48; Dark Lotus Mantra (Hey look, I'm blonde!)

I swear I was in a good mood when these photos were taken! I was just really tired aftter sitting in the salon for about two and a half hours getting my hair done. (I was also annoyed at how my hair was styled, with my hair wisping out away from my head. Never liked that look.)

So my goal was platinum blonde, but of course, everything depends on 1. your base colour, and 2. the product you're using. This was the lightest I could get in one foil sitting. Not bad, I think! You might notice that there's still bits of brown throughout my hair. The girl doing my hair didn't screw up -- this was my intention. She had showed me a photo of someone who had long platinum blonde with bits of her natural colour still showing through her hair, which was what I was going for. Kathryn really likes the golden honey colour I now have, but I'm not 100% sure I love the shade of it. (Also, the colour here looks different than it is in reality, because we didn't expect the sunlight to be so harsh in these photos.) We both think I could go a little more toward platinum, so that'll happen eventually. Maybe next pay, which is in two weeks. Until then, I'll probably try to get my tattoo done.

Obviously, these photos were taken before Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene hit. It officially arrived between last night and this morning, which I got to see at five a.m. when I woke up for work. Yup, my boss still expected us to be at work today -- which was actually nice, as it was pretty dead, but the people who did come in left more in tips than usual.


And yeah, I know I wore nearly the same outfit three months ago, but this one's different: no jacket, different shoes, shades, new hair, new accesories... It's been improved! (I just really love this outfit, okay?)

47; Let's Get Out Of This Country

 

 

 Dress: thrifted • Vest: Forever21 (Heritage 1981) • Wedges: Maurices • Jewelery: trinket necklace (DIY), crystal necklace (antique), mother of pearl necklace (botique), bone carved bracelet (antique), sea shell bracelet (antique) 

Kinda laid-back this time, huh? Bought this dress very recently, on my latest visit to the thrift store. I bought it with the intention to cut the skirt shorter, but it is awfully pretty on it's own! Bit big in the chest, as you can see my bra through the arm holes, but that's what the vest was originally for...until Kathryn was taking photos and I realised the vest was completely hiding my figure, which bugged me, and I ditched it. I wish I'd had a nice, wide belt to wear at the small of my waist, but I'll get one eventually. This dress is extremely comfortable, too. As soon as we got home, I didn't even change out of it for a while.

So, this will be the last outfit post where I am sporting my natural dark brown hair! I got my hair lightened yesterday afternoon to blonde. I was going for more of a platinum shade, but with how dark my hair is to begin with, I was almost expecting it to be darker than it is now. (More like, I was worried.) After a few weeks, I might go back and have another foil session. Everyone seems to like it as-is though.

Also, during the shoot for this photo, Kathryn wanted to do some 'visual effects' and we came up with this:

Because we can.

Oh! I completely forgot to share the planking photos Kathryn and I took some time ago. I'd post them, but I actually can't seem to locate them on my computer at the moment. Maybe I'll post them along with some other photos from another outfit that I forgot to add in... Y'know, if anyone's interested.

46; People are strange, when you're a stranger

Top: Vantage Point Vintage • Sports bra: so ancient that I can't remember • Jeans: thrifted • Wedges: Wholesale-dress.net • Jewelery: Bone carved earrings (flea market stand), ear cuff (eBay vintage), crystal necklace (antique), trinket necklace (DIY) • Shades: Newbury Comics

Ooh, I'm so edgy! I have so much 'tude! I'm trying a new thing here with outfit photos: poses. I feel so much disdain toward my stiff-as-a-board stances lately. I was actually feeling pretty awesome in this outfit anyway. I wear this VPV top a lot lately, and have worn it with quite a number of things so far, but the sports bra and denim combination is my favourite. (Also, I am so bugged by the white balance difference in these photos! My apologies; I tried to edit the colours so that they'd be at least somewhat consistent, but still stay true to the outfit...but I don't have legit Photoshop on this computer, so I didn't have much to work with.)

