Finally Mine

Grey Ant, Spring 08/09

After having coveted them for over a year, I made them my own.

Battle on the Homefront

Typically, I try to keep my sometimes extreme opinions out of this blog because I know that I stand for things that might seem hard to swallow. This week, however, Ive been made to stand for my beliefs in a very strange and convoluted way and I cant help but want to express what Ive come to realize. Foremost, I had to face the fact that though I have gone from an awful optimistic judge of character to a wildly skeptical pessimist (though I am glad to know that I am hard to please and can easily write someone off at the first sign of malcharacter) my standards are not foolproof and the occasional bad seed can slip through and into my small bevy of friends. Shocked, appalled and greatly disappointed in someone I had higher hopes for, I had to sort out just how the list of offenses committed ranked and what I was, ultimately, going to do with the friendship. In the end, I doubt there is any way to undo the damage because someone obsessed with disrespecting, humiliating and degrading women, even in public isnt someone I want to wait and see what happens with. After all, even the most platonic male-female friendships still involve male and female components and the inherent opinions of each on the other will someday show through and I dont want to be there to have my face pushed in the dirt by someone I thought I knew.

What the scenario comes down to is the way that some people feel it is appropriate to treat other people and the way some men feel it is appropriate to treat women. Blindly accusing and blaming and name-calling never puts someone on top because while they may think they are the one humiliating the other, they are only revealing the true basis of themselves and come out looking a damn fool. Though someone can be louder in a fight, raising ones voice is just a window into outrageous insecurity and a pathetic sense of what it is to "win".

Unfortunately, the female psyche is so tightly wound around the way men treat us that we allow a good basis of how we feel about ourselves to depend on how others feel about us, and this oftentimes begins with the mother. When the mother is a figure capable of disrespect, there is an affect on both son and daughter. Both learn that women are not the worship worthy creatures that they are and son's of weak mothers learn abuse (on whatever level) and the daughters learn that abuse is okay, that this is just the way they are meant to be treated.

None of this is the way it should be. All people should learn matters and respect for one another because when a person shows disrespect they are just showing their own lack of respect for themselves - but most clearly dont see it that way. At any rate, when my friend showed the girl hes supposed to care for a clear lack of respect in touching and speaking to her inappropriately, he let in on the fact that he, himself, is wildly terrified of these things and instead of allowing himself to speak rationally and behave logically (which allows for the possibility of rejection or humiliation) he lashed out thinking that he would come out on top using his voice and an endless list of cruelties. What happened was that he rejected and humiliated himself and, in the process, lost any respect that several people had for him.

My convictions put me in a place where if a man hurts a woman out of sheer malice, he hurts me. What he may do to another he may just as easily do to me and I want no part of that. What, in this situation, feels the greatest shame is that no matter the difference in the two relationships - mine and the significant other - to this person, we are both still women. I am still a woman and so no matter how right my argument, no matter how accurately I describe and peel apart his actions and his argument to show him that the true core is that of extreme hurt and a sense of downright evil, I am still a woman and the basis of his every move seems to be that we are an inferior gender, at his disposal, to treat however he may like and suffer no consequence. Well, here is the consquence: without a vast and heartfelt apology, he will be without a friend - his only friend besides the foolish girl that gave him this complex to begin with.

My Old Life

Three years ago is catching up to me in the form of the first amazing piece to come out of American Apparel in ages. Thanks to Is Mental for the heads up. Dont get me wrong, Im not in denial that AA provides a solid and dependable place to find basics but my life and my wardrobe have moved far past basics since I was an employee at the Broadway store even before the company went public. The sheer thing is really happening for summer and in response Ive upped the ante on shredding shirts. I just completed my first fully shredded item and it looks fantastic and hangs really flatteringly (on my curvy frame, at least) and I cant wait to wear it to work tomorrow. Im going to start taking requests and selling the efforts of my nimble fingers.




Thanks to Lisa M. at Oak for the iPhone photos.

New For Spring

My life has been busier than ever and my health has thus been deteriorating, causing painful mornings and an impossibility to get out of bed right at 9:10 when my alarm asks me to. That doesnt mean, however, that I havent been spending money. Not having the time to physical enter stores is actually far more dangerous because it means Im shopping online without the consequence of handing my credit card over a counter and watching the cashier swipe away my hard earned money. As a result, I have purchased a handful of incredible vintage ethnic pieces to add to my jewelry collection - a hinged bone chestpiece from Australia, a silver chain-mail spiked necklace, a brass and ebony choker from India, carved red and black cinnabar bangles from Greece, and a silver ring from Tibet - as well as a vast variety of vintage and natural beads and materials to begin my own necklace "line". Pictures will go up of all my jewel finds as soon as I acquire a working camera that isnt a part of either my computer or my phone. I also purchased three pairs of shoes in one week. When asked to describe my Spring style in three words (for the Oak Facebook) it was easy, "The 90s, Unironically." If you read this blog, you know Im not kidding and its no passing thing the way I love that fateful era.

