xmas.

-my christmas tree-

<3 <3 <3

As for outfit:

1950's Rosy Collared Sweater (Thrifted, $1.50)

Lace Dress (Gifted)

Green Tights

1970's Pixie Booties (Thrifted, $2)

Turns out the universe just does not want me to post an outfit.  Outfit = good.  Photos = bad.  So, I've just included a couple close ups. 

I went thrifting on Monday with my friend Andrea, who apparently is a cardigan finding expert, haha.  She picked this one out of the 'white section' with ease, and graciously let me buy it.  Thank god!  I love this sweater!  It's so warm, and sweet, what with all the tiny rosettes and rhinestones :).  In that same store, I found some awesome pixie booties (pictured below), that I just couldn't resist.  I found out she had tried on the same pair a couple days before, but couldn't fit into them...  Great minds think alike! 

I've finished compiling my xmas list, but I have an arsenal of goodies that will never be cheap enough for me to justify owning (even as a gift).  ::::Sigh::::  But I DO love staring at them :).

(All photos were taken from Etsy or Ebay/they are not mine.)

1960's Embroidered Boots.

A vintage plate 'enhanced' with Patti Smith.

Ughhhh.  I've wanted this ottoman for YEARS, but they are pretty rare, which means they carry a pretty hefty price when you do find one. 

Oh you vintage patterns.  I wish I could own you all!

Lovely backpack.  One day, I will try to make one similar!

I've been listening to the band 'Pens' this morning.  It took me a few listens to really get into the cd when I bought it a couple years ago, but the underlying melodies in their lo-fi, often 'basement recording' sounding songs.  You'll see what I mean.  I love the video :). 

Have a great day, ally.

                              

Melancholia.

Last night I FINALLY got to see the Lars Von Trier film, Melancholia.  And what a trip it was. 

If you've seen any of his previous movies, i.e. Dancer in the Dark, and Antichrist, you know his imagery is top notch- and this movie follows suit. 

Now, I will not venture to say that this movie is even in my top ten favorite movies- maybe not even top 20, but I would strongly recommend that you watch it.  It beings up so many emotions- whether it be dislike, confusion, horror, sadness, the eventuality of death... 

One of the first things I noticed were the references to 'Ophelia' by Malais.  It is one of my favorite paintings of all time, and I so enjoyed seeing his interpretations.  Then, the actual painting is shown at one point, so I was able to have my 'aha!' moment.

Have you ever heard the back story to the Ophelia painting?  Malais had the girl (very young, we're talking under 18), lay in an icy bathtub for days/weeks so as to reach the face/coloring he was looking for.  Very interesting man indeed.  You should look up the back story, it's interesting and way more saucy than I have the time to get into right now :). 

Here is the painting in question:

I don't want to ruin anything for you, so I won't go into too much detail.  But I will say, even after a night of analyzing the themes, I still walk away feeling like their are a couple ideas that feel completely disjointed and unrealistic (even for Lars); I'm talking inter-relationships.  If you know me personally, please god see this movie so we can talk about it!!  I actually watched in 'On Demand' at Jimmys parents, but you can totally watch it on itunes.  I wonder why it didn't end up being in more theaters?  Strange.

The end of the movie is pretty awe inspiring and haunting.  I will say this- I will never, ever forget this movie, warts and all.  These scenes are burned into my memory forever.

All the actors did a superb job.  Charlotte Gainsborg, being one of my favorite actresses, never disappoints.  And, I was so excited to see Kirsten Dunst on the screen again, especially in such a dreamy, dramatic role.  I LOVED her in Virgin Suicides, Crazy/Beautiful, etc. 

In the end, I recommend this movie whole-heartedly; but be ready to banter with your viewing partner, yell at the screen, laugh unexpectedly, be angry and maybe even cry. 
Oh yeah, and in Lars style, you will never forget what you see.

ally.

Pencil Plaid.

1950's Plaid Pencil Dress, made with 1970's wool Fabric (Free)
-made by me-
1940's Brooch (Heirloom)
Blue Tights
Black Velvet Flats

Man- it's pretty crappy outside today.  It's pouring outside, and I'm soaked, so please excuse the following, haha. 

The last time we talked, I was gearing up for a night at a poetry reading downtown.  It was all women (one being a friend), and we had an awesome time!  For those of you that live in the area, it was held at the 'Greenwich', and the poetry troupe is called 'Bitches Brew' (they're on facebook).  This was their 2nd show, and I heard that they're planning on doing a show once a month.  After that we went to play some pool, and ended the night with some good laughs :). 

Back to the outfit!

I made this dress yesterday out of a 1950's pattern, and plaid wool fabric from the 70's (given to me by a friend).  I LOVE this dress- but next time, I'm def making it with a solid fabric.  Even lining up the areas that I did took some patience that I didn't want to doll out.  I think it would look awesome in an aqua tweed, or maybe a magenta velvet..  Yes, you will be seeing another version of this dress soon!

Last night, we went out to dinner to celebrate Jimmy's moms & his brothers fiance's birthdays (that's a mouthful).  I wish, wish, wish that I would've taken pics last night instead, because I teased my hair, had big turquoise cat eye's, and patten leather teal wedges, (and this dress).  It looked awesome! 

I started a dress last night out of some pretty unexpected fabric, and am excited to get it done to show you :).  It's another pencil dress, but this time from the early 60's with a v-neck.  I'll save the rest for when I actually get the dress done!

