Hazel Cox | Frivolous Universe

“Business Casual” – unprepared, but (hopefully) no one’s the wiser……

By: Anna D.

08-02-2012

What does one do when packing for a quick business trip to the snowy north-country? Throw random garments in an overnight bag and hit the road without giving your attire more than a fleeting thought, of course!

I arrived in McCall on Monday with a cushy 10 minutes to spare before my first of many meetings. Fortunately, I wore a fantastically comfortable hand-knit wool sweater over layered cotton tank tops, my favorite pair of jeans, and wool lined waterproof leather boots that are so cozy they may as well be slippers. By pairing these items with some key accents – raw silk scarf, Hazel Cox earrings, and turquoise Navajo pawn ring – I managed to pull off a great “business casual” look.

This feat of comfort and fashionability reaffirms my gripe that there is absolutely no excuse for people who show up to work, school, or public in general for that matter, in sweats. Shame on you public sweat pant wearers! If I wanted to see you in your jammies, I’d stop by your house at 7am. Didn’t your mother teach you common decency? Oh wait, I guess we learn our social behavior from celebrities now…

Shame on you, Madonna! Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you get to be a slob.

How embarrassing – these girls must have forgotten to change
out of their PJs before leaving the house!

4 hours later, meeting #1 out of the way, and I am unpacking my things at Ma’s house. This can’t be right – I’ve only packed one blouse, a pencil skirt, a pair of jeans, a couple sweater vests, and a pair of heeled boots that look quite comical when worn in snow country…….double check. Yep, that’s it. What the hell was I thinking? Apparently I was thinking, “Gee, I’d sure love a sprained ankle and a good outfit challenge during my two full days of meetings!” Sigh……challenge it is. Here’s what I came up with:

Outfit Attempt #1

Not only did I pack just one blouse, I happened to pack a vintage Sakowitz silk number that I’ve never worn. I’ve certainly tried, but the big, billowy neck bow has always stopped me short. The color is positively swoon-worthy, and the silk is top-quality, but that damned bow! It’s just so….bow-like.

My first attempted outfit was with a silk-cotton blended sweater vest by August Silk, a pair of grey jeans by Abercrombie, my steadfast black leather boots, and my trusty companion – the glorious brown suede Bonnie Cashin purse. Not quite feeling this one though…..let’s try again!

Outfit Attempt #2

I love the color palate here, but this is a mess of a getup for the winter McCall climate. The black wool pencil skirt by J. Crew is the quintessential “business attire” staple, which I’m sure is the reason why I threw it in my suitcase, and the bone-white leather booties are a fantastic modern answer to the ho-hum black leather heels that most dames wear in their business attire, but neither of these items will do in 6 feet of snow. However, the beautiful, creamy white knit wool vest with braided leather covered buttons by Sentex of Australia is getting closer……so warm, so elegant…

Side Note: I love that my Worthington tights perfectly match the warm brown of my vest buttons, the bone hue of the booties pair perfectly with the vest, my Hazel Cox earrings have a stripe of true red that matches the blouse, and the turquoise in my ring is complimentary to the blouse. And note how the knot of the silk tie mirrors the knot in my ‘20’s era beaded knot necklace, a lovely gift from Kim Philley. Details, details, details!

Outfit Attempt #3

Well, here it be – the outfit I finally chose as the one to wear during day #2 of a long day of meetings. It pulls the best from both blouse explorations, and creates a look that stands out but is still understated. I wanted something unique and fashion-forward, but had to make sure I felt comfortable in what I was wearing in order to focus on my tasks rather than fretting over my attire. And as per usual, everything here was purchased at a pittance from various thrift stores.

This humble fashion feat begs for one last declaration of shame……..Hillary, WHY?? It really is completely unnecessary to wear such god-awful business attire. Please, next time you peer into your vast closet of polyester pantsuits, reconsider. The fate of our nation’s image rests largely on your ghastly clad, foam-padded shoulders, and how can anyone be taken seriously when dressed head to toe in a single and oft unflattering color? Just……please, reconsider.

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RAISE THE RED LANTERN: Green Hot Chili Peppers, Year of the Dragon, & Asia Street Style’s Nana Chen

By: Kim Philley

07-02-2012

Kim

Even when you’re scared art is no dictionary. –Frank O’Hara

Green Hot Chili Peppers Dress: Street stall next to Sala Deang BTS, Bangkok

I once read an interview with Daniel Craig where he explained why he accepted the hefty mantle of becoming the new James Bond. He didn’t want to be a sad sack in his dotage, Craig said, sitting on a barstool, knocking back the Jameson and saying to everyone and anyone who cared to listen that he could have been Bond.

I moved to Bangkok for the same reason. Because I never wanted to explain to anyone–myself in particular–why I didn’t. When I could have. When I was not yet old and no longer young.

Red silk belt: Thrift store, Oxford, UK

For RAISE THE RED LANTERN, Nana Chen of Asia Street Style photographed me at midnight off a not-quite-deserted intersection in Bangkok’s Sathon district. An International Herald Tribune photographer out for a late dinner, tattooed drunks, and the occasional cockroach scuttled by. Bangkok being Bangkok (hard to surprise), none of them paid us much mind.