I can't believe that the end of summer is neigh. I am often experiencing anxiety when I recall this fact. Last winter was terrible -- it was very cold and after Christmas, it rained and sleeted and hailed constantly. It made going outside a miserable experience and I thus lost all of the muscle tone I'd gained over the summer and fall. I also had nothing nice to wear, so I spent most of my time in my pajamas and sweatshirts, if I wasn't at work. I'm being proactive on getting some nice wintertime wear though, so hopefully I won't disappoint you guys too much!

But until autumn finally hits, I'm clinging to a list of songs that have always reminded me of hot, sunny summers, plus songs I've discovered this summer that I adore, and I thought I'd share that list with you lovely readers of mine. (Don't judge my taste in soundtracks; they're really good songs -- I promise!)

The Concept of Love • Jet Set Radio Future Soundtrack

Too Many People • Paul McCartney

When the Music's Over • The Doors

Stuck in the Middle With You • Stealer's Wheel

What Can I Do? • The Black Belles

Sad Sad City • Ghostland Observatory

Gold Lion • The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Blue Funk • Trigun Soundtrack

Sound Life ~ Rem • Trigun Soundtrack

It's All Too Much • The Beatles*

Love Shack • The B-52's

Bloodletting • Concrete Blonde

What's Up • 4 Non Blondes
(Sidenote: here's a hilarious What's Up parody)

*Probably in the top five of my favourite songs, ever.

45; Five Month Blog-iversary!

Shirt: ToFebruary.com • Shorts: Crystallized Vintage (eBay) • Docs: eBay • Belt: Etsy • Jewelery: Bone carved bracelet (flea market stand), crystal necklace (antique), mother of pearl necklace (boutique), trinket necklace (DIY), arrowhead earcuff (eBay)

Not sure what compelled me to, but I submitted this outfit to the Lookbook x Volcom contest. Feel free to hype it if you think I should win; apparently, it helps the judges' consideration.

Five months since I made my first post here! Yeah, not all that exciting. I actually wish I had a giveaway planned or something. I wanted to have one planned out for when I gained 100 fans on Lookbook, which I reached...21 fans ago. I've just been so caught up in the stretches of time where I don't have to work (it's usually been five days in a row), so I've been getting very little done. Maybe I'll have a giveaway all sorted out in the near future? I'll try!

Not much else to note... I got my top from Vantage Point and can't wait to show it to you guys! It may or may not be the next outfit I post though, as I have photos of another outfit waiting in the wings -- I should admit, sometimes I sort of 'stock pile' outfits and spread them out a bit, in terms of posting them. I kind of started doing it after I kind of stopped posting outfits back in around April or May for a few weeks and felt terrible about my neglect to this blog. Don't want to go idle on you few readers that I have. ♥

What was I originally talking about? Oh right, my VPV top -- I'm actually surprised I don't have outfit pictures of it yet, since I've worn it so much since it arrived in the mail. I'll be doing photos tomorrow for sure, and I'll even add in some planking photos that Kathryn and I took yesterday. It's such a hilarious pastime!

44; Goody Two Shoes

 

Shirt: DIY (JC Penny) • Pants: Forever21 • Docs: eBay • 3D Glasses: Newbury Comics • Jewelery: Crow Ring (Moon Raven Designs); earrings: eBay; bracelet: antique; necklaces: DIY

Dig the cross-penny? Kathryn got it at work when she was dividing tips one day, and brought it home. I have no idea who does that sort of thing! It's pretty nifty, and I wonder if any exist in the world that have an Om instead of a cross... Seems like it would be difficult to do, but hey, you never know. I might have to try eBay or Etsy...

When I decided to jump onto the fashion/personal style bandwagon, I decided to revamp my closet and style to reflect the fact that I was no longer a teenager, and I wanted to start dressing a bit more maturely to show my graduation into adulthood. Somehow, I've ended up dressing like a seventeen year old who skips school and listens to the kind of rock n' roll bands her parents have heard bad things about. In fact, I typically strive to look like some punk or a neo-gypsy. I'm still not quite sure where I 'went astray', but to be honest, I don't think I ever officially set myself on a track of wearing 'mature clothing', either.

