the Mojo of Rojo

Red brings heat, makes flower,
and romances the heart.

Aye. There is magic in the color red. The flame of blossom, the lion's roar of Life. Red brings heat, makes flower, and romances the heart. Red is a literal come-hither, always in the foreground, bleeding confrontation, whilst the greens, the blues, the violets wait like wallflowers in the background of a picture plane.  Red is immediate presence,  commandeering a room; the color of forward motion, of conquest & enticements, irrefutable, undeniable. Blatantly remarkable, this red. Unrepentantly desirable. 

Photos credits: Advanced Style, Unknown, Style Bubble, The Sartorialist, Rococo Vintage

I betcha think this post is about you....

Random pictures plucked from the information-super-highway. Borrowed from other people's blogs, yet combined they are uniquely Citizen Rosebud. Funny how life is, a series of windfalls, pratfalls & jackpots. Not to get all Forrest Gump on you, but it really is what you make it. I like my life lavish with color, saturated with color and accented with color. I guess you could say I like color. But I said it first.

Princess, Who?

 You've probably seen them before if you're reading this. Various mysteriously sourced and rated "Blog Awards," that fellow bloggers pass on to eachother, which is has a nice passing it forward feel to it, and helps knit a sense of community. Last week I was a proud recipient and bestower of the Happiness 101 award, and the next day I received this Princess award from the very principled and wonderful EYE of the Orchid Style blog (http://aygenart.blogspot.com). I'm am very honored by Eye's mention, but have felt a bit uncomfortable with the title of the award.

For you see, this Miss Bella never wanted to play princess. I grew up on fairy tales, and loved them, the old school kind, the Brothers Grimm to the brim and Hans Christian Anderson kind, and I really liked the surreal dark world they conjured. To be honest there wasn't a whole lot of happy endings, well, at least happy endings that didn't come with a price. So this pepto-pink wash on everything girlish brand of Princess is something I never did relate to. Honestly: why would I want to be a snivelling and helpless princess when I'd rather be QUEEN?

Like a Queen in Chess: cut-throat, goes everywhere on the chessboard and is THEE major bad-ass. A royal bad-ass. I like THAT kind of royalty.

Ari, my cool, tall glass of water neighbor, who is a bad-ass woman studies major just turned me onto an interesting website called Fallen Princesse (www.fallenprincesses.com )  where photographer Dina Goldstein did a series exploring the real-life outcome of the princesses found in fairytales.

One of the most iconic images of the series depicts a harried Snow White as housefrau:

Before you think I'm ungrateful, let me thank my Hamburg helper and fellow blogger, Eye for thinking of me. Thank-you. I'm happy to have found you and enjoy reading your blog. I hope others enjoy reading your blog too  (shameless plug):  http://www.aygenart.blogspot.com. But I am no princess. I much prefer power over pamper, and don't need a default handsome Prince to rescue me. Let me bestow upon all of you the sincere wish that you never need a prince to save you...because...GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

 

Another Meg to Dress Up

My pal Megan and her amazing blog (and legs) got a mention here at Refinery29.  Which doesn't surprise me because she has mad, mad style and always has a fresh spin on wearing the vintage. I know I've mentioned her before, but seriously, if you haven't added her to your blogroll, please take a moment and do it now. You can find her and her wonderful outfit posts on her blog: Another Day to Dress Up, via blogspot.

Hair Envy

I want this hair cut. This woman has so much gamine style, I can't help but love her. Of course, in my internet surfing frenzy, I forgot to note where I got this incredible picture, so if anybody knows, please tell me so I can give credit where credit is due. I love the bowl-cut style, the super clean lines of the hair-cut and the way it frames her lovely face. She gets bonus points for the killer eye-liner.

Click

JOYCE is delighted to announce a truly unique charity program in aid of UNICEF, a collaboration with critically-acclaimed fashion label Rodarte, luxury brand SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, and famous actress Maggie Cheung. Rodarte designers, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, have handmade four one-of-a-kind creations specifically for this charitable initiative. Each piece is inspired by Maggie Cheung and references one of her films: In the Mood for Love, Hero, Clean, and Heroic Trio. The four stunning pieces have been captured in a short film by Wing Shya with music by Peter Kam. For every click of the short film on YouTube from now to 31 March 2010, JOYCE will donate HK$1 to UNICEF.

