Running away with the Circus!

Gals,

I'm running away with the Circus!!!

Tomorrow I hit Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally,Co.Laois to work backstage with none other than "Lucent Dossier". I have been a huge fan of these guys for a long time and swoon over stunning images on the web whenever I need a lift and never thought that I would have an opportunity to see them let alone meet them and work for them. I will be working as a Costume Mistress for the performers at the festival this week and I feel like I have quite literally ticked one of my dreams off my bucket list!!!

It's my first festival EVER! ( hangs head in shame at 29 years of age!) and I have a feeling it's going to be a great weekend of escapism. I hope to blog about it and share the experience when I get home. :) ( I spent last night practicing erecting my new tent on my own out my back garden, quite and experience in itself!)

Check out Lucent Dossier HERE they are a feast for the senses!!!

See you at Electric Picnic!!!

Be Better Off Than You Are

Dress: Gift from my mom, remixed * Jacket: thrifted * Shoes: Kmart, remixed * Necklace: won from/handmade by Noel of the owls are not what they seem, remixed

Yesterday evening my new roomies and I had a lovely park party. There was lots of beer, tasty hot dogs (and steak!), a portable grill, copious amounts of chips, and fun times with new (to me) friends. The unexpected, and delightful, side effect of this event was that I didn't open or think about my computer from the moment I left work until this morning. It's a short window, I know, but going "off the grid" for even an evening was really spectacular. So much of my time is spent on the computer that I ended up feeling a tangible sense of relief when I actually turned it off.

I adore blogging, I really do. I love doing it. I love thinking more creatively about what I wear. I love the community that has developed through it. I love the people I've had the opportunity to meet in person. It's my favorite hobby. But it happens to take place on a computer. I spend a lot of time in front of a screen anyway. Between my regular job and extra work I pick up on the side, I'm staring at a monitor for at least 50+ hours per week. Once I add to that whatever time I spend blogging (it varies each week, but it's not insignificant when it's added up) and it starts feeling like my whole life is in the computer. So last night was lovely. Do any of you ever go "off the grid" for awhile? Do you feel the strain of your computer-dominated life? Do you ever wish you could blog with pencil and paper and actual, physical, photos?

p.s. Since you all seemed to love (or at the very least, appreciate), the video blog from the other day (these outfit pictures were taken then, before the silliness ensued), I thought I'd make a silly gif to entertain you in this post!

Title song: Frank Sinatra, "Swinging on a Star"

With the Blue Silk Blouse

Gray tissue t-shirt: thrifted * Silk shirt: vintage Peony Brand, laundry room freebie, remixed * Shorts: J. Crew, thrifted and remixed * Oxfords: Kmart, remixed * Necklace: Christmas gift from Gina, remixed

If any of you follow me on Twitter, you know that I had an awesome night on Friday. I headed out of town right after work to go visit Joe, and we had such a fabulous evening together. These pictures were taken after we took the bus home, just outside of Joe's apartment (which is coming along nicely! We have a couch now, and a dining table! But nothing else...it's hard to live in two places. We don't want too much redundancy with our stuff, and we don't have much money to spend, so my dream trip to Ikea is as yet unrealized.). We spent the rest of the weekend going to the farmers market, getting delicious ice cream, cooking yummy dinners, going for a mid-day dip in the lake (complete with a watermelon-and-turkey-sandwich picnic!), and cuddling on the couch. Oh, and I experienced my first trip to a Savers yesterday! Quite the place indeed. Nothing to show for it this time, but I'm excited to go back post-shopping ban.

My outfit was a bit of a conundrum for me, because I knew I was going to have to be driving for awhile, but I wanted to transition easily to our evening out. I saw Zoe of Haiku Ambulance (such a gorgeous, witty, and undeniably stylish Colorado girl...) bust out a silk blouse as a sort of summer cardigan, so I thought I'd follow suit with this mandarin collar blouse. I love how it turned out. Sort of casual but classy, and I love the interplay of textures. It was perfect for adding a layer to this tissue-weight t-shirt after the sun went down, but not as heavy as any of my other cardigans would have been. Do you guys have any summer layering tricks? What did you do this weekend?

Title song: David Bowie, "Repetition"

Just listed!

