Providence Armoire

Have I been really sick or given up on life?

2009-09-24T06:37:00.000-07:00

I've been really sick, I promise.

Classic Style

2009-09-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

I think I sort of look like Amelia Earhart or a student from the 30's.

Sweater: Thrifted from Tzedek
Leather jacket: Polo Ralph Lauren

Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Lady Comfort

The jacket- like it? It's from the free bin, a place where students leave their unwanted clothing. And sometimes there's some pretty awesome stuff, like this jacket, a baby blue Gap trench coat, a pink and blue silk tie dye scarf and long, flowing hippie dresses.

Convocation Style: Yes, I did wear clothes

2009-09-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

My school has a tradition (much to the chagrin of the administration and faculty) that on Convocation we dress like skanks...with themes. This year, Tyler House went green.

We seniors didn't really follow the theme.

And then we walked over to listen to the Convocation speech, while screaming house cheers:
"Spicy salsa in a pot, Tyler girls are wicked hot!"
"Tyler, Tyler, Tyler, our walls are filled with hay. If you light a candle, our house will burn away"

And then, when we realized Convocation had started 5 minutes earlier:
"Tyler house is really late, that's because we're @#$%^&* great!"

And then Convocation...speeches, cheering after almost every sentence, whistle blowing.

And then we came back to the house and took more pictures. I was sad because this is my last Convocation...

But I still managed to have fun afterwards!

My outfit:
Slip: Thrifted at The Village Discount Outlet
Hat: Romer (from Argentina!)
Shoes: Mootsies Tootsies
Lipstick: MAC

Kayleen's outfit:
PLEATED (yes, pleated) garbage bags
Target bag top
The girl is a genius.

Boina

2009-09-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

The typical gaucho hat from Argentina. Didn't know that until....today.

Picture from: http://www.argentinapolo.com/boutique.html

My masterpiece- Room 303

2009-09-08T04:56:00.000-07:00

Like my room? You'd better, 'cause I spent nearly two weeks getting it to be perfect. It's cozy (code for small, but welcoming) and people love spending time in it.

Why is my room featured on my fashion blog? I've planned this for days more than any outfit and it also represents my sense of style.

Back to school, end of summer lameness

2009-09-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Mint blazer: Thrifted at Tzedek

Undershirt: J Crew

Shorts: Forever 21

Shoes: BDG

I am back at school now and have loads of amazing wardrobe pictures to share. Promise I won't abandon this blog again, unless I have good reasons, like I did during the summer (i.e. fellowship application, hot boy, lots of great comics from the public library, biking).

Turqoise formal

2009-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

I bought this dress in Once, at a Hippies-R-Us. Well, not really, but it did sell a lot of unflattering peasant shirts. The woman who sold me the dress was nice, but very dumb. She praised the dress, but was shocked that people in the United States speak English. She also thought I was a native Spanish speaker, from Columbia, until I told her otherwise. She asked me ridiculous questions, unashamed by her lack of knowledge- if I was scared of flying on planes, if I had a boyfriend, etc. But I guess it doesn't take much brains to help someone pick out a beautiful dress.

And my new scarf!

2009-07-31T23:57:00.000-07:00

I bought this baby in Salta, during a visit to the small town of Purmamarca. It's not as soft or versatile as my other scarf, but it's colorful!

RIP: Scarf

2009-07-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Last photo with scarf

Last week, I lost a dear friend: my scarf. It passed away on the 9th of July in La Chacarita Cemetery around 6pm. Probably taken by ghosts. Lived a long life, keeping me warm and accompanying me on trips throughout the United States, South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay. No services will be held.

Sunny Salta

2009-07-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Sunglasses: Forever 21
Shirt: Zara
Cardigan: Forever 21
Pants: Guess
Shoes: Clona

Went to Salta (Northern Argentina) this past week. The colorful mountains, the salt flats (seen in these pictures), and the quaint little villages make Salta one of the most beautiful and interesting regions in the country. If you have a chance, go. Also, they have great handicrafts. Post to come.

Winter Coat

2009-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Coat: vintage

Dress: vintage

It had gotten really nice in Buenos Aires in the last few days, but today it started to hail! Chunks of ice the size of quarters fell from the sky. I was at the Feria de Mataderos where I bought a llama hair wrap. It was probably way overpriced, but is so warm and beautiful. Pictures to come.

