Cat Lady

cardigan- Banana Republic
dress- American Apparel
scarf- vintage
boots- TJ Maxx
music- Rolling Stones- Think

So this outfit is not one of my best, but in the interest of full apparel honesty, I thought I'd put it up here anyway. I'm trying to pull myself out of my frumpy-dump rut and knowing that I'm going to photograph everything I wear is day is good way to keep me from falling back into it.
This dress is a Large and fits like a glove. American Apparel, you could really help with America's obesity crisis if everyone was forced to think about themselves in terms of your sizes. I'm not really sure what size human could fit into the extra-small sizes there...but I probably would want to buy them a sandwich.

Cultural Obsession: Scotland

My Scottish thing has happened by accident recently...but come on! They have the most amazing accents of the English language, beautiful countryside, plus Hogwarts is there(duh). It seems to be the least talked-about of the countries in the U.K., but I would really love to visit it the most, perhaps while wearing a Pringle argyle sweater. Here are the movie and band currently feeding this fascination.

The Winter Guest

I went into this movie really not expecting anything much, and I was blown away. For a little background- it follows a day in the life of 4 pairs of people in a frozen Scottish seaside town: a mother and daughter(whose husband has just died), the daughter's teenage son and a girl with a crush on him, two elderly ladies who attend funerals for fun, and two middle-school boys playing hooky. It is so quiet and subtle, beautifully acted, and injected generously with true humor, all while the specter of grief hangs over most of the characters. Visually it's stunning, with a very natural gray-white-black palette and the background landscape of the frozen sea. The two boys in this movie have some of the most amazing and hilarious scenes involving kids I've ever seen(see above). No one in American films gives kids this kind of dialogue: smart and foul-mouthed and funny and profound, but still believeable. The mother-daughter relationship here(played by Emma Thompson and her real mother) is painfully realistic. The ending with the boys approaches the sublime(a description I rarely have occasion to use, except for maybe the library scene in Wings of Desire). The only bone I have to pick with this movie is the music...good god. Make sure you immediately mute the film the second the credits begin to roll or the beauty of that last scene might just be ruined for you. To my knowledge, this is the only film that Alan Rickman has ever directed. I love some Rickman, I think he is a pleasure to watch and illuminates even the most mediocre movies that he acts in (AHEM Bottle Shock). But judging from The Winter Guest I really think he should give directing another shot.
As a heads up, I could have used some subtitles at times but once you get used to the ridiculously thick accents it's easy enough to understand. Also, 95% of the movies that I love are considered "slow" by the average viewer. However I say that if you think they are slow then you are probably slow!(Just kiddin'...maybe).

Arab Strap


Speaking of ridiculously thick accents...
Not sure why it took me so long to get on board this train. In high school I really loved the Reindeer Section(still do), most especially the Aidan Moffat songs(Whodunnit being my favorite). Listening to the actual band was something I always meant to do but never got around to. My life is littered with good intentions like that. Last year Andy made me an Arab Strap mix after listening to me rave about their RS songs. I cannot imagine a better thing to listen to in the winter.
I'm not exactly sure how to describe this music. With the exception of a few songs, there is no singing done by this band. It's more like lyrical Scottish spoken word(not in the Henry Rollins vein) about romance and failure and failed romance. And those lyrics! Some are brutally bitter, many are shockingly depressing(in that unexpected way that floors you, like some Red House Painters), half I can barely understand, all are clever and pointed and moving. The music itself is much more layered than your standard bland "indie rock," whatever that means nowadays, and it would be an injustice to lump this band in with the rest of the Reindeer Section bands(Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol), as good as they may sometimes be. They aren't any soft edges or sentiment here. Maybe living in a place so cold for so much of the time will do that to you...like Russia. I'm doing a terrible job of describing them...obviously living with a music critic has not rubbed off on me any.
P.S. - These videos are not so great, it's probably best to just listen to the music while not watching the video!

