Wednesday, September 28, 2011

late in the season: how to make a boxy tee girly in 7 minutes

when i started my first day of volunteer work, i was handed a standard, oversized, boxy men's tee as part of the "uniform". i immediately asked the trainer,"can i cut this up?" for which she simply replied,"no." bummer. as if wearing a uniform for free grueling work isn't bad enough, to have to work thru it with an unflattering one is even worse. yes, i'm contributing to society and giving back and that should make it all worth it, etc, etc; but those type of stiff shirts just make every woman's waist look nonexistent (and worse) in public. ok, so this particular shirt got spared the scissors but what about the other ones in your closet? like the one you stole from your brother because it had a cute graphic but when you cut off the sleeves and neck, it still looked like a sack on you? well, here's my solution on how to femme it up, though i know it's late in the season. apologies. just throw on a cardigan if it gets chilly.
step 1: get your mitts on a boxy tee, cut off the sleeves and the neck banding.
step 2: turn it inside out. on both sides, mark in about a 3/4"-1" from the outer top armhole and curve it into the bottom of the armhole. you can guesstimate the shape, but you must keep it smooth. the point is to take off a little more fabric at the shoulder points to make the top less bulky. match the front and back armholes of the garment til flush. now trim with a sharp pair of scissors.
step 3: see where the red arrows point? on both sides at this shoulder area, you're going to cut along the seam, opening up the garment.
(this is what you want.)
 step 4: twist once only the front shoulder panel piece. the direction is up to you. pin it into place.
step 5: sew it up. i just hand sew it. takes less time than to set up a machine.
step 5: turn it inside out and this is what you get. it's now slimmed down at the shoulder/neck area, giving it a better drape and silhouette. what was going to be an awkward muscle tee is now a tanky-hybrid. now go liberate the other thought-to-be-useless tees in your closet. give them a second chance.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

things i'm into

when i was 19, i met my first adult best friend. what i mean by that is: we met outside of growing up together on the school playground, or thru our parents' group of friends. her name was helena and at that crucial time of figuring out who you are, who you want to be, we had each other. in typical best friend-lore, she was the prettier one and all the guys loved her. (remember before the internet, there used to be a section in the paper called "missed connections" and it always went like: you: hot girl. me: boy with hat. saw you at the cafe, you looked at me when you walked by..." well, a guy wrote her one of those.) it didn't hurt that she was tall, thin, and looked like and dressed like justine frischmann at the same time elastica exploded onto the scene. she was kind, loving, loyal, yet equally manipulative and passive aggressive. today, one might refer to her as a "mean girl". you know that friend that shows up on your doorstep with a box of tylenol cold and flowers, then tells you,"take 2 of these and get dressed. we're going out." that was her, and saying no at that point would have been some kind of friend-treason with plenty of ugly silence from her later. this went on for a few years.
eventually, i moved to nyc while she decided to take the side of an ex of mine; in short, i've never seen nor heard from her since. i recently found a ring that she gave me from when we were closest and was shocked to find it still fits the same finger as it did more than 15 years ago. "here, i want you to have this. i've got a matching one in blue," she said as she handed it to me. it was the first time anyone ever gave me a matching ring.
courtesy of helena.

this ring was at one time someone's spoon back in the day. there's an amazing vendor on market street in san francisco that makes these. i first bought a ring from him about 15 years ago when i went to school in san francisco. was so happy to see he was still there when i stopped by a few months ago and picked this up.

they look nice when worn together.


did i mention i love gold nuggets?

i love these john fluevog boots. don't bother trying to locate them. i got the 2nd to last pair. i know they look a little gothtard leprechaun but i swear not at all when you put them on. 




Monday, September 26, 2011

my favorite quote of the week

this past week was full of quotes. from my mom's sheer excitement from her first brewing experience ("my kombucha is growing a mother!") to a waitress's big mouth ("mr., your daughter sure is TALL.") to an elderly cashier woman's suspicious wonderment comparing 2 one hundred dollar bills ("where did you get this hundred? it looks lighter than the one in my drawer.") this one, however, was the cherry. going out of town truly makes one appreciate their home sweet home.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

the kills at henry fonda

one friend shot this, the other edited. it's on nylon's website. my friends are geniuses <3 copy/paste the vimeo link.
http://vimeo.com/24638253

Sunday, September 18, 2011

submit your photo

i want to do a series of portraits. here's the first one, hopefully more to come if i can get my hands on my friends' photos with their permission...um, possibly without...

