a new year continues

remember that one time i wanted to feature asian photographers in honor of chinese new year? i apologize for not following through. my personal life got in the way and i totally missed updating this blog from chinese new year on! so to make up for it the tribute will last just a little longer... which is great because there are so many photographers to recognize.

featuring, Lei Jianyou
- young & self-taught, Lei "infuses elements of melancholy romanticism in his pictures of abandoned objects, often resulting in works that are both beautiful and painful to look at." See his portfolio here.

faceless tigers

continuing my tribute to chinese new year & the mark of the year of the tiger, today i'm featuring a female asian photographer, whose works especially have captivated me...

presenting, Dayoung Kang
- this series, "swallow," "depicts the anonymity and lack of identity in modern society. Faceless characters inhabit the images; unable to communicate with others in the society. The hidden wounds we carry haunt us, yet we continue to swallow the pain." See more amazing photos here.

gung hay fat choy

in honor of chinese new years this weekend, i'd like to pay tribute to some masters of asian photography...

today, Ma Liang / Maleonn
- internationally acclaimed for his fantastical, albeit heavily edited works. enjoy!

buckle up.

belt: vintage from savers

belt: marc jacobs

belt: aritzia

belt: topshop

belt: we fashion

belt: vintage from mom's closet

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to me, belts like are like reese's...
there's just no wrong way.
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photos taken from bloggers via LB.

a new way to live

just a few sweet photos i found online taken by a couple in their new earthship in new mexico...

As quickly defined by Wikipedia, "an Earthship is a type of passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials. Designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico, the homes are primarily constructed to work autonomously and are generally made of earth-filled tires, utilising thermal mass construction to naturally regulate indoor temperature. They also usually have their own special natural ventilation system. Earthships are generally Off-the-grid homes, minimizing their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels."


Mission statement according to Earth Biotecture: "To evolve the way humans live on this planet by evolving existing methods of living, home by home..."


(cosmicdust)

For more information on earthships and ways to make positive changes to the environment, go to Earthship.org

Model Tina "Ayden" Vargas Speaks on Staying True to Your Style

talking fashion, modeling, & art with model Tina Vargas, also known as Ayden, was nothing less than a privilege. she dances to the beat of her own drum, and inspires many along the way. hear some of her thoughts on clothes, individality, & staying true to your own style...
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I was born in a big city, so technically that makes me a "city girl". Ironically enough I don't feel that I fit in at all. I was always an athletic person, I played soccer with the boys and for my college, I joined the rowing team and have been rock climbing since I was 14. I love the outdoors, I love camping, I love living off the earth and making the most of it's resources.

Since my early teens I always dressed a little bit different. I am a self proclaimed thrift store queen. My best friends and I would make weekly trips in search for the latest rejects. I would spend $20 and leave with a brand new wardrobe. I would alter the clothes slightly, tearing here, stitching there, accessorizing, etc.

Labels were never important to me, I rip labels and tags off anyway. Clothes are clothes. If it fits, I wear it. I don't feel compelled to dress "in season", and I could never keep up with trends. I am a firm believer in dressing to fit your lifestyle and wearing what makes you feel good.

How you dress should be an outward expression of how you feel on the inside. What you put on is your first impression, it's your business card, your preliminary hand shake. By no means does that mean you have to dress to the nines whenever you leave the house. Anybody who knows me knows that I have a wide variety of "fat pants" for when I'm feeling the "big bloat" or simply don't feel like getting dressed that day. However the profession I have chosen doesn't really allow me to look like I've rolled out of bed either. So I trick them into believing I cared about what I looked like that day by throwing on my over sized jeans with a white v neck and a black Guess belt and some sling backs (any color!), and a 12-way headband called a "Buff" from R.E.I.
Maybe a little mascara and some clear lip gloss and I'm good to fake it all day.

I'm not qualified to tell anyone what to wear for 2010. I know what the designers are telling me is in fashion. The clothes I model are not usually clothes I would wear myself, and that's true for a lot of models out there. It's just not practical. What I can tell you is that there is ALWAYS a way to take the clothes you love and make them into clothes that other people love too. Whether you're a flannel person, a polka dot person, a Hot Topic band tee wearing person or you shop at H&M, there is ALWAYS a way to make it all work for you and make it work the fashion scene also.

