Animal print

I don't wear traditional "animal print" things... like leopard spots or zebra stripes... I don't know why. I know so many people wear them constantly but I just can't do it. This insanity being the one exception... however actual animal prints... as in prints of an animals silhouette, I can get behind! I was really at a loss at how to dress today because it's crazy humid and like 70 degrees, but with 30-45mph winds... I figured wearing a maxi skirt was smart because it ensures I won't flash anyone in a wind gust.

Scarf - street vendor in Seoul, Korea
Tank - Target
Bangles - some thrifted, some from high school
Skirt - Kohl's? Years ago.
Sandals - MIA

I bought about a million of these enamel bracelets at some vaguely ethnic shop when I was a freshman in high school, so like 15 years ago?

I had a really fun and relaxing weekend and I only have seven more days of work left until school is out for summer! Then I have a few weeks off where I'll work a few photo booth shifts but that's it. Then I'll work summer school from 8am - 12pm for six weeks. Then I'll have a few more weeks off where I'll only do the photo booth. Ahhh, summer. So easy peasy. Love it!

Green eggs, no ham

Oh yes, I'm wearing my favorite thing of all my favorite things... the amazing vintage army shirt. I won't talk about how much I love it today; I don't feel like crying at work (I am kidding, I do not, in fact cry over my love for material things). Though if you feel the need to hear about it, read the posts from the past two times I wore it...

Army shirt - thrifted vintage (previously worn 1, 2)
Dress - thrifted Target Sample (previously worn here)
Belt - thrifted
Sandals - Frye

Back:

Details, details:

Yay! Long weekend! Tonight I'm going to a dive bar with Mohawk Boy and a few friends. Tomorrow I actually don't have to work the photobooth so I'll hopefully get some etsy stuff done, then I'm going to the Memory Lanes Block Party! Sunday is a bit up in the air (may be going to the block party, day 2) and Monday I'm going thrifting all day with Mr. T. Speaking of which, he has finally opened an etsy shop for his amazing welded bugs and whatnot. Go buy some and add his shop to your favorites as I know he's always making new stuff!

Tom Boy of Minnesota

There are not too many days when I dress "simple" and still feel "awesome"... today is one of those days. This shirt rocks my socks, I can't believe it's been so long since the last time I wore it (and loved it.)

Oxford - thrifted vintage Tom Boy of California
Bangle - thrifted
Pants - Target
Shoes - Sketchers

Check out the cutest tag in the history of tags and these $4 sandals I got on mega-clearance last fall at DSW:

So guess what? It was just announced that the Twin Cities are healthiest, fittest cities in the USA! Um, we are also The Most Hipster State In The US? We are also the Gayest City in America? And the Top Bike-Friendly City? Jaws, other cities... you really suck or we really rock. I'm gonna go with both. I love you, Minneapolis. (I like you, but only as a friend, St. Paul)  Sorry, it's a real struggle for me not to talk about how much I love MN on the blog every single day... although this whole trying to put a ban on gay marriage in the state constitution business is REALLY pissing me off... luckily my friend Chris is moving back here from NYC to head up OutFront Minnesota, so I have full confidence that the amendment will fail. Die, amendment, die.

P.S. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for the sweet comments on the vlog! I'll make it a semi-regular thing and post some more ridiculous stories for you!

Spring is an asshole

I was totally planning to wear something else (hello sleeveless shirt!) as I was under the impression that it was spring, but woke up to a nasty 50 degree forecast, whipping winds, and misting rain so I threw this on at the last second... We've all got bigger problems though... spring, you are an asshole this year. Stop it with the storms. Seriously, seriously... stop it with the tornadoes. You are a dick and everyone hates you. So stop being a rebel and just be NICE! We want flowers and temperate weather and children flying kites wind levels. This is your last warning.

 Oxford - thrifted J. Crew

Necklace - Target

Belt - thrifted new stock Target

Skirt - vintage via www.pangs.etsy.com

Shoes - thrifted Candie's

Psst... I posted a vlog of the Bob Dylan story last night because, I don't want to brag but... I am extremely talented at embarrassing myself.

Story time: Bob Dylan Does Me a Solid

Story time: Bob Dylan Does Me a Solid from Christine FutureLint on Vimeo.

Ummm, I did it. And now you can all appreciate my Kathleen Turner voice, crazy facial movements, and tendency to talk out of the side of my mouth (when I'm being a nervous spaz) for yourselves. And you can see the top of my stairs! With cool mirrors I found on the side of the road years ago (which coincidentally match my face)! Jaws. I can't believe I'm putting this on the internetz. Sorry, future Christine. You will never be able to be The President.

