bits and bobbins

moving hiatus

2010-03-04T12:56:53Z

hi all!

my little fam and i are moving from chicago to CT today!

i’m gonna take a little hiatus until things are a bit less crazy-town in my world…not sure how long.

could be a couple days, but could be a couple weeks. lots to unpack and sort. i haven’t seen my stuff in six months (it’s been in storage in NYC since last october)!

as a result, there will be no w_r’s of the week this week. apologies!

thanks for understanding!

thrift town: get used

2010-03-01T02:30:20Z

okay, this is crazy old news, but…

about six gazillion years ago (ok, really, like three years ago, back in ‘07), when i was living out in san francisco, i did an interview for a documentary on thrift town, a bay-area thrift store chain.

anyway, i was waxing nostalgic about thrift town today with pete (oh how i miss that place!!! AHHHH!!!), and decided to google around to see if anything ever came of the doc. and voila! i turned up the documentary in toto, on the ever amazing youtube! yay! it’s embedded above.

the documentary is called thrift town: get used. it’s only about 10 minutes long (so, really, a short). i make a small appearance at the beginning of the film, and then at about 6:27 i get a longer bit…where they show me shopping around the store (checkin’ out the clothes, shoes, and patterns, haha!) and i get a few seconds of face time just after that where i dork out and say some nice stuff about thrift town and thrifting in general.

[btw: the acid wash jumper dress and pink earrings i'm wearing in the documentary are thrift town finds. you can get a better look at the acid wash jumper here if ye are so inclined...]

wardrobe_remix(ers) o’ the week

2010-02-26T01:55:35Z

to all of you, you lovely amazing people:

THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all the insights, advice, kind words, and most of all, constructive criticism about the wardrobe_remix(ers) o’ the week posts last week. it was a big help, and the comments you made and the discussion that ensued inspired me to keep going, and get creative with the posts over time.

on that note, once i get settled in my new home (i’m moving in less than a week!!!), and things settle down a bit for me and my family and i have more time, i plan to make some really cool changes to these posts and perhaps how i handle w_r as a whole in relation to my blog in general. there might be BIG changes… do stay tuned!

coming back to the here and now: this week i tried to pull out some folks i think i haven’t featured yet (apologies if i have!). if you have any suggestions for people you think should be featured/a particularly incredible pic you saw in the pool in the past week, do shoot me an email! perhaps i’ll add your suggestion in!

best,
your friend,
tricia

***

here is the weekly wardrobe_remix recap! from me, tricia, the creator of wardrobe_remix.

***

a stylized hysteria:

Gold Stars For Tulip:

verypurpleperson:

jj@goodwiu:

kendilea:

Daniel’s Daily Update:

turquoisepassion:

helgavontrollop:

out of order design:

***

remember: you can click on any photo above, of the featured wardrobe_remix(ers) to learn more about their photos or outfits, explore their flickr photostreams, and more. all of the photos featured here are owned by the people who are depicted in said photos, of course!

join us over at wardrobe_remix and show off your awesome EVERYDAY trendbusting and trend-SETTING personal style!

spread the word!

and see you there!

who are you?

2010-02-19T18:14:37Z

every so often i like to learn more about who’s reading my blog…so i ask you:

who are you?
tell me about yourself!
what you’re into, what’s your background, anything you’d like to say about yourself.
come out of the woodwork, lurkers! pretty please?
i love hearing from you and about you.
i think you’re pretty amazing!

***

also:

tell me what kinds of posts you like best here…what you’d like to see more of, going forward. introspective writing? interesting art? interesting fashion pieces/makers? photos? lists of obsessions? book peeks? me showing off stuff i made? cool fashion related or craft links? something else? if so, what?

why? b/c i’m planning some changes to this blog over time, but i’m interested in what you have to say and what you like, and why you come (which i know was addressed in a previous post)…it means a lot to me that you come at all.

danke!
& happy weekend!!

wardrobe_remix(ers) o’ the week

2010-02-19T02:03:49Z

hey everybody!

just want get this out:

don’t like my picks? think i have bad taste? then go ahead, pick some of your own!!! by all means, go ahead, have fun! post ‘em on your own blog! woo! yay! you’re welcome to your opinions and tastes too! exercise them. as you have been doing, of course! carry on!

also: should i even bother doing these roundups anymore? the two halves of my brain are debating…i’m thinking of ending it as a weekly thing, but would love to know what you think.

anyway! have a wonderful weekend.

go forth and prosper,
tricia

***

here is the weekly wardrobe_remix recap! from me, tricia, the creator of wardrobe_remix.

