What shaped your idea of beauty and style?

Inspired by Fops and Dandies post about her favorite kids' book, style-wise (http://fopsanddandies.blogspot.com/2008/07/happily-ever-after.html): My two main children's books (that I got out from the local library hundreds of times, and recently hunted down to add to my own collection) that shaped my ideas of style were the Big Golden Book of Fairy Tales, published in the 50s, translated by Marie Ponsot and illustrated by Adrienne Segur, and the Eroll Le Cain illustrated version of Twelve Dancing Princesses, published in the 70s. Both are out of print - although Golden a few years ago did a reissue of the Segur book, but on shiny paper rather than heavy, matte, rag paper (totally changed the quality of the illutrations). Take a look at these sites - http://errollecain.com/twelve_dancing.htm and http://segur.artpassions.net/ - for some deliciousness. Segur's illustration for Bluecrest is why I have so much costume jewelry today (couldn't copy it, so it's linked below)! If you get obsessed with huntign any of these books down now, don't blame me. It took me about 5 years of on-and-off searching to find a pristine but affordable copy of the Segur book - even the copy at my childhood library had beed scribbled on (someone really hated Thumbkin). http://www.artpassions.net/cgi-bin/show_image.pl?../galleries/segur/ftbluecrest.jpg

Obama lexicon generator, via Slate

Vote, caucaus, campaign, read! Go, already! Give a shit! Gah!

So, one more quickie - it's Fashion Week for Fall 08, and I know I should, I do, care about what's being shown. Rodarte is v. pretty, Halston is better than I expected, I'm keeping both my skinny and wide-legged jeans and ankle boots and dip-dying some sheer tights... but I get impatient with every collection slide show, stop reading halfway through every article, and I just want to grab all the people on NY Mag's Video Look Book talking about the deep and the superfical ramifications of the new designs and shake them and ask "don't you know the most exciting election of the last 50 years is being fought out right now?!?"

Obama takes Colorado

Ok, a quick post for my tens of readers... posts have been thin, and will be through at least the week of Feb 15th, as I have two major deadlines at work that mean the last thing I want to do in the evenings is write more. However, I will note that I caucused for the first time evah yesterday (back east we just vote) and it was messy, but an interesting and highly entertaining lesson in civics. Oh, and I'm a delegate for Obama!

Handbag Tag

OK, so to all my readers out there (mom), I have been crazy busy at work, and all I want to do when I get home is take off my clothes and put on pajamas, not describe what I'm wearing or set up a tripod to take pictures of it! But having a moment to sip some tea and spin through my blog list, I saw that the lovely and creative dreamecho has given me my very fist tag! She wants to know six things that are in my bag - and isn't she lucky she just asked for six - although I realize I'm cheating a bit by combining some items. I tend to carry a biggish bag during the day as I have to tote some minor medical supplies and accouterments. Currently, I'm using a Hayden-Harnett Pastis frame bag in brandy leather. It looks like a cartoon of a proper old ladies bag, as it shaped like a reticule, but huge, with a giant brass kiss-lock closure. And it has lots of pockets, which are a must in any bag I carry (I can't believe that you can get a wait-listed, multi-thousand dollar bag like an Hermes Birkin, and it has not a single pocket! You need to spend an extra 20 bucks to get one of those pocket thingies you can stick in cavernous purses). So, six items:

• Glucose meter kit - this includes test strips, lancets, insulin vial and syringes (I used to use an insulin pen - much easier, one piece - but my new insurance won't cover them, pheh), alcohol wipes, and glucose gel - I like CarbBoom as they actually taste like fruit instead of syrup - in case I have a blood sugar crash. All of this matches the Diabetic Sweater, obviously.
• Sennheiser foldable headphones with Ipod Shuffle - for my bus commute. The headphones are very high quality and fold up into a little, flat case that is perfect for purses, which is why I liberated them from my husband (hey, he took my noise cancelling headphones, a Hanukkah gift from my dad, so it's fair). The Shuffle is also a gift from my dad, with my name engraved on it, and my husband loads it with fresh music for me every month or so - just like a high tech high school mix tape (an art form in danger of being lost - http://coilhouse.net/2008/01/08/mix-it-mix-it-good/)
• Cell phone - although I often forget to charge it!
• Lippie collection - in dry Colorado winters, I usually ditch my makeup bag because I can't be bothered with more than moisturizer and lib balm, as anything else just cakes up on my peeling lips oh-so-attractively. The three balms I have in constant use are chai rose Badger Balm (no color), Aveda SPF 15 lip tint in spice (sheer silvery-beige), and Hemp Organics lip moisturizer in Kiss (pinky-brown that my husband says makes my lips look like Angelina Jolie's, so I go though two tubes every winter. Available at Whole Foods and Wild Oats - I know, I know, they're the same now -and Vitamin Cottage, ladies. Looks good on almost all skin tones.).
• Packet of RTD bus schedules
• Reading material - changes every few days (I'm a fast and multi-booked reader), currently Away by Amy Bloom. Being able to fit a hard-back book is another day bag requirement.

