Office bag lady

Now that I've been at my job for over two years and now that I'm closer to 30 than I am to 20 I'm finally reviewing my work clothes. The majority of my work clothes were bought in a panicked state a day before I started my job. Needless to say I did not buy them for comfort or quality. The pants that fit well are beginning to fray on the seams. All the seams. It's looks like I'm wearing fringed pants. The other pants were inappropriately tight and some tops so loose the collars would slip down over my shoulder giving me a fabulous eighties look. My black capris (eeewwwww) are now a medium gray and my gray capris are hip huggers which I no longer find acceptable.
Even my shoes are starting to fall apart. Granted, I didn't buy the shoes because I didn't have any I could wear to the office, but until now I never understood that shoes wear out I just thought you outgrew them, physically or style-wise. I don't think I've brought shoes out of necessity since my feet stopped growing at size 10.
Anyway, my beloved (multiple) pairs of sky high black heels are being worn down to nubs, the soles are developing holes and the leather (the pre-veg purchases) is beginning to peel. I thought I was going to wear them forever, but not that I would wear them everyday. My poor babies!
Where was I going with this? The point is that if you caught me on the right day I would look like a bag lady. Especially if I'm wearing one of the purses the rabbit has chewed on.

Spanish to English and back again

ockera. I have no idea if that's spelled right, but I will find out. Anyway- M was asked by client if she was a rockera. Which, I guess is the Spanish language equivalent of an alt-chick. Actually she's been asked this more than once now.
I have been asked by several people at my job if I'm goth.
I wouldn't bring this up, but its just something that neither of us sees in each other or our respective selves. Nor are these looks that we're particularly enamored with (unlike mod or teddy girl, which we would be flattered to be mistaken for. Especially since neither of us have the clothes for either look).
We can't figure out how it is that we keep getting these questions seeing as how we both wear conservative office clothes (mine have quite a few floral prints) and we both wear office lady jewelry. Maybe its the heels? But then again we both wear flats quite a bit of the time. I thought that maybe its the hair, but when I was asked the goth question my hair was actually close to it's natural medium brown, not the black I have right now. M's hair is black-brown naturally and it's (kind of) a mod cut.

Important question of the day

Are pantyhose and tights the same thing?  For whatever reason, I have developed the impression that they are different.  That pantyhose always have that strange boxer-briefs top half, darker than the legs, whereas tights are solid.  I got this idea because we always brought "tights" for ballet, to wear under the leotard.  Pantyhose, which were always purchased from the supermarket last minute gave the wearer a strange garter look.  An obvious line would encircle the upper, upper thigh while the leg clad in the proper tights would be solid.  Anyway after googling this question that has plagued me for many years now, I find there is no difference.  The dictionary uses tights in the definition of pantyhose.  Right now it appears to be that the difference is regional, like soda vs. pop. vs. coke.  I will get to the bottom of this mystery, yet.

At least I know what stockings are, and to celebrate this achievement, here's an old ad;

Urban Decay has Spring looks!

I think I'll wear cat fight  to work.   Apparently the look for spring is all out war between the lips and the eyes.  All but one of the looks, cat fight, has bright lips vs. bright eyes.  That's why it wins out as my day time, at the office make-up.  I wish I could post a picture of this, please check out the link.
The spring looks are a part of their new cream eyeshadow line, which I would love to buy all of, but at $17 bucks a pop, I think I might just sticking my shadow with Vaseline.  Or should I say "vaseline", since it came from the 99 cents store.  But let us gaze on what I cannot have...

And the colors that I really, really want

Grass

Asphalt

Radium

Weeds

Incase you should read this before V-Day, M, I want one.  We're spending the day apart, maybe as a part of a new tradition, M in another county, me, babysitting finicky dogs.  I wonder if we really could pull this off every year?

Used clothes challenge!

Just for me.  I'm doing this in the interest of M expanding her wardrobe.  And saving money.  And expanding my own wardrobe while saving money.  And to practice sewing...

Anyway for the next six months I will only buy used clothes.  Decent used clothes (i.e. cardigans, skirts, jeans and work pants should I be so lucky, things that don't get a lot of use), which I can modify myself, either by altering it so it fits well or adding wried details.  Anybody else up for the challenge?  I'm looking at you, X.  Maybe a no restaurant challenge will be next?  Any takers? C'mon guys, there's a recession agoing on, we all know it's the wise, but painful, thing to do.  

If it (the clothes one) works out, I do it for the rest of the year.  