What? I was making out with Barney, duh.

 Blazer - thrifted little boys, a million safety pins added by me

Tank - thrifted

Jeans - Old Navy

Shoes - Melissa

Brass safety pin detail shot from last time I wore the blazer:

These lips are evidence. Evidence of my Barney make-out. (Hmm, maybe a bit sad that I have referenced Barney on this blog before...) Actually, the lipstick is Cover Girl Lip Perfection in "Divine."

I biked to work today... I was biking into 30mph wind gusts, going about 20mph on my bike, so basically my face got annihilated by 50mph wind... imagine a dog sticking it's head out a window on a highway and that was my commute to work today. Now my ears hurt. Also, I felt weird biking in purple lipstick.

It is Bob Dylan's 70th birthday today! Back in 2001, Bob Dylan did me a solid. I don't want to call it a favor, as that implied that I asked him to do it, which I did not. But Bob Dylan really helped me out of a jam, so Happy Birthday, Mr. Dylan! Also, he is from MN so the local public radio station is playing 70 of his songs and this morning they were playing a bunch of covers... if you haven't heard Rage Against the Machine, doing "Maggie's Farm" I highly suggest you listen to it. Sooo different. Anyway, I know I said I'd do a vlog of one of my stories so I will try to do the Bob Dylan story for you tonight... we'll see how it goes!

Old Yeller and Country Club Matador

Oops, forgot to post what I wore to work a daytime wedding shift for the photobooth on Saturday... kept it simple since it was a pretty casual wedding. So I threw on a dress I refer to as "Old Yeller" because it is old. And yellow.

Dress - vintage via www.kennedyholmes.etsy.com

Sandals - Nine West

Today's country club matador look:

Vest - thrifted
Polo - from when I was a bev cart girl at a golf club
Skirt - thrifted Banana Republic
Shoes - Chinese Laundry

I had an awesome weekend! Lots of sushi, dancing at the gay bar, 3am karaoke, and fun with friends. Yesterday there were crazy storms and a bunch of trees and power lines by my house got knocked down so I pretty much sat inside all day, watching the weather and wishing I had a basement. Luckily my house and car and garage are all a-ok!

Navy & Neon (She Blinded Me with Cultural Appropriation)

Last time I wore this skirt, I had no idea what it was. Thanks to the glory of  the internet, sweet reader Kay  informed me of what it is! "Hi There! That is actually a printed representation of a traditional Hmong dress (which would have been batiked, stitched, embroidered and pleated all by hand...also would weigh about 5lbs! haha)." You can see some of the real ones here. Awesome, huh? The little girls at my school are all ridiculously enamored with this skirt, which is cute!

Necklace - thrifted

T-shirt - Target
Bangles - thrifted
Belt - thrifted
Skirt - thrifted the fabric, sewn by me
Shoes - thrifted Nine West

Tonight I'm going out with Mohawk Boy and a few of his friends. Tomorrow I have a noon shift for the photo booth (early wedding). Tomorrow night is my friend Julie's birthday/the rapture. We're going out for dinner, followed by karaoke! Sunday I'll go to Art-A-Whirl or Harvey Milk Day or both, assuming it doesn't rain all day! Fun weekend!

The Chiffon Army

It's like the KISS Army, except not at all like the KISS Army. This skirt is so ethereal, it's difficult to wear it in a casual manner. I want to wear it to work but I also don't want to look regoddamndiculous. Last time I wore it, it was Valentine's Day so you kinda get a free pass to dress like a nut that day (at least at my school). So I tried to pair it with a casual white tee today, but it still felt too... whisper on the wind? I don't know, so I threw on a vaguely military-ish vest and chunky sandals and I wound up loving the end result!

 Vest - thrifted (no tags) 

T-shirt - Target 

Leaf pin - thrifted 

Skirt - thrifted (no tags) 

Sandals - Frye

I actually really don't have anything to say today! It's been gorgeous out all week, I've got my disabled buddy Daniel tonight, followed by a quick visit with Mohawk Boy because we are at that gross early part of our relationship where you feel like you're gonna die if you don't see the other person all the time. It's disgusting, but life is good!

Knives and saws

I had fun on my date with Mohawk Boy last night and have agreed to go with him to a wedding on June 11... this is a big deal. It's like I'm committed to dating him until then, which would normally be scary for me except he rocks my socks, so I think I can handle it.

Blouse - Romeo & Juliet Couture (Previously worn 1, 2, 3)
Skirt - thrifted Isaac Mizrahi for Target Sample (Previously worn 1, 2, 3)
Shoes - Reaction by Kenneth Cole

A bajillion knife-pleats... and fake wood paneling skirt...

