E! That’s what I am wearing. My sweater and skirt are from E! Well, not really, but every time I wear clothing from Eclectic Apparel, I have to double check the name because I forget the real name and think of it as E! I mention this because I bet I am not the only one, so dear readers, please remember that E! stands for Eclectic Apparel so you can remind me next time. The funny think is I always remember Eclectic as the E! is there to remind me, but then I am stuck for Eclectic What. It’s a short list of options, but I always run through them. I won’t list them since that only will reinforce my mixed up memory.
There’s nothing mixed up, though, about the Eclectic Apparel sweater and skirt that were recently released for the October FaMESHed showcase. Just in time for the nippy weather, here’s a gorgeous heavy knit sweater with a high neck and long sleeves and an adorable wool pleated skirt. Both are elevated beyond the usual with unique details such as the buttons on the long, exaggerated rollback sleeves and collar and the lace-up, self-belting waistband on the skirt. Eclectic Wingtips, the designer, also graced us with 20 color options for the sweater and 8 colors for the skirt. Everyone will be able to find their ideal colors with that variety.
When I first moved to Portland, a gay co-worker asked me to participate in “Queer For A Day” an event organized by Queer Nation. I happily agreed, not realizing that meant all day. I blithely pasted on my florescent green and safety orange stickers that boldly proclaimed “Dyke” and “Queer” in huge black lettering and enjoyed my latte at Pioneer Square with all sorts of other temporary queers. Then I went to work.
Like many people in political activism, I began as a canvasser, one of those people who go door-to-door talking to folks about the issues and raising money to fund organizing campaigns. I had no fear of reprisals from my employer over my bold signage, but when I learned we were going to canvass in East County in a particular neighborhood we canvassers called “mean dog turf” my stomach began to churn. This was no liberal bastion of tolerance. I was terrified. My friend who had invited me to join the Queer For a Day action assured me that no one would blame me for taking off the stickers given the circumstances. However, I decided that gay folks don’t get to take off their gender orientation and truly, part of the purpose of Queer For a Day was to expose gay rights supporters to the un-fabulous reality of gay life – bullying, violence and homophobia.
So, I wore my sticker and approached every door with trepidation and anxiety. I did not suffer any physical violence other than some spit at my feet and only got a smattering of verbal abuse during the night. On the contrary, most people were very nice and friendly, supportive of the national health care campaign I was working on and curious and intrigued by my stickers and my explanation of the Queer For a Day concept. I did get warned away from particular houses – neighbors telling me that so and so was an OCA member (the virulent anti-gay organization responsible for several anti-gay ballot measures). I happily took their advice since I was not looking for any excitement. However, even though the night was successful and mostly uneventful, I have never forgotten that feeling of fear as I knocked on each door, anxious over every single encounter, afraid of verbal abuse, hatred, and violence.
Queer for a Day began as a lark to please a friend, but in many ways, it changed my life. I took the stickers off at the end of the day and returned to my relatively safe straight life, but I learned that night that tolerance is not equality. Human rights and human dignity are meaningless if even one person is denied them. If they are not innate and immutable, they are nothing more than privileges subject to the whims of those in power. I had been one of those Saul Alinsky style activists who believed that if we only sorted out the economic justice issues, oppression would lose its power, but I learned then, that oppression is not just an economic wedge, it is the foundation of political division and disempowerment. The oppression of gender minorities, women and people of color are the foundation of economic oppression, not the other way around. So long as we can be divided and disempowered by social wedges, the future is bleak.
It’s been about 17 years since I was Queer For a Day and a lot has changed. Not enough. There’s so much more to be done, but I am hopeful and optimistic and I am wearing purple for Spirit Day –. It’s much more fashionable than neon stickers and not nearly as frightening. As to why purple – I think I will just play the Lavender Song from 1920 for you.
The recent release of the Shelby Doll Dress from VoguE put me in mind of Marie Antoinette. She was a huge promoter of Chinese art and the style of Western decor infused with Chinese sensibility called Chinoiserie. Chinoiserie is a French world meaning China-esque, a cultural appropriation that has produced amazing design in home decor and fashion.
I love the idea behind the Raid My Closet Challenge. With an inventory overflowing with far more clothes than I can keep track of and more shoes than a Jimmy Choo store, it makes sense to dig around in the inventory rather than buy something new. We all know that there have been great advances in the technology of clothing design and that there’s a reason some of the clothing moldering in our folders are not seeing the light of day anymore, but among those older clothes and shoes are gems that are just as good as ever.
I was in a bit of a rush this morning so first of all, I was in a dither. I had the new hair from D!VA which is PRECIOUS at Collabor88 except, for some reason this one just doesn’t suit my face. D!VA makes PRECIOUS hair, and it’s exactly the sort of hair I WANTED so, I dug out a style from a month or two ago. VOILA.
But then I was a lazy blogger and just decided to edit in aviary and waddya know with the clock ticking, Aviary was down. Continue reading →
If you can make it there, you can make it – anywhere. Nyu York, Nyu York!
Actually, I am not at the New York sim and I know that’s a terrible pun, but I could not resist. I have a weakness for bad puns.
What is true, though, is I am wearing Nyu’s fabulous trench coat and set for the winter rains. You can find it at the FaMESHed October showcase. The coat comes in leather and wool and in just about every color you could want. I chose pink because I was thinking it’s been a while since I wore something pink. Besides, it looks so good with the hotness that is… Continue reading →
When I saw this fabulous off-the-shoulder sweater from erratic for FaMESHed this month, I immediately thought of these gorgeous pants from Cashmere that I found at Vintage Fair. Sure enough, they are a great match and perfect for a no muss, no fuss Saturday.
I don’t know which opening move Aikea Rieko is commemorating with her Gambit dress, but it must be a colorful one.
I love the many iterations of this Gambit dress from The Plastik for FaMESHed and there is one in the tradition black and white colors of chess, so the name makes perfect sense. But for me, I am drawn to the wild, hallucinogenic prints like this one and the one that Acha wore the other day. But then, I have never had the patience for chess.
I wonder if Diane von Fursternberg knew, back in 1972 when she introduced her wrap dress, that it would completely conquer the world. This Kennedy dress from Rebel Hope shows us why. It’s a model of simplicity, free of embellishments. Its lines are clean and spare with no added darts and pleats for structure, its shape formed by its easy embrace of the body. Its color gives it a dash of the casual while its fluidity and side wrapped bodice add a touch of cleavage and sex appeal. It may have come into being in 1972, but its organic shape made it an instant classic. It’s one of the fabulous mesh pieces you can find at this month’s FaMESHed showcase.
While sculpts have given way to mesh in Second Life®, in first life fashion, sculpting is all the rage. Structured dresses made with polished linen blends are sculpted with angled darts and pleats to give us classic shapes with dynamic and exciting details. This new dress from Molichino for the October FaMESHed showcase is a perfect example of the structured dresses that have been taking over the runways of the world.