More pros: James McAvoy, plaid
Cons: haggis

Ride Captain Ride

shirt- vintage
skirt- thrifted
boots- given to me by Christie
music- Arab Strap- Screaming in the Trees

...UPON YOUR MYSTERY SHIP. BE AMAZED...Okay, I'll stop there. Classic rock is rife with good titles for blog posts, since I'm too uncreative to be punny.
I love sailor-themed clothes. To this end I have always threatened, should I ever have a child(poor thing), that he will be dressed as a sailor every day until age 2(I'll stop then lest he develop issues). I have way too many nautical-esque garments...shorts, tops, dresses, skirts, you name it. There's something about them that is simultaneously adorably child-like and sexily pin-up at the same time. Obviously today I was leaning more towards the former. I think this shirt might actually be for a child...albeit a child with really fat arms, large neck and short torso. (So on second thought, maybe not). It even has a bizarre bibbed collar that extends halfway down the back(didn't want to attempt a back view from the tripod, sorry).
The boots were given to me by Christie when we visited Johnson City. I don't know why she got rid of them but I'm really glad she did because I love them and wear them constantly. The cats love to attack the shoe strings though, which might just be their way of attempting to assassinate me as I walk about the house.

All Buttoned Up

sweater- Old Navy
dress- vintage
moccasins- Old Navy
music- The Byrds- Eight Miles High

Work + cold = shitty outfits. I promise I'm working on it. This is the second accidental look I've had...today I was unintentionally preppy. Loafers! Pink stripes! Ribbed v-neck sweater! Hey, if I can't wear my short shorts or half my dresses something's gotta give. Normally I wear this dress unbuttoned a little ways, but I decided to go the whole hog and button it to the very top.

I couldn't get a good close shot of the frosty pink buttons here, but trust me, they are winners. Speaking of good shots...I live in this somewhat dismal place called the real world, and I see about 45 minutes of sunshine per day owing to the dreaded Windowless Office Job. This makes the photo-taking sorta hard...plus not having a human to assist me doesn't help much either. And fluorescent lights, you may be good for the environment but you are bad for picture-taking! But excuses excuses...soon it won't get dark at 5 p.m. and I can take them outside! You might say I could get up earlier but PSSSSSSH. Mornings and I go together like...imagine a good comparison.
Last night I made a chocolate espresso mousse. I had attempted it on Sunday night but it turned into chocolate scrambled eggs(you don't wanna know what that looks like). But though I am a quitter in most aspects of life, I don't like being defeated by baked goods. So I remade it and it turned out spectacular, albeit ridiculously rich! However the photos look like dog doo so I will spare you.
Today my mom told me I looked like a Pentecostal girl cause my hair was so long. NOT THE LOOK I'M GOING FOR. So thank the Lawd(not in a Pentecostal way), I have found a photo to take to the hairdresser. Thinking of the Versace ads for Fall 2010...an amalgamation of both of these 'do's.

Possibly not feasible on my giant-ass hair...but I'm gonna try it out nonetheless.

Accidental Rockabilly

sweater- Target
scarf- vintage
pants- Banana Republic
moccasins- Old Navy
dog- Memphis & Shelby County Humane Society
music- Arab Strap- "Dream Sequence"


Me and pants: it's a rocky relationship. I only own 5 pairs, which sounds like a lot until you consider that I own upwards of 80 dresses. I am one of those girls that wears a skirt and tights when it's 12 degrees outside(actually, Memphis never gets that cold). I have been known to employ the women-wore-non-pants for-thousands-of-years-and-did-just-fine argument when facing incredulous older people(it's always older people that insist on starting that). These sadly are the only pants I have that are work-appropriate(FORMERLY work appropriate- actually they were shot down yesterday), so I get more mileage out of them than any others. They were a super score at BR for only $10, thanks to a 25% off coupon and the clearance rack. It never fails to mystify me that the average American woman is 5'3", and yet, at 5'5" I still have to cuff nearly every pair of pants I buy. However, the cuffing and the scarf and my resigned-to-it ponytail sort of lent this outfit a rockabilly vibe, which was accidental but I ended up liking. That tends to happen every once in a while as a by-product of my high-school Gene Vincent/Blackboard Jungle obsession. If you have not seen Blackboard Jungle, it is awesome and hilarious and, incidentally, now available instantly on Netflix. You have no excuse! I sense an inspiration post coming soon.
Charlotte's damn dog tail (or entire body) is in every picture I took. This house has 3 bedrooms but she seems to want to be within 3 feet of me at all times.