"Bajillion" makes me think of a something that happened at work a few weeks ago. A second grade boy was telling me how he was going to be rich when he was older and have a million-billion-skillion dollars. I told him that was great, I was a skillionaire too. He looked at me in awe... until I said, "I got no money but mad skills... I'm a skillionaire." He was not as amused as I was.

P.S. I have a slight obsession with fake wood grain... which has now expanded to encompass Kranthout... the coolest thing I've seen in a while, where old newspapers and some special recyclable glue is used to make newspaper logs which are then milled, giving them a newsprint wood grain. My mind is officially blown. Go make me a chair out of this. I demand it.

Cheating!

I don't know what it is but it seems like "cheating" to me when I buy vintage online vs. finding it myself through lots of hard work and digging... I've found and sold quite a few of these embroidered dresses but never found the perfect one, so I bought this one a few years ago. And it's perfect! I was surprised to see that this dress had only been worn twice before on the blog... it's something I grab a lot on weekends in the summer when I'm in a rush. It's just so easy and cute!

Dress - vintage via Santoki Vintage (I shortened it)
Bangles - thrifted
Sandals - London Underground

Three things:
#1 I somehow managed to wake up super late today (stupid cell phone buttons for "snooze and continually wake me every five minutes" and "ok, I'm actually getting up right now" are too close together!), thus the easy-peasy dress. But, it is waaaaaay more fun to try to make up time on a bike than stuck in rush hour traffic downtown. OMG, I was so insanely hot and red-faced when I got to work (on time, no less!) Whoopie!
#2 Mohawk Boy and I are going out for sushi tonight then to watch a movie at my house. I know, I hate movies. But it's not so bad because he knows I don't like to sit still for two hours so we take a lot of make-out on the couch breaks. Hey-o!

#3 I finally got around to watching Marwencol last night. I hate movies but I love documentaries and it is phenomenal and beautiful! I highly recommend it!

Ruffles and sunburn

I went to the Lyn Lake Street Fest yesterday and a BBQ at a friends house. It was only like 60 degrees out so I wore pants and a cardigan. But the hour or so I was in direct sunlight caused a really awesome (not awesome) v-neck shaped sunburn... hmm, I need to remember that my pasty ass hasn't seen the sun since, oh... September? and put on sunblock in the future. Regardless, it was really fun and Mohawk Boy met about 25 of my friends which was intimidating I'm sure, but went really well!

 Dress - thrifted Lady Carol Petites of NY
Belt - thrifted
Sandals - Frye

Ruffles! So many navy ruffles!

Photo booth style files (2)

First of all, I must say I am overwhelmed by all the nice comments on Friday's blog-o-versary post! Thanks again, it really means more than I can say that you guys read this and are so understanding and cool! 

My second shift working the photo booth was last night... another wedding!

Glasses - thrifted American Optical, lenses replaced

Rose pin - JoAnn Fabrics

Dress - Donna Ricco ( my New Year's Eve dress from two years ago)

Shoes - Chinese Laundry

I also wore this dress last summer when the photo booth company was doing some advertising shots, so for those of you in MN, you might see me in some print ads... I've seen them in Minnesota Monthly and Mpls St Paul Magazine. It's pretty strange to look in a magazine and see your own mug looking back at you! Today I'm going to the Lyn Lake Street Festival and a BBQ at a friend's house who lives nearby! Yay!

Three, tres, III

It's my three year blog-o-versary!

I am excited... but dubious.

It has officially been three years since I started this blog. On the day I started it, I had left my camera at a friend's house so I took the photo with the built in camera on my MacBook, while it was turned on it's side. We've come a long way, babies. I've seen blogs I love come and go. I've seen some turn from awesome daily lookbooks to essentially a catalog, trying to sell me shit I don't need and can't afford and they got for free. But I assure you, I will not do either of these things, I will stick around. Because I am okay blogging into a void. I never had a diary. Never in my life. This is as close as I'm gonna get (Dear diary, aka innernetz, OMG dudes, I CANNOT stop thinking about Mohawk Boy... at least I know he feels the same way... it is disgusting.) So here it is, for you thousand-odd readers a day, my style soul.

I kinda felt like I had to sum up myself and my style in this outfit, for some reason, which was both hard and easy. It's nothing Earth-shattering, but a general look I play off of a lot. Separates because dresses hate my big boobs and narrow hips, DIY and thrifted elements, some basics from my hometown hero Target, inappropriately tall and expensive shoes (comparatively speaking), and giving off the general vibe that I am looking to mate with a fellow hot dog. Although, I should have worn my hair up since that is kinda my signature style too... oh well!

