NAKED on PARK AVENUE!!??!

"liberty leading the people" by eugene delacroix, 1830

"UM...okay...I just walked past a chick on park avenue south and 20th street with her assets all out (at first I thought she was wearing a really nude color shirt).  She otherwise looked normal though, with stonewashed jeans, sunglasses, and shoes (although who's really looking) and the kicker, a Burberry handbag...."

a very good friend of mine who lives and works in manhattan just emailed me this. at first, i laughed, and then,  it really got me thinking about the "limits" (or lack thereof) of street style...

did a little "research" (haha, google, anyone?) and found on the gothamist, that it's legal (although, maybe NSFW) for women to be topless in new york state, has been since 1992.

sooo. social protest?! or mere fashion statement? check out this blouse, which leaves little to the imagination, worn by a super-stylish fashionista here. (if you're bored, the comments on this post are very amusing)

miuccia prada, one of my favorite designers, has said something along the lines of, "the more you dress for sex, the less sex you'll get"...

now, i'm never one to put down self-expression and creativity through fashion, i'll probably never have to worry about going topless (or see-thru, without a bra) on the streets of manhattan because a) i don't have the guts to,  b) i don't crave that kind of attention all over my boobs, and c) i'm trying to get as much sex as i possibly can (KIDDING lol)...

so, i'm thinking about what's socially and geographically acceptable in street style. (i can't really see this happening in certain parts of the Bronx, for example...or new jersey...or somewhere in a small town in central USA)

historically, nudity was frowned upon when by missionaries entering foreign countries:  nudity was "savagery"...also during the victorian era a lot nude statues and paintings from the roman and renaissance period in art history had their private parts painted  or glued over with fig leaves ...

so, transport yourself to a sunny summer afternoon on the streets of park avenue...what do you guys think? a celebration of the female form? a right to embrace our equal rights and fundamental freedoms? desperate plea for attention? something that should be left in the pages of art history or on the beaches of the french riviera?????? does she need fig leaves?? or, are we witnessing a
FASHION REVOLUTION??!

(also, i'm sorry i admit, i've been sorely neglecting my humble blog. there is no excuse other than i have been very uninspired lately, so, hoping to do some more outfit posts and DIY soon...thanks for sticking with me,

 faithful readers <3 )

thifted FINDS: jacket, skirt, shirt, shirt. and. new western piece !!!

hit up the thrift store yesterday and found some trendy and one (true) vintage piece: a beautiful, perfectly worn western blouse with a great authentic label.  also purchased a 100% leather mini, oversized 80s blouse, bleached levi strauss jean jacket and a sheer black ruffle sleeve blouse.  perfect for fall!

MARILYN MINTER on my fingernails?!!

check out my cosmic nail art...this was surprisingly easy to do!!! all i did was buy some press-on nail strips...a friend tells me the cheaper ones work better ...these are from"kiss" and this set is "strength and beauty" (it cost only $3, found @ my local drugstore.)

some tips:

-i cut the pre-cut strip down even further with maincure scissors after putting it on my nail-- my nails are very tiny and short...i could use one strip for 2, sometimes 3 nails.

-i lifted them off the backing with a pair of tweezers. and set them down just above the cuticle.

-after pressing them on, i trimmed the edges with a nail clipper.  i used the edge of the tweezer to smooth them into shape, working from the center, out.

-pressed the remaining edges down, folding any small ragged edges down over the edge of the nail

-filed the nails after doing all that...carefully and using a very fine salon board.

all painting/photography in this post (xcept the 'nails of course) is by marilyn minter...she has collaborated with MAC cosmetics in the past. check out more of her artwork

here

I(n)FiNitY....

the poncho came from my local thrift store. the earrings are handmade by TheSkulleryUSA. my boots are from minnetonka, they were a christmas gift from my mom. the blue nail polish is essie's "aruba blue"(#784).

 a friend recently checked out my blog...she really said it best when she wrote,

 " I also have wanted for a long time to stop buying "new" things - this world already has so many manufactured things in it, including in our dumps, so why do we have to keep making more? Anyway, I appreciate your passion for thrifting - it's much more than just a budget thing!"

i've been a thrift-shopper my entire life, not necessarily because i thought i was helping the environment, but because i hardly ever had the $$ to buy new stuff! when i was a kid my friends and i could find incredible true "vintage" pieces at the shops...it's hard  to find good stuff now.  more people are doing it, the shops are very picked-over...i'm not upset at this tho because it means more people are buying less "new" merchandise, and hopefully being more creative with what they alreday have.

a great place to find incredible vintage and handmade is etsy.  this web-based company is amazing. i am addicted to this site, and i'm threatening to open a shop (if i can ever get my SH*T together).  Check out Falke Malum's shop, TheSkulleryUSA, where my pheasant earrings came from, here. 

it is so important to support artists and craftspeople, which is something you can easily do by browsing and buying from etsy's thousands of online shops...just be careful to read each seller's feedback and ask questions if you're not sure about a shop or an item.  i've found the merchants to be very kind, accommodating, and willing to answer questions.

to me, fashion and personal style are an extension of art...it's a constantly evolving journey....thanks 2 my followers for joining me on this one :) xo

having fun running around in the woods with an iphone.(it is really hard 2 take good pics of yourself) hee hee, here is today's outfit: polo ralph lauren flannel, glitterypalm tree shirt and ombre scarf are from the local salvation army, boots from DKNY (old), and porcupine quill earrings from urban outfitters (got em on sale for $4.99). (though i saw a dead porcupine on the road, not too long ago and have not been brave/sick enough to go take its quills off :P)