Michael O'Comedy

 This cigar chomping gent is a pal o' mine who happens to be quite a funny guy. But looks aren't everything...(but-omp-bump) Kidding aside, Michael O'Connell REALLY is a funny guy. Which comes in handy when he's on stage, considering he's become a comedian.  He went onstage for the first time as a comic at the beginning of this year, for an comedy open mic, and he WON!

So far, he's won a few rounds of a local comedy competition at Tommy T's in Roseville, California. Lately he's been also frequenting one of my favorite downtown spots, Luna's Cafe, which has a comedy night every Wednesday, hosted by the incredibly handsome and witty Keith Lowell Jensen (and yes, he paid me to say that.)

When Michael isn't playing comic on stage, or smoking a cigar, he's probably writing. You can find him on a number of blogs, including his "official" website, MichaelOConnell.com. You can also read his late-night rantings on his "official" blog, Michael O'Blogger.  By now it's probably pretty obvious: Mike's a proud Irish-American. There are other obvious things, too, like what a natural he is on stage, doing his comedy bit.

For the local yokels, I really hope you get a chance to see him in action. 
You can view Michael O'Connell's upcoming shows on his comedy website, MichaelOComedy.com


For my out-of-towners, I took the liberty of posting a YOUtube video of a bit that was filmed from a recent show. Hope you like.

Blue Hairs

bluehair

1. n
   an old lady, especially one whose hair is tinted blue. : The cruise was nice but sort of dull because of all the bluehairs aboard.

Once upon a time, Blue Hairs were little old ladies who knitted scarves & slippers for their grand-children, tended roses and came in for tea. They sipped delicately out of family china and tittered like birds about the follies of youth. Nowadays, it's all mixed up. And I think in a good way.

 A "Blue Hair" nowadays just as easily references a person who has literally dyed their hair blue, ala punk-rock, peacock hues of blue, electric.

Oh, kids these days.

 And recently said kids are moving past the rockarolla and finding new ways to look bold. Take the latest trend of young fashionistas bleaching out their hair, beyond platinum. White hair seems to be the new/old blonde, and you'll find it on heads just a few dimes into a century. Some, such as the 14-year old wunderkind, Tavi G of the Style Rookie, excitedly dyed her hair a pale white/blue, resembling a very sprite old soul, and even dressing like a "Blue Hair,"  adorable granny style.

Once upon a time Blue Hairs were little old ladies who knitted scarves & slippers for their grandchildren, tended roses and came in for tea. 

But this little cupcake is not "old timey" in the least, but  a precocious fashion prodigy who is  fashion foward. Look it up in the dictionary under the definiton of "the future of fashion" and you'll probably find Tavi's picture. 

And speaking of the future, I predict you're going to LOVE my newest favorite fashion blog.  Stalking the stylish streets of New York, a certain Ari Cohen snaps pictures of the stylish folks who are, uh,  shall we say mature? Oh, and YOU know I'm loving this! As I've said before, one doesn't have to be a 14-year old model off duty to illustrate freaky-steely in our post-modern world. 

 

So let me introduce to you, the incredible street style blog of Advanced Style, where there is "proof from the wise and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age." You can be inspired daily at www.advancedstyle.blogspot.com

 

happiness....is a warm SUN

So happy. My first blog award, and from one of my favorite bloggers to boot. If you get a moment, check out Megg's blog, Another Day to Dress Up. She has the most adorable style, is a serious vintage maven and comes up with incredible outfits! No wonder she's on Lookbook, Chictopia, among others.


So part of the duties of a newly awarded Happy 101 blogger is to share ten things that you might not know about me, and that makes me happy. So here it goes, in no particular order: Happiness on a Stick in 10 easy sound-bites.
Sunshine. I love sunny days!  Sunlight always improves my mood.

