the typical boy gets the typical girl. the typical girl gets the typical boy.

so yes, i am the last to know that Ari Up has passed away. it's funny because i was just starting to discover my love for the Slits, and realized that they had been touring in recent years. i was getting pretty jazzed actually. Ari passed on the 20th to cancer, she was only 48.

Ari was a German-born singer known for her roll as front-woman for the English punk band, the Slits. the all girl band started up in the late 70s and was hands down the best all-girl band on the scene. Ari's mom, Nora, was the coolest. she was friends with Jim Hendrix, dated Chris Spedding, and married the Sex Pistol's lead singer, John Lydon. their home was a sort of punk stomping ground where many traveling musicians passed on through. growing up in this environment, even learning to play the guitar from Joe Strummer, it's no coincidence that Ari ended up as the front woman of the legendary Stilts. she was fourteen when they formed! she was known for her quirky, wild fashion sense, fusing the reggae and punk styles that were present in her music. she was doing her own thing and even today, there is no one quite like her.

(this is not really directly inspired by Ari but she was on my mind when i put the outfit together this morning. these are my new 80%20 shoes from Urban!).

you think that we connect, that the chemistry's correct.

first off, i just realized that just about every blog post title of this month is a Fleetwood Mac lyric. i suppose i've got Stevie on the brain for i'm actually dressing as the gold dust woman herself for Halloween... well for Saturday that is (still being a clown for Friday). i even recruited my friend Alex to be my Lindsey Buckingham! the greatest part is he needed no convincing. all he asks is that i help outfit him so it looks like a last minute Salvation Army run is in order!

on that note, thought i'd squeeze a classic No Doubt lyric in because this AMAZING collection by Christopher Kane for Versus reminds me of young ms. Stefani... circa Tragic Kingdom.

but seriously... i love what Christopher Kane is doing. he just knows how to cut a dress, you know? this is like the punk rock take on his Spring 2010 line with all the ginghams. the dresses are so wearable but not boring in the slightest. he does cut-outs so well and he's got the wrapping, and pattern mixing DOWN and he has an interesting take on the sheer trend.

(her plaid pants! am i right??)

(man do i miss young Gwen...)

but when you build your house, well then call me "home."

you'll notice all these photos are all very close and you don't get a very good sense of my actual room but there's a reason for that... i'm still not entirely moved in so i'm simply avoiding boxes and messes that are not exactly "picturesque."

(my new desk - a vintage sewing table from the 20s! it was only $49!).

(on the far left is the sewing machine that was in the table. this is the mantle in my room but we also have one in the living room).

(i got this chest of drawers at the same spot that i got the desk and it was $90! the best part was that it was FULL of things from the 60s... bed sheets, undergarments, a crochet sweater, dishcloths, and best of all, letters! not to mention, rent cheque receipts for like $70??).

(my bathroom).

i have always been a storm.

so here's my formal introduction to a new segment called "ten or more reasons why i love my job and the discount i get with it..."

(free people must haves... i ordered the skirt top left!).

(urban outfitters must haves).

and the goodbye makes the journey harder still.

yes, i have been m.i.a. for over a week now... apologies, big life changes. last wednesday i made the move from brooklyn to philadelphia. okay, it's a whole of about 3 hours away but to me, this is pretty big. my life in brooklyn was comfortable. and not in the boring/monotonous sort of way, but special and exciting with a general feeling of "this fits. this is right." but i'm growing up and realizing that sometimes indisputably incredible opportunities come up that you would be crazy to refuse. an assistant design position at Urban Outfitters was one such opportunity. so here i am.

my new apartment is BONKERS. the building was made in the 1830s and has all the original flooring but has been completely refinished. however it IS atop a seafood restaurant so we notice a particular stench a couple times a week. regardless, it is SUPER beautiful... i even have one of those small circular bay windows in my room, and also a fireplace mantle. my mom and i went shopping for furniture last week but i wanted to play with the style of the place so i initially avoided IKEA and opted for some 2nd hand gems. and gems i found. pictured to come...

now on a TOTALLY RANDOM note, i bought this lipstick at a DOLLAR STORE after i almost bought an identical one at Sephora for $19. reminds me of the shade that Adrienne Shelly wears in the really awkward early 90s movie, Trust, that i sort of regret watching but loved for the outfit she wore in the first scene so i guess it was worth it?

in the garden, wet with rain.

new ink from Michelle at Saved Tattoo! it was really a great experience though unbelievably painful. the salon was empty so it was just myself, Michelle, the receptionist and my girl, Joy. i felt totally relaxed because it wasn't as if a million things were going on around me. but DAMN i experience a lot of pain... it's going to be a while before i get another one, that's for sure! i don't know what i would have done without Joy... she held my hand while i crushed it the entire time, and kept my mind on other things by talking which is what she does best.

living on borrowed time, without a thought for tomorrow.

happy 70th birthday, John!

emerald eyes is a mystery... she's my place of serenity.

(thrifted emerald green turban/cloche, cropped Wilfred sweater from Aritzia, Salvation Army thrifted dress, Salvation Army thrifted mustard jacket that was clearly custom made for someone, Hue leggings, and thrifted calf-lined riding boots... wow, this is an almost fully thrifted outfit).

today i decided to sport my thrifted emerald green turban/cloche. for some reason i thought i could only wear this hat if i were really dressing up but i'm not sure what gave me that idea? i love dressing myself with any sort of contrast and this one is almost too easy! i was imagining that i had to save it for some special occasions but seriously, how good would this look if worn with a pair of jeans and a simple sweater? very Audrey Hepburn. i, however, was going to a classy play titled Deep Throat. ever heard of it? it's sort of a documentary type idea around the adult film of the same title which came out in the 70s. damn, i was NOT expecting that much nudity. boobs, sure. bums? alright. but we're talking FULL FRONTAL everything. it was pretty fantastic.

i really want to wear more cloche's this fall... i have a couple of them but i could use another turban type one!

you may say that i'm a dreamer. but i'm not the only one.

a new batch of handmade dreamcatchers. i'd say i have enough now to start selling them. this all white one is actually for a friend of mine from when i interned at Opening Ceremony. her name is Kristen Oshiro and she makes this amazing jewelry and when she heard i made dreamcatchers, she suggested we do a little trade. i was so into the idea and finally we started working on our respective gifts. i am SO excited to see what she pulls together, she's using a unicorn horn pendant and i couldn't be more excited!! check out her blog, Cult of Secrets. i just love the idea of artists trading things just for the sake of trading art, don't you? no money involved, just an appreciation for each other's craft.

i couldn't be more pumped for this weekend. yes, it will be bittersweet as it is my last weekend in brooklyn, but at least i'll be leaving with a bang. friday i'm having a going away house party at my apartment, then saturday morning i'll do some packing, then in the evening i'm getting my second tattoo by the amazing Michelle at Saved Tattoo, then at night i'll be at yet another South Slope Open House where i'll actually have my dreamcatchers on display over the music area. it's going to look SO cool with little twinkle lights and the works!

(something a little different i'm trying out. i quite like it actually! i might keep this one, hang it over my bed in my new apartment).