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

Back from limbo. Ah, it’s such a relief to be done with wholesale orders after 3 weeks of solitary confinement! Okay, maybe I wasn’t completely alone. Evan Dando was still chillin’ in my squeezebox to keep me company.

Gosh, has it really been a month since my last post? I guess this makes me a bad blogger. Sorry sorry x_X Here’s the only conclusion I can come to—it’s either got to be sewing or blogging, but I can’t do both without one or the other suffering. Idk how Jenny Gordy does it! Sewing is the easiest thing in the world to do, but there’s no way around it being incredibly time consuming. Well, at least not without sacrificing workmanship. Which is something I’d rather not do. And you know how the internet vortex goes—one hour online leads to two hours leads to three leads to there goes my entire day. So ultimately I’ve chosen to make stuff first and then come to the surface for a breath of fresh air every once in a while. Hi, how are you?

Today is the first day in a long time I wake up without anything pressing to complete. I’d like to take a trip to Tokyo Mart and pick up a copy of ViVi. Maybe we could make a picnic of cheap beer and deluxe combo sushi. You know, the kind with packaged soy sauce and weird plastic grass separators. They always load it with too much rice and not nearly enough filling and then comes the carb crash 30 minutes later. But I guess you get what you pay for buying sushi at a grocery store, right? Tonight, it’s dinner with the bff and then Dinner for Schmucks. I’d really just like to get out of the the house if only for a short while before starting on a new collection again. I am feeling a little out of it and need something to pull me back in.

Robert Pirsig talks about this feeling a lot in Zen and the Art of Mortorcycle Maintenance—how traveling is better than arriving. He says he always falls into a period of depression after reaching a goal and has to reorient himself toward a new one. Even if he was a little cuckoo, still, it’s comforting to know I am not alone in feeling that way—at a loss for what to do next.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do last night though. And that was enjoy a meal that didn’t come in a bar or shake. For our ulam, I baked unagi and served it over a bed of brown rice. Then I used this recipe (which was incredible) and this (which was meh) for our side dishes. It was nice all in all.

photos by Francis

At the Micronesia Mall movie theaters, the early bird special is the first show of the day. It usually accommodates very little people. The kind of people who prefer to watch a movie in quiet than with a huge crowd. The ones who’d like their pick of the best seats in the house. They’d rather sneak in a footlong Italian BMT with the works on honey oat bread and extra provolone cheese than order a large popcorn at the concession stand. Also, they are willing to wake up 3 hours earlier than usual to save the extra 3 bucks. Hard times, man.

This is what I wore to watch Ironman 2, which wasn’t bad by any means, but wasn’t mind blowing either. The climax might have been seeing Scarlett Johansson in a catsuit. What-a-babe. Robert Downey Jr. is a curious fellow. I think I like him for his character flaws just as much as his razor sharp wit. I guess it’s just a whole lot more interesting to read the stories of people who have colossally screwed up and come back better for it. Rather than the ones who’ve done things right all the time from the start.

neneee carnival dress - (self-made)
neon glitter bracelet – gift from Kristen
classic friendship/beaded bracelets – thrifted
silver studded bangle – self-made
aqua bike shorts – flea market
sequined bowler shoes – wantedshoes

It’s not breaking and entering if there are no doors.

polar opposites dress – selfmade
evenstar necklace – eBay
studded bangle – selfmade
silver rings – gifts from Loraine
beaded clutch – vintage
platforms – Pierre Hardy for Gap

Three awesome new additions to my jewelry box:
1. The leaves of Lorien
2. Arwen’s evenstar necklace
3. Gandolf’s brooch

These are so fun! I can see the brooches as a quirky touch to my everyday twee outfits on colorful cardigan sweaters. Arwen’s delicate necklace would pair well with soft chiffon maxi dresses with low necklines or even a sheer Edwardian blouse with long, billowy sleeves.

This Slytherin locket was originally what I was searching for when I discovered the LOTR costume jewelry—keyword spamming is not such a terrible thing after all. Since forever ago, I’ve been wanting a long antique gold necklace with a gigantic pendant to top my simple sundresses with. And because everyday is a summer day on Guam, I wear A LOT of sundresses. Which is to say, I’d wear the necklace a lot. So I wanted it to be special and kind of esoteric and a Slytherin locket seemed like the best bet. Problem is, it’s nowhere to be found! Well, at least not the version pictured above. I’ve searched the ends of the internet—every crevice in eBay, etsy and google—and the only thing that comes close is this locket from The Noble Collection:

Bummer it’s in metal :/ I have to admit how much I love that they included Regulus Black’s letter to Voldemort though. Even if it does seem a little gimmicky.

Since we’re on horcruxes though, how’s this for Marvolo Gaunt’s ring?

Except I imagine it to be encased in tarnished gold. I like how a gem, something that’s normally meant to be elegant and polished, can also be as raw and imperfect as this one.

On a side note, my big brother is a bona fide Harry Potter haterader. I can already hear him snickering under his breath all the way from Gainesville at the idea of a post even remotely relating to HP. So as a preemptive move against his backhanded remarks, I just wanna say—go do some calculus, or physics, or how about reverse engineering YOUR SKINNY BUTT, smarty pants!

Ahem, now where were we? Right, so while I’m still on the hunt for a horcrux (get it? get it? ha ha. I can be so lame), these *hunches forward and taps fingers together in an all-conspiring gesture* preciouses will suit me just dandy.

mustard cardigan – vintage
Leaves of Lorien brooch – eBay
ascot top – Zara
polka dot skirt – thrifted (no label)
mary janes – Nine West

I kept my outfit neutral, wanting the make-up to emphasize all the color. But it wasn’t applied dramatically enough to show through the camera and instead ended up looking like I was crying all night. Oh well.

I like the way red and green look together; they are complementary. But for some people, it looks too much like Christmas. What do you think—hit or miss?

I made this basic striped shift dress for me, but ended up liking the fit so much that it’s now a new addition to the shop.

I ordered these shoes for two reasons: 1. because Keds never go out of style, and 2. to enter the Chictopia/Keds contest. But they arrived one day shy of deadline. Damn it.

I bent down and yelled Hello! into one of those hollow poles behind me. But it didn’t say anything back.

military jacket – Ralph Lauren (borrowed from my boyfriend’s closet)
silver rings – gifts from Loraine
studded bangle – self-made
striped mini – Neneee (self-made)
shoes – Keds