Posts Tagged ‘Wear-a-thon’
Lily Day 14
This morning I am working from home lounging on this luxurious velvet green couch. ( I am much happier than I look in this picture)
I am wearing sunset oranges and pinks to brighten up sitting inside. My wrap-around shoes are from the Salvation Army in Central Square Cambridge and have served me well this summer as beach shoes. I pinned my dress (actually a nightgown from Second Time Around in Boston) to the LBD to give it the effect of being one dress.
Life is sweeter in pop colors.
Lily Day 13
My grandparents’ house is full of such magical spots. Wild flowers spill over the foundations and butterflies flirt in and out of the open porch.
My feet are callused from growing up playing barefoot here.
The LBD covered me from noon time sun as I picked a bouquet of “weeds”.
Underneath I am wearing a light sundress from my first week in Beijing when I thought $10 was a bargain.
It was a beautiful few days home, but now I am ready to go back to the good ol’ NYC hustle and grind.
Lily Day 12
Went for an over night trip to my grandparent’s house on Cape Ann.
The LBD is styled with my race-car bathing suit from Urban Renewals (the best second hand store in the Boston Area) and a pair of flip lens glasses from Inner Mongolia.
Water gear is so goofy but the ocean is super freezing so I always bring some floaty device to ease myself into the water.
I have spent so many hours playing on these rocks collecting sea creatures in buckets, picnicking, and causing mischief with my cousins. I always revert back to that innocent excitement when I go to this magnificent landscape.
Jessica Valenzuela, Day 10
A great day of meetings rewarded with a walk on the beach while watching kiters at Crissy and under The Golden Gate Bridge with my LBD!
Kristin Arzt, Day 47
PHOTOGRAPHER Krista Pruent
Day 47; July 23, 2010
Another exciting day on Graham Ave!! Madness, I tell you! This whole street deserves its own sitcom. Today I have on a dress that was once an old skirt. I added lace cap sleeves and a crocheted heart back. The LBD serves as my apron today while I work in the butcher shop on Graham Ave… Right next door to Treehouse is Emily’s Pork Store, and Mike, one of the delivery men, loves to visit us at Treehouse. While Krista and I were taking pictures outside of his shop, I insisted (and practically had to force) him to take a picture with me.
There’s our man!! With his handy [plastic] severed leg, naturally.
Here you can see the crocheted back I added to the former skirt, as I tempt myself with another really ridiculously cute dress from Treehouse.
I clipped a tiger pin to this turquoise-y pearl necklace.
Well…it’s been real everybody. This here’s my last post, at least until I get my special guest-status on up on this site! I’m gonna miss everybody! Thanks for keeping track of my silly summer antics
Lily Day 10
A glimpse of sun this morning before I went to work.
People rarely wear white in the city, so I wore the LBD over a white body suit that I got in high school. It used to be full length and long sleeves, but I looked like a painter so I altered it to be a summer piece. I realized after coming home with two black marks from a subway seat or bench why New Yorkers prefer black.
I found these moccasins in my closet at my mother’s house, but they are not mine or really my style. Who knows where they came from? The leather is worn and super comfortable though, so I have started to wear them.
Now I am off to my home city, Cambridge!
Lily Day 9
PHOTOGRAPHER: AYASHA GUERIN
I was locked out of my office today, so I took the opportunity to chill in Central Park.
Me amidst a risque change into my sunbathing gear.
I wore a red collared crop top and strapless bikini that I got in Red Hook (upstate) for 2$!!!
I am always thankful for the cool air of green-space mitigating the urban heat island of NYC.
Kristin Arzt, Day 46
PHOTOGRAPHER Krista Pruent
Day 46; July 22, 2010
New romper we just got in at Treehouse, along with a million other amazing vintage dresses and onesies and fun dress-up jib-jab!! The LBD works perfectly as a long cardigan with this romper.
And who says brown and black don’t go well together??? I hate that rule, along with most fashion “rules”. Yeeeeahhh!!! I’m such a rebel. And to go along with my rebellious attitude, I’m wearing a badass Feral Childe belt with a hand-carved wolf head buckle.
Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles?!!