In stark contrast to my athleticism and granola loving lifestyle, I am also an artist. I am a musician and a painter, a writer and a dancer. When I realized that clothes was another artistic outlet for me to be creative I was all over it. I would never have picked modeling to be something I could make a living off of - but when I started wearing my own clothes with the type of "this outfit was made for me bitches" attitude it became natural to wear everything that way. I don't apologize for wearing white after labor day, or wearing something from 2008, or mixing and matching different patterns and colors together.

The absolute most important thing is to dress to fit you, your lifestyle and the event. Don't wear leggings to a business meeting, don't wear a mini to a red carpet event, and don't wear cut off Hollister shorts to go hiking. Take a style that is you and make it versatile enough to fit all areas of your life. You don't need to change your style just because you've changed your job. The best part of getting dressed is figuring out how you can change it up and make the "same 'ol thing" into something new and different, appropriate for the event and most importantly: You. You can make a statement without hanging from the flag pole.

Don't follow the trend. If you want to wear a moo moo to the grocery store, I'm not going to stop you. But damn it if you're going to wear it, you better rock it!

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learn more about Ayden and what she's up to now, here.

it's raining men, hallelujah!

(stockholmstreetstyle)
"Humidity's rising
Barometer's getting low
According to all sources
The street's the place to go
'Cause tonight for the first time
At just about half past ten
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men..." - Geri Halliwell

meeting molly marlette

ran into singer/songwriter Molly Marlette in downtown Fullerton, a total sweetheart. we talked music & fashion & she was happy to be interviewed for this blog. she's an incredible musician; my friends & i have followed her music for almost a year now. her ear for music is exceptional and her eye for fashion unique & refreshing. check her out, clothes, music, & all...




entire outfit: vintage
pieces bought from
american vintage,
buffalo exchange,
wasteland

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i've seen this girl perform live a couple times, she has incredible talent, check her out on myspace music, here: Molly Marlette Music.
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raw & natural

my friend jose juarez's final project for a class. the assignment was titled "raw & natural" and half the class photographed rocks and plants. no joke. but jose's creative mind is exceptional. from the lighting, to the intentionality of the objects placed, i'm in love with the ingenuity of this project. thought i'd share some of my favorite shots... enjoy.

claudio continues

taken with 35mm film, the lighting & warm coloring in these photos are exuberant. what i find the most eye-pleasing is the consistency in shapes, how interesting it is that the silouette of the boys face seems to duplicate the birds in the frame above him. there's something calming about these shots, something serene & peaceful captured on a tiny roll of film.

stay tight.

tights: anthropologie

tights: topshop

tights: american apparel

tights: h&m

tights: target

-
leggings still infatuate me...
i suppose there are some lovers
you just never can get over
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photos taken from bloggers via LB.

hats off to the horse

it's no secret how against sweatshops i am. i've written enough anti-forever21 articles, pro-american apparel articles, and own enough vintage to last me a lifetime. here's yet another group of people who are working towards a sweatshop free world. their business also encourages & provides oppertunity for amature graphic designers and artist alike. my hats off to the Don't Sweat Shop, running a really sweet business that i hope will catch on & be duplicated around the county. read on...


"The Don’t Sweat Shop is an ongoing project initiated and managed by Ambiguous Horse. The purpose of the Don’t Sweat Shop is to provide a space where people can create their own designs and have them screen-printed onto T-shirts or other items on the spot. The Don’t Sweat Shop also aims to educate people about sustainable manufacturing and the social, environmental and ethical implications of their everyday actions as consumers..."

Check it out

For those of you who have never heard of Ambiguous Horse, "Ambiguous Horse helps creative people be productive and productive people be creative," check out their website as well, here.

also here are some shots taken at Midmouse '09, accessories provided by Ambiguous Horse, as well as a photo from their shop at Life in Style July '09, a gigantic buying frenzy for retail boutiques all over...

crown her with many crowns

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
- John Phillips

this spring, i'm looking forward to wearing a crown of flowers in my hair...