This week has been nonstop with the end of Spring break, my return to NYC from my brief haitus to Baltimore, the return to classes and work as well as a new friend in town visiting from San Francisco. With a guest around it gave me the motivation necessary to go out a bit more and I even spent an entire day in Greenpoint to go to Mary Meyer's studio and try on some of the amazing things one of Brooklyn's biggest up-and-coming designers is offering for Spring (that arent already available at Oak.) I left with the Necklace Boat Dress and the Maze Crop Top while Daniah got the Diamond Hunter Biggie. All in all, the most pleasant and special shopping experience Ive had. I met Mary the day before when she hosted a weekend at 5-in-1 here in Williamsburg where I drank a tiny beer with her and got a forest green circle scarf by Covet that I honestly have yet to take off.

Please stop over at the new blog that we at Oak's Williamsburg location have just begun to let our lovely public in on what were talking about over here, whats moving like crazy, what were seeing on shoppers that stands out and whatever else were up to. Follow us:

OAK williamsburg

Hair Club for Fall

Hair for Marc Jacobs Fall 2009

Shreddy Krueger

+ Shredded my first t-shirt today and it only took six hours, resulting in blisters. From this to this. Im so proud.
Im going to do a few more and then were going to put them on sale at Oak and see what happens. $165-$180.

+ Scott Matthew came into the store today and I helped him pick out shirts. Hes coming back tomorrow.
- Series Finale of The L Word tonight - Im going to miss those girls so much. This better be good.
+ Twice in one day shoppers mentioned having found my/this blog. I have no idea how to take that.
I dont think I actually understand blogs or how to get people to look at them or how to get people to
follow them or link them or check them at all. This is less for me now so hopefully some of that happens.
+/- Splurged on these.

The Perfect Shape

Jasper Conran Fall 2009



Also: In response to High Snobette's Would You Neon?
Army Surplus Beanie, Mike & Chris Oversized Sweater, Publicka Batwing Top, Kaylee Tankus Pleated Pant, LD Tuttle Boots

Creating Creative Creations

Brittany and I made our second trip over to the Garment District somewhat recently and spent the remainder of the day getting crafty with our new purchases. Brittany made an insane headdress and I could only muster up a multi-feather hairpiece. Given any downtime since then Ive put myself to work brainstorming and ended up making the awesome necklace and two other hairpieces, seen above. The quality of the photos doesnt show just how much work went into any of it but every feather is wrapped in thread, the top of the necklace is braided suede, and I oxidized the chain myself. Mostly, Im proud of myself and can only imagine these will get more and more awesome with practice. Plus, Im ordering some vintage beads and metal decorations to make even more elaborate pieces.


In getting back in the crafts business (in high school I made personalized scarves that did really well and despite being the topic of most gossip during that time, a ton of people bought them) I guess it ought to consider making an Etsy account. The one thing thats kind of disheartening about it is that my own opinion of Etsy is very mixed. Sure, a lot of really talented people use it at a venue of sales but it also validates a lot of crap projects. Just because one can technically put a price on something doesnt mean theres any skill behind it. At any fate, I searched "feather" on Etsy and looked through all 800odd pages of results to find the best shops for feather jewelry and I do believe my work would fare well because theres nothing like it available and my prices would be far more reasonable.

Fleathers: Though I found this shop by searching "feathers", the items I like the most have nothing to do with that outcome. Im huge fan of animal symbolism and here you can find some really beautiful gold and silver animal rings. Oak carries several wolf and dog heads and skulls and Opening Ceremony has a huge variety of $400+ gold and silver animal head rings but here, on Etsy, similar items are offered up at half the price. The double rings (like the Beast Master) have got to be my favorite but I really do like every design and thats a rare thing to say.

Gia: This shop offers some really exquisite Earthy designs that show a really incredible talent for the manipulation of fabrics and materials. While the chainlink necklaces are a popular design at the moment, there are also a lot of unique pieces of neckwear in this little shop. Each one is different but they all have a sort of seaness that feels fresh and different but is still totally wearable. This one is my favorite just because Im not the best at crazy necklace wearing but it could even be an especially beautiful scarf.

Natasha Khan: Now I have no idea whether or not this is the Natasha Khan I hope and pray it is, but if this is really the Bat For Lashes frontwoman, I think I may be a little disappointed. The pieces are standard but they come at good prices and are clearly personalized and well-made. I do, however, love this necklace because based on its default photo, the detailing looks like it would be huge when it reality its very small and delicate. Not to mention intricate and quite amazing looking - definitely a stand out.

Yellow Field: Obviously my search brought up a variety of things, including these hats, but I do really love them. Taking Depression Era styles more literally to create something new rather than just trite vintage ensembles is both refreshing and quite unique. The hats have their own sort of finger wave to them and thats what makes them timeless but also completely modern. Its hard to pick a favorite but I think that I, personally, would get a good amount of wear out of this hat were it in a more neutral color because it has such a precise and elegant design. Yellow Field's hats could also be worn dressed up and thats a hard task for any hat to handle.

