Wig Wag Thank You Ma'am

With all of Jennine's talk of wigs, and being in the market to buy, I can't help but share some wig-spiration from my own wardrobe (grand totals: 4 wigs, 4 sets of hair pieces/falls/extensions, only one looking natural).

Wigs are a great way to bring some vibrancy and creativity to your outfits, whether they are natural looking or not. (Perhaps one thing that would have made the Met's Superhero themed gala more interesting would have been a few in-character wigs!)





Really, it's not just me who has this obsession with wigs. You're likely to find several in the closets of most of my friends.

wait... Oh, where do we wear them? To the bar, the club, during the entire weeks of Halloween and Mardis Gras, to clean in, to Rocky Horror, around our homes, etc.

Great, beautiful, top-of-the-line (or over-the-top) wigs aren't cheap. If you're good with a teasing comb and rather crafty, I imagine you can make some beautiful ones yourself.

If less craft-inclined, here are two resources I recommend:
Fifi Mahoney based in New Orleans. Always worth a trip if you're visiting!

Peacock Blue Design Studio. Makers of so very, very much more. Milliner-costumer all around beautiful goodies.

Lot of Link Love: Friday the 7th

- Aesthetics in your organizing? Hipster Book Club seems conflicted and many just say "no."
The strong aversion of the members to organizing books by color strikes me as peculiar, and I can't help but wonder what the deeper reasoning behind it is. Are we too conditioned to accept organizing, especially of books, as one thing (genre, author, size)? Or are books viewed as the antithesis of vanity, and making them such is demeaning to their supposed value?

Some of these comments I found particularly intriguing:

"This might be ok for books that exist only as "accessories" but if you love your books, well, I can't imagine any other way but alphabetical by author, with maybe side groups by genre and then alphabetical by author."

"I think these pictures are appealing, because books are nice and pretty colors are nice, so therefore the combination of the two results in a very, "oooh, shiiiiney!" response. But this isn't terribly practical, and it feels a little demeaning to the books themselves."

"Well, that's the thing - it's practical if you think in terms of color, shape, spatiality - that sort of thing. Give me a book, I can tell you what color it is and then, where it is on the shelf. I can probably sketch the book cover before I could find it alphabetically - and that's exactly what's I'm doing in my mind. Saves me time. Would it work for a city Public Library? Probably not, but then again, it is fun to see which books end up near each other (and then again I don't run a city public library)."

Inspired by the Color + Design Blog

- I'm totally loving The Pin-Up Shop Blog! A modern woman's take on pin-up art. The blog combines the cheesecake and glamour of traditional pin-up imagery, while also discussing modern topics, conflicts, and patterns in pin-up art. Check out pin-ups & Diversity and The Veil Fetish Pin-up, along with The Bare Facts about Pin-Ups.

- This braid twist posted by (Into) the Fray looks amazing & easy. Perfect since I haven't figured out how to french braid around my head yet.

- Itty Bitty Kitty Committee! If you're not subscribing to this blog, you're missing out on some of the sweetest, most charming kitten faces in the world.

- We Love Hijab is an Islamic fashion blog. It's amazing to see the fashion & style opportunities that Muslim women make for themselves, and how unified they can be with American style. Check out these amazing gloves and Project Hijab: Project Runway made for the Islamic lady.

Persepolis

This year must be the year of films, literature, and their adaptations. It seems that most of the films I want to see have been adapted, and consequently I want to read their literary counterpart.

After seeing the trailer for Persepolis, I found myself desperately wanting to read The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis is a autobiographic graphic novel following the life of Marjane, a young girl struggling to come to terms with changes in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. This series beautifully tells of the struggles with growing up a girl, more difficult than ever with the radical changes brought about by the revolution.

This collection completely engrossed me. Each panel I found myself trying to absorb every detail in the pictures, the contradictions between the talk bubbles and the actions, and the overall understanding one gains from reading this memoir.