***

stellardolly:

heart city:

wild bird vintage:

jayandlaura:

loveatfirstshop:

Henry Browncoat:

anja louise verdugo:

***

fashion weak

2010-02-17T01:44:42Z

(image via fashionstylist)

am i the only one who’s eyes are glazing over, overwhelmed by all the fashion week coverage? i have this weird, almost involuntary reaction to blog posts & newspaper articles (in WSJ and WWD, which we subscribe to in paper form and get at home every day) about fashion week and the various fashion shows everytime they happen, it’s almost like information overload, my eyes refuse to focus and my brain shorts out.

it’s like i can’t even look at it, and you know what? i really mostly don’t want to! frankly, i find a lot of it boring, and irrelevant to my life. out of my price range, not my taste, etc., etc., etc. maybe it’s because i am honestly inherently unfashionable, and i just sometimes think i am? a distinct possibility! maybe i should turn in my fashion card or something. i can hear my detractors saying, “’bout time!” HA.

yes, yes, there are of course exceptions…i do pay attention to a select few designers. but i think i can count them on one hand. and i’m not rabidly pounding down the doors of style.com to see them the week of…i usually casually go back sometime afterward and peruse at my leisure, if at all. i guess, in thinking about it some, a lot of the designers i’m into probably honestly don’t do a lot of shows and such anyway. not the big guns?

all that is, of course, not to say *other* people shouldn’t be into fashion week, and fashion shows, by all means, go on with your bad self if you like it and eat it up with a spoon! right on, ya know? more power to you!

but i want to know:

-am i the only one who doesn’t get all into it? am i the only one who thinks it’s kinda elitist and outdated? if you’re not really into fashion week and all that stuff, why?

-for those of you who love the frenzy that is fashion week, what’s the attraction? seeing the new trends? novel new ideas presented in an artistic manner? something else? what do you love about it? why does it get you excited?

discuss?
danke!

***

on a related note: just saw this post on the sartorialist where scott wonders about the possibility of really opening up fashion shows to the masses, i.e., regular folk freely attending/paying for tix, rather than just mostly fashion insiders/celebs.

i’m wondering about how this could happen, what the benefits could be, as well as the downsides.

what do you think that would do to fashion shows? would they be less elitist/exclusive? would their cache be taken down a notch or several? would that be in conflict with the aspirational marketing stance taken by many luxury designers? or could it be a good thing for designers, a way to make profit and be more inclusive? can you see any other potential pros or cons to such a scheme?

i’m honestly interested…would be interested to see if things do go that route, in a bigger way, over time. and what the ramifications would/could be…

iris apfel, an icon in motion

2010-02-17T03:47:51Z

a great video featuring my favorite trendsetting octogenarian, iris apfel. it’s basically a little bio on her, her tastes, her influences, her textile business. it’s chock-full of great old photos of her from “back in the day” and lots of sage, style/life advice.

i’ve been a big fan of hers since seeing the 2005-2006 MET costume institute show, rara avis, that featured selections from her fun, bold wardrobe.

seeing her free and bold use of color, shape, motif, and texture was incredibly inspiring to me. it’s still inspiring to me! she’s a woman unafraid to experiment and try new things when it comes to fashion, and at the same time, she knows who she is and curates her style accordingly.

love these quotes from her in the video:

“i just mix and put things to together the way the spirit moves me”

“the fun of getting dressed is that it’s a creative experience, sometimes it’s better than another time”

“freedom of expression, of expressing yourself is the most important thing; if you don’t you’re all bottled up and choking.”

“[be] free, free”

“you only have one trip [life], you might as well enjoy it”

…basically, i think she’s saying:

if enjoying [style] means wearing what you like, the way you want to wear it, when you want to wear it, then… GO FOR IT. and make no apologies.

wise words! iris, you are wonderful!