1. Ice Cream. One of my favorite things in life is ice cream. YUM.
2. My dear ol' D. I met my sweet boyfriend when I was a very young girl, a freshman in college. While we've only been dating the last 2 plus years, I like the fact that we've known each other for over 25. We always have such a good time together: lots of laughs and always good food and conversations.
3. Dappled light. One of my favorite things ever is to ride my bike down the long stretch of avenues in Sactown, where grand old elms line the streets and provide the most wondrous dappled light. My heart sings with joy whenever I'm under such soft and variagated sunlight.
4. Wildflowers. My favorite flowers are those that bloom in some weedy environment, like a crack of a sidewalk. Or randomly in lawns:  tiny wild violets, and those lovely bell-like flowers that bloom every spring in everybody's front lawn. Whenever I see a life grasping a foothold and flourish, I am filled with happiness. 
5. Blue & White transfer ware. I LOVE to collect old china, all kinds: cups, saucers, pitchers, plates, as long as its in cobalt blue and white. Hand-painted or transfer ware, Blue Willow, Oriental Lily or random Delft, it don't matter, I love them all.  My house is filled to the brim with my lifetime obsession of porcelain. Even outside: whenever I break a dish, I can't bear to discard it, so I toss it out into my garden!
6. Movies. LOVE film. I do.
7. Coffee table books & magazines. I love to look through the pages of a beautifully illustrated book and glossy magazines. Few things in life are as relaxing as a cup of tea, or sip of spirit and the enjoyable viewing of bookish and beautiful eye-candy
8. Blogging. Really.
9. Caramel corn. Oh the guilty happiness found in a sweetened kernel. I loves me some caramel corn!
   
   I'd like to pass this Happy Blogger Award to some of my favorite bloggers: EQUINE BOVINE, wierzbowawitka, kiwaczkowe zycie, and Vlad the IMBlogger
   

So the Happy Blogger 101 Award goes to 5 wonderful bloggers:

My dear amiga, Kerry D of EQUINE BOVINE

 

The lovely Marta of wierzbowawitka

The vivacious Kasia of  kiwaczkowe zycie   

                                   

& last but NOT least, my high school chum, 

Vlado @ vladtheimblogger.blogspot.com

EDIT: I forgot to mention a fifth blogger! LOL. Well, Emily of Pamja Libra, are you up for it? Pamja Libra: the look book

I hope you take a moment and check out their latest rantings, and it makes YOU happy!

 

Mean Green

Lake Jubal

Kristy Green is one of those people who make you feel amazing the moment she sets her eyes on you. She is the type of soul who exist to savor life and the people in in hers. These pictures were taken in a  Roseville Goodwill thrift store, and while they do not capture all of our amazing scores there, I hope they convey a sense of joy, because that is how I felt shopping there with Kristy Green. 

She was wearing thee coolest T-shirt, a vintage cap-sleeve t-shirt that had fuzzy lettering in the front that spelled out: Visit Lake Jubal. Now before you google Lake Jubal, let me share with you the story Kristy relayed about her shirt. She didn't "find" it, nor did Kristy buy it. It had been given to her; she had had this shirt since she was a kid, and has loved it sooo much that she has kept it, like forever, and forever is at least a half of handful of decades, me thinks. 

Family friends had a country home with lots of land and they loved to invite their pals over to just hang out (I'm guessing this is the '70's) and there was a small wood, and some meadows, and in one of those meadows a huge indentation that would fill up with rain water during the rainy season and become a very large puddle. Well a funny friend had these T-shirts made up for the friends and family and visitors that would visit the Jubals (for that was their name), and the very large puddle that sometimes lived in a meadow became Lake Jubal.

  there was a small wood, and some meadows, and in one of those meadows a huge indentation that would fill up with rain water during the rainy season and become a very large puddle.

So this doesn't have much to do with fashion, but everything to do with clothes. The clothes we wear say something about the wearer.  Some people advertise labels, wearing their "luxury" branded scarves, bags, wallets, shoes, perfumes. Other advertise their values, politics or ethics by the choices made in what they wear. How things are worn, are also telling: some people value only the newest, the latest, the shiniest, while other folks value the memories preserved in a garment. Clothing says something. Sometimes most literally, like, "Visit Lake Jubal." And the message is loud & clear: style crafted from personal connection, and appreciation of not just the history of the garment, but the nostalgic memories of the person wearing it. Clothes may make the man, but the man makes the memories.

Ladybird & the LBD

Once upon a time there was a classy lass, and we'll call her Ladybird. Now Ladybird Johnston really enjoyed dressing up, but she didn't care much for trendy trends. She liked classic, and seemed very good at finding ways to dress up a good classic little black dress so it never looked boring. Ladybird detested boring. 