Black and Brown & Black and Navy

***These are this past weekend's outfits, and I did not get my photo-posting tutorial until Sunday night. Susequent outfit posts should have shots, taken each evening by my indulgent husband***

Two traditionally derided color combos that I happen to like. So long as there is texture contrast and your navy, especially, isn't too too dark (so that in harsh office light it just looks like you pulled on the wrong pants), it looks very sophisticated. I also like black with dark fir green, or black plum - the "blackened" colors provide some interest (I'm not much for all black outfits), as well as looking better if you want a noir aesthetic than having un-matching blacks - because black does not automatically go with black.

Saturday, Jan. 5

• Long sleeved, scoop neck black cotton T, ages ago from the Gap;
• Matte black tights, old from Gracile (I think they were sold at The Limited, a store I have not been into - does it even still exist? - for about a decade! At least they apparently sold high quality tights);
• Black cotton high waist, knee-length pencil skirt form American Apparel, with the waist folded over to shorten the skirt;
• Low-calf, dark brown, suede, flat boots with a molded rubber sole and side zips, from Fish Kids, a shop on Comm Ave in Brookline, MA that sells European kids clothes and shoes at ridiculous prices for small people who will outgrow them in 6 months or less, but perfect for small people who are going to stay that way;
• Espresso-brown, crocheted, wool and angora sweater styled like a Victorian bed jacket, waist length, with cropped wide bell sleeves, and fastening with a tea-dyed silk ribbon threaded through the neckline. It was a Hanukkah gift from my sister this year;
• Vintage screw-back gold earrings, could be any decade from 1890's to 1940's, given to me with a jumble of old jewelry by a cousin from Toronto when we travelled to Hungary together on a sort of family-reunion trip six years ago. They are dangling ovals with bead-border, inscribed in scrolling script with the initials "BS", but I don't know what ancestor they originally belonged to.

Sunday, Jan. 6

• Matte black lame American Apparel leggings - I love these, but as Wende B and so many others pointed out, they have a staying-up problem. I realize if the waist was tighter you might not be able to get them on, but I am seriously considering wearing mine with suspenders! AA recently came out with the lame leggings in a high waist style that looks like it will stay up much better, but, alas, not until after I had worn and washed mine and so couldn't exchange them;
• Sweatshirt-grey, bateau neck, raw-edged, cotton jumper by 12th St. Cynthia Vincent, with a slight empire waist but a straight skirt so avoids pregnancy look. I bought this last spring on the 80% sale rack at new-ish Boulder store Besos. It is one of those shops that is unable to inspire me to pay full (and high) price for it's very nice but not earth-shatteringly imaginative clothes, but which always has great sales offerings;
• Pale peachy-pink T, Luella for Target;
• Navy blue zip hoodie by amazing Berlin line Hazelnut, whose line is sold in the US through great indie design site, http://www.starsandinfintedarkness.com/. The front pockets are formed by panels that run up the front, form epaulets over the shoulders and continue into a large hood. It has a mandarin collar, and an oversized dark pewter zip;
• Black stretch leather ankle boots from Nine West about five years ago. They have a rounded almond toe and a sculpted mini-platform wedge. Because the stretch leather (which actually hits low calf) is so fitted to the leg, they look contiguous with the black lame leggings;
• Brooch of low grade silver with dusky blue enamel, of an Indian dancer with scroll work frame, part of a set (including a necklace and earrings) belonging to the original GlamaRuth, and made for the tourist trade, worn at the center neckline of the jumper.

Custom wall unit - with photo!

Ok, so (and this is for Tammy), my first picture post. Not the most artistic or well-composed shot, but I snapped it this evening as a test. It is the wall between our living room and bedroom in our little 1952 ranch house. My husband designed and built the wall unit (before it was completed, out TV sat on the floor in the corner - it is still rather prominent, but is no longer the focal point of the room - sinking it into the wall helped). It is maple wood, and the base is a re-purposed kitchen cabinet with a baseboard added.