June is now my favoritist month

Still working on that Tiller post (maybe?), but the President’s proclamation of June as LGBT Pride Month has made me very, very happy.  I am especially happy that they chose to call it “LGBT Pride Month” instead of “Gay Pride Month.”  We got all the queers up in that mix!

But the thing that makes me happiest is that, despite all the setbacks the LGBT community has endured over the past few months, this is a huge step.  This would not have happened five or six years ago, even with a Democratic president.

The times are changing,  no matter how loudly those retrofuck assholes yell.

Willpower and commitment!

I am sadly lacking in both of these traits.  However, I wish I had at least one of them so that I could either:

1) lose the 20 pounds necessary* to fit into this dress, or

2) learn how to sew with some skill in order to make a version of the dress, or

3) BOTH!

*I’m not sure I’d fit into it anyway.  The shitty thing about vintage fashion is that their weren’t many women who were almost six feet tall back in the day, so it’s hard to find things in my size.  Fucking genes and good nutrition.  Assholes.

Every day is silent and grey…

I know you missed me.  I took a much-needed hiatus to rest my fingers from all the furious typing I’ve been doing to satisfy my readers’ demands for my brilliant writings.

Okay, not really.  I wasn’t lying when I said that I was lazy. I have plenty of ideas for posts, but I’m still working on them. And right now, all I want to do is look at pretty things.  So, taking a cue from my friend nadarine, I’m going to talk about things that I love and want but really shouldn’t buy.

I’ve been obsessed with grey lately and I’ve realized that I have very little of it in my wardrobe.  I want to make a concerted effort to phase out most of the black and replace it with grey because I think it looks better against my ghostly white skin.  There’s also something a little more modern about it–it can be used just like black but it’s so much softer and less conservative.  I have found about a million things in grey that I’d love to have, but below are some of my favorites.

The first are these boots, which I actually might get if I can make up my mind about them.  One side of my brain says “Hey, the only boots you have are galoshes.  You should spend money on a pair more practical. like those riding boots you’ve been imagining having for months,” but the other side of my brain says, “Grey suede!  YAAAAAAAAAY!”

I love 90% of the shit on Modcloth, but this dress is my current obsession.  It’s the perfect combination of girly and sexy.  

And, speaking of grey and Modcloth, I have been lusting after this coat for quite a while.

I am slowly but surely starting to love clutches (I always thought they were so impractical, but now I’m seeing the beauty in impracticality),  and I think this one is the perfect combination of vintage-looking, yet modern.  The best is that it’s handmade right here in the good ol’ USA!

Aaaaand, here’s a pair of shoes that the fashion mags would call an “investment,” except that you’re never going to recoup your money, much less make more money off them.  Though I think it may still be wiser to invest your $600 into shoes instead of the stock market right now.  Better to be broke and look good than just broke.  Beauty in impracticality, right?  RIGHT?

Join me next week when I talk about navy!  Ooooh, such a wardrobe risk-taker!

Who looks like a drag queen version of a wannabe punk rock girl with a bad Chelsea?

This girl!

White Clover by Harker

White Clover by Harker is a dishware design by Russel Wright that’s pretty rare.  We have one piece–a pitcher.

This piece is in charcoal, but White Clover comes in several different colors, including a sage, a golden yellow, and a pink color (I believe it’s called “coral sand”).

If you happen to be a friend and spot a piece, let me know and I will buy it off you (provided it’s a reasonable price).  It’s beautiful and not particularly common.

If it’s Sunday…

I don’t really have many traditions or habits, but I do like to watch Meet the Press on Sundays as often as possible.  Laura Bush was on this morning talking about her initiatives for Afghan women.  I’m really happy to see her talking to the press about something that’s obviously important to her.  My guess is that she is probably relieved that her tenure as First Lady is over soon, and, unless I’m crazy, I think Dubya is pretty happy to be leaving office, as well.  I think the only bright spot in his legacy will be how gracefully he has handed the reins over to Obama (at least publicly).  Ted Turner was on as well, that crazy fucker, and was obviously irritating Brokaw by asserting that the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan was more justified than the United States’.  I can understand why Brokaw was a little flummoxed, because it’s a pretty bizarre argument.

I decided to use our vintage dishes for breakfast.  I don’t normally use them unless we have guests, because they’re hand-wash only and I’m, well, lazy.  But I’m trying to incorporate more beautiful things into my life and get pleasure from simple things, especially since the days are getting shorter and it’s grey and cold.  I’ll wash them soon and start on the cookies I’m making for my friends and family.

Anthropollllloooogieeeeee!!!!!!!!

Imagine me yelling this to the heavens with my arms outstretched in frustration and anger.  Anthropologie is my arch-nemesis–my Magneto,  my Lex Luthor.*  Why?

1)  Their CEO is a classic example of Baby Boomer who sold out and has become a right-winger and exploited the underground culture of Gen Xers (and now Gen Yers) for his financial gain.  (This is truer for Urban Outfitters than for Anthropologie, but Anthropologie does a pretty damn good job of capturing the vintage/post-shabby chic/cutesy market among upper-middle class thirty-somethings).

2)  Their shit is horrifyingly twee.  I mean:

I can’t lie and say that I don’t like this outfit, but this photo? Fucking seriously?

3) Their copy is also beyond ridiculous: “Hibernating, chocolate-piped merino wool is awakened by a cacophony of appliqued primroses.” I can’t help but think that the poor bastard who writes for them once wanted to be the next Great American Author and is now kept awake at night wondering if she used the word “coax” too often in the descriptions of this season’s flower-encrusted sweaters.

4) As I mentioned before, it has a certain edgy Martha Stewart/Amelie-esque asthetic, which I guess can be appealing, but can be accomplished by using actual vintage and hand-made items, like, say, from Etsy.  It’s for people who don’t have enough imagination to buy a stencil and some gold paint for a side table, but have enough money to buy a nightstand for $700, even if it’s partially made of mdf.  I guess you could say that it’s missed the “shabby” part of “shabby chic.”  It’s also for people who think “vintage” is a style, and means “skirts with butterfly appliques” and “shirts with ruffles and Peter Pan collars” and have no idea how to put fashion into cultural and historical context.

5) I love about 85% of their apparel and accessories despite all of this.  (Their housewares can bite me, though–I don’t do whimsical and girly decor).  I especially love their dresses and shoes.  My current crushes:

I also can’t get over these boots (I’m actually looking for a pair of riding boots right now, but these are more than I want to spend):

6) So, you see, I have a problem.  I fucking hate being morally conflicted over clothes. Luckily, their stuff usually too expensive for me unless it’s deeply discounted, and then the larger sizes are bought up most of the time.  But I still feel slightly dirty when I visit their site.  And look at their catalog.  Twice a week.  Assholes.

*People who have a little bit of comic book knowledge will understand where I’m coming from with this analogy–just know they’re love/hate relationships not worth taking the time to explain because it’s a silly comparison to begin with.