I was trying to write, but I just ended up posing with a book about jazz guitar like I always do.
See by Chloé t-shirt, American Apparel skirt, Forever 21 sandals, old jewelry
Category Archives: American Apparel
The Witching Hour
Sometimes it’s a pleasure to dress specifically for nighttime. I’d look overly dramatic traipsing around at noon in this witch-y skirt. It felt just right when toned down with a cotton t-shirt and neutral platforms for a casual night out. No accessories, just houndstooth nails and Wet’n'Wild lipstick (wine-stained lips for cheaper than a glass of wine!)
Glamour Kills t-shirt, American Apparel chiffon skirt, Payless wedges
Hopefully the amount of American Apparel I wear (a lot, since I work there) won’t get boring too quickly. I got this skirt for, like, $6. I’m sure I wouldn’t have bought it under normal circumstances, but at this point, I love it. It’s kind of a double dare because it’s very sheer (I’m wearing shorts underneath it) and very long. It’s crazy that it took a couple years of maxi-skirt popularity for me to stop fearing them. Done right, even a 5’3″ woman can wear them without looking frumpy.
My definition of “right” is having one too-sexy-for-schoolteacher attribute, like fitted or sheer fabric or buttons running down the length of it, and preferably paired with heels.
I’m also hesitant about shirts with text, but the photographic suburban sunset on this one won me over. Plus, the phrase is satisfactorily oblique and set in a font that reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are.
Thinly Veiled Effort
American Apparel chiffon camisole layered over an Urban Outfitters racerback tank, Aerie bracelet, Hot Topic jeans (Don’t laugh. I’m goth now.)
A friend gave me these cute, polka dot earrings as a high school graduation present. My college graduation present to myself is to stop freaking out.
Basically
American Apparel shorts, vintage boat neck tee and bracelet
It’s my last Spring Break. I’m spending it with people who make me happy and the things that can be bought at corner stores. Forgot what we wanted to be when we grew up, so we didn’t. Days pass like morning through mini-blinds and night finds us shuffling to some new tune. Worries muted like the pastel tiles in the bathrooms of our dirty mid-century homes.
There was style and there was substance. Both were a little illicit.
Orange You Glad?
By keeping one eye on the SXSW Interactive conference and spending some spring break leisure time perusing blogs, I finally accepted that the most (only?) viable form of fashion blog is the “personal style blog.” I haven’t posted many pictures of myself and my own outfits on Aesthetic Etiquette, mainly because it seemed awkward, but it’s not. It’s the simplest way to share inspiration and ideas with others when it comes to style. I still want to do more substantive posts in which writing is the focus, but I think inserting some outfit posts will make regular updates less daunting. This should be the case even though I don’t own a camera except for a janky Polaroid that eats gold for film and the one on my phone. I won’t even go into how I constructed a tripod (hint: it involved a TV stand, one shoe, and two Bingo daubbers.)
So, here’s what I wore yesterday when the sun came out after a three-day rainstorm. It needed some warmth modification for when I went out at night with a couple friends. We ended up just getting rice balls at the Love Balls truck and watching episodes of Archer.
Just, you know, half-smiling about doing a model-y stretch pose in sepia tone. I talked to a co-worker the other night about how the decade of a photograph can be guessed by the “feel” of it. That look is a product of technology, but perhaps one of taste, too.
We compared megapixels and I said how funny it was that phones come equipped with better cameras in the mini Age of Instagram. We take better pictures to subsequently run through apps that blur them and distort them to charming badness.
In color! Vintage denim shirt, American Apparel miniskirt, Michael Kors platforms
Wear something tangerine. Pantone says so.
I usually like denim shirts for their ability to toughen up an outfit, but I love how girly this one is with its eyelet lace trim and lack of collar.
Essie nail polish in Coat Azure
A higher power left me these sandals on a Goodwill rack last summer. Mixed natural materials, chains and nails, AND that awesome cutout in the wedge? Dreams do come true.
