My mother dressed me....

This is a very neutral look.  What am I planning for?  Well I've got a big day of school ahead of me--5 classes.  My chem lab requires closed-toe shoes...hence the pumps.  After school, I'll be going to the simchat Torah service at my synagogue, so it's got to be a versatile outfit that requires little to no alteration between occasions.  Oh yeah, and it's cold.

The shoes were my biggest problem--what to do when I'm wearing black, blue and gray, and I haven't got a single decent pair of shoes??  Is brown really okay?  YES, when you have the right jacket to tie it all together!  This shrunken wool jacket is black, brown, and tan plaid.

My next obstacle was the dress.  It's just too short!  My solution?  No, not pants--throw a skirt on under it, and it's still a dress, rather than a tunic.

gray sparkle dress/tunic : hand-me-down from Ima/Ellie

shrunken wool plaid jacket : hand-me-down from Ima

white pearl necklace : bat mitzvah gift from my friend

blue tee with buttons on wrist : hand-me-down from Ima

gray "lace" tights : I don't know :(

blue stockings : hand-me-down from Ima

black stretch skirt : hand-me-down from Ima

brown leather mary jane pumps : hand-me-down from Ima

...Okay, so I see my mum had a lot to do with this outfit.  And no, she didn't dress me.  Well.  I guess if I'm wearing mostly clothes that belonged to her...  If the shoe fits?  Which these actually don't....

To dye, or not to dye?

In 7th grade, I had my hair cut into a bob with bangs longer than the bob itself.  I dyed the bangs blonde (funny that my mum doesn't mind hot pink, but the school won't allow it).  A couple years later, once the bananas were gone, I dyed all my hair red.  Three bottles of hair dye, and it was STILL quite faint.

Now that my hair is long again (I had it cut pretty short two summers ago for when I went to Israel), I've been wondering whether or not I should dye my hair again.  Creating this blog, however, has answered my question.  Not at all!!  Dying my hair any color (other than blonde, red, black, etc) would severely limit my ability to play with colors in clothing.  I don't think it's worth the trade-off.  I am also coming to really like my natural hair color, now that I can actually see it.  My goal for now is to grow it out really long.  I want to do Sailor Moon buns! 

Bananas:

^^^ one of my fashion plays when I was younger ^^^
Breakdown:
purple knit hat : handmade by Ima
red belt (wrapped around hat) : I don't recall--probably from my mum's aunt and her family
red academic shirt/sweater : hand-me-down from my friend
purple corduroy skirt w/pleats : handmade by my grandmother Connie
blue stretch kapris : circa 5th grade
red tights : I don't remember...
blue/black snow/rain boots : hand-me-down from Ima


Pre-Israel short hair:

"You are a smelly pirate hooker!"

The reason there doesn't seem to be quite as much going on with this outfit, is that the focal point is obviously my top.  Believe me, I've tried a number of other bottoms--and they all make it look like a pirate or a witch costume.  I love costumes, but as an outfit to wear at school after work...maybe not just yet =3  And so!  Notice the detail photo, of my cameo necklace.  Title reference:  Anchorman, of course!  And I am SO not a smelly pirate hooker. 

white Tripp brand corset top : eBay (yes, that's right!)

black tank : hand-me-down-from Ima

best fitting jeans ever : Wal-Mart

black fishnet knee stockings : some department store, a gift from my grandmother Janis

black vintage-influenced mary jane heels : Plato's Closet

Wow, almost everything was originally bought for me!  haha :)

G-LOL

Today was cold.  Finally.  Good day for a lolita look.

gray dress/tunic : hand-me-down from Ima

black striped shirt : several years old

black lace-trimmed skirt : Goodwill

purple pinstriped socks : hand-me-down from Ima

black platform punk mary janes : Hot Topic (circa 8th grade??  it was my "goth" phase)

I don't like the song I'm listening to

Yes, finally a detail shot!  :D

So this was another fun outfit.  The blue dress is actually ankle length, but I belted it up, and wound up with a rather 1920s flapper look.

