flowers and sugar skulls

I woke up late yesterday to find the sky had turned the darkest shade of gray I had seen it be in a long time.  The clouds were abundant, promising rain, and completely hiding the sun from my view.  This scenario might sound a bit 'gloomy' to the average person, but to me, it was the most thrilling event I had experienced in a while... I love rainy days, and I'm sick of this Texas drought.  It did shower for a few minutes - the glorious sound of water hitting windows - but it ended as soon as it started, and before I knew it, the sky cleared and the sun came back out.  I was not a happy camper after that.

We ended up back where we started. Back where we've been the past two, three months.  It's HOT. SO. VERY. HOT.  The only thing that cheered me up was getting dolled up for a shopping excursion:  the top is a My Chemical Romance/Black Parade tee that I cut up and hand embroidered with a sugar skull on the back, the flower shorts are Forever21, the wedges are Material Girl, and the flower in my hair was a handmade gift from a friend. And of course, what did I find on this shopping trip but beautiful AUTUMN jackets that I can't wear any time soon.  Joy.


So it's back to dreaming and wishful thinking for this chick.  In fact, I did have a dream not too long ago, involving gray skies and impending storms. It was such a strange dream that it stuck in my mind. (Those are the best kinds of dreams, after all).  I was standing on an open, grassy field looking up at a surreal scene: a girl, (or maybe a doll), wearing a gorgeous red, silky satin gown, and flying - yes FLYING - amongst the dark clouds. Her gown flowed so majestically, along with her long, dark hair, and it was hypnotizing.  I have no idea what any of it means, nor do I care, really.  It was a Tim Burton-esque dream world, and it was magnificent. 

The more I thought back to it, the more it made me think of the band Evanescence...  stay with me, here.  It makes sense, if you think about it. Their front woman, Amy Lee, is known for her dark, ethereal look and sense of fashion.  (Yes, that's the perfect word for all this: ethereal: pertaining to the air or the sky).
And lo and behold, she did do a music video wearing a red dress in which she's floating in mid air...

Hmmm... how very fitting!! And of course, I find out today that they have a new song out.  There was a time when I was actually a huge Evanescence fan. I have their first two albums, but I haven't really listened to them in a long time.  It seems like they're poised to make a comeback soon, well, sort of.  See, the original (actual) band members all left Evanescence to form another band called We Are the Fallen, with one of the founding members of Evanescence, Ben Moody. (Following me here?)  While there are comparisons between the two female fronted bands, and a lesser known, somewhat childish and lame 'feud' that supposedly goes on between them, they are completely different.  Take it from me, I like BOTH bands.  But one is not necessarily better than the other.  I saw We are the Fallen a year ago, as the opening act for HIM, and I was blown away by them. I went out and bought their album, and both my mom and I enjoy listening to it. Their lead singer is beyond talented, and READ: HAS A STYLE ALL HER OWN.  So with all that said, I sincerely hope that with this new album that Evanescence is set to put out, that all the comparisons can stop.  I've always thought that Amy has a great voice. Period.

As for the new song?? I have mixed feelings. It's a bit different than what I was used to. The main thing that bothers me is that, either I'm crazy, or the first few seconds of the beat of this song, ("What You Want"), sound EXACTLY the same as the drumbeat of Manic Street Preachers' "Love's Sweet Exile".  Am I crazy? Maybe. But anyways, it's not a *bad* song.. but I just don't know if I'm very into it. 

Only time (and a new album) will tell.

<3

If you get the chance, you must dance, dance, dance

Summer has only JUST started, but I'm already thinking of what I want to stock my Fall wardrobe with: I'm intrigued by the idea of sheer maxi skirts paired with leggings, and I need new leggings, and new boots... But I'm resisting the urge to shop for said things, (even though they're already available! crazy, right?!), because I have zero chance of wearing them in this 100degree, HUMID climate I'm so very blessed to live in... (<< sarcasm). I denied myself the pleasure of purchasing an adorable pink leopard print cardigan at Macy's the other day, for the very reason that I don't want it sitting in my closet -untouched and unloved- until October, if even then! It would be unfair to me, my closet, and the cardigan. Have I ever talked about how much I love cardigans? I own three very cute ones that I wore all last Fall.  I'm dying to wear them again! But just as I sit here moping about how much I despise this season every year, I figure the only thing I can do to keep me somewhat cheerful until the glorious Autumn is to experiment with my Summer clothes.  I hate being outside any more than I absolutely have to, but I've been religiously wearing my denim short shorts paired with my five inch wedges for every necessary outing, and it makes me feel pretty damn fabulous.