It may also be due to the fact that I never had much of a 'teenagehood'. From age fifteen to nineteen, I was schooled online at home, and we moved a couple of times (okay, a lot) during these four years, so I never had any opportunity to settle down, meet the neighbour kids, and make friends; thus 100% of my time was spent in my room on the computer, mingling with people on LiveJournal, and on ocassion did I spend time with my mother, which only happened when she was in my room using the computer, or when she dragged me out of the house to go grocery shopping. I think now that I've been living on my own (translated: without the psychological iron grip of my mother) for a year and a half now, I'm rediscovering my independence, and that I missed out on many teenaged years that could have been spent doing better things, and I think I'm subconsciously trying to make up for it. I actually like this situation, because most teens are waiting to turn eighteen and have the luxuries of being a young adult, but when they reach that point, they're 'over' their prime teen years. I have a healty mixture of both! It doesn't help my case in public when I try to insist that I'm twenty when I'm dressed otherwise and am the size of a thirteen year old, but I rarely have those conversations with strangers anyway.


Though, should I ever have to grow up, I want to grow up to be just like Adam Ant. I want to always be able to dress like some fabulous and cheeky cowboy-bandit and act like one, too.





Essentially, I dream of my life being just like this.

Shop Spotlight: Vantage Point Vintage

I found Vantage Point Vintage originally during my 'witch chic' kick (still ongoing, on most days), while trying to find a mod-style black mini dress a la the Black Belles. With practically every other kind of clothing item I searched for afterward, I ended up coming across their website or eBay page. (Quite a small world, since they found my blog on their own!) Eventually, I developed a system when I had something in mind to look for, I'd check a few specific stores before anything else, and VPV was, and still is, one of those online stores.

Their pieces are eclectic, stylish, and are in beautiful quality. Their prices are pretty reasonable considering their worth, and even if nothing in the vintage department catches your eye, you'll be hard pressed not to fall in love with their Unlike Any Other collection of designer vintage DIY denim shorts. (They even have a men's section, too. Not many vintage shops do!) You know what my favourite part is? They're offering free shipping -- and there's no minimal purchase price. How awesome is that?

Just a few highlights of their current selection of clothing are 80's Floral Romper, 80's Palazzo Floral Trousers, 80's Lenay Tunic, 70's Pin-Stripe Secretary Dress, 80's Sheer Floral Top, and 1996 Daytona Beach Bike Week Tank, all for less than $40 bucks! These are the kinds of vintage pieces we all search for: versatile staple pieces that go with just about everything we already own, yet manage to stand out as well.

Vantage Point Vintage is based in Florida and was founded in 2008 by cutest-couple-ever Jenny and Josh, who have made over two-thousand transactions on eBay alone. I asked Jenny a few questions about VPV's origins and running it with her husband.

How did you and your husband become interested in vintage fashion, and where did you get the idea to run your own shop? 

-- We both love reducing, reusing, and recycling and what girl doesn't love fashion? Josh also really loves vintage t-shirts. If we source any, they may be more likely to wind up in his closest. While still working in the not for profit sector, we founded VPV in 2008 as a hobby to find amazing one of a kind vintage pieces and bring them to our friends around the world. It's just evolved to where we are today.

What is your favourite part about owning VPV? (And what's your husband's favourite?) 

-- Working in my pajamas! There are a lot of challenges in owing your own business but working in my pjs, with my dog snoozing nearby is definitely a perk! I'll let Josh answer that... Josh said, "I love to work with my wife and it's great to be a part of something that can make a difference in your community and who knows maybe one day in the world. It doesn't hurt to dream."

Do you have a favourite piece of clothing that you are selling, or have sold before?

