Happy Christmas/Yule/Holiday!

Duuude, guess what I scored? Jeffrey Campbell Stevie! One of the wonderful gifts I got this Christmas morning. (This is why Kathryn is amazing.) I am still struggling with what I should wear to the party involving these.

Share your haul! What did you get this holiday? ♥


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67; Carnival Fortune Teller

Top: SheTigerVintage • Sports bra: five years old, can't remember • Leggings: Nasty Gal • Wedges: Maurices • Head scarf: Fanneuil Hall, Boston • Pearl necklace: botique in Lockhart Tx • Amythest: Waloosi's Emporium, Leominster Ma • Blue vile: Ebay • Bone bracelet: Antique • Crow ring: Moon Raven Designs on Etsy • Elephant ring: Urban Outfitters • Chainmail bracelet: King Richard's Faire

I felt so 1920s in this. I don't quite know if carnies were around in that decade, but surely we had some mystics and soothsayers back then. I want to wear this forever.

Funny thing about yesterday. I wore a completely different outfit that finally perfected a marriage between my wet look pants and my Tapestry Litas. I was out getting my hair coloured and the train getting Kathryn and I to the neighbouring town got us there an hour early. We met up with a friend and we walked over to her new apartment, and as we were about to meet the porch to the building, I stepped on a rock, a sizeable but small one. It knocked my balance off, and I had no ability to catch myself and correct it (because this sort of a thing happens from time to time, in the area I live in. Just look at the background of these photos; it's the end of the cul-de-sac!) and being that I was in platform heels, I fell forward! I was all right; scraped my knuckle on the pavement, but my left knee broke my initial landing. My Forever21 wet look pants did nothing to save me and they tore like wet paper (shock!). As did my knee. How embarrassing am I?

My pants are mostly all right, just with a tattered scrape through the knee, and I'm not sure if I want to just leave it, or try to fix it. (In the immediate future, I mean. Strangely, a sewing machine came in the mail for me as a Christmas present from Kathryn, so it seemed pretty serendipitous.) Unfortunately, my knee was in a terrible state, and my friend had no band-aids available, so I spent a half an hour applying pressure to it with tissue and had to leave it be when I left for my hair appointment. It was nearly two hours later when I was able to finally tend to it, and even right now as I type this, it's sore as hell. (And not lovely to look at.)

You'd think this all would have ruined my day -- and I was pretty pissed; it was a brilliant ensemble -- but between getting early Christmas presents from aforementioned friend, and getting my hair coloured up, I was pretty okay. When I got home, I had a package from Nasty Gal waiting for me, a package I had been happily anticipating. I scored a pair of these gorgeous velvet leggings from their website, and they're selling out quick. (They also come in black! It was hard not to buy both.) I found a few sellers online for leggings like these, but either the photos were cut off, making it hard to see how they fit, or they were on a hanger, making it even more difficult to see how they fit. Eventually I decided to spend the extra cash at a store that I've only heard good things about. These things are amazing. They're extremely comfortable, and they're high waisted. Genius. As soon as I opened the package, I threw them on. I nearly slept in them.


In other news, Kathryn's on a conquest to go from dark blonde to a firey copper auburn. She tried out what seemed to be a much more temporary-than-promised hair dye, that was also more of a red colour than really expected. She looks pretty awesome as a red head, though! (Considering she has strong Norwegian ties, and a lot of Scandinavians are red headed as well as blonde, so she has that on her side. It really works well with her pale eyes.)

Doesn't she look great? And dying her hair means I'll get to help, which is awesome, because I keep finding myself interested in the idea of going to beauty school and working in salon. She in turn will be practicing the same thing, as I hope to stop going to the salon so often and try to do my roots at home, and applying toner on my hair in-between touch-ups. In fact, I hope to do some toner tomorrow. I do hope Manic Panic's Virgin Snow toner holds up to the hype I hear about it.

Also, I may finally have another giveaway lined up! Stay tuned.



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Smashion Interview

My first feature on a website! How cool is that? Check it out on Smashion.com's Lounge; there are tons of interviews from other great bloggers, as well.

