Fashion. Music. Family. Life.
One of my favorite pairs of shoes at the moment are the “Lita” platforms by Jeffrey Campbell. After seeing a spring teaser email from Sole Struck (where I purchased my Litas), I decided to make my wish list of shoes that I would love to add to my wardrobe. The one in the middle is a pair called “San Diego”, isn’t that great?
Spring Shoe Fling by sighgee featuring platform shoes
Every now and again, Dominic likes to wear daddy’s Polo sunglasses. Deon doesn’t wear them anymore because they are damaged beyond repair, so Dominic sort of took them over. They’re quite big on him and fall off, but he doesn’t care because he loves them. When he puts them on, he yells “Cool glasses dude!” We finally decided to get him his very own pair from Old Navy that are just his size. He wore them everywhere that day, including all throughout lunch. My son is definitely ultra-cool.
Outfit: H&M striped shirt; Paul Frank for Target t-shirt; Old Navy jeans and sunglasses; One Star shoes; LIDS hat
A number of bloggers have reached out to me recently about how to deal with Tweets, emails, DMs etc… from people who seem to be only pushing their own blog. It got me thinking – for a new blogger the rules of engagement with others in the blogging world is uncharted territory. We learn a lot about how to do it from trial and error. – Katy of Modly Chic
I’m not a new blogger, but I definitely am a newbie to the fashion blogging world. So this week’s FBFF questions really made me think about what I do and why I’m doing it. Maybe it will prompt others out there to do the same blogger soul-searching.
Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure. What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot?
The first time I got a “guest spot”, I did it purely by accident. If I do a review or feature on a product, service, band, artwork or another blog, then I will email that person and let them know that I did a feature post. I do it just to let them know I enjoyed whatever service they provided. In turn, my blog post is shared with their company or friends and that gives my blog just a little more exposure. For example, I wrote a review regarding my experience at a night club after seeing Alan Wilder perform a show and sent it to the publicity department of the venue. This was just to let them know what a great time I had at their beautiful club and nothing else. The publicity person contacted me back to ask if it was ok to feature my post in their concert review section (see the post here).
Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’?
I don’t leave a comment with the intent of anyone following my own blog or to sprinkle my link around. I do it because I like the blog I’m reading and I am making a comment in support what that person said. I think if you comment with only the intent of getting your blog “out there”, then you will come across as if you are desperate to have people follow you.
We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work. How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?
I believe that I only sent any mass emails through Facebook when I was first getting my blog started so that my friends could see my new endeavor. I really believe that if you are genuine in your intentions, that will shine through in your correspondence. Check out my answer in the first question because I think that answers how I make my emails stand out.
In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line between seeking support and begging for exposure?
I think what Kristy (of Full Time Fabulous) did is a perfect example of how to gain support without begging for exposure. When she was in the final 10 for the Sunglass Hut blogger contest, I remember getting just 1 email from her through IFB, and that’s all I needed to get behind her so that I could show support. She did all the rallying through her blog, and I didn’t feel like she was begging.
What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that?
Not knowing when to quit. I was trying to get an album/CD review read by an artist’s publicity person so that it could be added to their official page somehow. I received a response back regarding my first email, and tried to keep corresponding with her to make sure she didn’t forget about me. After the 5th email, she finally said, “Do you know how many bloggers are requesting the same thing? I’ll get to you when I can…” That stopped me dead in my tracks. It was then that I realized I can request twice at the most, then just stop. If you don’t hear back, you don’t.
Fashion Beauty Friend Friday is a Google group for bloggers to converse on a given topic each week. Katy from ModlyChic sends the questions, bloggers post their responses and then add their post to the list of people sharing their thoughts on the subject matter. To get started, check out this great tutorial on Grit & Glamour here.
(Image: Be true to yourself by sighgee on Polyvore.com)
Any Second Now is participating in a Facebook event to continue to raise awareness for the fundraising project “For Japan With Love”. To participate, click on the following link and follow the instructions in this post. Spread the word and take part in this wonderful event!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=192951477408293
From the official “Unite To Help! For Japan With Love” Facebook page:
UtterlyEngaged.com and Ever-Ours.com launched a fundraising project called “For Japan With Love” to raise money and awareness for the disasters in Japan through Shelter Box. Shelter Box provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. You can read more about their fundraising project here – http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/
On March 30-31, we invite you to join us in — UNITE TO HELP! For Japan With Love — a facebook event, to help spread the word so that Japan can get all the help it needs.
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********* HERE’S WHAT YOU DO ON MARCH 30-31 **********
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1. On March 30 – 31, replace your Facebook profile picture with the UNITE TO HELP badge, just like the event “photo” on the top left or you can go here to download http://www.forjapanwithlove.com/unitetohelp.html.
