By Mary Catherine
*(“Circus” being loosely defined here, as you will see below…)
I don’t think I’ve professed my love for Flickr here on Painfully Hip, but let it be known: I love it. I love the street fashion groups so much and of those groups, I especially love the Wardrobe Remix group (which is where, incidentally, Amber and I first happened upon each other). Partially because of it’s size, it’s variety, I find it very inspiring. If you don’t somehow work in fashion, or know lots of people who share your clothes-related urges, your fashion-life can be a little more lonely. It’s not unusual to be the only one you know who likes the things you like. But, like Painfully Hip, on Flickr–you will undoubtedly come upon a slew of other girls (and some guys) who like what you like also. Super neat. I love it. And because of my love for it, I’ve become a regular contributor. And lately, I’ve gotten a (totally deserved) hilarious theme in the comments I’ve received. For example:
I was told this looked like I was inspired by vaudeville:
(Hat: vintage, thrifted; Bow: made myself!; Top: h&m; High-waisted jeans: UO clearance; Shoes: h&m)
I totes see that and while I did NOT consciously plan it, I have to say, I am thrilled with the comment/compliment! I love that idea! At this point, there are very few things that intrigue me in my artwork (and in my clothes, apparently) more than an old-fashioned circus. Especially if it happens to be a french circus…hmmm….
The day after the above outfit, I wore what you see below, which I was told looked like both a circus MC, and a lady lion-tamer on her day off. Maybe the best compliment ever?
(Bow: made by me!; Blouse: f21, tea-dyed; Bracelet: thrifted, vintage; Overalls: UO; Shoes: h&m)
And then today I was asked to put together some outfits using gingham for Violet Folklore–one of my favorite blogs run by two of the loveliest girls–which was no problem at all because I LOVE gingham. Especially of the black-and-white variety. And so I went to work making an outfit around my favorite gingham pants (which I happen to have made, btw. Holla.) And lo, another circus-y, mime-y look:
(Hat: vintage, thrifted with a pin sent to me from Francesca of the snail and the cyclops; Blouse: thrifted, but it’s Erin Featherstone for Target; Pants: did i mention i made them??; Purse: vintage; Black bow bracelet: h&m; White bakelite bracelet: vintage, thrifted; Lace socks: anthro clearance; Shoes: gift)
And–mind you–this recurring theme still hadn’t occurred to me UNTIL I put my outfit BACK ON that I was already. I then realized: It’s true. I am circus-obsessed. And today I’m a Carny….
(Velvet hair bow: made by me!; bird necklace: anthro clearance; shirt: h&m; suspenders: $3 at a cheap-o store; jeans: Kohl’s jr dept on sale; socks: Old Navy 874 years ago; shoes: h&m)
I guess the biggest difference is that I have all my teeth, but otherwise….
And hey–all you P-Hippers–we’ve just started a new Flickr group with this sort of thing in mind! It’s called “This Outfit Inspired By _______” and we’d simply love it if you came by, joined up, and showed us your outfits and what inspired them! You can find it here. We can’t wait to see you there!
originally uploaded by non no yes for wardrobe_remix
Remember when your grandparents would make you get dressed up for some crappy religious holiday and you’d throw a fit when the patent maryjanes came out because dammit, your ratty-ass hiking boots are just SO COMFY?
Your grandma had no idea how cool you were that you were actually ahead of your time, spearheading the grunge craze.
originally uploaded by whatkatiewore.com for wardrobe_remix
She somehow managed to appear effortless, sophisticated and demure… while wearing the full contents of Rainbow Brite’s closet.
When these illustrations found their way into my inbox, I was titillated. aleXsandro Palombo, a young italian fashion designer and knitwear revolutionary, is soon releasing this cheeky book of illustrations rife with political and religious imagery (and some very recognizable Fashion Royalty), pre-destined to ruffle some tail feather in the fashion sphere. His exact social commentary is unclear in the following few examples, but the decidedly shrewd wit wafting from the pages is drawn with a charming naiveté – luring you in until you’re up to your eyeballs in a stew of Roald Dahl and Toulouse-Lautrec-esque cultural surrealism.
