Pinky Dinky Do

Happy Friday, everyone. MOAR PINK. Here are Favourite Joe (thanks for the title, Curtise!) and I after the Fillmore Jazz Festival:

Aya: 

Hoodie tank top: Skinny Minnie (defunct online shop)

Skirt: KOMMOTiON NY (eBay)

Blazer: Heart Moon Star (thrifted)

Joe:

Flatcap: Goorin Bros. (sample sale)

Mr. Bump t-shirt: UNIQLO (retail)

Green skinny jeans: UNIQLO (retail)

It was above 80F in Millbrae that day with full sunshine, so when we prepared to go to the jazz festival in San Francisco, I foolishly assumed it would be okay to wear light summer clothing.

Tee hee, I'm dumb. It was windy, overcast, and after a few hours it started raining. I guiltily announced I knew of a nearby thrift store and shuffled in there to buy another jacket. (It's gotten a little out of control. The closet is full, so I have a double jacket rack in my bedroom, now. And I love them aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllll)

I found this lovely pink velour blazer by Heart Moon Star, the same brand that makes my beloved sundress! I really like it. It has a little princess sleeve puffing on the shoulders, it fits beautifully (might move the top button over a quarter inch) and somehow, the sleeves are the correct length.

This brand's fit model is my build. I am definitely keeping an eye out for it, now.

FJ found this t-shirt during a UNIQLO trip to find green jeans. (He live calls soccer games, and the school's colors are green and white.) They only had the shirt in Large, so I finally plugged in my sewing machine and took it in. I was grateful for the impetus! I've also taken to calling him Dr. Bump.

We had a great time at the jazz festival. There were 3 stages set up with various musicians going on all day. They taped sheets of astroturf to the street for picnic style seating. :D

We watched the most awesome elderly frontwoman singing and interacting with the crowd.With a fraction of her confidence and powerful attitude, I feel I could get so far in life. Maybe I can grow up to be like her.

The ethnic breakdown of the attendees interested me. Black folks there looked to be in their 60s-70s, Asian Americans in the 40s and 50s, and white folks of 20s-30s. I wondered if it reflected the changing demographic of the Fillmore neighborhood, because 1) there was a changeover of the Japantown area when the Japanese Americans were interned during WWII, and again when they got out, 2) the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake prompted demolition of a section of freeway that used to divide the Hayes Valley neighborhood from the Van Ness/Civic Center neighborhood, and 3) the large numbers of people moving into the city who are young and in tech. SF is changing so fast.

My brother thinks the attendance reflects the demographics of who listens to jazz music in each age group. Maybe we're both right.

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Thank you for your lovely comments after the last post. I thought this place would be empty after I'd been gone for so long. Instead I got welcoming comments and helpful commentary! (I really do appreciate it, by the way. No worries about being rude; we're all friends here and if you think something doesn't work, I love hearing about it.)

A weekend of San Franthriftco

I recently visited the Bay Area for the weekend. Thrifting was involved, so I'll report back on what I did there. :D

Here is my first successful capsule wardrobe:

Citizens of Humanity sweatshirt (thrifted)

7 for all Mankind jeans (gift from brother)

ANAC mesh top (eBay)

OCCO Paris teal top (free)

Nancy Giallombardo denim skirt (thrifted)

Fitzwell Laura sandals (6pm.com)

I also had my trusty New Balance sneakers. Everything went with everything else! First time I've been able to do that. (My usual method of outfit selection is 'waaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I wanna wear thisandthisandthisandthis') I also figured since I'd be thrifting during my time up there, that I could add stuff if I wanted.

I actually went up to visit my favorite Joe (srsly. I have met no other Joes I like better.) for his band's show and EP launch. The band is called The Hangover Brigade, they have a folk rock sound, and they are immensely talented and fantastic. (Which is good, because it'd be really awkward if I thought they sounded terrible.)

You can listen to the entire EP on CDbaby (they are also sold on iTunes, Amazon, and other large vendors) and you really should. I had the first track stuck in my head for 48 hours after the show, and that's an endorsement.

The Hangover Brigade's last show!

Here's their cover of No Diggity, that they played as an encore:


Before the show, we drove into the city and walked up and down Haight St. looking for gig-type clothes and accessories for Joe. The only thing more fun than thrift shopping for me is thrift shopping for someone else. Even competing with the pre-Halloween crowd, we had great luck!