-- Honestly, we've sold so many great items over the past three years and it's really hard to pick a favorite. Honestly, I'm a sucker for vintage band t-shirts and we have a great one from the 1977 Led Zeppelin tour. I could link to 100 others but that would make for a really long email. :-)

In case you missed my last outfit post (or the banner in my sidebar), VPV and I have teamed up to give you a discount on your purchase when you shop on their site! During checkout, use my coupon code ontheganges and you'll save 10% on your order, so go check out their site (if you haven't already) and see what you like!

Also, If you purchase anything from VPV, I'd love to see an email in my inbox of your look featuring the item you bought. You may be featured right here on this blog. ♥ You'll definitely be seeing me in something from VPV soon; I was the lucky girl to claim their oversized southwestern-printed shirt!

Friday I'm in Love -- 8/12

1. DIY spiked things

This counts, right? I just love seeing DIY creations involving stuff like this. I still have yet to add some spikes to some shorts, on that note...

2. Boot straps

Mainly because they look amazing both as boot straps, and as bracelets or chokers!
(Find it here, and an alternate here.)

3. Slouchy jackets

They looks so comfortable and stylish, and for a petite girl like me, it's more of a natural occurrence than anything!
(Find it here.)

4. This 1975 George Harrison Dark Horse t-shirt

I...don't think I can rectify this from a fashion standpoint, but a musical appreciation and the 'this is one of few remaining in the world' standpoint. It would be kind of amazing to turn into an off-the-shoulder crop top, except that it's worth at least five-hundred dollars. Eep. I can dream?

43; Mad Day Out (+ an exclusive 10% off coupon for Vantage Point Vintage!)

Dress: American Apparel • Vest: Forever 21 • Docs: Ebay • Jewelry: bone-carved bracelet + earrings, trinket necklace, crystal necklace, antique turquoise earcuff, antique blue sandstone bracelet

First order of business, I'd like to share with you guys a little gift courtesy of a really rad vintage store, Vantage Point Vintage. We teamed up together to offer you a chance to save 10% on their merchandise! Just use my special code ontheganges when you go to check out. You'll also find a banner for their store in my sidebar that has the code and links back to their site, in case you decide to buy from them later. (Though my advice would to buy asap -- their stuff sells out pretty easily!) I'll even understand if you completely blow off the rest of this post to go shopping there, I promise. ♥ I will be doing a shop spotlight post for this store in the coming days, so keep an eye out for that!


Gah, you can see my green socks in some of the shots -- how embarrasing! I meant for them to be hidden; the leather material of these Docs rub and press into the backs of my ankles and I made the mistake of walking to work in these the day they arrived while wearing below-the-ankle socks. These were the only long socks I could find.

So, Kathryn and I went into Cambridge (in the Boston area) yesterday for some exploration. Our friend Molly works at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, which is what inspired us to go initially. We had tons of Starbucks, I found a really adorable asian-stuff shop (and bought a few cute knick knacks that I forgot to photograph...), shopped at the Harvard Book Store (yeah, that's the name!) where I bought a German language course and a used book on graphic design. After visiting the museum, we went into a small mall called the Garage, and I spent the rest of my cash on a pair of sunglasses (that will be in my next outfit post) and a bracelet.

The museum was so amazing, and we actually ended up missing a few exhibits. It's so massive and there are so many animal specimins that I honestly can't begin to explain everything that we saw, so instead I'll perform another small photo dump and leave you this link to the museum floor plan to give you an idea of what we saw (everything left to the entrance/museum shop). The day ended with meeting up with Molly after she left work and we three took the train home, where she gave tons of commentary and stories on nearly every photo I'd taken. I love hanging out with her!

 From the downstairs section of used books at the Harvard Book Store, most surfaces are covered in random cut-outs, and in the foreign language section, they had a large array of miniature cut outs of vintage homosexual erotica book covers. So strange!

 If anyone can translate, leave me a comment? ♥

 The beginning of the museum photos -- it's one of the few dodo bird specimins left in existence.

 In one exhibit, there are three giant whale skeletons that loom over you from the ceiling. It's so daunting, but amazing!