Channelling your inner 50's housewife...

Yesterday, while wondering what to do with myself, I decided it was the perfect day to sew a skirt. I can never find skirts I like. Ever. So, I decided to pull out my mom's old sewing machine and look up a pattern on etsy.

I hadn't touched a sewing machine since last summer, when I inopportunely decided to make a dress on the eve of flying to Rome. So, there was some relearning to do (like, how to wind a bobbin). The most difficult part, however, was that the pattern wasn't really a pattern, but a template from which you draft a pattern yourself. So, I ended up spending a significant amount of time on the floor with newspaper. There were also no directions, so you had to channel your inner 50's housewife and magically know how all the pieces fit together, how to make a waistband, where to put the zipper, etc. 

The end result was definitely worth it (it sits at the natural waist and has pockets!). The technique for drafting the pattern allowed me to make it precisely to my measurements and it helped me learn a little bit about pattern drafting. (Next, I hope to make a pattern from well-loved clothes that need to be retired.)

 I also made matching Hardly Alice-inspired gloves with some random lace and ribbon I had in the closet. 

What I'm listening to...

It is unmistakably Summer in Texas right now, which is why I can't wait to take off to the northeast. So, to help mitigate the heat, I put together a summer playlist. 

First up is The Be Good Tanyas' "Littlest Birds"

Next is Shakey Graves' "Late July" 

Hurray For The Riff Raff's "Junebug Waltz"

And lastly, Gregory Alan Isakov' "Dandelion Wine" (because it makes me think of Ray Bradbury's novel, which is summer itself)

Ezra Pound: poet + fashionisto

Again, we bring to you for inspiration a terribly fashionable literatus (for comparison, see: William Faulkner, Joan Didion, and Bob Dylan). Ezra Pound is certainly best known for his poetry (and rightly so), most famously for "In a Station of the Metro"--

The apparition of these faces in the crowd

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Though Pound favored simplicity in his verse, this doesn't seem to apply to his fashion.

For instance, he sports this delightful fur-collared wool overcoat. The softness of the fur complements the coarse texture of the wool. This should make a comeback.

As should his smolder. One can just imagine it piercing one through the squalor and noise of the Paris metro (the inspiration for Pound's above-quoted poem).

Having already featured Dylan on this blog, I can't help but wonder if perhaps Pound's hair was an inspiration for Dylan (who picked his stage name after Dylan Thomas).

The Ranch: William

Found these pictures of my dear brother which I took over break.

I like how he dresses up his burgundy jeans with a vest and bow tie. I'll admit, I may have had something to do with the purchasing of these accoutrements, but I didn't have anything to do with putting them together. I miss you, dear brother!

The Lady's Guide to Valentine's Day: What to Wear

Valentine's Day is coming around again. So, here's a quick guide of what to wear: 

1. Blush is the best and most subtle way to enhance a tired complexion. Buy it here. 

2. This lovely fifties brocade fit and flare dress is romantic, but still sweet. Buy it here and explore the rest of Miss Farfalla's lovely curated vintage shop.

3. This gorgeous victorian ring is the perfect accent to any ensemble. Buy it here.

4. A dramatic take on the LBD is the perfect alternative to wearing red. Buy it here.

If you have any other ideas, share them in the comments section! 

And, we're back... with Rachael!

School has resumed. And even though all break we were longing to be reunited with one another and to be restored to the salvific influence of a schedule, the lumbering monster of the semester is taking a while to launch into action.

It probably didn't help that Winter skipped town for the weekend, and we had a lovely two days of seventy-degree weather. That's when I saw Rachael on the Mall. She was the picture of summertime with her floral jumpsuit and round shades. I thought for a moment I was transported to the 1960's. 

The Ranch: Alexa

When my six year old cousin waltzed in wearing a Hello Kitty sweatshirt and purple skinny jeans, all my longings for my lost childhood returned.

No sane adult would dare to wear that HK sweatshirt and those rainbow knee-high converse. 

But, when you're six, you can rock it.

You also just get to play all day, with the big kids.