Blog the Blogger: Polished by tu-anh

Regular readers of the blog will instantly recognize tu-anh's name as the woman behind the scenes of the Fashion of Goodwill. She also ocassionally writes a blog on living a polished lifestyle. Perhaps you've seen our video on YouTube, no? Regardless, tu-anh and the DC Goodwill Fashionista are BFFs (that's Best Fashion Friends, natch) and she's put together an amazing spring look book, which will premiere on the Fashion of Goodwill website later this month. I can't wait!

I can only give you three hints to the fabulousness that will be the look book: vintage, beach, blues. That's it! My lips are sealed. In the meantime, I'll tide you over with her short and sweet responses to the DCGF's soon-to-be-famous five (plus one) questions. Forthwith, tu-anh's responses...

1. What is the first article of clothing you remember that you loved to wear? A white peter pan collared top made by my aunt. And collar was embroidered by me. I think I still have the pic somewhere. I was about 7 in Saigon. [Perhaps that inspired the early fashion sketch she did, at left? Um...probably not. But it's cool, right? -the DCGF]

2. Where is your favorite place to shop for a fashion bargain in the DC area? Flea markets, (Clarendon, Eastern Market) Forever 21, Benetton Outlet, Goodwill, Salvation Army...

3. Where is your favorite place to shop for a fashion bargain outside of DC? New York City flea markets of course! Sundays are the best days to find bargains…

4. Who is your current favorite designer? Don’t really have one, but always have been a fan of the work of John Galliano for Christian Dior and Vivienne Westwood [Those are some of Westwood's more, uh, understated pieces in the picture below. You know, something simple for Saturday brunch. -the DCGF]. Micheal Kors' designs are very nice and clean, too.

5. If you could own any single item from fashion past or present - money is no object! - what would it be? A pair of 4 inch dance heels with the best soft leather bottom and small white diamonds. I'd have them custom made in Italy, where it costs about $5500 for one pair. I love to dance and am very petite, so I need the height! The standard heels are as high as 3 inches...any higher has to be custom made.

Bonus Question: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? No idea…do you know ? :)

Hey, tu-anh, I ask the questions around there. Kidding! Hang tight, dear readers, and check back next week when I announce the premiere of our spring look book. It's going to be fantastic! Oh, and you can still enjoy last year's pics and video, too, by visiting the site. Have a fashionable weekend...

Goodwill’s fashion blog provides detailed knowledge and insight on vintage and contemporary clothing and accessories that are valuable to fashion shoppers. The facts and opinions shared present readers with entertaining, exciting and value based information on vintage and contemporary fashion and shopping trends.

Moonstone, Opal, Coral, and Snow?

I was working on this moonstone bracelet today when the secretary came in and announced a 100% chance of snow! Now, everyone else is probably sick of the stuff, but we really haven't had a snow this year here in Northeastern Arkansas, so I'm looking forward to having a few inches fall - yes, even though I'm also dreaming of spring. I really am tired of the one day it's 55 and the next day it's 35 weather, so snow or spring, warm or cold, one or the other!
The moonstone bracelet above is made of rainbow moonstone in different shapes and sizes - no lampwork, just the rainbow moonstone and sterling silver (some great sterling from Bali came in this week). I always think of rainbow moonstone as a "Spring" gemstone, maybe because of warm, moonlit nights that lead up to the hottest days of summer. Anyway, you can see my mood.



The next bracelet is made of blue Peruvian opal with sterling silver. Some nice deep blue colour comes through on some of these nuggets - very pretty. More of that Bali sterling is here, mixed with sterling charms from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes (I have got to go to Thailand).

The lampwork this week is in the two coral bracelets below: the first is created of peachy and reddish-orange coral with beautiful, beautiful lampwork glass beads from a new lampworker (new to me; as you can tell from looking at these beads, this artisan has been doing lampwork for quite a while). The two tones of the coral match the two tones of the beads.

The bottom bracelet is made of blue coral and features gorgeous matte beads by Robin Weber. These lampwork beads have a strange depth for beads that do not have a glassy polish and an unusual matte look. They're perfect with the blue sponge coral; the large oval bead is Montana agate with its dendrites against the creamy translucent white creating fern-like patterns.
Now keep your fingers crossed for about 4 inches of snow (at least) that will not be troublesome and look pretty for a couple of days. Then, Spring can come blowing in!


coral
jewellery accessories jewelry fashion shopping beads handmade beaded jewelry beading helmi gioielli smykker tak? juvelen The Jewelry Blog jewelry trends accessories handmade jewelry handcrafted jewelry beads handmade beaded jewelry moonstone

We Miss Ali

Ali Larter

I love food. I'm obsessed with making meatballs right now. I'm a real cheese and wine girl too. Coming home from a 12-hour day and chopping and cooking and having a glass of wine, that's just my Zen spot.

