The Blues.

I don't know what it is, but when the weather is nice in San Francisco, especially when it shouldn't be (like in January, for instance) I get the blues. You would think that I would drop everything and go lay in the sun to soak up all the vitamin D. And in the spring time I do. But the past few days the weather has been frickin hot, by SF standards at least, and I have been wanting the clouds back! Maybe it's because gloomy weather makes for a perfect excuse to be lazy and cozy by yourself. So, in honor of the clouds that will come back, I thought I would share the things I picked up on a little impromptu shopping trip I went on today (and by impromptu shopping trip, I mean the one that I go on every week). But first let me start by sharing with you all a dream of mine. How many of you wish you could take your bed with you everywhere you go? I realized long ago that that is obviously not possible and I would gladly settle for bringing my comforter with me. And until I find a wool blanket fitting for this project, I will be using the next best thing.

The Dolce Vita poncho. Mine is in forest green and let me just tell you, it is heaven wrapped around my body. It is thick and warm and squishy and it actually has arm holes! Which I thinks takes away from the poncho stigma so I'm a fan. I first saw it a month or two ago and just wanted to cuddle with it all day. But it was crazy expensive (for me) and told myself to forget about it. Move on. There were other ponchos in the sea. But I knew that was just a lie. I saw it again this past weekend with Chelsea when we were at Ambiance on Haight (awesome store by the way and I plan on doing a profile of them soon) and it was ON SALE! Mind you, it was still $80 on sale, so it was still too expensive. But today I was in the Ambiance on Union (my weekly pit stop) and it was on sale for $75! I know. It gets better. I signed up to be on their email/birthday list thing, and I got an extra 20% off *drool*. $60. Yeah I had to buy it, you think I had a choice in the matter? 

That's not all. I also scored myself a pair of Steve Madden Riddgge's for no reason whatsoever. I have a problem.

-LG

Skins.

So I just got finished watching the first episode of Skins on MTV and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Part of me knows I'm going to end up seeing the whole season one way or another, the same way I did Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill. But not because it's good. Whoa I'm watching Conan right now and he totally just started talking about it! That is nuts. According to Conan, people are somewhat outraged by the show (not surprised), saying that it's dangerous for teens (I agree). Let me explain: first of all, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed how bad MTV sucks these days. Therefore any show they come out with I automatically assume will be a desperate ploy for viewers. I'm usually correct in this assumption, and Skins is no different. My sister told me that it's a spinoff of a show in the UK but I haven't confirmed that. Any show that promises sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll is bound to sell. I'm fully willing to admit that it made me curious as well, but believe me, I didn't watch the show in search of intelligence. It doesn't take a genius to sell sex and drugs. Just flash the words "sex and drugs" on the screen with a premiere date and people will watch. Second of all, MTV advertises "Above the Influence" just as much as it advertises shows like Skins, and while I understand this, I would rather they just pick one. It's annoying. I realize this is unrealistic and almost a stupid thing to say but, hey. Third of all, the show is advertised as being a depiction of "real American teens". I think I might have the biggest issue with point number 3. Every character in this show is a witty, intelligent, interesting, complicated smartass who, from the looks of the previews, also does a copious amount of drugs. Please tell me where these real American teens are living because I have yet to meet one as brain damaged as these kids should be who is also an amazing conversationalist. This is something that bothers me in a lot of shows on TV. The writers give every character the gift of gab. Maybe the point is to create a full cast of characters who have developed such an attribute regardless of their upbringing/background (as is the case with Skins so far), but all it does is cheapen it. Anyway, being as there's only one episode so far, this is all I have to say on the subject. I probably just lost a lot of friends with this post but what can I say, it's been a long night.

On the subject of Conan, I'm not sure how I feel about hiiiim...I can't really say yet because I've never actually watched a full episode. But he just finished interviewing Jennifer Garner and I just love her, she's adorable. So he gets snaps for having her on.

-LG

Satellite of Love.

Just found a new favorite song! Although I will admit, it's mostly because of the last minute of the song. Anyway, it's "Satellite of Love" by Lou Reed and it's wonderous.

On to less happy news. Chelsea has gone. She left me on a sunny Monday morning and soon she will be on her way back to Chico. I am beyond happy that she came though and we had a most successful weekend of photoshoots and overeating. For instance: Blue corn tortilla chips and Trader Joe's 5 layer dip, ridge cut potato chips and hummus, and coffee ice cream and nutella. Which, by the way, is where Jesus has been hiding all these years. We also managed to completely tear my apartment apart in about one hour. Red Cross stopped by thinking that a tornado had hit but we sent them on their way. I was going to document the mess but decided it would be much too horrific for some of the younger viewers. It was a taste of what it would be like for us to live together, which we now know can't happen. We would suffocate under piles of our clothes. Anyway, I'm very excited about the hundreds of pictures we shot and pan to share them just as soon as she emails them to me. In the meantime I can review a restaurant and share some Goodwill goodies from her visit.