But every girl needs a bit of variety...

While channel-surfing earlier in the morning today, I stumbled upon the (2004) movie Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, (a movie I hadn't seen since I was sixteen!), and decided to watch. Yes, I know it's a total cheesy chick-flick/prequel/remake/whatever, but it's actually a fun one. And the one thing I kept thinking in my head throughout the whole thing was that, "DAMN. This Katey (Romola Garai) girl has the PERFECT SUMMER WARDROBE".  Lookee:

The setting is the late 1950's, which instantly makes it a huge plus, because everything she wore had a perfect vintage kind of feel to it: full circle skirts and cute tops. But it takes place in Cuba, an island country in the Caribbean Sea known for it's warm/tropical weather-year round, so there was definitely a lot more skin being shown in halter dresses and spaghetti straps. I loved it all!!

It makes me want to hit up thrift stores in search of cute, printed summer dresses and skirts..

..maybe even a a dress fit for ballroom dancing. HA.


All I know is that re-watching this movie certainly made Summer seem not so bad anymore.  We'll see how long that lasts.

<3

The weirder/quirkier/more eccentric, the better.

I started off my day today by looking through the entire 125 photo slideshow on Style.com of the looks from last night's Costume Institute Gala at the MET in NYC. (NYC! I was totally there! Did you see my last two posts?!)

As is usually the case, some attendees were better dressed than others. Here's the looks that I loved the most. (All photos from Style.com).

Miranda Kerr in Marchesa - pretty, pretty, pretty!!

Anna Dello Russo in Alexander Mcqueen - eccentric and awesome.

Ashley Olsen in vintage Dior couture. LOVE the sleeves!!

Christina Ricci in Zac Posen - LOVE her!! LOVE this dress!! OHMYGOTH!!

Crystal Renn also in Zac Posen. I really do love the dark looks he seems to be designing, lately.

Daphne Guinness in Alexander Mcqueen. I think this is so cool.

Blake Lively in vintage Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld wearing Tom Ford.  Love Love Love.

Is it just me or do they all look like they could be characters in the next Tim Burton movie?? *LOVES IT*


R.I.P. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN <3 <3 <3

you are cinematic film that only I see.

currently listening to: *NEW* William Control - Noir


Sometimes life just gets in the way and all you can do is put up with it.


So until life becomes a magical Marie-Antoinette-style party overflowing with desserts and cute clothes, I'm forced to watch this video and just dream:


It's a bit like in the Sofia Coppola movie, but with a modern twist:

TUCKER - FALL LINE from I AM PICTURES on Vimeo.

^^Taken from the NYLON blog.

I've been keeping myself busy with sewing all sorts of new things that I can't wait to show off. I have also been trying to build a new home for all things sewn/created by Ella Anarchy, over on Wordpress.com. It's going to be called helD oN bY stitcheS and I want it to go hand in hand with my much adored helD oN bY wireS, here.

Come join the fun and let me know what you think so far, (it still needs work!!):

http://heldonbystitches.wordpress.com

Have a great weekend.

Freaks in Uniforms.

currently listening to: The Horrorpops - song of the same name, random fact: totally appropriate band for this particular post.









FOREVER21 IS DOING A "COLLECTION" OF RETRO/PINUP/ROCKABILLY INSPIRED LOOKS... AND NOBODY TOLD ME?!?!?!?!??!??!


How did I miss this last time?? I was too busy looking for band jackets. By the way, you're welcome, "Anonymous" ;)

I've exposed your lies, baby...

currently listening to: Muse - Origin of Symmetry



SO.

Hands down, best act of the night last night (ha) on the VMA's was MUSE.

Therefore, they will be all I talk about.

