I love you madly, madly Madam librarian

In the last few months I have been freakishly lucky while shopping thrift stores.  Look at these:

While visiting my parents, one thing that frequently happens is that my stepmother and I go thrift/vintage shopping. (My stepmom is the only person I know who has a shopping stamina to match my own and she is really good at finding cheap, gently-used cashmere.  She's magical.)  While out, we saw these shoes:

While convincing myself to buy them, I said something along the lines of, "If it looks like a librarian would wear it, I will probably buy it."  One of those anal-retentive but ultimately sassy and lovable librarians.

These are so dorky, and so comfortable:

I didn't have a pair of blue heels until these bad boys, which are begging to be worn with obnoxiously colored and/or printed tights:

Now I can live out my hidden wish to be a librarian all day, every day.

P.S. Yes, I have orange walls. They are spectacular.



*all photos by me

Today in great things that will inevitably tempt my bank account:

1).  Yesterday Fair Trade USA launched it's certification program for apparel and linens.  This is a good step for ethical fashion, and it encourages those who produce apparel and linens to commit to (and be rewarded for) things like using organic materials and treating workers with dignity and respect.  Here are some FAQs about what this entails. I hope to see more and more designers and companies working towards creating ethical fashion as this initiative grows.

2. I've signed up for Pure Citizen.  There are a lot of member-only online shopping sites that sell deeply discounted and sometimes very well-known designer fashions (as well as other things), like Gilt, RueLaLa and ideeli.  These boutique sale sites have a company selling certain items for a specific period of time (usually a day or two) at much lower prices than one would find at a store.  So, why is Pure Citizen so cool?


"Pure Citizen is a place where you can save daily from a featured company that is making our world a better place. Each sale lasts only 24 hours.  What you will find every day are products that are organic, fair trade, sustainable, recycled, biodynamic, natural, handmade..."

Unfortunately, clothing that falls under the category of "ethical" or "conscious" can also be frustratingly expensive sometimes.  This is a great way to save some money if you want to attempt to add some sexy, sexy ethics to your wardrobe.

Childhood, Meet Disappointment

Forever 21 has apparently joined forces with Disney to create line "designed" by Minnie Mouse, called Minnie Muse. Look what they did to her:

 

Photo found here

Remember this?

Photo found here

 Pretty cute, right? Well that's just too darn bad. In order to be adorable, you also need to weigh literally nothing.  Say hello to your new fashion muse.

Photo found here

The clothes themselves aren't that great, but I can see how someone in their tween years or so would like them, and therein lies the problem.  This line is showing young girls that to be "modern and glamorous", you probably shouldn't eat. The old, normal sized Minnie is not cool or hip enough.  This new, "sexy" Minnie is fashionable and skinny and everything you lazy 12 year-olds aren't.

For those who are older, I can imagine the nostalgia or possible cuteness of Minnie being attractive, but personally I don't want some new, weird looking Minnie all over some cheap-ass clothes. Not like Forever 21 is some bastion of ethics and creativity or anything, so this just seems to be one of those "what is Forever 21 doing NOW?" things.

Style Spotlight: SWINTON

In light of my recent post on the awesomeness of Helena Bonham Carter, and because awesome ladies usually wear some awesome clothes, I'd like to start a recurring post on such a thing.

A few days ago the world celebrated the birthday of one Tilda Swinton:

 

Photo found here

I'm pretty sure if you look up fantastic in the dictionary, ol' Swinny  here would be the photo. LOOK AT HER.  She's wearing a giant black velvet curtain, and she is OWNING that shit.

I remember that Conan O'Brien made a joke about her playing him in a Conan biopic, and you know what her reaction was? "Yes, yes, yes, absolutely!". 

She is unafraid to play interesting and controversial characters, and she is one fine actress.  Lady is also in an non-monogamous relationship (husband and boyfriend) and talks about it openly, giving those who look up to celebrities a great representation of a "non-traditional" family and relationship structure.

Happy Birthday Tilda! You look fantastic.

Photos found here, here and here

"With the number of people I ignore, I'm lucky I work at all in this town."

I'm working on a post about cultural appropriation. Weeee!  Until then, please remember that Helena Bonham Carter exists, and that means the world is perfect for at least those 15 seconds.

Photo via here

Rebel Against Corporate Fashion!

Ok, readers, you may have a question.  What the hell does it mean to be a feminist consumer of fashion? 

These are the things I feel to be important to me as both a feminist and a lover of fashion:

1) Be an informed consumer of fashion.  Understand where your clothes are coming from, who is making them, how they are being made, etc.  A large portion of the clothing we (and I am using this term broadly, identifying we as citizens of the United States) buy are produced under extremely unethical practices, from poor wages and dangerous labor practices to factories that pollute and use earth-destroying resources.  It is very difficult to know exactly where everything you buy is coming from, but with a little time and research you can at least understand how some of the things we purchase as consumers of fashion can be harmful to others.

2) Recycle, reuse, and be creative!  Holy crap do I love new clothes, but constantly buying new things doesn't do me or the world any good, financially and otherwise.  This blog will hopefully be a way for me to use many of the things I already do have in new and interesting ways, and encourage me to reinvent a new look from a well-worn item.  This certainly does not mean I won't buy anything new, of course.  I loves me some shopping.  Another great place to buy from are thrift stores, vintage stores, flea markets and garage/yard sales.  One of my favorite things is finding something extra amazing at a thrift store, and paying a disgustingly low amount for it. All of my most ridiculous (and of course, fantastic!) pieces of clothing are from thrift stores.  These types of stores are full of unique and cheap clothing, and they do not contribute to the cycle of consumption and destruction. 

3) Try to understand as well as critique the fashion industry.  I feel as though most feminists would consider the fashion industry as inherently anti-feminist.  It is quite often sexist, racist, classist, homophobic, ableist and exploitative.  These are very problematic things about the fashion industry, and they need to be addressed.  On the flip side, there are a lot of people inside the fashion industry who are working hard to break down these oppressive ideas and make a space for fashion that celebrates progressive, radical and diverse views and experiences.  I would love to celebrate and showcase some of the kickass people out there who are creating and designing amazing clothes and accessories while also trying to break the stupid rules of an industry that is mostly controlled by white males.

Hopefully this blog will help me do all of these things, and more!

An Introduction

So...I did it. I created a fashion blog.  I love clothes. I love creating and altering and buying and playing with clothes.  While biking to school in heels and a trench coat may be completely insane, I love to express what I feel through my clothing.

 

My name is Tanya.  I am a college student, amateur cook, voracious reader, lover of music, vegetarian and player of way too much Tetris. A while ago my very fashionable (and honestly, way cooler than me) stepmother told me to start a fashion blog.  She may have been having a moment of crazy, but ultimately I decided to jump in. I don't know if anyone will read it but here it is, many months later  In this blog I will do traditional "fashion bloggy" stuff: post outfit photos, talk about designers, squeal incessantly about a recent purchase.  In addition to this, I would like to bring in my own opinions about fashion from a feminist perspective.  This will include discussions around body image,  how to be an informed and ethical consumer of fashion, and the complicated and sometimes damaging issues with the fashion industry as a whole. I will also try to be extremely entertaining, lest I let down my stepmom.

I am not a "writer".  I always defer to my much more talented friends for writing help, so this will probably not be terribly poetic, or even grammatically correct.  I love discussion, so any appropriate and constructive comments are welcome and encouraged.

If you have taken the time to read this I already owe you a drink or a hug or some sort of baked good.  Thanks!