THE NEW MANUAL

boys in blazers

2010-05-06T16:59:00.000-04:00

boys! in blazers!

zeke and the fish.

pedro in blazer, joey in flannel, owning the dance floor.

afro, blazer, vest, perfect purple tie: pedro.

allison: dilatory

2010-04-20T18:39:00.003-04:00

i just wanted to show off my friend's skill at making gorgeous clothing...

allison's blog/links to her etsy store

allison wu. sometimes menswear inspired, i guess, and just generally fabulous. allison was in beijing with me in the fall and i believe she bought some of her fabric there for her most recent pieces. i wore her clothes with several of our other friends in a school fashion show which i'll blog more about later.

in addition to making pretty clothing that is made to be actually worn, allison also has great personal style. knee socks? weird puffy plaid skirts from a haggle market in beijing? oversized sweaters? she does it all perfectly.

i get to walk for allison again in a few weeks, and this line is themed around sideways and upside-down clothes!

here's some of the gang at the march fashion show, photos courtesy of photographer and friend gloria tsan.

allison in the middle!

jackson towers

2010-04-20T18:26:00.001-04:00

dinner party. wow, these pictures are several months old...oh well.

norma on the phone, navy blue dress and boots.

chef emily rocking an apron and miniskirt in the kitchen

i'm wearing a disturbingly yellow dress from a neighborhood church rummage sale. it has lace cutouts on the back and also came with a shoulderpadded short-sleeved jacket! extreme...too extreme for me to wear as a set until i'm about 60 years old.

marie and lizzie, pondering in glitter and blue and black.

striped glynis and plaid flannel todd.

the general scene

princess day

2010-04-20T18:18:00.001-04:00

this ancient denim skirt is so flouncy i always feel like a ridiculous princess wearing it. a cowboy princess?

cheap old heels, big h&m shirt, messy bedroom.

new apartment

2010-04-20T18:14:00.001-04:00

we had a lot of decorating parties during winter term.

the dining room has orange walls, into which we pounded nails to hang things. and curtis has a good omnipresent hat.

hmmm...leaning across the top of the staircase? nice tie.

ladies who lunch

2010-04-20T18:12:00.001-04:00

we lunched at a perfect french restaurant...bethesda, maryland. blazers, pommes frites, catching up on gossip.

denim jacket

2010-04-20T18:08:00.003-04:00

i apologize for the silliness of me and my camera self-timer.

i've gone for the longest time without a denim jacket, and finally i got to the point where i saw one and snapped it up. it's tight around the elbows but worth it.

also, me and my ladyfriends from work kinda made a pact during winter term...we decided not to wear pants. it was all skirts, all the time. since i live in chicago, it was also all two pairs of tights all the time.

superb harold washington shirt from when my mom lived in chicago. and my favorite cowboy boots.

london-town

2010-04-20T18:04:00.000-04:00

the last of this winter's tea party pictures...

rachel goes to an arts university in london. she is insanely skilled at making things, and also at finding just the right amount of vintage craziness. bonus: knee socks!

me in my own vintage dress and my favorite belt, with rachel. as usual, i am barefoot...i am just not made for wearing shoes inside houses.

hootenanny

2010-04-20T17:56:00.001-04:00

some shots from a few months ago, the last time i was in dc. i am still, amazingly enough, friends with basically the same group of people i loved in ninth grade and before.

andrew, intent on his banjo, and in plaid.

a few of my favorite gentlemen. sean looks crisp; teddy looks quizzical.

lovely cory, also in plaid!

i hammed it up in two vintage sweaters (it was cold) and a vintage shirt, with micah.

qianmen

2010-04-20T17:48:00.000-04:00

i had my farewell dinner to beijing with my chinese roommate and two high school friends who were also living in the city. we ate in a fairly empty two-story hotpot place just off qianmen that was a) not a chain restaurant, b) not fast food, and c) not overpriced! amazing. i miss eating two-hour meals in large groups.

qianmen was renovated pretty recently. i visited the area when in china in high school and it is now completely different. it's beautiful, but it is basically just a touristy outdoor mall, which i guess is what is was intended to be. this past december, i turned right off qianmen down my beloved and mercifully not-yet-completely-sanitized dazhalan alley and wandered to the west through some unlit hutongs until i emerged in the liulichang antiques area. this is another one of the many places in beijing where i would love to live.

it was really cold:

northern peace

2010-04-20T17:35:00.000-04:00

hey, so, um, i haven't updated in...forever?

i just read vogue's newest issue and it's forced me to get back into the swing of things!

here are some final pictures from around beijing. i really, really, really miss that city. it'll be so tempting after college to just move to beijing and become a professional expat.

liz and the city, on our way to wudaokou for her birthday.

