To a Simpler Place and Time

Purple tank top: Old Navy * Cutoffs: DIY * Sandals: Saltwaters, remixed * Necklaces: Noble Town Vintage, remixed here and here * Wood ring: gift from friend, remixed * Purse: Vintage Kenneth Cole, remixed

Okay, so we can pretty much expect that everything that I post for the next week or so will be a bit out of order. I'm so incredibly behind with posting that I'm just randomly picking a day's worth of pictures to post. Sometimes it's from the same day, sometimes it's a few days off, sometimes it'll be a week or more. Bear with me, team. This post is actually pretty close. These pictures were taken this past weekend on Joe and my renegade weekend out of the city. We walked a lot on this trip, so I was determined to be comfy throughout. Cutoff shorts, flowy tank top, and my Saltwaters were all non-negotiable. I threw a few necklaces and accessories in our suitcase willy-nilly before we left, and I gotta say, I got lucky that it all went together so well. For an outfit based solely around comfort, I felt pretty put together.

We took a long walk through town one day, upwards of 5 miles (it was strange being out of Chicago, in a city where public transportation isn't quite as accessible!), and for a while we were walking on the bike path along the railroad tracks. I absolutely gasped at the sight of the tracks, and immediately insisted that we take "fashion blogger photos". Joe probably wondered what the heck we've been doing for the past year and a half, but what he didn't understand (and what most of you do, I hope) is that the railroad tracks photos are like the holy grail of fashion blogging backgrounds. I'm still not certain of why, but sure as shit every fashion blogger worth her salt would jump at the chance to take pictures at the tracks in all her finery. (We're kind of a weird bunch of people, huh?) I wasn't exactly in my finest "finery", but you make compromises for your art.

Of course, I realized that I had hit the absolute mother lode when I spotted this old train engine parked on another set of tracks (the ones I'm standing on are actually used sometimes, and I kept getting antsy that I was going to be killed. But again, sacrifice for art). I'm not sure the story behind this engine, but it has been beautifully maintained (or restored, I guess). The coolest part was that it has actually been renovated to have offices in it!! We spotted a real estate office, an investment office, and a few others that have taken residence in the cars of the train. It's pretty close to some of the downtown stuff, which just made it that much more awesome. Seriously, best office building ever!!

What did you do this weekend? Do you pack for comfort when you travel? Would you ever consider working in a train?!?!!

Title song: Gladys Night and the Pips, "Midnight Train to Georgia"

Futura Magazine featuring Bonzie

A special thanks to the lovely folks at "Futura" magazine for featuring 'bonzie' in the latest edition of their mag!

Futura ~ Specialist in Fashion Trading Publishing.

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, We Are All of the Latter

Purple dress: Old Navy, remixed * Olive shirt: gift from my parents from a trip to Venice, remixed * Mustard cut-out flats: Target * Roman Record Cuff: Eye Pop Art * Belt: Joe's closet (well, my closet, but Joe keeps a few things in there too...)

Thanks for all your sweet comments yesterday, everyone! I still don't feel 100% about those pictures, but to my credit they were taken at around 2:00 am, with terrible lighting, in my friend's living room, so I think I'll give myself a freebie on that one. These pictures honestly aren't a ton better, since they were still taken at night, with a flash, but you can't win 'em all. This is another outfit that I actually wore about a week ago, right when Chicago was essentially roasting alive. It was so hot that I honestly couldn't stand to be outside when the sun was up, and I was sweating bullets (hopefully bullets that you can't make out in these pictures) even in the evening when I went out to take my pictures. This outfit was basically born out of the necessity to be as cool as possible. Light, loose layers, breathable fabric (and shoes!), and simple, forgiving styles. It has cooled off substantially since then, and we should be able to leave our air conditioner off this week. There are a few pretty exciting developments on the life front for both Joe and I, and I'm hoping to reveal them soon. For now you'll just have to be patient with waiting, wondering, and a bit of absentee blogging on my part.

One thing I love about being out of school is the fact that I have time to read for pleasure again. I used to be a ridiculously avid reader, devouring multiple books per week (I always have to allocate a significant portion of my luggage to the various books I plan on reading while on vacation. I'll wear one pair of shoes all week if it means having lots to read!). But while I was a student, my reading time was monopolized by books required for classes or my own research, and my fiction (and non-fiction for pleasure) reading went way downhill. Since I finished school, I've pretty much had two books going at all times. Right now, for some reason, I've ended up with two Barbara Kingsolver books, The Lacuna, which I'm reading with my mom, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which I'm reading on the recommendation of a friend (whose living room you saw in yesterday's post!). AVM seemed like a good pick for my new-found need to simplify and prioritize my life, since it deals with Kingsolver's year-long resolve to eat only local foods, whether that means growing them herself or buying them from local farmers. While I have certain misgivings about the narrator herself, which I won't go into, I've been utterly enthralled by the themes, ideas, and motivations of the book and her project.