Lily Day 8
Today I set aside some time to sew a slip up a petticoat.
I got dressed in a khaki silk explorer-esque dress from my Grandmother’s closet. I belted it with a ribbon from a market I went to in Yunnan, Southern China.
I have been sewing a bunch of lingerie recently to wear instead of real clothing in this heat.
I hope I’ll have more time to spend making a collection of summer undergarments.
Kristin Arzt, Day 45
PHOTOGRAPHER Krista Pruent
Day 45; July 21, 2010
Today I felt like bringin’ the beach to Richardson Street in Williamsburg. I tied up the LBD over a tie-dyed purple slip I’m wearing as a dress. Ow ow… Check out that cutoff’s tan! Don’t you just looove summer?! I wrapped a chain belt and a rope belt around my waist.
On top of the LBD I threw an old purple and yellow-dyed crochet (I’m guessing it used to be a table-cover) over my shoulers.
Siri Wilson made my necklace from turquoise, bone and all sorts of beautiful stones! You can find [most of] what I’m wearing at Treehouse in Brooklyn!
Hangin’ out in the branches! Typical…
Lily Day 7
PHOTOGRAPHER Margarita Fedorova
After a late night, an early morning, and a long day, I cooled off in the back patio at my friend Ana Ratner’s house.
I was aiming for pure comfort so I wore my homemade romper, my LBD as a crop jacket, and my practical NY black satin sneakers.
To top it off I had the sweetest-lip-smacking and lipstick-matching watermelon as a snack.
Watermelons are so satisfying. I could eat them everyday and I am planning a fruit picnic for this weekend so that my friends can try and share their favorites.
Eliza Starbuck, Day 31
Flapper Schoolgirl
Today is the last day of this wear-a-thon. It’s been so fun having an excuse to play dress-up all month, and I definitely found some new uses for the stuff in my closet. It was also really great to test out my design to see if it really works, and it even gave me a couple ideas on how this little black dress design could evolve.
I pulled out this beautiful 1920′s sundress and am amazed that it’s still holding together. Most of the items that I’ve collected from that era slowly began to shred and disintegrate in the 1990′s. Shelf life of most natural fiber fabrics, before they begin to break down, seems to be about 70 years if they don’t have excessive wash and wear in their glory days. But these days there’s no standard on the how long the make of the clothes will hold up. With some brands, I’ve seen seams fall apart on the racks in the stores. Meanwhile, polyester will probably out live the humans, too bad it just doesn’t breath.
I added the neck scarf tied around my head in a ridiculous bow to add some sass! And don’t ask me why I decided to put on a rasta colored acrylic bracelet with this ensemble, it just called to me. But I think the red lipstick really completes the outfit. On my feet are vintage oxfords that were a hand me down from a college roommate. It’s a miracle they’re not all stained with all of my clutz!
Eliza Starbuck, Day 30
Mexican Purple
I pulled this purple vintage Mexican dress out of my closet, which is another old favorite that I’ve kept for years. But it never seems to get out often enough. And just by chance I found a house with a yucca plant in the front yard, which is native to Mexico as well. It made the perfect accessory, so I snuck into their yard to take my dailies.
The peep-toe suede shoes are the ones that I bought in Argentina on my honeymoon. We had to splurge on the shoes there because of their lovely quality and classic styles.
It was so bright that I could scarcely keep my eyes from watering, thus the squinting. I folded back my little black dress’ neckline to reveal the pretty ruffled collar underneath, and I threw a blue and red woven belt, another Beacon’s Closet find, over the whole thing. From a distance, the blue and red blend into purple matching the purple dress pretty well.
Lily Day 6
I have always wanted to picnic like Renoir.
Not for the food but for the picnic hats.
LBD and Suspender Skirt From the Beijing Silk Market
So on my picnic today, I wore one. It would have been a man’s hat then, but now it is relatively gender neutral.
I folded the LBD into a crop top and allowed my 1920′s cream lace Bra to poke out. When it is cooler out I’ll try a more elaborate Renoir costume complete with ruffles, a parasol, and flowered hat.