“The book features around 100 illustrations by Palombo in which the designer analyses eleven years of his creations, accompanied by a symbolical figure, a melancholic yet exuberant little clown called Vanitas who, turning into a Virgil-like figure, guides him through the personal memories and dreams behind Palombo’s collections. The reader joins them through this journey, takes part in the making of the various garments and sits down in the front row to see the final catwalk, which represents the climax of this adventure into the world of fashion. During the final catwalk Vanitas presents Palombo’s new creations while the designer makes a satire of the fashion universe and of its main representatives.
‘In his previous collections and catwalks Palombo explored religious themes, but also the clashes between the East and the West and the Christian and Islamic worlds, with models wearing balaclavas, military symbols and keffieyhs, this is why in the book there are references to Oriana Fallaci, the Italian author and journalist who produced great pieces of journalism for decades, but focused in later years on writing against Islam.
‘The book also features brief pieces by people who met Palombo and had the chance of getting to know his work and personality.
There are some elements in Vanitas – the figure of the clown, the chromatically vivid illustrations and the dreamy moods – that make me think about Federico Fellini’s atmospheres and drawings.”
-Book Preview: Vanitas, Inshallah by aleXsandro Palombo
by Irenebrination
In some ways it may seem that Mr. Palombo is dabbling in controversy for the sake of controversy, but he insists this is not so. In response such claims regarding his outlandishly subversive runway show in 2003, he explained:
”My home in Salento, in the extreme south of Italy, is a land of sacrilege,” he said after the show. ”A sacrilege that is the culmination of many cultures that coexist there — Arabic, Muslim, Israeli, Albanian, Greek, Norman and many others. My philosophy is one of encounters involving many diverse ethnicities, faiths and religions from around the world.”
On that note… Happy V day, all y’all! I’m going to get dressed up in something ridiculous.
Thanks to the amazing Modepass for featuring me in Flair Magazine this week, I feel honoured.
Have a lovely, chocolate-covered day!
I’d like to introduce you all to our newest blogger at Painfully Hip, and believe me, we scored big. A renaissance girl of sorts, Mary Catherine is an excellent blogger, amazingly crafty (the handmade hats, headbands and delightfully macabre dolls in her Etsy store will make your credit card shudder), a talented actress (recently employed by 30 Rock, Flight of the Concords and Broadway, baby), and (wait for it!) a Thrift Star of the Day. Too boot, she’s completely fucking adorable, sweet as all get-out, keen as Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, a great cook, and has a closet I could happily DIE in.
Thanks Mary Catherine!
-Amber
It’s actually an odd thing for me to say because I *officially* do not like anything remotely related to anything that is related to preppy-ness. I immediately think pastel izod with turned-up collar/cookie-cutter housewives at a country club/the villain in Karate Kid (and every other 80s movie for that matter)/etc. You get my drift. And so it has been with great gusto that I’ve avoided what I consider to be the polar opposite of my fashion ideal. I treasure imagination, creativity, individuality and uniqueness when it comes to clothes. To me, being preppy concedes the “me” in favor of looking just exactly like a copy of the “we.” No good.
And I have always mentally marked certain labels as preppy and thus, not interesting. (Anne Klein, anyone?) One of these being Burberry. I am not a fashion thoroughbred, so I could be totally wrong on this, but that’s where I always filed it, mentally. Preppy and boring. Could it be that damn plaid? I swear if I see ONE more beige, black, white and red plaid ANYTHING–violence will ensue. It’s the most ubiquitous thing in life right after the movie trailer for “He’s Just Not That Into You.” It’s the cockroach of visuals as far as I’m concerned. It helped only slightly that Kate Moss did the advertisements. Slightly.
So imagine my surprise when I fell head-over-heels in love with this little vintage number…:
….and saw it was Burberry…??
(hat: Banana Republic years ago. purse: h&m. gloves: UO clearance. tights: ??. shoes: h&m this year)
I found it in the Etsy shop Arrogant Loves Original, it was very reasonably priced and I’ve worn it 3 times in one week.
To me, this dress is not anti-thetical to all I hold dear in fashion. In fact–it’s pretty great. Should I re-file Burberry?? Or maybe I now like the preppy thing?? Either way, I stand corrected. If this dress be preppy, then so am I 
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All images were either created by the Painfully Hip Design Collective, used with permission, or found on the web and believed to be in the public domain. If any images that appear are in violation of copyright law, please let me know and i will remove them immediately.
Thanks for reading,
Amber
painfullyhip at gmail.com
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