While I can't exactly start in on a year-long quest for local foods from my one-bedroom apartment in Chicago, I can at least start thinking more critically about what I eat and where it comes from. Joe and I had brunch at a little local place in Wisconsin this weekend, and as we each bit into our fried eggs, we looked at each other in amazement. For the first time in a long time, our eggs tasted like eggs. Fresh, local, delicious eggs. Regardless of any lefty conspiracy to destroy capitalism, eating locally tastes way better. My Wisconsin eggs, and Kingsolver's book, have totally inspired me to do what I can to improve what I'm eating. I'm fine with giving up certain veggies during the winter if it means I'll get to gorge on them when they're in season. And I'm fully planning to bring home bags of ripe tomatoes from the farmers market and can them so that we can enjoy fresh, homemade pasta sauce through the colder months. It's gradual, and it's mostly pretty small (and totally budget-conscious) steps that I'll be taking, but I think it's mostly about doing what you can. Joe and I were talking about it, and he mentioned that changing your lifestyle this way is a personal choice, confined by what you're able to do (whether it's because of geography, finances, or dietary needs). But this summer, with a farmers market a block away with cheap, delicious, local fruits and veggies, I'm planning to make the choice to eat lots of salads, try new fruits and roots that I haven't had before, and make at least a small dent in the way I think about my food life.

Title song: Blue Meanies, "It Doesn't Matter"

Studio Shot ...

A wee capture of the corner of the studio today. A bunch of bonzie trademark handmade silk wraps sitting pretty on order for a lovely Bride in the UK.

Be sure to look us up if you are also keen to adorn your bridemaids in a collection of these beauties in your chosen colour scheme.

Custom Wrap Orders Welcome.

www.bonzie.etsy.com

I Only Wanna Go Where My Wheels Roll

Striped shirt: Forever 21, remixed * Skirt: Anthropologie, remixed * Sandals: Saltwaters * Necklaces: Noble Town Vintage, remixed

So I'm going to keep this post very short. Sorry for my generally unexplained quietness over here on the blog lately. A lot has been going on, and I just haven't had much time to post and read and comment. I'm hoping to catch up a bit this week, but it will be short-lived, since our week-long no computers vacation is the following week. My silence this weekend is due to the fact that Joe and I are enjoying a rather impromptu, but lovely, long weekend a few hours from Chicago. We're actually not home yet, so I'm not going to linger with this post. These pictures are from last weekend, which we spent in Milwaukee with some of our friends. Honestly, I kind of hate these photos. The lighting is weird and I think I look super tired and kind of gross, but I was absolutely in love with this outfit, so I wanted to post them anyway. I'll probably wear it again soon since it was such a perfect summery weekend outfit (maybe I'll try to make it work appropriate...), and I got a couple of real-life compliments on it (from total strangers, two of whom thought it was a dress), which always make an outfit feel more successful to me. I'll be back in action tomorrow, but in the meantime, tell me, do you post photos that you hate if it's of an outfit that you love? Do you post photos that you love of an outfit that you hate?

Title song: Wilco, "Monday"

AfghaniSnail ( 2001-? )

 Two and a half inches long, one inch and three-quarter inches high. Fimo-type clay.

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 Also- Winner of the Contest-

Thanks to all you great people who sent photos of your celebrations in honor of SOSAD, Strangely Orange Snack Appreciation Day.  They ranged from preschool parties to semi-non safe for work videos, and I enjoyed them all. 
That being said, the winner is Rachel Kassman who seemed to celebrate with the largest group (even though some might have been interns who were there possibly against their will), and they had the largest variety of snacks also.  I sincerely hope the rest of you found that eating orange food is a reward in itself. 


I'll post the wire sculpture of Rachel's choice, and which I will then send to Rachel, sometime in the near future. You can go here to see the winning celebration.