Here's what we found:

Exhibit A: grey 5 button vest from Goodwill

Exhibit B: Fuzzy black J's Awake shoes from Wasteland. The soles are red!

Exhibit C: Marshall Collins flatcap from Goorin Bros. Not thrifted, just awesome. I'm pretty sure flatcaps were put on this earth for men with van dyke beards.

We also found these low grey Alfani boots and the following day Joe found the sweet Olympique Marseille track jacket at one of my favorite thrift shops. Soccer's his favorite sport, so extra win. It was in great condition, with a plastic tag loop still inside. I think it was new! I found another picture of it online:

Happily, Joe dug my style suggestions, and the things I thought he could rock he totally rocked. I thought he looked great, he thought he looked great, happy shopping vibes all around.

The items are all multipurpose and can be used for music gigs, work, or everyday. There was a coat with tails briefly tried on at a Steampunk shop because when it comes down to it, I think everybody should wear Regency style clothes, but maybe for another time.

And because I had a few hours to kill during soundcheck before the show started, I tootled back to the Goodwill down the street and went shopping for myself this time. >.>

Whee! My haul from two thrift shops that weekend:

I've been looking for mustard skinny jeans or jeggings for a long time to wear with sweater dresses & boots in the winter. I'm slowly taking steps into the world of color. Thanks to style blogs, I know colors I'd never wear near my face because of my complexion can be worn on my lower half.

These jeans are by Margaret M, and still had the tag attached. I found out it's a Canadian brand that makes their products domestically. Any northerners heard of the brand?

The wide leather belt is by Pellemelle, and thanks to alert readers, I know 'pelle' is Italian for leather. :D Italian leather, it says on the inside, and made in the US.

The grey and black checked vest is from TRF, which I think is a collection within Zara. It's size L, but it has criss-crossing straps in the back that let me cinch it in to the correct width.

The Forever 21 Japanese print shirt shell was a go back behind the counter that I pointed to excitedly as we were checking out. Instant sell! I'm not sure how I feel about the red lace, but the print and the long square fire hazard sleeves absolutely do it for me.

Check out the luster on these fake pearls! I don't often have luck thrifting jewelry, but I thought I hit it big with these. I want to wear the blue pearls with the lace-feather-ribbons flower pin with my dark blue OzzOn dress.

Lastly, these Candie's green and brown platform boots fill another hole in my wardrobe- casual sturdy boots in the brown color palette. My thrifted Doc Martens chafe my Achilles tendon something fierce, so onto eBay they go.

I put so many holes through my October budget that it's curled up in a corner somewhere licking its wounds, but I regret nothing. Sometimes I've thrifted things and gone 'aww crap, that wasn't a good idea' but this time, all items feel like practical fits within my existing wardrobe. Vest, wide belt, shirt shell, boots, jeans... this is basically Couturgatory right here in one thrifted heap. What's your latest treasure or your latest 'aww crap' purchase?

Dusty Autumn Rose

♫ Boooooooots weatherrrrrrrr ♪ I love the color dusty rose. I'm finally in a climate that this Pure + Good hoodie can be worn as outerwear:

Morning mist hoodie: Pure + Good (Anthropologie)

Unveiled tank: Deletta (thrifted)

Fold-down riding boots: Ros Hommerson (6pm.com)

La Guardia cloche: Goorin Bros. (sample sale)

Locket: Express

Either the outfit all works together minus the top, or the top/jeans/boots work but I need to lose the hoodie & hat. I thought since the hoodie and tank top originally came from the same place, they might play nicely together, but oh well.

The decoration on the Deletta tank top reminds me of Victorian theatre curtains:

... though I guess that means it's a show starring my boobs, which is kind of disturbing, so let's forget that for now.

In random life news, I have a Kogepan mug now! This is my favorite character of all time.

I've had a saved search on eBay for years, and finally got one shipped my way from Italy. Now Kogepan can peer into the reflective waters of whatever I am drinking and ponder the futility of existence with me.

