Wardrobe

Pendant




I made this pendant. Do you like it? It's pitch black.


The yarn I used is a dark, dark black, so I had to overexpose my camera a little in order to show the stitches. 


Cuffs make things better. They add intrigue.


I need a lot more tapered, high-water pants. I would exclusively wear them if I had enough...but what is enough?


- Coat: vintage from Atlantis Attic
- Shirt: a thermal from a random discount store in Washington DC, I think.
- Necklaces: the gold one is from BlackStar, the green one is from a store in U Street, Washington DC but I forgot the name and the black one is hand-crocheted by me (the chain came from a necklace I already had).
- Belt: thrifted
- Pants: thrifted
- Socks: Uniqlo
- Shoes: vintage from Vice Versa



(Very) Simply Wrapped Pt. 1

I'm growing my hair out. I want dreadlocks.


Until my hair grows, I plan on wearing a bunch of head scarves. I bought two on Etsy (this one and this one), and I also bought a few from Rags A Go Go in Manhattan.

Using a rectangular scarf ( about 63 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches), here's how I make a very, very, very simple head wrap. This works nice with flow-y, silky scarves, which are not too long. 


Hold the ends tight in front of you.


Criss-cross.


Pull the ends back, behind you.


Make a comfortable knot.


Make another knot, then grab the right end and tuck it in the right side. Smooth it out.



Grab the left end, and tuck it in the left side. Smooth it out, too.



Adjust how it lays in your forehead, if necessary. Move it up, move it down or a combination of both. 


Just like that. Simple, right?

Sweatsuit

I bought this outfit, besides the socks, at Urban Jungle and the accompanying thrift store behind it this weekend in Brooklyn. I haven't worn sweats in a long time. They're so comfortable. 

Pepsi or Coke? I have no clue. Honestly, they both taste the same to me. I like this logo, though. It's like 1980s, Michael Jackson-era Pepsi. 



When I find a pair of shoes that fit and that I like, it's like I've struck gold. These are vintage Pierre Cardin's, and they fit so well. This was a magical find, especially considering that my right foot is about 1/4 of an inch longer than my left, or that scoliosis (which I have) causes my torso to push my right foot forward further than my left, giving me the appearance that it's longer. I don't know which one is true, and this is probably too much unimportant information for you, anyway.




I'm currently reading "Tar Baby" by Toni Morrison. This book is beautifully and powerfully written. It's immersive, with perfect transitions into small story lines that make up the larger one, like a river with streams or a tree with branches. Toni has such a poetic way of writing. This book feels experimental in its approach. It's not rigid. There are tangents and asides, but it all makes sense. It all fits. It's deep, too. The subject matters are complex, and it definitely gets you thinking.

I could go on and on...


I washed this outfit by hand, in a bucket in my tub. There was something so wonderful about this process. I need to do more hand-washing, and I need to wash with vinegar and castille soap more often. Vinegar is a great cleaning agent, and castille soap is just great, especially Dr. Bronner's.


I feel genuine. I am genuine, but I feel it now, too. I feel it's importance. It's like my soul is insisting that I be true to myself at all times. "All" is an overwhelming concept, and I don't know what it really means yet. I mean, I can't grasp it. Extremes like "all," "everything" and "nothing" elude me. 

I feel mentally distant, too, like I'm in a foggy field. I feel internal. To be honest, that's my comfort zone. 

I also feel vulnerable, but am happy with the idea that if I can resonate with someone/anyone, if I can echo their thoughts and if they can somehow connect with me, then being vulnerable is worth it.





Present Rhythm

These are the things that I'm currently thinking about, in no particular order:


- late-night phone conversations that fill me with hope; that are filled with hope
- uncorrupted dreams
- wild ambition, the kind that kingdoms are built on
- movies that linger ("The Iron Lady," "Paris is Burning," "The New World")


- supreme knowingness
- the frailty of humanity.
- destiny
- halal food is amazing, but (I think) my face is getting fat
- imperfections
- acceptance (?)


- "mistakes" that could be impossible to correct
- fear
- money, and my current apathy toward it
- the implications of indifference
- the fear of a theoretical edge
- the fear of falling, but the uncertainty of where or what I may fall to if I do fall
- vulnerability
- the true meaning of freedom (I don't have the answer to this)


- success, and the amount of work needed to attain it
- happiness versus discipline
- Michelle Obama
- genuine spirits
- politics
- vision


- strategies for winning
- methodical mindsets
- unwavering conviction
- a trust in one's spirit


- swing-dancing
- hamburgers and red wine
- a quest for good beer
- family and family responsibility
- singing and vocal chords.
- jealousy
- power, and an imaginary throne
- an obsessive search for validation (why?)






