maxi skirt | Frivolous Universe

Seeing Red.

By: Anna D.

22-05-2012

As I write this, I am angry. I feel that we “civilized” people are taking advantage of each other in a most blatant and insulting way. I recently spent the better part of a day trying to configure my new MacBook Pro. By the time I left the Mac store, I felt utterly hopeless. In order for me to utilize the machine I just purchased for the sum of a month’s pay, I must spend an additionally egregious amount in software updates.

I don’t need fancy new software – I just want the older versions currently running on my outdated machine, but thanks to “new advances in technology,” those old programs won’t run on my new computer. And thanks to those same new advances, my old computer is slowly becoming more and more isolated from the rest of the world – unable to send and receive documents and messages that are vital to my ability to stay employed.

And really, it’s our fault – we, the consumers. We love the beautiful marketing baloney that’s thrown at us daily – iPhone, iPad, iBook, iPod, iTouch, iSayEffOff. I say let books be books, phones be phones, and leave touching for human interaction.

Thank the Great Unknown for simpler beauty, like red velvet…..

…and scarlet clematis blooms….

…and little red dacshunds…liittle red dacshund – ooh ooh ooh! – baby you’re much too fa-at….

…and giant, leafy rhubarb plants with their ruddy, secret stalks….

…and crimson silk-threaded antique silver beads from Afghanistan, thanks to a lovely friend…..

…and deep carmine calla lilies, so dark in complexion they appear as hooded apparitions against a stark sky….

…and bare feet in trees…..

…and a man in my life who plucks the first rose bloom of the year and sneaks it onto my desk when I’m not looking…..

All photos taken by yours truly.

Comments

Too much? : A Prince inspired outfit

By: Bethany Walter

27-01-2012

Bethany

Last week I confessed that I am at times a poser. I think of outfits as costumes and a way to pretend to be something I am not quite yet. Thinking of my outfits this way gives me permission to play and be creative with how I dress. I brought up this perspective of mine for dressing because I think sometimes people have a hard time wearing something adventurous and pushing themselves outside their comfort zone.

Lisa Sánchez, a friend and reader of Frivolous Universe, commented last time that I should think of my approach to dress as artistry rather than posing. She then gave an awesome example of someone who embodies distinct and glorious style, Prince. There were probably times she said when he looked in the mirror and asked himself, “Too much?”

“Too much?” I ask myself this question about last week’s outfit and I realized I am dressing too safe. Say hello to my Prince inspired outfit.

70s vintage nylon maxi skirt: Ship ‘N Shore, thrift store
70s vintage nylon blouse with necktie: John Matthews, thrift store

I’ve been waiting to wear this vintage maxi skirt for the last couple of months. Twice I saw it in a thrift store and it’s electric blue color jumped out at me. Both times I thought to myself, “What the hell is this?” It looked like a heap of fabric draped on a hanger. The maxi skirt was a part of 70s 2 piece Ship N’ Shore outfit. It came with a matching button up shirt with giant cuffs and two random strips of fabric.

The color matches Prince’s outfit up above perfectly. When I tried the whole outfit on it didn’t feel Prince enough and so I replaced the shirt with a signature white 70s vintage John Matthew blouse with neck tie.

This maxi skirt has serious drama, both in it’s movement and length.

On a side note, Kelly took these amazing photos. I only included this photo above because she loved it so much because of it’s motion. I however find it slightly unflattering. With this blog, I am, along with the other frivolous ladies, trying to redefine what our culture says is beautiful. Unexpected, unusual, and potentially uncomfortable has been becoming part of our definition of female beauty.

Headband: came with Ship N’ Shore 2 piece, thrift store

Prince always had something crazy going on with his hair and I felt I needed an extra accessory to push this outfit over the top. I fashioned this headband from one of the strips of fabric. Originally it was designed to be a neck bow.