Tights & stripes.

top- thrifted (J.Crew) / skirt- thrifted & altered by me / tights- Gap / boots- thrifted 

My hair is getting so long! I can't even. Also, I promise I wear more than just red/white/black (and this skirt!) every day, but it's definitely an easy combo when you're running late for work. Ahem. Also, you already know this Internet, but I love my brother. Edited to add: I meant to post this last Friday but totally forgot. Hence the non-tattooed hands. Oh discrepancies!

top- thrifted / skirt- thrifted / tights- my grandma's / scarf- made by me / shoes- target / necklace you can't see - gift from  my sister

I officially dubbed this the "autumn" skirt because "floral/paisley" looks weird, and the print and color pallet basically scream HELLOIAMCHANGINGLEAVES. I thrifted this baby about two years ago, and it's been sitting...and sitting...and sitting, just waiting to be altered. It has an elastic back and no pockets, so all I had to do was take in the sides a bit to bring up the waist, and made it a little shorter. I might still take it up an inch or so, but either way I'm lovin' the newest member of my closet! Dreaming up so many fun fall/winter combos to wear with this thing! 

Oh, and don't mind the tripod shadow or cars in the background. Whatever. 

ANYWAY. I hope you're having an amazing day! I'm off to practice my skirt twirls and camera jumps. 

Secretarystylekindofnotreally.

tank- thrifted (Old Navy) / skirt- thrifted & altered by me / cardigan- target / shoes- target / necklace-thrifted

Today was really long and busy and all I want to do is sit in front of my sewing machine, but I'm waiting on some fabric, so sad day. Mad Men and crocheting? Probably. Mainly I just wanted an excuse to show off this amazing cardigan because I'm in love with it. 

Everyone's really excited for Mumford's #Babel today, but mainly I'm just excited about this red polka dot cardigan I'm wearing.
— jessica(@jsimcity) September 25, 2012

Yep. Wasn't kidding. I picked up this beaut on a late night Target run with The Boyfriend. He was looking for 'slacks' that turned into denim khakis. They're a little too long so I have to take them up a bit and if they accidentally turn into skinnies in the process...whatever (;

PS doesn't that jumping picture look like I'm being carried away by a handful of balloons or something? That would be amazing right about now, haha. Also, I'm not actually glaring. That just kind of happens. It's my blank stare...so I should probably work on not looking like I'm going to shank someone and learn to "smile with my eyes" (didn't they used to say that on Next Top Model or something? I only saw two episodes. You tell me, because I obviously haven't mastered the skill either way). 

But hey it's almost Wednesday! And I don't really watch tv very often but did any of you guys catch some season premieres last night? I didn't, so I'm already behind, but Castle and 2 Broke Girls are on my list. 

Introducing a new series!

So I've been toying with this idea for months now, and what better time to launch a sewing series than National Sewing month?! Sorrynotsorry I keep reminding everyone. But seriously. Onetwothreerestyle will be an ongoing series that will include all kinds of sewing projects, from simply spicing up an old garment to altering something thrifted to getting crazy and full-on restyling a piece into something completely different from its original state. Like, pants to shorts or something (crazytown, I know). I'll be using it track my skill progress, push myself to get creative with the clothes I have vs. dropping dollars for new ones, and hopefully give you some fun, crafty ideas to shake up your closet in the process! 

This first post is just about as basic as they come. I took a plain jane cotton dress and handstitched a bit of lace to the collar. That's it. That's all. Quick, easy, and now the dress is a little bit fancier than I found it. 

dress- target clearance / belt- thrifted / sandals- my mom's / necklace- thrifted / lace- thrifted

Happy Tuesday lovelies! 

Bits & Pieces: September Issues.

And I'm talking more than just magazines here. Specifically, I have a bone to pick with Vogue, with fashion, with my own bifurcated mind when it comes to all of these things as they relate to women. As they relate to myself. It's no secret that fashion has always been an influential force in society. It's functioned as a means to denote status and wealth, separate the classes, define gender roles, and, you know, everyone wears clothes so why wouldn't it be the most nonverbal form of self-expression? Because of that, it's easy to see how clothing, this most intimate fabric of our lives*, the mere CREATION of it, is an art form, requiring a specific skill set and eye for that self-expression. A means to bring out that personal sense of "style" in others. It defines some of us, while others could care less. But that's not really the issue here.