Hands-on Experience
These are, for all intents and purposes, manicures juxtaposed with home decor:
I grasped this brass owl so hard my nail polish cracked.
OPI White Shatter top coat over NYC nail enamel in Purple Pizzaz
Sailboat curtains are boyish. Nail art is not.
Anonymous, adhesive silver strips…
Santa Fe vibes. I don’t know whether vintage sheets are gross/weird or not, but that’s not going to stop me.
Essie nail polish in Topless and Barefoot (Is that name free-spirited or misogynous?)
Jewelry: Urban Outfitters bird skull ring, Charlotte Russe gold band, Gap beaded bracelet, Guatemalan friendship bracelet
I was inspired by this Michael Parkes print, but more so by Neapolitan ice cream.
American Apparel nail lacquer in Makeup and Summer Peach, with L’Oreal Pro Manicure nail polish in French Tip White
Wildcard: This is a face (not to be confused with housewares.)
Sephora by OPI nail color in I’m Wired
The Nitty Gritty on Treasure City
One man’s trash is not just another man’s Treasure City Thrift store find. It’s also a means of improving the economy and the environment, both in Austin and abroad. Cory Skuldt gave a presentation Sunday about how this overflowing second-hand store in East Austin is doing its part to clothe the community, not the landfills.
Skuldt talked about the importance of buying second-hand clothing as part of a new discussion series spotlighting active groups in Austin. The meeting was hosted by MonkeyWrench Books among stacks of homemade zines. A modest audience occupied the metal folding chairs. Skuldt’s infant son crawled about and played with the store’s only toy: a wooden block with the word “RIOT!” written on it.
“We’re more than just a retail store,” said Skuldt, who can often be found working the register at Treasure City, “We exist to support other nonprofits in a variety of ways.”
These efforts include donating items to charitable organizations in need and providing a meeting space for groups without their own buildings. Another goal is to keep the east-side community, which has been challenged by crime and drugs, connected through events such as fashion shows and movie screenings.
A clip was shown from “China Blue,” a documentary about blue jean manufacturing sweat shops where girls earn 12 cents per hour sewing the wardrobe staple. A separate report from CNN said that China produces 200 million pairs of jeans yearly, but that at least twice that amount is sold each year in the U.S. alone. It’s incentive to buy a lotta vintage or American Apparel, a horizontally-produced brand that pays immigrant workers fairly, yet gets deportation-raided by our government all the same. Growl.
Anyway, Skuldt explained that the easiest way for individuals to help is to buy used merchandise. Treasure City Thrift is an even better option than some other resale shops because 100 percent of the money spent there will stay in the local economy. Treasure City also abstains from the common practice of shipping its unsold merchandise overseas, where it can stunt the growth of foreign economies that become dependent on what Skuldt calls an “influx of cheap.”
“U.S. controlled manufacturers pay people really poor wages to make the clothes in the first place, and then U.S. resellers sell them back at a mark-up,” she explained.
Instead, Treasure City gives away leftover items to Austinites on the last Sunday of each month at the Really, Really Free Market. This is an opportunity for all people who have something to give, share, or trade to meet at Chestnut Community Park and help each other out. There are no price tags allowed. So it’s kind of like Burning Man, with only slightly fewer hippies…
“We try to get everything back in the hands of someone local,” Skuldt said.
This re-donating is a major part of the example the store is setting by striving for a zero waste policy. They have a single, household trashcan and don’t throw away anything that can possibly be reused, regardless of whether there is a profit to be made.
Another unique feature of Treasure City is that it’s run by volunteers and has no hierarchy of management. They welcome anyone interested in their cause to stop by the store at 2943 E. 12th St. to help sort incoming donations. Off-site help such as increasing the organization’s web presence and putting up fliers is also appreciated.
“It sounds like a different kind of volunteer work,” said Erica Ochoa, a 19-year-old St. Edward’s student who attended the lecture. She said that she would like to support and volunteer at Treasure City since it is hyper local, whereas places like Goodwill can seem impersonal.
