Showing posts with label Last Kiss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Last Kiss. Show all posts

Monday, December 16, 2013

Cop Copine Mechanism

  Quick casual weekend outfit post while I'm taking a break from studying papers so boring they literally put me to sleep. Twice.
Top: Cop Copine (thrifted)
Vest: Last Kiss (cheap junior store, old)
Jeans: Levi's junior bootcut (thrifted)
Fedora: Stacy Adams (online, old)

  I styled my Cop Copine shirt again. Tried it with my Last Kiss faux leather vest for a more modern casual look.
Another closeup of the sleeve, since I can't get over how much I like 'em.

  In the top photo, I'm holding a piece of biltong in my hands. I was trying to bribe the large dog on the next balcony that was growling and barking at me. The owner shouted at him to stop, but I knew he just wanted to protect his pack. He wasn't interested in the meat, though! Have you had unexpected problems crop up while taking pictures of yourself?

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Orange is the New Black Widow

  First up, dear readers: if you're interested in entering the Couturgatory giveaway, leave a comment in this post with a valid e-mail address. I need an e-mail address to contact you if you win! If you forgot to put one, just leave another comment, and of course if you're not interested in entering but just want to say hi, you can leave it out. :D

  You can enter until Saturday, November 9th 11:59pm Pacific time. Then I'll draw the winner!
---
 We've had some November sun breaking through the cloud layer the last few days, and I am loving it.
Shirt: Rennes (cheap junior store)
Vest: Last Kiss (same junior store)
Trousers: Cop Copine (thrifted)
Bracelet: Foreign Exchange (old)
Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

  I got the shirt and vest at the same cheap junior store in Colma that was going closing up shop. I never thought of wearing them together until now. I think the shirt looks a little like a shop apron in front, and I really like how the backs layered over one another:
  I feel like a black widow spider, except of course I don't kill and eat my lovers, haha. (:

  I merely lay my eggs in their bodies so that when they hatch, my larvae consume the organs and eat their way out of the thoracic cavity. Technically, my hands are clean.

  Last Kiss is kind of a macabre brand name. Last kiss of what? Of death? Of fate? Of the dragon? (Go with that last one. I had a professor with a huge crush on Jet Li. I approve and she's an amazing teacher, to boot.)
  I mentioned making a Facebook life event before to commemorate hemming some complicated pants. These Cop Copine ones are the second pair I was referring to. They look simple, but the cuffs are sewn in place with an invisible stitch, and I was worried when I cut the fabric that I wouldn't leave enough to fold under, hem, then fold back up and invisible hem. You can still see the line where I pulled the cuffs back to do the stitching.
  I've been wearing these ALDO platform boots a lot, and I never have a good, close shot of them. Reader Sue mentioned having wide forefeet, and when she mentioned squished toes, man oh man did I relate. I found these at the thrift shop and although they are only M width, the squared high toe boxes fit great. They're my go-to boots now for when I need to be on my feet for a few hours.

  Sometimes "wide shoe" labels can be misleading, because our feet have so many dimensions. People can have collapsed or high arches, high insteps or flat ones, edema or bony feet, wide forefeet and/or midfeet, or anything in between. I've learned through trial and error at 6pm.com that Naya width C is the exact width as Fitzwell EE, for example. (I have multiple pairs from both companies, and placed sole to sole, they line up perfectly.) They both run a little narrow for me, but because they are all leather they stretch out over time. Or around a big rock, which is what I use when I get impatient/uncomfortable.

  And since my feet are very wide at the toes (think bear claws) but bony at the heels and skinny on top, David Tate WW shoes are comical on me. It's like someone blew up a balloon around my foot and I have a fascinating empty space all around between me and the shoe. I'm assuming those fit feet that are wide in the up-and-down sense as well as the side-to-side. They *were* one of the only sandals that ever let all of my toes roam free, though. Sigh. Maybe I could buy them again and inject them with foam that would harden around my feet and make the perfect fitting, if really ugly shoe.

