under the iron bridge we kissed

I've been coming down with something since Thursday that's become a full-on upper-respiratory Thing in the last couple of days. I decided, after a lot of hemming and hawing, to stay in bed today and get some rest so that I get better. I see way too many friends stay sick for weeks (and months! my roommate last year was sick for a whole quarter) because they never just take a day off to let their body do its immune thing. Anyway, I'm nicely Mucinex D'd and all tucked up in my bed with a thermos full of decaf green tea.

Considering that I'm wearing Soffee shorts and a t-shirt, I'll take a rain check on outfits for today and share some inspiration instead! Today's theme: stylish couples!


Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe (source)



Harold and Maude (Screen capture I took)


Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin (had this on my hard drive forever, don't remember the source)


Rudi Gernreich Models (source)


Iggy Pop and Esther Friedmann (source)


Mr. and Mrs. Fox (source)

Now for a little meta-blogging! The lovely Annebeth responded to my blog-addiction comments in the last post and brought up how blogging is something she could include on her resumé since she hopes to eventually go into fashion journalism. (Although I know she also just enjoys it!) I spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about this blog--I had my first blogging dream the other night--and it's a question I ask myself a lot. Given how busy I am, why do I spend hours on blogging every day?

I've discovered that it's a real creative outlet for me. It's inspiring, challenging, stimulating, and, above all, fun. I'm not sure that I'm going to end up with a career in fashion, but I do know that when I go look for a job out of college, I'm absolutely going to apply at all of the San Francisco-based or officed online boutiques. I definitely also have elaborate daydreams about opening up a bricks-and-mortar vintage store with Alex that sells high-quality but affordable pieces.

Or I could be an academic. Oh geez. Only time will tell.

What would you like to see more of on the blog? I'm thinking about adding another feature since Photo Friday went over so very well!

Today's title comes from The Smiths -- Still Ill. Terribly clever, aren't I?

P.S. I've made a Facebook page for my blog so that I can stop spamming my entire network and instead target my spam at interested parties :)

i'm going where the sun keeps shining

sweater: thrift, $0.50 -- skirt: hand-me-down from Kendra -- tights: Urban Outfitters, $4 -- boots: thrift, $8

The light was so absolutely beautiful this afternoon that I couldn't resist taking like a bajillion pictures. I hope you enjoy looking at them! I had a blast taking them.

You may have noticed that I tend to wear more elaborate/unique outfits on Mondays. It's my favorite day of the school week, which might seem odd. It's just the day that I have the least commitments, and I don't have class until 1:15. The two classes I do have are my video art class and a discussion section for my art history class, which are a lot less of an intellectual drain than lectures. As a result of my good mood and rested-ness from the weekend, I tend to wear more playful things.

Anyway, I was putting together my outfit last night when I came upon this skirt while looking for a different one. It seemed like a sign. I love wearing really shiny things to class during the week. It makes me happy!






Aren't these leaves breathtaking against the low-angled afternoon sun?


Another reason to love sequins! Reflective surfaces provide endless opportunities for entertainment.


Not only did I get my hair cut on Thursday, I also gave my color a little refreshing! Yes, sadly, I am a faux-redhead. I think it suits my personality better than anything else though. I'd know, too... I've had everything from light brown to black hair from age 13 to now.

And in case this post didn't have enough photos of me ;) here's one of me and my mom circa 1996--aren't we pretty much twins? Not only do we look alike, we also have really similar personalities.  Do you look and/or act like your mom?


I remember making this for her. I discovered that acorns can write on rough surfaces, so I did the natural thing and made my mom an "I love you" note with an acorn on a brick that was a casualty of our remodel. I've always been weird if not affectionate. And yes, it says "Sophie"--I just dropped the "e" when I was 8 or 9 because I thought it wasn't cool. The rest is history.

Today's title is from Harry Nilsson -- "Everybody's Talkin'." Alex showed me an awesome documentary about Nilsson's self-destructive, tragic life called Who Is Harry Nilsson? Even though Nilsson is most famous for this song, it actually isn't one of his originals. The vocal is so perfect though that he really just owns it. Do you ever watch documentaries? What are some of your favorites?

Photo Friday: William Eggleston

I've spent the last few days waffling over who to do for my first-ever Photo Friday. I wanted to do someone just a little under-the-radar just to be unexpected, but my soft spot for Eggleston got in the way.

William Eggleston's work pretty much single-handedly legitimized color photography as a valid art medium. Okay, legendary curator John Szarkowski helped, but Eggleston took the photos.

