Sunday 08/22/10

I don’t know how many of you think about who your favorite costume designer is. I do, often. One person always is in the forefront of my mind. Colleen Atwood. Every time I am watching a movie and her name appears my heart swells with the knowledge that I will soon be witnessing clothes that will smite mine eye with a beauty so large the silver screen cannot contain it!

Colleen Atwood has been the costume designer for a long list of films including: Alice in Wonderland, Silence of the Lambs, Mars Attacks, Chicago, Sweeney Todd and many many more. Below are a few of my favorites.

Public Enemies. The linen suit that Christian Bale wears at the end of the film right before...well that's a spoiler so I won't say. Irregardless I could not, and still cannot get that suit out of my head.

Gattaca. The impeccable severity of most of the costumes in this movie are what stands out. Even the evening dress Uma Thurman is wearing in this picture reflects the societies themes of striving for perfection but without dallying into creativity and imagination. Although the way her hair is styled, down instead of her normal severe bun is an indication something is not quite normal.

Big Fish. The visual of Ewan McGregor in the daffodil field, the blue against the yellow. The unreal storybook quality of the perfection of the suit. 

Sleepy Hollow. These costumes are so intricate. Delicate, yet dark and Gothic enough to suggest, if the axe wasn't clue enough, that something bad is going to happen. Miranda Richardson's dress pictured here is my favorite of the film.

Any costumes from a movie that have made an impression on you?

Love ABBS

Sunday 08/15/10

Yes I know I am week behind and I only have one picture. I decided Ashland was more important than this blog. I decided Hamlet was more important that fashion...I know I have just shocked many of you so I will allow a brief moment for you all to collect yourselves.


I think however that this one picture more than makes up for it. Behold.

 Purple crinkled silk, gold accents, a simple sophisticated hairdo. I'm so happy I could cry. Love ABBS

Sunday 08/08/10

Instead of pictures of RCC folks in Oregon City proper I have some extended RCC family pictures that were graciously emailed to me. 

This is Arwen Wismer. For those of you who aren't aware the Wismers attended RCC before moving to Australia. Brenda sent me this pictures which have elicited exclamations of "awwww" from everyone who has seen them. First of all I majorly want her boots. And that little sweater dress with the blue pockets!!! Plus she has all these cute model poses down.

Below are two things I think all of you should stare at and admire.

These are Toms. They are all the rage with the youth. When you buy a pair they give a pair to a child in need. They are pretty.

These are knuckledusters. You can buy them at Opening Ceremony. I'm thinking birthday present.


Love ABBS

In regards to shopping difficulties

I’m not going to respond to whether or not wearing bad clothing is a sin. I think that the previous post was making a point and exaggeration was used to an effect. At least it got a response.

I do want to respond in regards to the difficulty in shopping for flattering clothing.

Let me speak bluntly here. I am what is considered a “plus size”. This means that when I go clothes shopping at the mall out of the around 40 stores selling women’s clothing I can go shopping at about 7. These aren’t stores I even necessarily want to go shopping at, simply stores that make clothing that fits me.

Now it’s easy to get intimidated/irritated/emotionally damaged when faced with this. And I have been to all of those places in my head. However I like looking good more than I like being depressed and sad. The last sentence seems like an obvious one, but seriously sometimes it’s so easy to get in a rut about shopping and mope about clothes rather than facing any real or imagined fears one has about them.

Some of the things I had to get over before I could have any fun with shopping

1    had to except the size I am. None of this I will be a different size in the near future business.

2.     I had to educate myself about what looks good on me. This means trying things on, and being willing to at first commit a significant amount of time to shopping. Also, asking for help from the salespeople and perhaps taking someone with a good clothes eye with you when you shop.

3.     I had to not sabotage myself. Do not go into stores that you know will not work for you just so you can become unhappy. Do not go shopping with cranky kids or low bloodsugar, this will end badly. Do not go shopping determined to find something for an unreasonable price, you will only once again make yourself feel worthless. And do not take someone with you who you know is not helpful or extremely critical in a bad way, the only thing worse than not being able to find clothing that works is getting into a shouting match with someone in the dressing room.

I am aware that I do possess some advantages when it comes to clothes shopping. I have no children to worry about when I am shopping. I am still in my twenties and can therefore more fully embrace trends, which I do. But I believe that people make time for what is important to them.

