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Jessica

Blast you, global-lukewarmed weather. I think all the FU girls stateside of Thailand are feeling the wardrobe blahs of the winter. Funkopolitan, I tell you what. For some reason winter, especially this neurotic winter of blinding sun but blistering air, makes me feel like I’m in a fog of slow-moving bad fashion attitude.

But you know what helps? Wearing a blanket, and fuzzies, and armor.

Shuddup. So what if I’ve also been wearing these Blank black bleached legging-jeans ($5, 50% off at outdoor rack at LUX) for a week now straight. They go with everything. And no one sees the stains. The Merrell fleece-lined black boots ($9, REI garage sale) save my wimpy feet almost everyday, too.

Whatchyoolookinat? An Orange/pink reversable black pashmina with silver stiching (gift from Istanbul). This classy-as-all-get-out wool scarf lets me get away with wearing a fashionable blanket and then draping it however the hell I want to keep out the cold/onlookers. Holla. I try to keep it rolled up at the ready in my Mary Poppins’ Thai carpet bag (see below) at all times.

I got this warming vision about 7 years ago, when a friend of mine visited Turkey. I specifically requested a “classy pashmina” as an I-took-care-of-your-houseplants present. Spot on. This is the scarf I thought I lost on my recent sickly birthday at Boise Guest House, but they found it behind a dresser a week later. Holla get well birthday.

Meh. Let’s liven up the lackluster, shall we, with fuzzies. Neiman-Marcus vintage cream cashmere sweater ($2.99, thrift store; made in Hong Kong circa 1970s) and cream leggings ($2.99, Grocery Outlet). Gah. I love finding cashmere for peanuts at thrift stores. Mood on the rise.

Armor Bijoux, Bethany Walter jewelryWhen all else fails, this Armor Bijoux silver and glass antique from 1920s Afghanistan ($$$, Armor Bijoux by Bethany Walter) catches the glint in your, or at least someone’s, eye and makes you feel that much more blindingly powerful.

Alright, little red riding hood, I acquise, you’re lookin’ good. L.L. Bean knitted red and black wool sweater (?, purchased in high school when I was trying to be all Mormon-prep and now falling apart but more lovely for it) and the infamous Mary Poppins’ carpet bag (gift from Kim and the queen of Thailand-I’ll explain some other time) that holds the secret to all mysteries and knickknacks and writerly supplies and handiness and also the universe.

So, this outfit is pretty much everything a big bad winter could want. Woooh.

Photography by the show-and-cold-stopping Kelly Lynae. And thank you Bethany Walter for my last photo.

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Steal like an artist.
So yeah, this outfit may not be art, but it certainly is stolen, erm…inspired. After all, there is nothing new under the sun. And all is vanity. So what you wear becomes a catalogue of what and who you come into contact with — and how those combined forces creatively, often subconsciously, synthesize in the daily act of dressing.
The Tibetan turquoise, coral and beaded breastplate ($140, Armor Bijoux) is inspired by… • Bethany’s beautiful and frequent displays of breastplate glory. • My instant envy for Kim’s breastplate gift (hubba). • The ceremonies of the Ladakh tribe, as apparently this is a necklace made for the occasion. • The western US, as I find something so Santa Fe about this piece too. Overall, it makes me think of the soul, and vast open spaces, and mountains, and east meets west, and general bad-assery.

The Carlisle silk shirt (thrifted gift, somewhere in Oregon) is inspired by… • An undying love for labels that read 100% silk. • An undying love for gold. • A sort of mobius strip of inspiration that started with the one-by-one induction of the FU ladies into thrift store fashion fetishism, that in part led to this blog, that led my friend Amanda to start thrift store shopping in Oregon, that led her to buy and give this to me. Boomerang.

Made in the former British Hong Kong, this shirt is beautifully made for women with personal servants. It has intricate buttoning up the back, even hook-and-eyes up the nape of the neck.

The Bonnie and Norma vintage velvet riding pants ($3.75, thrift store) are inspired by… • Anna’s love for vintage velvet, which inspired me to start eagle-eyeing thrift stores for the exquisiteness. When I found these riding pants, she told me she had been on the search for a similar pair for years. Just recently, she found her own, and smokin’ hot. Now if I could only compete with her collection of velvet skirts.

The Frye Boots ($200, after parental gift-discount) are inspired by… • Peer pressure, because like, all the FU ladies have them, practically. • Cowboys. • The Civil War, which apparently inspired the whole boot-making venture in the first place.

All made in the USA baby.

The Leonardo Riva black leather oversized tuxedo jacket ($10, thrift store) is inspired by: • Kelly and Nicole’s fascination with menswear and tuxedo jackets. I love the oversized tuxedo feel of the front. And the yards of leather. (No offense, PETA.)  • My Harley-riding dad, and the added, full-body protection this will give me when on the back of a motorcycle. • My bicycle, and the semi-full-body protection this will give my outfits in the muddy spring. • Some puff sleeved leather jacket I saw on a runway recently. • The f*cking neurotic weather.

In the end, it’s me on a weekday, with the things I carry. Even people, even places, even love.

Photos by the glorious Bethany Walter, FU-ing tomorrow.

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Fashion satyr.

Catherine Ogust for Penthouse Gallery dress, $7.50 (originally $15, LUX annual half-off sale). Frye Boots (Dorado Short), $200 (after $200 gift donation from mom and pop). Goat mask, borrowed (Kelly and Jason’s wall).

Astrologically, and that word just seems to fit after the phrase “penthouse gallery,” I am a Capricorn, or half-goat, half-fish. In personality, I am introverted, yet ambitious. (I seemed to have slipped by the supposed practical and prudent sides.)

These are awkward combinations, creating awkward situations. All alleviated (or at least distracted) by the bold colors and lines of a stunning Moroccan-and-70s-vibe dress. And occasionally a goat mask.

Don’t goat me on.

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