Hesitant to replace your profile picture? Place a small badge over your profile picture instead. http://www.picbadges.com/forjapanwithlove-com/1446360/
2. Copy and paste to update your status to
“UNITE TO HELP For Japan With Love. Get involved and donatehttp://WWW.ForJapanWithLove.com/ ”
3. Share and invite your friends on Facebook and spread the word to donate. Every little bit helps!
First and foremost, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER RHOLNNA!
On Sunday, I took my sister to see OMD in concert as a birthday present. We went with my best friend Janice, then met up with a few other friends at the actual show. OMD is for my sister the way Depeche Mode is for me. I made a statement that we would not only see OMD in concert, but we would have to meet the band somehow because I had already met Alan Wilder. The last time I actually saw OMD in concert was with my sister back in the late 80’s. The next time I saw any advertisement of a show was in London in 2008, and my husband and I were not staying long enough to see the concert. When I saw the ad for OMD in San Diego on Facebook, I knew I was on a mission for my sister’s birthday.
I decided to wear my Joy Division shirt to the show because I know that OMD and Joy Division had toured together in the very early 80’s. In fact, the song “Statues” by OMD was written in part for Ian Curtis after his death. Later when we arrived for the show, I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised to see that I was not the only one wearing a Joy Division shirt (I saw 3 other people wearing them). I had also been stopped several times by people telling me how much they liked my shirt. To me, that signified that this crowd were truly OMD fans who understood and appreciated their history.
Outfits: Previously remixed – Joy Division t-shirt; Jeffrey Campbell shoes/Not worn yet – H&M blazer; Guess skinny jeans; Betsey Johnson cross-body bag
On Rholnna – Mossimo jacket; Oh La La tank; Paris Blues jeans; Wild Diva boots
On Janice – Soho t-shirt (souvenir from NYC from yours truly); NY & Co jeans; Cathy Jean boots; Harajuku purse
The evening actually began with dinner at the Sushi Deli in Downtown San Diego, which was walking distance from the concert venue. My sister and I had never been there before, but Janice had previously been to a different location. The food and drinks were great, and the bartenders were fun. It was nice to just sit and enjoy a good meal before going to a highly anticipated show. Once we arrived back to the venue, 4th & B, we had discovered that the line had wrapped around the building! We were glad to see that there was still interest in OMD, because it would mean a lively crowd.
The opening act was a local band called Inspired Flight. I really wanted to give this band a chance, as they did hail from San Diego. They really had an eclectic sound, going from danceable synth-pop to slower driving hip-hop. But the hot room and crowded floor made us all the more anxious for the main act to hit the stage.
Steve West, one of my favorite deejays from 91X (a local alternative radio station), came onstage to introduce the band and mentioned that this show had sold out. Once OMD arrived onstage, they did so with purpose: we were about to be fully entertained. They started off the night with “New Babies, New Toys” off of their new album called “History of Modern”. Although I’m not too familiar with the whole album yet, I recognized “History of Modern (Part 1)”, “If You Want To”, “New Holy Ground” and “Sister Marie Says”. The rest of the evening was a must see for any OMD fan, as they went far back into their early history with tracks from albums such as “Architecture & Morality”, “Junk Culture” and “The Pacific Age” all the way to “Sugar Tax”.
The highlights were songs I had been waiting a couple of decades to hear again live. Songs like “Tesla Girls”, “Locomotion”, “So in Love”, “(Forever) Live & Die” and “Enola Gay” made me jump up and sing every word. A surprise for me was “Talking Loud & Clear” as I had not seen this on set lists when scouring the forums for any and all information of what they might play. This post was coincidentally titled prior to knowing they would play the song in concert. My sister, already full of emotion, nearly cried when “Souvenir” and “Dreaming” were played.
One of the biggest hits played was “If You Leave” from the “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack, to which they prefaced by saying that this was a song highly criticized for being their “sell out” song. Despite this admission, they kept true to the long-time fans and played songs like “Messages”, “Joan of Arc” and another surprise which was “Radio Waves” from the album “Dazzle Ships”. They closed the show with their first single “Electricity”, which perfectly described Andy McCluskey’s dancing. He reminded the crowd that he is now past 50, so we would have to just accept his dancing, although it was humorously stated quite differently in concert. An obvious omission I noted was “Secret”, a big hit from the album “Crush”. I will have to investigate why this was not played among all of the excellent selections for the evening.