we ended up that evening in d-22, where i'd always wanted to go, and saw liz's friend's band.

a guard at tiananmen

tiananmen dusk. beijing really glows at night.

by george

2010-03-05T16:48:00.000-05:00

this is from my last tea party. gia apparently likes crazy/cute combinations of patterns, textures, and colors. she looks cozy and quirky-stylish, as usual.

scarves en chine

2010-03-05T16:31:00.001-05:00

a couple of my last outfit pictures from china--i think i wore a scarf there every single day.

at the terra cotta warriors in xi'an. i bought this scarf in shanghai, and lost it in beijing at a concert about a month and a half later. depressing. it was my favorite for a while...i had a tempestuous love affair with gray and yellow.

at the temple of the eight immortals in xi'an. when we first got there, it was fairly warm; i didn't even bring a coat from beijing. yet literally on our last day there, it got disturbingly cold. i was wearing all of the clothing i had brought. in this picture, i look cold but happy. the scarf is from a brilliant 10-and-20-kuai (up to about $3) scarf shop in downtown xi'an.

the smell of chinese ink of the stone carvings was indescribably rich and dark and perfect.

i went twice to the great wall at jinshanling, outside of beijing. it's my favorite site by far on the wall: wild and lonely, and only partially restored. i'm wearing chinese pink pearl earrings--there have been stretches since then where i haven't taken them out for a couple days at a time!

lor-baby

2010-02-26T16:58:00.000-05:00

lauren, at the tea party, somehow makes sportiness and bohemian-ethnic details work together. i really like the luminous jewel colors here, too--everything matches, but it's not overpowering.

stunning earrings. what a crazy shape! they mirror the scarf perfectly.

nicolectric

2010-02-25T20:03:00.002-05:00

nicole is one of my favorite people to photograph.

love the tights...yep, they've got built-in knee patches. i also never get up the guts to wear tights with peep-toe shoes, and this is evidence that i should just do it.

all coated up and ready to head outside. note the footwear change! i can't figure out the coat...is it double-breasted?

winterseve

2010-02-25T19:44:00.003-05:00

in the two seconds that i was home over winter break, i managed to throw a tea party.

alexjandra doing her usual tomboy thing with aplomb.

chris, focused on music as usual. plaid all around.

shanghai art

2010-02-25T19:20:00.001-05:00

shanghai art museum, on one end of the people's park in the center of town, has tons of patriotic/propaganda art. this one is so gorgeous that i stood and stared for a few minutes.

moganshan/m50 is shanghai's newest answer to the jing's 798 art district. i love these girls' outfits, especially juxtaposed with the bike and cookie monster. the graffiti'd sign behind them that says some stuff about "new asia conglomerate" and a limited liability corporation! from industrial park to art space, just like 798.

stormtroopers, angry pandas, etc. i liked the feel of the outer fringes of moganshan--much like 798 pre-commercialization, i'd guess. the heart of moganshan, though, was commercialized and touristy yet still charming, like 798 today.

chinatown

2010-02-23T20:45:00.002-05:00

hannah, cozy with winter sweater and scarf, over soup at joy yee in chicago's chinatown.

backpacker

2010-02-23T20:27:00.001-05:00

ah, tourism.

this was from the lovely champagne-colored elevator in my shanghai hotel...who says that i can't wear a nice big ring and a good scarf at the same time i am toting a giant backpack?

a western peace

2010-02-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

xi'an 西安 means "western peace." i went twice this past fall/winter. i really love it, especially the part of the city within the stone walls. the muslim quarter and its bazaar are brilliant, packed with history and food and shiny things...i'll post more photos of the night bazaar later, from my second trip to xi'an.

i fell in love with this moon door while exploring an old courtyard house complex in the muslim quarter. while it's impossible for me to blend in as a local in china, it's fun for me to try not to dress like an american tourist. that means linen pants instead of jeans or short-shorts, neutral colors, and puma sneakers. people usually presumed that i was french or russian.

costumes were available for tourist photos on the drum tower at the heart of town.

winds

2010-02-23T20:12:00.002-05:00

a traveling buddy, on the way to xi'an, hometown of the terra cotta warriors:

we biked around the wide top of the city wall. look at all that grey! oh, i love it.

gilded blue

2010-02-23T19:57:00.001-05:00

this was my museum-visiting outfit. i thought i'd never say this, but i miss the shanghai heat and cozy smog.

skirt, purse, and omnipresent black flats are secondhand; shirt is a north face hiking shirt that i like to travel with because it fits perfectly and refuses to get stinky or dirty; little cut-glass earrings are from the yuyuan bazaar; gold-and-blue scarf is from suzhou.

inside the shanghai art museum. it says "the people."

