Spring has sprung and newness is trickling in.

The collection, a collaboration between MAC and Chinese fashion photographer Chen Man, was inspired by love and water — two things essential to life. The not-so-essential: pretty packaging.

Mineralize duo eyeshadows were baked to form the yin and yang symbol — a neat detail. But I swear by Force of Love lipstick and fluid line gel liner in Waveline.

I was able to salvage these collars from old uniform blazers. Add little Chinese ball buttons to make it more cohesive to our theme and they are the sex!

Also, completely off subject, but over the weekend my mom played this song while riding in her car. She’s so groovy!

photos by Nicholas Haggard
model is Emily Wroe
for Le Loup-Garou

You know how you try to avoid the incessant coughs of a coworker who comes in to work with the flu because they’ve used up all their sick leave? Well that’s how I feel about wholesale orders; I try to dodge them at all costs in order to spare myself from any future suffering. It has a lot to do with 1. not being able to source materials in bulk on short notice 2. fear of tackling such a large order with merely my own two little hands to complete the work, and 3. absolute laziness. But when Laura approached me with the idea of carrying some of my items in her Brooklyn-based boutique, Leloup-Garou, I immediately knew I wanted to work with her.

It was more of a personal decision than one of business. Laura was incredibly warm and genuine; she kinda made it impossible to turn her down. And it’s no wonder with influences like Miranda July and Rufus Wainwright (might I add a mutual appreciation for all types of cheeses) that we got along so well. Eventually I came around to asking her about the general direction of her shop and her style philosophy. Here’s what she had to say:

“I think the most successful sense of style is one that fits the individual perfectly. It doesn’t have to be ‘out there,’ or unexpected, or high fashion, or cost a lot of money, or any of these things. It just has to make sense and fit, both literally and creatively. I think the most important thing is to be brave, take chances, and be ready to wear some things that people might not get; at the same time, to avoid wearing anything that doesn’t feel, down to its core, like it belongs on you.”

Le Loup-Garou translates to werewolf in French. “It’s a beautiful way to communicate a grotesque idea,” she says.

When you visit her website, you’ll notice a clean layout. It isn’t saturated with items catering to different tastes either; every piece looks like it could be worn by the same girl. From the limited use of accessories to the photography, there’s a distinctly edited, cohesive story to be told. What I find most admirable about good storytelling is what’s left out as opposed to what’s piled on. For the same reason why George will forever be my favorite Beatle—because 2 out of 3 times it’s the quiet ones who have more to say without having to say nearly as much.

p.s.,

The first time I discovered Softspoken was through the flickr group wardrobe_remix. She was wearing a red American Apparel jersey scarf tied into an over sized bow around her neck. I was intrigued. After reading through several all of her past blog posts, I knew for sure she was someone I wanted to be friends with… Oh gosh, did that sound creepy stalkery?

Rachael (we are now on a first name basis, you see) doesn’t so much write about oh, so here’s what I wore and the weather was like this, but more about feelings and existential dilemmas and stuff we think about but are too afraid to say out loud. She digs Bob Dylan (even dressed up as him for Halloween one year). She can crochet a bubble beret better than your grandma. And I bet if I asked her to, she’d probably sort my bookshelf using the Dewy Decimal System. Over the past couple of years we’ve been keeping in touch, commenting on each others’ blogs and flickr accounts and have grown to become good internet pals.

So when she asked if she could carry some pieces from my line in her new brick and mortar store, Pack Rats, of course I had to oblige. If you’re in the Columbia, South Carolina area and want to find some Neneee pieces exclusive only to Pack Rats, more handmade goodies and vintage finds, please drop by and show Rachael (and her hubby/shop co-owner Milton [and their cat]) some love. You can visit the official Pack Rats facebook page for more information about these cool ca… erm rats!

p.s., I answered a few interview questions over on the Pack Rats blog. You’re welcome to take a peep here if you like.

Photos by Francis

My initial thought was to sneak some pictures in at an ice cream parlor like Cold Stone, but then I thought maybe that’s too literal? Besides, unless it’s Selecta’s Double Dutch, I’m just not a huge fan of ice cream to begin with. Much less terribly sweet, ridiculously overpriced ice cream. The truth is, I am feeling kind of phony wearing this dress because lately when I crave for something indulgent, it’s either a big bowl of pasta or something salty like dried meat, or—I’m embarrassed to admit—deep fried something. (There. I said it. Okay?)

But it’s still a fun textile anyhow. And it ties in so well with the new dress pattern. Hmmm, although now I’m wondering where to find spaghetti and meatball novelty fabrics. That’s something I can get really excited about

Please disregard my gross feet. I wanted to talk about these shoes. While I was trying them on, I couldn’t decide whether they were ugly or awesome; now it’s pretty clear that they are ugly-awesome. Lucite heels always conjure up drag queen/stripperella connotations for me, but I like it combined with completely different materials—the natural wooden soles and pops of color from the leather straps. Three elements you wouldn’t think would go, but do in a strangely tasteful way. It reminds me how Ben Folds sings in Wandering, “Remember that? You told me you can’t match your clothes.” I imagine the person who designed these shoes had trouble matching too and appreciate how it looks very deliberate without looking so matchy matchy. Kinda like the way this picture is compared to the ones above it.

Neneee Sweet Tooth Dress and studded bangle – self made
shoes – Shellys London

photos by Francis

straw boater – ebay
Neneee Indian Summer Dress – self made
clogs – Miu Miu
gold jeweled bangle – thrifted vintage
leather watch – gift from mom
beaded bracelet – Gallop USA
friendship bracelets – thrifted deadstock

This fabric was a lucky find at the local craft store. While laying out the patterns to cut it into a dress, I noticed along the selvages it read: Inspirations by Terrie Mangat for Free Spirit. Curious about the artwork, I decided to do a little digging.

The first site that shows up in Google search results is Terrie Mangat’s personal website. Of course I was expecting to find a little insight to the artist, but what caught me completely off guard was the veritable goldmine of sparkling textiles displayed in her gallery. I’m skimming through previous collections and thinking, how neat would it be to make button-up shirt covered in funky fish?

Or a fun full skirt bursting with jelly beans sounds delicious!

images via terriestudio.com

The fabric I’m wearing is called Chandigarh, which I learned (thank you, Google!) is a place in Northwestern India. The images based on one of its many attractions called Rock Garden where chambers and statues are comprised entirely of salvaged materials like broken glass, china ware, and clay. Making something beautiful from waste—that is always something I can get behind, natch.

images via feelandreview.com