Graphic Novel

Black & white graphic prints are just my go-to look, I suppose. I like the impact of a strong graphic print, and the play of patterns, especially in black and white. I'm sporting a MAJOR vintage score: a rare, reversible 1980's cotton windbreaker in a vertical B & W stripes on one side,  AND a cute kitten print on the reverse. The cats are so cute! It is pretty comical, really, and you can't help but be in a good mood when you wear this windbreaker.  I like the novelty.

Black & white graphic prints are just my go-to look, I suppose.

I was having so much fun trying to pose in this outfit in the studio, that Ladybird Mango, this sweet B&W puppy that I'm dog-sitting, kept coming up to play with me and got herself in the picture.  I think Ladybird's was a perfect match for my pattern play.  With kittens frisking on the print inside my jacket, I guess it makes perfect sense that a puppy would be frisking at my feet.

Now Wearing:

• Vintage '80's reversible cotton windbreaker, SPCA Thrift Store
• Silk Graphic print camisole, Target (clearance)
• Joe's, Dark rinse denim straight leg jeans, Macy's
• Graphic Tote, Forever 21
• Gladiator heels, Target

The Cruelest Month

LILACS. MEMORY. DESIRE. DULL ROOTS. SPRING RAIN.

Goodbye, April.

Why do you love the things you love?

These images culled, via world-wide-web caught my fancy this month. Beautiful patterns, vivid colors, strong graphics, all harbor one thing: SPRING. What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow...inspiration into a well-executed wardrobe? WILL IT BLOOM THIS YEAR? These fashion mavenistas show you that sometimes, a caught fancy is simply fabulous.

Photo credits: Alice Point, Wayne Tippets Photography, Radar Magazine, Wayne Tippetts

Me & Mrs Jones: Interview with Leproust Vintage

Meet Kristin Jones from Nashville. She shares her home with her husband Robin, her dog Desmond, and a whole lot of vintage.

A long-time avid collector of vintage, Kristin is fairly new to the blogging scene, but she hit the ground running with a fresh & charming blog called Leproust Vintage. It's been so successful that it actually got her into the vintage business, and she has since opened up an etsy shop which keeps her very busy.

But being merely busy isn't enough for the lovely Mrs. Jones.  She likes things CRAZY busy so she's been filling up her month with stylist duties, fashion shows, AND a recent collaboration with Market Publique which premieres April 27th.  It is a premium 18-piece collection of uber-cool vintage pieces selected to take your breath away.  The Leproust Vintage items are definite "must-haves" for vintage lovers. Her Market Publique collection can be seen here.

The name for her blog and her shop came from her love of the memories associated with wearing clothes, and how each vintage piece comes with its own history. The way that Marcel Proust famously savored that madeleine, is the way Kristin Jones savors her vintage. I was lucky enough for Kristen to take some time out of her busy schedule and  "sit down" for an interview. 

Where do you live, and where are you from? 
Currently I live in Nashville, Tennessee with my husband Robin and my spastic dog Desmond. I am originally from the tiny town of Piqua, Ohio.
 
How long have you been blogging, and what inspired you to start your blog? 
I started my blog in July 2009, so I have been blogging for approximately 8 months. Whew! 8 months has flown by! I started blogging as I was so inspired from so many of the fashion blogs that I read everyday. I love being creative in the dressing process, and I love being able to share that with such a wonderful online community interested in the same thing.

Name some blogs that YOU admire, that inspire you.  

Right now I really love, and am incredibly inspired by Tieka of Selective Potential, Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky, Jen of Jen Loves Kev, Erin of Calivintage, Meryl of Clydes's Rebirth, and Rachel of Mousevox Vintage.

What do you do for a living? What do you do for fun?
I am actually a Speech Pathologist full time. 

In addition, I have my etsy shop. I 've  had a few exciting projects this month,  styling a runway show, and covering some fashion events for some websites. I would love to work in the future as a wardrobe stylist and fashion journalist either part or full time.

What do you do for fun?

For fun I like to exercise, cook, spend time with my husband, friends, and family, shop, watch movies, and read. Oh, and drink wine! :)

Who is your biggest fan?
Hands down, my husband Robin and best friend Courtney. They both have been so supportive and encouraging. Robin often photographs my outfits, and puts up with me staying up half the night trying to maintain my blog and shop while working full time! 

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
London! I have always wanted to visit London. Plans to visit in the fall are in the works as we speak...

Who is your biggest influence in your outlook on life?
I hate to keep talking about Robin, but he truly is my biggest influence. He is incredibly laid back and positive, yet driven and motivated at the same time.

WHO/WHAT are your biggest fashion/style influences.
Asian street fashion is my biggest influence. In addition, I love street style blogs and independent fashion blogs.

