Jessica | Frivolous Universe

NAKED (for later)

By: Jessica Holmes

14-03-2012

Let’s get down to it. NAKED, that is. The first show in our new Story Story Late-Night series, the black sheep in the Story Story Night family.

Photographer: Bethany Walter

Positively shameless, Story Story Late-Night goes there. With raw and real stories on an unblushing theme. Told live on stage at the stunning Visual Arts Collective in Garden City. Without notes or inhibitions.

Story Story Late-Night logo design by Neighborhood All-Stars. Sign printing from Fast Signs.

Photographer: Bethany Walter

Late as usual, I found this captivating dress at the very last minute. On Sunday actually, the day before our Monday show, at the Idaho Youth Ranch on Orchard. I’m in Albuquerque at the moment, and Dan has not yet pulled the dress off the floor in Boise to identify the label, but I remember it is a 1980’s Dynasty era brand, and 100% silk baby ($3.75). You know my fetish by now.

Photographer: Bethany Walter

The dress is a luscious thick silk weave with six double-breasted buttons down the front, and an unending open-front collar down the same. To me, it looks like a men’s dressing gown, tailored to perfection for a woman just my style. After all, my favorite way to invoke subtly slutty is to play up my two scoops of vanilla bust-line. Mission accomplished, gown. NAKED, all the way baby.

Bandolino blue leather and velvet pumps: $19 (Ross Dress for Less). Red velvet and carved wood throne chair: $49 (The Bench Commission).

Photographer: Bethany Walter

The jewelry makes the outfit such an enchanted evening. The Green carnelian and silver ring is new (to me) from Armor Bijoux ($180). Soul perfection. The Antique Afganistani silver and glass necklace is also from Armor Bijoux ($$$).

The Gold grape bunch clip was a gift from Anna D and her manfriend, from his grandmother’s vintage costume jewelry collection. I love the naked grape leaf symbology. I was planning on having a wardrobe malfunction to show off the awesome bra underneath, another gift from Anna D. Oh it happened, just not on stage.

Thanks Anna D. for all of your work making Story Story Late-Night a concept, then a reality.

Photographer: Whitney Rearick

And, though blessedly not the host this time (stunning Emma Arnold expertly had that covered), I did get 5 minutes on stage because my name was drawn, by random chance, Dan swears. (And then I subsequently did.) I was so excited, I got to tell a strange and hilarious in flagrante Stanley story that also involves Dan Costello and indiscretion. For telling it, I won a pair of fishnet panties from Under 19/Pleasure Boutique, one of our prize sponsors.

Maybe someday I’ll tell you the story too, but you kind of had to be there.

Photographer: Whitney Rearick

This man is a rock star, naked and otherwise.

Next up, ideal for the Ides of March…

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On the flip side of LEGENDS

By: Jessica Holmes

08-03-2012

Jessica

All the great legends are templates for human behavior. I would define a myth as a story that has survived.
John Boorman

I have had a rough week. Erm…OK, 5+ months. I am beginning to realize I am at one of those harrowing (and thrilling) turning points in my life. When I realize how off-course I really am, and how weak my heroic self. And how far I have to go. An epic, so to speak.

On this day in question, shooting as an FU gaggle for Pursuing Andie, I was in so not a pleasant mood, and utterly drained. That is, right up until I put on this dress. Andie had chosen it specifically with me in mind after seeing some of my Story Story Night stage sequins. It’s a vision. One that fits me like a literal, and also metaphorical, glove.

A real bird of paradise. Scala silk with sequins and beading vintage dress ($48, originally $64-Pursuing Andie). So duh, I bought it right away. Seriously, like I would let anyone else own this dress. Though lovely Ms. Andie has other sequins selections for you to drool over, like this black and gold power beauty blouse I was this close on buying too.

I justify epically frivolous outfit purchases by designating them for an upcoming Story Story Night theme. Indisputably, this dress’s theme is for May’s night, LEGENDS: Stories of Heroes and Epics.

Sometimes, if all the strength you have starts in sequins and silk and an image you project, that’s all you need to make it through to the other side. With a little bit of bravery. A little bit of bad ass. And a real story to tell. Ralph Lauren suede and wood clogs ($7.99, Good Samaritan, the same run when I found my BREAK-UP dress.)

See you (and eventually see this dress again) on the flip side of LEGENDS.

Stunning (with a freezing cold windchill factor) photos by Kelly Lynae.

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BREAK-UP

By: Jessica Holmes

01-03-2012

Jessica

Put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded a plane.

Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues, in the middle of the pouring rain.

-Walkin’ in Memphis, Marc Cohn (version embedded in my soul by Dan Costello)

Story Story Night‘s BREAK-UP: Stories of the End of the Affair was on Monday. As you may know by now, I am the driving force behind this ever-blooming live storytelling phenomenon. I do what I can to keep up, but on this night in question, with endless lines around the block confronting our sheepish and over-long will-call lists, facing my doom (erm…hosting duties) in the Rose Room was like touching down in the middle of the pouring rain.

After some heartburn, we somehow packed 500+ people into the Rose Room to hear stories of Splitsville, with fantastic featured storytellers and random intervals of Braveheart bag-pipe music inexplicably wailing in from the restaurant below.

Luckily I had on my Jeffery Cambell blue suede shoes ($60, half off $120 MSRP-Piece Unique & Shoez), as I boarded that rocket plane. No clothing item better connects with the blues, and how to rock the sh*t out of the blues, than these edgy shoes. My Tibetan turquoise, coral and beaded breastplate ($140, Armor Bijoux) also puts up a good frontal defense.

The above photo represents how I feel on Story Story Nights. Blurry with continual motion, and tired around the eyes. Or maybe I’m just trying to look like a fashion model. OK, you got me, for BREAK-UP, I was actually trying to look like a fashion model.

This model, actually, from Sophie Theallet’s fall 2012 Ready to Wear line. I always try to dress for the theme, but I just wasn’t feeling anything BREAK-UP worthy in my closet. Then a few weeks ago, I spied this look. The top reminds me of the 70’s couch you awkwardly had your first kiss (or groping) on. Worn with all the sweatervest and turtlenecked geekdom of your adolescence. Then, on the bottom: drapey drama, drama, drama; broken up by a slit that never quits…rawr. All bottomed out by those awesome, quirky, laced-up shoes. I star-cross love this look, as I can never, ever possess it.

So instead, I sent up my wish into the Universe…

And this is what came back to me. Vintage Liz Clairborne rose print red dress ($5-Good Samaritan).

And by the Universe I mean I posted this look to our FU Facebook group, with the noted desire to find something “similar.” On a thrift run, Kelly Lynae texted me a photo of this dress. She knows vintage Liz Clairborne has a thing for my body. A love affair over the decades.

I know, I know, this dress sort of looks nothing like the Sophie Theallet. But squint. It does everything I wanted that look to do. Bold color in an old-school update print. A bit innocent with the boxy shape and pleated bottom. A tad naughty with the bare legs and shoe laces. A pinch bad ass with the breastplate and the blue suede shoes.

Photos taken at Red Feather, site of the Story Story Night Afterparty, by Bethany Walter. Cheers to the rose period.