Word of the Week: Wifty

wifty \WIF-tee\

adjective

: eccentrically silly, giddy, or inane : ditzy

His dandy clothing matched his wifty personality; outrageous, loud, and always attention-getting.

(photo by e.hunt)

Getaway Sticks

Like a fingerprint, everyone has their own unique walking signature.  Although, while a fingerprint only leads to someone's identity (but is only really useful when investigating a crime), a person's gait can contain much more personal information (and can be examined by more than just police investigators).  My first experience with how you unconsciously identify people by their stride happened a few years ago at school.  All of a sudden, I started knowing who was walking towards me before they were even in focus.  And I'm nearsighted so things that are far away are just blobs of color until they reach my bubble of contact-induced sight.  But when the blobs of color started moving, I knew exactly who they were without being able to see their face.  Interesting how such a common thing as walking can become such an identifier.

Modeling is a perfect example of this.  Models learn a certain way to strut the catwalk in order to showcase clothing in the best way possible.  But on top of that, they have to tweak it at every show to get the mood, feeling, and theme of the designer's vision across.  Changing the way you walk every few weeks?  Talk about an identity crisis.

(photos collected from studdedhearts and nowfashion)

Part 4: A Moving Work of Art

Asian culture has one of the most distinct and long-lasting fashion styles in all the world.  Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon takes place during the Qing dynasty, or 17th century-ish, while Memoirs of a Geisha covers the 1920s-1940s.  Not much difference in kimonos, right?  It's pretty awesome that such an ornate and traditional piece of clothing still has relevance and is worn on a day to day basis, and would not be out of place if you walked down the street in it.  Now, Americans would definitely notice if someone was wearing pilgrim garb to go to the grocery store.

(photos collected from googleimages, and 49percent)

If You Don't Like It, Change Your Mind

I acquired a few dresses over the summer that have cutouts and openings in the back, which don't transition well into the chillier months.  Solution number one happened today: the tied button up.  I'll keep you posted when I have another epiphany.

(photos by e.hunt)

Life's Better in Lace

Here is another edited project, the first one I ever did actually.  The purple sweater dress had an awkward cowl neck that deterred me from ever wearing it.  To remedy that, I cut off the neck and cut out the strategic sections for lace.  After a sewing lesson from my mom and a few days of hard labor, this was the result.  The arm cutout is my favorite part.

(photos by r.hunt)

If it's Not Baroque, Don't Fix It

Baroque-era inspired fashion is huge this year.  Kindof an unexpected trend; such ornate clothing is usually reserved for red carpets and people who are regular "out-there" subjects on street style blogs.  I can't wait until the trend trickles down into stores that are more in my budget range.

(photos collected from globalmarket, easyfashion, honestlywtf, 49percent, and marieclaire)

Better Now That You're Here

Clean shirt, new shoes
And I don't know where I am goin' to.
Silk suit,black tie,
I don't need a reason why.
They come runnin' just as fast as they can
Coz' every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man.
-ZZ Top

Especially if that sharp dressed man is wearing a vest, like the effortlessly cool Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Simon Baker, and Justin Timberlake.

(photos collected from ones2watch4, seat42f, and mensclothedesign)

Word of the Week: Instauration

in·stau·ra·tion \ˌin-ˌstȯ-ˈrā-shən, ˌin(t)-stə-\

noun

1: restoration after decay, lapse, or dilapidation

2: an act of instituting or establishing something

A long time ago, a group of people attempted an instauration of floating houses as the standard.  Obviously it failed, and the more easily-accessed ground houses became the norm.

(photos collected from honestlywtf)

Hakuna Matata

Seize the day.  What will be will be.  No worries.  Just keep swimming.  Come what may.  Look for the bare necessities.  Where there's a will, there's a way.  The train keeps rolling, and the world keeps turning.  Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get.  All you need is love.  Anything worth doing is worth doing well.  That that doesn't kill me, can only make me stronger.  The best things in life are free.  And man does time fly when you're having fun.

