Friday Five: Love & Marriage

1. How many times have you been in love?Three & a half times till I got it right.

2. When is the appropriate time to first say that you are in low?
When you are. There's no point in holding back.

3. Do you think it is a good idea to live with a significant other before you are married?
Abso-fucking-lutely, to quote Mr. Big. I'm all about the test-drive.

4. How soon is too soon to move in together?
Never too soon. Just do it.

5. When do you think you will get married? OR Favorite Vegetable? :)
Done on 3/26/00. And potatoes. I reallyreallyreally love potatoes.

Questions culled from The Friday Five on LiveJournal.

What I'm wearing: Blue knit dress, Ruche.com | Black cardigan, Chadwicks | Black corset-style elastic belt, Torrid | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black flats, Aldo | Silver & purple crystal earrings, gift from Lisa | Silver book locket necklace, random accessory store

Friday Five: Workin' Girl

1. What job do you have and why do you like/hate it?
I'm a writer & editor for an ecommerce website. Since I started recently, I can't say too much about like/hate yet -- I like the job so far, good people, challenging tasks. I'm not thrilled that I can't work from home like I used to tho'.

2. What did you want to be when you "grew up" as a kid?
When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a stewardess for National Airlines. Not a "flight attendant," that didn't exist yet. And National was the only airline that flew direct from the SF Bay Area to Pensacola, Florida, where my grandparents lived. At some point I discovered you have to be a certain height to be a stewardess, which busted my dreams right there.

3. Is the job you have now, anything like what you imagined as a kid?
Considering the Web didn't exist when I was a kid, no. But when I was a teenager, I thought, hey, it might be cool to write for newspapers & magazines (bec. I knew I hated writing fiction), so this kinda comes close.

4. Do you have a 5 year career plan?
No. I have a points in the past, & they didn't pan out like I wanted. So I'm keeping my options open for now.

5. What's your dream job?
At this point in my life, I'm not sure what my "dream job" is, if it exists in reality, or if it's simply not having a job & being able to volunteer for things that matter to me without worrying about money at all. I'd love to study & research historical topics for a few months, then work with children's theater, then work at an animal shelter, then start all over again, all while writing & publishing quirky blogs. That'd be pretty dreamy.

Questions culled from The Friday Five on LiveJournal.

What I'm wearing: Blue knit dress, Ruche | Black camisole, Old Navy | Dark grey denim blazer with belled cuffs, Newport News | Black & white cat-print scarf, gift from my husband | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black buckled wedge shoes, Kohl's | Silver medallion earrings, random accessory store

Malice on Monday

I'm not big on logo clothing or wearing other people's faces on myself. But ... this scarf called to me when I was at DisneyLand a month ago. C'mon, Maleficent! The evil fairy of "Sleeping Beauty" fame -- she's awesome! She's totally goth! And the scarf's design is gorgeous. I had to have it.

Do you wear logos or characters ever? If so, which ones tempt you?

What I'm wearing:
Black knit top, NY & Company | Grey corduroy skirt, Newport News | Black leather belt, Express | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black pointy kitten-heel shoes, Aldo | Maleficent scarf, DisneyLand | Silver & purple earrings, gift from Lisa | Silver Celtic knotwork ring, gift from Lisa

 

Blue With Lace

Something about today's overcast skies called for lace. And the blue dress. Does the weather affect your moods & how you dress?

What I'm wearing today:
Black lace jacket, Macy's | Blue knit dress, Ruche.com | Black knit camisole, Old Navy | Black lace tights, Target | Black kitten-heel pumps, Aldo | Hematite beaded necklace, gift from a friend | Silver cameo earrings, vintage | Jet & gunmetal cocktail ring, random accessory store

Blue State

I live in California, one of the bluest of blue states when it comes to American presidential politics. I even live in that most liberal enclave of the San Francisco Bay Area (altho' Silicon Valley can be more conservative & libertarian than San Fran or my college alum Berkeley). So on this Election Day, I wore my blue dress. And of course, I voted right after work. Before that, I flashed a "V" for "victory" or at least a peace sign, because we can all use that.

What I'm wearing:
Blue knit dress, Ruche.com | Black camisole, Old Navy | Black & white floral sweater, White House Black Market | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black patent square-toed pumps, unknown brand
Silver filigree necklace, vintage | Gunmetal hoop earrings, random accessory store

I see a ship in the harbor

Yeah, "Blue Tuesday" doesn't quite work, does it? Well I had yet another migraine yesterday thus didn't go into the office (luckily I'd queued up the Prof's homework post!). But I'm getting good mileage out of this blue dress, despite having misgivings about it upon first purchasing it. The knit & style is incredibly comfortable & versatile, & blue works wonderfully against black. There won't be many (or probably any) blue additions to my wardrobe, but this one is a winner. Tell me now how does it feel?

What I'm wearing:
Blue knit dress, Ruche | Black knit camisole, Old Navy | Black & white floral print cardigan, Black House White Market | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Purple cross-strap pumps, Aldo | Silver bead choker, Target | Silver medallion earrings, random accessory store

Blue Skies

One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite song is "Because I've seen, whoa, blue skies through the tears in my eyes" (bonus point to whoever guesses the song first ;-). Not that I'm crying today, but this blue dress reminds me of the song. I don't wear blue very often. This dress is really growing on my tho', & I always get compliments when I wear it. Plus, it's super comfy!

