The Secret Store & NYU released a fabulous dress with a subtly simple design. The high waist, pleats and the hem, cut on a different grain for contrast, add to its visual interest without being over-designed. There is also lovely feminine Flanders lace collar that softens its minimalist aesthetic.
I love the new Sweet Sheer top from The Secret Store for faMESHed. It’s perfect for mixing and matching with pants and skirts with its beautifully tucked-in waist. It comes in a nice range of colors for all sorts of different looks. I chose this mustard top for a more fall ensemble with the madras plaid skirt from coldLogic.
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.
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…
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Purple Moon sought retro inspiration for Vintage Fair in the classic little wool suits of Coco Chanel drawing on the familiar Chanel motifs – richly texture boucle wool fabric in classic colors and prints, piping on the seams that emphasize the structure and fit, and easy elegance. Aptly naming her suits Jackie after the woman who popularized the look in America, she featured two dramatic looks for Vintage Fair.
I love the cute summer dress from NYU for faMESHed. It comes in a rainbow of colors that inspired me to try out a new trick with projectors in Second Life. There’s a video tutorial from Torley Linden at the end of the post explaining how to do it and you will want to try – it was a lot of fun. As to the lovely cotton summer dress, you know it will be cool, breezy and a delight in the hot weather.
High fashion, elegance and sex appeal are not mutually exclusive. I doubt, though, that they have ever come together with such masterful balance as in this gown from NYU for Relay For Life that hits the sweet spot of avant sexy elegance. To make it even sweeter, it’s packaged with three options. You can wear it with the floral skirt and white top, a floral top and white skirt, or with a white top and skirt. And then to make it even sweeter yet, your purchase supports Relay for Life.
This new babydoll dress from NYU is perfect for dancing and will let the beat go on in baby blue or pink.
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da
Charleston was once the rage, uh huh
History has turned the page, uh huh
The mini skirts the current thing, uh huh
Teenybopper is our newborn king, uh huh
And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on
And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on
And the beat goes on
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Using alternatives to PhotoShop - I edited this with LunaPic to emphasize the pouring rain.
I have many great memories of my father. I remember him singing and playing banjo, dancing with my mom and telling stories with a twinkle in his eye. I remember his voice and his laughter. One of my strongest and most powerful memories, though, is from a day he made me miserable and angry.
My dad and a picture of the woods above the river
I grew up in the country on the far side of a lake, deep in the woods. It was a 3.5 mile walk to the school bus, though I often shaved some off that by taking deer paths through the woods. That day it was raining and dad offered to give me a ride to the school bus stop. We had gone about a mile when a squirrel ran in front of the car and we could hear a slight thud as it was struck by the car. Dad pulled over to make sure it was dead, but it had run off into the woods.
Red lipstick! Red lips are the ones the songs are written about. One of the great musicals of all time can be brought to mind with just a single image of red lips. They’re powerful, bold and iconic. And they’re not for everyone, except today. Today is Red Lip Wednesday. Hopefully lots of us bloggers will flash our ruby red lipstick today.
Of course, nothing suits every person. We have our likes and dislikes. There are fashions I dislike and fads that leave me confounded and confused and asking why? Mostly though I shrug my shoulders and think to each his own. Certainly if we all looked the same and liked the same things, the world would be a much more boring place. So, let’s hear it for red lips! Here, there and everywhere.
I tossed this outfit together pretty quickly after shooting the wedding dress on Monday just before my set at The Velvet. There was no way I was dj’ing in a wedding dress! I remembered the gorgeous skirts from NYU for faMESHed. There were several colors and I loved them, so I pulled out another color. I dug around in my system clothing for something to wear with it and found this old top from Kunglers.