Vogue has been lauded (lauding itself, rather) on being this voice for women, loosely tracing the feminist movement from the taboos of showing nothing but neck and ankle to the free spirited baring of arms and legs and so on. Highlighting feminine beauty. Dressing women appropriately for the groundbreaking roles they've played throughout the years. That said, my love/hate for the fashion industry and its steadily pulsing vein in our culture stems from the vanity, self-righteousness, and emphasis on outward appearance, though I'm just as guilty of wanting to look my best as the next girl. I'm just thinking out loud, and thinking that maybe the focus is too much on that. Too much on what to wear, what's in and what's not (the real trailblazers break such barriers...but then that's part of the legacy of feminist fashion in of itself)…

At the end of the day, you wear what you wear, prioritize what you do, and go from there. It's the ones that take it way too seriously that scare me a little, but without those people, we'd have no great designers, no bulky magazines to ogle every month September, no tailors and seamstresses dedicated to their craft. That’s just the gradual shift from hand-sewn clothing as a necessity to mass-produced ready-to-buy or clothing to catwalk that’s less about functionality and more about art form. (I myself love to sew, so what does that say about me?) When I say fashion is a guilty pleasure, I mean it. Guilty.as.charged. So this week I'm giving in and shutting down the half of my brain that hates the drama/judgement/nitpicking that fashion brings out in some people (who wore the dress best? WHO CARES) and sharing some of my um...favorites from the fashion world. It is, after all, September. 

1. Ten Vogue firsts. Mainly I like the phrase "ushering in a new era for the working woman".  

2. Chloe FW 2012 ad campaign. My heart. But see, as much as I'd like to dress all classy every single day, I'd much rather live my life in secondhand/vintage/something that's not jeans and a tshirt (no offense). Mainly because fashion magazines are my art journaling/general crafting mecca, and most of the shoots are interesting and well done. See above. (Also I am broke. So there). 

3. Um, just celebrating the man that is Marc Jacobs because he's my favorite designer. As in, him personally. And his stores in NY. I could make a cozy home. His designs aren't always my thing but I love his weirdness, his total outoftheboxness (though I WILL say I basically want to live in his S/S 2010 line forever...also his purple highwaisted jodhpur jeans and no I don't still have a picture of them framed on my wall. Absolutely do not). How he turned some of the craziest, most ridiculous things into iconic fashion. It's no secret I (still) want a tattoo of his initals on my wrist, or his actual name on the back of my neck, in the typical MJ branding font. Just BECAUSE. Have you seen HIS tattoos? Ok then. Don't judge me. 

4. Isabel Marant F/W 2012 campaign...yes.I.do. Also, LOVING the hair. Way to go Arizona Muse for pulling it off so beautifully/tempting me to chop mine off when I've come so far! Ahhhh. 

5. Technically this isn't September anything. But apparently James Franco has been making these 'episodes' for 7 For All Mankind. This is for the spring collection BUT it has this end of summer feel that vibes September, ya know? Whatever. I like it. 

6. The goggles are my favorite. Can I be on this train? Dear Louis Vitton, I really have no respect for your work whatsoever but this is a nice shot. So, you know, maybe I retract the former statement. But only slightly. 

7. Ok, tired of talking about way outta my league expensive fashion things. I have 11 months to recover from this high society headache, so in the meantime, here's a really great read for anyone interested in being a better writer, blogger, etc  via the ever amazing Sarah of Yes and Yes! Happy Thursday! 

*You guys, I actually used that in a post. Commence full-body cringe. 

dotdotdot

I was getting ready for work this morning trying on cardigan after cardigan to go with this outfit, aaaaaand...

It hit me! Polka dots on polka dots?! Yes I doooooooo! I love the way the black/white dots of the cardigan contrast the black/yellow of the tank. Wait...am I going for a double faux pas here? Is black and yellow a no-go? Maybe not...Wiz Khalifa doesn't seem to think so, ha. PS this outfit totally reminded me of miss Kara Haupt's late great fashion faux pas series! Those were so awesome. 

top/cardigan/shoes/necklaces - thrifted, skirt - target, elephant charm - from my trip to Ethiopia, headband - made by me

What I take from today: I've always loved clashing prints, but I'm going to work on more 'dramatic' print mis-matching in the future. It's way too much fun! Also, I'm dyyying for a pair of wedges. I've wanted a pair for years and never got around to buying them (so lazy about shoe shopping). So. They're now at the top of the buy list...ahem. 

This, that, & the other.

A bit of inspiration for your Thursday!

1/Cover  /Plate 72: Muscinae  /Plate 83: Lichen

These are some of my favorite sketches by Germany’s throwback jack-of-all-trades Ernst Haeckel (read: biologist, professor, artist, physician, naturalist, philosopher…I mean COME ON. Words like ecology and phylum? Yeah. His idea). They come from a book of his artwork called Kunstformen dur Natur (“Art Forms of Nature”) published in the early 1900s. I have a file of these images on my desktop that I click through when I’m short on inspiration. So much color, shape, and texture to get your brain buzzin! You can download the book in PDF form here. 