If you could give the world anything, what would it be? 
Complete equality. Equality of benefits, wealth, rights, everything.

What will you be wearing this summer? 
Lots of floral prints, lace, neutrals, high waist skirts and jeans, very high wedges, and clogs.

 
Tell me 3 trends that you like seeing, and would like to incorporate into your wardrobe.
I am loving the 1970s trends right now....clogs, platform wedges, and high waist denim.

   

Tell me something about yourself, that I might not know.
hmm..I am incredibly tall (5'10) and I LOVE wearing high heels that make me even taller! 

"I LOVE being creative in the dressing process"

Who's your favorite artist? 

Music wise, it is currently Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Actual art wise, I love a local artist in Columbus, Ohio named Paul Robinette.

Coffee, Tea, or both? 

COFFEE!! All the time! Black French press to be exact.

If you were a flower, what kind of flower would you be?

Hydrangeas...I love them!

If you haven't already, do yourself a flavor and visit Leproust Vintage. 

Shiny

"Everything's shiny, Cap'n. Not to fret"

This is what I wore yesterday. Liked it so much I wore it again today. Varied it a little: yesterday it came with grey leather cowboy boots, today it's worn with black leggings and flats. Threw on an old Forever 21 femme trench off I went to run some errands. 

The dress is a fashion find, a brand new, tags attached INC grey jersey knit dress with a bubble hem. It has a super cool industrial brass zipper in the back. It is so loose and comfy, I think I could sleep in it (well, at least nap.) I embellished the dress with vintage buttons. Sewed on big shiny, pearly buttons around the neck-line, and pockets. Many were mother-of-pearl buttons, one was even chrome! Added my favorite bling: a 1950's era sun-burst rhinestone broach, a rhinestone cocktail ring from Cheap Thrills, as well as some sparkly pins added to the coat. ONE pair of clear Ray-Ban style sunglasses from Target (for $12.99), and I felt brilliant.

Close-up of some details can be seen here.

The importance of being Ernest

Right before yesterday's nap, I took some snaps of my spiffy neighbor, Ernest. He's got the biggest, warmest smile this side of American river, and some of the best all-black street style I've seen in a long while. He was all dressed up for working a show (he's a musician, could ya guess?) and agreed to let me take some pics in our alley way. Ernest is definitely NOT camera shy. Last March he was featured on a Sacramento blog called Citizen2010 (no relation to the Rosebud..) when he was at a protest at the Capitol with his girlfriend, Ari protesting recent budget cuts in education. You can see it for yourself right here.

Ernest is definitely NOT camera shy.

Meanwhile enjoy these streetstyle shots of my snazzy friend!

 

Crazy Spring makes Me Sprung

Gentle Readers: 

My day was filled with sooo many good intentions. Wanted to clean house, walk the dog, take some photos, and get some items up in the etsy shop (been meaning to do this for months, now)  do some laundry, and go thrifting. Well aside from a DELICIOUS late afternoon nap, the only thing checked off the list is the latter. The very latter. The thrifting. 

Yes. quite a jaunt. A new/old friend of mine and I took a little trip to the lovable town of Woodland, California and hit their thrift stores. All along the main street you'll find a handful of thrift shops scattered randomly about. There's usually a half-off sale going on someplace, or all places, and if you're lucky, which I usually am, you'll find arm-loads of goodies for pennies on the dollar. 

Today: not-so-lucky. My haul was modest: a linen top, a vintage b/w print polyester shirt, a pair of brand new leopard print wedges. 

Until....we hit the town of Wessie, and little Ms. Sunshine hit paydirt at the Goodwill! The piece-de-resistance? (ok, I didn't resist, much) A GEE-ORGIOUS 1950's vintage oatmeal colored wool cape with a double decker fur collar.        
L-O-V-E-L-Y.  Of course, one can't wear this until next winter, but I'm patient! Actually I'm not, but Sactown is too warm to try to pull off thick wool anything, much less put it on.

Here's where I should post the pictures of my vintage treasure, AND today's outfit. 

< insert photo here>

But I took a nap instead, a long, drowsy, sun-soaked, cat and puppy heaped-up-on-me, nap. 

It was a very good day.

There's always tommorrow. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll show you some of my finds. 

xo. -Bella Q

(photo: New York Times)

Black & Tan

I needed an easy outfit for a day of errands. Black cotton GAP dress from a couple of summer ago, got a new life with a raised hem. There's subtle layering, with a vintage lace cami, and a black & white print full skirt, and the outfit gets a boost of warmth with caramel colored leather shoes and accessories. I've been waiting to wear these shoes for months now, they were quite the score: vintage tan leather monk shoes, in MY size! For good measure, I added a matching thin belt and coordinating vintage bag, and zoom, zoom! I'm outta here! Ciao!