I loved working with the wool fabric- it's so easy to sew.  I find myself having to edit what I actually make these days.  I want to make EVERYTHING regardless of if I actually want to wear it/can wear it with anything, lol.  I'm in the phase of wanting to try out every piece of clothing I can- vest, pants, jeans, etc.  But yeah, I'm really trying to make sure that I'm 100% excited about each piece that I make; and the ultimate test being how long I can wait to wear it. 

After I finish this dress, I'm going to dive back into pants.  I made a pair of wide leg 70's trousers a couple months ago; and they looked OK, but could've been better.  Pretty sure (okay, I'm sure) I chose the wrong fabric, and it really showed in the drape of the legs (thus is why you never saw them). 

WHERE did this year go?  By far, the fastest year of my life..  Does it feel that way to you? 

I'm planning on making 99% of my xmas presents this year, so yeah, I need to get started!!!  Now!!!

Luckily, there is a knitting shop on the same street as the shop (in walking distance), so I think I'll take a trip over today and get started :). 

Have a great (albeit crappy looking) day, and who knows?  Maybe you'll see a new dress tomorrow too!

ally.

the Void.

1990's Black & White Striped Turtleneck (Thrifted, $1.50)

1990's Black Skirt (Thrifted & altered by me, $2)

Black Hose (Walgreens, $1.75)

Velvet Black Flats

I found this turtleneck in my size while I was thrifting the other day, and had to have it!  I don't know what possessed me to be obsessed with turtlenecks all of a sudden- but I like it.  Seriously, I went from owning 0 to 4 in 2 weeks... 

This morning my friend Lindsay and I did a christmas photo shoot for a contest online.  We entered the photo JUST in time- and man, I hope we win!  I thought the prize was 2 tickets to show, but it turns out to be round trip tickets to see the band in Vail, Co + ski tickets, etc.  They are deciding today though, so thank god I don't have to sit and think about it for a month or something. 

Anywho.  I've definitely been feeling the mod/french/beatnik vibe a little strong lately, and have had to go out of my way to wear something colorful.  Which hasn't happened in ages!  I wore all black for a LONG time when I was in middle school/high school, so once I got out of the goth game, I didn't look back.  Speaking of goth.  Can I just say that what you wear/listen to/surround yourself with MOST DEFINITELY effects your aura & outlook on life.  It's like a circle- you are depressed, so you wear black and listen to angry music, which then feeds into being depressed...  It never ends!  It's so much easier to angry & sad than it is to be happy (which you have to work at). 

Once I started to expand my mind (and step back from the endless cycle of unhappiness), I found that I had a warped  idea of what 'happy' was.  I envisioned "happy" people as these infantile, sheltered, lucky human beings that never had a negative life experience that made them see the *light*.  Ah, I was so stupid.  Once I got over the hump, I found the exact opposite to true!!!  Being happy, in spite of all the negative things that have happened/will happen/surround us, is the GREATEST ability a human can possess!  Instead of wallowing, you have to rise up and fight your way to the mindset and life that you want! 

Nowadays, I don't listen to angry music whatsoever (this really did/does have a major effect on my psyche), or wear my feelings on my sleeve (so to speak).  I dress for who I WANT to be/what I WANT to feel.  I can't tell you how much even those steps helped me to become the person I am today. 

Yes.  Clothing and music seem trivial.  But they aren't; at all. 

Below is the picture we ended up using for the contest.  You like?  WISH US LUCK!!!

Those shoes...  hahahahaaaa.  Love it! 

Have an awesome weekend guys :),

ally.

theory.

1950's Velvet Bow Headband (yard sale, $1)

Music Note Dress (Thrifted Bed Sheet, $.25)

-Made by Me-

Black Velvet Flats

Hi!

The night before last I made this dress out of a thrifted 1970's bed sheet.  Surprisingly, this is one of my favorite things I've ever made!  I still need to mass with the fit a little bit, but for not altering the pattern, I think it came out pretty good!  It's so comfortable, and pretty flattering.  Since it is a white sheet, I lined every piece with unbleached muslin.  It gave the dress so much more structure, and really adds something to the dress I think.  I don't own anything with a graphic pattern such as this, and now I want more!

Geez, I've wanted a 1950's black velvet bow headband for YEARS, but they're always a lot more expensive than I'm willing to pay.  Well, the waiting paid off, because I found this baby at a yard sale for a whopping dollar!  You can't beat that :).  I wore this yesterday for work, but went out for trivia night afterward.  I added a cropped black sweater, and black hose.  I usually wouldn't be so matchy-matchy about it, but in this case I think you need to keep the colorway going for effect. 

I'm still so glad I cut my bangs!  They're starting to grow out, and I'm loving the look and feel :). 

Does anyone know the name of the plant below???  Wish I could get one of my own!

Sadly, today is marks one year of my grandma's passing...  Time flies.  It feels like it was only yesterday.  Needless to say, I didn't have the energy to get dressed at all this morning, so I'm glad I had yesterdays outfit waiting in the wings.  I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of her with you.  She is the one with the dark hair- she was so pretty :). 

Look at that bathing suit body!!  <3

The other night I found an awesome new band from Japan.  Listen to the song below- the melody is FANTASTIC.  They are rapidly becoming a favorite. 

Hope you have a great day, and tell someone that you love them <3 :).
ally.

           

Summer Highlights (and not the magazine).

            

ahh, the old days.