the people's park

2010-02-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

at the center of shanghai, near the shanghai museum, shanghai art museum, and nanjing road.

kari and sarah: supermodels for life

my friends look too sharp, loitering in black and red.

a failed attempt at a jumping picture

burgundy

2010-02-23T19:26:00.002-05:00

i haven't done a good-ol'-fashioned outfit post in a bit.

here is what i wore to the first day of school this term: vintage black dress (long-sleeved with really thick fabric); beloved burgundy sweater that used to belong to my grandmother; scarf i bought at a "yard" (apartment) sale last year; thermal bottoms; and my favorite favorite boots, whose appearances i struggle to limit to a couple per week.

i'm in my new bedroom in a new apartment in this photo! my sadly white walls have, by now, been covered in posters.

shanghaied

2010-02-23T19:13:00.011-05:00

, some shots from a trip to shanghai this fall...

it's surreal that i took this with my own camera:

at yuyuan bazaar. i'm wearing a scarf from suzhou. my cloisonne bracelet provides that essential little orientalist touch.

everyone's favorite japanese-h+m-type-thing on nanjing road, shanghai's actually charming hypercapitalist pedestrian street, which is similar to the more soulless wangfujing in beijing.

taking in the afternoon:

bar rouge, on the bund. some bits of shanghai were a little too shanghai for me, and the clubs fell into this category: compared to beijing, things were often too shiny, too westernized, too populated by expats--not beijing-y expats (NGO people, students, diplomats, artists), but really stereotypical expats (english-only, business, finance, real estate).

railways and waterways

2010-01-26T19:07:00.004-05:00

photos from a trip to suzhou, near shanghai.

we ate a dinner of dumplings at the beijing train station before taking the overnight train. i love sarah's headband--you can just get a glimpse there of its gorgeous flowers.

bradford looking crazy on the train...crazy but well-dressed.

yep, i could probably live here. south china perfection.

my chinese teacher/friend at the stone lion grove garden in suzhou. love her flats.

en route to the local opera museum, we wandered suzhou's beautiful canals and bridges and wide alleys. lea had on her signature boots...i like them!

great big wall in china

2010-01-26T18:44:00.002-05:00

continuing the trend of anachronistic posts, here is the second of my three visits to the great wall. my friends and i hiked from jinshanling (my favorite site on the wall) to simatai--hours out in the sun, and so beautiful.

look at that sky! (not to mention bradford's grin and sweet t-shirt)

descending stairs in a guardhouse in style. the shirt is one of those tees with nonsense english on it that is ubiquitous in china.

mimi, styling an american flag sweatshirt and ray-bans, against an incredible vista.

there was a great breeze coming in the windows of every guardhouse.

the forbidden city

2010-01-25T17:12:00.002-05:00

photos from a day, long ago, this fall...when my class went to take in the forbidden city, beijing's old imperial palace. today the palace is still at the physical and political center of the city. tiananmen square takes its name from the outer southernmost gate of the palace.

in my autumn tourist's uniform: korean cardigan from the wholesale market near the beijing zoo and my university; vintage blazer (over my arm) that i got for free from a church basement sale in chicago, and puma sneakers from another similar charity sale...to me, the forbidden city is less about the spectacular architecture (my chinese art prof would call it "monumental") and more about the contrasts between the weird, super-flat, wide-open plazas between all the central buildings and the narrow, high-walled alleys in the imperial court quarters along the sides of the area.

the maze of red-walled side alleys. one of the best parts was the accidental plants growing on the gold roofs.

getting crazy in one of the museum rooms...blazer plus zoo market scarf.

we went to a charming alley/hutong near the lama temple for dinner. it is apparently the "next nanluoguxiang," but fortunately it's still got a bit of grit and funk to it. the alleys around it are not yet tourist-ified at all. if i move back to beijing (which i hope to), this is one of the neighborhoods i would like to live in:

we ate at the superb western-food vineyard cafe for dinner, in a gorgeous old courtyard house.

miaofengshan

2009-12-26T03:48:00.002-05:00

we visited a huge number of temples in china this fall. here's the hike up to miaofengshan temple.

i love jimin's outfit. in the left of the photo.

at that point, we were still enjoying the gorgeous fall weather...we hiked all the way up to the buildings on top of that mountain!

a favorite chinese scarf, bought at the dongwuyuanr (beijing zoo) clothes market for 15 or 20 kuai, which translates to less than 3 american bucks.

schoolday

2009-12-25T02:37:00.003-05:00

this exemplifies my average roll-out-of-bed-and-sprint-to-classroom outfit in beijing, at least before it got cold. i was spoiled this fall because our classes and dorm rooms were in the same giant building.

secondhand sweater and flats. dad's t-shirt. h&m mirror necklace and lace shawl.

