Manic Pop

I wasn't sure I would ever do this in particular with this blog, but the day has come: Photos of myself wearing slightly oddball things. I figure, why not? This is what I looked like today. I had actually forgotten I have this particular pair of pants in my closet as working my retail job, we have to wear clothes from work and these are from Forever21 from maybe 3-4 years ago. Sometimes, pairing them with a top can be daunting which is probably how they ended up in the back of my closet. Also, I may or may not have gone out in public with the fur collar. I realize it's more of a dressy piece (see how it's used here in a photo my by friend Jane) but I liked the pairing with the lumberjack shirt.                                       Details. Necklace is resale from Buffalo Exchange. ...

So my mom asked me to make her an apron for Christmas - and this is what she's getting! (I  know, I'm super-dorky. And I'm still have way too much time on my hands to play with Photoshop. And yes, my face is meant to be scary-ish in a 50s/early 60s sort of way.) Detail of the apron.   And here are the pattern pieces. These are drawn to scale with a 1/2" seam allowance around all edges except where indicated with lines. Striped seam allowances are 1". Each piece also says how many to cut, length and width as well as a marked grainline.  The pattern I made is essentially a close knock-off of the one I had in my house which my great-grandmother made from a shirt she never wore! This specific pattern is slightly larger than hers. I don't know if she made the pattern herself or if it was from a commercial pattern but I do know my mom says she used to go to this specific grandmother with a clothing design idea in h...

Ok, I think I'm re-obsessed with Junior Senior. Perfect time to get super-into them again as the Winter Blues start kicking in. They're the perfect blend of rainbows, retro-sounding pop, quirkiness, psychedelia, and overall they're just tons of fun. If you're not a fan of them by now, these next videos surely will convert you. Musical caffeine of sorts. Basically, if I had to be personified into a band, this is it! I'm still not over their breakup in 2008, clearly.

So last night was the 7th annual Lipstick and Lyrics, which is an event produced by the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus that features drag queens singing live. It was definitely a fun night! I've been designing for SPRADA, one of the drag queens involved in this event, for her webseries since June - The Legend of SPRADA so it was really easy to work with her once again. (That, and I have missed whipping up pieces for her!) Before SPRADA, costume design/stage clothing is not something I had really considered though in high school I primarily was the one making Halloween costumes for everyone by editing existing garments or creating pieces we needed for the outfit. Each week or so with SPRADA and the tight filming schedule was like an episode of Project Runway for me as we had to make a dress out of garbage bags one week, and then the next week we would need what turned out to be the bandage-look dress for another scene. It was such a whirlwind that I was usually unable to get grea...

Rhode Island is one of my favorite bands that no one has ever heard of (especially in the United States), but I think they definitely deserve some more recognition. I've written about two EPs of theirs (that roughly go together in my mind) in the past because I was so moved by it. View that post here: Rhode Island - The Third Person/Internecine I first heard this band in the early months of 2006 when they were featured on a BBC Radio 1 podcast featuring best new unknown artists. It was one of those instantaneous loves for me, listening to their song called "Big Two-Hearted River" on the train to work one morning. Rhode Island takes their name from the early incarnation of Belle & Sebastian, who are rumored to have called the band as an early project "Rhode Island". Unfortunately, this is a nearly un-Google-able band name which maybe be why this particular Rhode Island has been obscured from more recognition. Perhaps they'd like to keep it that way....

I found these little gems at one of my favorite vintage shops in Chicago today - they were hidden in the back, but clearly meant for me to find them! I'm always looking for things like this for pattern making inspiration. These particular Simplicity Home Sewing Catalogs are from Summer of 1967 (on the left) and Fall/Winter 1966 (right). The illustrations are great as they are mostly full-body in these and many of the items in here are quite simple as far as pattern making goes. I love the "obliquely waisted" contrast dress in this photo. I actually have 2 vintage dresses in my own wardrobe with this styling and it is always flattering. Sooo cute! Planning on a version of the diagonal dress with the built-up neckline as well. I also like that the back of them, they show back flat-sketch views of items in the catalog as well as approximate yardage for each piece! Similar items inspired by these catalogs (perhaps these very pages) are in the w...

Welcome, welcome. Fully revamped, this is where I plan on posting not only musical musings, but street fashion (check out my former blog www.undercurrentchicago.blogspot.com), as well as a link to my soon-to-be Etsy shop of the same name, Manic Pop! Here is a sample of what's to come in general: Throw pillows! Handmade clothing by me! Reconstructions, also for sale at the shop (not the one shown, sorry!) Semi-psychedelic art (prints soon for sale). And current musical obsessions: Stay tuned!

From time to time, I like to think about eras of music in my own life. This is one of the primary reasons I make mix CDs - a time capsule of that period of my life to save for the future to later revisit. Music instantly sends me back to a time period which is probably why I have been music obsessed all of my life. It has a way of transporting you, which I'm drawn to. Recently, I was thinking about the music I was listening to/getting into when I was in college, at an art school in Chicago. Much of the music and the imagery in the music videos fueled my artistic aesthetic and are largely responsible for my creation process at the time. It's nice to go back to these after about 6 years now because it helps be remember what I was like, what inspired me, and how it now re-inspires me. I first saw this video on local Chicago's JBTV and was hooked instantly. I loved the video, the retro-sound, the slight Motown feel yet so of-the-moment. I went straight onto Amazon and bought th...