yikes!

sorry for the Dreadful delay in postings, lovelies! things are nuts around here and i have many travels (KY, Boston, and AL) going on.

things calm a bit next week and you can expect more updates, as well as news about the film festival.

and here is what i wore on christmas! lovely vintage dress that i adore.

and the jacket matches and is removable, y'all!

also, i'm almost up to 100 followers- wow! soon as i get there (which i hope i will) i'm going to have my first giveaway! woo!!

hope everyone is well!!

<3 mode.

closet challenge!!

i am slammed at work this week, but wanted to at least post one outfit from the closet challenge.

day 90

i love love love this outfit. (i was up super early in these pictures, you can tell how tired i was)

this is a le chateau jacket, white/black market pants, black undershirt and grey booties. i love the coloring of the jacket (it's a plaid, but it's grey, white, and charcoal) and almost fell out when i saw these shoes. you can't see the shoes too well in these pictures, so here they are.

 they are to die for Pour La Victoire gray booties. had to have them.

off to work...

hope everyone's week is going well so far!

Grammie's hats!!

this post was meant to go up earlier, but i suffered a nasty fall this weekend. i was walking to a show and slipped on the wet street, and fell on both knees, rolled my ankle and scraped myself up pretty badly. ouch! for the record, i was wearing flats (!!) and am firmly convinced that i would not have fallen if i'd been wearing my highest heels. 

anyhoo... my Grammie's hats!

i went to see my grandmother and she gave me these lovely hats and scarves! they all belonged to my great-grandmother (Grammie) and i love them! 

here's a picture of her, her name was Elizabeth Parrish, she is second from the left, standing next to her father, my great-great-grandfather, and her brothers and sisters.

she was born in 1901 and died in 1994. judging by the outfits and the relative ages, i think this picture was taken around 1945- the men's trousers and ties are on the wider side, ties and pant legs got thinner after WWII ended. so Grammie is around 44 here- and she loved hats! i can't wait to figure out what to wear with them... especially the white pill box one. it looks like a Jackie O cake!

these are real deal vintage, and are staying in the family, which makes me happy. yay!

and back to the closet challenge..

day 88

black and white stripedy Tim Burton wedges (love love love these), black slacks and tee, silver earrings, and this beloved white jacket with a poem on it.

it's a Mizrahi jacket and my friend Jessie added the writing. i got it from her at a yard sale she and her husband had (i can't Believe she parted with it!)  i've never actually read the whole thing, i'm embarrassed to admit, but it's true! i get a lot of questions about this whenever i wear it, it's just such a great unique piece.

day 89

night out with friends! i wore these black slacks and this black camisole with a grey rhinestone studded Calvin Klein sweater and black boots for a drink with friends at a local jazz club. i love the shape of this sweater and the 3/4 sleeves.

happy monday everyone!

xoxox

<3 mode.

valentine's question...

i hope everyone had a lovely <3 day. Bunny and i did!

i'm often asked about the poem on the wall behind most of my self portraits. here it is (day 84) partially cut out of the picture and obscured by my elbow, as usual.

black tie back peasant dress, acrylic ice necklace (xmas gift), and black booties with unicorn slides. plum Cynthia Rowley tights i absolutely adore.

well, for valentine's day, here is your present, lovely readers. the poem from the wall. i wrote it, a long time ago. i hope you enjoy.

((when i am reborn
i hope only that god will grant me
the memory of your face))


realize everything but heavenly peace
your hands like glass,
your face ice stained,
here. and here.
and here.
you said love was like a cloud
a storm one, at best
that never stays about for long
and it stings like thorn


rise up singing,
i will bathe in your water when it runs
and steady the shake.


when i die
my face will soften
my breath will rest beyond steady
as god lets my body, too, be


when i am forgotten
i will gain a path
that memory never had
the power to hold
though i’ve lost my hands


when i am reborn
i hope only that god will grant me
the memory of your face

my yummy valentine

style blogging... more closet challenge

i honestly cannot believe the closet challenge is nearing 100 - and more to come!!

day 82

vintage pieces...