that excellent little scar on my leg? from doing a cartwheel in my living room last spring and landing on an armchair...doesn't matter how many rocks i climb, caves i crawl through, or parties i dance at; it's always the weird small things that get me.

nanluogu alley evening

2009-12-25T02:19:00.003-05:00

nanluoguxiang, a haunt of nels frye of my beloved stylites in beijing, is in one of my favorite areas of the city, just east of houhai. it's a traditional-ish hutong alley that now features boutiques, restaurants, bars, and cafes. some pictures of my first time on the alley below...more to follow.

bradford, allison, kari at evening...allison in a nice skirt, as usual.

a bar: utopianism.

allison's gold scarf, at a restaurant in a restored old courtyard house.

i'm addicted to this place.

old beijing

2009-12-25T01:57:00.000-05:00

i am back in the usa after fall abroad, and i still have a ton of photos to catch up on! below are some shots from around beijing.

allison surveying the west beijing sunset from our building.

mid-autumn festival tea on the lake in purple bamboo park, haidian district.

at propaganda, wudaokou.

bradford using my windowsill correctly.

chinese wedding

2009-11-10T07:37:00.000-05:00

lovely lovely couple taking lovely lovely wedding photos at the confucius temple. taking vanity or wedding photos in public parks is super common here...at some time or another i have seen at least ten people being followed around by professional photographers in parks.

how cute and funny would it be to be working the ticket office at a confucian temple and have a fully dressed bride and groom, plus two photographers, come up and pay the park entrance fee?\

note the blending on the dress of the western-style white and chinese-style red.

fashionista ready

2009-11-10T06:47:00.000-05:00

hilarious h & m ad near renmin university in haidian...

lama temple

2009-11-08T05:14:00.001-05:00

a few extra shots from my visit to yonghegong, a lamaist temple in beijing, and the nearby confucius temple earlier this fall.

chic monk?

at the confucius temple/imperial university...scarf from beijing zoo market, old-school georgetown hoyas t-shirt.

798

2009-11-06T03:21:00.001-05:00

at 798 art district. wearing a fake hermes scarf, plus an american apparel t-shirt and a seconhand skirt.

flowers in individual plastic pots are all over china's public space in pretty displays, but as an environmental studies student it feels like a toothache to see so many disposable containers everywhere...

reflected in an exhibition piece at the "voyage/disintegration" show at 798 space.

fashion politburo

2009-11-06T02:45:00.001-05:00

back in beijing after really enjoying xi'an!

so the factory 798/dashanzi art district is a bit played-out by now, but it's still a pretty happening place for art, food, coffee, indie boutiques, and other literati/chic things. i'd wanted to visit for ages, and i even did a presentation on it as a freshman in my chinese language class back in chicago...i finally got to live the dream.

friends wandering.

BEIJING COOL. indeed.

meditative, in the midst of old german-designed factories.

an entire exhibit by ai weiwei, perhaps the most famous chinese modern artist. i didn't realize the exhibit was happening, so when i wandered into the gallery i just about jumped up and down in excitement that i had stumbled upon it...

monks, in a different gallery

i didn't get the chance to snap a better picture, but that ad definitely says "fashion politburo."

my own autumn holiday

2009-10-27T08:23:00.002-04:00

so i am on academic break right now. i spent the last few days in suzhou and shanghai, and next i am headed to xi'an to see the terra cotta soldiers and wander the city a bit until next week. it is nice to be back in beijing for a night. i have determined that i am much more of a beijinger than a shanghai person, although according to a friend who lives in shanghai that mostly has to do with me being a tourist and not living there long-term.

more later! i am taking pictures like a madwoman!

bradford

2009-10-19T05:06:00.002-04:00

here are a bunch of glimpses of bradford. his clothes always have a perfect fit and strong colors, and are never fussy.

modelesque at the lama temple/yonghegong and the nearby confucius temple. love the sneakers. this is how guys should deal with warm weather.

relaxing at our local park on national day.

in the process of peeling a pomelo, one of a billion fruits available at our nearby market and at stands on the street. allison's excellent dressy skirt/orange slipper combo also made it into the photo...pure essence of college.

front gate

2009-10-17T08:30:00.001-04:00

a trip to chic, old-beijing qianmen, south of tiananmen on the solid north-south axis of the central city. "front gate." brian, klang, and allison all in collared shirts...

red lanterns, grey beijing

purple bamboo

2009-10-06T05:16:00.002-04:00

i visited the big local park with friends last week. it is only ten or fifteen minutes away on foot and is gorgeous and large--we were there all afternoon and i could probably spend several full days there getting lost and taking boat rides on a number of little lakes. it was hot and clear outside (clear probably due to the the fact that it was near national day--things were still pretty shut down).