On Saturday night we decided to get dressed and go out to dinner. Originally we were going to go to Solstice, a restaurant that I've never been to but desperately want to go to if only for their amazing lighting and champagne colored curtains in the windows. Then I went on Yelp to read some reviews and I can add their menu to my list of reasons why I want to go. Just to give you an idea, they have Gorgonzola Mac'n'Cheese with granny smith apples in it. Yeah. But whaddya know, the whole place was reserved for a private event. So we walked down a block to Frankie's Bohemian Cafe, which also has great lighting (it's all about the ambiance). We were waited on by an overly affectionate and yet well-meaning grandfatherly gentleman. He managed to cup Chelsea's face in his hand and rub my back without being creepy, which is quite the feat because let me just tell you that I do not enjoy being touched by strangers. Weird, I know. Anyway, I ordered the chicken and bell pepper brambory and it was bangin'. What's brambory, you ask? It's basically a big plate of hash browns for dinner. Hash browns with veggies and mozzarella and if you add ketchup, it makes for excellent comfort food. I was gonna share some food porn with you all but the deliciousness did not translate well into a picture so I refrained. As we were getting up to leave, our waiter said we looked like we were "ready for a big time" so you'll have to take his word for it. Anyway, I suggest you all check it out, if only for the bar. It's essentially a tiki hut in the middle of a Hungarian restaurant. Prices are very good, except there's a $30 minimum for credit cards (when he informed me of this he rubbed my back apologetically). It's on Divisadero and California, so go! Eat, drink, and be merry.

On Sunday Chelsea wanted to go thrifting and as I mentioned in the previous post, we went to the Goodwill on Haight. Once again, I found exactly what I was wanting! I went in there looking for a wool coat/jacket and I came out with two! One is J Crew and the other is INC, both for $7.49. The Goodwill gods have been smiling on me lately, that is fo sho. I also got two mens white tees for $3 each, one from J Crew and the other from Target. One of my main thrifting rules is that I don't buy anything that was originally from Target unless it is just way too good to pass up, and this tee is so frickin soft with a slim cut so how was I gonna say no to that?  I bought the two shirts because I was inspired by this post over at Love Aesthetics and was thinking of doing something similar. Or perhaps using them for more stencil designs. But after wearing the Target one by itself I'm tempted to leave it as is. We shall see. Anyway, here are the blazers:

INC herringbone blazer. It's a warmer color in person.

J Crew gray blazer with STRIPED SLEEVE LINING! Clearly I'm excited by this.

The only thing is the shoulder pads. Normally I'm down with the pads but the heaviness and thickness of real wool makes them that much more intense. It says it's a size 4. I am by no means a size 4 and it looks a little big on me. I'll have to play around with it a bit. We didn't make it to Thrift Town so when I do make it there I shall review it as well.

Those are the highlights of Chelsea's visit! Oh, other than the fact that we watched the Miss America pageant and I cried when Arianna Afsar sang "I Who Have Nothing". I am not embarrassed to admit it because homegirl can sing. I just tried to find a clip on Youtube and there's nothing up. Okay now I'm really done! I hope everyone had an excellent Tuesday.

-LG

Reunited and it Feels So Good.

Today Chelsea and I are celebrating getting 2/3 of our photoshoots done with a thrifting trip. I know. Twice in one week. I can hardly contain myself. You may be thinking "Lauren, is that a little excessive? I mean, come on". My answer to all you skeptics is that there is no such thing as excessive thrifting. The extreme frugal nature of thrifting and taking multiple trips cancel each other out. Anyway, on that note we're about to leave! A trip to the Goodwill on Haight again and perhaps this time I'll actually leave with a coat. They have a massive amount of wool trenches right now that are all amazing. And I had to force myself to leave behind a vintage Ungaro sweater, complete with shoulder pads, because I had nothing to wear it with and generally that's a rule of mine for shopping. Anyway, after that we're gonna hit up Thrift Town on Mission because I've never been and apparently it's the Costco of thrift stores. And now I'm being rushed to leave so off we go!

The Sands of Time.

So I was looking through all the amazing editorials on Fashion Gone Rogue and stumbled upon one from Vogue Nippon from November 2008 and in about .5 seconds I was sold.

