I’m Miss World (Alternative Curves: Riot Grrl)

I know Courtney Love never considered herself, or her band, a part of the Riot Grrl movement. But she’s the first person I think of when I think of Riot Grrl. And she, along with Gwen Stefani, was one of my earliest style icons. So I decided to emulate her early-’90s look for this month’s Alternative Curves challenge.

Riot Grrl was a bit before my time, but I got into Hole in middle school alongside my Nirvana obsession. Their music was so raw, so angry, so feminist–so everything I needed. And I fell hard for Love’s kinderwhore look: messy hair, smeared red lipstick, baby barrettes, babydoll dresses, ripped tights, Mary Janes.

Dress: vintage, from a clothing swap, barrette: really old, but I’ve always gotten them at CVS/Walgreen’s/etc., necklace: Claire’s, socks: ASOS, shoes: L.L. Bean, coat: thrifted, guitar: borrowed from Steve

Inspiration forever.

OOTD: Red and black retro-glam

This is what I wore to my friends Nathan and Jess’ vow renewal two weeks ago. They got married last year in a small ceremony with only family and their best friends, spent a year traveling the world (how awesome is that?), and then had a vow renewal with a reception so we could all celebrate with them.

Dress: ModCloth, cardigan: Kohl’s, clutch: Boohoo, fascinator: SimplyBe, jewelry: So Good, snow boots: from my mom (I wore them on the way to the venue, and then changed into dance shoes once I got there)

This is my go-to wedding guest dress; I wore it last year for my friends Liz and Ian’s wedding as well. I never got around to posting pictures then, but you can see one picture from that day in my 2014 year in review post. I’ll try to post the rest eventually, along with all the other outfits I never got around to posting!

The dress is pretty awesome all around: soft, comfortable, stretchy, twirly, and has pockets. It’s even machine-washable! I was wary of putting it in the wash, because I’ve had similar dresses fade in the wash (this one faded so much it’s more gray than black, sigh). I tried hand-washing it once, which turned out a huge hassle, as it has a ridiculous amount of fabric. So the second time I wore it, I crossed my fingers and I put it in a delicates bag, and it turned out fine.

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 1/28/15

Be You. Love You.

Banana Split Lady

OOTD: Green, fuzzy, and feathered

Taking pictures of this outfit was a bit of a challenge, as the white shrug blends into the white wall!

I took a few pictures in various spots around the living room, but the only place where I can get a full-body picture with decent lighting is against the white wall. Maybe I should put up metallic streamers again….

Dress: White Mark via Zulily, shrug: SimplyBe, leggings: Domino Dollhouse, shoes: L.L. Bean, necklace: eBay, fascinator: Claire’s

Sunday links, 1/25/15

Fa(t)shion
–Are fashion bloggers the new socialites?
-Check out my friend Maggie’s fatshion blog–she’s been posting some great outfits, and fatshion inspirations as well!
-Candystrike just released a bunch of new items, including an amazing silver and black striped skirt.
–Big & Tall Style for Butches and Others is a new Facebook group for fat people who have a masculine style and don’t identify as cisgender men.
-Speaking of masculine style, my friend Milo is selling handmade bowties at his new Etsy shop, Dappy Dandy Duds.
-I have mixed feelings about Target’s new plus size line, Ava & Viv. On one hand, inclusion by corporate retailers isn’t all that awesome in the grand scheme of things. On the other hand, it’s nice to finally see a collection that’s available in-store, since there are so few options for fat women who either can’t or don’t want to shop online. Most of the clothing doesn’t excite me, but there are a few pieces I like, and there’s nothing wrong with good solid basics. The size range (up to 26/4x) could be better, could be worse. Overall, I feel pretty meh, but can understand why other people have strong feelings one way or the other.
–The scientific reasons behind fashion don’ts: “Don’t wear white after Labor Day. White appears in stark contrast to fall foliage, making the wearer a prime target for bear attacks.”
–11 fashion mistakes all women should avoid: “5. Mixing floral prints with lighter fluid and an open flame.”
–Cambodia’s garment workers aren’t backing down.
–Fashion and “normalizing obesity.”

Fat Acceptance
–I stood up to a fat-shaming bully on the train because I’m tired of fighting for the right to exist.
-Chicago’s new plus size burlesque group, the Fat Follies, now has a Kickstarter campaign to help get their group off the ground.
–Capitalism and the weight loss industry.
–There’s a new paper advocating terrible medical guidelines for treating fat people–and surprise, the author is on the advisory boards of multiple companies that make weight loss drugs.
–On the latest in fat eliminationism.
-A letter to doctors: why there’s no point telling me to lose weight.
-“Hang on a minute…shouldn’t all mermaids be fat?”
–Dear white fatties (and other socially visible fat activists).

OOTD: Red and purple floral

I love the outfit serendipity that happens when I see two items hanging near each other in my closet and realize they’d be perfect together.

Steve gets the credit for this fun, dance-like picture. I was trying to figure out a way to show off the flow-y sleeves, and he suggested that I raise my arms as he took a picture.

Top: Igigi via eBay, skirt: Deb, leggings: Domino Dollhouse, shoes: L.L. Bean, jewelry: miscellaneous

Mini OOTD: night-time sparkle

I didn’t get a full picture of this outfit I wore back in mid-December–I don’t even remember what I was wearing on bottom–but I really liked how this selfie came out. When I posted it on Facebook, one of my friends commented, “You look fantastic, the stars of the Longest Night personified!”

I love when I put together an outfit just because it looks pretty, because I’m drawn to certain pieces, and then my friends come up with interpretations that make so much sense. Maybe I should always crowdsource the meanings behind my outfits. 😉

Top: thrifted, jacket: Kohl’s, necklace: eBay, earrings: Domino Dollhouse, bow: Crown & Glory

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 1/21/15: shades of black, blush, and cream

Green and Gorgeous

Stephanie Zwicky

OOTD: Gray, black, and polka dots

I’ve been really into the tunic-and-leggings look lately. Both because I like how it looks, and because it’s extremely comfortable.

Tunic: Reborn Collection via Zulily, leggings and belt: Re/Dress, shoes: L.L. Bean, cardigan: thrifted, jewelry: miscellaneous

I’ve had such mixed experiences with Zulily. I’ve gotten some gorgeous, good-quality pieces cheaply, like the dresses in these three posts. I’ve gotten some pieces that I love, but that are crappy quality, like this tunic. And then I’ve also gotten a bunch of pieces that just don’t fit–and Zulily doesn’t allow returns, so I have to either sell them or give them away.

OOTD: Blushing at the Slutcracker

Last month I went to see The Slutracker, one of Somerville’s most awesome holiday traditions. It’s a burlesque parody of the Nutcracker, using all of the original classical music, and a variety of dancing styles from ballet to hula hooping to flamenco to pole dancing.

Of course I had to dress as over-the-top as possible to go see it (although I did remove my giant hair flower before the show started, so as not to block anyone’s view). I’ve been really into blush and black color schemes lately, so I put together as much pale pink as possible with some black sequins for balance.

Coat: Nicolette Mason for ModCloth, tutu: Zelie for She via Re/Dress, top: Re/Dress, cardigan: Kohl’s, shoes: L.L. Bean, necklace and earrings: Betsey Johnson via eBay, butterfly veil and giant flower: ASOS, other jewelry: miscellaneous, tote bag: LeSportSac via eBay