(via advanced style)

wardrobe_remix(ers) o’ the week

2010-02-12T03:09:00Z

hi y’all!
how’s it going?

psst! i have a secret to tell you:
i heart you very much!
thanks for being a part of wardrobe_remix!
will you be my valentine?

xoxo,
tricia

***

this here is the ORIGINAL and OFFICIAL weekly wardrobe_remix recap of the latest and the greatest from the wardrobe_remix community, from yours truly, the creator of wardrobe_remix!

any wardrobe_remix photos that find themselves here showcase great style + great photography = the two meet and merrily marry to make a perfect expression of YOU and your singular personal style! and i’ve said it a million times before, it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it…the ticket is the confidence and sureness you exude when you express yourself the way that makes YOU feel most comfortable. that confidence shines through and is captured on film. so whether you’re wearing couture clothes from the finest designers, mass market threads, stuff you made yourself, thrifted finds, or even a shirt you stumbled across on the side of the road…rock it! it’s ALL GOOD and it’s ALL WELCOME at wardrobe_remix!

***

softspoken:

mamushka marie:

kendilea:

thenewclotheshorse:

bethantics:

artisterin:

farmer meg:

turquoisepassion:

***

thanks to everyone who’s been posting about wardrobe_remix or featuring fashions and folks from the group in their own blogs or websites. thanks for getting the word out. i am glad that wardrobe_remix inspires you! remember to give credit to the people in the aforementioned photos (if you use them in your blog posts, etc.) and to wardrobe_remix itself. it’s good internet/blogging karma! (plus it actually goes with flickr’s terms of service and a little thing called copyright!)

***

remember: you can click on the photo of any of these terrific wardrobe_remix(ers) to learn more about their photo or outfit, explore their flickr photostream, and beyond. all of the photos are owned by the awesome people who are depicted in them, of course!

join us over at wardrobe_remix and show off your awesome EVERYDAY trendbusting and trend-SETTING personal style!

spread the word!

and see you there!

ask me something!

2010-02-12T03:08:47Z

saw a link to formspring.me on darling dexter, thought it seemed pretty neat!

as far as i can tell, formspring.me is a site where you can sign up, make a profile, and folks and friends can come along and ask you…whatever. you can then answer their questions if you are so inclined. good for using as an ad hoc FAQ to which you can direct folks when they query you on whatever subject. if so inclined, one can link the Q&A up to their site, their facebook, etc. brilliant, i say.

i’m planning on putting a link to my formspring on my about and faq pages, if you have questions you are curious and care to ask, you might find the answers there. especially if they are questions i field all the time, and think might be beneficial to make public.

***

so…anyway.

here goes nothin’…

***

ever wanted to ask me something? anything?

if so, here’s your chance.

(be nice, haha!!)

exactitudes, part deux

2010-02-12T03:01:16Z

(images via exactitudes)

you could see these girls on the street in any major city across the globe, no? indie girls trying to set themselves apart from the pack. or perhaps, trendy girls with nice bags, looking blase in their ballerninas. i’ve seen my fair share on the streets of chicago (where i still am at the moment!), in wicker park, and on michigan avenue, respectfully. those gals might see themselves as unique, think they are “different”…but, whoa, they all look so scarily similar, do they not? the same type of bags, the slouchy knit berets, the long, layered tresses tossled just so, the ubiquitous skinny jeans…

are any of us really “different”? or as “different” as we think we are?

nope. not really!

it’s pretty curious, eh?

we’re really very categorizable, moreso than we probably want to believe.

***

i called this post exactitudes, part deux, because, whatdaya know, it seems i wrote about the exactitudes project way back in early 2008…but it seems to be making the internet rounds again. and for good reason, as the project is ongoing, and utterly facinating.

***

a quote from my original post on the exactitudes project:

“ari versluis and profiler ellie uyttenbroek have been working together since 1994 on a documentarian-style photographic project called exactitudes (a word that is a mash-up of the words “exact” and “attitude”). the pair has scoured rotterdam and a smattering of cities around the world, gathering people from various social groups that appear to share the same “dress code”. these individuals are styled, posed and photographed in such a way that emphasizes their similarities in the way of outward expression.”

you can read the rest here, if you so wish!

***

go to the exactitudes website to learn more about the project.

***

p.s., a tip:
turn your sound up when looking at the groups of photos on the exactitudes website, as the individual photos are accompanied by little illustrative soundbites!