If You Go Lookin' For Hot Water

Striped shirt: Target, remixed * Skirt: Little Ocean Annie Vintage * Two-tone brogues: UO, remixed

I've been such a punk this week with posting! I'm usually pretty good about posting everyday, especially during the week, but this week time has just gotten away from me and I haven't been able to spend any time online. I've been taking pictures, but now I'm even more behind than I was a little while ago. Whew! Joe and I will be on vacation for a week in early July, though, so I'm planning (hopefully, but who knows) to have enough time before then to schedule a few posts for while we're away (just FYI, by the way, I won't be checking email, commenting, or reading blogs at all while we're gone. I'm aiming for a week of complete separation from the internet).

So it's been absolutely batshit crazy in Chicago lately. Apocalyptic storms, green clouds, big ol' tornadoes (complete with tornado siren!), and the wildest yellow/orange skies I've ever seen. What I mean is, it's been muggy as hell. So muggy that my contacts fog over if I'm outside for too long. So muggy that I think the inside of my mouth is cooler than the outside world (gross, I know, but totally true). So muggy that even the thought of putting my hot computer on my lap seems absolutely blasphemous (seriously, whoever came up with the idea for a laptop never lived in a hot climate). Now, normally I'm okay with warm weather, but this is beyond warm. This is painful, uncomfortable, and sticky. Not okay, Chicago, not okay.

All that mugginess totally calls for minimal clothing. This adorable skirt, that I bought from Little Ocean Annie's Etsy shop (she has great stuff, and a lovely blog!), is definitely going to be a summer favorite. The print is adorable, it fits me perfectly, and it's open and breezy (but it's also lined, so I think it will be fabulous in the winter with tights, too!). And my love affair with stripes barrels forward with this tan shirt. Honestly, I just can't seem to say no to a good stripe! Plus, this jersey top is just perfect for a day of sweating bullets.

How do you stay cool in the summer swelter? Does your commitment to the internet suffer?

Title song: The White Stripes, "Catch Hell Blues"

Client Corner ~ Sarah

Gals,

Every now and again we receive pictures from all over the world by our clients and brides. We utterly gasped when Sarah sent us through her pics of her gorgeous wedding day in Italy. Sarah looks absolutely adorable, a bride straight from the pages of Italian Vogue if you ask me! I adore the vintage styling in Sarah's gown and her hubby looks equally 'dapper' in his tailoring.

Sarah opted for our Carina Long Sleeved Bolero in ivory raw silk to compliment her gown and we think she pulled off the entire look beautifully.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to Sarah for inviting us to be a part of such a special day for her and we hope you guys both enjoy the journey of life together.

Thanks to Sarah for letting us peak into her wedding day celebrations, it always makes our day to receive wedding pics back!!!

xx

Yvonne & Ger

~bonzie~

Latest Creation

Another Bonzie Bucket Bag on it's merry way to a dear customer in the U.S.

Cherie has been a loyal collector of bonzie bags since we introduced them into our range and it's always a pleasure creating something special for a gal who has been so supportive of our work.

We have also noticed a lot of blog commentary recently and wanted to say hi to all our regular readers who have been offering kind words of encouragement and all round general support for what we do. Whilst we don't often get much time on our blog to stop and chat we wanted to reach out and let you guys know that we read each and ever comment and we genuinely appreciate the support. It's lovely to see the regulars stop by so often to comment, it feels like we have a lovely big blog family who are coming along for the ride. :)

Will of course be keeping you all posted over the coming months on all the developments as upcoming projects unfold at bonzie headquarters!

So hears a special thanks to our loyal customers such as Cherie (who recently added the bag above to her collection of bonzie treats) and of course our blog readers. Thanks for being you!

xxx

Just Greenery and Humid Air

Ruffle-front blouse: Forever 21, remixed * Skirt: Target * Belt: Target, remixed * Clogs: Swedish Hasbeens, remixed

So it's only Tuesday, but it's already been a slow, hot week. The humidity in Chicago has been out of control, and as much as I love feeling sticky, frazzled, and lethargic, I'm just about ready for it to let up. Luckily, my office is cool and the apartment is tolerable, so I don't have to deal with the out-of-doors too much (ah, what an American I am!). Though when Joe requested lasagna for dinner, I barely stopped short of breaking up with him on the spot. The apartment is tolerable, but not baking-lasagna-tolerable.

I love how perfectly this outfit came together. I used this comfy, stretchy elastic belt from Target to create a tank-dress silhouette with the ruffle blouse and jersey skirt. And I'm so happy with how matchy-matchy it is with the Hasbeens! Oh, and I had forgotten how much I adore jersey in the summer. I don't wear it often in the cooler months, because I don't much like how it looks with lots of layers (and it's a bitch to wear with tights), but it's absolutely divine when it's hot. Breathable, movable, swishable. I have a few solid-colored jersey skirts that I can foresee getting a lot of use out of in the next few months.

