Last Thursday, I got to meet up with gorgeous L.A. bloggers Diabolina of Da Fashionista, Natalie of Fashion Intel and my favorite Aussie blogger Lenya of The Fashion Loving Stylist who was in town for the weekend.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I can’t tell you how much it means when I get to meet up with some of the coolest, sweetest, fashionable people I know to talk about shoes, Natalie’s Wang (bag) and TRANNIES!!!!

(side note: I’m all ready for season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race to start tomorrow.  Are you?  If you’re unaware of what is probably the greatest reality show on television, go here to watch all of season 1.)

Seriously though, all of these ladies are amazingly wonderful people and if you haven’t already, visit their blogs!

Obligatory photos of us tearing around Downtown L.A.:

(Diabolina’s adorable ring)

These photos are Diabolina’s which I kinda…stole…umm…yeah

And this one is Lenya’s (which I also  ”stole”…)

A big “thank you” to the man with the accent in Seven Grand (which now SUCKS, btw) who saw us taking photos of ourselves and offered to get one…or a few…of all of us together.  L to R is moi, Diabolina, Natalie, and Lenya.

I <3 y’all!

Well…yesterday was interesting.

If any of you follow Ev’Yan’s blog, you know what I’m talking about.  If not, go here and prepare to be overrun with a bevy of comments that start off innocently enough and denigrate into personal attacks and condescension under the cloak of “I study the facts” and “I’m an academic.”  I would say I was left speechless, but that happens VERY rarely.

What actually happened is that I went the fuck off.

I threatened to go on a long, on-camera tirade about how some people are quick to judge folks they don’t know anything about, or how certain people label themselves as academics in an effort to disguise deeply held prejudices that they purport to rally against, or about how people simply don’t read what the hell is in front of them before forming an opinion about it, but that is what Twitter is for.  Besides, Birdie did one HELL of a job of that on her own blog (the title of this blog is dedicated to that piece of beauty, you should really REALLY read it).

*hand clap for Birdie!!!*

I will add a bit, though.  To everyone out there that reads this blog, or any blog for that matter, please know that the bloggers behind them are real people with real lives and real emotions.  Some of us are more passive than others, and some of us are quick to cuss a bitch out dole out a tongue lashing when someone steps out of pocket.  I could fall on either side of that coin depending on the circumstance, but TRUST if I see some bullshit (especially when it is maligned and attacking someone’s character), I WILL say something about it.  To think your experience plus the three books you read in sociology class outweighs someone else’s personal experience, is bullshit.  To call someone naive and ignorant because you don’t like what he/she has to say about what is working in his/her OWN DAMN LIFE, is bullshit.  And to label yourself a progressive when you only serve the purpose to widen the divide while knocking other people for living their lives outside the color box is also some bullshit.  WHO THE FUCK MADE YOU AN AUTHORITY ON WHAT I THINK AND HOW I LIVE?

Oh, you did?   Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…

Umm, yeah.  That’s bullshit and I’m going to say something about it.

Side note: I will always go in for my people…ALWAYS…just in case any of you were out there wondering.

Addendum:

Not that I named names or anything, but thank you to Jasmine for giving me a third leg to stand on.

I bet you thought this post was about you… meh; if it applies, remain offended.

Methinks the lady doth protest too much…and forgets that apostrophes are parts of contracted words…and that I could give three fucks about what she thinks of my blog ESPECIALLY after I invited her not to come back to it…yesterday…

THANKS, JASMINE!!!  Please refer to the picture below if you wish to make any further comments/ provide opportunities to show just how glowingly intelligent you are to the rest of the class.

—

Now that we know each other a bit better, let’s get to today’s outfit!

(My segues are awesome.  Don’t lie.  You know they are.  LOL )

(forgot the label maxi dress, Kill City draped leather jacket, Gap vest, Acne wedges)

For some strange reason, I got the relentless urge to purchase a denim vest.  My thrifty-sense was activated near my local Hoodwill and I wasn’t disappointed.  I found this gem in the perfect color, perfectly worn, and in the perfect size for all of $3.50.  SWEET.