Price: $65 (€53)

Available to purchase online at

www.bonziedesigns.etsy.com

If your looking for our bridal range check out our bonzie bridal store at

www.bonzie.etsy.com

( also available in ivory for those vintage brides out there!)

We would love to meet you all on Facebook HERE!!

NEW CUFFS!

Just 2 of the new bonzie cuffs available to buy online now from our new Bonzie Designs Store!

www.bonziedesigns.etsy.com

( psst... as it's new it doesn't have many friends yet so we would be passing out some juicy cyber hugs to those who spread the word !)

Join us on Facebook HERE

BONZIE ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Gals,

We have been very busy over the last few weeks tweaking and developing our brand and one of the most obvious patterns that has emerged to us over the last few months is that our customers often go to our online store at http://www.bonzie.etsy.com/ only to find that it's full with mostly bridal wraps and shrugs, however.... Bonzie does a lot more than that and up until now those tattered couture designs have only been available to our local clients...until now that is!!

We are in the middle of creating our newest website http://www.bonziedesigns.etsy.com/ where you can purchase bonzie pieces from a selection of cuffs, tattered tees, jackets, millinery, corsages,bags etc. Basically all of the fancy bonzie bits and bobs that we do other than our bridal range. :)

We hope you enjoy the new stock being uploaded over the coming week and look forward to meeting some new customers soon. xxx

Bonzie Bridal Store

Bonzie Designs Store

Bonzie Facebook

BLD FAQ Round 2: A Vlog

Emily and I went to the park this afternoon. Swinging and video-interviewing ensued. I'm usually more eloquent off-camera. Enjoy!

Update: What in the crap am I doing with my arms while I'm on the swing??!??!

If you have questions for me, ask here!

Singing through the Wires

Dress: from The Clothes Horse's closet, remixed * Striped shirt: Forever 21, remixed * Dress, worn as underskirt: boutique in Lakeview, remixed * Flats: Old Navy

Thanks for your comments on my post yesterday! I hope I didn't give the impression that I feel creatively stifled at my office. My workplace gives us great sartorial liberties, and I've never felt that I've had to sacrifice even an ounce of my personal style to accommodate my professional surroundings. Rather, my qualms were about introducing potentially distracting styles into the office environment. I love my personal style, and I love expressing my creativity through my sartorial decisions, but to me, work is work. I want to feel classy and comfortable and stylish, but I dont' want it to interfere with the things I have to deal with at the office. And I really don't want it to interfere with anyone else's work. I'll probably continue making most of the same choices, but Kelly made a great point that it's usually just the first occurrence of a new style that would turn heads; after that, it would become part of my stylistic arsenal. So I might slowly introduce new styles, a little bit at a time, perhaps after giving them a weekend test-run. Anyway, thanks for the discussion!

I have oddly mixed feelings about this particular outfit. I love how it photographed, and I love how I felt while wearing it, and, on most counts, I loved how it looked in person. However, I couldn't get over the fact that I was channeling not one but two major elements of prison chic. We've got jumpsuit orange (wouldn't it be funny if that were a Crayola color name?) and classic inmate stripes. Still, though, I really loved it. I remixed this dress awhile ago with warm brown and leather highlights and accessories, and I love that it looks equally chic with crisper black elements. Plus, I'm absolutely loving these shoes. They're taking some getting used to, as they're a bit...unique...but I really like the way they work in certain outfits.

Title song: M. Ward, "Jailbird"

No, It's Not Maiden

Dress, worn as shirt: Old Navy, remixed * Dress, worn as skirt: Audrey, from boutique in Lakeview, remixed as shirt * Oxfords: Trotters, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed * Bag: vintage Kenneth Cole, thrifted and remixed

So this re-purposing thing may be getting out of control. Neither of the major pieces of this outfit are actually being worn in the way that they were intended. This striped top is actually a jersey mini-dress (the very same one I wore to the great Chicago blogger meet-up of 2010!), and this skirt is actually a striped polyester mini-dress (so mini, in fact, that I've rarely, if ever, worn it on its own). I guess I'm wearing the shoes the right way. It would be hard to re-purpose a pair of shoes into a skirt.