When thinking about the desert, what typically first comes to mind is a hot, barren, empty, dry landscape. Nothingness. But this editorial is a portrait of the amazing lines and textures that make up the desert landscape. The architectural elements of the clothes make her look like a native creature of the desert, blending perfectly into the dunes' peaks and shadows. The ridiculously amazing collar above looks like she has a dune wrapped around her shoulders. 

I don't know if it's because of what she's wearing, but she has even managed to make it look cold where she is. Maybe it's just me. In any case, this has put me in the mood for super tailored pieces. Sharp lines and corners, geometric shapes, and color blocking. Now to incorporate that into Spring. Look at me getting too ahead of myself. Winter in San Francisco has only just begun. My mind needs to be on heavy wool and 3 layers of tights under my jeans instead of a Spring wardrobe.

Images courtesy of Fashion Gone Rogue.

It's A Novel.

Today was day one of putting myself out there. Well actually it was day, like, 7 since for the past week I've been stalking Craigslist and responding to "Artist Wanted" posts in the Community section. So if anything I've been a touch overenthusiastic. But a few days ago I responded to one, basically saying "I'm an artist, pick me!" and actually got a response (I'm always perplexed at the amount of rude people who don't respond even just to say "no thank you". I realize it's Craigslist but come on) asking to set up an appointment. A date was chosen. A time was set. The fateful meeting was to be for Thursday, January thirteenth, two-thousand-and-eleven, the year of our lord, on Mission between 4th and 5th. And it was a success! I guess I should explain what this individual was posting about to begin with. A gallery in downtown SF was/is interviewing local artists for a show in February. I brought my portfolio, poured it out all over the leather couch, and begged for approval. Just kidding, I was totally composed the entire time. Legs crossed like a lady, leaning back like a G. But to be completely honest, I was freaking out the whole way there. When I get nervous I get nauseous and feel like I have to pee, both of which suck when you have to spend an hour on public transportation smack in the middle of rush hour. I kept going over everything I had with me thinking "they all suck. They're amateurish, I'm untrained, he won't like it". We're our own worst critics and if you're like me and have had almost zero exposure to other people's opinions (outside of your family and friends) then even pieces that are actually quite good appear boring or flawed to you. Boring is a big one for me. A lot of the time I feel like I don't bring anything new or interesting to the table, I'm not different enough. But he liked all of it, and it felt so gratifying to hear that from a man who looks at art all day. Before my appointment I was wandering around the gallery looking at the work of so many different artists thinking "it will be awhile before I'm on the level of these people. I'm going to be rejected today but hey, at least I came". And on my way out it was the complete opposite! Basically I have until the 25th to submit a deposit and approximately four pieces (all of which have to be new since none of my work can really be used as a show piece) and I will be in one of their shows in February! And they have these shows frequently so if I don't do it in February, I can in March. I feel so good and for at least a few days I'll have a more realistic perspective of my abilities. On that note, here is my insight for the day: I suggest to any self-doubting new or aspiring artist to do what I did today. I am so much more motivated now knowing that I'm not the only one who likes what I do and that someone else thinks it could be marketable. And I would suggest doing this maybe once a month to keep refreshing your perspective. Yes, rejection is scary, but like all of the creative industries, the art world is one in which you need to grow a tough skin. And the sooner you start learning/dealing in the business side of things, the better. I realized today how innocent I am when it comes to these kinds of interactions. I had no idea what to expect or say, I have no idea what's reasonable for a gallery to ask of me, I have no idea how to price my work, or even how best to present it. It was suddenly very clear to me how easily I could be taken advantage of. I have a somewhat better idea now, but today gave me a list of things to research and improve upon. So talk to people in the industry, talk to other successful artists, do some online research, whatever it is you have to do to better prepare yourself. Even if you are not always successful in these ventures, you are beginning to build a network and you never know, you might just stumble upon your big break. So if there's one thing that you should take from this post, it is that Craigslist is God.

-LG

Eager Beaver.

I've already chopped up the Police T-Shirt. It's cropped in front and long in back. I have drawn up a very complicated computer sketch of what the T-Shirt looks like:

I know, it's shocking how good that is. Anyway, I thought "hey why not make it a tutorial!" So folks, get ready for world's easiest T-Shirt tutorial! Not easy because I'm a genius at making things easy for all. Easy because I barely did anything to it. Moving on!

Step 1: Remove collar. What you want your neckline to look like is up to you. I've had multiple bad experiences where I've taken too many liberties in the collar department and ruined shirts. So this time I stuck to just cutting along the seam.

