THE CITIZEN INDEX

Friday, July 30, 2010

Summertime Plaid

 My boyfriend calls me his sunflower.
 
 

 
 

 Now Wearing:
  • 1980's ramie-blend plaid blazer, Salvation Army
  • Buffalo plaid halter, clearance at Target
  • Deadstock vintage L.e.i. short shorts, Thrift Town
  • Porkchop Rules, Zodiac ring, Crimson & Clover
  • Vintage '50's metallic blue purse, Goodwill
  • BASS crimson pony-hair clogs, Thrift Town
 
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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Show & Tell

I'd like to share with you, two recent pictures of my home-girls, Eye & Marta, friends I've made since blogging who both have wonderful individual style. Of course, I've mentioned them before, even fact, I've interviewed both, here and here.

Eye, of Orchid Style shows off her rockabilly look. It rocks. Billy.
My friend Marta likes stripes, polka dots & florals. They also seem to like her. A LOT.
Both are beautiful women with fantastic style. And it thrills me that I can see what they are up to a million miles away in my Sacramento nest. Hello Poland! (Witam Polska) Hello Germany! (Hallo Deutschland) You are beautiful!

On a local note, I'm hoping to catch the "Dollar Days" sale at my vintage store crush, Crimson & Clover. Yep, you heard it. They are putting vintage out for sale FOR A DOLLAR! That's like they're paying me to shop, eh? Hope my "Blue Danube" shirt is still there, and on sale for a dollar. I am hoping to go tonight, when I get home from work, as they are open until 7 pm tonight (Thursday) and 8 pm tomorrow (Friday.) And word on the street they just might be.....

At LAUNCH, a music/art/fashion/design fest coming this Saturday night to the Artisan in Del Paso Heights.  I am so excited! Click here for more information.

Well, that's my show & tell for the day, I hope you like. Wishing you all a very wonderful Thursday.
13 comments:

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Here's my style inspiration of the week:  flowers doing their thing in and around my neighborhood.

Not much is going on for me this week, or rather TOO much, as I've been nursing a 3 day migraine. OUCH. 

On a happier note, I'd like to thank all you wonderful folks who read and follow this blog. I just noticed that I passed the 100 count on Blogger, 120 to be exact. Seems like last week when i was puffing away at 80, so A BIG WELCOME and THANK-YOU to all the people who've recently add me to their blog-rolls. I SO appreciate each and every one of you and all of your kind, positive & friendly comments!  To celebrate, I think I'll be hosting my first Citizen Rosebud give-away, so stay tuned!

And while you're tuning, let me ask you: what's your inspiration lately? 
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Blue Danube

Why I didn't buy this shirt, I really don't know. Revewing the rather extenstive collection of photos taken with Kerry at our last visit to Crimson & Clover, I ran across these pictures, of your humble narrator doing a happiness waltz in a lovely vintage french blue and white stripe seersucker shirt with lace trim. WAS I CRAZY? How could I NOT have purchased this shirt? 

Oh, yeah, I was TRYING TO BE GOOD. I was trying to keep my impulse under control. Bad, bad impulse, making me want to want to buy this adorable shirt with a blue so flattering to my skin tone. Well, if the shirt is still there this Friday, I just might not make the same mistake twice.

Crimson & Clover
1617 16th St
Sacramento, CA 95814

For those of you who are already big Crimson & Clover fans, let me ask of you a favor. Please write a review on Yelp about your experience shopping Crimson & Clover. Click here to write an honest review of the awesomeness that is Crimson & Clover. To date, there are only 4 reviews about this kick-ass vintage and specialty boutique; let's put Crimson & Clover on the map as the best vintage shop in Sactown.

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Monday, July 26, 2010

blogger/ MUSE: the Citizen


"Style is the perfection 
of a point of view."
                  -Richard Eberhart

When I was in 3rd grade, I wrote out a list of clothing I wanted my mom to make for me. The key article of clothing on the list was a bright yellow linen double-breasted pants suit. I was very specific: YELLOW. LINEN. DOUBLE- BREASTED. I'm not going to to go into the reasons I felt I needed this in my young life. I lived in my head, and I wanted to dress who I envisioned was the real me, who apparently needed a yellow linen pants suit.


My mother, not realizing how keen (or specific) my vision was, made me a yellow POLYESTER version of my vision instead. I WAS MORTIFIED. She probably figured for practical reasons polyester worked better on the playground. But Polyester had no room in the  wardrobe of my interior world. I needed LINEN. It took me 20 years to realize that yellow linen double-breasted pants suits aren't the typical fantasies for 3rd graders. 

I LOVE costume. I love the ability to express oneself in clothing. To convey the inner workings, the inner life of the costumer by a dash of color, a glint of sparkle, a hint of rouge. And I'm quite fond of clothes. I like a good cut, a strong silhouette and beautiful fabrics. And I could spend all day playing dress-up.



Even when the looks don't rate well on Lookbook.nu, or Chictopia. Or Weardrobe. In fact, I have almost zero fans, and very few "hypes." But I like the way I dress. And I dress myself FOR myself. I like a quirky take on a classic item.

Like a LINEN dress. And this striped dress is such a joy. Cool, loose and comfy, it is the perfect slip-on for a hot summer day. And this day of the photo-shoot was a scorcher. 