The maxi dress I got from Ross ages ago, and the jacket and wedges you’ve seen several times before.  I told myself I was going to wear the hell out of both of these and am well pleased that I’ve stuck to that.

I’m digging this denim over leather look.  Reminds me of some collection Alexander Wang did that I probably didn’t like because it looked like something I could do with my existing wardrobe plus a thrifted object…full circle, man.  Full circle.

(no shade to Alexander Wang.  I loved the pre-Fall 2010 stuff.  Trufax.)

—

Addendum: to my readers out there, know that I appreciate each and every one of you.  Srsly.  That you spend 30 seconds or more to look at what I post on these pages means a lot.  THANK YOU.

It’s been a very, very strange day…

.

You can find the necklace I’m wearing here.  The jacket I got at my favorite place to shop.  Nothing else I have on is really worth noting.  A white leather jacket pretty much overshadows everything.

See Michelle!  I have one toooooo!

.

A special thank you to my lil’ sissy who took the pictures that are…not…of my hand…

THANKS, P!!!!!

.

And so the work week begins…

.

.

.

Fuck.

I’ve finally stopped treating my etsy store like a red-headed step child.

**what’s wrong with red-headed step children?  I love gingers!  If anyone knows the origin of that phrase, please enlighten me**

I’m on a roll, guys.  Clothing is trickling in and I’m actually working on new stuff instead of wasting my time and brain cells on the Twittah and Bloglovin…well, I’m still doing both of those things, but not nearly as much as I was last week.

Swear.

I’d also like to let you all know that 20% of all purchases made in my “once oft-neglected, but NO MORE” place of e-business will go to Doctors Without Borders and Yele to aid with relief efforts in Haiti.  Every little bit helps.

Buy stuff here.

I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve done an outfit post, but that’s probably because my posting has slowed a bit in general.  I’ve been watching reruns of Law and Order and Launch My Line busy, I swear!

Srsly though, I’ve been working to try and teach myself to sew over the past year or so (I owe too much in student loans to even think about formal training…ugh) and am most proud to present, in the most covered up of all presentations, the dress I finished just past midnight on my birthday.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!

Being the all hip & ass girl that I am, I tend to hate the dress offerings in most retail stores.  Everything is too tight, too short, and very hooker-esque…on me.  Uncool.  When I was making (drafting?) the pattern for the dress here, I wanted it to be more voluminous on top, narrowing slightly toward the bottom, long enough to not show-cha my chocha make me look taller and to be wearable with and without a belt.

WHAM!

I’m pretty damn stoked with the results.  So stoked, that I planned on making another one in grey wool this week.

Can I tell you guys something (like you really have a choice…)?  Grey wool is expensive as hell.  Like $50/yard expensive.

*pause*

*blink*

*blink*

Please forgive me if this is what designers normally pay for textiles, but GAT.DAMN.  For real?  $100 on a DIY just does not compute in my life’s calculator.

I managed to use my womanly wiles (more of a feigning helplessness than seduction, I assure you) to get my hands on the last 1.75 yards of a 1960’s grey wool for a decent enough price.  Sweet.  Now wish me luck on this second edition because if I mess up this fabric, I’m going to be pissed.  PISSED!

—

Wearing
thrifted cocoon cardigan
dress & belt are the work of mine own hands
American Apparel leggings
Docs

I went a little crazy with the shopping this month, but I’m blaming that on the birthday, Hoodwill, ebay sniping, and James Rowland.  This voluptuous and only slightly itchy cardigan was one of the acquisitions, but I’ll do a proper post on err’thang once it all gets here.

P.S. There’s only one pair of shoes in the whole lot.  I’ve come such a long way.

I started a 365 Project.  Photos are here and here.