gray "cargo" jacket : Goodwill

blue sundress : Plato's Closet

tan flapper shoes : hand-me-down from Ima

leather braided belt (in hair) : stolen from a skirt I got in 6th grade (which I recently reworked into a dress for Ellie)

1981

This was my hippie look for after work (notice the jeans??).  I wound up letting my hair down and tying a leather braided belt into it (a style which I re-did the next day).

leather vest : hand-me-down from my (step) dad*

flowered sundress : $10 at Wal-Mart (*sob*)

jeans : Plato's Closet

brown moccasin loafer wedges : $6 at Goodwill

*So I dug around in the pocket of this vest, and found a ticket for a concert my dad went to in 1981.  For those of you wondering if March 6th was a Friday, you're right.  There were also two guitar picks in the pocket.  By the way, my dad is a sick guitarist.  Like seriously man.

Sunny Came Home

This one was fun fun fun :)  As for the title..when in doubt, use the title of the song you're currently listening to haha

orange hamsa tee : hand-me-down from Ima

red sheer night gown : hand-me-down

blue and green skirt : reworked by yours truly :) (see my handmade debut)

ice blue tights : J.C. Penny

brown "go-go" boots : hand-me-down from my friend

I was going for an orange-blue look.  I like it!  Kind of a sunset thing going on.

So that's how many fruit cups? 164? One...two...three...

Yes, I officially must wear jeans on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Oh, how it kills me.  This is my first day at my food service job (can you see how if you remove the jacket and scarf, and throw on an oversized, stained polo shirt and a baseball hat, it's perfect?).

shrunken wool jacket : hand-me-down from Ima (it had an accident in the dryer...)

gray tank : hand-me-down from Ima

brown and blue scarf : hand-me-down from my grandmother Ann

generic blue jeans (the best pair I've ever had) : Wal-Mart (*gasp*)

brown tennis shoes : hand-me-down from my step-sister

Seven...hours...on my feet...how little I know of the world of work...

I'm Sorry!

I was determined to wear white for Yom Kippur as well.  I just can't help it that I don't own a lot of white, and I'd already exhausted my supplies the previous week.  Instead, I settled for my pearls and fingerless lace.

white pearl necklace : bat mitzvah present from my friend
white lace fingerless gloves : eBay

blue sparkle princess gorgeousness dress : Israel (but it was made in the U.S.A., how cool is that?)

green sparkle blazer : thrift store (I have a matching skirt somewhere..)

black vintage-inspired mary jane heels : Plato's Closet

Believe it or not, this was the same day as the Tour de Monde outfit...haha

One may think it stupid to buy a dress in Israel, that was made in America.  On the one hand, it is stupid.  But on the other hand, there are really so few things made in America.  Sure, this was probably made in some factory somewhere, by workers who aren't paid nearly enough.  But at least it wasn't made in China, or Mexico, or Guatemala, or.....  Although perhaps the fact that it was shipped to Israel defeats the purpose.

Tour de Monde

Tribute to my dear "leperous" friend, who recently visited both China and England, and brought me souvenirs from both.

black butterfly-style shirt : hand-me-down from a friend

purple nightgown : hand-me-down from Ima

gorgeous blue scarf : my awesome friend Julie

black patterned tights (not really visible..) : I don't remember!

black hair chopsticks (with stars!) : Hot Topic

Other souvenirs include a beautiful orange pearl bracelet and a ring with elephants on it!