She opened up her closet and selected a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l vintage satin rose-embossed shift dress and put it on.

So on this day, which was a day that lived on the border between a California winter and a California spring day, was a rainy day, but that didn't stop our little Miss Ladybird! She opened up her closet and selected a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l vintage satin rose-embossed shift dress and put it on. She paired it with a simple strand of pearlies, some delectable floral fishnets and a 1960's era wool cloche hat. She grabbed the nearest jet-black vintage parasol/umbrella to protect her lovliness in case of a downpour. And she went out for a walk. 

The clouds, which up until this point had been rumbling overhead, and milling about like gloomy hooligans looking for lunch money, started to break up, and let some of the just-about-winter/almost spring sun come through and tip his hat to the lovely Miss Ladybird. The afternoon sky took on the hue of a blue watercolor. "Must be time for tea," she said as she made a bee-line towards her favorite tea-shop. "I'm feeling a bit for Ooolong."

Nothing beats the greys like a Little Black Dress.

''

Clothing provide and styled by the Citizen Rosebud

Model: Tracie "Ladybird" Johnston

Photo credits: Ernest Leyva

Ginger (SNAP)

Snapped this Ginger Grrl a while back all dolled up as a "Cherry Blossom Girl." Tracie is quite fun to photograph and looks great in vintage! Here she is again, looking a bit more contemporary, but you know what? (what?) Half this outfit IS vintage, and it's the best bits of her entire look.

Her top is a peach of a find, a lovely vintage bed jacket, with quilted cuffs and collar. Only these days, it seems a waste to confine it to the bedchamber, as it is perfect for looking adorable while running some errands. And that incredible bag is vintage too. The handbag belongs to our visiting model, and this Citizen had some serious bag envyover it. 

Tracie had a sweet story behind it too: it once belonged to her beloved grandma who was an avid knitter.  This was once one of her many knitter's bag, holding her latest knitting projects, some yarn and those knitting sticks (which I'm sure is not the correct term for them.) But in this day and age, a former bed-jacket and retired craft bag make wonderful additions to  our day-to-day attire.

Citizen Rosebud model: Tracie Johnston

Photo credits: Ernest Leyva

Cobalt Creatures

The right of Spring. The creature above is an invitation to bloom madly this March.  Are you feeling it? My closet is slowly veering from wooly & practical greys, blacks, and staid black/white prints to a slow burning explosion of color. Pinks. Emeralds. Cobalts. Florals, Tribal-prints, and Miami Vice pastels and gasp! Denim. Two words: Pencil-leg Over-alls. I'll let you discuss it amongst yourselves.

Color Makes Me Happy

Plucked from the internet, these colorful creatures and place make me certain that life is good.

Crazy Heart

Meet the B.F.F. 

Her name is Kelly Moore and she's been styling since 1988. Well, that's when I met her. We struck up a friendship because we liked each other's boots. Pretty much all I wore back then, cowboy boots or Doc Marten's. Good times. My ankles never saw the light of day for over a decade. 

Although we have very different styles, we do share an ardent love for "costuming," which goes beyond fashion. And over the years, we've watched each other's style evolve and change. She's been a most careful witness to many of my fashion don'ts! 

No stranger to style herself, Kelly is too busy to start her own "What-I-wore" blog, which is a shame because in real life she looks a bit like a movie starlet

No stranger to style herself, Kelly is too busy to start her own "What-I-wore" blog, which is a shame because in real life she looks a bit like a movie starlet and LOVES to dress up. But Ms. Moore is too busy being an High School teacher (She teaches honors English and Creative Writing,) and raising her two beautiful teen-aged girls. And, I suspect, in spite of her re-known vanity, is afraid of the camera. 

So it falls upon yours truly to squeeze a few photos of her and some of her starlet style. These were taken last night outside the Shady Lady and the Back Door.

What are you wearing?

     "I am wearing a peacock blue cami from Express and a sweater by "Monique" from the cute section upstairs in Macy's. My jeans are by Seven, and my boots are from Nordstom's. They are Fryes, but I don't remember the style's name. I like my boots best...because I love boots! (And these boots make every outfit cute."

What are you biggest style influences?