Smashion's actually a pretty nifty website. It's like if Etsy was dedicated to newer thrifted finds. (As opposed to handmade or vintage goods, though I am aware some people sell thrifted stuff.) I kind of have my heart set on this red Chinese robe. (I've been wanting a kimono/robe cropped top/jacket for a long time to replace the one I lost when I was thirteen.)

Yeah, not everything is at garage sale prices, but there are some really great finds on this site:

Charlotte Russe Studded Jean Jacket, $9.99

Forever 21 Paisley Tribal Maxi Dress, $16.00

NYC Design Co Snake Skin Skirt, $4.00

American Apaprel Welt Pocket Pant, $24.00

Forever21 Bronze Faux Leather Leggings, $10.00

Black Leather Vest, $8.00

Tribal Patterned Boat neck shirt, $3.00

Forever21 X-small Tie-dyed V-Neck, $7.95

Mexican style turquoise blouse, $7.00

So, how awesome is this website? ♥

On the Ganges: Five Faves From 2011

Did you know that we're two weeks away from January 1st, 2012? How bizarre is that?

This blog hit the internet on March 20th -- nine months old! Any babies conceived in that month are being born around now; what a weird thought -- and shortly after, I came close to giving it up. I didn't anticipate it becoming my main hobby, but so many people through blogs and Lookbook/Chictopia never failed to constantly inspire me. I've grown a lot and have, for the most part, accomplished what my hope had been when jumping on the 'internet fashion' bandwagon: to find my physical identity, and see if it would help me find my inner identity. I thought I would move forward, away from my icons from childhood, my roots, and my memories. What happened instead? I did a complete 180: I went back to my childhood, drawing on the southwestern culture from my earliest memories, the grungy LA city life from my preteens, the occult and punk influences from my early teens, and the (sometimes glam) rock inspirations from my mid-teens.

I wanted to mature, feeling pressured by finally getting a job and being around more adults in person. Instead, I discovered that I'm not quite ready to let go of my youth and all of the things that shaped me into who I am. This is why fashion is so powerful; not only can a good outfit boost some confidence for you, but it helps you (and others) begin to figure out what you’re all about. Sure, ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover,’ but it gives others a glimpse of the story inside; it’s a first impression.

I’ve only been blogging for the better part of one year, and I am not by any means a blogger guru like so many others, but On the Ganges has still gone farther than what I had supposed (which tells you I had little to no hopes for this thing; I’m so pessimistic!) and I’ve gone through some major transformations because of it and everything I’ve been exposed to. Am I happier with myself now than nine months ago? Infinitely! I’ve also gotten in touch with my spiritual side, and yeah, it wouldn’t have happened unless I had directed such a strong focus on myself and who I want to be. A lot has happened in nine months.

This blog is a record of the life I keep through my style, and many of the outfits and posts I’ve created stand as landmarks in my memory. Looking back on the past nine months, I’ve become incredibly outlandish in my manner of dress compared to what I used to wear, and these are what I consider my favourites. (Click on photos to view their original posts!)

This is probably one of my favourite outfits, ever. This tank top is one of my most loved garments, and it worked wonderfully with my vest and shorts. I look like a freaking gypsy. This is how I want to dress almost every day. I also distinctly remember this being one of Kathryn's and my frequent trips down to the train to ride two towns outbound to Leominster to get decent coffee (unlike the stuff I sell; don't resort to Dunkin' Donuts, guys) and sometimes hit the mall. We went so often on the same train that we kept seeing the same cashier there, whom often looked at us every time we came through the front door as if thinking, "don't you two have better things to do?" Ahh, I miss those escapades!




 

Another absolute favourite of mine, and my most popular Lookbook look. (Woo!) This shirt is really see-through, but wearing a nude bra made it suddenly seamless. It was perfect to wear on a warm day with a denim jacket to beat the cool ocean breeze. And these shorts. Oh my god these shorts. ♥

This day was amazing. Waking up at half past four in the morning to drive from west-of-Boston all the way to Cape Cod, shell-hunting with Kathryn and Molly, riding over to Hyannis (where I bought my favourite pair of earrings ever), feeling constantly wired-yet-drained while walking back and forth from the cottage to the beach to get pastries, ice cream, Pepsi, and to visit the antique shop... I can NOT wait for summer to return.