Cameo

Oooh another one of my favorites!  Haha :)

black cameo choker : Goodwill

red off-the-shoulder top : Goodwill

multi-color floral dress : shuk in Israel (heheh)

cuffed jeans : Plato's Closet

black vintage-inspired mary jane heels : Plato's Closet

Let's See How Far We've Come

I really really liked this one!  Lots of different elements.  Title is a song by Matchbox 20, which I like a lot.

brown tikkun olam : hand-me-down from Ima

orange and blue scarf : hand-me-down from my grandmother Ann (mum's mum)

red and gold sparkly dress/tunic : Etsy.com

brown fringe skirt : Kohls or some place like that, circa 7th grade

purple tights : I don't remember!

tye dye socks : hand-me-down-from Ima

low-ankle blue canvas shoes : Wal-Mart

To bring the title full circle...how far we've come?  There is always more tikkun olam (repairing of the world) to be done.

Interview Day!

Yes, I had an "interview" this day.  I have now successfully begun my first job in food service!  Anyway, what I like most about this outfit is the broach, which you can't see, and the pumps, which you really can't see either.  I really ought to do some detail pictures as well!

teal/turquoise-ish tye-dye 3/4 sleeve cardigan : hand-me-down from Ima

green sparrow tank/tunic : hand-me-down from Ima

gray pinstripe dress pants : Plato's Closet

brown vintage pumps : hand-me-down from my grandmother Janis

butterfly broach : hand-me-down from Ima

My step-dad's mother, Janis, gave me the shoes.  I wore them to her funeral.  They are one of my favorite pairs of shoes, but I don't get to wear them very often--unfortunately, they're not terribly functional.

My Handmade Debut

I like this one, I think.  It was another comfortable one to wear.

black and gray striped tee : hand-me-down from Ima

green tye-dyed tank top (not visible) : hand-me-down from Ima

green and blue mini skirt : reworked by yours truly*

gray leggings : I've had them so long I don't rightly recall...

black mesh slip-on shoes : hand-me-down from Ima (yes, just like the pink ones)

*So yeah, I basically made this one.  The green bit is an old pair of cotton pyjama pants, and the blue is an old skirt.  I cut it into strips of fabric, then pinned and sewed into ruffles along the bottom of the green part.  Our new dog, Enso, got ahold of some of the pins...needless to say, I won't be doing any sewing in Ima's room again!  He's okay though, so don't worry!

Sailor Jupiter

My baby sister and I!!  I love love love her :)

This is us playing Sailor Moon.  (If you do not know about Sailor Moon, just enjoy the pretty colors or Google it).  We are being Sailor Jupiter.  I think it works, because she wears green accented with pink, and she wears pink rose earrings--you can't see, but I am wearing pink flower earrings :)  She also cooks, so the apron is a total +++

pink skull tank : hand-me-down from Ima

green plaid skirt : uhm..Goodwill?  Some thrift store or another..

pineapple apron : Etsy.com

Here is a picture of Sailor Jupiter:

And here are the rest of the Sailor Scouts:

So yes!  It is a shared obsession of Ellie's and mine.

aoiajdgn! (a bug just flew up my nose)

This one made me think of cotton candy.  And to explain the title...well yes, a bug did just fly up my nose while I was posting this.  It's got nothing to do with the outfit :)

Anyway, back to the outfit.  Well yeah, cotton candy.  I woke up that morning feeling very pink and blue.

dark teal/turquoise sweater : present from 6th grade

pink skull tank : hand-me-down from Ima

green and pink floral skirt : purchase from Etsy.com (check it out!!  another great source!)

ice blue tights : J.C. Penny (winter holiday gift certificate)

pink mesh slip-on shoes : hand-me-down from Ima

A bit more about Etsy.com...  It is an awesome place to buy AND SELL handmade items.  What's really neat is that if you find an item you like, but you'd prefer it in a different color or something, you can send a message to the seller and ask them about it!  You can also create a description of something you'd like somebody else to make for you (called "alchemy"), and then others will bid on it!  Then you choose the person you'd like to have make your item, and voila!

Tashlikh

My second Rosh Hashana outfit.  Surprise element inside!!

gray tunic/dress : hand-me-down from Ima (there are a lot of these!)

black stretch belt : Goodwill purchase

white SCRUB PANTS (yes that's right!) : hand-me-down from Ima (she's a nurse!!  <3)

black vintage-inspired mary jane heels : Plato's Closet

What's all this nonsense about not wearing white after Labor Day?