"the outfit gets a boost of warmth with caramel colored leather shoes and accessories"

Now Wearing:

• GAP Black cotton dress, hemmed. The GAP
• Christian Dior, vintage lace-trimmed camisole, thrifted
• Apt. 9, black & white abstract print full skirt, thrifted
• Accessories: Vintage tan leather belt, purse & "monk" shoes, thrifted

P.S. POLKA DOT. Jill the woman behind the blog, Polka Dot Streetstyle from London, is working with American Apparel to showcase a new product from AA fresh from the sweatshop-free factory in L.A. The new product is riding pants, and Madame Polka Dot did a terrific job with a fresh face on the streets of London.  The model and the pants look sleek and classy, a bit of a change of pace for AA who seems to like their models tart. I kinda wish they'd use more sweet images like this one:

(Photo courtesy of Polka Dot. You can see the original post here)

From Barn to Evening- Interview with Elea Carey

 St. Elmo's Fire. Meet Elea Carey. She's a proud mom, an adoring wife, a writer and an eco-friendly. She also just started blogging 3 months ago, and her blog is called What to Wear From Barn to Evening. In it, she waxes about the goings-on in her beloved Kitsap County, real-life dressing, eco-fashion, and designs that put their emphasis on sustainable practices. So far, my favorite blog posts start with the heading: Match this Kitsap Palette. What usually follows is a photo taken in her beautiful rural Pacific Northwest community, and a picture of an outfit that is inspired by the color scheme. 

In one of her earliest posts she explained what inspired her style and the name of her blog:  her sister once described her active, rural dress as "not from office to evening but from barn to evening." Elea writes, "Where I live, in Poulsbo, we're in mud nine or ten months of the year. Very few of the fine clothes I see in fashion magazines are suitable for life in the mud."

She was kind enough to let me interview her, and I found out some interesting things. Like I could call her Elmo. That she's a fiction writer. And that she & I both attending SF State University around the same time. It's small little green world, sometimes, isn't it?

Where do you live, and where are you from?

I live north of Poulsbo, Washington, US, in a beautiful valley near the Hood Canal. When the sun shines, which is not often enough, it is the most beautiful place I've ever lived.

I am from somewhere very different: Memphis, Tennessee.  Memphis is consumed with what what-to-wear; Poulsbo? Not so much. In Poulsbo, people are more interested in being comfortable in the rain and mud. Barn-to-Evening rose out of the contradiction of my clothes-conscious, Memphis-self living in the Pacific Northwest. New York, San Francisco, Puerto Rico, Albuquerque: everywhere I've lived between Memphis and Poulsbo has contributed to my style.

How long have you been blogging, and what inspired you to start your blog?

I am embarrassed to say I've only been blogging about three months. I was inspired to start blogging to keep a record of what I was wearing, in an effort to dress better. That quickly got boring, plus, my pictures were awful, so I began to write about what other people were wearing in this environment.
 .

Name some blogs that YOU admire, that inspire you.

So many! And it changes all the time.... But in addition to the folks who are doing good works, like the bloggers at Huffington Post and Death Row Diary, there's 

• It's Sew My Style 
• Evoleur
• It's My Darlin Seattle Street Style

What do you do for a living? What do you do for fun?

For a "living," I'm a mom. My children are my life. My art is fiction writing. For fun? Well, I just started this fashion blog....

"in Poulsbo, where I live, mud -- we experience for nine or ten months of the year. Very few of the fine clothes I see in fashion magazines are suitable for life in the mud."

Who is your biggest fan?

My biggest fan for the last twenty years has been my husband. I could never repay him for the love and support he's shown me.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Like my daily reads, this changes all the time. But this morning my younger son expressed an interest in Venice, Italy, and said he'd like to go there. In addition to LOVING Venice -- sounds more apt in Spanish: Venice me encanta, it enchants me -- I'd go with said younger son in the drop of a hat because Venice interests him despite the fact that he has never played a Venice-oriented video game.
.

Who is your biggest influence in your outlook on life?

My children!  Everything I do for myself, I'm actually just doing for them.

WHO/WHAT are your biggest fashion/style influences.

People: Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, and my paternal grandmother, Ethel Elizabeth Poindexter Carey.

Fashion-makers: Coach and Carhartt. Yes, seriously. My idea outfit would be Coach top and shoes or boots, Charhartt work pants and a couple of peacock feathers stuck in my hair.

Natural Influences: Peacocks and minks.

If you could give the world anything, what would it be?

What a sweet question. I'd give the world the knowledge that, as Saint Julian said, All will be well and all will be well and all manner of things will be well. 

.

What are you doing to make this world a better place? What would you like to be doing?

Another sweet question! I'm not doing enough. But in my little way, I go organic whenever possible, I try to keep my carbon emissions low (in 2009 I only traveled by train, no flying), and I try to keep peaceful with my kids. I write fiction, which heals the psyche; I correspond with my friend Bill, who is on death row.