First trip to Salem! It was so freaking cold! But I refused to wear anything else. I wanted to wear the shorts from the first look in this post, but that's the only thing I compromised on. I still loved it, and don't be surprised if I wear this same outfit with the aforementioned tie-dyed shorts next spring/summer. (Okay, maybe I'll try to wear a different top, too. Note to self: find a bustier to go with the ruana.) I already made an unnecessary ramble about why I love this outfit on its original post, featuring music tracks. I won't bore you any more than I need to!

Gah, Salem. Salem is amazing. I want to live there. Where else can the tourist information building be a one-stop oriental spices shop? Where else can I go into a convenience store and see magazines to the left, and occult apparel on the right? Also, they have a freaking Ben & Jerry's store. I think that alone is reason enough to move there. I also got two women who help run my favourite shop to research Jeffrey Campbell shoes, in which one of the women at her laptop exclaimed, "it's like shoe porn." We are apparently kindred spirits.

Seriously. If I can't live in Cambridge (near Boston), I may bug Kathryn to move there.

Snake skin print leggings. Why else would I love this outfit? Also my favourite boots, my recently favourite top, and my favourite fur vest. Added bonus: my own handmade SOULMATES jewelery. Mix them together, and bam, an outfit I want to live in. (And then I just really love my trashy looking hair. I hope you guys are okay with me looking like my hair is a result of shoving a butter knife into an electric outlet. I am quite fond of messy hair lately.)

I love this back alley behind the main downtown shops. I love brick, and look at the background of the photo. It's freaking covered in moss!

So much love for this ensemble. The jacket, the skirt, the slouchy knotted top, and my Docs. I was really hating how my hair was looking by this point (the pigmentation in the local water had been slowly staining it; eww) but with this look, it sort of tied together the 90s grunge vibe I had going. I bought the top and skirt in the same day at the Salvation Army, and I tried them on together as soon as I got home. I asked Kathryn and her sister Sarah what they thought, and they both immediately loved it. If I could appeal to those two, I knew it must look pretty rad. ♥



My hope for 2012: to finally get out there and wear the perfect Black Belles inspired outfit, at least once.

Also, to get married. Best outfit post ever, am I right? Stay tuned on those developments.



This post brought to you buy Independent Fashion Bloggers' IFB Project.

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66; Cancel My Subscription to the Resurrection

Top: thrifted • Red bustier: Sparkle and Fade (Urban Outfitters) • Jeans: Eyeshadow • Shoes: Etsy • Ruana: Staring at Stars (Urban Outfitters) • Headband: borrowed • Earrings and choker: Hyannis, Cape Cod • Ear cuff: Ebay • Necklace: Forever21 • Bracelet: Waloosi's, North Leominster

Adam Ant meets Jim Morrison.

These photos can not possibly suggest how cold it was when they were taken, and I'm not entirely sure that words can, either. Granted, it was 43 degrees at the time -- which isn't terrible -- but with the overpowering wind we've been having for the past few days, wind chill was at 31. Degrees. Fahrenheit. As in below freezing. (Kathryn was worse off than me; she had just showered and hadn't dried her hair. I don't know how she didn't die.) Alas, taking photos inside wasn't an option (we have the worst windows for sunlight; the only well-lit room in the house in terms of natural light is the kitchen) and I haven't figured out how to make my photos come out less-than-shitty with artificial light.

The best summation of what this time of the year is like where I live is probably this video.

And the best summation for how Kathryn and I act, possibly.

And despite all of the icy, whipping wind, we actually came out with a ton of great shots! I initially narrowed it down to twenty, and it took me forever to get it down to this. I feel so vain.

Another thing about the wind: it did a number on my hair. It looked way cooler before the breeze got to it:

I know you guys dig my plushie collection back there. I am such an adult.

