◅◅IGUANAS AND BASKETBALL▻▻

Iguanas and basketball FTW.

Emma Mulholland SS12

"As Bad As I Guana Be"

Lookbook here

☯ CAN YOU DIG IT ☯

velvet tie-dye shorts from micksmakings,  halter top and aviators c/o american deadstock, boots from asos, blouse c/o gypsy warrior, spike friendship ring c/o my little fisheye, bag from etsy, under the pyramids triangle necklace, afghan necklace from ebay, thrifted belt and violet shirt

Allow me to inelegantly hold my bangs to the side as the wind steadily pummels my face with MAGNIFICENT FORCE. Does 26 mph wind constitute the entire day as a mild tornado? No? Balderdash! But really, I have been too distracted by these velvet tie-dye shorts to truly care about wind. How freaking good are these? Like, what? I got them from micksmakings - a store full of great spandex-y hot pants and leotards for great prices. These shorts are only 16 bones. Perf. I now say 'perf' instead of perfect. The Regina George in me has been released. Perf will catch on, you'll see.

As you all know, I battle a lot of things ranging from Anemia to Tinnitus to fabric-dyed orange skin. Poor me. To make matters worse, I also have a troublesome ongoing battle in my head with my attachment to decades. Since I love absolutes, being unable to decide which era of fashion I adore most is more upsetting than this constant ringing in my left ear. I kid. (and my health issues are rather lame, too!). I do find myself arguing with...myself... over and over when I think I want to solidify this "image" of...myself. Do I want to pay tribute to the late 60s/early 70s? Or would I rather show my gratitude for the 1990s? I love the tie dye and fringe and psychedelic prints of the late 60s. But what about the flannel and gothic mesh and conch shells of the 90s? The hot pants and maxis of the early 70s make me happy, as well as the combat boots and batik print in the 90s. In a battle where there can be no winners, WHO. WILL. WIN?!

kasdhfljasdflasjhdflasjdfkasdjflasdfwhyyyyylasdflkajsdkfasdfhowwwwwhaskndsadjhfoasidf

!!!!!!!!??!!!!!!!

Wait a second. I remember wearing "flower power" inspired tops in the 90s. I remember wearing tie dye and long maxi skirts. And weren't the high-waisted shorts just an acid-washed mirror of the high-waisted pants in the 70s? What about the fringe on motorcycle jackets? In the 1990s, not only did I rock the typical grunge-goth look, but I also dipped into the 60s style of clothing that came back in the 90s. That's right, folks. In the 90s we dressed like the our current decade AND the 60s. Well, I suppose we have a winner. Congrats, 1990s! *confetti!* You succeeded in making your own rad fashion statements as well as recycling the best trends from earlier decades. *more confetti!* 

Your prize is a freaking great song from the 90s!

 

I really wanted to put this song up, but it missed the 90s by one year. I will put it up anyway, as tribute to the amazing almost-90s.

⚡⚡BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (SKIN)⚡⚡

 shorts - diy, top - thrifted and diy shredded, boots - uo, bag - euphoria

If you are a close friend of mine then you know that I used to be quite the bully - a terrorizing little redhead who loved making people squeal and cry because clearly I had some control issues. Had? I mean have. The controlling person in me has simmered down, but the bully in me has completely died off. I'm not a moron jerk anymore, I promise. I've said my apologies. Back in those days I was never really victim to major bullying but I certainly heard my fair share of taunts when it came to my transparent white legs. I was called the "flashlight of the pool" when we would go swimming. People loved pointing out the brightness of my skin as if they were being blinded by two fluorescent lights. It sucked. I was so insecure about it that I didn't wear shorts once throughout high school. And now look at me: freakishly obsessed with shorts and still really white. Milky, rather. We'll just say that. Pale redheads go through a lot of BS until they are old enough to not give a crap and realize that they are rare and awesome. To all the redheads out there- CHEERS! Wear shorts! Luv u.

These shorts are effed. I let the bleach sit for way too long and now the denim has alopecia areata in the butt region. Nothing a pair of biker shorts can't fix, though.

◅◅HEMOGLOBLIN▻▻

vintage top, thrifted boots , belt, and shorts, euphoria bag

 Found out I am anemic, yesterday. Guess that just makes me passably more goth without even trying. Unless these pills help, I now shrewdly have a bona fide excuse to be an irritable and tired little brat. "Sorry, it's just my anemia acting up. I can't help it." 

But seriously, this shirt. I forgot about this little number. I color coordinate my closet (don't we all?) and I think this top was hopelessly squeezed between two much larger red tops that bullied this one into a merciless red fabric sandwich. Poor guy. After making a pile of unwanted clothing the other day, it finally got a chance to breathe and grabbed my attention along with it. BAM. Get on muh body! Before it gets too hot! Speaking of heat, look at this:

That's what I call a good week. I will ignore the wind, to keep my positive outlook. Wait, I'm not positive! I'M ANEMIC. 

Song.

꒾ AMAZING ꒾

lenni vintage shorts, thrifted top and purse, vintage boots

I'm going to have to give myself a pat on the back for my recent dollar sale thrift excursion; this weird wool-nylon blend sweater probably ranks highest. No, that is not a black cropped top underneath, but instead a tighter knit section of the same shirt. Well that takes care of that. Just add a simple bandeau in place of a bra, and you've got a nice pancake-smushed-boob bod ready for 60 degree dumb weather with no other unnecessary layering.

