Etsy Seller Alert: KMStitchery

Howdy Folks. I will skip the customary apologies for not posting. I am just finishing up my two grad courses, working two jobs, and sharing custody of my three-year-old daughter. Things are...busy. I will be starting another job in a few weeks, but at least I will only have one class (my last!) next term!

Anyway, in lieu of posting anything about myself, I just wanted to feature this Etsy seller I met at a green gifts fair. She's called KMStitchery, and she upcycles overstock tees and screenprints them with feminist icons. Her models are M and L, but she sells tops in up to an XXL and (currently) 1X. I think it just depends on what she can get her hands on. Anyway, her icons are awesome--Sylvia Plath, Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, and on and on. When my shopping hiatus is over, I will definitely be picking one up. Possibly this one of Susan B. Anthony.

Groupon: American Apparel

I am not sure if this is the Groupon deal in every city today, but I checked a couple and they all had it.

The deal is $25 for a $50 gift certificate to American Apparel, a great value if you are in the market for some of their winter leggings, or one of those circle scarves. They have been stepping up their 2- and 3X offerings of late, too! FYI, I wear either the L or XL leggings comfortably.

And of course I prefer if you sign up using my unique referral code, but that's entirely optional. ;)

ETA: Today they are offering a Nordstrom Rack deal. Get it!

Chicago

Just spent a fantastic weekend visiting friends in Chicago. I was pretty true to my no retail shopping, though I did pick up some replacement leggings at ye olde American Apparel. Those definitely count as winter staples that I can't really forgo.

I also got to pick up my custom-made skirt from Etsy seller and blogger (and all around cool peeps) IntheThickofIt.
She took that picture of the skirt, and brightened it to get the details. The real color is a dark blue:

Worn with a thrifted Target tee shirt (it's grey with red stripes, but you can't tell here), my brand new AA leggings, a vintage four-ply cashmere cardigan (toooooastyyyy) and Pour La Victoire metallic oxfords. And a leopard print coat. The skirt is such good quality, and a good value. I provided my own fabric and she only charged me $25 for labor. And the hem is handstitched! I recommend you check out her stuff.

I also got another 1940s vintage dress! It was $13 at Crossroads and I couldn't believe they had it and that it FIT. It will be featured in a future post. And I got a couple of pretty outrageous animal print items at the Village Thrift that should make an appearance here some day soon.

Shopping Hiatus (of sorts)

I have been thinking of doing this for a long time, and it's time to bite the bullet. Now that the holiday shopping season has begun (which is enough to make me ill in itself--it's supposed to start AFTER Thanksgiving), it's time for me to stop shopping retail. After my most recent frustration with Asos, and more than one occasion where there was a package at my door and I couldn't for the life of me remember what I had ordered, it seemed like a good time to stop. Also, I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the extreme waste that good ol' American shopaholicism really is. I mean, the world cotton production can't keep up with demand. WTF? That just feels wrong to me.

I'll still be shopping, but I will only buy from the thrift store, Etsy, or online sales of secondhand stuff. I will probably make an exception for cold weather staples, because I am in dire need of some cute winter boots that are actually functional. If you have favorite Etsy or Ebay shops, or upcycling ideas, send them my way! My friend Cynara sent me some awesome links for making fabric necklaces--great way to use stained tshirts!

5 things that exemplify my style

Following the latest meme, I wanted to share the five things that define my style. I got the idea from seeing Buttercup's Frocks' and We Are Large, People's iterations.

1. Horizontal stripes, nautical and otherwise.


2. Print mixing


3. Dresses. I know this is vague, but I really wear a lot of them.




4. Belted cardigans. I don't like to admit this one, because I am actually moving away from this look a little, but the proof is there.



5. And of course...

BOOTS!!!

Oops, not that Boots! But that is what my nearly-three year old calls me. I honestly think she may have come up with that because of my boot addiction. I could post a thousand pictures of me in boots, but I know you know how into them I am.



What are your items/looks/things that define your style?

All Hallow's Eve

I look so creeped out in the second picture. Let's pretend it's because it's Halloween. It was probably more because I was in the parking lot of my workplace and was worried that someone would see me snapping my pics!