Custom By Levy: Custom By Levy was definitely the most literal result to my "feathers" search in offering this very beautiful (yet incredible overpriced) feather necklace. The shops other options are bland but I do like this design a lot. It isnt, however, terribly unique and though I feel bad blowing Levy's cover, the materials used to make such a piece might cost $15 and the effort isnt incredible. The hardest part to it all is setting the feathers. Regardless, I do appreciate the work.

Embellish Designs: Feathers are a really "now" item to utilize and I dont expect the trend to stay in Urban Outfitters for too much longer (but what trend does?) and so it was nice to see an Etsy shop that used the influence to make really mature, classic pieces that could stand the test of time. Beyond having an even better take on the feather necklace than Levy's store, Embellish features the Serpent Bangle and Ring without getting too literal and, my favorite use of the feather, an incredibly unique pair of earrings. Nature inspired work isnt uncommon but Embellish made the viewing experience quite refreshing.

Loved to Death: Part of the personal appeal of the feather trend is that I just love taxidermy and dead critters so I immediately took to Loved to Death's Etsy store. Im not at all impressed by the use of feathers in these items but there are so many incredible things up for sale. My favorite piece of jewelry being this rabbits foot turned chicken claw necklace, but beyond just body ornaments, there are tons of dead things made quite gracefully for purchase, all with a Victorian overtone.

Tinctory: Im not even sure how this came up in my search and the pieces arent spectacular but theres a craftmanship to be appreciated in Tinctory's rings and necklaces. The best of these and the only I could ever see myself wearing is the Rosemary necklace, but the stitching on every piece is very well done and I can imagine it was all worked by hand and such precision is very difficult to accomplish by hand - my work is crazy-looking and thats why I always hide my stitching.

Norwegian Wood: Another series of more literal feather items, Norwegian Wood has also taken a closer look at the popular theme of fringe, not only in jewelry but in clothing. Where this shop really stands out is in its selection of skirts, my favorite being this piece that also taps into Spring's nude trend. Not only that but Norwegian Wood makes caged skirts which are huge in the avant garde community so, beyond feathers, there is a great innovation and attention to whats on demand in this final store.

Shades Of

Last week at Oak we got in three measly pairs of Chronicles of Never's Spring sunglasses - all of which are gone by now - nevertheless, they are a really great combination of the avant garde and the classic when it comes to shades. Considering how well they sold Im hoping that well get another shipment or that the warehouse or maybe Bond Street has an extra pair or two so that I can get my hands on them (bottom row). There's also a pretty big selection of Retro Superfuture sunglasses that come in classic wayfarer shapes as well as flattop and for non-crazy prices that rival even Ray Bans because, lets face it, nice sunglasses are all over $100 but anything under $200 maintains recession style possibility. The constant struggle to indulge in the geometrics of the crazy modern high fashion wave and avoid purchasing anything that will quickly become far-too-much and outdated, both these brands offer a lot this spring without breaking the bank.

Taking A Turn

Clearly, Ive lost my knack for being overindulgent in the expression of every minute detail of my personal and emotional life and so, I think Im going to change the theme of this blog and base my blogging more on reactions and reviews to tangible things that other people care about because...this is public, isnt it? At first I thought Id make all prior entires "private" but it turns out I have no idea how to make that happen and then I thought about deleting them but I know Id never do that, and so Im just going to turn on an axis. Mind you, it wasnt the anti-semitic threats that scared me away, but my own lack of interest in doing what Ive always done: oversharing.

Awhile ago I praised Chloe Sevigny for her pubic hair (rather than a lack thereof) but besides how good she looks in the nude my most current thoughts on her have been more along the lines of when can I finally get the Spring 2009 Opening Ceremony Collection?! because I really must see more of this up close. It doesnt look as good as her first collection because that was entirely 90s and as Ive also mentioned before, Im completely obsessed with the 90s in the least ironic way (and will be sporting LD Tuttle's Dreamer platform come mid-March, once the weather permits). This spring, however, Ive decided to introduce more color and Sevigny's Hammer Pants could certainly aid in the end to that means. They also might be utterly ridiculous but I cant knock em til Ive tried em. Mostly I want every pair of this line's shoes. I never got a pair of the past seasons' Chloe shoes despite yearning for them heavily (though I did recently snag the camel colored Opening Ceremony wedge boot that Ive been aching for all year for 1/5th the store price and might follow them up with a black pair shortly). At any rate, I must wait impatiently for news of her collection's arrival to the store.


In other style news, after a very extended shopping hiatus and a great plentiful bank account savings, Ive recently reentered the fashion world with the purchase of not only my Opening Ceremony boots but also a South Western cropped jacket and a bounty of vintage jewelry for spring (etched and chainlink chokers, bone carvings, Middle Eastern rings, and more to come) that I cant wait to wear. Not only that but Ive also rekindled my love (and skill) for crafts and have made several feather necklaces and headpieces which, if all goes well and people continue to respond to them, I will probably have for sale at some point in the near future. I learned to oxidize chain and everything so that each piece is entirely handmade but for the chainlink itself. (Also, the growing and cultivating of the feathers was done entirely by birds.)

Hopefully Ill continue to have so much to say on more than just myself and maybe - just maybe - Disposable City will thrive again.