Eureka, I've Got It!

Holy smokes, do you remember this post from almost exactly seven months ago, about how I was desperately searching for a perfect pair of menswear-styled flat oxfords? Well, today, ladies and gent, I FOUND THEM. I have them right here under my desk, and they are fabulous.

As is every great shoe acquisition, today's started innocuously--I had just pledged to not spend any money, having several large upcoming purchases in mind to save up for, and I was out helping my father shop for men's shirts. I was absolutely not going to buy myself anything. The last time this happened two years ago, I ended up with a pair of Chie Mihara pumps that I still wear at least twice a week and I certainly do not regret that shopping indiscretion. We ended up on 4th Street in Southwest Berkeley, always a nice time what with the lovely CB2 and the Pasta Shop, at local and sustainability-conscious boutique Convert.

Convert is a pretty, bare-bones shop with windows filled with utilitarian Moxsie-esque goodies like Toms Shoes and recycled fabric knapsacks. It reminded me of the small warehouse-style boutiques I saw in Japan that seem to be taking hold here, all white walls with a couple of minimalist racks and long, industrial tables in the middle of the room. (Maybe I just haven't been shopping in a while, we are in a recession, after all.) The men's clothes at Convert are far more practical than the women's, so my father was lucky in his shopping endeavors: three shirts, one sweater. Disappointed in their weird, batwing-y ladies' selection, I strolled over to the shoe section to see if Jeanne was right about those weird Tom's shoes (cushioned, but stinky!).

First, I spotted the adorable Dorothy pump with its tickly little leather+fur flower and charming barbershop-pole striped wooden heel. So cute! So furry! Then, OH GLORY:
Eureka! Hello, lovely Jazzy flat ladies' oxford! They are amazing. Handmade real leather soles by J.Shoes, made in the United Kingdom, charming pinked and layered vamp, waxed leather laces that actually stay tied (unlike my Jeffrey Campbell Steppin heels), obviously crafted exactly a la a man's sturdy oxford and I love it.

I feel like I need to bring up the hems of my wideleg trousers and invest in a pair of suspenders to go full-time mascu-femme, top it all off with a snappy fedora and voila! I already scuffed up the slippery leathery soles by walking around on the asphalt and they are going great so far. Perhaps for work, a pair of opaque black patterned tights, a slim skirt, and a high-necked Victorian blouse? Or for the weekend, black tights again with a mid-thigh skirt and summer tee. Back in black, as always!

How should I put my best foot forward with these new shoes, hmm? Keep it period with a heavy dose of tailoring, or go all-out hipster-y in skinny jeans? I can't wait to trot these babies out for the fall!

Polished up and pretty!

So obviously you all know that I'm a big nail polish fan, and my collection is such that I've had to reorganize it a couple of times. Right now, I have a three-drawer unit guy, like this one from Target, sorted out by color.

Top Shelf: Blues and turquoises.
Middle Shelf: Pinks, reds, purples, and overflow from bottom shelf.
Bottom Shelf: Vamps and darks, metallics and brights, and unusual colors in general. (Again, it overflows into the middle shelf.)

It's nice to have such a big variety -- when Kati came to visit in June, she asked me what colors I had so if she needed to retouch her polish, would I have it. (The majority of the time? Yes. Yes I did.) My roommate asked to borrow a hot pink for a pedicure and I promptly fished out Essie's Mod Squad for her.

The thing is, I have such a variety that there are polishes I've never worn before, even while I'm sighing over new colors (and, yes, occasionally bringing new ones home). And so I have to challenge myself to switch up my toes more; I have to keep them in good shape because of my newly-acquired athletic status, so that means I should be taking better care of them and switching up the colors whenever I tend to my toes.

Right now, my toes are the gorgeous Zoya Rea, a shimmery lavender mauve that was hiding in the middle shelf. I'd bought it almost exactly a year ago, as part of the 2009 Fall collection, but I'm totally loving it right now for my cool-weather summer pedi. As soon as I had painted one coat, I told purple-loving Karen, "You have to try this." I don't even know what prompted me to pick up Rea last year, but I am absolutely glad I did.

So while I work my way through my stash, tell me -- what untested colors do you have in your nail polish collection? Any surprises or discoveries?

image from zoya.com

Girl, where've you been??

Alas, it's been way, way too long since we've posted!

Life has been pretty busy/hectic for all three of us at PeriodicStyle this summer -- lots of change is in the air for us, so we're all rolling with it as best as we can. For example, I'm now three days away from trying out for the local roller derby league (yes! it's true! I'm going for it!), so that has been eating my brain and my spare time for the past few months.

That's not to say we're not finding and enjoying new things, of course; I promise to do a better job of keeping up and keeping you all in the loop!

