bowties and bookworms

time out's photographer snapped me at the printers ball. here i am rocking out with my pal dave!

like i said: summer means little white shoes

an excellent puerto rican band was playing salsa. my partner's name is lee, i think.

pretty much all the free books and magazines were gone before 8, but cassandra and i had a grand time cutting stamps and watching demos. (paper from pulp! hand-bound journals! type-setting!)

pierogi fest

in whiting, indiana.

my awesome friend dan sullivan goes every year.

doing my best terry richardson.

not sure how many pierogi i had eaten at this point, but it was before the fried coke.

golden omen

last night, leaving the damen pink line station, i found this awesome medallion. it was gleaming at the bottom of the stairs. probably the best objet trouvee i have ever got riding the el.*

i need me a mason to decipher the flip side.

*except for my green skateboard -- but that was a long, long time ago.

jane

i owe you a better photograph -- and you're gonna get one! -- but i wanted to show off this find now:

checking out knee deep vintage on 18th and blue island, this dress popped out amongst all the other velvet and brocade dreams. maybe it's because i recently viewed the delightful gainsbourg: a heroic life, but this frock just purred jane birrrrkin. of course, to really get that look, i'd have to chop off half of it. it would be a shame to do so, because it really is such a piece of work.

you can't tell because this photo is the lowest of low-res, but the gown is comprised of alternating sheer strips; lace and gauze. it is just slightly too big, and it's long enough to puddle on the floor. the sleeves bell, but not too much.

it cost only $40.

charles was manning the shop, and was super-helpful and welcoming. when i mentioned that i had recently moved back to chicago, he big-upped several other vintage spots in the neighborhood.

my first icon homage: jane and the barely-there white dress

  

  

 

  

nu, should i cut my prize to mini-length? (my 'brains' might fall out!) maybe i can save the rest to reattach it when my modesty grows back.

one art

The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster, Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn't hard to master. Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster. I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three beloved houses went. The art of losing isn't hard to master. I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster. -- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident the art of losing's not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster. --elizabeth bishop

summer white

new shoes! ten dollar holler!

for me, summer is all about the little white shoe.

standing by the ocean's door

actually, not the ocean

sleep to this

parklife

ether hurts

boner

me and d

eckhart swing

bp eve

one of the best things about chicago is that i might run into a good friend, even when doing something as routine as exiting the damen el station.

davitt usually has inspiring style and he is a fount of great and silly ideas. one of his projects that is really neato is 'dumbest band ever.' it's about being loose and goofy and starting new bands. i really want to participate in this. it is one of my summer goals to partner with davitt on a project.

it would be nice if i had pics of the rest of my night out with lab rat. it included a fundraiser dj set at el teatro, soul night dancing at cobra lounge, and dub step at evil olive. i know all that probably sounds trashy and hedonistic, but it's important to get down!

swim brunch

cassandra and i met maria at swim cafe for sunday brunch. now a new yorker, maria was my main collaborator from 3rd grade to 10th. we visit each other (she came through NoLa on tour last year) and talk a lot of trash.

we're both really into style, but the heat wave sweeping the midwest didn't skip over chicago. she had a sax gig to get to and i had bitchpork. the key to heat index fashion: jewelry. yellow rhinestones or an awesome bronze crow skull don't add to the humidity.

brunch was super-good, as is anything off swim's menu. i had peaches and cream french toast with a hemp milk mate latte. maria repped her non-brazilian half with a lox and cream cheese bagel. i do not remember what cassandra ate, but she took the above photo.

west town block party

i went to this event hoping to see my bestie lamon, but there were several bonus features... such as his lovely girlfriend erika.

such as quail. a local 'pollo vivo' joint had lent the birds for a petting zoo.

i really hope someone adopted this little guy.

i didn't know my buddy eric lab rat was going to have his hustle going, but it was a treat to see him.

faux-tagged: alistair s, david r, tomorrow kings, david's roof, cheesecake sampler

candyfloss

eric lab rat set the parameters for this outfit. en route to pick me up for a brunch date, and he said i should "achieve a look of unparallelled loveliness."

yeah, that's gonna happen.

still, to step in the right direction, a 60s floral blouse (birthday gift from cassandra) and an 80s skirt that i chopped up. confectionary colors but light on accessories. a more girly look than i usually go for.

here is eric, looking lovely beyond compare, in his own fashion:

(we stopped by vogue fabrics. on business.)

farmlife

burro whisperer

mom's shot

ham bath

baby cousin lily

baby cousin maxine

chocolate, sarah, thomas, new-dog-no-name and mama