It’s a painless way to help our neighbors who are struggling to afford clothing and household items, especially for those who love vintage finds as much as Paul Baker, who works at the store regularly.
“There’s just too much production in general,” he said. “So, it’s kind of a celebration of the stuff that we have already.”
Now, the stuff I have already includes a Vena Cava shirt (buy one, get one top with kimono-cut sleeves free!). It only set me back $2 that’s sure to go forth and be virtuous. There’s no reason not to shop for throw-back trends new instead of at thrift stores. Skuldt recommends boxy vintage blazers layered onto newer looks for fall as the “80s phenomenon” still exerts its influence on fashion. I recommend taking it into the future territory of the past with some 90s grunge looks and rich fabrics like velvet and leather, too.
I’m a Model Sort Of!
Most of these posts are about what I want. This one is about what I have!
Professional photographer Geoff Hammond teamed up with me for an original fashion shoot. He takes seriously beautiful photos. What better way to show off a few of my favorite vintage finds?
DKNY top, Jacobies heels, vintage leather skirt and belly chain (worn as headband).
Nothing says “I’m a writer for today’s young, savvy audience” like posing with my beat-up Royal typewriter. We could have used his (he’s got some great antiques for doing a lot of old fashioned and retro pictures on iStock, but I got this sentimental chunk of metal for my 15th birthday.
Next comes an outfit for all your sophisticated garden party needs. The rain didn’t stop us from taking it outside!
Dolce and Gabbana dress, vintage hat, Geoff’s umbrella.
I’m kind of camera shy. When someone aims their lens at me at a party or something I instinctively just make a weird face. It seems that “unnatural” is my natural state. But Geoff and his lovely wife/assistant Martina were always ready with a joke to loosen me up.
American Apparel dress, Mossimo heels, vintage necklace and cocktail ring.
Check out more of his photography on his website,
www.hammondovi.com, or his blog:
www.hammondovi.blogspot.com
Travel Wear for the Hostel or Hilton
My summer won’t involve a beach vacation or study abroad program. However, I’ll get to visit Seattle and Mt. Hood, Ore., on my way to my sister’s wedding in Portland. If you’re lucky enough to travel (may I suggest a Gulf Coast getaway at a rate of 90 percent off?), you know a fun and fashionable trip starts with packing a suitcase.
Remember the good ol’ days, about a century ago, when ladies arrived at railroad stations with a few servants carrying their train cases the size of coffins? Yeah, me neither. Traveling light is important. Here are a few items that conserve enough space to bring home souvenirs:
Polka Dot Bandeau Pencil Dress, American Apparel, $43 (take 15 percent off the red, white or blue version now through July 5 with code AAJULY4)
This can be worn as a skirt or dress, bandeau or halter. There are approximately a million ways to tie the straps, so you won’t get bored of wearing it a few times, washing it in a hotel bathroom, then wearing it a few more times.
Urbanears Plattan headphones in Navy, $60 at Moxsie. (You might get an instant 15 percent off as a new customer, or you can save 10 percent by signing up for Moxsie’s newsletter.)
Aside from being cool headphones that come in eight different colors, these are ideal for travel. I’m not an ear bud kind of girl, so I like that these offer comfort, sound quality and hinge construction so you can fold them up for efficient packing. There’s a jack socket so your travel companion can share an in-flight movie or music with you if his or her iPod dies.
Sephora dry oil spray, $3-8
It’s five ounces of leak-resistant loveliness. Who wants to apply lotion when it’s hot and/or sandy outside? This is a lightly perfumed moisturizer that absorbs quickly. You can also spray your hair to calm frizz or mask the smell of having stood around in a smokey bar too long. Unscented formulas can double as eye makeup remover and face moisturizer if your skin’s not too, um, youthful for adding intentional oil.
If your trips are anything like mine, remember: A disproportionate amount of pictures will be taken.
What do you always make sure to pack for a vacation?