Presenting...

I SPY: STYLISH ROCKSTARS OF THE WEEK - WEEK FIVE - MUSE


I don't know if these guys worked with a stylist, (probably did), but whoever chose these outfits gets a medal.

CHRIS (bass): I have to start off by mentioning the John Galliano tshirt. JOHN. GALLIANO.


sorry that this still sucks, but trust me, it's a rad shirt.

DOMINIC (drums): I couldn't get a good still of him to save my life but I have to mention the fact that I applaud his outfit the most. The thing about drummers is that they're always hidden behind the drumset... people can barely see them, so I feel like drummers in bands often get careless about their dress because, well, NO ONE CAN SEE THEM!!!!!!! But Dominic was wearing BRIGHT RED and I noticed him from a mile away. (Well, from when the camera was a mile away, haha). Like I said, sorry no picture - but I found some possibilities for anyone who wouldn't mind mimicking the look.

He was wearing a fitted, red plaid vest over a black tshirt. And, personally, I like fitted vests the best (hahaha!), but I couldn't find an interesting fitted one, so if you're pressed for time/lazy/cheap, you could always just get a plaid button down shirt (they're available everywhere these days), cut off the sleeves, and call it a day:

He was also wearing bright red skinny jeans. The kind that were readily available at HT last year, and are probably still available at some places. But if you think bright red is too loud, try a muted, dark red jean:

And finally:

MATT (vocals): He was wearing his signature look. Casual, cool, EFFORTLESS: A white tshirt with a skull graphic under a fitted black blazer.


Urban Outfitters has some nice men's blazers on their site, such as this one:

It's made of corduroy, and while $128 might seem pricey, you have to remember that a good blazer lasts you a looong time. And it really is so versatile that you can wear it with anything. And if you wanna make a girl like me drool, you'll wear a blazer more often!

WELL...

that was my two and a half cents. Now sit back and watch the video and tell me what you think of this week's stylish rockstars:

READ PREVIOUS "I SPY" POSTS:

WEEK ONE: WILLIAM CONTROL

WEEK TWO: MIKEY MARTIN (SHINY TOY GUNS)

WEEK THREE: CINEMA BIZARRE

WEEK FOUR: MAT DEVINE (KILL HANNAH)

One last kiss before they cart me away, and just take one last look before my body decays... I'll never love again.

currently listening to: William Control - Hate Culture



I feel like starting a new weekly post. I think I will call it "I Spy: Stylish Rockstar of the Week". Pretty self explanatory: every week, I'm going to try to find a current picture of a musician (from that week) in which he (or she) is wearing something worth blogging about. This is where "following rockstars who use Twitter/Twitpic" comes in handy, (as much as I actually hate to say that). But maybe I should also start buying music magazines again. Argh. (And what in the hell happened to Steven's Untitled Rock Show on Fuse? How am I supposed to know about new music video debuts as they happen so I can write about them THAT week? Blah).

Anyways, for the first installment, I will write about this picture that I spied on William Control's twitpic. It doesn't count 100% because he actually posted it LAST week, (on the 13th), but it's still early in this week, and hopefully I'll be able to find someone else to blog about later.

And now, without further ado, I present...

I SPY: STYLISH ROCKSTAR OF THE WEEK - week one - WILLIAM CONTROL (aka wiL Francis).

Ok, so it's not anything extravagant, but I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of people who can pull off a casual outfit with a "rocker" feel EFFORTLESSLY. (Key word: EFFORTLESSLY.. basically, if it has a "rocker" feel without trying oh so damn hard).

He's wearing classic, basic pieces, but the accessories complete the look. I'm loving the hat.

Urban Outfitters seems to have pretty similar and interesting hats for under $40:




I think I want this bowler.



If anyone who reads this blog "spies" any stylish musicians on any given week, please leave a comment on any of my postings (I read EVERYTHING!) and if I like what you spy, I'll write about it. (Remember, I ask that it be CURRENT! Like, if you go to a show the night before and notice that "insert-bass-player's-name-here" was wearing an amazing pair of shoes or jacket or whatever, tell me about it the next day!). And of course, pictures would help ;)



<3