as I watch ghostbusters and dream of james joyce, I post to you all about the benefits of online shopping and my etsy expectations

photos by Neil!

Dress, flower necklace (used as headband) - Ruche

40s fringe shoes - Thrift

Suitcase set - Antique store

More job/unpacking chaos and more internet withdrawals. I think work sucks the creativity out of you, which is why I think no one should ever have to work. Let's boycott 40 hour work weeks and cubicles. Let's watch Office Space and wear old clothes. Forget college and societal expectations. Read A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man instead.

Tonight, we're headed to a hippy coffee shop to watch a friend of ours play some music, and this is what I'm wearing. I just received this lovely dress and headband (technically, a necklace) from Ruche, a wonderful online store that you should definitely check out. Also, I had to show you all this light blue suitcase set. I stole the makeup case from Ash, who left it at home during college which, to high school me, meant she no longer wanted it. :) The other, I found later at an antique store. Old suitcase sets are the greatest.

I'm also happy to announce that this Monday starts Etsy Week! My Etsy Store will be opening on Monday, July 20th, and I have decided to give you a preview this upcoming week, as well as show you why I personally love Etsy.

I'm really excited about this store. I've decided to update my shop every Monday and to give every week a new theme, based on a trend or a certain fashion era that I love. What are your favorite trends and styles right now? I'm all for your inspiration and ideas.

300 mph finger breaking, no answers making, battered dirty hands, bee stung and busted up, empty cup torrential outpour blues

Photos by Rhi!

Red, white and blue dress - gift from Rhi, thrift

White 80s flats - thrift

Bow headband, floral ring - Forever21

Well, Neil and I are officially Nashville residents! We moved in on Monday, and as soon as we were there I called an internet provider. As it turns out, they aren't free for an appointment until a week from today. Nine days without internet. I've been hurting without this life-giving connection in front of me. Thank the Lord for coffee shops.

It has been a hectic beginning. We jumped into work and after full 8 hour days, we haven't made a lot of progress with unpacking. It has been fun, and crazy, and fun. Our Darth Vader bust is sitting quietly in our new living room next to a nice 70s burlap lamp I found at an Illinois antique store. And the bathroom and kitchen are put together. That is about it. It will be a wonderful day when every item is put in its proper position and I have a good one hour to take pictures of it all. You will definitely be seeing the finished product.. just give us three weeks and 200 gallons of coffee. Each.

These pictures were taken at my grandparent's house during the rainstorm.. the one that flooded my grandma's garden, the one Rhi, Drew and I narrowly missed during the drive. Even though the light was patchy, Rhiannon managed to take some lovely photos, and I had to show them off here. Thank you, awesome sister!

happy weekend!

Photos by Neil!

Floral skirt - thrift (cut a little girl's dress in half, made a crop jacket and long skirt out of it)

Sunglasses, purse - Urban Outfitters

Gray tank top - Banana Republic

70s heels - thrift

Floral felt and lace hair pin - handmade

Rhi and Drew are here this weekend, so Rhi and I are about to go take pictures and do some thrift store shopping! Then, we'll be celebrating the 4th with lots of family, fireworks, and barbecue. I can't wait!

Happy Independence Day, all! And happy weekend to my overseas friends!

junk shops equal.. well, junk. mostly.

Pictures by Mom!

Clown shirt - thrifted by my brother-in-law in high school, reworked by my sister 30 years later (just kidding, Danny!)

Striped skirt - H&M

Denim stirrup leggings, black floral hair pin, leaf necklace - Forever21

Boho bag - Flea market

Cutout heels, cross necklace - Thrift

So this is my 'edgy' clothing response to my last post - wearing a shirt with a clown crossed off that reads 'No Bozos'. I went straight from 50s housewife to biker chick, right? Well, it's one step at a time, and I believe my sister Ashley when she speaks of balance in a wardrobe. You can't be 100% feminine or 100% masculine all of the time - the best outfits are ones that combine the two genders seamlessly (not in an 'It's Pat' sort of way, either, but I do think androgyny plays a small part).

Speaking of my sister Ashley.. here she is! In a beautiful drop-waist maxi dress. She, Mom, and I had a chance to go antique/junk store shopping today, and we had a great time with some interesting places (Mom joined us later at the less creepy ones in Franklin, where we found that beautiful lamp shown below at a gift shop above Henpeck Market).

Just Ash and I went to this gem. Exploring Steely's Corner in Columbia requires a strong tolerance for mildew and low ceilings. Aside from that and the lack of clothing, it was a really great place to look around. The helpful workers at Steely's took a haphazard approach to decorating, and I loved it. When you dig around in a junk shop, you feel like you've truly earned whatever you find in the many mystery bins and piles.