My sister is a third grade teacher outside of Indianapolis. I think teachers are real-life heroes, giving their careers to teach the youth. They give their lives for it.

For some reason I used to think that every man I was with was going to be the last man ever. But boys are dumb. When you're young, they want to play around on you. I have zero tolerance for cheating.

I had heard that India is really exotic, but I've realized that it's just one of the dimensions. The real beauty lies in the people. Everyone is so warm and friendly.

I have been asked to lose weight before. I don't think Middle America would be unhappy if actors had 10 more pounds on them. I think it's important to be happy in your own skin.

To me, wearing a ton of gold bangles is the best way to fancy up even the most simple clothes.

I scarred my elbow throwing a boyfriend a surprise dinner. A spring broke as I opened the oven, so I could either hold onto my roasted tomatoes or singe my arm, and I was making that dinner great if it was the last thing I did.

Rating: 2

Ali might have worked the white turtleneck and red skirt alright but how many people can really pull this look not counting the personal secretaries around? ;

[Source]

Twinkle Toes Charm

Manolo says, Twinkle Toes Charms? They are brilliant! Why did the Manolo not think of them first?

Shirtdresses I Have Not (Yet) Purchased

I know the general perception is that I am cornering the market on shirtdresses, but I swear that is not true. As evidence, I present these patterns that I have not (and probably will not -- probably) buy:




This one, from Miss Helene's, is really cute. I love the faux-western yoke. But I am NOT BUYING IT.

And this one,




Sent by Deb, and available from BootyVintage, is really elegant and sophisticated. (Probably too elegant and sophisticated for me, as those of you who know me will attest.) So it's available to YOU!

Both TCarole and Deirdre left comments pointing out this one, which is a new Vogue pattern, and so is available both at the Vogue Patterns site and in major fabric stores:




And William N. pointed out this one, at Cemetarian:



Just the thing for when you can't decide between a wrap dress and a shirtdress.

So, see? I haven't bought the ALL. There's plenty left for you guys!

[Update: But that Butterick 7373 at Vintage Martini? Was already sold! Sob.]

Reach New Heights

Liya Kebede at a recent event in New York City.

Top: Dessire, $149.95, www.stevemadden.com; Whipped, $59.99, www.ninewest.com; Zanna, $49.99, www.bakersshoes.com
Middle: Charles by Charles David Luau Wedge, $114.95, www.endless.com; Matosinhos, $295, www.aldoshoes.com; Slingback cut-out wedge, $22.99, www.gojane.com
Bottom: Champyun, $79.95, www.stevemadden.com; Chain Sculptured Wedges by Alberta Ferretti, 4895, www.net-a-porter.com; Levett, $159, www.maxstudio.com

A sping/summer wardrobe must-have is a sturdy and versatile pair of wedges. I usually play it safe and get classic wedges or espadrilles that I can wear season-after-season but this year I may indulge in an edgier pair. Cut-out heels and curvy soles are what’s hot in the streets but if you don’t want to go too new age, pick a wedge with a crazy heel and more traditional straps. This staple shoe is taking a few risks this season. Why not join them?!

Spring Fling

The Fashion of Goodwill spring look book is thisclose to being ready, dear readers, but in the meantime, let me entice you with two snapshots from it, both of which are this week's Goodwill Good Buy of the Week. Oh, and all photos here are courtesy of Luis Aragon. Don't think for a second that I took these!

The first dress, at right, is an absolutely stunning daffodil-yellow vintage wool sleeveless dress with beaded v-neck inset and front self-fabric bow. The top of the dress is fully lined and it fastens in the back with a half-zipper and two hook-and-eye closures at the band around the waist. A front inverted pleat completes the look.

It has only two tags: one states that it was made by the garment union, and the other that it's a size 11. That's a vintage size 11, mind you, and it will fit a small-busted modern size 4/6 best. And as you know, since it was marked an 11, it was originally designed for the juniors department, but anybody with a gusto for color and beading will be able to pull it off. Unfortunately, bag, hat, and shoes are the stylists, own. But let them serve as inspiration for completing your own look with this amazing frock!

The second dress is 60s vintage from France, but it would look equally at home in the most modern of settings. The geometric black-and-white pattern is so fresh and clean. And the matching hat is perfect for sunny days.

The dress is 100% cotton and lined in acetate. The hat is lined in black cotton. The only tag on it says "An Original by A Madame Conti Model." The empire waist and a-line bottom half will flatter a variety of body types; the dress is will best fit a modern size 8.

What looks like variations in the coloring photograph is just the camera picking up variations in the pattern. The dress is crisp white and black with just a bit of discoloration at the edges around the neckline. Quite honestly, you'd never know it's been worn more than once or twice!