Born in Memphis in 1939, Eggleston took up photography as a hobby in the late 1950s. In the years that followed, he began experimenting with color photography. His real artistic breakthrough was his discovery of the dye-transfer process in 1972, which allowed him to create prints with hyperreal vibrancy and saturation. I don't mean to say that he invented it; he just discovered the capacity it held for his work.




I've always thought this photo by Juergen Teller from the Marc Jacobs Daisy campaign was a pretty blatant rip off of the photo above.



I love Eggleston for a few reasons. One is the immediacy of his work. The vibrant colors, shallow depth of field, and perfectly crisp focus isolate the subject in such a way that you see it not as an image on a page or a wall but as something physically before you. I also love the banal subjects he chooses. You could call it a postmodern statement, but I take it more as a reminder of how striking our everyday world really is.







Eggleston also has a place in my heart for his involvement with one of my all-time favorite bands, Big Star, who also hailed from Memphis. Eggleston did a lot of shooting in Memphis in the early 1970s, and the late Alex Chilton (Big Star's frontman) dated Eggleston's second cousin, Lesa. Big Star used Eggleston's famous "Red Ceiling" on the cover of their second album, Radio City.





Lesa, a beautiful young woman who had just graduated from high school, inspired many of the songs on Big Star's tragic nervous breakdown of a third album, Third / Sister Lovers. (So titled because another member of Big Star was dating Lesa's sister.)


The girl in red is Lesa. You can read more about this stunning photograph here and the Big Star implosion saga as it pertains to Lesa and Eggleston here. (These are really interesting reads, I highly recommend them!)


I think this is also Lesa.

Eggleston is still alive and working. In 2005, he was the subject of a documentary called William Eggleston in the Real World.

And, on another note, if you enjoy this blog, I would love for you to follow me on Google Friend Connect (link to the right) or via Bloglovin'! Let me know, and I'll be sure to follow you back.



All of these photos are copyright the Eggleston Trust. I pulled them from the following websites:
http://www.egglestontrust.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/11/07/arts/1107-EGGL_index.html

http://thelarkeyexperiments.com/2009/12/22/advice-from-william-eggleston/

http://www.ntimm.ca/_/category/music/

you couldn't lose me if you tried

jeans: Levi's, gift from my mom -- tank: Target, stolen from my mom <3 -- jacket: vintage, $17 -- hat: gift from Alex -- scarf: thrifted, $1 -- shoes: MIA via Nordstrom Rack, $40

I spent a long time today figuring how to look cool and casual with some semblance of fall colors. It's been unseasonably warm here. Works for me, I guess, but I just want to wear my cozy clothes already!


Living on the edge.

The pictures are from before, but I finally got my hair cut today, thank goodness! My usual stylist was booked solid so I just went to a random salon... The lady did an OK job, but I should just wait next time. Oh well! Hair grows, and mine grows really fast.

I'm done with class for the week, which is a bit of a relief. Still have to write a paper for next Thursday and a research proposal/response paper thing for tomorrow though. That's what weekends are for?

I've been feeling progressively sicker all day. No fever, but I've got the sore throat, fatigue, and exhaustion part. I also lost my wallet. Goooo me.

Time for a cozy night with 30 Rock on Netflix, I guess!

Oh, by the way, I've been using song lyrics as my post titles for about a month now. I've decided to note what song it is to share my musical taste a bit!

Today's title comes from "Saltwater" by Beach House, one of my favorite bands.

And, don't forget--tomorrow is the first-ever Photo Friday!

she's flying so freely in the sky

This is my favorite dress. Possibly of all-time, ever, certainly of my life thus far.


dress: vintage, $18 -- shoes: vintage, $14
Thanks to Jin for taking this photo! Cracking up inspired by "Come on, Sophi, show some emotion!" 

I call it "my Grace Slick dress" because it seems like something she would have worn back in 1967.

The Incomparable Grace Slick. Image from this article.

The first time I tried on the dress, I thought it was wonderful, but I was looking for a summer dress. It was too polyester, too tight, too long-sleeved. And it was floor-length. I passed it up, only to wake up the next morning just knowing I needed it.

At the time, however, I couldn't drive (being 15), so I had to wait a couple weeks to get back to the vintage store where I found it. When I got there, it was gone. I scoured the store (probably about 1500 square feet) in search of the dress. No luck.

Some months later, I was flipping through a rack of dresses when BAM! there it was. The Grace Slick Dress! I made it mine, took it home, cut off the bottom 12 inches, and hemmed it the same night.