While there is no way I could understand the struggles that a young Iranian woman goes through during this time period, Satrapi's piece does an eloquent job of giving the reader a great perspective. From Iran to Europe, and back and forth many more times, the transition between cultures, to the desperation in trying to connect with people no matter where you are, followed by the rebellion against your parents, culture, and society, Satrapi plays with feelings that are universally understood. Beyond that, she opens our eyes to a culture that is very different from Western culture but often struggles with the same issues.



I can't wait for the film to be released in the Mid-West or at least on DVD.

The Pricing Conundrum: A Balancing Act

As an individual, as an artist/designer/craftster, and as an independent businessman or woman, how do you determine a fair pricing system? Both to yourself and to your potential buyers? Does an aesthetic of under- and overpricing create a successful brand & image, or are there sellers who just simply overpricing and underpricing their products?

As a buyer and hopeful seller, it is amazing to see the marketplace that has developed for independent & small businesses. With the launch of sites like Etsy, artists are no longer confined to selling to locals, but they can reach a global audience.

While I love that I can order a custom made bag from France (and still affordably, despite the exchange rate!), lately I have found myself questioning the cost of products from independent makers, especially given the context of how much work, intent, skill, and cost went in to making the final product.

Being active in the corsetry communities and having a bff/sister who designs & sells her own clothing line, I'm well aware of the standard pay-per-hour of many designers. I'm knowledgeable of the costs per production and bear in mind a considerable (or reasonable?) amount for mark-up. But what do you say, what do you do, as a buyer, or seller, to see someone under-cutting or over-pricing the process?


Which of these items do you think is the better bargain?

As a buyer, I tend not to complain as much if someone is underpricing their merchandise; in fact, there's good money to bet in saying that most of us probably don't. But what do you think or say when you see someone overpricing their merchandise-- particularly over someone with far greater skill, style, and abilities?

Am I wrong, as a shopper, lover of fashion, to be offended to see a seller misrepresenting their items? To sell an article of clothing as a "corset" when it is clearly a corseted style top; does it add more insult to injury to see that "corset" marked at $275, which is more than some esteemed corsetieres charge for their work? Or how about the cocktail hat trend-- there are many milliner's who create gorgeous pieces of head art and price those in the $100-150 range; is it an insult to their finely honed craft so see another designer buy hat bases, cover them in fabrics & ribbons, and charge $200+ for them?

Are we simply fools for the marketplace, willing to pay an exorbitant price for a good because the price tag suggests luxury over skill and craft? Is there a happy medium for independent designers, or should we create a marketplace cost and adhere to it?

I'm not sure that I have my own definitive answer. However, in the meantime, I'll continue to support the artists who recognize a realistic and sustainable cost & earnings system that is based on skill, material costs, affordable living, and most importantly, buyer accessibility.

Sleeve Meet Face

Sleeveface is my newest favorite Flickr group-- and why shouldn't it be? It combines two of my favorite things, vinyl and innovation.

Sleeveface defines itself as "one or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeves causing an illusion." This definition is provided by DJ Carl Morris, who began the fad when he placed an old album sleeve of McCartney while DJing. The crowd went wild, and DJs have been emulating the presentation ever since.

Sleeveface also has a blog where the continue to post great images.

Steampunk: Part 2 [The Fashion]

Fashion, is undoubtedly, one of my favorite aspects of subcultures. And why shouldn't it be? Through fashion, you can more dominantly express your ideas, personality, beliefs, and vision of the world. Because of the emphasis on Victorianism, similar trends are being seen on the Fall/Winter runways and on the Steampunkers. This is one of the beautiful thing about subcultures, how fashion can transcend money or social status to thread together individuals who may not have anything in common.

One of the better resources of information and inspiration is in Libby Bulloff's article, "Steam Gear: A Fashionable Approach to the Lifestyle" [available for download in Issue 2 of Steampunk Magazine]. One of Bulloff's profound and actualizing comments about steampunk fashion is, "Steampunk is not a commodity as far as I am concerned-- it cannot be outright purchased at the local mall (yet, ahem)." Because of the do-it-yourself mentality I've seen in Steampunk culture, mass consumption and consumerism do not necessarily fit in to the Steampunk ideal.