Since lasagna's off-the-table as a dinner option, I've spent this morning pondering what I should make for dinner tonight. I just found out that Chicago's Green City Market website has an awesome list of seasonal recipes using local in-season ingredients. I've been really in the mood for a beet salad, with garden greens, herbs, and goat cheese. Mmmmm... What are you having for dinner? Any summer specialties for when it's so humid that vegetables practically steam themselves?

Title song: Death Cab for Cutie, "Summer Skin"

Bon Voyage

2010 SOSAD Post

Hello all, I'll be updating this post throughout the day.  It'll be about Strangely Orange Snack Appreciation Day and a shot I'm working on. 

8:30 a.m. and I just got up.  Already have several photos of people celebrating SOSAD emailed to me. People must have started celebrating at the stroke of midnight or something. Will now start making breakfast.


9:09 a.m. Making sweet potato pancakes. Wanted to make sweet potato waffles, but not into the whole whipping up egg whites so early in the day.

The batter looks pretty orange, the final product has just a hint of it. 

Tasted good though.

While I was at the grocery yesterday, I had planned to just get a few bags of orange snacks, but as my cart began to be filled with more orange items, I decided to just go ahead and go all out stupid silly about it.

Lunch.

Gum.

3:30 p.m. Half a bowl of Giant Cheez-its.

4:30 p.m. Working on an image for the blog here. My daughter is working on her latch hook project and listening to a Harry Potter book on cd. We'll walk down to a local ice cream place soon for something orange.

A hat for tonight's image post. Mini-haberdasher, that's me.

Dinner.
Buffalo Chicken over stir-fried carrots (plus a few snap peas for the heck of it.


11:30 p.m. Orange Sherbert.

See you next year!

Laundry Day: In Fact, It's Pronounced "Mil-e-wah-que"

I'm taking the day off from a proper outfit post to catch up on work, sleep, laundry, tidying, planning, reading, cooking, and sleeping. My weekend in Milwaukee was fabulous. We had great weather, great beer, great food (homemade pulled pork sandwiches, fantastic pizza, frozen custard, vegan french toast, and the most sinfully amazing mini donuts ever, which made me consider moving permanently to one specific intersection in MKE). We watched the World Cup, played Wii, went to the beach, rocked the farmers market, and got almost no sleep at all. One of my major highlights of the weekend was getting to meet Mary of Undergrad Fab. I've been reading her blog pretty much from day one, and I feel like I've truly gotten to know her. It was surreal and awesome to see her in person, and it literally felt like hanging out with an old friend that you haven't seen for awhile. We talked nonstop, and I think I can speak for Mary when I say we were both pretty bummed that we don't live closer. Plus, she is just as cute, stylish, and beautiful in person as she is on her blog, times like a million. All in all, it was a pretty rad weekend, and I'm more than a little bit sad that Monday is already here.

Title quote: Wayne's World

Celebrate S.O.S.A.D., win a prize.

One day a few years ago, I invented a holiday to celebrate strangely orange snack food, which I called S.O.S.A.D. (Strangely Orange Snack Appreciation Day). In order to take part, simply enjoy an orange snack food of some kind while meditating on the science that makes this color of food possible. What a wonderful time to be alive!

This year I've decided to have a little giveaway in honor of SOSAD. From what I've seen, maybe a couple hundred people (at the very most) have taken part in this holiday so far. It hasn't taken the world by storm the way I had hoped, so I've decided to try and bribe people with a chance to win something. To enter, just send a photo of you and at least one other person enjoying orange snacks to me, here, and I'll make a wire/object sculpture for you using a theme picked by you. I'll pick the winner later this week.

edit- I neglected to mention that June 21 is always the SOSAD date. I'll post the winner a few days later.

I Thought it Was a Bird

Brown v-neck: Paix, remixed * Dress, worn as skirt: Target, remixed as dress * Shoes: Trotters, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed

During my massive closet overhaul last week, as I was throwing dresses, shirts, and skirts willy-nilly into random piles, this well-loved Target dress somehow ended up in the "to donate" pile. I love this dress, and I've worn it frequently for years, but it actually doesn't quite fit me super well. It's a bit on the loose side, and it's linen, so over the course of the day it just gets baggier and baggier. Also, the skirt hem falls just below the knee, so I really have to wear it with heels (and as much as I love heels, I'm trying to wear flats more often for the sake of my feet). Anyway, during the closet-cleaning madness, I had given Joe full veto power in case I tried to get rid of something that he absolutely loved. We agreed about most things, but he was adamant that I keep this dress, so he vetoed it from the giveaway pile.