I just feel like this dress is me in garment form, so it feels really feels like an extension of myself when I put it on. It just makes me happy. I also almost always wear it unaccessorized. It doesn't need anything but a great pair of boots and, when it's colder, a cozy cardigan. I'd normally wear my brown cowboy boots, but they're in desperate need of a resoling at the moment, so I opted for these taupe slouchy ones. Not as good, but it works. Nice and simple.

all those things you're supposed to do

 
dress: thrift, altered by me, $3 -- blazer: thrift, $5 -- shoes: BC footwear via Nordstrom Rack, $40

Today, I had that "oh my god, what am I going to do with the rest of my life?!" moment. You'd think that it would have happened before--I'm probably the most long-term-minded person you'll ever meet, but I guess I've always thought it'd come to me in time. Well, more accurately, I tend to believe that I'll do with the rest of my life whatever it is that I find most compelling at that particular moment. When my passion for English class was at its zenith, I just knew I was going to become an English professor. I'd sit around in class daydreaming lesson plans. When I spent all my leisure time baking, cooking, and attending to household tasks, I was pretty sure that just being a homemaker would make me pretty darn happy.

Since I've gotten to college, though, that whole let-yourself-explore mentality has helped me shed some of my need for a grand objective. But come on, really, what do I actually want to do? I'm an Studio Art/American Studies double major who works in the photo lab and teaches sex ed. Until this morning, I've maintained the stance that I don't want to go to grad school except to get an MFA. The reading and writing load really gets to me sometimes. But I'm just not sure that I want to pursue a career in art. I want a career that allows creativity, but I can't envision myself making my living with art. I love teaching, sure, but I'm not sure that I want to be a photography teacher. That sounds good, but so does teaching sexual health. So does working at Planned Parenthood. So does being an editor (proofreading is a hobby of mine). So does managing a photo lab. You get the idea.

So I was sitting in my lecture today, noticing that my American History professor was especially on-it this morning. She's one of a handful of professors I've come to admire and sort of idolize in my time in college thus far. All of them are female, under 45, incredibly eloquent, experts in their fields, and fantastic lecturers. And they're all beautiful and stylish, too! (Not that aesthetic considerations make anyone more or less qualified, of course.) Basking in the academic brilliance, it hit me: I could do this.

I love teaching. I love thinking. As much as I might complain about writing papers, I do enjoy creating them. I'll spend a week with the prompt floating around in my consciousness, toying with possible topics and bouncing ideas off of each other. I love words. I love the ability words give us to share our ideas and explain our experiences. I love how language facilitates knowledge and understanding. I love how language tames and gives order. Language even informs my art, as my video art teacher pointed out--my work is almost always verbally and linguistically informed.

So what do I want to do? I have too many ideas and not enough conclusions. I guess the good news is that I don't have to make that decision for a while.  I also don't think that what I decide I want to do upon graduating at age 21 is hard-and-fast. I'm open to changing my mind.  Even so, I'm terrified of existing without some vague trajectory. Being so open to different careers is probably an asset in today's job market, but I've totally bought into that pesky cultural obsession with having Dreams. I suppose I could just aim to finish undergrad, but that isn't good enough anymore. Hmm...

try falling and laughing

First of all, thank you so much for all of the comments! I really, really appreciate it. Seriously! It means the world to me :)


dress: thrift, $6 -- shoes: Seychelles via thrift, $11 -- flannel: thrift, $2 -- tights: Payless Shoe Source, $3 -- belt: thrift, $1 -- earrings: Urban Outfitters, present from Daisy!

Well, last week's lack of inspiration may have been just the thing to make me shake things up a bit. I definitely wear some unique clothing--American Apparel Disco Pants to class, funky vintage dresses to the mall, etc.--but I tend to style it in pretty straightforward ways. Crazy pants? Understated, classic top and simple shoes. Dress? Cute accessories that coordinate without being matchy-matchy. Today, I wanted to wear relatively normal clothes in an unusual way.

I bought this dress at Goodwill with two of my best friends last winter. I tried it on as a whim, and they both told me I had to buy it. It's funny--I don't really see what's so special about this dress myself, but every time I wear it, I get heaps of compliments. One of my most popular early looks featured this dress. In spite of my initial apprehension, the more I wear it, the more I love it. It's a lot of fun to have a swishy lace skirt to twirl in! I usually style it with boots and a jacket, so I thought I'd do something completely different today. I'm quite happy with how it turned out!




You'd never guess, but four-inch cone-shaped heels are a REALLY bad idea in a forest. I was falling over and sinking into the ground like crazy. I took about five photos like this where I'm cracking up as I try desperately not to fall on my face.

Picnik's "Sixties" filter is fun, no? A little much for everyday use, perhaps, but I like it!



I also have some exciting news for you! I'm going to start a new feature this week called Photo Friday! This feature will showcase a photographer whose work inspires me. As you may know, I'm a photographer myself, and I think this will be a great way for me to share some of my favorites with you while simultaneously forcing me to seek out awesome photos :D