Category: Fashion

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Fashion Flashback: High School Rings

During a recent family visit, I found the high school ring of my cousin’s husband and suggested that my cousin wear it on a chain as a necklace. That’s when I wished I had my own high school ring. I wore rings in high school and had already developed a fondness for jewelry, but I had no interest back then in a high school ring. Then Mr. MVP told me he didn’t get one, either. So this sent me to Ebay and Etsy to search for castaway high school rings. I found this one on Etsy and chose it for its color (iridescent blue, so dreamy) and high school name (Pleasant Grove High, which sounds like the name of a school in a book that would be made into a dark indie movie with a really great soundtrack). The Etsy seller wrote that she purchased the ring with a lot of others from an estate sale; it was dirt-cheap and now I have it hanging on a black cotton string made from a recycled T-shirt, with two other childhood rings.

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Style Souvenir: Cowboy Boots from Nashville

During a trip to Nashville several years ago, I found these Justin roper boots in teal at a thrift store full of stylish treasures. They were on back wall with shelves filled with pre-owned boots in various colors, styles, and sizes and I walked right up to this pair, drawn to the spectacular color. Talk about luck: They were my size. (They were my size!) I bring them out for special occasions and wore them out this weekend for a birthday party at a western bar. They’re good for dancing, too.

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I Love NY Street Shots: Photos of NY Windows After September 11

I remember walking around New York in the days following September 11, 2001. Those who were there can attest to the sense of comaraderie. Storefronts in my neighborhood showed their love of NY and America with displays. A few of these are above; this was before we all had digital cameras and smartphone cameras and I took shots with my pocket camera using film, not sure what I would get.

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Style Crush: Florence in My Dreams

Today I’m dreaming of being Florence from Florence and the Machine, after finding myself mesmerized by “What the Water Gave Me,” the new single (and video; stills from it above). It begins with wanting to rock like she does. Then I would also like to get lost in her closet and her jewelry boxes full of fabulous trinkets….

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I Love Lucy: Funny, Stylish, Timeless

I love so much about Lucy and have been recently obsessed with catching re-runs of “I Love Lucy” on TV. I love the show for the overall hilarity of the writing and performances; the chemistry between Lucy and Ricky; the friendship between Lucy and Ethel (and Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred); the shenanigans that usually involve Lucy’s shameless desire to be on stage and screen with Ricky; Lucy’s facial expressions and her unmatched gift for physical comedy; and the fabulous fashion. Oh, all those sweet bows, polka dots, scarves, coats, hats, purses (above, bows and polka dots together!)…. Check out Google’s homepage for a tribute to Lucille Ball today, the late star’s 100th birthday.

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DIY: Key to NY

I found an old key to a NY apartment and was inspired to make it a necklace. Simple DIY decoupage job: I tore words from the yellowed pages of a thrift store paperback copy of a favorite book (“The Awakening” by Kate Chopin) and glued them on one side of the key. The key is hanging from a chord made of a strip of black jersey from an old T-shirt.

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Baseball Shirt DIY

Upcycled baseball shirts sell well on my Etsy shop—to girls like me who don’t like to wear boring and boxy tees to show support for the home team. So when I was given last-minute Dodgers tickets yesterday, I remembered I had set aside a thrift store Dodgers shirt for myself. I sewed on the denim braided neckline detail (denim from a discarded, recycled pair of jeans) in the passenger seat of the car, on the way to the game.

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Skateboard Bag Holder

I love a bar that has a hook for a lady to hang her handbag. At the Venice Beach Ale House, they have recycled skateboard wheels. Here’s my vintage Coach hobo (a recent thrift store find).

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Style Rebel: Documented by Dad

Like a lot of teens, I liked to rebel with my style. I wore a lot of black while my contemporaries were wearing bright neons, and I decided to wear my black lace-up ankle boots to my high school graduation ceremony. I recall both my grandmothers expressing confusion about my choice and trying to talk me into wearing “nice white pumps.” (Nice white pumps were not in my closet and would never find a place there.) It may be that my parents also talked to me about it, but I don’t have memories of them trying to mettle. What I do recall is the close-up photo my father took of my white graduation gown, black dress, and black boots—and then finding that photo in a frame. Dad has a great sense of humor, and (like my mom) has always been loving and supportive. On the occasion of Father’s Day, this makes me a very lucky girl.