—

Since Zeus decided to make it rain on Los Angeles, I’m going to be playing dress-up, watching the Royal Tenenbaums, and drinking coffee all day.

Happy Birthday to me!

vintage shirt (from WGACA swap), F21 jeans, Urban Decay “Gash” lipstick

I am amazing.  I wake up and am even more amazing than when I went  to sleep last night.  In fact, I don’t even know how I managed to lie down because of the awesomeness that I project into the air around me.  That shit has it’s own gravitational pull, yo.  It keeps me firmly grounded with my head in the clouds.  Get with it.

I am what you get when you combine ingenuity, free-will, free-spirit, style, brains, and a healthy dose of “yeah, I can kick ass.”  I can do anything you can do about 10x better than you can.  If you don’t believe me, you can suck it.

I am the best thing that ever happened to anyone.  You need me in your life.  I am good for you.  Better than omitting trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup from your diet.  It’s true.  I’m choc-full of nutritional value for your mind, body and soul.

I am quite adept at being a badass and I know it.  I feel it.  I breathe it.  I live it.  I love it.  You should too, but if you don’t, that’s cool.  I love me, even if you think I’m strange.  Truth is, I REVEL in being strange.  I embrace those quirks, quips, and facial tics that often earn me a side-eye from strangers.

WHY, you ask?

Because they make.me.fucking.awesome.

—

I felt like making an affirmation that I could “get jiggy with” and this was it.  While writing it (and counting myself in the company of great minds), I came across what my luvah Krystal of What is Reality Anyway had this to say in a recent blog collabo with Revolve:

“You are always free to change, no matter how much society wants to remind you of the past, it’s as simple as changing your mind and sticking with the new dream…That’s why fashion is so addicting–it brings about a transformation, even if it is only of the image, sometimes the change can transfer into your over-all attitude. “

Remember…we’re getting it in in 2010.  Shedding negative attitudes, threats to self-esteem, iCan’t-isms, and all-around bad vibes.  If you have to subtly (or very loudly) remind yourself of how great you are, then damnit, do it.  If you have to put on your favorite outfit and parade around in front of your (many) cat(s), do that too.

It’s your life – you write it, you own it, now LIVE it.

I didn't take this picture.

For those of you who missed this comment on the last post because it was held in the purgatory that is the spam filter:

l.a. punk at that time, especially the early 80s, was a number of different things — exhilirating, frustrating, brilliant, mind bogglingly stupid, violent, cathartic, dangerous and often very very scary. “normal” folk viewed you as something wholly alien, the t.v. portrayed you as ice-pick wielding serial killers impervious to pain or human emotion, and others simply wanted to wipe you off the face of the planet (if you’re male, put on your mom’s sluttiest dress and take a stroll through the mall during peak hours and you’ll get an approximation).

inside the punk scene you could run into some of the stupidest, most violent morons you can imagine, but…some of the most creative minds, the most eccentric personalities, and the most screwed up people on the planet were able to congregate, interact and create what felt like a utopian oasis in the midst of reaganomics, rick springfield and a society insisting on conformity and pining for the good ol’ days when the suburbs were the future and everyone knew their place. punk in reality was far from utopia, especially by the early/mid-80s when factionalism and gangs started spoiling the fun, but it was real, it was angry and it wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power.

the important thing, though, is to keep in mind that it isn’t a thing of the past. it has seen change, yes, and some of the same stupidity can still be found, but the scene still exists with no shortage of great, “real” bands pushing the envelope and challenging the status quo. bands like blink-182 and avenged sevenfold are no more representative of what’s out there than 50 cent and fergie are representative of the breadth of creative expression coming out of hip hop. and it remains rooted on the Do-It-Yourself attitude of “who says i can’t ____?” the key is to DO. as flipside so eloquently put it for more than two decades, “be more than a witness” — make a zine, start a band, paint, make a movie, take a stand, write a book, recreate yourself in your own image, don’t take “no” for an answer, question everything and blindly accept nothing, take an active part in your own life.