Eliza Starbuck, Day 29
Greek Chic
This is an antique tunic from Greece that was handed down to me from my grandmother, who is not Greek, but she likes to collect beautiful pieces of embroidery she finds along her travels.
The earrings were borrowed for the day from my friend Eleanor, who said she had bought them from a jewelry designer who had made them for an Italian Vogue shoot. Eleanor had somehow convinced the designer to sell them; they really are amazing. The heart ring on my right hand is from my years freelancing at Coach.
The hat is a hand-me-down from someone with a much larger head, I’m not saying who. And on my feet are my trusty, old Dr. Scholls which I clomp around in all over town. They’re the best.
Lily Day 5
Back to the heat.
It makes me want to drag my feet.
Gold leaf pattern on my pants
And as soon as I go out I retreat.
Today I could only beat
the sun
By wearing a super fun
LBD turban
Eliza Starbuck, Day 28
Tea for Two
Working hard all day, I decided to take a break. So I ran around the corner to my friend Eleanor’s house to do some girl talk and have an afternoon tea. As usual, I dressed for the occasion. I thought this soft-colored summer skirt, found at Beacon’s Closet, made the perfect statement.
One must look lady-like when getting the dish! So I put the pleats to the front on my little black dress, belted it with a belt that survived being made by Forever 21, however the dress that it came with was not so lucky. Around my neck is a large rutilated quartz crystal I wrapped with gold filled wire, which helps to keep the positive energy up. Vintage melamine bracelets are, again, on my wrist.
And I opened up the back of the dress, folding it down into a flattering v-open-back, to catch some air and avoid prudery.
Eleanor didn’t exactly spill the dirt, but she does have a rather lovely potted garden on her deck, and we enjoyed sipping our iced teas while we watched the neighbor’s laundry flap in the wind. I like the soft neutral color palette on display there. Perfect break, thanks Eleanor!
Lily Day 4
I was inspired by Bunty Aur Babli to put on one of my sequined belly shirts over the LBD.
In the same vain I set off to Jackson Heights to get Indian groceries.
My friend and the photographer, Ana Ratner, took the 7 subway line to get there.
As we traveled we listened to the Safari 7 podcasts which tells ecological tales of invasive species to abandoned islands along the 7 line route.
I recommend everyone download the podcasts and take the ride.
Especially if you get off at 74th street for curry lunch, sequined Saris, and bootleg Bollywood DVDs.
Eliza Starbuck, Day 27
Mod Art
I don’t know if you know this about me, but I was a crazy Mod in high-school and a fair part of college. I wore all thing’s 1960′s, had bleached bubble hair, wore polyester, black spider eyelashes, nude lipstick, the works!
Thankfully, I’ve grown out of that stage of my life, but there are still some subtle reminders hanging around… my neck to be specific. Okay, maybe that’s not exactly Mod, but it’s definitely 60′s. This gold bling necklace I scored at a Long Island garage sale in college.
The dress is also a remnant of my retro Edie Sedgwick obsession. But it fits right in with my current “going native” theme of the summer, it’s a tunic-loin-cloth!!! How perfect! If you have to wear polyester, make sure that it lets the air in. I love the tribal abstract modern print and the mustard color.
The hat my mom gave me years ago to keep the sun off of my face. I was always burning my skin by accident in my younger years. Thanks for looking out Mom.
Kristin Arzt, Day 39
PHOTOGRAPHER Krista Pruent
Today’s LBD styling is dedicated to a beautiful day in the trees! I’ve been re-fashioning some vintage while working at Treehouse and today I’m wearing one of my pieces. In its past life it was a floral skirt that I hiked up and braided some straps and a belt from vintage leopard fabric. Here’s to shameless friendly promotion- Look out for “Kris Kross!”
The sunhat belongs to Siri, Treehouse’s owner. She found it at a yardsale for two bucks! The necklace was hand-crocheted by Siri, a piece in her Sirius Lux line, from copper chains. Treehouse turns four on Sunday! Siri is throwing a sha-bang from 4-8 with cocktails, pink champagne and so many treasures! It’d be silly to miss it (even though I can’t go 
… which is totally silly). Happy day 39!