Simple DIY skirt bustling

I'd been meaning to try out this idea on Crystaline's Steampunk blog (Japanese language) for a long time, and was prompted anew by Sheila's traveling yellow skirt bustle job. This is a quick and easy DIY for making a long skirt into a bustle skirt.

photo credit: Crystaline

   Long tiered skirts like this are plentiful in thrift shops around here. They aren't my style because I like asymmetry and butt-hugginess, and ideally both in one, but I did have one I fell in love with for its color, ribbons, and lace:

  I used clothespins to pick up where I wanted the skirt to bustle up, so I could step back and check the overall look. I wanted it to be slightly asymmetrical without looking like a sloppy mess.

 I added a little side hitching to keep the skirt out of the way and to make the back a slight train.  Then take needle and thread, and go to town! PROTIP: make sure not to sew your skirt to your mannequin.

  It keeps the skirt out of the way if you're going up stairs, too. Next I think I'm going to either bustle it in back or get a small hoop skirt to go underneath, because it hangs rather limply in back.

  In addition to sewing on top like this, you can also pull a fold of the skirt under itself and sew it to the inside, like so:

  I think you can try this on any long skirt with fabric that crinkles (jersey fabric would have a more folded/drapey look) and wherever you choose to pin your fabric up will make yours unique. Have fun and let me know if you try this!

Giveaway winner and a peek back in time

  Congratulations *drumroll* ...to the Couturgatory giveaway winner Tag R! I'll be in contact shortly to ask about what thrifted goodie you'd like from San Francisco!

  And since things have been a whirlwind this weekend (I'll have a full post on the Bloggy award from Ally of Shybiker when I think I have some words. You should check her blog out in the highly unlikely event that you did not find my blog through hers.) here are some older outfits that got left behind for one reason or other this last month.

  Spoiler alert: the reason was usually lighting. Stupid time change. Stupid sun not putting in enough hours at its job.

Laguardia Cloche: Goorin Bros. sample sale (available here)

Long cloak hoodie in blue suede: Prairie Underground (old, more colors)

Purple knit top: Elie Tahari (thrifted)

Cotton godet skirt: Free People (old)

Floral gauze square scarf: Old Navy (available here)

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

  This outfit is pretty much exactly the same as the Waiting for Godet one except with a different top and a scarf. (Scarf is no longer on sale for $6. Boo.) Got skipped due to lighting, made a very similar outfit to photograph later, but I was super excited at the time because it was the first time I'd managed to coordinate an outfit, scarf, shoes, and a hat. Unfortunately also the last.

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Dress: Treasure Rock (Treasure Rock on eBay)

Top: Treasure Rock (old)

Sandals: Eastland (old)

  Last wore this shirt way back in June, when my dear friend Diana was visiting. Since I never wear it, I hacked the bottom off and turned it into sleeves as a topper for this sleeveless dress, also by Treasure Rock. Well, formerly sleeveless. I also added straps to the dress as it was driving me crazy.

  They line up great, I just wish I hadn't chopped quite so much off. I was worried the sleeves wouldn't be long enough, but there turned out to be more than enough fabric, length-wise. Width-wise it was close! I had to draft a custom sleeve pattern, but I'm pretty happy at how it turned out.

  I'm also endorsing Eastland Sandals as having a wide toe bed. I own two pairs of their sandals, and these aren't even wide width (they offer wide width on some of their designs.) My toes aren't squished, and I usually have to go with at least width D for that to happen. I'm working on a wide shoes review page that I'll stick in the sidebar. :D

  Happy rest of the weekend, folks, especially for those who have a long weekend for Remembrance Day. I have my own strong feelings on war, military, and authoritarian power pyramids in society, but I do recommend checking out the history of the 442nd Infantry Regiment from WWII. It was composed almost entirely of Japanese American soldiers who volunteered despite their families being imprisoned in internment camps. I'm sad there was a schism between those who served and those who angrily refused the draft (some of whom were deported to Japan, a country they'd never lived in,) because of the loss of their and their families' rights. I think both courses of action took such incredible bravery.

Waiting for Godet

  Well go figure, I have a good long whinge about the weather (thank you for your patience!) and the next day the sun comes out and it is gorgeous. It's 10F warmer than it was yesterday, and it's been clear all day.  I'm so happy, not least of all because I can wear this outfit before 2014.

Laguardia cloche: Goorin Bros. (sample sale, available here)

Peasant top: Zara basic (thrifted)

Skirt: Free People (old)

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

Locket: etsy shop
Rose scrunchie: Japan

  I didn't even need my sweater tights!