I picked up the green hot chili peppers dress from one of the Sala Deang street stalls I mentioned in last week’s post, FU MEETS ASIA STREET STYLE. I forgot exactly how much I paid for the dress, but it was under 250 Thai Baht ($8). Nana and I found the lurid blue-green peppers a little phallic at first blush; both of us agreed that a belt would solve the phallus problem.

White leather bracelet: leather accessories street vendor in Shida night market, Taipei

My favorite (& only) black leather bag: this bag has no label; I swear I’ll find the little Bangkok shop again one of these days

Nana also styled me and did my makeup for this shoot (see the bottoms of this post for product details). The nightlight is vintage Southeast Asia–an eerie mix of halogen and Chinese lantern. Chinese New Year has come and gone and now we are left with the Year of the Dragon. Dragon years are volatile to say the least–anything can, and will, happen.

Today I’m housebound with a wretched Bangkok flu. An hour ago I dragged myself down from my apartment, to my local market street, for a chicken-broth resupply. As I walked past the mango lady I heard an obnoxious cacophony of cymbals. I winced. I cursed. I reached for my Tiger Balm. And then I looked up: I was headed straight for the jaws of a dragon.

Bow-tied wool pencil skirt: Diane Von Furstenberg

Jade windchime earrings: by U.S. jewelry designer Hazel Cox (gift from FU’s Anna Demetraides)

Black plastic bracelet with elastic: H&M, Geneva

Tube top: Benetton, Taipei

Keep in mind this happened on a Tuesday at 11:30am in the middle of nowhere. The “dragon” was comprised of six Thai boys in matching red t-shirts and paper-mache. I put a 20 Baht bill between the monster’s fangs and watched him go on his jangling way. I watched the mango lady feed the beast a handful of 10 Baht coins; the noodle soup man slapped a generous 50 Baht note on the dragon’s tongue.

A few things I know about myself: I’m pathologically restless. I build on nothing. Like the Chinese, I burn my paper houses and walk away. This Dionysian photoshoot with Nana reminded me of lines from a favorite poem by Frank O’Hara:

becoming ultimately local and intimate / repeating the phrases of an old romance which is constantly renewed by the / endless originality of human loss the air the stumbling quiet of breathing / newly the heavens’ stars all out we are all for the captured time of our being

–“You Are Gorgeous and I’m Coming” (1959)

Notes on makeup by Nana Chen:

Eyesliner: YSL

Eyeshadow: Chanel

Blush: Bobbi Brown

Blot Powder: Mac

Lips: Mac

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The Complisult.

By: Anna D.

17-01-2012

Anna

According to the Urban Dictionary, a complisult is “a backhanded compliment.” Example: “That’s such a nice dress. It does wonders for your figure.”

One night a few years ago, through an amber haze of whiskey fumes and cigarette smoke, a close friend of mine confessed, through tears of laughter and apologetic overtones, that I had unwittingly acquired a nickname amongst my friends – “The Complisult”. She explained to me that I have this “endearing” way of paying people compliments by insulting them.

As soon as she said it, I realized just how horrifyingly appropriate my nickname was. I’d never been able to put my finger on it – this thing that invariably happened when I tried to joke with others – and now here it was, staring me in the face. The Complisult. It’s a little like thinking you’re Batman and suddenly discovering you are in fact The Joker.

Now that I’m aware of my hapless talent for complisulting people, I diligently monitor my words. But old habits die hard, especially when one was only made aware of said bad habit a relatively short time ago…..so at times The Complisult still makes a vengeful return, giving me a nasty case of foot-in-mouth disease.

The silver lining to this affliction is that it’s made me work damned hard to make lasting friendships. The evening these photos were taken, I had the good fortune of hosting a few of my most prized friend acquisitions – Jessica, Kelly, and Bethany – three of the five other women who post on this blog. Not to mention, I have one hell of a manfriend, who built our lovely home, and a dog, Ed, who is so devoted to me that he lays at the foot of the tub when I shower and hugs my hand with his tiny white paws every time I scratch his furry little chest. Just look at those eyes he’s giving me! it’s love.

All of my loved ones, save Ed of course, have fallen prey to The Complisult a time or two, but they stick with me, and we adore and revere each other. It’s a fine thing. So I raise my Tyrconnell filled glass to the FU broads, Dustin, and my Edmund – here’s to sticking with it, and building love.

About the Outfit: This fantastic vintage cocktail dress was designed by Julie Miller, and made sometime in the mid ’40’s. Kelly gave it to me for Christmas, that classy dame! The boots are made by Classique, so essentially they are cheap knockoffs of some designer brand. But hey – they are actually leather, and I picked them up for $4 at a thrift store, so……

And in case you’re wondering, that stunning painting pictured behind me is by one of my all-time favorite Boise artists – Erin Cunningham.

About the Jewelry: My earrings are, no surprise here, handmade by Hazel Cox. The watch was Dustin’s grandmother’s, and is by Voumard. The gold bracelets are from my great-grandmother in Greece. The ring on my left hand is gold, diamond, and elk ivory – designed and made by Glade Davis. The one on my right ring finger is a Greek gold filigree piece from my great-grandmother, and the one on my middle finger is a gold and opal piece from my grandmother.

Jessica and I, extolling the virtues of quality-made vintage clothing in my cozy home office. Many thanks to Bethany for another round of fantastic photos.