What I'm wearing:
Blue knit dress, Ruche | Black T-shirt, Old Navy | Black tights, Calvin Klein | Black wedge mary-janes, Kenneth Cole Reaction (thrifted) | Black & white skull-print scarf, gift from my husband | Black shell dangly earrings, random accessory store | Revlon "Raisin Rage" lipstick

Are there certain colors you don't wear or very rarely wear, even tho' they look good on you?

Summer Dress Goes Fall

I've done this before -- wearing a summer dress on a cool day. It's clearly not rocket science. But I so love the effect, and I was just *waiting* for autumn crispness to be able to do it with this particular dress. It has a very deep neckline that demands wearing with some kind of top underneath, so the dress is as perfect for layering over a long-sleeve T as it is a cami. Of course, when the temperature drops even more, I could add a sweater or jacket on top.

What I'm wearing:
Blue knit dress, Ruche.com | Black long-sleeve T-shirt, Old Navy | Black tights, unknown brand | Black spool-heel boots, Target | Black linen scarf printed with skulls, gift from my husband | Dangly purple earrings painted with bats, made by a local artist | Purple flower pin in my hair, random accessory store

So, do you get multi-seasonal use out of summer clothes? Or do you just pack them away during the cold months?

 

(Note: I actually wore this yesterday and am a day behind on blogging. Today's outfit worn while presenting to journalism students will get blogged tomorrow, even tho' I'm working from home as per Friday usual ;-) 

Blue Casual

After waffling so much on whether this dress was really "me," I sure have been wearing it a lot, at least for weekend wear. It's just so darn comfy,  & the cut is incredibly flattering. So what if the color isn't automatically my usual thing? I do get plenty of compliments on it. A salesclerk at the mall said the color was very striking contrasted against my black hair. I'll go with that.

What I'm wearing:
Blue knit dress, Ruche.com | Black camisole, Old Navy | Black gladiator sandals, Aldo | Black & skull bead necklace, DisneyLand | Big silver hoop earrings, random accessory store | Black lace headband, random accessory store

Just a nice day off, running errands & such. I'm enjoying the start of my brief vacation!

CorpGoth Cross-Dresses in the 18th Century

Leonard, a photo by TrystBat on Flickr.

As I mentioned a while back, I've been designing & sewing a new costume to portray Leonard Autie, the hairdresser to Marie Antoinette. This was for an event by the Greater Bay Area Costumer's Guild called "An Evening at the Petit Trianon."

Well, the event was last night, & here's a picture of me in 18th-century drag! I made everything I'm wearing except the shirt & the stock (which is a white pleated band around the neck). Well, and the shoes & stockings, cane, & jewelry -- didn't make those.

But I did style the wig, make the tiny tricorn, sewed the suit, covered all 40+ buttons, and sewed & machine-embroidered the silk waistcoat. Took about two months.

The outfit was great fun to wear, & event was a really good time too. I'll be wearing this costume again at the gala ball at Costume College, an annual conference I attend & teach at in Los Angeles, later this month.

More of my photos from last night are on Flickr, plus here's a fun video another attendee took of us dancing to "I Want Candy," where you can see me in the foreground. And if you're curious, my dress diary of this costume tells all kinds of detail about how I made it, including historical research.

Am I Blue?

Not depressed, tho' my carpool woes continue, & I really have no idea how I'm getting to work from now on. Also, it's raining here in Silicon Valley -- I dodged sprinkles while taking these photos. But really, this is about the color blue. It's one of those colors (blue, also green) that I don't wear much. I don't have anything against it. Blue isn't like yellow, which looks weird against my already-yellowy part-Asian skin, or orange, which is just too clown-crazy for my taste. Blue is a nice, calm, respectable color.

But every time I buy a piece of blue clothing (with the exception of blue jeans, because I do rather like those), I end up not wearing it very often, & the blue garment is eventually sent off to be traded or thrifted.

Is this because my mother dressed me in more blues & greens as a child, in a 1970s attempt to be gender neutral, when I desperately wanted to be a pink-ruffles-&-frills girly-girl? She even painted my childhood bedroom a deep, nightsky blue, telling me that glow-in-the-dark stars would show up better on it. As a teenager, in the next house, I painted my room lavender purple, much more feminine, & demanded floral-print Victoran-esque bedding.

What I'm wearing today:
Blue knit dress, Ruche.com
Black knit camisole, NY & Co.
Grey cardigan with sparkles, ModCloth.com
Purple floral scarf, Old Navy
Black tights, Calvin Klein
Black boots, Clarks
Gunmetal & rhinestone hoop earrings, NY & Co.

I thought this dress was more purple when I ordered it online, despite the description saying "blue." This is the second wearing, & other people like it on me. It's comfortable & flattering in the fabric & cut. We shall see if it survives the fate of other blue garments.

Are there certain colors you don't wear, even if they might look good on you?