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

stencil portrait series: #4

yeah, this one is directed at your bff's boyfriend. you know, the "straight" one...the one who stole her jean cut offs and vintage capezios to boot. him. yeah, you know who else he ripped off? the unabomber. i don't know when i'll do this one, the weather is crap. but if you live near echo park or silver lake, please indeed take this as your own. you seem to have a nasty infestation over there.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

stuff i'm into right now

i know you wanted a stencil today. i did too. i ran my latest portrait subject by someone who thought it was a little bit un-PC and that i might get doubly in trouble if i get caught with it. ugh. better judgement, damn you. don't get me wrong, i'm still working on the image, just not sure if i'll do it or not. so as i mill around the idea, here are a couple of things i'm into.
sinful colors - gogo girl #852. at first, i wasn't feeling this red. it's not a blue red as i like. it's more of a magnum p.i. ferrari red. but after it was set on my nails a few hours, i noticed that although it's a tad fuschia, it's actually really flattering. my skin looks remarkably pale against it, which is not a bad thing at all. it feels very springy and youthful, in fact. a great change from the midnight blue i've been wearing as of late. you can get this at any drugstore (i got mine at rite aid.)
do you like random ceramic goods? i do! i got this kitty bowl at marukai on artesia. they have the best selection of inexpensive ceramics as well as random japanese food stuffs. this was $2. yay.
alas, i'm using its tummy to store my rings. did someone say purrrfect? (sorry.)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

stencil portrait series: #2

i felt mixed about doing this one of alison mosshart. i wasn't so sure if she would lose her features in the process and just look like another pretty girl. but hopefully with the big chunky ring and the lit cigarette in her hand, a true fan would recognize her anywhere, whether it's on a wall in paris or wichita. 

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

stencil portrait series: #1

i'm starting a series of stencil portraits. at least, i will until i get bored. the first in this series (if you don't count the freja beha odes) : john waters, iconic pencil mustache and all. i promise i will not do lady gaga. i just won't.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

valentine's part 3

with the exception of my one pal ms. double b, i cringe when i see girls in photos wearing stick on mustaches. you look look a sex pervert goes through my head. so, this one is for you, you top you (and i know you're out there.)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

valentines part 1

i am a sentimental asshole. what i mean is i tend to keep every little birthday card, love note, napkin writing, or sketch that someone i fancy gives me. it's the root to my hoarding ways. anyways, despite being such a mushtard, i don't care for hallmark cards. i prefer to customize something special versus something mass produced with a matching envelope at $3.99. so in the spirit of romance, creativity, and maybe a bit of vulgarity, i'm going to try to create a new stencil of declared love everyday that you may make your own and send to someone you heart in time for valentines day. pass it on.
ps: if you should like to have your own version to stencil on your love's front door, i'd be happy to email you a pdf.




Wednesday, February 2, 2011

um...

i've seen the girl with the dragon tattoo trilogy. with the exception of the first installment, i multitasked while it played in the background...anyways, who cares about my review. this is what i like:
since this is a spread in "W", i realize that rooney mara is completely stylized and designered out. the character in the movie might not look like this; she may very well be creepered out, hot topic style. ick. BUT here, i'm neither frightened nor wondering if she has an einstürzende neubauten tattoo on her inside wrist. the edginess captured is hott and, yeah, i kinda wanna touch her hair.


Monday, January 31, 2011

teenage dream

i am not a fan of modern day american pop music. it's vapid. and just plain awful. i have no idea how the rest of the world tolerates it. a big offender as well as perpetuator: katy perry. OR so i thought...
it was one lovely day that i received my nylon magazine in the mail. oh, zooey dechanel! failure to launch? yes man? elf? bones' sister? i love her! no, wait - what the....?! katy perry?! i had to do a double take. i had been deceived; it was indeed katy perry. shortly afterwards started my bizarre series of pop star make out dreams. the first partaker: yes, katy perry. we ****** and then i ***** and then she totally ********. i know, right?
when the video for "teenage dream" came on tv, i didn't instinctually change the channel. in fact, i watched it in its entirety. whaaaaa??? when "firework" became a single, the bartender at the dive bar asked me,"what do you want to hear?" and i gleefully requested it. (poor thing, he tried to spell "katy" with a "c" in the electronic juke box. which was surprising because he's a young gay guy, they love her, don't they? how does he find her on his ipod?)
alas, i now have to admit: katy perry's songs are catchy. i kinda like her. and if you do too, pilfer this stencil i've made and prove it.

Friday, January 28, 2011

watch.

to the young sexy beasts that keep us young.

and this is here just because i like it.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

new stencils

tis an ode to freja, indeed. who would like to join me in running amuck and stenciling this on the mean streets? i'm serious. let me know. i double dare ya.

this came from this

before
after

Monday, January 17, 2011

scissor at beauty bar on sundays

i've made an enemy of my liver through complications associated with jack daniel's. my short term memory is slightly damaged, or hazy at best. my fingertips barely have the strength to make contact with the keyboard and type. i. am. exhausted. what is it exactly that i attribute these ailments to? why, irene martinez's new night scissor at beauty bar, of course. duh. she throws a good party, and gets an even better crowd together: pretty girls and stylish andro types, and some mixed in between. though there isn't exactly a dance floor, the music was not to be contained, thus, the crowd made its own little corner that spread outwards as the night progressed. good times were had, new pals were made, drinks were drunk. and i saw some homos kissing. come see for yourself next sunday. you can even get a martini and manicure for $10. cheers.
http://thebeautybar.com/los_angeles/calendar/calendar.php?mode=view&id=35