What I'm wearing:
  • Shirt - thrifted
  • Scarf - thrifted
  • Jeans - vintage, from Rags-A-Go-Go
  • Shoes - vintage, from Vice Versa
  • Bag - thrifted
That's it.


Tattered



I love clothes that are tattered, especially when they were not purposefully made that way. I got this cashmere sweater at a thrift store many years ago, and love it because in its previous life it was a feast for moths. Here are some of their bites:



I feel comfortable in its imperfections.



Other items I am wearing includes:

- A thrifted bag. 
- A green necklace purchased at a jewelry store in Washington, D.C. years ago ( I forgot the name).
- A green thermal from Uniqlo.
- Thrifted, brown overalls (seen here).
- Black socks from Uniqlo.
- Brown shoes from Trustfund21 (seen in my previous post).






Red Coat, Good Morning


I bought these shoes from Trustfund21 on Etsy. They're vintage and pretty. The socks came from Uniqlo, which has a large selection of colors to choose from. 



This coat came from Atlantis Attic, a good vintage shop in Brooklyn. The prices are reasonably affordable, and the selection to choose from is very well curated. The store is a part of an L Train vintage tour, which is a great shopping experience for anyone in New York City.


I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but my mother gave me a bunch of my father's sweaters that he didn't wear anymore. I love them all. I think my mother has really good, unique taste in clothes. She originally bought all of my father's sweaters from thrift stores, including this one.


I've been looking for jeans that sit at the waist (no low-rise, please), fit loose in the thigh and are narrow at the ankle. I can't seem to find them for a good price in regular stores, and even finding them at thrift stores is a challenge. These pair are pretty close to what I'm looking for, although I have an incredible urge to distress them a bit more. They've begun to tear a little bit at the knee (there was a rip already on one leg), though, so I may let nature take its course.


Lately and currently, the following thoughts are in my mind:
  • Seek to find. 
  • To get respect, you have to earn it. 
  • Time is money.
  • I have the power to choose how to live.
  • Brandy's Never Say Never is a musically innovative, incredibly well-produced album. I've been listening to it every day. "The Boy Is Mine" is a genius song with an absolutely stunning instrumental loop, and Brandy is one of the most creative singers I have ever heard.
  • I really, really love '90s R&B. Notable artists include Bell Biv DeVoe, D'Angelo, Sounds of Blackness (more gospel than R&B, but still...), Brandy (of course), Anita Baker and many more. 

Fresh

Nothing feels new, yet things feel fresh. Life feels fresh, but I wasn't reborn. I feel renewed.

I spent New Years Eve at home. I did laundry, watched a documentary, ordered Chinese food and crocheted. It was a good day.

 

I haven't worn this shawl in a while, but it is one of my favorites. It was handmade by a very nice lady who gave it to me as a Christmas present about two years ago. It was such an appropriate present for me. It is enveloping and fun, and deep red, too, which connects with me.  


I am making a new hat. I am excited about it. It is a nice shade of blue.


I love when I receive clothes as gifts, even if they are hand-me-downs. My brother gave me this coat I'm wearing. It is warm and wonderful.


Dream Catcher

Feathered

slices, tilted
barely there 

succulent drifts 

grasped 
in mid-air, 

eaten, swallowed,
gulped; 

a hunter
heart 

made the slices
whole,

each one,
a part.


 
  
I am wearing:
- a necklace by The PurpleShmurple Shoppe
- a leather wallet I made at New York Maker Faire
- a green shirt by Uniqlo, with another green shirt underneath by Diesel
- a thrifted cardigan
- thrifted pants
- long johns from a random discount store (I don't remember which one)
- socks from Uniqlo
- and shoes from Toms.

Purple.


- Purple is such an other-worldly color, especially when deep. It's so cosmic.

- I have been in a good creative space lately, and feel a sense of urgency in the air. It's electric and refreshing.

- I just finished reading Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. His letters are magical, overflowing with tenderness and care. They are a beautiful confirmation of my life.


In the photographs, I am wearing:
  •  A purple thrifted shirt. It looks granular, with vertical stripes of faded and deep purple. I love its visual texture.  
  • A handmade brooch, made of hemp twine.
  • Evergreen Tri-Blend Tank (I think) by American Apparel
  • Union Blue Drop Taper pants by Levi's
  • Evanston Kiltie Tassel Loafers by Bostonian