Cardigan - thrifted J.Crew

Tank - Target

Necklace - thrifted

Belt - thrifted Ann Taylor

Skirt - thrifted, shortened and I added the thrifted doilies

Sandals - Frye

I have always dressed a bit different from everyone else, ever since I can remember. And I wish I had more photos of some of the shit I wore (assignment for when I go visit the 'rents this summer: go through old photos and scan and blog some of my '80s and '90s insanity... it's something to see.) I can't say how this blog changed my life because I have no idea what would have happened had I not started it. I would probably be a stripper, erm, I mean dancer or dead. Ok, probably not, but who knows?!? Anyway, let's wax sentimental for a moment and say I love you, Void. Blogosphere. Haters. (Denise.) Whoever you are, dear reader. Mom. New readers. Old readers. Lurkers. People who think I'm judgey because I don't give a shit about Anthropologie and would NEVER wear shit from F21, UO, Zara, H&M, and all those other trendy mall stores, but will still wear stuff from Target. Or because I have no specific feelings toward cupcakes or macaroons. For all the outfits you loved, or hated, and those days that even I look back on and I am embarrassed that I wore that two years ago but it was a bad day and shut up anyway. I feel so lucky to have girls (err, women... I still have trouble referring to myself as a "woman") all across the country, well, the world actually who stop by and read this silly thing. And I feel like I've found some kindred spirits who understand my closet obsession, and they have become friends. Thank you. THANK you. Thank YOU...

Love/Hate

I love this dress. I hate this dress. I love it because it fits well and it's plain so I can jazz it up in all sorts of ways and it's just cute. I hate it because it's white, so I need to wear a tank and slip under it. But the bottom of it curves up at the sides, so either your slip is always peeking out the sides or you hike the slip up and then the bottom few inches of the front and back is pretty see-through. It also wrinkles like a bitch. A Shar-Pei bitch. So I don't wear it much, even though I love it.

 Shirt dress - necessary objects
Necklace - belt off a Free People dress
Belt - thrifted
Bracelet - World Market
Sandals - LAMB

All this love/hate talk makes me think of when my friend Matt and I went with our friend Amber to get her first tattoo in early March. We started talking about knuckle tattoos and my friend Matt jokingly suggested I get a LOVE/HATE tattoo on my knuckles only it would actually say LOVE/HAT and then there would be a drawing of a hat on my pinky. So of course the next day I sent him this shitty photoshopped rendition of my knucks:

I don't know how to recover from that random tangent so I will just say farewell for the day. Toodles!

Deserts and hail

I feel like this is what I would wear if I lived in the desert and made terra cotta pots. It's supposed to be like 90 here today, thus the southwest vibe!

 Necklaces - shorter one is thrifted, longer one is from World Market
Dress - thrifted, shortened by me (used to be a maxi)
Bangles - thrifted
Sandals - MIA

I bike by the Twins baseball stadium everyday on my way to and from work. Yesterday while biking home, I decided I needed to go to a game since it was a beautiful warm day and I haven't been to one yet this year. I called up Mohawk Boy and informed him that I was a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda girl and the seat of my pants wanted to be in Target Field.  He's a baseball nut too, so of course said he'd go even though there was a 30% chance of rain. So the game started and the Twins started sucking and then it started raining and then it started pouring and then they brought out the tarps for the field and called a rain delay. Then the tornado sirens went off and then it started hailing. Like golf ball sized chunks. Then a drunk guy ran out onto the field during the hail storm and it was hilarious as he got dragged off. The rain and hail ended within a half hour. Then they had to sweep the entire field by hand to pile up all the hail balls, which took like a half hour but was cool to watch. And the grounds crew got a big standing ovation. We stayed til the end of the game even though the Twins lost big time. It was one of the funnest games I've ever been to just because it was so crazy. Mohawk Boy often asks me why I have such good stories (I do, maybe I'll do a vlog one day and tell one...) and this is why. I'm impulsive and do things on a whim and they often end in disaster. Beautiful disasters.

EBEW Florals

It's florals day for EveryBody, EveryWear...

 Jean jacket - thrifted GAP kids

Dress - thrifted vintage (tags removed, so I don't know the brand, sorry!), shortened by me
Braided leather belt - thrifted

Shoes - thrifted vintage Candies

This dress is too scandalous for work without the jean jacket but if I go out later, here's what it looks like on it's own and the cool back! I really tried to take the volume out of my hair today by letting it air dry. I really like it this way now that it's getting longer!

Sandals:

Florals I have known and loved. (dramatic, eh?) Click on them to go to the flickr page if you want the outfit info.

Phew! Every time I do these round-ups for EBEW, it reminds me just how many clothes I have... too many.