Frivolous Universe

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Steal like an artist.
So yeah, this outfit may not be art, but it certainly is stolen, erm…inspired. After all, there is nothing new under the sun. And all is vanity. So what you wear becomes a catalogue of what and who you come into contact with — and how those combined forces creatively, often subconsciously, synthesize in the daily act of dressing.
The Tibetan turquoise, coral and beaded breastplate ($140, Armor Bijoux) is inspired by… • Bethany’s beautiful and frequent displays of breastplate glory. • My instant envy for Kim’s breastplate gift (hubba). • The ceremonies of the Ladakh tribe, as apparently this is a necklace made for the occasion. • The western US, as I find something so Santa Fe about this piece too. Overall, it makes me think of the soul, and vast open spaces, and mountains, and east meets west, and general bad-assery.

The Carlisle silk shirt (thrifted gift, somewhere in Oregon) is inspired by… • An undying love for labels that read 100% silk. • An undying love for gold. • A sort of mobius strip of inspiration that started with the one-by-one induction of the FU ladies into thrift store fashion fetishism, that in part led to this blog, that led my friend Amanda to start thrift store shopping in Oregon, that led her to buy and give this to me. Boomerang.

Made in the former British Hong Kong, this shirt is beautifully made for women with personal servants. It has intricate buttoning up the back, even hook-and-eyes up the nape of the neck.

The Bonnie and Norma vintage velvet riding pants ($3.75, thrift store) are inspired by… • Anna’s love for vintage velvet, which inspired me to start eagle-eyeing thrift stores for the exquisiteness. When I found these riding pants, she told me she had been on the search for a similar pair for years. Just recently, she found her own, and smokin’ hot. Now if I could only compete with her collection of velvet skirts.

The Frye Boots ($200, after parental gift-discount) are inspired by… • Peer pressure, because like, all the FU ladies have them, practically. • Cowboys. • The Civil War, which apparently inspired the whole boot-making venture in the first place.

All made in the USA baby.

The Leonardo Riva black leather oversized tuxedo jacket ($10, thrift store) is inspired by: • Kelly and Nicole’s fascination with menswear and tuxedo jackets. I love the oversized tuxedo feel of the front. And the yards of leather. (No offense, PETA.)  • My Harley-riding dad, and the added, full-body protection this will give me when on the back of a motorcycle. • My bicycle, and the semi-full-body protection this will give my outfits in the muddy spring. • Some puff sleeved leather jacket I saw on a runway recently. • The f*cking neurotic weather.

In the end, it’s me on a weekday, with the things I carry. Even people, even places, even love.

Photos by the glorious Bethany Walter, FU-ing tomorrow.

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Lupercalia, how to wear dramatic eye makeup, Remus and Romulus, Valentine's Day origins, velvet pants, antique jewelry, Victorian jewelry, Afghanistan jewelry, silver bracelet cuff, thrift store fashion, Idaho fashion

Once upon a time, there were two twin brothers named Romulus and Remus. They were the product of a lusty affair between the high priestess Rhea Silvia and the war-god Mars. Once born, the twins were flung into the Italian wildlands by Rhea Silvia’s power-hungry husband, Amulius, who feared imminent overthrow by his wife’s half-god love-children. In a strange twist of fate, the infants were discovered by a she-wolf, and instead of acting on her predatory disposition, she felt moved by motherly instincts and carried them back to her lupercal, or “wolf cave”, where she suckled them into immense adolescent strength. So strong, in fact, that upon reaching adulthood, they returned to their birthplace, hastily dispatched of Amulius, and immediately set to work laying structural plans for a city. The brothers disagreed on the location of their new empire, leading to a tremendous fraternal quarrel that landed Remus in the grave and Romulus in the seat of power. Hence where we get the city’s name – Rome. Or so the story goes….

Lupercalia, cropped velvet riding pants, riding breeches, black velvet, Old Navy, spiked high heels, Lovely People shoes, antique jewelry, thrift store fashion, Idaho fashionLupercalia is an ancient Roman festival celebrated on the 13-15th of February, with the biggest day of celebrations being on the 15th (which, by they way, is where Ides of March comes from – in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Brutus slays Caesar one month to the day after the Lupercalia festivities. et tu, Brute?….) The name Lupercalia stems from “lupus” – which is Latin for “wolf” – and is a direct nod to the legend of Romulus and Remus and the she-wolf. As with any worthwhile Roman festival, the traditional celebration included a glut of nudity and animal sacrifice.

In ancient Rome, March marked the start of the new year, and so February was seen as the month for cleansing and starting anew. The three days of Lupercalia represented a time to cleanse one’s home, but more importantly, it was a time to celebrate and encourage fertility. Young men, called the “luperci”, would run naked through the streets with goatskin thongs just cut from their freshly sacrificed goat, and they would whip the women who lined up along the streets, baring their backs and thighs to the luperci. The goat has long been considered a symbol of sexuality and virility, so receiving a lashing from the skin of a freshly sacrificed goat was thought to invigorate a woman’s fertility.

Organically Grown, Old Navy, Lovely People, antique jewelry, vintage, dramatic eye makeup, thrift store fashionAs is the case with most of the holidays we so readily celebrate without question of origin or intention, Lupercalia is the predecessor of Valentine’s Day. Before all those hearts and flowers and obligatory declarations of love turned us into Hallmark saps, we used to strip newly sacrificed goats of their skin and whip each other for the sake of fertility and the pursuit of a fresh start. Take your pick…….

The Villager, Organically Grown, vintage clothing, thrift store shopping, Oscar de la Renta silk scarf, Lovely PeopleIn honor of Lupercalia, I dressed this week in an outfit I thought befitting of a she-wolf: vintage ‘70’s Grey wool jacket by The Villager; jet-black cropped velvet riding pants by some unfortunately named company called Organically Grown; feminine yet minimalistic ruffled black top by Old Navy; splendid silk scarf in muted reds, blues, and golds with a Roman Greco style pattern by Oscar de la Renta; and some seriously spiked heels by Lovely People.

cropped velvet riding pants, cropped pants style, vintage style heelsI felt this theme deserved jewelry worthy of wearing in honor of such an important festival as Lupercalia, so I chose a Victorian era choker made of silver, crystal, and pearls, which once belonged to my great-grandmother; rhinestone stud earrings that once belonged to my manfriend’s great-grandmother; an Afghanistan silver cuff bracelet, which I borrowed from Bethany Walter of Armor Bijoux; and a silver and tourmalated quartz ring given to me by an old friend.

Afghanistan silver cuff, vintage tribal jewelry, antique jewelry, tourmalated quartz, crystal necklace, Victorian era choker, rhinestone earrings styleIt’s worth noting that I would never have thought to look up the history of Lupercalia if it were not for the breathtakingly talented band, Munly & the Lupercalians. This group is a project from Jay Munly, and they’re in the midst of creating a series of albums chronicling the “original” story of Peter and the Wolf. Album #1 is complete, and well worth listening to. If you’ve read my December blog titled “The day I met Munly….” you know that I would say anything Munly creates is worth listening to, but in the spirit of Lupercalia, I implore you – take a moment to experience his music, and be sure to lash your loved one with a little goatskin today.

Thanks to Bethany and Kelly for another amazing day of frivolity in fashion and photos, and to Kelly Mollere at Tanzanite Salon for being a wizard with them hair cuttin sheers!

 

 

 

 

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