Sadly, I thought August 31 was the deadline for the Jeffrey Campbell shoe contest, when in fact it was midnight on August 31, meaning 24 hours short of the end of the month. I rushed to finish it up, but missed the deadline by 5 minutes. I really ought not to have left it to the last minute, of course. But frankly I’d forgotten all about how close to the end of the month it is. I just posted it on Chictopia, just to see if the option was still available. Though technically the contest rules say 12:00am on August 31, which means midnight between August 30th and 31st, they still have the upload option available (it just wasn’t working last night). We’ll see how it goes.
Although everyone voted for shoe #3, I found it difficult to visualize it well in any other views. I went with shoe #1, which I thought was versatile and fun, and did up a few drawings and a statement for it. The story is rather telling.
The dots are meant to denote perforated leather. I wanted to use perf leather because I personally think that it is the new thing; nice and breathable in the summer, but still substantial enough to give support and a little protection into early fall. The floppy bow is inspired by a friend; she had a pair of suede boots with floppy ties on the side that I admired greatly. Something about the volume it gave at the ankles, and the way they moved when she walked, was very appealing.
I guess it is really a blessing in disguise that I missed the deadline, since those contests are pretty exploitative to the people who enter. It’s probably not a good idea for me to do work for free (or in this case, for a pair of shoes). I am very sad that I don’t have a chance at having my shoe produced (and gifted to me!). But, I still have a fun little piece to show people, and I can put it into my portfolio for fashion school. Live and learn?
This is what happens when fall comes to town but I refuse to let go of summer. I wear shorts with leg warmers, and sock clips to keep the leg warmers from sliding off because I don’t want to wear tights underneath the shorts (it’s not that cold yet). I imagine that Alice from the Resident Evil movies would wear something much like this on her days off. As I was walking down the street, a guy who passed me said “Holy shit,” in response to my outfit. I will take that as a compliment. I think the sock clips push it into territory that most people find uncomfortable, just because it is so much like lingerie.
I think the most expensive item in this outfit is probably the shoes. I got them from a great little consignment store in the Devenish building for $50. They are mixed plaid Nike runners, which were an awesome find. The tunic top was something like $5 from Joe Fresh, as it was on sale, and the belt is a piece of ribbed elastic from the fabric store. It makes a great belt for oversize sweaters, especially my assassin sweater.
Jeffrey Campbell and Chictopia are putting on a shoe designing contest. The winner gets a pair of JC shoes, and also a pair of the winning design. I know it’s a gimmick to get free shoe designs from people, but I love Jeffrey Campbell. Also I think it’d be cool to say that my design has been put in production (if I manage to win). So, here are some designs I’ve come up with so far:
The dotted stuff is meant to denote perforated leather. Which ones do you like the most? Vote below!
I made some fairly crazy ones that don’t fit the rules of the contest, which can be seen in my raw sketches, if you are interested… And also a random drawing of a badly proportioned woman:
After listening to Justin Bieber at 1/800th speed, I felt compelled to make some sound-art. I don’t know anything about music really, except that it goes in your ears. At some point in my early childhood I played piano, but did not retain any of the skills I learned. I remember having composed a song which I performed at a piano recital, but I’m almost certain that it was totally incoherent. I think I called it “The Orient Express”. I was 5.
This is, hopefully, much easier to listen to: doot doo
Garageband has surprisingly powerful tools at your disposal. I played around with the panning and the vocal presets, as well as using the default drum loop. Apple loops has some pretty good fake drums, and it makes it relatively easy for anyone with some computer knowledge to make a song and export it for people to listen to. I kind of like the idea of making music that is just nonsense vocals and drums. If this were a live act, I think it’d be pretty interesting. All you’d need is a looper and a drum machine (or perhaps someone on drums), though I think I should probably leave it to people more musically inclined than I.
When I was last at the mall, I noticed Banana Republic was advertising an open casting for a walk-on role in Mad Men. All you had to do was pick up a pamphlet with a casting call code inside, and submit your photo! Well, I love the 60′s aesthetic so I thought I’d give it a shot. Unfortunately I doubt that I will win, just because 60′s corporate America didn’t include a lot of Asian women. But it’s fun all the same!