I am pretty pleased with this unexpected pattern mixing experiment here. The tile print on the dress and the leopard print on the coat are similar enough in contrast and size that I think they don't clash in a bad way, am I right? I find myself grabbing this NY&Co 3/4 sleeve swing coat more and more lately (bought last year sometime for something like $10!).

I slapped on some kitty ears after this to take my daughter trick-or-treating with some friends whose son is about her age. It was the first time for both of them and they had a blast. She was a kitty and her pal was Batman, and the grown folks had great fun eating all the candy (shhhhhh!).

Some blogs I love

I am prompted to do this post by the discovery of Big Girl Small Budget. Tiny Town. I really love this woman's fearless style, self-imposed challenges, and fierce accessory choices. I could learn a thing or two about necklaces from her.

Of course I am a religious follower of my friend Samira's blog, M. O. D. Style, which showcases many of her spot-on, Cali-casual with a few punk, luxe twists outfits, as well as occasional spotlights on designers, style blogs, and looks she loves. All from the perspective of a mother of two.
Rebecca
I totally dig the DIY, slightly nerdy chic of Rebecca over at We Are Large, People. Not only does she have great style, she always goes the extra mile to show you how you can make or buy the look. Bloomie at 30 Dresses in 30 Days is always fearless and fabulous, Deena at Fat Girls Like Nice Clothes, Too brings a British punk sensibility to her looks, and she always seems to know the big stories before anyone else (like when Marc Jacobs announced he would be designing a plus-size line!!!). And of course Xtina at Musings of a Fatshionista always keeps it high fashion and editorial. And I frequently discover more obscure plus-size vendors through her.

Bloomie
There are several more, but none of them are updating much lately. But stick 'em in your RSS anyway (heh, never noticed how that could be punny until now):

An Olive A Day
Fatshion Plate
Big Suit

What else should I be reading?

ASOS New US Site

The new Asos US site has launched, just in time for their mid-season clearance sales!

I am sort of sad that they have a US-oriented site, honestly, because I had finally gotten the hang of how their sizing translates for me, and now they only have US sizes listed, so I have to translate back into UK sizes. Sigh. I know, for example, that the UK 20 is not a US 16, but is more like a perfect 18. That's just the vagaries of sizing, I suppose, but I have to remember that even though they are telling me to order a US 18, I know that I really need the 16. Phew. Any way, I hope you all get a chance to take advantage of their double whammy of free shipping both ways and clearance sale. I am giving this tile-print dress and this work-friendly blouse a try. I was hoping this dress would go on even deeper clearance, but that remains to be seen.

Oh, and Asos, if you are listening, could you please put this owl sweater on sale for me? Kthxbai.

And a little musical tribute to Mr. Solomon Burke, who died this weekend in Amsterdam. RIP, Solomon.

Shades of Orangish Red and Black

Oh yeah, I wore that shizz again. I love this damn dress. It's unfortunate that it's such a distinctive pattern, though, because I don't feel I can wear it more than every week or two. Velvet blazer is thrifted Old Navy, t-shirt dress you can't really see under the Tucker dress is from Asos Curve, scarf from the Gap.

In a related color palette, this is something I wore to a friend's wedding. She was married at an old (functioning) movie theater, complete with popcorn and sodas for the guests. It was in the afternoon, but it is October, it was tough figuring out what would be appropriate to wear. Someone was wearing these (which I secretly covet), so turns out I worried for nothing. It was come as you are.

Nevertheless, I had a bit of a "I have nothing to wear!" moment that I was talked down from via gmail chat by my friend Cynara. She scanned my Flickr photos and pulled this together for me. Emergency digital stylist! Love it. Black blazer, suede wedge heels, and swiss dot nylons are from Target, dress is Dorothy Perkins. Phony pearls from H&M. There was a cute, mini-cat eye thing happening with my eye makeup, but of course I cried that off at the ceremony in a flash.

"And so you're back/From Outer Space...."

So I managed to squeeze in a few purchases in the last couple months. I took a chance on a couple of the Tucker for Target pieces on the recommendation of a friend who said they were pretty roomy. I am very pleased with them. The first one I paired with a sweater and belt I thrifted that are also from Target, American Apparel leggings, and the Target Kachiri boots that are the best deal going. $40-odd bucks for leather, Frye Campus look-alikes? Yes, please.






