• red lipstick has the power to completely change your mood
• wearing a beanie always trumps doing your hair
• even after 6 bags sent to Goodwill, I STILL have too much shit
• Aaron McCargo Jr is the worst thing to happen to Food Network (I still can’t believe they picked him over Lisa Garza)
• in the absence of Lost, the revamped miniseries version of The Prisoner on AMC is more than an adequate substitute
• randomly challenging yourself to wear all black every day for the next week really gives you something to look forward to (YAY for forcing play with texture and proportions!!!)

Wearing
thrifted jacket & nubbly shirt
F21 jeans (slightly altered…hence that seam rippage on the left leg…)
LD Tuttle/Urban Outfitters boots

I’m financially compromised, so I have to.

Before I go on, I will say that I was most conflicted when I decided to do this project.  The original is the brainchild of Zana Bayne (one of my favorite bloggers) and if I were in a position to do so, I WOULD have copped one directly from her.  However, when a trip to Hoodwill is looked upon as a luxury instead of an adventure, I have to make do with that I have on hand.  Luckily, I have a lot on hand. So, with a bit of further ado, here is my version of Zana’s winged shoulder piece.  If you likey the wingy thingy or harnesses in general, they are available for purchase in her etsy store.  Buy one and LET HER BE GREAT; she does fantastic work.  In fact, she recently had her first trunk show in San Francisco.  I’ve never been so proud of someone I know only through the internets.

…

…

…

Ok, I think I’ve reset my crafter karma.

*deep sigh of relief*

Now…BEHOLD my Bladerunner meets vampire steez!!!  I was a tad excited, so there are quite a few pictures.  Sue me.

Ok, don’t sue me.  All I have to offer are the cats…actually, you can TOTALLY have a cat.  No, really.  Take one.  Please.

Since I usually don’t have a great deal of time to get ready, properly fard, and photograph an outfit before I leave for work, I decided it was a good time to play with makeup.  Thank goodness I have a couple of great teachers (HAAAAAAAAY Dani & Felicia!) schooling me on the art.  You guys know I don’t usually do the eye shadow…maybe I should start?

I don’t think I ever introduced you all to my new favorite necklace…

Available at Paraphernalia.  There is truly something for everyone in that place and Vanda is just a gem.  I <3 her.  And got a <3 from her…as it were…

via Sharon’s blog

It’s hard for me to believe how amazing this girl’s eye is.  Her sense for composition is equally amazing.  I wasn’t anywhere near as interesting in high school.

If you haven’t already been by her corner of the internets, go and see what I mean.

Don’t worry; I’ll wait…

Tay from Stylelikeu.com from Stylelikeu on Vimeo.

I was genuinely excited to see someone (else) I recognized being profiled.  After hearing Karen talk about him on her blog a few times, I was always interested in what Tay Trong was all about. 

One word. 

DOPENESS.

After watching this video, I’m more than moved to attach zippers to all manner of clothing in interesting and exciting new ways.  W00t for even more DIY prospects. 

This Tay is not to be confused with Tay Zonday, whose hit single “Chocolate Rain” is worthy of its own acclaim.   I’m waiting on him to get some serious radio play in the 2010.  Or not. 

GET INTO IT

You can’t tell me that this isn’t MJ’s and Diana Rossy’s (yes, Rossy’s) love child.  You just can’t.

The holidays are definitely upon us when I break out a crochet needle, skeins of wool, and a snifter of Laird’s Apple Brandy (with Marie Brizard Apricot Brandy Liqueur added) on a Monday night.  I have slipper socks to make…and more potent potables to partake of.

**For the information of newbies and people who just don’t know, I am a drink snob.  I don’t classify myself as a lush or alcoholic – I fall asleep well before I can get to the point where I’m just shit-faced – but I do appreciate a GOOD drink.  I have Dudeguy to thank for that since he’s made the pursuit of higher education and understanding of the spirit world a very high priority.  Please refer to this post and scroll down to see what I mean.  And yes, that is all mostly for work.  Mostly. **

Wearing
F21 Cardigan
Vintage shirt (from the swap I mentioned a few posts back)
Refuge jeans

His name is Malcolm Harris.

He and Keith Haring were cool like that.

One month while rooming with the girlfriend of Jean-Michel Basquiat, he was given a painting in exchange for her rent.

He turned a Chanel dress into a cape.

He started Designers for Darfur, a non-profit that organizes designers to raise awareness about the continuing genocide.

At 13, he taught himself to crochet with a pencil.

He is…the most interesting man in the world.

Via StyleLikeU.

People who waste money
People who ask for loans
People who do not pay back loans
People who do not discipline their children
Contractors that do not keep promises
People who leave the cap off the toothpaste
Poetry readings
Being asked to be a chauffeur
Being asked to leave the kids at home
Bad haircuts

I can’t tell you how much the bolded portions are true.  Hell all of it’s true.  But the bolded parts are ESPECIALLY true.

[via Ten Things Your Zodiac Sign Hates, via Eli Presentacion]

ADDENDUM: Umm…are people not noticing that  ”poetry readings” has been crossed OFF the list?  Meaning that it doesn’t apply?  I know you guys can see that it’s crossed off…right?  Because it totally is.  =P

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to write a fashion retrospective for the one and only Mary J. Blige for Soul Bounce.

*insert really loud SQUEE in rememberance of the one I did when I was initially asked*

The piece is now up.  Go on and gander at the fruits of my labor.

For everyone who found their way here from over there, HAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!  Feel free to click on whatever colored square suits you.  There’s a whole lot of ish to see.  =)

I won’t lie.  The news of Daul Kim’s death rocked me to the core.

I’ve never been one to idolize models.  In fact, I don’t pay them much mind.  Daul, however, had an accessibility to her that most models never put the effort in to.  I’m sure her fans cherished it.

I related to her in a way that would probably scare my mother/dudeguy/several of my friends to death.  Reading the more stark, ominous-sounding entries on her blog reminds me of this more now than it ever did.  At present, I’m thanking Jah, Zeus, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster that I was able to surround myself with people that were able to even me out and help me deal with the issues in life that I could not go at alone.  I wish she had been able to do the same.

i dont care about being remembered
i dont care about being forgotten
i dont care about being loved by everyone
i just want to be loved by someone who can
i want it to last

-DK

My hope is that her untimely and tragic death will raise awareness about the severity of depression.  It’s not just about feeling sad, disinterested, or a general air of malaise.  It’s about 356x more serious than most people realize and can lead to loss; terrible loss that could probably be prevented with proper diagnosis and treatment.

Stats will tell you that you probably know someone who is clinically depressed.  Chances are that if you know someone who is depressed, they’re asking for help.  Try and see the signs.  You could save a life.