A treat for all of us was that we were able to meet Paul Humphreys and Andy after the concert, as they came outside and signed autographs and posed for pictures with around at least 30 die-hard fans. Luckily our car was parked directly outside the backstage doors, so we were able to see the crowd develop and stuck around just in case. Paul and Andy were gracious and funny. They wished my sister a happy birthday, and Andy gave me a big hug saying “Look at you in your Joy Division shirt!”
If you are at all an 80’s music fan, OMD is a must see in concert. They seemed genuinely surprised and happy at the reaction of the crowd, and their energy and interaction with each other made for an unforgettable night. Andy stated that they would return to San Diego, which would mean that we will definitely go back for another round of the electrically charged OMD.
(Photos and concert footage taken at 4th&B on 3.27.2011)
I bought the sweater for outfit 13 when I went to Rome 4 years ago. It’s one of my favorite sweaters. It was from a store called Motivi, which was conveniently right across the street from our hotel. I wish they had shops in the US because I would definitely shop there more.
Outfit: Previously remixed – Old Navy Jeans
Forever 21 printed sheer blouse; Motivi sweater (Rome); Aldo shoes
It started to get cold, so I wore a couple of jackets for the next 2 outfits. For outfit 14, I’m wearing my beautiful teal coat from Primark (first posted about here). I don’t own anything in this deep of a green except for this coat. I love everything about this coat from the sleeves, to the ruffles to the fact that I can tie it up into a bow in the front for a really girly look. For outfit 15, I wore a jacket I bought from Urban Outfitters. I love the collar and the bomber styling.
Outfit: Previously remixed – H&M Jeans
Miley Cyrus & Max Azria sheer blouse; Jessica Simpson suede boots; Atmosphere coat (London)
Outfit: Previously remixed – Depeche Mode vintage concert t-shirt; American Rag skinny cargos; Jeffrey Campbell shoes
Character Hero jacket
I have always had a love affair with all things British. When I was a teen in the 80’s, I wore “badges” not pins and spelled “colour” instead of “color” and said “Zed” not “Zee” when reciting the alphabet. Currently, I have read any and all Bridget Jones books and articles (yes, even the ones from The Telegraph) and adore the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” series. A few of my favorite online shops are Topshop, ASOS, Plumo and Caro London. I follow soccer (“football”, thank you), drink tea with cream and sugar, and enjoy a proper English breakfast when I get a chance to. I even subscribe to the British Delights website so that I can get tasty treats that are only available in the UK. My boss, who hails from England, has officially named me an honorary Brit.
Ever since I was in my teens, my dream trip was to go to London. I dreamed of where I would go and what I would see, knowing I would be enveloped in the sound of English accents everywhere I went. I had even planned to go to London with a classmate at the end of our senior year of high school. He went, but I couldn’t afford to go. I remember he told me about the record shops he went to and returned with loads of fantastic music, things I could only hope to own and now he did. Jealousy consumed me, and I vowed that someday I would get there.
As far as fulfilling those dreams of London travel, I’ve been over there twice now. When I got married, my husband promised me that we would go to London as part of our honeymoon trip. When we rode in the Chunnel from Paris to London, he just let me to sit with my iPod, taking in the moment while listening to everything from Depeche Mode to New Order, and finally putting on “London Calling” by The Clash as we pulled into the station. I recall the rush as the train stopped and the happy anxiousness as I heard the porter cussing under his breath in his British accent at the previous passengers on my approach to give my passport. I didn’t care, I was in London!
The first trip was a whirlwind of activity because we tried to fit so much into just 2 and a half days, including seeing “The Phantom of the Opera” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, my husband’s all time favorite movie and musical. Plus, the exchange rate was at its highest in years, so shopping was done within reason because we were basically paying double for everything. Even with the high exchange rate, I still made it a point to shop at Miss Selfridge and Topshop.
For our second trip, I was 5 months pregnant and we went to see the San Diego Chargers play the New Orleans Saints. We had more time in London, so we slowed the pace down and got the chance to walk up and down Oxford Circus. My shopping was only limited by my pregnancy, but that didn’t stop me from making a few purchases, including one of my favorite coats.
I think the adoration began with my love for the music coming out at the time in the 80’s and just developed from there. To me, there is just something so very rock-n-roll about the English and their style. It’s preppy and irreverent all at the same time. I remember when I bought my first spiked belt, which I still wear to this day along with a belt buckle of the Union Jack. I remember when a limited edition line from Miss Selfridge came to JC Penney. I wore the t-shirt with pride because I knew it was distinctly something British. When I got my first full-time job, I remember buying my first pair of Doc Martens and how excited I was because it made me feel a little punk.