Instead of jewelry I like to wear buttons. So I sew buttons all over everything. Like this dress. And there's one my crazy '60's floral broaches that I wear like a Latina version of little Edie Bouvier of Grey Gardens.

So by using a few different accessories and the same linen dress, I had some fun being inspired by some of my friend's blogger style. Lots of layered accessories and, mixed prints and platforms like Jemina; Big hats and little boots like the girl from Isquisofrenia, and yet still my style is my own.


My style is much more pared down to essentials than my beloved stylish blogger friends, Jemina and Isquisofrenia. I'm a plainer Jane. These shoes are classic Citizen Rosebud finds: scored at a thrift store, they are mint,  from Clark's limited edition "Artisan" line of shoes. Rich leather, hand-stitched, in a slightly funky shape. I LOVE THEM. They are, like yours truly, an "everyday eccentric."

The people I admire don't dress like me. They dress like themselves. And that's what I love about fashion. It's a venue for everybody to express themselves. It's a language written in the weave of your dress. So, I ask you, what does your style say about you? Who, or what, inspires YOUR style?

Now Wearing:
  • Polka-dot scarf/ headband, thrifted
  • Clear plastic sunglasses, Target
  • Button-embellished linen dress, the Citizen's own
  • 1960's vintage b/w floral broach, Crimson & Clover
  • Clark's, black leather heels, thrifted (Thrift Town)
22 comments:
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Sunday, July 25, 2010

On the Street

 These girls have great style, don't you think? The cutie-pie in the shorts is my pal, Lindsay. She's one of the sweetest people you could possibly meet AND happens to be an incredible clothing designer. Currently you can find some of her designs at Crimson & Clover, and in her Etsy shop: LindsayLindsay23.

Lindsay's friend, Karolina is visiting her from Sweden. She too, has mad style. I love her tiered black w/white trim ruffled skirt, her shredded T, and her Converse high-high hi-tops. She also had a cool accent that was lilted and lovely and vaguely British. 
Here are some of the few  things I know about Sweden:
 
And here's a sweet little link about Swedish culture.
 
This is Karolina in black & white. Shows off her Swedish cheekbones. 
 
And this is a still from The Seventh Seal. 
(the Art-house American in me just love Ingmar Bergman)

 This here is an example of Lindsay's designs: 
 (makes me crave some Swedish Fish!)
Jag älskar mig några svenska Fisk!
 
(courtesy of: Swedish Music)
21 comments:
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Saturday, July 24, 2010

blogger/muse: ISQUISOFRENIA

"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things."
                     -Jean Cocteau


I freakin' LOVE this girl! She's fresh, electric & real. BUT I would NEVER in a million years guess that Isquisofrenia's rock-n-roll style could translate comfortably into my own wardrobe. I'm more, uh tightly woven, compared to her loose weave. But I did it. And I had fun!


Isquisofrenia is tousled hair, big hats, lots of leg and little boots. And LOADS of California heat. She is never far from a rockin' pair of sunglasses, and favors all things rock-n-roll. So I incorporated a big beat-up vintage hat, an oversized pair of round black sunglasses, and some boots that reminded me hers: 



Now Wearing: 
  • 1950's vintage black straw hat with polka dot scarf, thrifted
  • Button-embellished linen dress, the Citizen's own
  • Plastic "tortoise shell" cuff, F-21
  • Silver (w/ recycled vinyl record) ring, Wildflower Boutique
  • Ruby & Bloom chelsea boots, thrifted (Thrift Town)
(Isquisofrenia's photos courtesy of her blog)
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Friday, July 23, 2010

blogger/muse: Jemina Jakins

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."
                                    -Gore Vidal
Have you ever admired a blogger's style while thinking: I could never pull that off, or dress like that? Well, I challenged myself to style a dress in the ways of two of my favorite bloggers AND in my original style. I used items I already had in my closet, and normally wear, but chose to add the elements in such a way to pay an homage to my amigas of style. Are you ready? 


The most recent of my blogger muses is the incredible Jemina Jakin of Singapore, Indonesia. I've mentioned her before, and for good reason. She is not only one of the warmest, friendliest souls you could virtually meet, she has the bitchin-est, maddest style anywhere. And she can dress up or down, high-fashion, or recessionista chic like nobody's business. Prettiest woman on the planet, too.
It is not surprising that she's been receiving accolades from all over the bloggosphere. She's been featured on Weardrobe, Hypeed and has received a handful of blogger awards. What is surprising is that she is just starting out. Her FIRST blog post is dated in the beginning of June of this year!

This is my homage to the style gem that is Jemina: 

Mixed prints, platforms and lots of accessories make for a fun ensemble. The animal print shoes and scarf seem like something Jemina would wear. I also wore a pair of larger than normal sunglasses with shiny gold corners as a reference to Jemina's lux, chic style. 

Now Wearing:
  • Polka dot head scarf, thrifted
  • Brown/Gold sunglasses, F-21
  • Various necklaces
  • Button-embellished striped linen dress, the Citizen's own
  • Vintage silk leopard print scarf, Cuffs
  • Plastic "tortoise-shell" cuff, F-21
  • Leopard print platform wedges, thrifted (Thrift Town)
(Jemina's photos courtesy of Jemina)
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