Antique and thrift stores off the beaten path always yield the best results.

Every time I hit up an antique store, I search for old photos and scrapbooks, and especially now that everyone seems to be finding great ones and posting about them. Well, I have never found one until today.. It was a beautiful yellow book with gold detailing, in awesome shape, from the 1960s. And it was a travel scrapbook! The work people put into these things - all of the details - made my sister and I wonder how they end up in antique stores at all. This one even had a section on plane rides. Shouldn't these scrapbooks be passed down?

So, did I buy this great scrapbook find? No. I ended up purchasing this Darth Vader porcelain bust. I'm sorry, but my nerdy passions have to win out. Darth Vader is going straight to our living room bookshelf when we move into our new Nashville place on Monday.

Aside from Darth Vader, I found an old bamboo rug and a home sweet home sign that is going above our front door. We also found a strange 1960s coffee table that Neil and I might be going back for. Old furniture will always be better than new to me. Unless the furniture comes from Urban Outfitters and is made to resemble old furniture, of course.

an ode to the shoulder pad

My friend Matt is an avid movie-watcher and critic, and he's good at it. Recently on his clever blog Reel to Reel he featured The Wiz, a musical from the 70s that Michael Jackson was a part of. He gave me an idea to focus on Michael Jackson's fashion here, and after watching hours of videos and looking up article after article (which isn't hard right now, news on Michael is still all over the place), I went for it.

I know Michael's personal life was most likely crap, but he was a musical icon. There's no denying that. He earned the title 'King of Pop' not just what he did for music, but what he did for the look and feel of music. He brought the show back to the music industry. He was a true entertainer. Nearly every one of his videos tells a story, and many of them are close to 10 minutes due to opening cinematics and credits, etc., just like a short film.

Wow, his fashion. When I see Michael Jackson, I'm used to thinking fedoras (can I take this moment to tell you that I absolutely hate fedoras and will never own one?), the white glove, the military style suit coats. But there was more to it than that. He had a knack at combining soft, preppy looks with leather and shine and managing to not make it look over-the-top or mismatched. I was surprised at the multitude of bow ties he wore and I learned that he was a part of the v-neck t shirt movement, which I love on guys. Also, those great open vests and the myriad of glitz, sequins, and jewels.

Michael Jackson had an edge.

That is what I miss in my wardrobe right now. An edge. I love feminine pastels and florals, but I need more leather bomber jackets and wild 80s prints and torn up tights. And big hair. Should I perm it up?

My favorite time period for Michael Jackson was the early 80s because not only did you see a heavy biker influence with a lot of shine, he wore softer leather jackets, skinny jeans, and bow ties very well. Even some pastels and golfer hats. Lots of black and white shiny shoes on this man, too. I'm not complaining.

Here are some observations I made while watching video after video of MJ..

Beat It - High collars, colorful sneakers, awesome headbands, macho man high water pants.. of course, Michael's piano shirt. Lots and lots of shoulder pads. My favorite, fashion-wise, of his videos.

Thriller - Is that girl wearing a blue leopard print outfit? Ok, two Michael Jackson trends I hate - fedoras and animal print. Doesn't change the fact that this music video is an awesome mini movie.

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough - He rolled up his sleeves and never looked back.

Smooth Criminal - I'm most amazed by his dancing in this video. Cool 1920s speakeasy theme with a neat white suit. Cut your hair, Michael.

The Way You Make Me Feel - Does anyone else love the girl's boots in that video? And I love the set. It's kind of a friendly version of Blade Runner.

Bad - How many choreographed fight scenes can we take, Michael? He must have watched a lot of West Side Story when he was younger.

Black or White - Great that he kept his colors to black and white! Obviously due to the name of the video, but also - he's got so much going on around him, with the Indian and the Native American fashion and everything in between, that he doesn't need a lot of color on himself. And of course, that awesome v-neck.

The influence Michael Jackson has over the fashion world is widespread, and we'll see it now more than ever, I think. As just one example of many, Christophe Decarnin's Balmain line has recently been influenced by Michael Jackson. By using mostly black and white as well as a lot of sparkle, a little bit of military detail (especially in the boots), and a lot of sharp, high shoulders, Decarnin really captured what Michael is known for. Here are a few examples from Autumn/Winter of this year.

Check out the rest of the collection here.

Also, where can you find anything and everything? Etsy, of course! My favorite online community, it holds the secrets to a successful Michael Jackson wardrobe. Here are some great Michael Jackson-esque finds.

SWEET TEETH by Cubist Literature

Vintage Velvet Clip-On by Mouse Trap Vintage

Vintage Spectators by Simply Maggie May

What are your favorite Michael Jackson trends, videos, and memories?