 this vintage shirt is one of my all time favorites.  it has ladies in loud hats with mirrors on it, with blue and light orange stripes with a textured background.

paired with a large cocktail sapphire pendant from an estate sale, a purse Nana made, and slipper flats.

day 83

i think this top looks like ice cream sherbert. it's probably the loudest top i own.

it's a tube top, so normally i wear it in the summer, but here i've paired with a shrug and long pants so i'll stay warm. rocket dog flats, hoop earrings.

day 83

walking billboard.

this shirt is from the 2010 vision walk supporting Foundation Fighting Blindness. this is one of the charities dearest to my heart, due to my bunny's eye disease. we walked last year and were team captains for The Thundercats (ho!) and will do the same this year. i'll post more information about this as i have it, but we've got a lot to live up to - raised several thousand bucks! 

as for this shirt, the color always makes people notice it, but i really want to fix the fit on it a bit- it gives me no shape. this year, i may get a really big one and try to turn it into a dress... what do you think?

bun in the oven (roughs)

here are some roughs from the first styling i have done with a pregnant model. this is Dawn- and she was nine months pregnant when these pictures were made. these are roughs.

little baby shoes!

Dawn was just days away from her due date, and as it turned out, five days short of giving birth to her little lady(bug). it was a photo finish- i'm so glad we were able to get these pictures before Dawn went into labor. photos by Erica Erwin, aka my boo.

                              

happy birthday to little Evelyn May! welcome to the world.

and while i'm here, day 81

it's hard to tell from this picture, but i'm wearing two layered shirts here- the lower one is from Smack, with very small grommets all over it, and the top one is transparent with a large sequin heart on it. i usually wear it on valentine's day... but i don't think that the closet challenge will make it that long! black trousers and black boots.

gun street girl- Tom Waits & closet challenge

day 77 of the closet challenge

 wet seal teal coat, black slacks, shoes from bunny, head wrap from target. the jacket is corduroy and nice and snuggly. plus i love the big buttons...
and surprise!

fabulous colorful lining inside the jacket. i usually wear it with the cuffs rolled up so that you can see the fun inside. also, fun beaded necklace from express.

day 78

more black on black- always chic, always my go to. cotton black sweater with side button detailing (hard to see), with resultant asymmetrical neck line. paired with black and whit earrings and silver rose pin.

you can the buttons here some. very warm and cozy!

day 79

my bunny says this poncho makes  me look like an art gallery owner, which i think is very funny. paired with giant purple ring, rocket dog flats, and black trousers.

day 80

the gun street girl.

Tom Waits tshirt with express skirt and target flats. if you do not know his music, you owe it to yourself to get on it. he is on the very short list of my most favorites- in music and in style. many of you know of the affect Tim Burton has had on me- Tom Waits is also on that list, in that certain pieces immediately remind me of him and i know instantly that he would love them.

Tom's early work is gritty, classically influenced jazz piano. his voice is unmistakeable, his lyrics are imaginative and cut to the core. he is like no other. lots of black on black with small surprises (linings, cuffs, a handful of glitter), fabulously cut suits, and a sense of occasion, circus freak, road warrior, and vintage master are all present in his look.

he also possesses one of the most fascinating, gravelly, darkly beautiful voices that have ever graced this existence. 

here's an earlier track, "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis."

and hats! bloody fantastic hats!

i think his look is uniquely American and i always embrace lovely men with style. you may recognize one of his songs from Fight Club... "Goin' Out West." 

in 1983, Tom's music took a moved away from jazz and classical in what has been termed a turn for the weird.

this change can be most easily heard between the records Heartattack and Vine (1980) and Swordfishtrombones (1984). my favorite is Rain Dogs. and i am a gun street girl.

this shirt is from the Glitter and Doom tour, it's a photograph of an oil stain that Tom took. i think it looks like a guy pointing. i love it. and i always know i like a stranger who recognizes it and who's the cause of it all.

belated christmas

merry christmas to me! and to you....