Basically the same, but a lot more boost. the wind kept yanking it up and throwing it back down on my head, and it lost most of its height. Turns out Aussie brand hairspray doesn't hold up. Y'know, unless you don't move. You get what you pay for when you depend on Target for your beauty needs.

And while I'm just spamming you guys with random stuff because I'm extremely bored, I wanted to further my point from earlier on during my 'ohh it's so cold here' tangent and how Kathryn's Norwegian blood makes her immune to the cold (apparently):

SHE IS INSANE. Also check her out. I think her waist is smaller than mine by like, an inch or two. HOW.

I think we need to bully her into starting a fashion blog, because this outfit was so adorable. Or maybe I'll start a fashion blog for her and post for her, as well...because that doesn't sound creepy, right?

So leave a comment and start bugging her. ♥


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65; Om Naga Deva (SOULMATES preview!)

Top: borrowed • Leggings: Ebay • Boots: Etsy • Crystal necklace: SOULMATES (coming soon) • Rattlesnake vertebrae earring: SOULMATES (coming soon) • Chainmail bracelet: renaissance faire • rings:various (crystal ring from Hivennn)

Kathryn said this outfit looks just like the last one I photographed. No it doesn't, I say! Totally different shirt and print on the leggings, boots instead of wedges...the vest was a last-minute decision as I was going out the door. (Though I understand that she was just giving me a hard time.)

So, dig the SOULMATES necklace and earring? The necklace is pretty bland considering what other designs I've come up with in the pendant department (this is actually the first one I made) but it's one of the few I actually have completed. You'll get to see the other pendants in the future, promise! I have other crystals waiting in the wings, mostly clear quartz, but I have a collection of these curious red and black coloured clear crystals as well, that look just wonderful.


The rattlesnake vertebrae earring (yes, real vertebrae!) will be sold as a pair, obviously, but this is the one that I have done so far. I preferred to wear just one anyway, plus it seemed to fit perfectly with the outfit, so how could I not incorporate it? I'll see what I can do about making earcuffs in this style, as well.


I have opened the SOULMATES Etsy shop finally, though like I've mentioned before, it won't be running officially for another month or so. (I had initially decided to not spend any money on this project until after Christmas, but my brain just exploded with ideas when my last paycheck arrived, and I couldn't refrain!) Until then, you're more than welcome to add it to your favourites if you like what you've seen here, so that you'll be the first to see the listings go up! (For more updates, you can check out the SOULMATES twitter.)

I have every intention on making all of my jewelery as affordable as possible. At the moment it looks like my wares will cost no more than $30 per listing, and that would be the price for something really special, or for a one-of-a-kind piece. (The necklace and earrings shown here would probably cost half of that.) I've been extremely lucky in finding such affordable resources for my jewelery and I hope to keep the sale price of my jewelery low enough for people to feel comfortable buying something. I know what it's like to see beautiful items on Etsy and elsewhere and not be able to shell out enough money, and while I really do hope to make some money (and what money I make will probably go back into making more jewelry, or real life expenses like feeding my cat!) I don't intend to just bleed money out of potential customers. I've never run a shop before, but with Kathryn having taken a business class in massage therapy school, I'll have some help in trying to be the best shop keeper I can be. ♥


Kathryn was nice enough to transfer the logo I had in mind onto the computer. Saved me money that I would have otherwise had to spend! (I will be coming up with more variations of the patterning; I get bored easily.)

 

I have a lot of prep to do: buying little jewelry gift boxes, get the logo above printed into stickers for packaging, restock my suede cord (if I can even find the same colour; it's somehow eluding me in all of the stores I can get to locally) and finish my inventory. I hope to later on, after the shop is open and running, to add alterations to some rad thrifted finds and sell them as well. What would that be marketed as, exactly? Upcycled/recycled? Altered thrifted? We'll see. Might choose the latter one.

I really didn't expect to write such a massive post. I'm sorry! I guess I'm a little too excited; I've been wanting to do this since early this summer, and seeing everything finally come together is really thrilling. I'll shut up now.


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