  My gorgeous Goorin Bros. sample sale hat goes with quite a bit in my wardrobe, as it turns out! I'm really, really happy with this. I feel a little like a special occasion every time I wear it out.

  The loose grey-blue shirt is new to me. I've always avoided slouchy boho fit, especially with elastic on the bottom for the bubble look (I'm short and absentminded, so it just looks like my clothes don't fit or I'm crazy), but I loved the sleeves and color and tiny brass buttons. I've had this skirt for years, and finally got a tailor to re-install the invisible zipper after I removed it to alter it (hint: if you need to remove the top 5 inches of a skirt, make sure to order the smallest possible size, not your actual size. -_-) and finally I have a top to wear with it. :D

  The earring has been missing its twin for years, but I still love it. I'm always on the lookout for lampwork beads similar to the centerpiece, so I can make a replacement pair, but no luck yet.

  Here's some clothing vocabulary for you: a godet is a circular segment insert set into a piece of clothing, often to give the wearer a wider range of movement. It's responsible for that gorgeous swirling kicking out when walking in a full-length skirt. I've loved them all this time and just found out what they were called!

  In Aya shopping news: I've often read about Hallowe'en being folks' favorite time of year, but it's just now working its way up to one of mine, because I've realized it is the time thrift shops pull out their funky costume-y items and sell them for a song, and those of us who wear those things for everyday have a party.

  Here are some recent finds that I cannot wait to try out when warmer weather arrives:

 Lavender chiffon skirt for $2. Is there anything so feminine as feeling the swish of fabric against the back of one's calves while walking?

   The last time I wore an ao dai was to my dearest friends' wedding. The bride's family was enchanted by the Japanese woman in the Vietnamese dress, despite the presence of a dozen lovely Vietnamese women in them, too. Hee! The groom was entertained that I'd pop the thing open every time I took a deep breath or flexed my lats. (It is held together by a long series of snaps.)
  This one did not have the flowing pants attached, but for $3.49, I am not complaining. I wonder if I can wear it with bootcut jeans?

  I think this shirt is "Asian" as in sold-for-tourists, but I love the embroidery and the color. It's an XXL, but I'll figure out a way to style it somehow.

  Is there anything so fine as thrifted silk? This navy blue linen-and-silk shirt(?) is super long. I'm not sure what it's designed for, but I'm pretty sure it's a woman's garment. I removed the pointy part of the collar to give it a Mandarin look and I like wearing it over tunics with wide leg jeans and platforms.

  What are the latest cool things you've added to your treasures?

  Have a lovely weekend, everyone. (:

A Beret at Bray's

  Berets aren't commonly seen in California. Stereotypes that readily come to mind are the French, artists, and US army special forces, so when I look at these pictures, I confuse myself. I like the hat a lot, though. And I'm pretty sure I managed not to look like Che Guevara*.

Beret: Goorin Bros (sample sale)

Barometer shirt: Pilcro and the Letterpress (thrifted, some on eBay)

Skirt: Rebecca Taylor (thrifted, size 2 on eBay)
Mirjam shoes: Rieker-Antistress (thrifted)
Blazer: Twisted Heart (gift from brother)

  I've checked, and with the exception of the wee neutral lines on my Ye Olde button-down, this new thrifted baby is my only striped shirt! I'm wearing stripes! I feel this is a big day for me.

  It is also "texture salad" themed week at Spy Girl! You should go and play! It's open until Monday night.

  I love all of her style challenges. I was contemplating layering different clothing textures while lying in bed for just five more minutes. I am also linking this baby up to Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday! Here are a bunch of macro selfies.

* When you're Asian, there are certain shapes of hat that instantly make you look like a Communist. This goes double if they are olive green or have any sort of pointy shapes sewn on. Notice I don't sport ushankas combined with quilted jackets, either.

  The shirt is quite loose and long, so when I paired it with my thrifted steampunk-ish skirt, I wanted to give it some shape. I tried tucking it in only at the sides. I like it so much better I want to sew ruching into the sides so it has strings to adjust the length. I don't know what it's called, but it looks like this:

  Any vocabulary help or tutorials you know of greatly appreciated! Also I plan to wear pants.

  I think upon picture review, that a long flowy skirt would have worked better with the beret+shirt, and I like the blazer over the shirt and over the skirt, but not at once. There may be two separate outfits mish-mashed in here. More experimentation, as always, is needed.