I've been thinking a bit about whether I dress for my surroundings. A few recent posts by Interrobangs Anonymous and Fashionable Academics have gotten me thinking about my professional style, and whether I make conscious decisions about what I wear based on how I may or may not be perceived in my workplace. First of all, of course I do. We all do. Anytime we get dressed, we make some kind of decision about how we want to be perceived, and we have in mind, in even the smallest sense, an idea of the people who will be doing the perceiving. But I've been noticing, as I've seen pictures of some of this fall's upcoming trends, that I'm consciously thinking that I won't wear some of them to work. And it isn't sequined miniskirts that I'm thinking about. It's heeled clogs, higher hemlines, towering platforms. All of these can be made delightfully work appropriate. But I probably won't wear them to my office. Why not?

It has nothing to do with what kind of role I'm supposed to fit into, actually. And it has nothing to do with an office dress code, or any real pressure from my peers, my boss, or my staff. What it comes down to is that I work in a very small office, with typically only 4 staff members. We're all very close, very casual, and very comfortable with each other. If I were to bust out some crazy new shoes or form-fitting secretary dress (though madly sexy), it would be distracting to our dynamic. Also, weirdly, the height of my colleagues comes into play. We're all relatively short people, ranging from 5'0" (my coworker) to maybe 5'5" (my boss - this is generous). With 4" heels, I'm taller than everyone, which, again, makes me feel like I'm throwing off a dynamic that works pretty well. So I have chosen to steer clear of certain trends and styles that, although completely appropriate for any professional wardrobe, might fiddle too much with the style of our office.

But what do you think? Do any of you take this kind of thing into account when dressing for something in particular? I know that thinking about how the "dynamic" and "style" of a group's interaction seems kind of abstract, but it makes sense to me, and I like feeling like I'm maintaining the sense of community that we've started to foster here. Do you think I'm being too influenced by my environment, or that I'm worrying too much about something that may just be a non-issue? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one!

Update: I just want to clarify that when I'm talking about this stuff, it's really about how the dynamic would change if I introduce something new and different to my outfits. I feel totally comfortable and free to dress however I want at work, and I haven't had to sacrifice an ounce of my personal style to fit in. It's the addition of a new, noticeable trend (like heels that are higher than what I typically wear) that can call attention to my style in an environment where what I'm wearing really shouldn't be a topic of conversation. So I don't ever avoid shoes or clothes or jewelry that I love, or that expresses my style, just because it might get attention. It's more that I'd rather try out new looks on the weekends before I introduce them into my workplace. Hope that helps clarify!

Title song: Dilated Peoples, "Global Dynamics"

Seen Your Tricks and I've Seen Your Traitors

Striped tunic: Sears, remixed * Dress, worn as skirt: TJ Maxx, remixed * Two-tone brogues: UO, remixed * Belt: Target, remixed

Yes, this is another dress worn as a skirt. It seems to be the only way I can find to deal with these dog days of summer. The weather is still hot and sticky and impossible to dress for, so I'm doing everything I can to breathe some variety into my daily outfits. Otherwise I might end up wearing my gray jersey dress everyday. It's a nice dress and all, but variety wins out.

A few of you have asked how I transform the dresses into skirts. This one was easy, since the empire waist has elastic. I basically just folded the bodice under, and shimmied the waistband of the dress to my natural waist. It stayed put rather well on its own, but I wore the belt anyway to add a bit of interest. A couple of the previous dress-skirts (drirts? skresses?) require the aid of safety pins and a belt to stay in place. The paperbag silhouette is accomplished by pinning the folds in place (being careful not to prick my tummy!) and then belting around my natural waist to keep the whole thing in place. Gauzier fabrics can really just be folded and belted. I haven't had much of a problem with bulkiness after the dress is folded under, but when I have, a few well-placed safety pins (or a hot iron) would flatten out unwelcome folds. There is one dress that works without any belts, pins, or ironing. Does that all make sense? Let me know if you have any other questions about how this is done. It's really easy, and I've found that it's a fabulous way to get more life out of sometimes hard-to-wear dresses!

Title song: Amos Lee, "Seen it all before"

Client Corner ~ Poppaea

Gorgeous Detailing from Poppaea's Gorgeous Gown!!! ( That she made herself!)

We Love Poppaea's Original Sketch for her Gown and Bolero!

