I wear my Joy Division clothing quite often.  I have been sporting them at most of the concerts where the band is an artist from the 80’s, so I’m not surprised when people compliment me or ask where I bought what I’m wearing.  In the last two or three years, there has been a marked increase in compliments outside of a musical venue such as a concert or record store.  Whether it be at a restaurant or retail clothing store, my shirts have drawn some attention.

In my most recent quest to add more vintage rock t-shirts to my collection, I searched on eBay for bands like Roxy Music, The Fixx and of course Joy Division.  I noticed that there has been an abundance of the shirts with the “Unknown Pleasures” album cover.  It became clear to me why the shirts were so popular.  Sellers were using photos of Kristen Stewart wearing said shirt (in addition to a “Love Will Tear Us Apart” one), with captions like, “As see on Bella”.  Although I am not a fan myself, I never want to begrudge anyone of their love for the Twilight movie saga.  I also think it’s awesome that Kristen Stewart has fanstastic taste in music (she also wears shirts of groups like Minor Threat and The Clash).  But it does make me wonder if others following in her fashionable footsteps truly understands the depth of the music behind the shirt, and what actually happened to Joy Division, their lead singer, and the band they eventually became.

Another search produced an even more interesting discovery, which really brought to light that not everyone knows or understands the history behind Joy Division.  Disney produced a shirt of their most famous mouse in the style of Peter Saville’s graphic called the ”Waves Mickey Mouse Tee”.  The description even read “Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey’s image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That’s appropriate given few stars have made  bigger waves than Mickey!”  In an online article on My Fox Philly (seen here), the shirt was removed from the Disney online store on January 25, 2012, possibly after the discovery of what happened to lead singer Ian Curtis (who committed suicide in May 1980, right before their first US tour) or that their song lyrics are far from anything that would be played at the “happiest place on earth” (When routine bites hard/and ambitions are low/when resentment rides high/but emotions won’t grow). 

Perhaps I’m a purist when it comes to how and why I wear vintage rock t-shirts or listen to the music that I do. Knowing that there are people out there who are wearing Joy Division shirts without understanding the history makes me want to sit them all down and beg them to listen to songs like ”Transmission”, “Atmosphere”, “Digital” or “Disorder”.  I would have them watch the Joy Division biopic ”Control” by Anton Corbjin, read the memoirs of Ian’s widow, Deborah Curtis, called ”Touching From a Distance”, or even just make them aware that Joy Division was the predecessor to the well-known group New Order, who are considered by many a musical icon of the 80′s and one of the forefathers of electronica (along with Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk).  But if Kristen Stewart drives a new and broader audience to discover the musical genius that was Ian Curtis and perhaps other music in this genre and time period, then maybe this resurgence of Joy Division’s popularity was not all for naught.

The most amazing homage to Joy Division I found was on The Illustrated Nail by Sophie Harris-Greensdale.  I definitely know where I’ll be making a stop to get a mani-pedi when I’m London this summer.

(Photos courtesy of Pop Sugar, My Fox Philly and The Illustrated Nail.  “These Days” is a song by Joy Division.)

I took advantage of the lack of foot traffic by my house to take these photos.  The light had this lovely golden hue that you just can’t recreate with photo enhancements or even a flash.  It made even my silver ring look golden.  I took my Matiko shoes for another stroll because they just deserve to be out and about whenever and wherever I can wear them.

Outfit – Zara sweater; H&M jeans; Rebecca Minkoff purse & wrap bracelet; Matiko shoes; Michael Kors watch; Dominique Cohen for Target necklace; Wendy Brandes ring; iSee glasses ℅ GlassesUSA

February 1 – Your view today

I started participating (a month late) in a photo meme called “Photo a Day Challenge” by Fat Mum Slim.  Most of these photos are from the early part of the February challenge, which I did on Instagram.  My favorite was from the February 2nd photo theme called “words”.  This is great meme and I can’t wait to see the different daily themes for the rest of the year.

February 2 – Words (borrowed from @idilvice)

February 3 – Hands

February 4 – A Stranger (does Garfield count as a “stranger”?)

I bought my first Dr. Martens in the early 90’s, when I had a decent paying job and I could afford a pair.  Although I wanted boots, I needed durable shoes for work.  I bought a pair similar to these 1461’s because I worked in construction management at the time, and just needed shoes that I could wear with khaki’s and shorts (our uniform in the field).

Now that I’m headed back to England this summer, I want a pair so badly from The British Boot Company in Camden Town.  I’ve been looking at the originals, but I love the twists on the classics, like the Triumph 1914 pair pictured above.  Although tempted, I vow not to buy a pair until I have the chance to get to the UK.  So in the meantime, I bought a pair by Nature Breeze that will satisfy the rugged look of Dr. Martens that I want (for less) until my travels this summer.  Have a great weekend!

As a part of the whole romantic theme surrounding Valentine’s Day, I attended a wedding this weekend, along with my sister and mom (our hubbies watched the kids).  The wedding was for my God sister, Tricia and her new husband Luis.  I only had my cell phone, so I didn’t get any pictures of the wedding itself or of the bride and groom.  With my limited flash capability, I just took quick shots of some the beautiful table settings and borrowed some pictures from my fantastically fashionable friend, Amy.  Love is definitely in the air this week!

Outfit – Cotton On sweater; Jason Wu for Target dress; Forever 21 purse; Gunmetal shoes

(Last two photos courtesy of Amy, isn’t she fabulous?)

With Valentine’s day arriving tomorrow, I was inspired by Rebecca Minkoff’s Cupid satchel (and my new Matiko shoes) to put together a little something for the occasion.  I found this great template on Polyvore called “You Are Love”, which I thought was perfect for a modern, yet romantic theme.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

You Are Love by sighgee featuring gold diamond rings

It’s been only chilly in the mornings here in San Diego, which means I have the chance to layer, even if it’s just a for part of the day.  Then I find that I need to peel layers off as the day gets later because the typical California weather returns.  I took my mom to a doctor’s appointment in the morning when I wore this outfit.  In addition to the sweater, I bundled up with a lovely wrap scarf.  Once we left the hospital and made it back to the car, I had to shed the sweater and wrap (I have a tank underneath).  I’ll have to say that this is one of my favorite sweaters.  I love the Fair Isle knit and slightly oversized fit.  And yes, those are leg warmers with my wedge boots!

Outfit – Vintage sweater from Jet Rag in LA (for $1!); American Rag denim leggings; Old Navy tank; Type Z wedge boots; Forever 21 leg warmers; Rebecca Minkoff purse; iSee glasses ℅ GlassesUSA; Wendy Brandes ring

My son has tons of toys everywhere at home (and more have been added since Christmas). It’s a combination of my niece’s hand-me-down toys and brand new ones that they share, or that are distinctly their own. But no matter how many cool toys my son and niece have all around them, I find that it’s their imagination that drives the heart of their play (cardboard boxes make the best planes, trains, cars or boats). Hope you had a great weekend!

I was in that mode again to hunt for that perfect shoe that would satisfy all of my cravings for something new and fresh for my wardrobe.  I’m falling in love with leopard again, and I found the shoe that literally made my heart skip a beat when I saw it.  It’s called Jovanna by Matiko, and I purchased them from a new favorite shoe shopping site called Ashbury Skies (recently launched in 2011, based out of San Francisco).  Immediately I fell for the all-over leopard print and wedged heel.  But what I truly love is that it is asymmetrical, giving it a little bit of edge.  Beware that this leopard will appear in quite a few outfit posts to come.  Have a great weekend!

(Post title is a quote from television series ”Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”)