i know this is late, but here are the lovely accessories i received for christmas this year. a vintage polka dot red and blue scarf from my boo, turquoise earrings, green beaded earrings, two sets of silver hoops, silver box studs, black studs, a white cuff watch, a kitty brooch, three rhinestone rings from my stepmother, and my two favorites. a mixed media necklace that my friend James made for me, and vintage crystal beads that were my bunny's grandmothers- a gift from his mother. so lovely!!

prepare to see these in outfit posts!

i'm very spoiled! and regardless of gifts, i had a lovely holiday with loved ones, and hope you did, too.

also, one question i've gotten more than a few times is about the diamond ring i wear on my left hand. it is NOT an engagement ring. it's not even from the bunny- it was my great grandmother's, and just fits me on that finger. 

 it is my absolute favorite piece of jewelry.

and while i'm blogging.... day 76

i wore this to a holiday party- red flower dress, bruno shoes (gifted), and black shawl. and my great grandmother's ring!

even more closet challenge

day 73
the wedding. i wore this to the wedding i wore the white dress to the rehearsal dinner of... there are too many prepositions in that sentence.

vintage dress, michael paris stripedy Tim Burton shoes (love these!) it was like this dress was made for me fifty years ago and waited for me. i absolutely adore it. it's my favorite nonTim-Burton dress. it's a go-to for fancy parties, weddings, funerals, formal occasions. this is my LBD. and i'm bummed i can't wear it until after the challenge!

day 74

i can only find this picture from this day. Alice Temperley top. love the mutton sleeves! gifted heart necklace (with pressed flowers inside) and ring (soldered) both from my stepmother, and bag from a friend who shall remain anonymous. it was a gift to the friend, from her mom, who didn't care for it. i love it, so she gave it to me on the condition that her identity not be revealed, lest her mama get upset.

day 75

i love love love this shrug. from mod cloth. with flower brooch and rhinesone buttons. yes, please! and rocket shoes picked out by my sweet Bunny.

blogger award!

happy new year indeed!

the lovely lady selenite has included me in her list for the Stylish Blogger Award- thanks, lady! she has beautiful taste, and her artistic flair is always apparent in her unexpected, lovely layerings.

with this award, i am required to share seven things about myself... so here they are-

1. my favorite things in fashion are shoes and stripes.

2. my least favorite things in fashion are animal prints and trends. i am interested in style- not what is cool today. i don't want to be embarrassed by pictures when i'm older.

3. i sleep with a teddy bear, always have. his name is Jack Freeman, named after the friend of my father's who gave him to me. between me, Jack Freeman, and my kitty, my bed gets a little crowded.

4. my favorite movies are M, Terminator 2, The Princess Bride, and The City of Lost Children.

5. i love art nouveau- fashion, art, jewelry, and architecture.

6. i speak German and American Sign Language.

7. volunteering is very important to me. my favorite charities are Nashville Cares and Foundation Fighting Blindness. i believe education is the first step towards change.


also, i get to list 15 other bloggers to get the award! in no particular order, here they are!

1. Artfully Awear (beautiful clothes and the art of which they're reminiscent)
2. My Pretty Baby Cried, She was a Bird (vintage and starlets galore!)
3. Coffee and a Cardigan (as adorable as her blog title)
4. Bells and Whistles (fantastic German blog)
5. The Littlest Polly (suitcases, shoes, and kitties!)
6. Playing Hooksies (street style and school)
7. Kevin Langley (photos and slim style)
8. Jane Aubourg (fashionista and violinist)
9. Aerograms from Jan (love from across the pond)
10. Fashion App (young and fashionable)
11. Ham and Must Have (lovely edge)
12. It's a Beautiful Day (chic from Winston-Salem)
13. Hello, Monkeyface! (pretty and ridiculous)
14. Insane Maryjane (shoes, shoes, shoes)
15. Big Girl. Small Budget. Tiny Town. (the queen of texture pairing)

congrats! i love your blogs, thanks for all that you share. with your award, you're meant to list seven things about yourself and list 15 more stylish bloggers of your choosing! and make sure to let the bloggers you choose know! ;)

and here's day 72 while i'm at it...

i wore this to a rehearsal dinner. Charlotte Russe white dress, vintage jacket, Massino wedges. simple. i love the black lace and neckline trim on this dress!