Gals,

I couldn't get onto to blogger fast enough to share this gorgeous bride with you from the UK. Poppaea approached us some time ago to create a custom Victorian Inspired bolero to wear with her stunning Vintage style wedding ensemble.

Poppaea is a Costume Designer herself and ...wait for it......made her own gown!!! It's an absolute showstopper and we couldn't wait to get stuck into the bolero. ( Poppaea's Website)

The details in this wedding are absolutely incredible and have a really vintage nostalgic charm. It even caught the eye of top UK Bridal Blogger , http://www.lovemydress.net/ who featured the whole wedding from start to finish showcasing all the magical details that Poppaea worked into her big day!

To see more lush pictures from this stunning wedding check out the feature HERE on the Love My Dress Blog.

Photography : http://www.lisadawn.co.uk/

Choose your own bonzie bridal bolero HERE.

BLD FAQ Round 1: Joe

Welcome to the "answers" portion of the BLD FAQ! I'm separating up your questions into a couple of separate posts, based on the sort of general themes you ended up asking about. Today, since it's his last day in Chicago, I figured we'd tackle the question of Joe. Who is he? What makes him tick? What's that beard all about, anyway?*

Emily asked:
Let's see. Tell us something about Joe. It seems like he's a fun guy who actually gets into your blog world. How does Joe take part in your blogging and fashion-related life? What's the best style advice Joe has ever given?

Joe has been absolutely awesome with supporting my new (although I guess it's not so new now!) internet hobby. My interest in fashion was never something that was very evident before I started this blog, I don't think. I had personal style, to be sure, but never an outright interest in fashion, especially to those who don't know me (which is still the case now, I guess). Funny story, actually: when we first met, we were having to get ID pictures taken. I was wearing this crazy plaid grandpa cap (think The Newsies, only pastel), and I was messing with it for the picture. He saw me doing it and thought I was a bit silly and didn't understand why I cared so much about the hat. Of course, he later learned how important it is to get the perfect jaunty angle when wearing a plaid cap.** Anyway, Joe has been really supportive of the blog. He immediately recognized how good it was for me to be connecting with a group of wonderful women, and how much stronger my self-esteem has become since starting this project. He's become, over the past year and a half, my favorite photographer. He knows my angles, he gets the best lighting, and he is unbelievably patient with my need to take three dozen pictures, of the same outfit, in the same spot. He makes that part of blogging fun. Best style advice he ever gave me? That I look the most beautiful in a simple t-shirt and jeans.

Katie asked:
I'd also like to hear about Joe! Specifically, how did you two meet (those are my favorite stories!)?
Gina asked:
How did you guys meet? How long have you been together?

Joe and I met while we were students in the same graduate program. We had a few classes together, and the program was small, so we became close friends almost immediately (after the jaunty cap fiasco). We didn't actually start dating until over a year after we met, now almost two years ago (woah). We don't really have an anniversary, though. We know, generally, when we started to be official, but it's more a month (September) than a date.

Elena said...
I'd love to hear about Joe, too. And any future plan updates!

Ha! Because I've been so delinquent in responding to these FAQs, I've already kind of spilled the beans about future plans. Joe is moving tomorrow (yikes!) to pursue more graduate school fun. I'll eventually move as well, but not immediately. But "about Joe" in general? Joe is a nerd. A big, wonderful, kind, smart, loving, nerd. He reads school books when he's not in school. He plays Text Twist while I upload photos to Flickr. He is unequivocally the smartest man I know (next to my dad...). He has a wonderful smile, though he gets a bit Chandler-esque when it's time for photos. He has spent much of the summer taking 6-10 mile walks to and through the city. He's tall (6'2"). He's Midwestern, and knows about things like hot dish and breeds of cow. He has a t-shirt with two cows on it...one says "moo" and the second says "deja moo". He's an Eagle Scout in awesome.

Gina asked:
Do you and Joe still brew your own beer? How did you get into doing that?

Yes, we still brew, although there has been/will be a bit of a hiatus with his move. It's hard to transport carboys full of wort. Joe used to brew with his other roommates while he was in college, and talked a lot about getting back into it. I always loved the idea, and my dad used to brew when I was a kid, so I have fond, albeit smelly, memories of the whole beer-brewing process. We finally got around to getting all the supplies together and really starting about a year ago. It's been such a fun hobby, and so awesome and rewarding to go from a few simple ingredients to four cases of great beer. I'm excited to get started again after he moves!