Pipi Cucu!

2009-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Bought a futuristic stewardess-like dress at Pipi Cucu la tiendita (Defensa 975) -- officially the CUTEST store name of all time. The store that carries only local designers with really wacky designs. The fabric is a bit sketchy (Argentine, so sort of shitty) but the dress is tight as a glove and shows every curve of my body. And the top has collar that rises in the back, but has a really low cut.

365 days of sustainable fashion

2009-06-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sheena Matheiken has taken it to the max with The Uniform Project. In order to promote sustainable fashion, Sheena has pledged to wear the same dress for an entire year. She has a dress for every day of the week (thank goodness) and accessorizes with jewelry, tights, hats and other items of clothing.

One of the things I like best about Sheena's idea is her creativity. Sure, it's easy to look nice wearing a dress from any old store. But it's not exciting and different. Sheena not only promotes sustainable fashion, but innovative fashion as well.

Oh...and I also have a girl crush on her.

Fall hat

2009-06-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Skirt: Old Navy
Shirt: Zara
Tights: Purple
Hat: Romer
Cardigan: It's Our Time
Belt: Vintage

The hat is growing on me. At first it seemed a bit ridiculous, but now I'm enjoying it. And I've started noticing people wearing similar hats. Unsurprisingly, it's mostly old men.

Up on the roof

2009-06-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

I realize this outfit isn't very stylish, but it is warm and casual. Also, jumping. Ridiculous, I know, but posed photos are so boring.

Today I bought a hat from a hat store on Riobamba. The owner helped me pick it out and told me about her life in Buenos Aires. One of the things I like most about clothing is the people I buy it from and the memories I take away from our interactions. Photos to come.

Belt: Vintage (was Mom's, stole it, now mine)
Jeans: Wanama- usually expensive, but I got mine 50% off!
Shirt: Vintage hippie
Shoes: Converse- a must-have in Argentina.

Fall in Palermo

2009-06-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

Dress: United Colors of Benetton
Undershirt: J.Crew
Shoes: Lady Vintage
Tights: Purple
Scarf: Vintage

woof!

2009-06-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Vintage dog scarves

Dogs. I hate them. They smell, make a lot of noise, always want attention. In a battle between cats and dogs, I would choose cats even if I knew they were going to lose. But somehow I always end up buying clothing that has dogs on it- a shirt, these scarves.

I may have a dog around my neck, but I'll always have a cat in my heart.

PS. Does anyone read this? It would be nice if you did, but I also like cataloguing the things I buy so I remember what I have. My blog is like a virtual closet...so come take a look around.

PPS. I wore my white 80's jacket today and got a lot of complements. It is so ridiculous that I wore it with a black shirt, shoes, and pants to tone it down a bit.

PJS!

2009-06-04T09:58:00.001-07:00

Vintage peach mens pjs

It's weird. Even though I have a fashion blog and loads of amazing clothes, I still spend most of my day wearing pjs. No joke. At least now I have something that matches my aesthetic.

I've decided to stop adding the prices, because everything I buy costs one peso and the clothes that aren't seem way to expensive comparatively.

Family Dollar

2009-05-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

My sister and my dad thrift. One of my dad's favorite things to talk about is how many shirts he can buy for five dollars, for example:"How much did that shirt cost you? Ten dollars! I can buy 10 shirts for five dollars!" And my sister has started thrifting as well. No more Hollister and A&F. All Something Old, Something New and The Village. Two skirts, two windbreakers, three shirts, and two sweaters all for fifteen dollars!

Bargain hunting. Must be genetic.

I danced tango in heels for 5 hours...

2009-05-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

These heels, to be exact:

I went to seven stores in Buenos Aires before I found these at Flabella for $250 pesos. They're so comfortable that I was actually able to dance for hours and hours on end without being in pain. Well....I did get a bruise:

But it was NOT (contrary to popular belief) from a boy because it is the shape of a high heel.

80's Jacket

2009-05-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jacket: $3 pesos

I have no idea where I will wear this jacket, because it's pretty ridiculous, but worn it must be. The spiral sleeves are my favorite parts.