Thanks for your patience while we've been adjusting, and we hope everything's going all right for you too! Why don't you leave a comment and let us know what's been up with you while we've been taking our sabbatical? We miss you too!

Resisting Retail Gravity: the Curse of the Black Blouse

I have a problem. I am perpetually tangled up in a push-pull of my effort to add more color to my wardrobe, yet whenever I make it to a store, I inevitably end up buying the same two items: black shirts, black skirts. Seriously, I must have a hundred version of the same outfit, black shirt, gray pants/skirt, black shoes. My co-workers must think I only own three items of clothing.

There is SOME color in my closet (also known as the pile of clothing I pull out of the dryer and haphazardly make into a work-friendly outfit)--I have a purple and black dress, a teal blouse, a couple of jackets, maybe a navy shirt or two that occasionally come out to play. Let me tell you, it is an exciting day in my world when I wear more than two colors at a time. Maybe I'll mix it up, a black shirt with gray pants and a polka-dot scarf in red and gray--SWEET HEAVENS ABOVE, the avant-garde fashion explorer I used to be has long been subsumed by my corporate conformist self.

As I see it, I am trapped by the cruel pull of retail gravity to always, always end up in an anonymous fitting room with an armful of black blouses. I do try to look for alternate colors on my admittedly infrequent shopping trips. I just am not a big patterns girl, I'll go for a lovely polka dot, Swiss dot, or a stripe provided it's a color on a black field.

One very lovely blouse in my closet is probably the best possible color combination for my wardrobe, a Finley button-up blouse with pleats at the waist, doubled cuffs and collar with black and maroon jacquard lining, all in a an alternating stripe pattern of black, navy, and maroon. PERFECT, right? I can wear it with gray, black, navy, or maroon. Why don't I wear it more often? I HAVE NO IDEA. It lives on a hanger in my closet and it always seems just a smidge too short, or the sleeves are too hot for the weather. That shirt just cannot win in the fashion battle that happens five days a week, at eight o'clock every morning.

Short of gutting my fading black wardrobe of its colorlessness and ransacking every store in a fifty-mile radius for shirts in every tacky color of the rainbow to prove a point to myself, what can I do to resist the siren call of the black shirt-gray skirt pattern? Maybe I don't LIKE anything other than that outfit. I'm not afraid of color, I have a specific sort of style and quality of fashion that I try to cultivate when I do shop, it's just frustrating to go into my closet and come up with the same thing, over and over again. Perhaps I can find a solution in the form of dresses this summer.

So, mystery as yet unresolved, do you have an old stand-by fashion favorite that has taken over your life? Last year, it was all opaque tights and black A-line skirts for us--the cycle continues!!

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Today, as all good comic book movie nerds know, is the day that Iron Man 2 comes out in theatres. Yes, this is exciting, and yes, we love us some Robert Downey Jr. (Hey-yo!) But the comic book movie I'm really waiting for this summer has to be Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

In fact, I was talking with Kati on the phone and I mentioned Scott Pilgrim, and she said, "what?" I said, "HOW HAVE YOU NOT HEARD ABOUT THIS MOVIE. YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE."

Thus, Things in this Movie that Are Awesome:

- Michael Cera, who is one of PeriodicStyle's favorites ever, stars as Scott Pilgrim. Scott is a happy-go-lucky unemployed bass player who meets Ramona, the rollerblading delivery girl of his dreams. But in order to date her, he has to defeat her Seven Evil Exes.
- It also features Mae Whitman (Ann! from Arrested Development! and she has to FIGHT MICHAEL CERA!), Brandon Routh, Chris Adams, Jason Schwartzmann (as the Big Bad Ex, Gideon), Kieran Culkin, and Anna Kendrick. Just the cast makes me bounce up and down.
- It is based on a comic book series (which I own and have read), which has lots of video game references, including K.O.s, 1-Ups and power items, save points, and boss battles.
- It is directed by Edgar Wright, who also did Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (both of which I loved).
- The soundtrack features Metric, another PeriodicStyle favorite, as "Clash at Demonhead", the band fronted by Scott's own Evil Ex, Envy Adams. (You can hear their song for the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack, Black Sheep, on YouTube.) The whole Scott Pilgrim soundtrack is going to be completely epic.
- They're also making a game with Ubisoft, complete with old-school graphics and music. (Check out the preview from Penny Arcade Expo East here on YouTube.) I know Kati kicks it old-school gamer a lot more than I do, so this is totally for her!

Basically, it is going to be amazing and exciting. And I'm going to be there opening day for sure.

I mean, look at the trailer: how is this not something we'd totally dig for days?



While you're waiting, go ahead and pick up the series -- right now it's at five volumes, with the sixth (and final) one due out this summer. Get started with Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, and go from there. It's a fun read, and it will definitely get you pumped for the movie.

What movies are you looking forward to this summer?

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