Anything But Foolish

Warpaint have been ceaselessly compared to Joy Division.  Seasoned listeners will notice that this similarity is slight at best on their first full-length The Fool.  Warpaint does not give a listener images in stark black and white, but instead in an influx of color.  Moody, capturing the dreaminess of longing, a common feeling amongst women, The Fool is anything but a doppelganger of the all-male Joy Division.  Warpaint's music is the sound of feeling removed, underwater, yet dreaming in waking.  It is the soundtrack for a girl who spends the afternoon listening to records and watching rainbows reflect off of a crystal in her windowsill.  The Fool grips the heart in a lull both sweet and  low.

Even Warpaint's rock-ish tracks from their earlier Exquisite Corpse EP still carry this feeling.  Led Zeppelin-esque long jams, backed my Stella Mozgawa's skilled, mature, and emotional percussion, still sound like Warpaint.  They are musicians whose skill accompanies emotion, rather than trumps its effect.

The Fool is a truly unique record, even in this age of experimental/ art-rock/ indie darling/ broken instrument bands.  And unlike a lot of experiments in modern music, The Fool actually works.  Warpaint will have a chapter in the history or music, as well as the history of women, years from now.  The Fool is anything but foolish.

 Check out the full record: http://www.warpaintwarpaint.com/.

-JM

Last three portraits by Marissa Kaiser

The Ways of the Ancients

Tear

from Dileisha

from Buy2Flaunt

I don't know what it is about me and tear shapes.  Maybe it has something to do with the tear shaped peace sign pendent my grandpa gave me.  I found an old picture of him wearing it during the 70's somewhere.  I was about ten years old when it was trusted into my care.  To this day, I get many complements on its unique shape. 

Some years ago, I saw a tear shaped moonstone ring in a little tibetan shop.  It was gorgeous and expensive.  I found myself instantly enamoured with the stone's bright moon-like appearance, but there was a record shop down the street.  "Music, or more jewelry than I really need?" I thought to myself.  I chose music :(  I chose good music, but I still see that ring in my daydreams.

These jewels are all from Etsy.  Translation, a bad, bad place for me.

Jewels

These hands belong to Disarming Darling.  She works for Unearthen.  Sick! (so jealous...)

Layer

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During this time of year, getting dressed in my neck of the woods becomes severely boring.  I've gotten over my winter wonder.  Snow is beautfil, it can shut your world down and give you a long weekend, but it gets old.  For me, getting dressed gets old.  I tend to be colder than most people, so my coat, my manish black leather jacket, and my fuzzy cat hat stay on all day.  Underneath, I usually have a tunic or tee dress with leggings.  Leggings are great, but for me they've turned into a lazy garment.  When it's cold, I don't want to get out of bed.  Waking up warm is much more pleasant.  Some days, I may be overwhelmed by my schedule (though it always works out) and I just don't want to move.  I let the minutes pass until I have about  30 left to get out the door.  Throw on leggings, a long tee with a tank underneath, whatever jewelry suits my fancy, and maybe denim shorts.  Then comes my jacket, hat, scarf of choice, leather satchel, and everyday boots.  To end this rant, the cold makes me lazy and bored.  So, here is some layering inspiration that is more exciting than my usual look. 

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sea of shoes

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All Bundled Up

Although we got up to 67 degrees today, snow is returning next week.

image from earth age

Mesmerized...

Some neat photos from the new Spell shoot.  I'm pretty much in love with this white stone necklace <3

Photography by Beck Rocchi; make up by Phoebe Barrett; hair by Breeanna Avalon; assistant Tahlia Maguire.

New Love

I made this exciting new belt recently.  I love belts.  I've appreciated their contribution to outfits for a long time.  My favorite desings are usually our of my price range, though I've been lucky.  As a youngster, vintage shop owners admired my style savvy and gave me a beautiful, handmade, handmade morrocan belt for a fraction of the price.  It is a statement maker.  Some of my other favorites have come from years of Good Will hunting.  This one is inspired by the belts of my dreams: color, pattern, texture, <3. 

The former pieces:

H&M belt

Fabric a relative gave me years ago

Love Pamela Love

I wish the crescent moon really did cradle crystals.

the wanderer

Queen of Design

Above is some inspiration for Kelly Wearstler's upcoming jewelry collection.  I'm excited to see what this stylish queen of interior art will design.  Near the last fifteen minutes of Top Design I'd turn on Bravo just to see what she was wearing.  These photos from her blog have me intrigued.  I love my metals, mixed, aged, and cold to the touch.  



Reasons no to Bemoan Valentine's Day

Valentine’s day isn’t just about your significant other…it’s a celebration of all the things we love in life- even the simplest things. 

 -by Julia at Free People

A Free People employee posted this on the company's blog.  Every year, this is the way I look at Valentine's Day.  I was raised by a mother so loving she went to cheesy extremes.  I got love notes in my lunch even though I would see her  mere hours later (and for some of my schooling she was the art teacher at my school).  On this particular day there were heart shaped pancakes for breakfast, a heart shaped sandwich in my lunch, and we ate dinner on heart shaped placemats. 

Valentines Day is a day to celebrate love, not be bemaon being single, start dating just to have someone for the holiday, or go to extremes.  A topic for one of my freshman essays in college was "Valetines Day is the Worst of All Holidays."  My professor, someone whom I will never forget, simply gave us the topic and told us to write.  I expanded on the above two reasons, and concluded my essay stating that no other holiday, Hallmark or otherwise, causes a mass suicide.  Each year, lonely individuals make a pact over the internet and chose to leave this world on this very day.

So remember, love you mother, father, significant other, friends, neighbors, cats, dogs, goldfish and the simple pleasures that deserve bounds of thankfullness.

Oh So Precious Metal

jewelry by Sunburn

The Jewels: Andrea Linett

Linett is the creative director of Ebay Fashion

All images from StyleLikeU

Nude

unknown

 trop rouge

Typically, people think that short, shiny, and tight are the key components of sexy.  I find leaving little challenge to the imagination of others too much.  To me neutrals, especially on tan complexions and beyond, are quite sexy.  There's a slyness about wearing clothing that is almost, or exactly, a match to your complexion.  The drapeyer, the better.

This doesn't only extend to the oatmeal and blushy shades seen in fashion's recent rotation.  On a finale episode of The Fashion Show Iman looked stunning in a gown that was a sienna shade of earthen clay (well, she always looks stunning, but I digress). 

Sand, mushroom, various soils, and rocks all lend themselves to color inspiration.  With this, I factor in other natural wonders.  I see neutral clothing, especially my favorite t-shirts and dresses, as canvas' for my statement jewelry.  Oatmeal with lapiz lazuli, blush/pale rose with coral, chocolate brown with black gold jasper.  There are so many possibilities.  These are just my pairing preferences. 

Aside from complexion complementing neutrals there's nothing like pewter grey paired with turquoise, but I'll save that for another post.

Without a Thing to Wear

Without a Thing to Wear could be my new favorite blog.  Not only does she have excellent taste in jewelry, she is a jeweler!  The rings in the last image (above) are her own designs.  Take a look at her Etsy store.  I also enjoy the delicious dessert posts on her site <3<3

Winter

Winter Mood Board - white, nude, turquoise, and lapis blue.

click for larger view