The shorts were sent to me awhile back from the amaaaazing Lenni of Lenni Vintage, and I am stoked that it's finally almost that time of year again for itty bitty clothing. I recently re-watched some Louis CK and I admire his disgust for overused words that completely debilitate the actual meaning. "Amazing" is one of his hated dampened words that everyone throws around. CK has a friend who exclaims how amazing his bucket of chicken wings is, to which CK replies something like "Wow, really?  You just made the rest of your life boring by comparison.  If those chicken wings are 'amazing', what are you going to say when Jesus comes back?" Anyway, I bring this up because Lenni Vintage DOES have amazing shorts. Perfect patterned tassel-y upholstery shorts. Amazing. Comparable, even, to the apocalypse. That is assuming the apocalypse will be amazing. I NEVER EXAGGERATE AND I ONLY EVER USE WORDS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE. I AM A GENIUS.

On a non-exaggerated note, I think I'm dying. I have a strange whistling windy noise in my ears that is driving me insane. It's been going on for days now and it's getting worse. It's as if I was just at a loud concert on an airplane underwater. I don't know how I haven't ripped my brain out yet. 

Look at Sticky.

AFGHAN JEWELRY, YO

top and cardigan - thrifted, bag from euphoria, shorts from bodhi imports, thrifted boots, ebay bootstraps, necklace c/o uber kuchi, charm bracelet from vestige, turquoise bracelet from a navajo trade post in arizona, thrifted belt

Probably the first thing you will notice in this post is that enormous and amazing piece on my neck. Along with other necklaces, a lot of the jewelry I wear come from countries around the world. This Afghan necklace is from Uber Kuchi, a perfect store on etsy with jewelry from Afghanistan, Central Asia, Africa and Israel. It is definitely worth a gander.

For those of you who are unaware, I would like to give you a lil' snip-it of insight into the world of Afghan jewelry and why you should buy.

As you know, thirty-some years ago the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, leaving millions of people flooding to refugee camps mostly in Pakistan and Iran, and others displaced around the country. Millions of land mines were placed all over the country, resulting in an ungodly amount of dead and disabled people, a lot of whom were women and children. Those same land mines and bombs exposed Afghanistan's natural gem deposits like Lapis Lazuli used to make some of the jewelry you see today. (*see bloggers wearing Lapis here and here.*) Cities were bombed, farms were bombed, generating lots of jobless and family-less people. In many instances, those that could work took jobs weaving carpets and making jewelry. In the early stages, wages were cheap, and the workers were predominantly female. Women learned the craft from being around other women, and warlords supplied them with gems to make some money. 

Since there is no direct trade with Afghanistan, most of the Afghan jewelry you see was crafted in Pakistan or Turkey. In fact, the city of Peshawar in Northern Pakistan is referred to as "Afghan Town". Passed down from generations, a lot of women nowadays have learned to hand make this traditional inspired jewelry in refugee camps or from their own homes to support their families and afford education. They cut, sand, and polish the gems before they hand make each piece. Most organizations that sell their pieces are fair trade, where the women are paid well above local wages. Often this can help empower these women to leave abusive situations in which they couldn't otherwise flee due to financial suffering. Pretty rad, eh? I could go into it more, but you get the idea, and I need to take Sticky out before she takes another dump in my closet.

With that said, BUY FAIR TRADE (betcha didn't realize fair trade included things that weren't edible!). BUY AFGHAN JEWELRY. On top of it looking freaking AWESOME, you now know what you are supporting and in turn can sleep that much better at night.

INSTAGRAM

 

A few instagram snapshots. I've finally joined the 21st century.

Instagram: Caseystrawberry

AROUND THE WORLD

 peace sign halter from bodhi imports, thrifted indian top, jeffrey campbell boots, thrifted bag, random jewelry from ebay & bodhi imports & euphoria, dynasty chime necklace c/o enrah, pyramid quartz ring c/o rejoice the hands

This is what my world looks like 5 minutes out of the city in early Spring. Dead. So beautiful, right? I thought I would spruce things up by wearing this bright orange top that I would later discover had spent the day dying my arms an obnoxious pumpkin color. That night I was dealing with some weird chest pains that really scared me, and then I looked in the mirror to find that I had developed what looked to be some off-brand Jaundice. Freaking out at my friend, my brain slowly pieced the puzzle together and remembered that I had been wearing this orange top, and I was able to calm down. So, I have a new self tanner from India. Pretty hyped on that. And everyone else is pretty hyped on the fact that they can check their hair and make sure nothing is stuck between their teeth, by looking at any of the 98749324 round mirrors sewn into the fabric. Win win, right?

I'm sporting different parts of the world with this outfit. We've got the top from India, the southwestern styled Bible bag, the abalone rings from the sea, the Middle Eastern evil eye bracelet, and the dynasty necklace from China. Okay, not from China. From a lovely gal named Enrah who resides in my neighboring state, Colorado. On top of this awesome dangly chime necklace, she makes jewelry inspired by things that I love, including Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Super Mario. On the jewelry note, I need more storage for my necklaces. More wall thingies to hang them on. My jewelry collection is majorly out of control and I'm starting to feel agreeably claustrophobic. I've got some driftwood that I collected in Yosemite and plan on maybe painting and putting tiny hooks onto. I would like more organic outdoorsy-inspired necklace hangers, so I think it will be rad. Any other ideas? I need help. I need jewelry rehab.

A song to leave you with.

MAKEUP VIDEO TUTORIAL

There you go.