american apparel t-shirt (it fits perfectly--how cliche!), chinese scarf from silk street, vintage skirt, trusty black rocket dog flats. glass earrings from my parents.

movers and shakers and quakers

2009-10-04T04:37:00.001-04:00

i visited friends at a college near philadelphia two weeks ago. we hung out, ate outside, went to a basement concert, threw frisbee, and wandered reading terminal market and chinatown--generally excellent use of an early fall weekend.

reading terminal market craziness.

marsie relaxing in the afternoon and wearing my scarf.

more scarfness in chinatown.

light tea

2009-10-04T04:24:00.004-04:00

rose had a tea party a while before i left the US. she served homemade food, lemonade from a variety of fancy bottles, and of course tea. her living room is perfect in the afternoon--flawless light and a gorgeous table. rose, shan, inez:

rose made her own lacy dress. making clothes is a skill i wish i had; i can cut things up but i can't sew them back together terribly well. i am wearing a super cheap dress that fits surprisingly well...i brought it with me to china and i hope i remember to wear it!

in beijing

2009-10-01T04:59:00.001-04:00

here i am, posting from beijing!

the city is incredible. i've spent the last few days exploring everywhere, wandering with new friends by foot, taxi, bus, and subway. i have so far visited nightclubs, shopping malls, junk markets, parks, ancient pedestrian streets, and numerous restaurants. its seems like my life here is based around eating, which is of course okay. classes haven't started yet, which is why i'm making the most of my copious amounts of free time! today is the 60th birthday of the PRC, so beijing is kind of shut down; additonally, it's mid-autumn festival time, so the stores have been crazy.

a lot of things here, including clothing, can be bought by bargaining down the price...this is still difficult for me but i'm getting a bit better! it also feels good to be in a place where i can practice and hear chinese constantly, and where i can throw a few chinese words in with my american compadres and they understand.

i hope to be posting some pictures once i can borrow or buy a power converter to charge my camera! i'll also be finishing up a few pictures from summer in america.

that go-go swing

2009-09-24T13:47:00.001-04:00

chuck brown is the man behind the beginnings of go-go, which is dc's best music: a combination of funk and rock (and, more recently, hip-hop), with lots and lots of percussion. i went to see him at the 9:30 club a few weeks ago and was in the front row. he is 73 years old and he still dresses sharp, plays hard, and makes ridiculously good dance music.

his brass section also looked great.

china

2009-09-23T21:36:00.000-04:00

so, i'm headed to beijing for a study abroad program this fall...i would love love love to keep updating while i'm there, but blogger is currently blocked there. i'll try to figure something out and may start up a temporary blog via another blog tool, or i may be able to get onto blogger--we'll see! i'll be taking a lot of pictures, though, i hope. please keep following if you're following now!

this obviously explains why i'm playing mad mad catch-up with photos right now.

pickle dress

2009-09-23T21:28:00.001-04:00

pickle wearing a simple dress with a mexican-style embroidered top, and also shoes that look exactly like the black flats that i wear almost every day. black flats are essential!

chuckie

2009-09-23T21:09:00.000-04:00

chuckie, nicknamed so for her orange glasses, doing my current favorite things: wearing a scarf AND tucking her shirt into something high-waisted.

ocean silk

2009-09-23T21:01:00.000-04:00

i love the color of this silk (or silklike) dress--it looks dip-dyed. and she is rocking the panama hat.

darling

2009-09-23T20:51:00.000-04:00

darling in the perfect summer colors and sandals. i love plaid.

english brights

2009-09-23T20:42:00.007-04:00

minni wearing a long dress that she pinned up herself. this is a novel but gentle combination of colors--bright pink and pale yellow. minni always looked great this summer, even at work, when we were outside sweating and getting covered in mud and dirt. i also love her accessories: the belt is great, and she made her necklace out of plastic and wooden beads and a bear paw bottle opener from our neighborhood gas station. ah yes...and she is from england.

experimenting back at work...

sweaterdress

2009-09-23T20:37:00.001-04:00

sweaterdress and sandals!

naturale

2009-09-21T14:35:00.001-04:00

sprout wearing a gorgeous, simple print dress and chaco sandals out to dinner--i love chacos. i dorkily have my eye on a specific pair; i know the size and everything; i'm just waiting until i feel like i can drop a substantial chunk of money on 'em.

and the feeling is easy

2009-09-21T14:22:00.007-04:00

summertime. a few last shots to commemorate the end of the season.

luigi swimming in a river during weekend break at my job. hooray, my camera is waterproof!

this, to me, pretty much exemplifies what summer should look like: love, dirt, rocks, water, and "jewelry" that can stand up to it all.