  My friend Ally has mentioned difficulties finding size 12, and I have the opposite problem where many companies carry 6-10, and I'm 5.5. What are your shoe fit problems?

Friday, June 21, 2013

Earth-toned Menswear-inspired Hyphenated-ensemble

  I'm back!  A grand total of 8 flight delays and cancellations later, my latest trip to Southern California is done. (:  It's only 450 miles (725 km) but I guess that San Francisco fog can stymie anyone.  Next time I'm just driving.

  It's great to be back home and back to experimenting with my wardrobe. Today I wanted to pick up where I left off: experimenting with Victorian-inspired ensembles. I feel like I should be tinkering with something complicated made of brass.


  I took the vest I was trying out before I left and tried a menswear-inspired look. The blouse is Zara and it jumped out at me as the Steampunk-ish shirt I'd been seeking. It buttons up to the collar, and has slightly full sleeves with a cuff. The material also has stretch, is wrinkle-resistant, and is comfortingly thick. (I am not a fan of the see-through pilly material in so many shirts these days.)

  Unfortunately when I tried it on by itself I think I look like a house cleaner, hence the vest and accessorizing. Maybe I should try a thin tie as sported by Crystaline in her Lolita Steampunk attire here? (If you like Victorian/Steampunk styles and have not been to this gal's page, please do go.)

  This is the first time I have ever worn an outfit entirely made of earth tones. Ever. The shirt even has stripes, and I don't wear patterns! The combination of the shirt and vest entertained me because the shirt's stripes are yellow and the vest is orange, the two last colors I was trying to wear before I kicked it. Success!

  The bow in the back is very cute, but it makes it difficult to layer over the shirt. This is the only vest I have with a high enough back that the ties do not get in the way. Fortunately it was pleasant today, because I have no idea how a jacket would work. I may remove them entirely or crop them and add a flat buckle or buttons instead.


  I didn't go thrifting while I was gone because my friends and family down there are not into it, but I did pick up some socks. I figured since I am trying to be a Fashionable Person now, I should invest in something other than athletic socks from CostCo. Argyle seemed to fit the theme. (:

  Some of you may not be familiar with Daiso, a chain of Japanese dollar (actually, ~$1.50) stores. They sell a variety of housewares, accessories, decorations, and so on. They're everywhere in Japan and Taiwan, common in the San Francisco Bay Area, but not elsewhere in North America, and I think the only European stores are in Romania.

  Do you have colors you never thought you would wear? What are some local shops you wish you could share with your fellow bloggers?

Blouse: Zara Basic (thrifted)
Vest: Last Kiss (Styles for Less)
Necklace: unknown (old)
Trousers: Gap stretch flare (clothing swap)
Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)
Socks: Daiso (company site)

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Dressed for cleaning, take 2

  Another day indoors organizing my apartment. I'm trying to finish as much of my spring cleaning as possible before I leave for a week to visit family.


  Does this vest look kind of steampunk-y? This is my first foray into orange territory. I never thought I'd wear anything remotely orange! I feel very adventurous.

  The dress is my favorite color of blue-grey. While I'm still very partial to it, I'm doing my best to add other colors to my daily wear. My wardrobe used to be mostly blue shirts and blue jeans plus running shoes (an example). Totally serious. Even branching out into black, a neutral, was strange for me at first.

  The vest is fake leather, and was very inexpensive. I was surprised considering the unique detailing, the functional (!) buttoned pockets in the front, and the back:


  I guess I should shop at cheap junior clothing stores when they are closing more often!


  I can't think of a terrible/good 'vest' pun, or any other name for this outfit. Suggestions welcome.


Vest: Last Kiss (Styles For Less)
Dress: Old Navy (thrifted)
Leggings: UNIQLO
Boots: Kensiegirl Roper boots (thrifted)