This challenge will exclude underwear, shoes, socks, and funeral clothes.

The sad fate of my flats

I love flat shoes.  I love my heels too, but if you're taking the bus/subway, walking up a hill, and then five flights of stairs, they can be a bit of a hassle.  Just a bit.  So, to adapt to my environment, I've developed a love for fancy flats.  Shiny, metallic, canvas, bows, cut out patterns, pointy toe or round, they're all good.  You can also wear very "outrageous" flats, the high heel equivalent could never been worn to work without looking like a stripper.  Comfy and attention-getting, with a thin veneer of sensibility and sophistication. The downside of these shoes is how quickly they wear out.  None of mine have lasted more than three months, and that's pushing it.  Heels, particularly platform heels, don't wear out very fast.  The bottom of those shoes are are as hard as rocks, more likely to damage the pavement than to wear out.
So my newest flats are beginning to show signs of decay, the fabric is starting to wear out near the toes, the sole is beginning to separate, they're stretching out a bit too much... if only they were more like $5 bucks a pair instead of $20.

Speaking of recessions

I just bought a $70 dollar Marc Jacobs head band!  I didn't pay that much for it of course, I got it for $17, which still hurt but it's very cute.  I think the conversation on the way home between M and I was dominated by the thought of who would shell out 70 bucks for a cute head band.  Will there ever be a time, once we're actual professionals, when we would be okay with that?  We kinda agreed that day may never come, but M had a positive spin on it.  "We know about the Rack, don't we?  We aren't accustomed to paying full price for anything right now, and we'll never be."  I love you too M, I love you too...

I can't find an image of my headband, but here's one of the cute clip M bought.  Original price was $50, she got it for $13.

Babycham Studies

I want it, I want it, I want it!

Here's an ad from the 80s, obviously;

I gots me a LAMB purse

Finally I have a purse that cost more than I could ever hope to sell myself for. If blow jobs go for about twenty buck a pop, then I would need to do about 25 of them in one night to pay for this thing. Lucky for me, the bag was on sale. Good, ol' Nordstrom's Rack, selling what the rich find distasteful. Not only was the bag deeply discounted already, my fellow pueblains didn't like it either, so it was reduced by another 50%. The store was desperate to get rid of it, if I had waited just a little bit longer they might have paid me to take it. The best is that I like this bag from the moment I saw it regular price.
Suck my dick recession, suck it like a crack whore (y'know, toothless)

Mindlessness

I love Urban Decay, one of the few pigment rich, cruelty-free make-up brands, so I must encourage any and all readers, including men, to buy their products. What's that you say, "I've got enough make-up?" Well don't worry, you probably don't have any red eyeliner. Do you? That's what I thought. Buy some. Another question, "How will I wear it?" Well don't worry, 'cause UB will tell you how. Click the link below to view "Steal our Looks" page.  Done, looking at?  Good, now you may continue to read the rest of this blog.

It would be fun to do a series of photos, before and after, of my friends with those looks copied exactly. I know who I want to where their Holiday 2007 look, Shadow Box, which gets it name from using all the colors in your eyeshadow pallet. I want all of them to wear that look...

I loves me sum Japanese fashion

 Since this is from the mainstream press, I assume the trend is waning.    Hime gyaru, or princess girls, which seems like the bastard child of Lolitas and Co-gal fashion, is as most things Japanese, obsessive, insanely cute, expensive, skill intensives, and demands perfection.  I would like to dress like them, but for some reason most of the hot Japanese trends don't look so good on white girls.  



Dying my hair blond lacks the shock value of my Japanese counterparts, same thing with blue contacts.  I think the main reason is that I, and my ghostly pale, round eye counterparts, lack the drive for perfection.  Those Harijuku fashions don't work if you're going to be half assed about it.  It may not match, it might fit bizarrely, it might be a little too cold for that outfit, but the make-up's perfect, the hair expertly styled, the clothes carefully picked out.   It works like really good low-brow art.  It's tacky, the subject matter is pop-y, but with the right amount of skill, it looks great.  It has meaning.  And you know the silliness/absurdity was intentional, goddamn it.

My favorite style, which I hope is still around in some form, is the medical patient look.  Bandage, brace, slings, eyepatch, nurse and doctor-like coats.  Ohmigwad, how great, way better than stupid ol' goth, paint tray, Hot Topic shit.

Anyway here's the link;

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122713804938242481.html?mod=rss_Lifestyle#