The second one I wore with a tunic/dress thingy that has made appearances here before (from SWAK Designs) and a orange faux-snakeskin belt from the Target thrift store. Finished off with the famous $19 J. Crew Boots.






This was nothing special, but a comfy weekend outfit that features those same awesome Target boots. Top is SWAK Designs (their stuff is cheap, but once in a while they get something really cute in stock), thrifted cardigan, Asos Curve jeans.





And finally, I got this LL Bean top with a gift card. I have been wanting a spring/fall weight nautical type of top, and this has the perfect neckline and sleeve length for the job. I also got one in cream/navy stripe. It's cut for a longer torso than mine, but I think with a wash or two it will shrink up to just the right length. Secondhand Torrid skirt, vintage hat, Target shoes, scarf from Ricki's, a Canadian chain.

I am back!

Apparently, going on a shopping hiatus means no posts. Heh. Sorry about that folks.

Since I last wrote here, my life more or less exploded, though, so lack of shopping was the least of my problems. I am going to try to get back on this shit right quick...

Two things, tangentially related

Marc Jacobs is developing a plus-size line!!!!

Also, I am on a shopping embargo, so will be launching a challenge soon wherein I have to wear everything in my closet before repeating stuff, followed by the ten items or less (really it should be fewer, I think) challenge. This should distract me from shopping for a while and then I can save up for a single piece from MJ's line. Heh.

Stay tuned; as soon as I finish unpacking all my clothes in my new space, I will be up and running again. I may also do a little post on my new neighborhood and all the cool shopping there is nearby...oops, that's probably a bad idea, come to think of it. :p

6 items or less?

Sheena of the Uniform Project

I am thinking of trying to do the "6 items or less clothing diet", or whatever it's called. I will give myself much looser restrictions and probably will need more like 10 items, but I what I really want to know from you all is what to call it. I chafe at the word "diet" for a number of reasons, but I do like the idea of forcing one's self to be creative with a limited palette. I found the outfits posted by a lot of the "Sixers", as they call themselves, to be a bit uninspired (much more impressive to me is the Uniform Project, where there is but one item that is used in seemingly infinite ways), but I think if I up to ten and regard tanks and camis as undergarments, I could do some cool stuff. Any thoughts, oh anonymous friends of the cyber realm?

Here's a possible set of 10 items. I am not completely happy with it, but tell me what you think:

Eshakti Lust of the Moment

Not that I can really afford any of this, but here are some of my favorite looks from Eshakti right now. I am particularly fond of the seahorse dress. And the bubble skirt with the feathers on it. And OMG THE HUMMINGBIRD CORSET DRESS! How to justify a $70 dress, though? If they still have it when financial aid comes through, we'll see...

Current Eshakti Picks by lowbudgetdiva on Polyvore.com

Sailing boats cotton print dress - eShakti.com
$65 - eshakti.com
More dresses »

Cotton poplin trench dress - eShakti.com
$55 - eshakti.com
More dresses »

Hummingbird embellished skirt - eShakti.com
$55 - eshakti.com
More skirts »

Pop of red-eShakti.com
$70 - eshakti.com

Sea horses - ruffled poplin dress - eShakti.com
$65 - eshakti.com

Vintage romance-eShakti.com
$53 - eshakti.com

Sing the blues-eShakti.com
$50 - eshakti.com

Here's a little clip from my favorite singing duo, Louis Prima and Keely Smith.

Equestrian Grunge?

My neighbor totally sneaked up on me when I was taking this pic and I was embarrassed! Luckily she didn't seem to notice the camera propped up on its little gorillapod on my steps. What she thought I was doing standing in the yard facing the house, I will never know. Hehe.

This dress was in my sell/trade/donate pile until the other day when I did a sales post on Livejournal, and I decided I wasn't quite ready to part with yet. Wearing this type of belt to work feels a little conspicuous to me for some reason, but when I look at the picture I am not sure why I think that. Strange, that.

Oh, and I keep forgetting to post videos of what I am listening to, so here you go!