I also adored the mod scene borne out of the late 50’s and early-to-mid 60’s. The clean lines of the color block shift dresses, swing coats, go-go boots and mini-skirts had a different vibe than they did in America. When I was 5, my favorite outfit was my white patent leather go-go boots and red furry coat with matching white-collar. I think even then, I had some sort of innate British love already brewing.
No matter what the reasons are (and there are many more), the love affair has never stopped. In fact, now that I’ve been there twice and have met Alan Wilder formerly of Depeche Mode and now of Recoil (see the post here), the desire to return grows each year. Since my husband is quite saturated with trips to London (he’s been one more additional time than I have), I will have to find other people to travel with. My mother-in-law even suggested getting a flat there since we all love travelling to Europe anyway. So friends and family, look out because I’ll be hitting you up to take a trip across the pond to one of my favorite places on earth!
Photos:
1. Tea and accessories from my desk at work
2. Union Jack belt buckle brought back from a friend’s trip to England before I was able to go
3. At a pub near Wembley stadium, photo taken during my honeymoon in 2007
4. Primark jacket I found online, but had to travel to London to get it (see original post here)
5. Shopping at Harrods, photo taken 2008
This weeks FBFF asks the deeper questions about feminism and fashion. How would you answer these questions?
Do you think there is an incompatibility between feminism and a love for fashion?
I don’t think so. I think there is an incompatibility in the idea of it, not in the actuality.
There is more to each of us than a love for fashion, how do you incorporate every aspect of yourself into your blog?
I just do it. I post pictures of the events that are happening in my life, which includes my family and friends. Although I have a love for fashion, it can’t be everything that I think about and I want my blog to show that I incorporate it into my everyday life. As a mother, wife and creative and intelligent individual, everything that touches my life touches my blog, which happens to include fashion.
With the fashion industry still being a male-dominated profession, how do you think it would differ if women played a larger role?
I currently work in an environment where women are in the more prominent positions, and I feel the decisions wouldn’t be made any differently had it been male dominated. I think the same would be for the fashion industry. If I as a consumer am making the ultimate decision to purchase, regardless of the gender who created them, how would that make a difference if women played a larger role? The choice is ultimately mine. I purchased Rodarte and Tucker clothing before realizing these were lines designed by women. But that doesn’t mean I won’t still buy clothing by Alexander McQueen or Zac Posen. One of my favorite designers is Alice Temperly, but because she has good designs, not because she is female. If the design is well-done, I feel it shouldn’t matter if a male or female designer creates it.
How is your self-image and the way you carry yourself (in)formed by your beliefs?
I think modesty does play some part in how I dress. There is a time and place for a certain way of dress. When going to church, I try to make my outfits slightly more dressy and I try not to expose too much skin. I avoid short skirts or tank tops. But when going to the beach or park, it’s appropriate to wear strapless tops or clothing that shows bare arms and legs. All these things that come to mind when I dress are a direct influence of my Catholic upbringing.
Do you think clothing/makeup/hair helps communicate the truth about yourself or are those things superfluous add-ons?
Very much so! How can it not? I was watching an episode of “What Not To Wear” where a new doctor refused to care about her clothing and appearance because she thought that it would detract from her ability to be taken seriously as an intelligent woman in her profession. Once Clinton Kelly and Stacy London showed her that she can feel good about herself without feeling guilty of being superficial because it’s “just clothing”, her whole demeanor changed and her ideas of fashion and beauty therefore changed. It’s not a crime to want to look and feel good about yourself. I think people can not only showcase their personalities through clothing and beauty, but it can also show creativity. People should let go of the notion that fashion is only for a certain set of people and embrace the fact that it can be fun and can make you feel worlds better.
Fashion Beauty Friend Friday is a Google group for bloggers to converse on a given topic each week. Katy from ModlyChic sends the questions, bloggers post their responses and then add their post to the list of people sharing their thoughts on the subject matter. To get started, check out this great tutorial on Grit & Glamour here.
(Image courtesy of Valentina Ramos, available at her Etsy shop here)
Sale alert! I just received an email from Tamara of High Gloss Fashion that they are having a 48 hour special: all of their sale items are just $15! The sale started today at 11:59pm CST and will end at 11:59pm CST on March 26. Click on the banner below to take advantage of cute sale items at a great price!
When I put my iPod in his pocket and headphones on his head, Dominic had no choice but to groove. As I was trying to capture everything on camera, I realized that there would be nothing still about his moves. The blurred lines just enhance the frenzy of movement that was my son and his dancing.
Outfit: Roots t-shirt; Circo striped long-sleeved shirt; Wrangler shorts; Old Navy shoes; LIDS hat