My "Argentina shirt"

2009-05-26T13:48:00.001-07:00

In San Antonio de Areco. This outfit is 100% from Argentina!

Shirt: adorhada guillermina $60 pesos= $18.50 USD
Skirt: Yagmour, bought at Tzedek $4 pesos= $1.25 USD
Shoes: Clona $69 pesos =$ 20 USD

I apparently look like a cartoon character in this get-up.

Shirt: adorhada guillermina $60 pesos= $18.50 USD
Sweater: Izaac Mizrahi for Target $10 USD (Sale!)
Pants: Guess Jeans $20 USD (Outlet store + sale)

What is an "Argentina shirt," exactly? Well, it's a shirt that is so crazy weird that it is obviously from Argentina.

Also, I would like to add that I think posing for pictures to show off your outfit is lame, and most people who do this come off as arrogant. I promise I'm not actually an asshole.

Cheap clothing in Buenos Aires- Thrift stores and feria americanas

2009-05-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

There are two types of resale clothing shops in Buenos Aires- the Feria Americana and the thrift store. Feria Americanas sell used clothing, but in good condition. You can find them behind booths booths in the Parque Centenario or little stores in Palermo. The clothing in much cheaper than buying new, but still costs from $10-$60 pesos.

There are only a few thrift stores in Buenos Aires and the only two I have been to are called Tzedek and are run by a Jewish organization called Tzedaka. I do volunteer work sorting clothes with lots of awesome Jewish women, so I see most of the clothes before we hang them up. There is a lot of crap, most of which we re-donate or throw away, but sometimes you find a jewel...something spectacular. Like the 1950's Eva Peron dress that I bought, or the kindergarden teacher's skirt, or a Jazmin Chebar (designer) shirt. It is possible to find amazing things.

If you are in Buenos Aires, I highly recommend going. Here are the addresses of the two Tzedek locations:
Serrano 333
Lavalle 3333

Vintage purses

2009-05-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Tzedek Serrano
$1 peso= 30 cents!
I sort clothes at Tzedek and I found the purse...a few minutes later I found the chain.

Parque Centenario
$15 pesos for the purse +$15 pesos to get it fixed= more or less $8 USD

Tzedek Serrano
$1= .30 cents!
The purse is a bit plain, so I was thinking about spray painting some sort of design on the flap.
Something like this in yellow:

American Apparel: Owned by Suburban Turmoil

2009-05-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

If you have ever had any doubts about the inherent ridiculousness that is American Apparel, read this post by Lindsay Ferrier on Suburban Turmoil. She makes fun of annoying hipster trends in a cute, mom-like way. And believe me, American Apparel NEEDS to be made fun of.

Tom's Shoes

2009-05-20T17:10:00.001-07:00

So here's how I found out about Tom's Shoes:
I work at a Jewish center sorting clothes. During one of the meetings, a woman raised her hand out of the blue and said "I want to tell you all something really good about a company called Tom's Shoes..." and she went into the story of its foundation.

The inspiration, as told by the website:

"In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created a company that would match every pair of shoes sold with a pair given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers."

The shoes are a bit expensive given what alpargatas cost in Argentina ($10) , but with $40 covering two pairs it's worth the cost. The company has hippie principles like giving, donation, helping the poor and whatnot, but the shoes are cute, not some horrible military green hemp creation like you might expect. I once met a horrible hipster girl recently arrived from the USA and she was wearing Tom's. Must be "in" nowadays?

Here are some of my favorites:

For sailors...or hipster sailor wannabees.

Clown shoes? Maybe, but I would still wear them.

Reminds me a bit of those flags that people use to communicate.

The name game

2009-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to go with a title that had something to do with fashion and thrift....and sounded a bit elegant. But maybe I just came off as an asshole?

Anyway:
Providence. Not being an English major, I had to look up synonyms for "thrift." Providence was one of them.

Armoire. Wardrobe. 'Nuff said.

Anyway...I think "thrifty closet" was taken.

Speaking of which....Paula Gray, eco designer

2009-05-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

Paula Gray is a designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She uses organic cotton in a number of her designs.

I would totally wear this with a different belt.
It looks so soft and I love the color.

I don't completely understand the pointy pockets, but I'm a fan of princess sleeves.

Bows- like a present....for the environment!