dancing dancing dancing, and wearing crazy prints.

smoothie in a metro station, en route to a club on u street in dc. i've basically spent the last month, since work ended, doing nothing except hanging around the city and seeing people, going out day and night and just exploring. u street is especially incredible at night--you can walk up and down u or 14th at 11 pm on a weekend night and people are spilling out of every doorway, dressed excellently, eating or listening to jazz or going dancing. my friends and i found this crazy caribbean hole-in-the-wall cafe on u where there is always loud soca music playing, and they sell pizza slices as long as your forearm, and THEY HAVE MULTIPLE DISCO BALLS. in a cafe. it is insanity.

nicole's

2009-09-17T17:03:00.002-04:00

a week or two ago i went over to a friend's house for food, love, and clothes.

nicole's parents are foodies and it appears she's inherited something. she made apple/mango chutney/grilled cheese sandwiches. jeez. she is wearing a high-waisted (vintage?) skirt...i have similarly been finding myself tucking everything in recently.

going through her clothes.

shiny dresses.

dissapearing!

festivaller

2009-09-04T13:39:00.005-04:00

g, previously featured, in her carefree fourth of july outfit...there was a big festival on the national mall and i got a huge group of people together to hang out and see the fireworks.

easy dress and solid sunglasses.

idyllic.

american summer

2009-09-01T14:21:00.005-04:00

some summer shots...these should give you the idea of my summer: lots of friends, trees, and wanderings.

en route to georgetown from dupont circle.

national mall.

a class act.

pure formalities

2009-08-26T16:06:00.010-04:00

a few old shots from the last chicago party of the spring i was at...

empty apartment.

i miss this city more than a little bit.

dapper and goofy at the same time?

youth youth youth

2009-08-19T19:17:00.006-04:00

here's my lovely lady g's prom scene from a few months ago...very rock and roll. photos courtesy of georgia.

look at that attitude.

cat fun? + classy shoes.

gotta love those dc azaleas. what a color palette!

back from the wilderness

2009-08-17T16:09:00.005-04:00

so, believe it or not, i was a camp counselor this summer...i took kids rock climbing and caving and lived without electricity or air conditioning for two and a half months, and it was incredible. camp style was pretty much along the lines of comfy t-shirts and basketball or khaki shorts, and the number-one in-demand jewelry item was the friendship bracelet--i loved it. i am now finally home. expect the posts to be coming more regularly for a while.

i just wanted to show off my cousin, legacy...she was featured on stylelikeu, a sweet fashion profile blog, while i was away at my job. a love for excellent old clothes runs a bit in my family: it appears that both me and legacy enjoy pilfering our mother's closets.

here's legacy in one of the photos from stylelikeu:

professorial

2009-05-26T17:24:00.005-04:00

one of my favorite things about university is dressing like i'm an old-school academic type: blazers, scarves, and dorky shoes are the way to go.

i'm wearing my mom's blazer and shoes, a shirt a friend left behind when she graduated, miss sixty jeans, a ripoff burberry scarf, and a seconhand cardigan.

red & orange. fabulous blazer lining and forever 21 junk ring.

outs and abouts

2009-05-25T22:54:00.008-04:00

here are just a few random shots that i love from the past few months of friends and they way they dress.

i think she made this dress herself.

dancing is grand.

sneaker androgyny.

sweet sweet patterns.

recessionista 5

2009-05-25T22:14:00.005-04:00

finally, the last recessionista shots!

not sure how i'd feel personally about wearing these things myself, but they sure look interesting.

the wide-legged pants i love. i went through a phase of loving baggy pants in about 8th grade, then decided then i hated them, and have now returned to a respect for trousers that aren't skinny.

the orange leggings here are a bit baggy. unusual. note the common theme of flag scarves.

sweatshirt and combats

2009-05-25T22:03:00.004-04:00

here is tinny, photographed by lionfro (and here's their supergorgeous, very silly blog), wearing what i believe to be lionfro's green combats and a crazy sweatshirt. the look is comfy and zany. plus, tinny models!

recessionista 4

2009-05-25T21:58:00.003-04:00

more recessionista show shots.

this line was inspired by sixties girl groups: classy, sexy, super-coordinated.

cowboy flannel

2009-05-03T17:14:00.005-04:00

here i am, wearing my favorite cowboy boots and one of my favorite dresses with a secondhand cardigan over it. the dress is made from reworked flannel shirts and was a steal on sale at urban outfitters...they had about 10 different other colors of the dress there and i wish i had picked up a bunch of them!

recessionista 3

2009-05-03T17:09:00.003-04:00

here are a few more looks from recessionista.

i would put this on myself in an instant:

this next one got a huge positive reaction out of me and my friends. it is purple velvet and is just so rich-looking.