     "My southern roots influence my style the most. lately, I've been listening to old country: Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Charlie Price. you just wanna throw on a good pair of boots after you listen to that music."

Oh yeah, we both share a love for Frye boots. So I moseyed on over to the Frye website (thefryecompany.com) and looked up her style of boot. I believe the name of them is the Jane Stitch. The Jane 14 L Stitch to be exact, and you can order them here. I also did a little window shopping at the Frye store, and picked out some other selections that would work great with her  Crazy Heart  country-themed ensemble.  A side of Fryes, hold the bacon:

 

1) Catrin Trapunto in brown. 2) Hutch Pull-On in blue.  3) Erin Workboot in natural.

The Shady Lady. The Back Door. The Peach in Sequins.

The Shady Lady. The Back Door. I had such a good time visiting these two  speak-easy styled joints, that I went back to both the next night. Both harken back to the prohibition: one in a very elegant grand style, the other in a dog-eared, been-there-a-thousand-years sort of way. Both serve up a mean drink, and TONS of atmosphere. I dolled up old-timey both nights, and fit right in with the decor at The Shady Lady. Of course I didn't take any decent photos of my outfits, and I promise you, will re-enact the outfits for your future enjoyment. That being said, this little Citizen had a blast all weekend with some very dear friends. 

And maybe made a couple of new ones. The Shady Lady is a great spot to sip and people watch. The crowd just looks handsomer than most Sac-town watering holes. The food menu is sharp and the drinks menu, all made from scratch and with top shelf liquor is top notch. My favorite sip so far is called the Horse's Neck and it's concocted of home-made ginger syrup, a lemon twist and some delicious brand of whiskey which I slowly enjoyed and whose name I quickly forgot. 

Another great people watching place is the historical Back Door in Old Town Sacramento. This place has been there forever, set like a dusty gem in a cobble-stoned back alley, the saloon styled bar is smothered with moody red boudoir-esque wallpaper and the persistent renditions of lounge singer, Lee Diamond. He sings to a pre-recorded music track, resembling cracked-out, glammed-up kereaoke, always too loud, and yet somehow manages to muster charm in his croonings. The drink that suits this environ best for me, is the Amaretto Sour, and I sipped plenty both nights. 

One doesn't have to be a 14-year old model off duty to illustrate freaky-steely in our post-modern world.

Just as my gal-pal, Kelly and I were heading out for the night, I was bedazzled by a set of silver-haired foxes and their dates. Three wonderful looking Golden Girls with silver hair teased and done up, wearing perfectly executed make-up, were outfitted to impress. They looked like they were built for fun, and it made my night to watch them. The ladies were dolled up expertly for a night club, with  tons shiny gold and sparkles, and I fell head-over heels over the doll who was wearing a sequin enhanced peach colored one-piece pant-suit. Now you know Ms Bella loves here onesies, and here I'm seeing one being perfectly rocked by a Lady of Sterling.

The whole group was dressed smartly, coming from a generation that DRESSES UP TO GO OUT. And I wish my little age demographic would follow their lead. I went over to their table to ask to take their picture, and the ladies were delightfully willing to pose for my camera. My photos came out terribly, and do not do justice to their spirit or their style, but I'm going to post two anyway, just so you get the gist that style knows no age limits. One doesn't have to be a 14-year model off duty to illustrate freaky-steely in our post-modern world. 

Of course, I was so nervous asking them to pose for me, I forgot to ask their names! I can only hope to run into them again some future Back Door adventure.    

So here are the ladies. These photos simply do not do them justice. Of course I didn't get a good pic of their entire outfits, which is a pity. They looked so good! The Peach was my fave, she just sparkled and not just because of her sequin trim on her peach onesie. She had a the certain something that just lit up the room. You can't see it, but she posed so perfectly here too, totally at ease in front of the camera. 

 

The other ladies were pretty rocking too. The shy one, the one in the great geometric print didn't really want to pose, and was trying to sit it out, but she was game once I begged her. She wore simple elegant black slacks and pumps, pure class. And I LOVED the lady in all black. I think it was the sight of her belt that made me want to shoot them. It may have been a one-piece or a simple ensemble of a black top with pants, but here killer black belt with a shiny gold buckle slayed me. She knew how to dress for evening!

(Thank you ladies, for letting me take your picture. I wished more dames dressed it up like you!)