-Jimmy Tumors

This guy Jimmy is one of my many gurus and I’m sure you can see why.  I was actually fervently hoping that he’d see the last post and say something about it.  THANKS, JIMMY!!!

Now, my darling dears, are we taking an active part in our own lives?  Are we standing idly by complaining about the status quo and the shit we don’t like instead of actually doing something to change it?

I can’t say that I always do, but I am tired of holding things in for the sake of being polite.  I’m about as tired of that as I am with the idea that I’m approaching this life thing too passively.  We’re supposed to be GETTING IT IN in 2010!

Methinks I may need to start a new project to deal with this lil’ issue o’ mine.

*tents fingers*

Is there something you’ve thought about doing and shelved because of hateration and/or holleration?  How about we make an e-pact to just do whatever it is that we’ve been thinking about doing?  Who cares if we’re good at it?  I know I can’t sing for shit, but damnit, I want to start a band…and be the singer.  If someone tells me I should learn an instrument, I’m going to say “fuck you, dude.  YOU play an instrument.  My fingers are too short and I WANNA SING!”

Ok, I probably won’t do that but I do kinda want to start a band.

So, what do you say?  Let’s go the O.G. punk route, and DIY it up.  Who says you can’t? Fuck them.  ALICIA SAYS YOU CAN.

NOW GO!

Flipside punk fanzine Issue #40, November 1983

This zine is older than I am…and every bit of awesome.  It’s a visceral, hilarious pastiche of stream-of-consciousness record and show reviews, band interviews, and a general rejection of the conventional.  It is a perfect reflection of a genre of music that bears a purity that I can’t find anywhere else.

I mused on Twitter that I’m often nostalgic for times that I didn’t experience.  The Los Angeles punk scene of the late 70’s and 80’s is definitely the one I “miss” most.  Bands were honest, gutter, and subject to EXTREME scrutiny from their fans.  The aim was not to get a major record deal or to revel in cash, named brands and fancy cars.   The aim was to piss off the establishment and everyone who represented it.  It was simply raw.  Unapologetically raw.  It was anarchy, party and bullshit, hand-drawn flyers, and spur of the moment shows in the backyard during someone’s house party.  It was pogo and thrashing at some hole in the wall venue and ending the night at Oki-Dog with everyone else who was at the show (including the band).   It was a big, fat “FUCK YOU” to mainstream, posers, and everything boring.

I was looking for a video to add here, but I think this quote under a video sums up the essence of punk rock (edited, because I love making red marks on other people’s papers):

The real punks understand that it’s not about fashion.  Punk isn’t about styles, it is about adressing your opinions to those who think that it is immoral to have freedom of speech.

“It’s not really my problem if they think I’m weird. Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but dont let them take you ALIVE.”  - Sid Vicious 1978

-AntDil19

Yeah, bottle all of that up and inject it into the souls of people who existed on the fringes of poserific, self-important, cloyingly mainstream Los Angeles and you have THE SCENE.

I miss it.  I miss it so much.

Wearing
Target cardigan
American Apparel dress
Refuge jeans
Docs

The latest issue of The Style Sample magazine is ready for your reading enjoyment.  Tamia has busted her fabulous behind with this project and I’m more than proud to be a part of helping Issue 5 come together…

*fist pumping to Shut Up Woman, Get On My Horse*

Now please do me a solid and read the wonderful bounty amassed for you by bloggers all over the world…and me.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

—-

UPDATE: I usually send this type of stuff on Twitter in the wee hours of the evening, but this video is just TOO.FUCKING.FUNNY to not assault you all with.  Forget everything you knew about praise dancing and renew your minds.

Between the pop-locking, moonwalking, and the “Off the Wall” M.J. backtracking shuffle, dude could be a performer on the 3rd Street Promenade.  No joke.