Fast Fashion

2009-05-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Fast fashion is an interesting concept that I've just recently heard about. I am a huge fan of Forever 21, Old Navy, and H&M...any place where I can buy an entirely new wardrobe for $20. But how can $3 really encompass the cost of a shirt?

Transportation, the primary materials, and the salaries of workers and employees are factored in, but what about the external costs (the costs not included in the price) like environmental degradation? Bleaches, pesticides, industrial waste, and CO2 are all byproducts of the fast fashion industry, but their cost is not internalized in a $3 shirt. For the price to reflect the external costs, it would have to include the sum of the environmental damage. As far as I know, there are no clothing companies that have internalized environmental costa.

"The Tyranny of Trends" by Charty Durrant explains the marketing and effects of fast fashion. She writes quite a bit about the consumerism aspect, but also explores the ecological impact.

"FAST FASHION IS a relatively new phenomenon: it was not until the 1990s that we saw the rise of Primark, Zara and their ilk, with women’s magazines urging weekly wardrobe revisions, supported by just-in-time production and overnight global distribution. Fast fashion found its feet, and the industry congratulated itself on ‘democratising’ fashion, making it affordable for all."

...

"Modern fashion is made from many seemingly incompatible ingredients, but the cornerstones are built-in obsolescence, fear of humiliation, and sexual attraction. Warmth, comfort and personal style have for the most part taken a back seat. As the ‘trend frenzy’ deepens, we can see that fashion is no longer about style and self-expression: it is primarily about judgement – self-judgement and judgement of others. A toxic media reporting how women ought to look, and celebrity obsession further enforce this strange new paradigm."

....

"Fast fashion leaves a significant environmental and social footprint: each step of the clothing life cycle creates environmental and occupational hazards. Because of the insidious pressure of trends and built-in obsolescence, the average garment only has a three-month shelf life. UK clothing and textile consumption is high; Dorothy Maxwell’s recent Sustainable Clothing Road Map for Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) confirmed that over 2 million tonnes of clothing are purchased in the UK every year. Most shocking of all is that we throw away over a million tonnes of textiles every year, most of it ending up in landfill. Landfilled textiles, garment dyes and bleaches cause toxic chemical seepage into ground and watercourses, and the build-up of methane gas as materials decompose causes further health hazards."

After reading this article, I've come to understand how my impulses to consume are driven by many factors and have grave consequences. Understanding fast fashion won't make me stop buying clothes (can you imagine? I'd be wearing jean mini skirts at 90!) but it will make me a more conscientious consumer. Thrift stores, anyone?

Old men and craft fairs

2009-05-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday artisan and antique fairs in Buenos Aires are dear to my heart. Knives, jewelry, rusty old keys, hippie dresses, and belts. You can find anything.

I only have one weakness when it comes to these fairs: little old men. They can sell me anything because they are JUST SO CUTE.

The little old man who sold me this purse wore glasses and had a beard. He sold me on this purse because of the details- all by hand! can be washed! takes him a day to make each purse! I just imagined the poor guy sitting in his house alone (maybe a widower) printing each design with utmost care. So I bought it.

Plaza Francia.

Price: $70 pesos; $20 dollars (more or less)

Another Sunday. Another old man. This one was a million times more adorable because he would throw in little phrases in English, like "mirror, yes?" or "bee-yew-ti-ful." He makes pins of leaves, cats, and owls. The cats and owls looked like they could have been made by a 10 year old. I wasn't sure if this childish design was due to his style or lack of skill. I assumed style and bought an owl pin.

Plaza Belgrano.

Price: $20 pesos; $6 USD more or less

I'm an Argentine skirt chaser

2009-05-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

I'm in Argentina for the year and it's awesome. There are loads of hot men and sexy women, dulce de leche, and clothes! Although there are a lot of awesome finds here, pack mentality rules. Think: royal purple, harem pants, and camel toe shoes. Yep. Anyway, I've found some beautiful things- especially skirts.

Skirt, Las Pepas

Flashy, but 100% cotton and really light

Cost: $60 pesos, just a little under $20 USD

Skirt, La Coquette

Jesus not included.

Cost: $100 pesos, around $30 dollars

The skirts are pretty wild and I'm not too much of a risk taker, so I paired them with black leggings and a black top.