This was my first ensemble for Rosh Hashana, for the evening service.  I always seem to get to this time of year and realize that I simply don't have a lot of white clothing!  How depressing.  Now Ima (my mum) on the other hand, she's got tons!

frilly white button down shirt : hand-me-down from Ima

blue cami : hand-me-down from Ima

white and purple floral skirt : ~$7 on eBay (my other good friend)

low-ankle blue canvas shoes : yes, I admit that I got these from Wal-Mart.  What can I say, I was in a pinch!

I strongly believe that with clothes, there is nothing better than recycling.  If it still fits, wear it.  If it still fits and it's ugly, remake it.  Salvage any cool, usable fabric.  Shop smart!  Never underestimate places like Goodwill and eBay.  Just because somebody else has worn it doesn't mean that it's unwearable!  It's like neo-vintage, clothing with a history.  So cool!

Picnic

So it's not the most impressive image to start this off with, but it IS the first outfit I took a picture of (this school year).  I have to say though, it was such a comfy outfit for laying around the commuter center in :)

So to break it down...

yellow tee : hand-me-down from my mum

denim shorts : hand-me-down from a friend

footless tights : $10 at this cute indie/hippie store

red pumps : super cheap at Goodwill (my best friend <3)

Very basic!  But it rained that day... :/  Wet shoes are no fun!

What is all this nonsense?!

Shalom!!  :)

I've decided that it is time...to begin fashion blogging!  Yes, that's right.  For all those who have been subjected to my vesture experiments (and those who have not yet had the pleasure), I am now going to share my creations with the world!  Muahahahah!

There are many reasons why I wear the things that I do.  Truly, it is a multi-faceted hobby.  I believe very strongly that there is a huge problem with the fashion industry.  To think that anyone would spend $400 on a pair of shoes, or even $50 on a skirt--it is insane!  There are so many beautiful, unique, elegant, inspiring, and every-other-adjective-you-can-think-of things to wear.  One doesn't have to max out three credit cards to get some decent threads.  A few hours at Goodwill will get you some amazing pieces, at unbelievable prices.  There are so many great things about secondhand clothing--the history, the eco-friendliness, the uniqueness.  I strive to wear mostly used clothing, or handmade.  This is where it is appropriate to spend a little extra cash--support the locals, the artists.  Do not pay into an industry that harnesses the dirt-cheap labor of foreign children.

In many respects, my clothes are also a way to relate to different members of my family and friends.  I am greatly influenced by the fashions of my mother, and my wardrobe has been greatly supplemented by the discards of my friends' closets.  On multiple occasions, I have lent various things to my younger brother, and even my baby sister wants a piece of the action.


The reason most relevant to me at this particular point in my life is that it is my coping mechanism.  It is a stress relief for all the crazy things that go on around me.  I love to make things, and I love to be creative.  Unfortunately, what with school and work and everything else, I don't have much time or energy to make things these days.  This is where my clothes come in.  The things that I wear, and the outfits that I make.  That is the one way that I can express my creativity on a daily basis.  One can look at my outfit and learn so much more about me and my interests than they could if I were to simply wear a t-shirt and jeans.

Hopefully my future posts will provide more insight into my creative world, and I hope that my readers will take something away from this.  I think it is important for everybody to find at least one thing that they are very passionate about.  I have actually gotten two informal awards for my fashions--one was "Most Alternative Dresser" (obviously the kids at my high school did not know what "alternative" meant), and the other was simply "Best Dressed".  I do not say this as some sort of ego-boost--rather, I say this because of what went into giving me the awards.  People looked at me, and chose one thing to define me.  Please do not see the word "define" as a bad thing.   Every person on this planet has defined someone else--either consciously or subconsciously.  Every person on this planet will be defined by something.  Make it something good.

<3 Ari Elisheva