s is for sweater

The title of this post has naught to do with the release of Sue Grafton's latest release, U Is For Undertow.

It has to do with sweaters and shapes.

I have always been on the lookout for great sweaters. To me, a great sweater is one that is thin enough for layering during the winter, but warm enough to wear during the springtime. I'm also lazy and don't spend too much time getting dressed during the week, so I like to pull from the same pile of clothing when I rush out in the morning. Yes, my clothes are sometimes in a pile.. a pile that shifts in form and color. Sweaters that regularly hang out in this pile include the following:

1. Barneys Co-Op boyfriend cardigan. I bought a size M so it would be longer for me. Longer=more warmth

2. KA7 Katayone Adeli wool sweater. It's not really a sweater I wear over a t-shirt or blouse, but it's super cozy, and I like the back detail. I wear this sweater so much it's pretty disgusting (no, really, I need to dry clean it soon). It looks boring from the front. (I photographed the back to show you the detail)

3. Marc by Marc Jacobs color-blocked double-layer sweater. This sweater is whack and indecisive--split down the center, like Two-Face. My boss thought I went crazy at a sale of color-blocked sweaters and bought two.

And that's about it. So herein lies my dilemma: how many times can you wear the same 3 sweaters throughout the year? Too many times. In an attempt to fix this issue, I went to The Grove briefly to scrounge Barneys and Zara for another great sweater to add to my wardrobe. I settled on one from Zara. Keyword: settled. I wasn't exactly 100% happy with it, but I was cold.

After The Grove, I headed over to Mood again to pick up some fabric for my next costume project. I naturally migrated towards the wools section again, and this time, walked out with a sweater fabric that was ideal. It was $25/yard, but I bought a yard and a half, which should be enough for a tunic-length sweater. For under $50, it was well worth it!

This brings us back to the "S" for my sweater. I am literally cutting it in an "S" shape.

barely there

In lieu of Sonia Rykiel's collection for H&M and the recent Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (I only say recent because us mere mortals only got to revel in all its glitterati and bronze beauties on Dec.1), I decided to finally upload images of a photoshoot I styled a few months ago...

Photography: Joshua Sy
Make-up: Alexandria Storm
Model: Calla Camilla
Photographer's Assistant: Julie Schiro

High-res PDF story will be available for download at the end of this month.

out of place and time

I felt the strong desire to watch a costume-heavy, eye-candy-laden movie this weekend, pestering my boyfriend to see if he owned "Marie Antoinette" (the one with Kirsten Dunst) or "Rear Window" and "Annie Hall". He had both Annie Hall and Marie Antoinette, but the movie I ended up watching was far from any one of those.

"The Brothers Bloom" was a quirky, surprising movie about a pair of con artists and an even more quirky heiress, played by Rachel Weisz. Rinko Kikuchi also makes an appearance as a (mostly) silent henchman usually in the background engaging in bizarre activities--case in point: peeling an apple, then eating the peel.

Something I enjoyed very much about this movie was that it didn't pretend to be based on any certain time period and age; it seemed to be a selection of characters placed in Mexico, New Jersey, or Russia.

Our two leads, Mark Ruffalo and Adrian Brody, are introduced as extremely "dapper" and overdressed children. They wear hats, suit jackets and suit trousers, while their peers roll around in mud in their overalls and smocked dresses. Their uniform remains the same throughout the movie even as they mature. Their dress is ironic in that they are con men, meant to be invisible, inconspicuous, yet they would only be at home in a film centered around the 50's. Of course, with the recent success of TV's "Mad Men", it might be more commonplace to see men changing their wardrobes to appear more polished, but Mark and Adrian's suits are no business suits.

image via ign.com

Rachel Weisz's kooky character doesn't seem to be dressed for the present day, though, either. Her attire seems a bit dated, and none of her clothing is very form-fitting. I felt a bit ambivalent towards her character throughout; she is very entertaining to watch, but the clothing would have been very frumpy if not topped off with Rachel's beautiful face. Rachel's character seemed to have stayed in the 90's, which might be fitting given the circumstances of the character.

Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) appears to be from another time and another place. Her character seems ghostly, as no one really acknowledges the existence of her character, and she does not talk very much. She creates various types of bombs for the brothers, being a deadly accomplice... yet she busts out a sparkly silver number towards the end. Much like her character, her costume changes are sporadic and quick. In one scene she is in Chanel sunglasses with a hat, the next she is in goggles and a jumpsuit.

image via aintitcool.com

The movie is a careful reflection of its story: that all the characters are arranged into a chosen setting, placed into a certain time period, shuffled from place to place--all according to its writer.

And in which case most costumes help to paint a more accurate picture of a story, as an effective story-telling device, the wardrobe in this movie only helps to illustrate a better picture of each character, not the movie as a whole.

the inpromptu vest

I bought this rack at Ikea the other day so I could start hanging up/displaying my work instead of having that costume continue to occupy vital floor space/cramming clothes into my closet. And then something funny happened with my camera to create this fisheye-distorted image. I have some laundry to do before I can show you what this vest looks like on a body.

Adding thread to the bobbin...

Reinforcing the armholes by hand...

Updated 11/29:
The vest, paired with a draped BCBG skirt, random old nylons,
T by Alexander Wang tee and new sandals!



Alexander Wang "Abbey" sandal


You can view the entire outfit at my Chictopia blog.

cue inpromptu vest

I hope everyone had a great Turkey day! I spent the latter half of yesterday rubbing my stomach and contemplating Pepto Bismol...

But finally, I have some updates!

I had been debating whether or not I needed/wanted to make a new outfit for the Lady GaGa show I'm going to Dec. 23. I don't recycle costumes, and to be honest, it's already almost December and I would be on a crazy time crunch.

Anyhow I decided on some ideas but had to let them marinate over the week...

I decided to take a trip to Mood again and hopefully encourage some more specific inspiration; a plan that worked just as well since every single damn shopping center was packed full of Twilight fans/Twi-Hards (as they deem themselves). Even Target was busy and I tried to buy some Christmas cards before Black Friday madness.

Mood was not super busy although there were some students poking around inquiring about dress forms (they were a bit obnoxious). I really had no idea what I was looking for...

Until I stumbled upon the "wools" section. There were rolls upon rolls of wool-blend knit fabrics, some fuzzy and some multi-colored. The one that caught my eye was a burn-out with a tartan pattern. This was not cheap, at $30/yard, but was so beautiful and fascinating I couldn't resist buying a yard to take home and experiment with. I had totally forgotten about my t-shirt project then. Looks like that will have to wait!!

I must first make it clear that this fabric was 73" wide. Woven fabric is typically only 45" or 60".

I already had an idea for something simple to make--a vest cut from a curved shape. I cut out my vest in a half-U shape...