inaugural ball

2009-04-18T16:21:00.005-04:00

here's a good old picture: this is me at my school's party for obama's inauguration. the purse is a
treasured little marc jacobs thing i got from my cousin a few years ago. the belt is vintage.

recessionista 2

2009-04-18T16:05:00.006-04:00

this dress was sheer craze. the colors are a bit wild together but the whole effect was incredibly rich-looking.

wish i had clearer pictures than these!

pink rainy day

2009-04-05T17:02:00.006-04:00

dressed for a rainy day, from february or maybe early march:

two pairs of tights to brave the cold, of course.

here are my earrings...they are little wolves. every female science teacher i've ever had wore things like this. good stuff.

recessionista

2009-04-04T13:13:00.005-04:00

the student fashion show this term was called recessionista. i've been involved with most of the shows since i've been at university so it was nice to just watch. i got front-row tickets. here's the view of attendees from my seat:

i went with glynis. my shirt is my mom's from a while ago. glynis is wearing beads that my friend got in bhutan.

the best look in the world

2009-04-01T22:52:00.003-04:00

i am back from an excellent spring break! i was camping, so there wasn't much going on in terms of style beyond not showering and wearing the same clothes the whole time...but just in time for april fool's day, check out the best look in the world.

likenesses

2009-03-09T17:52:00.006-04:00

random:

the first girl in the latest post by garance reminds me beyond any shadow of a doubt of one of my friends. uncanny.

taking a breather

2009-03-09T17:47:00.004-04:00

sometimes you just have to give 'em a rest...but it's worth it.

these shoes are essential, no? h&m, i believe.

yet another tea 3

2009-03-09T17:43:00.002-04:00

violet, 18, previously featured.

sweet belt...vintage?

i am an undying fan of her boots. and this pink is extreme.

yet another tea 2

2009-03-09T17:40:00.007-04:00

here's a study in gorgeous pattterns.

jenn:

marie and norma:

yet another tea 1

2009-02-25T16:24:00.003-05:00

so apparently this is the year of tea parties. my friends threw a ladies' valentines day tea. everyone dressed up.

naiara, 19.
she has a great collection of dresses and flats--i wish i could photograph her every time i see her, but that would be weird. i love the print, and i love going to parties in my building because then people can wear delicate non-winter shoes.
also, i'm wondering if the dress is vintage...?

february thaw

2009-02-23T18:49:00.006-05:00

i am so jealous of my dc friends: apparently a week or two ago it was warm enough that they could go outside and take photos in the sun. here in chicago it is, as usual, too cold--although we had a "heat wave" a few weeks ago that extended up into the 60s fahrenheit.

g. and katherine, both previously featured. love the carefree, springtimey clothes in these, and the way the photos look overall. taken of course by lionfro.

not suffering for fashion

2009-02-23T18:42:00.005-05:00

g., 16, previously featured, washington, dc.
purple dress + zebra bra + red shoes = a little crazy = real nice.
taken by lionfro.

easy black easy white

2009-02-23T18:27:00.006-05:00

rose, 17, previously featured, washington, dc.
simple, classy, mature: wish i'd dressed like this in high school.
taken by lionfro.

tea party 7

2009-02-19T20:27:00.008-05:00

here are some more photos i found from my tea party back in january.

this is me. i'm wearing a skirt that used to be my mom's. about fifty or sixty percent of the clothing i wear regularly used to belong to either my mom, my dad, or one of my grandmothers. the shirt is from target; i have it in size XL in three colors (usually i never ever do that with clothing) and it is the comfiest, baggiest, nicest thing ever. i have stolen nicole's shoes--at the party, about 6 different people were wearing them at some point. the necklace is a charm from a vintage rope belt strung on an old chain.

tea party 6

2009-02-19T20:18:00.006-05:00

okay, so i have absolutely no idea of why i didn't put this photo up when i was doing the rest of the pictures in january...sorry ms. rachel!

here's rachel, 18, at a dc tea party.
this is really an excellent outfit that few people could pull off, but rachel does it with ease. the dress has a sweet print and i think it is vintage/secondhand. great combination of dress and boots too.

double camel coat

2009-02-13T17:17:00.003-05:00

oliver, 20, at university.
hello, he's wearing a bow tie AND a double-breasted coat. refreshing.

the sartorialist has been picking up on this stuff at the source.

the red and the black

2009-02-13T17:04:00.003-05:00

nora, 20, at university.
of course i love her facial expression...
but besides that, this outfit is very neat and old-fashioned. note her shoes (i need me a pair) and the brightness of her scarf against everything else.