Thanks for all the questions, ladies! I know it's taken me forever to do this post, but I'll hopefully follow up with the second answers post soon. In the meantime, if any other burning questions come up, you can still ask them (either in a comment on this post, or the original BLD call for questions).

*Okay, so nobody asked about the beard. He didn't have the beard when we first met, but started growing it out a little while after we got together. It has since ranged in length, width, depth (and other measurements as well!), but is always red, super badass, and a little bit like a Norse god.
**They ended up making me take the cap off for the picture anyway. Bit waste of jauntiness.

We Sang the Night Away

Striped tee: Target, remixed * Skirt: Old Navy, remixed as dress * Two-tone brogues: UO, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed

I'm really tired this morning. Joe and I went out last night with one of our good friends, to make sure we got together before Joe heads out of town. It was loads of fun (but not too much fun...), but we didn't get home until pretty late and I'm just dragging this morning. There's lots to do today, so this second cup of coffee better kick in soon!

My puh-puh-poker face my puh-poker face.

I've been dealing with my summer sartorial stagnation (haha. Now I can't get enough of ridiculous alliteration) by re-purposing certain pieces from my wardrobe. I did it awhile ago with my autumnal-hued dress, and I did it again with this black sheath dress. I've worn it before, and it's a good staple, but I love the paper-bag, a-line silhouette it has as a skirt! I felt tres parisienne.

Title song: Gordon Lightfoot, "Second Cup of Coffee" (yup, that's how inspired I am this morning. Picking songs that literally reflect my day. I'll do better tomorrow.)

Let It Go On and On

Lace shirt: Unique Thrift, remixed * Skirt: Copper Key, remixed * Two-tone brogues: UO, remixed * Quartz necklace: Noble Town Vintage, remixed * Purse: vintage Kenneth Cole, remixed

So, the battery in my camera is dead. It's been on it's way to dead for awhile, and I seem to have lost the charger somewhere during the move. So I've been frantically taking a few precious snaps at a time while the dreaded "battery low" light flashes at me menacingly. I was surprised, and quite pleased, that we ended up getting a few pictures out of it this past weekend. We spent part of one of our days at the Minneapolis sculpture garden, which was maze-like and inspiring and beautiful.

I opted for major comfort this weekend, so my trusty flats and jersey skirt were in high demand. This skirt, which I've had for years and years, was originally given to me by my mom while I was in college, I think. I've worn the crap out of it, and haven't tired of it yet, though the jersey is starting to pill. I just love the asymmetrical hem and fabulous sash. It made me feel just fashionable enough for the other awesome event of the weekend (I told you I had rad news!):

Yep! While I was in the Twin Cities, I was lucky enough to snag some time with some of my favorite MN bloggers. La Historiadora de Moda, Kristin, Sal, Christine and I met up for lunch and some thrifting (don't worry, all I bought was books for Joe; the shopping ban is still very much alive!). I've met Sal once before, and it was wonderful to see her again and catch up, and LHdM, Kristin, and Christine have all been on my must-meet list for quite awhile. It's the bittersweet side of blogging, I guess. I got to meet and connect with these wonderful women who I really feel that I know, and who would be fabulous in-real-life friends, but we live so far apart! In any case, it was phenomenal to get to know them all a little bit better, to see them from all their angles (not just the ones they photograph!), and to hear their voices (that's always the craziest part about meeting someone, for me. I typically have an idea of how someone will sound, but since blogging kind of leaves the sense of sound out in the cold, it's hard to really tell)! Anyway, thanks, ladies, for meeting up with us while we were in town. We'll have to do it again soon...maybe in MN, could be Chicago, or perhaps partway...

Oh yeah, and Joe was there this weekend, too! He took all these pictures, and waited patiently in the thrift store for us to run through the aisles looking for gems (did you see the amazing dress that Sal snagged??!?). So thanks, Joe, for being you. You even get a picture in this post!

Squinty arm-shot. Happy Wednesday, everybody!

Title song: Spoon, "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"