What will you be wearing this summer?

This summer I'm going to wear some awesome, white, over-sized men's shirts and I'm going to get a tan no matter what anyone says. I think when you live in the Pacific Northwest, you should try to get as much sun as possible.

Tell me 3 trends that you like seeing, and would like to incorporate into your wardrobe.

(1) I'm hoping the waist of pants will continue upward. Not to empire-heights, but just a glamorous Lauren Bacall level.

(2) I'm hoping people will continue to pronounce "empire" correctly.

(3) And I know I'm in the minority here, but I really like the spring sandals with a classy sock.

Tell me something about yourself, that I might not know.

As a child, I broke ponies to ride.

Who's your favorite artist?

Anton Chekhov.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be the person who supports the family.

Coffee, tea or other? If other what:

Two or three large cups of green tea, followed by a double shot of espresso from the Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse. 

If you were a flower, what kind of flower would you be?

A Citizen Rosebud! I love the rigor of "citizen," which sounds almost Soviet, and the loveliness of "rosebud." A very Barn-to-Evening combination!

For those who like the Barn-to-Evening style & philosophy, Elea created an online e-store via Amazon.com. Her online shop offers the selective buyer eco-conscious items that you may not be able to get locally.  Elea decided to open an Amazon.com store "because there are things my Kitsap County readers can't buy locally," (like organic undies) "and things my, let's say Romanian, readers can't get in Bucarest, like Carhartt's." So her Amazon store provides choice items that are carefully selected for value, quality and sustainability. And you can order them when needed, whenever, where-ever, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Shop Barn-to-Evening:The BARN-to-Evening Store

And, if you'd like to learn more about Elea Carey and her green passion, check at her blog here.

Sacramento stand-up comic sits -- in a wheelchair - Sacramento Living - Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee

Sacramento stand-up comic sits -- in a wheelchair - Sacramento Living - Sacramento Food and Wine, Home, Health | Sacramento Bee

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Inspiration: Edgy Edie

Edie Sedgwick would have turned 67 today. 
That is, IF she hadn't died by age 28. 

Born April 20, 1943, Edie is still a style icon, known mostly for her brief turn as as a MUSE in Warhol's factory. Officially an "It Girl" and declared a bona fide "youthquaker" by Vogue magazine in 1965, Edie's short life captured the times of the tumultuous '60's. It is not her tragic end we choose to remember but the beginnings of her 15 minutes, her bout with fame in her bright blond youth. Her unique style (the silvered hair, the unitards, the chandelier ear-rings) that make Edie's edginess still seem fresh and relevant today.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Roz of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee, I now know who the edgy angel is in the boater hat, big glasses and sheer polka dot top from previous post! Her name is Pandora and she's a french babe with a blog. YOU WILL WANT TO CHECK HER BLOG OUT-- SHE HAS MAD STYLE! Miss Pandora

Inspiration: Boater, Big Glasses and the Perfect Grrl

Where did this photo come from? I'm sure I took it from a street-style fashion blog. Wayne Tippets? Polka Dot? the Streethearts? For the life of me, I can not remember, but I do remember uttering a big sigh when I caught sight of her. PERFECTION. She is funky, sweet looking and so friggin' stylish. Wearing essential elements of the moment: a straw boater (the hat of the summer), sexy big glasses, a rad white suit, "boyfriend" jacket, sheer top, lace trim, polka dots. In short she IS  fashion, summer of 2010, without the slightest hint of try-to-hard. She looks fresh, and makes it all seem so effortless.

Pamplemoose

I tend to like things a bit weedy. Can't help myself, I like life with a bit of history stamped on it. So old worn things, rusty things, paint peeling and patina things hold charm for me. I've been house-sitting mi mamacita's casa, and the old backyard has turned a bit seedy & overgrown, but springtime seems to have thrown a green lush blanket over the whole place.  I am enthralled by the weedy tumble. It's as it life is saying, we can not be stopped. In spite of the fact that the gardener is in Spain, the roses are blooming, potato-vine is covered in tiny bluish-white flowers, the fig, apple and persimmon tree are busting out their floral finery, and the grapefruit is groaning from the weight of a bumper crop of sweet ruby red grapefruit.

I too, feel a bit over-grown, weedy but unstoppable. Wearing one of many outfits featuring black & white polka-dots, I am soaking up the spring sunshine like a flower in full bloom.

Wearing:

• Vintage '60's black jacket w/ pleated collar, courtesy of EQUINE BOVINE
• Rayon polka-dot print "onesie" shorts romper, Target
• Black Tights, Target
• Steve Madden patent leather T-strap heels, Piperlime
• Vintage Lucite cameo broach, Fringe