Step 2: Repeat step one on bottom of T-Shirt

Step 3: Mark out on the front of the shirt how high you would like it to be. From that point, slope down to the corners of the shirt, marking with pins or chalk as you go. Make sure it's as even as possible.
(In this picture it's already cut but just pretend it's not)

Step 4: Cut along the line you marked. Remember DO NOT CUT THE BACK PANEL! I know, duh, right? Wrong. I almost cut the back. Because it is 2am and mistakes happen at such an hour.

Step 5: Turn shirt so that the side seam ("line" where a side seam would be) is facing up.

Step 6: You need to eliminate that crazy point on the side. Using pins or chalk, mark a line that makes the front slope a continuous line to the back panel. The line shouldn't need to be too big but this depends on the size of the shirt and how much you've cropped in relation to how much length you've left.

Step 7: Cut along that line, making sure that there are no longer any points. This may require using your scissors to round out any existing corners. Repeat on other side.

Step 8: Remove the sleeve rings. The sleeve collars. Whatever you want to call them. This depends on how long your sleeves are and how long you want them to be. If you don't want them any shorter, don't cut these off. Keep in mind that the shorter the sleeve, the more likely it will be to stick straight out rather than following the line of your arm, a la Gaga:

Except on a T-Shirt this look says "biker gang" rather than "high fashion". 

But that's it, all done!

 Easiest tutorial ever! I'll work my way up to more difficult tasks, I promise. Enjoy your tee!

PS I apologize for the terrible quality of pictures. Note to all of those people considering the iPhone: don't get it. The crappy camera is just one of my many complaints. Anyway, I'm working on getting a big girl camera.

-LG

Time Machine.

Today was a day of adventures! My boyfriend Ben and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on new years and his gift to me (on top of a pair of Adidas Sambas) was to take me thrifting and get me whatever my frugal little heart desired. Best. Present. Ever. I instructed him to make this my present for everything for here on out. "Hey Lauren, happy Friday! Let's go thrifting!" Or "Hey Lauren, it's 11 am, let's go thrifting!"

Our first stop was lunch at Roam Artisan Burgers on Union. I was pleasantly surprised because we went in there expecting $12 burgers, as those of you familiar with the Marina district would as well. But they were actually between $6 and $7 and they were delicious! A gruyere cheese burger? Yes please. Plus I've been craving mustard and pickles lately and not only are their burgers heavy on the mustard, they make their pickles in house! Twas meant to be. I also got caramelized onions, tomatoes, and lettuce on mine. I can't eat bread so I ate it sans buns and it was still delightful.

Our next stop was Past Perfect, an antique store a few blocks west from Roam on Union. Let me put it this way: I could furnish my life with the contents of this place. I go in once a week and I never fail to find things I hadn't seen the week before. Yes it is pricey but these are vintage and antique treasures. You can't go in to a place like this looking to simply buy an object. You're buying artifacts from someone else's life. In order to fully enjoy the vintage/antiquing experience, you have to imagine the history of the object: Who wore it? Where did it sit in their house? Was it for practical use or decoration? Suddenly everything is precious, not just the gem stones and handbags from the '60's. Even a pack of bobby pins from the '50's gets the reaction of "OMFG bobby pins from the '50's!!!!" from me because they were in someone's hair 60 years ago! Weird? Maybe. Awesome? Absolutely. During my last trip there I took some pictures of a few of my favorite pieces in the store but you really must see it for yourself if you're into this kind of thing.

This chandelier is heaven hanging from the ceiling.

This is a wall mounted sconce/chandelier. They have it mounted on a mirror which makes it that much more epic. I have this thing for both chandeliers (thank you, Mom) and bronze wall hangings (not sure who to thank for that one). So a marriage of the two, especially one including flowers, is just unfair.

Creamsicle buffet/dresser/whatever it is it's awesome and I want it.

Bronze mirrored dresser. Need I say more.

1960's floral dress I bought there about a month ago. I got stuck in it in the dressing room/bathroom because, shocker, the 50 year old zipper jammed and I stood in there for about 30 minutes freaking out because there was an antique strapped to my body and I was killing it!!!! On top of that, the bathroom (which is a one-toilet deal) was under construction so the floor and surfaces were covered in dry wall dust and I was afraid to move lest I get some on the dress. Anyway, one panic attack later I managed to un-jam the zipper and purchase the dress. It was the least I could do. The picture doesn't do the colors in the dress justice. They're much more vibrant/jewel toned in person.