So now you've seen a two picture preview of the Spring Look Book. Can you handle the rest?

Ha. I'm sure you can. Remember: you can find the DCGF tomorrow at the DC Green Week festivities on Freedom Plaza. And these outfits and more will be up for auction on Friday on the DC Goodwill eBay store. Does it get any better? I think not. See you tomorrow!



All purchases support Goodwill's job training and employment programs for people with disadvantages or disabilities.

Goodwill’s fashion blog provides detailed knowledge and insight on vintage and contemporary clothing and accessories that are valuable to fashion shoppers. The facts and opinions shared present readers with entertaining, exciting and value based information on vintage and contemporary fashion and shopping trends.

Rainbow Warrior

Robin sent me this eBay listing this morning (click on the image to visit the auction page) and ... well, I don't even have to tell you, do I? You could go out loaded for BEAR in this dress. Cell phone, iPod, paper and pencil, wallet, business cards, breath mints, five lipsticks ... and that's just the red pocket in the front!

And, yes, I realize it's a bit extreme, but sometimes you need to be extreme to make a point. Or to carry all your stuff. And is it any more extreme than this?




I could fit my SON in that bag. And he's EIGHT. (And he doesn't go anywhere without his Nintendo DS, so the bag would also play tinny Japanese videogame music.) In fact, I almost expect a bunch of clowns to start extricating themselves from that handbag. (The last one out toots a little horn, and looks suspiciously like Tom Cruise.) Also, that bag costs more than many people's houses, while the dress is at only $26 right now!

Now, I know I carry too much stuff around with me (the four issues of New Scientist is not negotiable, though maybe I could clean out some receipts and lollipops) but the alternative is being bored out of my mind when the inevitable delays occur. Maybe I should take up meditation?

Hammer Pants - the grown up view

As a young girl, when I saw Hammer Pants, they appeared to me to be nothing more than ultra silly pajama pants.

Now I'm all adult, thank you, and you know what I see in this 2008 version? Inhumanly, mutantly large penis pants. I mean the wearer's member mustn't be able to fit into your regular pair of jeans or trousers.

Wait - are these for women?

Man, that is so hot. I love a loose, slouchy crotch on a woman. Who wouldn't want a piece of that?

Source

Renee’s Trip

Hollywood actress Renee Zellweger loves it when people are rude to her, because it makes her feel normal.

The "Bridget Jones's Diary" star relishes the moments when she is snubbed by grumpy airline staff, because being treated like the rest of the passengers lets her forget that she is a famous movie star.

She says, "I know that sounds so crazy, but I really cherish it when someone is mean, because they're just having a bad day and they don't recognize that you know Tom Cruise, and so they don't alter their behavior in any way. I love it. I love it when the stewardess is just nasty."

But Zellweger hates it when people suddenly realize who she is and start pretending to be nice, as it always seems so fake.

She adds, "I just cringe when she (the stewardess) comes back and apologizes because she didn't realize.

Strange? Definitely, whatever makes her humble! ;

Rating: 3

Did she get a new stylist? Somehow Renee has been wearing outfits that are not just flattering the tone bod but most importantly it actually looks good on her. She carries it so well and she's a champion in posing.

The Carolina Herrera creation has a nice detailed bodice and the feather hem isn't that all bad either. ;

[Source]

How To Save an Accidental Mullet

A Daddy Likey Reader In Distress (or DLRID, if you prefer extremely uncatchy acronyms) just sent me the following email:

I went to get a sandwich and I came back with a mullet! It looks a little something like this:


What should I do? Should I try to rock it (ironically, of course) or should I wear those furry Russian hats for the rest of my life? What about on the beach? Should I still wear furry Russian hats then? Please advise!

Help!
Should've Known Better (Richard Marx version, of course)

So, first and foremost, you need to stop patronizing this sandwich shop immediately. God, can't a girl just get a turkey sandwich, no pickles, light on the mullet, these days?

Secondly, I have to admit that I'm not very well qualified to answer your question. I've had a lot of bad haircuts in my time (and a few french kisses from hairdressers), and I've never had the guts to do the universally recommended "march right back into the salon and tell them to fix it or else" thing. My strategy is more...a lot of crying. After the crying, I usually try desperately to work the bad hair into some sort of shtick--"These giant news anchor bangs are PERFECT for when I need to deliver headlines on live TV in 1986! Heh, heh. Right?"

In fact, my first instinct was to advise you to wear a cape and carry around a few floating, glowing orbs for the next month and insist you're always on your way to a Labyrinth-themed party (fun fact: at any given moment, there are 50 Labyrinth-themed parties occurring in the world).

And that is why I'm going to turn this query over to my readers.