I’m posting 6 of my favorites, for people to vote on. I can only submit one, and the top 20 are selected by vote, so I want to pick the most appealing shot! When I submit the final photo, I’ll post a link so people can help vote for me
Tell me what you think!
[edit]My entry is now in! Vote vote vote! You can vote once per day, so give me some love once in awhile
The lovely and talented Rozzie Lee collaborated with me to create a special piece for the &mpersand 2 show, which ended last Saturday! Thanks to everyone who came out to see it, and Vicki who made it all happen! There were some really amazing artist collabs there, and the reception was quite the night. I heard over 200 people came through the gallery that evening, and it was quite the party while I was there. It was held at the Untitled Art Society Main Gallery, which is a beautiful space on the 4th floor of a building with one of those old freight elevators that have manual doors. The UAS allows you to use the space for free for non-profit activities, or for $100 or less for for-profit, and is an excellent resource for us starving artists.
For those who didn’t get to see the show when it was up, here are some pictures of the piece I worked on with Rozz:
Originally, Rozz was thinking that we’d make a 2d piece, with my illustrations being a base for her decorative aesthetic. But I really wanted to make something that was out there, so we developed some ideas for a wearable piece that brought together fashion, sewing, jewellery, game-esque fantasy, and old world romance. We sketched out a few pages of ideas, then I made a prototype hood that we pinned a bunch of stuff to. Rozz brought a mannequin head, and came up with the idea of a shiny metal display stand, and we worked together on the overall design. I think it was pretty successful for a first attempt, and I would love to explore this more in the future! Perhaps I will blend this with my love of ostentatious headbands? Stay tuned…
I went to Sephora last week, in search of new foundation and a little treat. I ended up with some new lipstick in a beautiful red-orange; the color is called “Stilletto”. In honor of my newest obsession, I put together this look:
I got the headband from a gorgeous little hat boutique on 17th Avenue, called Zsa Zsa’s Hat Salon. I have never seen a more extravagant collection of headwear in my life, and if I had piles of money, it would likely all go to that store. The site is a bit cheesy looking, but I assure you the store is lovely.
It wasn’t until after I took the photos that I decided that this lipstick would look perfect with wavy hair, but here is a free extra:
I’m slowly getting better at styling my hair with the curling iron, but honestly I would love to get a nice wavy perm and a haircut so I can look like this when I roll out of bed.
To keep the ball rolling, here is a little sketch I did today:
His head was in such a weird position, that turned into his neck being in a tortured angle. So I thought I’d make him emaciated to make up for it and just give the whole thing an air of supreme awkwardness.
I’ve been spending some time hitting the books for the past while, trying to improve my sewing skills. Teaching yourself to make a pattern from measurements is harder than I thought, so unfortunately I haven’t got anything to show for it yet. However! I do have this mini update of some sketches for an upcoming secret project!
I’m also going to be in a group show called &mpersand 2, from August 5-7. It’s a collaboration group show, so every art piece has been created by two or more artists. I’m paired up with the lovely and talented Rozzie Lee, and we’re making something pretty cool… The party night is August 7th, 7-11pm, at the Untitled Art Society. Hope to see you there
This evening the weather has been gorgeous, so I decided that I had to take pictures. Sunshowers are forecasted for the rest of this week, which I like very much.
Lately I’ve been brooding and trying to do some sewing that hasn’t been successful. Argh! But it is high time I posted something, so here it is.
The t-shirt is from Hong Kong’s Ocean Park. This was the cutest t-shirt they had, however it was a child’s large. The neck hole was ridiculously small, but the body was so wide! I cropped about 3 inches off the bottom and cut out the neck hole. This is from my waacking/voguing dance attire, and is extremely comfy on hot days. The hat is from Cat’s Eye Vintage, which moved into a warehouse space within walking distance of my house. Right now it’s pretty messy in there, but I’m sure they’ll be organizing it soon. They have an awesome hat collection.
The only thing this outfit needs is a pair of knee-high gloss hunter rain boots, possibly in red or turquoise. Unfortunately I can’t afford such a thing at this time, but hopefully after doing some Henna at the Stampede, I will have extra cash for expensive treats