After leaving Past Perfect we jumped on the bus and headed to Hayes Valley to hit up The Other Shop (Divisadero and Oak). It is also a vintage/antique shop with a large emphasis on mid-century design, artifacts, knick-knacks and what have you. If you're into records, this place has a massive collection. They play good music. I love their light fixtures. I mean what is there to say, I want it all. End of story.

Image courtesy of Yelp

Back on the bus, this time to Haight to the Goodwill (where the real spending begins). But on the way there we stumbled upon Mickey's Monkey. We had originally planned on going here too, changed our minds, and ended up here purely on accident anyway. Honestly, I could've done without it. It's very small and doesn't carry a lot of the things I drool over. The reviews on Yelp had me thinking it was going to be bigger, a treasure trove. I either read it wrong or we were in the wrong shop. Anyway, don't let me deter you. Adventure on to Mickey's Monkey, choose for yourself!

Our adventure ended at the Goodwill in Upper Haight and as always seems to happen to me in this place, I found the exact random item I went in there only praying I would find! A ridiculous pair of trouser-style leather pants that I plan on turning into a pair of slouchy leather shorts. I say that so cavalierly like "oh yes, I'm just going to make them into a pair of shorts". Really it's more like "oh yes, I'm going to be ripping a pound of hair out in my attempts to turn them into a pair of shorts". 

They're huge: $16.99

Jones of New York cinch-waist jacket: $7.49

Rockport ankle boots: $8.49

Large black long sleeved velvet shirt: $7.49

It had a matching pair of velvet pants (I immediately tried to imagine the individual who wore this outfit), and a matching set in bright royal blue. I resisted.

I plan on cropping this somehow, as well as the tee below.

The Police 2007-2008 world tour tee: $10.99

Silver alligator cuff: $6.99

So not the cheapest bunch of purchases but the only ones I bought myself were the shoes and the cuff. 

How could I forget! While we were in the Haight we came across a shoe store (I'm forgetting the name! Curses!) and guess what they had in the window! The Sam-frickin-Edelman Zoes. Yeah. So in I went to try them on! Foiled. They didn't have my size. But they also carried the Litas, and as I haven't tried them on before, I did so. Generally putting on the item I've been obsessing over for awhile calms me down considerably. That's exactly what happened here. The Litas were incredibly lightweight but to be honest, I didn't like that about them. I like to feel my shoe on my foot and it just felt way too insubstantial for a shoe that size. And as I expected, they didn't look right on me. So I can officially move the Lita from my "Holy Shit" list to my "Ah yes. I tried those on once" list. The Zoes, however, staunchly remain at the top of list "Holy Shit".

Now that I'm back in 2011 after my trip into the beautifully-upholstered-olive-green-and-orange-mid-century past, I will nurse my blistered feet and day dream of cut up shirts and crazy leather trousers.

PS My best friend in the WORLD is coming to visit me this friday and we're going to have a creative marriage of the minds! I am beyond excited. Photo shoots and other creative adventures to follow.

-LG

Curate.

I've been experiencing a bit of a transformation lately. I've found myself wanting nothing more than to dive straight into all of the things I'm passionate about. For way too long I've just been tiptoeing around them and staring at them like they're pieces in a museum. But the past few months has seen a change in me that's been 100% positive. My wallet would disagree with me on that. And I've always had a strange relationship with money. I'm frugal and spending money makes me uncomfortable, but this transformation has come with a lot of spending and so I keep feeling the need to justify my spending to myself. My justification is also my philosophy about clothing and fashion: it makes an individual a walking piece of art. Yes, clothes are material objects. But so is an original Monet. Fashion is like getting to wear that Monet on your body and say "this is what I love, this is who I am today". Because of this I see nothing wrong with expressing myself through what I wear. And I see nothing wrong with wearing a floral dress one day and dark, angular clothes the next. I am many, many things and want to express them all.

This is going to be a year of self exploration and discovery. I'm going to FORCE myself to draw/paint/sew at least a few times a week if not every day, even if I am not in the mood. I'm going to FORCE myself to explore the depths of my closet and utilize pieces I forgot I even had. I'm going to explore and appreciate my city and seek out like minded people. I'm going to start being honest with myself about what I want and who I am and I'm going to let myself be everything that I am. And I'm not going to be afraid to put myself out there! Here's to 2011!

-LG

Yes I Need Them.

                                                             Dolce Vita "Jade" in Red Suede

Jeffrey Campbell "Lita" in Purple Suede

Sam Edelman "Zoe", which I like better than the original Balenciaga design

All images from solestruck.