I find there is an interesting aesthetic between the fluidity and flexibility in Steampunk fashion as compared to the other Neo-Victorian fashion and subcultural movements, like Lolita Fashion and Victorian Goths. Lolita tends to have a more rigid interpretation of dress and appearance, perhaps coinciding with the rigid and formal attitudes of Victorian culture; it strives to create a standardized and uniform look though, which is a striking contrast to the anarchistic attitude in Steampunk.

For those of you who may not want to commit to a culture, but want to bring a bit of it in to your personal style, here are some of my favorite fashions that are Neo-Victorian and Steampunk related. Admittedly, I think I have a tendency towards the Dandy Aesthetic, myself, so this is in no way inclusive, and merely things I would personally include to create a bit of the aesthetic:

vintage(-inspired) top hats and cocktail hats

deconstructed and reconstructed jewelry

Victorian boots

Spectator shoes

Princess sleeves

Brocades and textured heavy fabrics

A Couple of Resources:
Versace For Steampunks
SteamFashion at Livejournal


Photography Credits: the Lovely Libby Bulloff; images of Magdalene Veen and Nathaniel Johnstone of Abney Park

Steampunk: Part 1 [History and Manifesto]

While I would never classify myself in to one (and others are sure to disagree with that), I've always found myself intrigued by cultures and particularly subcultural movements. There is something intrinsically fascinating by the way in which fashion and ideologies conflict with a mainstream ideal, and how this community develops from it. Currently, I've been enjoying watching a new subcultural movement developing before my very eyes this past year-- Steampunk. While its literary roots are not new (they date back to the 80s and 90s), there is a development of a personal aesthetic and ideology stemming from the literary form.

In it's early literary form, we tend to see a scientific romance, where steam-powered technologies reign and science fiction rules. There is a technological fusion of the early 20th century with modern day inventions, creating a fantastical world that often has no relationship to historical accuracy. Steampunk is extending beyond the pages of paper to create a living, breathing lifestyle. Wikipedia describes the Steampunk aesthetic and lifestyle as "This movement [that] may also be (more accurately) described as "Neo-Victorianism", which is the amalgamation of Victorian aesthetic principles with modern sensibilities and technologies."

Steampunk Magazine, a fine and interesting publication has a different definition of steampunk to give (in issue 1, "What then, is Steampunk?"):

"Steampunk is a re-envisioning of the past with the hypertechnological perceptions of the present....steampunk is a non-luddite critique of technology.... It revels in the concrete reality of technology instead of the overanalytical abstractions of cybernetics.... Authentic steampunk seeks to take the levers of technology from those technocrats who drain it of both its artistic and real qualities, who turn the living monsters of technology into the simpering servants of meaningless commodity..... Ours is not the culture of Neo-Victorianism and stupefying etiquette, not remotely an escape to gentleman's clubs and classist rhetoric. It is the green fairy of delusion and passion unleashed from her bottle, stretched across the glimmering gears of rage."

In another more personal description of the movement, it is more beautifully and eloquently described by my friend Willow (who does not identify herself as someone who is steampunk). She says,

"To me, this manifesto was about not boxing yourself in, not saying what Steampunk is or isn't. It's about letting the culture evolve how it will, based on the ideals that it believes in. And that brings me joy. I see our (dare I say) generation as being at a point of major change (just as much as any other was, I'll admit). Every crossroad determines future paths, and one of the reasons I'm so into Transhumanism is trying to guide those decisions towards the nurturing instead of the destructive. Right now I see Steampunk on the brink of going down the path that so many other subcultures have gone down - being co-opted, capitalized, routinized. But the difference is because of the people involved being self-aware, giving a shit, and being willing to fucking stand up, Steampunk doesn't have to go down that path. Instead it can form a new sort of system of belonging. A system that can set an example for other emerging subcultures online and IRL.

Can you imagine it? Being accepted in a subculture because of what you've contributed instead of what you claim to be interested in, who you know, what clever words you can say, what clothing you can afford? I can. And I believe in it."

Sources: Steampunk modified computer by Steampunk Workshop; Girl drawing from Syber Punk; Steampunk Magazine; Willow Bloo; and Wikipedia.