Friday, January 14, 2011

over the counter

i have a weakness for pretty girls. i'm not talking about men's magazine types, nor lingerie models...yeah, they're near perfect human specimens alright, but i fancy the "non-norm". give me gap toothed, over bite, big glasses, freckle overload, mass of curly hair, gawky, eyes spread too far apart - any of it, all of it. i find it endearing. what some might call "imperfections", i call unique. i'm a sucker for it. you know what else i'm a sucker for? drugstore nail polish. here are a few of my current favorites:
 sally hansen #79, merlot: it's hard to find a decent red that doesn't register as too orangey or bright. this one dries like a shade of blood: bluish and rich.
 sinful colors #931 see you soon: it's a true midnight blue. looks nearly black once it dries, but catches a pretty blue sparkle in the light. more sophisticated than the lighter blues from teenage hood.
rimmel #270 steel grey: this is not grey really. it's like a dusty mauve. i'm into it.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

cracks

i'm an eva green fan. looking forward to this coming to the states finally in march, period costumes and all.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

blind

the first time i heard this song, i fell in love with it. i had to interrupt (apologies) and ask my best friend quickly about it before i got too sucked in to go back to asking her about it later. i recognized the vocals to be antony, but the music didn't sound quite like his. alas, it's hercules and love affair with antony lending his vocals. be prepared to be overwhelmed with a desire to go roller skating and rent caligula.


Monday, January 10, 2011

second chances

i'm a madonna fan, i always have been. i still remember begging for like a virgin on cassette for my 9th birthday and taking my mom to see evita on christmas day - both of us crying our eyeballs off at the death of eva peron. BUT when i heard there was going to be a justin timberlake collaboration on hard candy, i refused to give in, even if the song was a political one with a message. so what? i just don't care for timberlake in my library.
so 2 years later, i've just recently heard this song. and just watched the video. where the fuck was i? timberlake got the better of me...

Friday, January 7, 2011

black on black

remember the last time a band looked great wearing only black, yet wasn't goth? yes, me, too. it was the 90's and their names were elastica and suede. thank you, the xx, for bringing it back. here's one of my favorite covers.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

keepin' it casual

i know i'm a walking book, a product to be visually judged but with a decent story to be read on the inside. it's funny what people will say to your face, just based on how you look. maybe it's because it was the style awards...i went with my pal j who is a really beautiful, head turning ginger. so when a guy who was talking to her no longer captured her attention, yet, was still standing in our midst turned to me and commented, "so, your style is interesting. a bit like a girl-boy," i didn't have much to say back. i suppose to a pedestrian heterosexual man, my outfit was quite possibly "girl-boy", but wearing black, skin tight jeans, a torn up oversized white tee, black netted tie-scarf, and a slim, fitted, long black blazer to me is today's tattered version of le smoking. to explain such to him, would've been oxygen wasted. oh well. i wear what makes me happy - girl, boy, what have you. here are a few women (plus a dude) whose style also makes me happy.






(disclaimer: i do own skirts.)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

jerk v asshole

when i think about some of the words i was first told not to say nor repeat as a small child, words such as "shut up", "stupid", and "what you talkin' bout?" come to mind. but the one, monosyllabic, derogatory word that is as harsh and blunt (and an all encompassing verbal punch in the face) now as it was back then, i still use to call out those who offend me. j-e-r-k
as an adult, there are quite a few words that we understand to be profane and socially rude and vulgar, such as: douche bag, degenerate, fuckface, and the commonly used asshole. strangely though, "jerk" to me is a far worse name to call someone; it represents someone who is the pinnacle of disrespectful behavior, idiocy, selfishness, and all done so with arrogant purpose. maybe it's because it's the earliest mean word i can remember to call someone disagreeable that it still holds such power. in any case, if i use the term "jerk" on someone, they have no friends here.
examples: when you ask the waiter for a glass of water only to wait 15 minutes, then decide to ask the bus boy who brings you the glass of water at the exact same moment as your waiter finally does, that makes you an asshole. when the same thing happens to someone else, yet that person tips below 15%, that makes them a jerk. 
if (6 years ago) you brought this design to the line review because you're tired of generic verbiage on tees, you're an asshole. (btw - i made this, and brought it to line review 6 years ago.) if you don't see the humor of it during line review, you're a jerk.
so, yeah, that's the difference...

Monday, January 3, 2011

i love you: freja beha

there are exceptions for everything. for example, i don't have a green thumb. and yet, i insist on keeping orchids...that is, until they inevitably lose their flowers and shrivel up. i can't help it. i can't quit them. and so the cycle begins again...
similarly, i am not into androgyny. except for the likes of freja beha. actually, it isn't fair to call her out as androgynous because it's a reflection of what a stylist wants to project; she's a model, she's a product. it just happens to be that in most cases, she's packaged as a pretty girl looking like a pretty boy. if they were to dress her up as eminem (baggy jeans, beanie, tight thermal top), i'd turn the page. but put her in a loose white tee, tight black leather pants, and i'll probably tear out the page and put it on my "inspiration" board. watch this short, you might become a fan.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

back of the van

3 things happen when i watch this video.
1. i want to listen to stevie nicks' "edge of seventeen" immediately afterwards.
2. i regret shaving the right side of my head for a split second.
3. i have a great day.