Fashion for Writers

The weather is so good! Warm weather makes me want to read about depressing things like the depressing similarity of situation in all of the short stories in Last Evenings on Earth. I’d rather have the shivers when it’s warm out. Today, I’ll probably stay in and be good and work like a husk of corn trying to wake up. Even though, I went nuts a few weeks ago and bought myself ‘back-to-school’ clothes (a justification for shopping that shouldn’t apply to me) I’ve only been wanting to wear this one dress. I got it from White Rabbit, a second-hand and indie designer store in town. I love the iridescent buttons and the sailor inspired collar and shape. I’ve been wearing non-stop my loafers that I bought from Etsy seller Lisazain, but this weekend I pulled out my favorite boots that I bought in San Francisco, almost three years ago, after I decided I needed to leave San Francisco and change my life (uh, did I do that?)

I’ve also been carrying this one bag around like crazy even on days when I have to carry my big honking geeked-out bookbag that breaks my back every time. I got it from an antique and secondhand store in town and it has the most amazing tooling and the most amazing (raised) horses on one side. I clearly don’t have the vocabulary to describe this bag so I’ll show you a close-up soon and maybe you can help school me.

Michael has been taking all of my photos for me, except on days when I pile a stack of French, Chinese, and English dictionaries on each other and try to use it as my ‘tripod.’ (I desperately need some better gear.) I think it was his idea to have me plop down here. This is the parking lot for one of the three churches I’m surrounded by. Sometimes, I feel the tiniest bit of envy when I walk past one of the churches at night, and I see a bunch of people eating and chatting and kids running around. But mostly, the people who park in this parking lot have bratty kids and sometimes shout loudly about Iowa football games.

Blue dress (White Rabbit in Iowa City); Embroidered campus boots (BCBG); Tooled handbag (Artifacts in Iowa City); Rainbow bracelet (gift from Michael bought from a street stall in Lisbon); teardrop earrings (garage sale from the days when my mom and I drove around Flushing looking for cheap baubles and jewels)

I went to the Mount Eerie show last night in a basement underneath Subway Sandwiches, and it was transcendent. My camera ran out of batteries before I could take pictures, but Phil Elverum had these two gongs onstage, and I kept thinking they would make a lovely necklace (in a smaller size so you don’t have to break your neck and spine for fashion.) You can listen to the whole album here (scroll to the bottom.) I pretty much have to listen to the last three songs with my eyes closed.

Lastly, our 200th post is coming up quick quick quickly! Even though I feel really shameful about the quality of my blog posts and I feel so new to blogging, it’s been the most fun co-blogging with Meggy on FFW. The best part, just as everyone says, is the community and the love and sharing. An example: reading this crazy-intelligent-perceptive-astute-right-on post (and part 1, part 2) from Threadbared warmed my heart (& also thanks for the props!) It hit on so many important and difficult questions and issues about the world of fashion/style blogging.

Stay tuned for our 200th post–there’s some sweet and spicy stuff being cooked up right now. I think you’ll like it lots.

Love, Jenny