Also, please do not fall into the trap of thinking that your particular body type is impossible to dress. I suggest a What Not To Wear watching marathon for a first hand look at how almost every woman thinks her body type is hard to dress. Or simply ask your friends who you think have “normal” bodies how easy clothes shopping is for them. My experience is that almost everyone has some part of their body they dislike when it comes to clothes shopping.

I know I mentioned time before but I think it’s critical. You have to be willing to spend the time to know what looks good on you. At this point I have pretty well catalogued what works at what stores on my body. How when I buy Dickies I have to get them a size smaller than other jeans. Torrid for trendy items. Target for cute cheap summer dresses is hard to beat. I also shop the sales. I sign up for the flyers and emails from the stores I like so I know when they are happening. But I do not buy items simply because they are cheap, that is the path to despair.

In conclusion. You have to change your mental attitude about yourself  to be positive in order to enjoy shopping. You have to be willing to put in some effort and not give up when things aren’t going the way you think they should. Because the taste of victory when you reveal that why yes, these are Seven Jeans that I got for $30.00, and yes they do fit my legs perfectly, is oh so sweet. The only thing that makes that feeling better? Glitter.

Love ABBS

Sunday 08/01/10

So no pictures today. Not a one. My tears are flowing freely while I type this. However at my darkest hour something was thrown into my lap. A gift sent from heaven. While I don't really know where it came from but as long as it frees me up from having to do any actual work I'm sold. So for your reading enjoyment I give you an opinion piece on fashion written by one who wishes to remain anonymous.

One Saturday morning, while sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a hot beverage, I noticed an average sized man who couldn't decide whether or not to buy a paper from the stand. He was dressed in such a 

way that he completely blended in among his fellow humans and perhaps I would not have thought twice about him had he not made such an indecisive production of such a simple process as purchasing the news. He did, however force my attentions of observation which quickly began to scrutinize his chosen wardrobe: loosely fit, white T-shirt proclaiming his attendance of an Allman brothers concert multiple
years ago, baggy, khaki colored cargo shorts secured with a black belt, white athletic socks pulled up his legs taut to about mid shin, & White sneakers resembling the popular court classic models that have
been flooding the suburban market via your local Costco wholesale for as long as I can remember. 

I don't know when it became OK to wear clothes that were not tailored or attractively draped to artistically adorn the human body, but since the afore mentioned episode I have made a point to record weekly observations on the subject. By stationing myself in different neighborhoods at different times throughout the city in order to observe random population samplings, and have found multiple common offenses that consistently show up among the masses. The following series will be geared toward

identifying and exploring the possible faulty reasonings behind these atrocities.

Let our first subject be none other than - THE T-SHIRT. Let me begin by noting that there are versions of the T-shirt that are designed to fit the body well, however, we will be specifically discussing the T-shirt in its classic form. (One that resembles a deflated Yoke when worn.)  First of all, what was the thought  process behind the acceptance of these covering? I know, let's picture a human form, standing with arms extended so they are perpendicular to the ground (forming a "T" if you will) & cut material to cover his shape in a one size fits all pattern. How is this an acceptable notion?

Also, perhaps because it's America, but most definitely because there is so much superfluous fabric that is doing nothing but standing there on one's torso when a T-shirt is worn and we hate to see waste, we
will use that space for advertisements, or to proclaim popular slogans that we find amusing, or state obvious facts such as "man want fast car", "boy like girl", & "I was homeschooled", or simply adding one, prominent, base word in capital letters such as "BEER". But using yourself as a human billboard does not stop with simple words; it also consists of "finer things" such as local art, pictures of your family, nature, animals, or any combination of all of these things. While all these things strive to add interest to the T-shirt, the do not change the simple fact that a T-shirt is a crudely cut thing that is not flattering to anyone's figure.

There are two reasons I can think of for the "one size fits all" mentality that has produced the T-shirt.

1. Wearing clothes that are loose or baggy "covers a multitude of sins" when it comes to the human form. I would like to challenge this thought process with the argument that wearing unattractive garments is a sin and sin cannot cover sin, only compound it. (i.e. if I steal from my brother I have sinned. If I steal from my brother and lie about it I have not covered my sin, I have simply sinned twice.)

2. One size fits all is convenient. We all know what happened to Cain. In conclusion for this week, please remember that your body is beautiful and you should not seek to cover it in garb that could also fit an additional person your same size or larger inside it.

Thoughts? ABBS