grey diamonds

2009-02-10T20:50:00.001-05:00

i'm back to my old photoblog, in addition to this one. check it out: grey diamonds

girls and boys

2009-02-09T16:28:00.018-05:00

every january, the gay-straight alliance at my alma mater high school throws a dance. it's a homey, open-to-all, DIY-type thing, so students and a few teachers do all the lighting, decorating, and dj'ing. i helped during setup and attended faithfully every year when i was in high school. this ain't your average school dance--people really go all out fashion-wise, since there is a loose rocky horror/rainbow theme. i remember wearing some pretty wild stuff to the dance, always some combination of patterned or fishnet or colored tights, high heels or converse, costume jewelry, and lots of makeup.

i always miss the dance now because i'm back in chicago by the time it happens. my friends who are still in high school posted photos of the 2009 dance a few weeks ago. here's a sampling of the weird-but-wonderful punky dance style. photos by G. and lionfro.

nicole:

lionfro:

rollo:

g:

lauren:

another tea party 4

2009-02-09T00:32:00.005-05:00

candice, 19, previously featured, at the tea party.
i'm fine with continuing to pretend it's summer! i mean, why go outside?

i am generally more into cool-weather clothes, but this look is solid. the flats and peasant top are especially neat.

another tea party 3

2009-02-09T00:26:00.004-05:00

violet, 18, previously featured, at the tea party.
this look is simple and pretty and is in the vein of what a lot of girls (including myself) wear during winter here: leather boots, tights/leggings, short dress. this look is surprisingly warm in the winter, especially if you go nuts and wear two pairs of leggings.

sorry for the picture quality on this one! i don't like using flash, so this picture is a bit blurry.

another tea party 2

2009-02-09T00:18:00.008-05:00

glynis and jenn, both 18, at the tea party.
who would have thought we would all have been wearing short dresses in january? the apartment was about 85 degrees, despite the fact that it was probably below zero fahrenheit outside. these dresses remind me of summer. the colors and fit are great on both ladies.

another tea party

2009-02-09T00:11:00.002-05:00

i so much enjoyed the tea party i threw in dc that i threw another one in chicago with my roommates.

below are some of the guests enjoying the afternoon sun. i am in a high-rise and the light we get in the afternoons is wonderful.

twenties ball 5

2009-02-05T14:08:00.003-05:00

norma, 20, previously featured, before the twenties ball.
norma's just got great classic style, and this dress is a perfect color on her.

twenties ball 4

2009-02-03T01:29:00.005-05:00

emily, before the twenties ball.
i love this dress and how it's belted--simple, clean, and adult. gold and white look great on emily.
click on the image to see it better.

twenties ball 3

2009-02-03T01:18:00.002-05:00

leland, before the twenties ball.
i love the tie color and the fit of the suit, plus leland's got his pose down.

twenties ball 2

2009-01-27T01:54:00.004-05:00

alison, 18, before the twenties ball.
her dress has a very luxurious look about it; i'm not sure if the photo quite captures it. the belt is jeweled.

fashion toast

2009-01-26T22:40:00.003-05:00

just found an excellent blog, fashion toast. go love it. sometimes, but only sometimes, pictures of nice high heels make me want to live in a place where there is not a foot and a half of snow on the ground or thick ice frozen in patches on the sidewalk. fashion toast has these pictures aplenty.

twenties ball

2009-01-25T01:14:00.009-05:00

there was a 1920s-themed ball in our building last weekend. there were moments while i was at the ball in which i looked around and didn't see one clue that it was 2009. people looked flawless.

black winter proportions

2009-01-25T01:06:00.007-05:00

arshiya, 19, at university.
i love the gentle black shades here--apparently there can be shades of black--together with the green detail of the scarf.

tea party 5

2009-01-13T22:42:00.004-05:00

nicole, 17, previously featured.
nicole also wore two extremely different outfits to an afternoon and an evening party on the same day.
i love the proportion, print, and gauzy material of the dress. the heels are patent purple leather and higher than i'd ever wear out, so instant respect to nicole for wearing them well.

here is her comfier night outfit. skinny jeans are so common now that it is refreshing to see well-fitting wide-legged pants.

tea party 4

2009-01-09T17:32:00.004-05:00

shannon, 16.
shannon's look is simple and clean: a great colored dress and flats, no ridiculousness. her dress even has a little pocket on it. i personally am a fan of leggings, but only if they are worn with sense like this, and not as pants.

tea party 3

2009-01-07T00:36:00.004-05:00

annalisa, 18, previously featured.
she wore two really different looks in one day.
here annalisa is at the tea party. her dress is brilliant--i rarely see black and white florals. she also has brown mary janes with heels and a blue satin hair bow. ideal dress-up.

here is annalisa at a different party later that night. she has obviously gotten more casual. still she has the cute blue bow, and yes, those are bright green doc martens.