And I'm so glad he did!! I hadn't thought to try to wear the dress any differently than I had in the past, but part of my closet cleaning exercise was to revisit some of my less-used pieces and try to find a way to wear them differently. I've been loving high-waisted skirts for awhile now, so I thought I'd try to maneuver this dress into skirt. But since it's so loose on me, the spot where I wanted the waist to be was just enormous. So I pinned some folds into it, belted it at my natural waist, and created a paper bag skirt! I was at first a bit hesitant about this silhouette, since "voluminous" doesn't always work well on my rectangular waist, but I ended up loving it! The skinny cognac belt helped accentuate my waist and kept the whole thing from looking too wide. And the linen fabric of the dress transformed perfectly into the paper-bag style. I've found a whole new way to love this dress, and I'll definitely be busting it out more often now! Thanks, Joe!!

Joe and I are hopping a train to Milwaukee this afternoon to visit some friends. I'm really excited to get out of the city for a couple of days. Things I'm looking forward to: vegetarian brunches, air mattresses, Wii Resort, Sugar Maple bar, the "urban garage sale" (= danger for my new shopping ban...maybe I can convince Joe to buy me a present!), meeting Mary from Undergrad Fab (!!!), beaching it up, and awesome train rides!!! I've got my bag all packed with awesome weekend outfits for a toasty couple of days in the city (it's going to be flirting with 90 degrees all weekend, but I'm so ready), and I can't wait for all the fun! What are you guys doing this weekend? Anyone else getting out of town for a quick trip?

Title song: Fiona Apple, "Paper Bag"

Catch it All on WGN

White button-up: thrifted * Cardigan: Target * Jeans: Gap, remixed * Brogues: Kmart, remixed

Last night Joe and I enjoyed a little date night out at Wrigley Field. Joe had never been to a Cubs game before, and as part of our summer of fun we've been trying to take advantage of all the awesome stuff that Chicago has to offer. The Cubbies were playing the Oakland A's, so we got all dolled up in our finest blue, red, and white (the Cubs are apparently tres patriotic) and headed uptown. Granted, my outfit had to be both work and game appropriate, so I couldn't quite convey my Cubby pride like some of the other fans (they have the most adorable t-shirts, don't you think?). But I really loved this outfit anyway. I felt very 1950s/classic Americana. And bonus: this button-up is actually a thrifted boys' uniform shirt! Yay for $0.50 thrift store solid gold!

It was a fun game, and the Cubs won, which meant that the whole stadium broke into a singalong of "Go Cubs Go", which was awesome (I'm proud/ashamed to say that I didn't need the marquee to sing along. I've known all the words for years). The whole thing reminded me of how much I love Wrigley Field. It's an older stadium, and they've kept a lot of the classic touches that made Chicago such a baseball city back in the day. My grandma used to go to Wrigley with her grandfather when she was a kid in Chicago, and she was a big baseball fan throughout her life, so I always think of her when I see the Cubs.

I've been totally immersed in sports for the past few weeks. In addition to last night's game, Chicago has been in post-Stanley Cup euphoria for the past week. Plus, the staff in my office, and most of my friends and family, are completely and utterly World Cup obsessed. My office has switched to summer hours, which means we go home at 4, but in addition to that we've been watching 2 World Cup games per day, in the office. We have a projector set up in our conference room, and attendance is semi-mandatory (at the very least, skipping a match is definitely frowned upon). So I'm basically watching soccer for 3 hours/day (on top of the morning match, which Joe and I have been getting up early to watch). Which means I have maybe, maybe 3 hours of work per day. If I'm lucky. The Mexico/France game is this afternoon, and we're essentially shutting down at 1:00 for the match. We've invited friends, ordered food, and are expecting lots of beer and general rowdiness. It's awesome. I love my job.

Are you watching the World Cup? Who are you rooting for? (Right now, Uruguay is kicking major tail, and I'm loving it!)

Bonus sports trivia: In which movie did a dynamic duo of musical troublemakers lure the cops to Wrigley Field?

Title song: Steve Goodman, "Go Cubs Go"