(photos by e.hunt, s.harris, e.gerhardt, and a kind Greek passerby)

A Faint Fall Fashion Book Aroma

As much as I dislike cold weather, winter in general, and having to wear a coat, I do like the opportunities cooler weather provides, clothing-wise.  As this page from my Fashion Book illustrates, layering dresses, throwing on a cardigan, heavier fabrics, boots, and a beautiful example of mixing edge with girliness by pairing a motorcycle/pilot jacket with a mini dress, are all perfect Autumn experiements.

(photo by e.hunt)

Don't Waste Your Time, or Time Will Waste You

Although humans are highly active creatures, we do indeed require some down time.  Resting, lounging, vegging, taking a breather, throwing the bones in the corner...whatever you want to call it.  I've never met a person who didn't like their sitting around time.  I'm pretty sure that would be a crime against humanity, human nature, and the laws of physics.  Although not much has changed with the principal rest-time assistant, the bed; chairs, couches, the floor, and all other manner of surfaces remain acceptable places to set a spell and take your shoes off.  Y'all come back now, y'hear?

(photos collected from fashiontoast, thestylishwanderer, fabsugar, studdedhearts, and marieclaire magazine)

The Ballad of the Wrought-Iron Chair

What a wonderfully crisp fall day today is.  Perfect for wearing leggings and a leafy-printed top.

(photos by e.hunt)

If You're a Seascape

After a while, the machete man left and two equally interesting and other-worldly men walked in.  A few minutes after them, a woman walked through the door.  She looked out of place in the run down shack filled with ruffians and pirates, but at the same time she didn’t.  She had wavy darkish blonde hair that fell to her mid-back, she had on a navy blue tank top and a tan pleated skirt with slats of wood sewn into it; a fashion I had never seen before.  Woven bracelets of a multitude of colors, some with shells in them, covered her wrists and one ankle.  On her upper right arm was an ornate gold cuff that was dull due to too much outdoor exposure.  Her feet were housed by the leather straps of gladiator-like sandals.  That is what she reminded me of: the gladiators I had read about in the world archives at The Council building.  A dagger sheath of some sort rested on her left hip.  She stood for a few moments right inside the door, taking in the situation, scanning the room, her eyes darting from one person to another, and yet she didn’t draw any attention to herself.  She walked casually to the bar, but she had a strange walk, like she was off balance.  It almost seemed like she was drunk but I could tell that’s not what it was.  Then I figured it was like the other seafarers, on the ocean so long that they don’t know how to walk without the motion of the waves.  However that would be impossible because there are no women seafarers.  Even the Islanders follow that tradition.

This is an excerpt from a little fantasy tale I've been writing over the past three or four years.  The idea came from a drawing I did about eight years ago.  I didn't really have a plan when I started, but now, over sixty-five pages later, she became the central character.

Maybe near the end of the story, the plot will jump into modern times and she'll look like this.  

(photos by e.hunt, and collected from fashiongonerogue)

Your Brevity is Noted

Fading Glory.

(photos collected from tuulavintage, nytimes, thestylishwanderer, pinterest, and trendcouncil)

Word of the Week: Pelagic

pe·lag·ic  \pə-ˈla-jik\

adj

: of, relating to, or living or occurring in the open sea : oceanic

The ridiculous argument that Mr. Darling's pelagic yacht was more likely to win tomorrows race over Mr. Wheatleigh's and Mr. Huntington's, because the sea's rough waters make a much more enduring boat than any lake, took over that day's croquet tournament conversation.

(photo collected from Preppy: Cultivating Ivy Style)

For Messy Activities Like This

This is my 'you better recycle as much stuff as you can or else I'll find you, take you to see one of the many trash dump tragedies, and talk your ear off about global warming' look.  You've been warned.

(photo by r.hunt)

Abnormally Speculating

These ladies probably do not have a lot in common and most likely have never met, but they do share the skill in using the color black to its fullest, most statement-making potential.

(photos collected from indulgy, fashiontoast, and hanneli)