2/Avenue Journal Spring/Summer 2011

This article by Tom Greenwood from Avenue Journal. Beautiful thoughts about technology’s effect on photography, and general nostalgia. Realtalk. (It's hard to read in the photo but flip through here and you'll find it. It's at the end).   

3/NoLayout

This issue of Dapper Dan Magazine; I kind of died. I mean, serious jskaontheground. I cannot get over the layout, design, photography, balance of black and white…the CRISPNESS of the whole thing. So minimalistic and CLEAN, I love it! I was even MORE impressed when I started reading about the magazine, whose self-proclaimed aim is to inspire rather than follow trends. Their creative execution communicates just that, in my opinion. Even more thrilling, however, was the magazine’s manifesto. Because even though it’s for the guys (this is, after all, a men’s publication), it rings true for anyone with lungs that breathe and a heart that beats. As in, those words are going on my wall asap.

 

The magazine is based in Greece and publishes bi-annually. You can find all of their issues, current and previous, on their website. 

4/Paste

This entiiiiiire album by Frightened Rabbit, but ESPECIALLY the first track. I mean, super hung up on it...so funny because I used to skip that song. Always. So why the sudden obsession? I've been cleaning out my iTunes and rediscovering old loves in the process. One of my FAVORITE things about music is its power to speak truth into your soul, and how that truth changes over time. Songs that moved you then suddenly have deeper meaning, or none at all, years later. Songs you once hated become words to live by...but  that's a conversation for another time (:

Spring color palettes! I'm pretty excited because pastels, especially shades of peach and mint, have been on my love list for awhile now, and seeing some of the spring collections  has given me a few sewing project ideas! This is from Nylon's March issue, which has been sitting with its sisters (Elle, Bazaar, Vogue...etc) in a pile on my floor since the beginning of the month...derp. Better late than never, yeah? 


I hope you're having a lovely Thursday! This Houston heat has got me running around in shorts and sundresses...WITHOUT a cardigan. What?! Is this real life? I'm so psyched. 

This, that, & the other.

Lately I've been obsessed with cut-out dresses. And by lately, I mean for the past year or so. Here are some designs that REALLY make my heart smile.

1/Summerland 2/Vanilla & Lace 3/Burdastyle 4/Vivat Veritas

1. this dress designed by Alexandra Grecco for Summerland. I want to say it came out late spring of last year, something like that. I was actually surprised it was still available, but I'm so glad it is!  

2. the Lydia Dress by Abi of Vanilla and Lace has been on my wishlist for a little while now. Choose from a variety of colors, and she'll tailor the dress to your measurements! You can find it and other lovely handmade garments at her shop. 

3. this dress by Mari Koppanen. I know, I know...she was part of last week's Thursday post but her work is just so incredible; it's hard NOT to be inspired!

4. this heart cut-out tutorial by Vivat Veritas. So excited to try it! I wonder if it works on old t-shirts...? Haha. 

Oh, and one more thing...it doesn't fit today's theme BUT it's already been out for a week and I'm dying to share! 

5/Brooklyn Tweed

Brooklyn Tweed's spring lookbook is ouuuut! It's kind of silly for me to get excited about this because a) I don't know how to knit, b) they have a very limited collection of crochet patterns available, and c) Texas weather is already too warm for any of these (sad day) but it's inspiring nonetheless! The Oslo scarf was automatically my favorite. One of my goals for 2012 is to relearn knitting basics (for the what, fifth time? Sheesh) and maybe finish one small project. For now though, I'm content to drool over BT's gorgeous knit patterns and yarn collections. Check out a few of their past lookbooks (confession: I still do...all....the...time), you won't be disappointed. 

So, what's inspiring you lately? 

Wear Yer Green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day darlings! Here are some photos from the anniversary dinner, lalala...

Wineglass symphony

Last minute bunting - silver for 25 years, leftover blue from mom's bridesmaid dresses

Banana-creme-coconut pie upon request

Many thanks to my grandma for hosting and cooking an incredible meal! We had a great time sitting around after pie, chatting away. I love my family. 

Hope you have a great weekend! My universal rule is be safe/no dying. So do that and you're good, haha. Also, wear green. Just in case. 

dress - closét, cardigan - f21 c/o plato's closet, leggings - target?, flats- gap, necklace - thrifted, headband - strip of t-shirt sleeve