday. She mentioned more than once that she was thankful for our attendance, but I cannot help but say that I am thankful for her friendship and grateful to have her presence in my life.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these candid (admittedly and apologetically very Madeline-centric) shots of the day. You'll see that there is even a shot of my much-discussed awkward gumline (gasp!) and a few adorable photos of Mo-Dog, who is not overweight -- I swear -- just awkwardly proportioned with a tiny head, which can play tricks on the eyes.

EDIT: This blog post title makes me think of this:

Beach Party Vietnam by The Dead Milkmen

Interlude - Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Left: Me as John Lennon (thrifted turtleneck and blazer, American Apparel jeans, knock-off Chuck Taylors, J. Crew Belt, costume shop wig and glasses [they were sold out of beards!])

Right: My boyfriend as Yoko Ono (Chicwish dress, Target knee-high socks, thrifted sunglasses and loafers, costume shop wig and hat)

We're already so androgynous that we both make pretty fair members of the opposite sex, if I do say so myself. True story: one of my boyfriend's friends tried to hit on him at a Halloween party thinking he was actually a lady. At that same party, I learned that my dance moves look even more ridiculous when I am dressed like a British dude (they are already bad enough when I'm in full girl-garb).

The real John and Yoko.

129 - Velvet & Flannel Again

2011-10-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

Flannel - Thrifted, Tee Shirt - Boyfriend's, Beanie - Boyfriend's, Jewelry - All Over, Velvet Leggings - Forever 21 (last year), Shoes - Lanas with White Laces (again)

Clearly my inspiration for this outfit was the movie Airheads starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler.

They are kinda babe-ly in this flick.

128 - Tie-Dye, Bleach, Cut-Up, Cut-Off...

2011-10-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Shirt - Cropped Tie-Dyed Customized Vintage by Tunnel Vision, Shorts - Bleached Shredded Cut-Off Vintage by Tunnel Vision, Belt - Tunnel Vision, Jewelry - Tunnel Vision, Shoes - Tunnel Vintage

***********************************

1. OUTFIT

I don't know when summer is going to officially end here in LA, but it'd better be soon. I didn't unpack my closet full of sweaters for nothing. Yeah, that's right. I have an entire closet full of sweaters. It's a real issue.

Everything -- literally every single thing -- that I am wearing in this picture is Tunnel Vision. I'm always like, "Dude, Tunnel Vision is the shiiiiiiiiiz!" whenever I see our stuff, but then I worry that maybe it's like that feeling you get when you look at your own Tumblr. I mean, of course you're going to love it if you put it all together, right? I'm basically overcome with anxiety about everything in life.

***********************************

2. WASTELAND

Speaking of people starting rad online stores, Wasteland finally launched online! Ugh, I know where all of my paychecks are going.

Also, check out this amazing person-flower-kaleidoscope-thing from their website:

Can I just wallpaper my house in that, please?

I'm trying to coerce the Wasteland Online team to let me come in to take pictures of them, but they are being camera shy. "Oh no, on a scale of 1-10 in hotness, I'm only an 11 today!" They are all crazy attractive and well-dressed, and apparently equally as modest.

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3. TUNNEL VISION

DUDES, lastly, thank you SO much to everyone who followed Tunnel Vision on Facebook and Twitter already. We got 125 likes on Facebook on our first day! If you haven't followed us yet, you might consider it. We are going to be doing a really special sneak-preview for out Twitter/FBook followers where you get to shop the store before anyone else, and we are going to be swinging out EXTREME discount codes there. It's kind of our way of saying thanks to our blog readers for all of the love and support. Also, liking on the FB gets you an extra entry in Brit's Unearthen Giveaway.

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4. BAD VIBES

Brit and I are also going to be designing a collection of knit and woven bottoms under the label name Bad Vibes. We have a fit meeting with our sample-maker tomorrow. SO EXCITED! Exposed zippers, grommets, faux leather, snake-print, tapestry, vintage psychedelic fabrics, extreme bell bottoms, super skinny tie-dyed stretch velvet leggings, short shorts, gah!

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127 - Remind me to never wear my hair like this again...

2011-10-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Dress - Thrifted, Belt - F21, Jacket - c/o Romwe, Shoes - JC Lanas (via Nastygal, I added white laces), Jewelry - DIY + Random + Konstantino, Talon Claw Earring - c/o LSD, Two-Finger Snake Ring - c/o JFR

I thought my hair looked perfectly fine like this when I actually wore it up, but then I looked at these pictures later and was kinda horrified. It's just not...top-y enough to be a topknot, maybe? I think my hair is still to short to go this route. The end result makes everything pulled too tight and awkward. Please remind me that this hairdo is off limits for me until my hair grows another two or three inches.

I got this jacket from Romwe a while ago and I was in love with it, but felt too incompetent a dresser to figure out how to actually wear it. It sat on the back of a chair in my dressing room for months, me trying it on with every outfit, nothing quite working for me. Eventually, I started to see it pop up all over Lookbook. Evidence:

JESSICA

SIETSKE

NESAIRAH

ERIKA

DARIA

Everyone looks beautiful and amazing and stuff, but I am especially moved by the way Jessica and Sietske wore it. Those ladies look awesome, as per usual. I love seeing the way different people wear the same garment. It's a really a great way to see personal style manifest. At the end of the day, you can own designer clothes or thrift store clothes, but what really makes your style your own is the way you wear it. Ha, was that a cliche? Sorry guys. I haven't had caffeine yet and my head is in a muddle.

Final task on today's agenda: Tunnel Vision now has a Twitter! Please follow us. Yes, I am actually begging. Brit and I have been working so hard on putting Tunnel Vision together. Everyone's support and enthusiasm has really meant the world to us. Following us on Twitter will give you preview pics of what items will be up in the store. Also, once our Facebook is actually doing things (it's pretty sad and empty right now), following us both places will give you something extra special... (cough)pre-shopwithcrazyhugediscount(cough cough)