So, what do you guys think? Has anyone out there ever done the "march back into the salon" thing and lived to tell the tale? Is anyone totally owning a mullet right now? Do you all enjoy the Russian-hat-on-the-beach imagery as much as I do? Please help your fellow reader, and, in doing so, help all the bad haircut victims of the world!

Bobbi Brown Beach Collection

Get ready for summer with Bobbi’s best-selling Beach! I am obsessed with Bobbi Brown's Beach scent. My friend Liat, first told me about it, when we were on one of our girls' trips (and she subsequently forgot to take it home with her--she left a day before me. Finders, keepers right?). The scent is just so intoxicating and really smells like the beach! Seriously, the shower gel makes every shower feel like a trip back to the Maldives.

I can't think of a better way to get ready for the warm weather, than with Bobbi’s Beach Collection, which features, in addition to the fragrance: Beach Body Oil, Beach Body Lotion, Beach Shower Gel, Beach Sunscreen Body Spray SPF and Beach Body Scrub. Bobbi’s Limited Edition Sandbar Soap, a perennial favorite, is also back for a limited time and is perfect for gently exfoliating and moisturizing the skin.

Have you used it? You have to try it! You're going to thank me and think of me every time you use it. At Bobbi Brown and Department stores.

In addition, purchase any two products from the Beach collection at a Bobbi Brown counter and receive a Beach mini tote for a limited time! A bag and beauty? She sure knows how to please a girl!

Sorry, wrong number

It feels like just yesterday that I mentioned a novelty bag and noted that they often work best once they are vintage...well, it was actually 1 week ago to be exact.
And, while I admire designers who can mine the depths of handbag history, and create something new from the old, some styles were just meant to stay put in the archives.

The Betseyville by Betsey Johnson Call Me Betsey Satchel looks remarkably like the easy to find vintage Telephone Bag I wrote about back in April 2006. This redux version looks like a child's toy, maybe a Barbie Doll case (it even comes in Barbie ready shades of pink, lavender or teal). It doesn't help that the dial is just an applique, and the bag is small, about the size of an older telephone. Part of what made the original so darling was that it actually worked...in the days before cell phones, carrying your phone had some surprise value.
I do think that it could make a cute gift for a younger girl, which is who the Betseyville line is, I believe, ultimately intended for. At $65, it's also reasonably priced for that market.

Now, suppose you do have a thing for the telephone inspired, but don't want to be that obvious...

While I have no way of knowing what the actual inspiration behind it was, it seemed kind of a funny coincidence that this Betsey Johnson bag, the Golden Goddess Shoulder Tote immediately brought to mind that 1970's icon of wired communication, the Sculptura Donut Phone (the rotary version).

The Goddess Tote is also priced a bit more for the adult wallet, at $395. Maybe go for a mother/daughter telephone look and get one of each. Both the Betseyville Call Me Betsey Satchel and the Golden Goddess Shoulder Tote are available from Nordstrom.

The Sculptura phone, in the push button style can be had for $60-$80 from vintage purveyor Do Wah Diddy. (you can also try your luck on eBay, but they seemed more expensive).

Hello...Good Gry-son

Target strikes again, and this time the bulls eye is on Joy Gryson's handbag line, Gryson.

Like Rafe, and Devi Kroell before, the bags are unmistakable in styling. What they lack in material quality, they make up for in design aesthetic.

As a matter of fact, partnerships like these, do allow someone who is a slave to fashion (or who just knows what they like, even if it is out of their price range) to own a bag that looks like the real thing...with full designer brand sanctioning. No need to even consider counterfeits when the designers are basically knocking themselves off.

Bags like the woven satchel with cut out handle, pictured above, have a typical Gryson color palette, as well as small and large details, like the woven body.

While I haven't seen these up close and personal, I worry that they will suffer the same problems I found with the Devi line, the pleather looks like a $20 bag and no amount of great design or label can fix that. The photos, however, do look very, very nice.

My favorite, of the 5 styles I saw is this drawstring tote. I like the nautical feel of it, and the fabric looks to be a rip stop nylon (which is regaining popularity, even at the high end) which I think looks much nicer than the vinyl tends to. The crisp white piping, and signature woven handle make the bag a stand out.

The other styles, which can be seen closer up here include a full range of styles. There is definitely a choice for everyone.

They include a large tote, a small cross body pouch (I love this style too, just not the material) and an East/West satchel which is in the same fabric as the drawstring tote.

The price point hits the higher end for target bags, topping out at $49.99 (I don't think I'm alone in wishing they'd raise the price and improve the materials...I'd gladly pay 2-3 times as much for a better crafted bag).

The Gryson for Target line debuts on April 6th, and like other target capsule collections, will be available only for about 6 weeks.

counterfeits