black balloon.

i packed EXTREMELY lightly to go out of town this weekend (in anticipation of wild thrifting success, of course), and, shockingly, made only one purchase during my typical thrift-store-trek across the delaware beaches. while i'm stoked on my new, sort-of-ridiculous black velvet leggings, i did only spend 50 cents, and i decided it was probably the perfect time to suck it up and finally order some fryes. after some debate, i settled on the motorcycle-y engineer boots - i was in dire need of something with a bit of metal. to that effect, i'm hereby declaring allison mosshart my casual style star for the upcoming season; i'm all about finding/wearing/never taking off the most outrageously awesome ankle boots possible. i'm looking forward to reinstating a flat, foldover pair i spray-painted silver a few summers ago, likely with those aforementioned leggings, a busted old tee, and a blazer...

bate bete bite at BYT...

tough bunny.

i still love polyvore for pre-weekend outfit planning. let it be known, though, that the version of this outfit sitting in my actual closet costs roughly three grand less than the one above...

worn out at the threadbanger blog...

whoa! click to threadbanger for my worn out: street style picks!

panda head mag: issue 002 preview

sneak peek courtesy of liz gorman and let's not talk about art.

in excess at BYT...

click over to brightest young things for my post: in excess!

ace bandage.

top photos are the REAL DEAL, bottom photos are mine. obviously.

i spent the evenings this week making my own version of the $495 alexander wang ruffle skirt i can't afford and am totally thrilled with how it came out. i spent around $30 on materials and altogether the project took 4-or-so hours; it fits like a dream (i traced a skirt i already owned as a pattern) and i'm planning on wearing it roughly ten million times over the next several months. my version is RUFFLIER than the original but the color match is actually pretty spot-on - the photo came out much deeper because i refuse to use the flash indoors. i've got enough of the nude material left to attempt a bandage skirt, but i think i'll save that project for when tights-and-boots weather is in full effect...

zip it at threadbanger...

head to the threadbanger blog for my post this week: zip it!

because i'm classy.

all from forever21.com

there are few things i love more than a big fat fake cocktail ring.

attack of the machines...

bite it (at BYT)...

RNR vs. SNL.

andy warhol said that "fashion wasn't what you wore someplace. it was the whole reason for going," which sums up my past saturday night pretty exactly. friends new rock church of fire and rattler were both playing at rock and roll hotel, which made going out tempting, but i swore up and down i was staying in until i got a totally penny lane/almost famous-inspired outfit idea that i couldn't just keep in my living room. thanks to dakota fine for the photo-documentation above (the rest of his set from that night can be seen here and at his flickr), and be sure to read all about that shaded lady next to me at washingtonian.com.

under where? at threadbanger...

click click for the threadbanger blog and my post: under where?!

R.I.C.E.

left photo from face hunter; right photo from style.com

i was at work for all of 30 minutes today before dropping a Very Heavy piece of plywood on my foot and breaking and/or terribly bruising the bone in my big toe. sooo awful. considering that the immediate future calls for sensible shoe choices, i'm welcoming the excuse to give in and make a uniform out of a pair of flat, short boots. i'd saved the pics above as inspiration photos (i especially love io echo's pair at right), and am currently taking a break from the rest-ice-compression-elevation routine to scout out pairs online. i'm way into UO's candela tassel booties; the fringe aspect is trendy right now but i think they've got enough of a victorian orphan vibe to be considered classics. i still might check out eBay for a comparable vintage pair, because at $200 the candelas are a bit of an investment - but they're seasonless, they go equally well with dresses and denim, and i'm feeling sorry for myself right now. it's like a "can't-not-buy" trifecta.

worn out at threadbanger...

my worn out: street style picks post is up over at threadbanger!

this is why we can't have nice things.

"put-together."

for the last few months i've felt the overwhelming desire to look a little more PUT-TOGETHER, and to do so in way where i still look like myself (hairbrushes = foreign policy; "artfully disheveled" is a constant aspiration). maybe it has something to do with the whole rapidly-approaching-thirty thing but i'm feeling the need to throw some elegance into the mix. in a very tricky manner, i have arrived at the conclusion that i need to begin investing in classy pieces to wear with my distressed denim experiments and hole-y tees. this along with trying to spend wayyy less than i make (novel, right?) has led to a plan: rather than constantly throwing away money on disposables, i'm making an effort to shop the sale racks for outrageous markdowns on pieces that scream GROWN UP.

my first purchase, made friday, was the above 3.1 phillip lim top. originally $335 at barney's co-op, i bought it for $89.25 during their "final days" sale. i had to talk myself into paying even that much (i'm C-H-E-A-P; years of thrifting and my current retail discount have literally ruined me when it comes to paying more than $40 for anything), but under the new administration i'm sacrificing quantity for quality. the only flaw in my plan might be dry cleaning costs, as the first night i wore the top i got a maker's mark neat dumped square on my back while watching the apes. and THIS is why we can't have nice things.

cover me.

i grew up with a mother absolutely obsessed with bruce springsteen; as i got older i realized that the copies of backstreets, stone pony tees, and ticket stubs that filled our basement had worked their way into my subconscious. the result is a love for the early-era springsteen aesthetic: think anti-ralph lauren americana in the form of beat-up denim, working-class leather, and seriously distressed basics. fashion is back in step with the boss for fall 08, and i couldn't be more ready.

oh, ps - we are yet again entering a New Blog Phase - be on the look out for more writing and inspiration posts here at panda head (alongside the links to writing i do for other sites, of course). and in other very exciting news, you can expect issue 2 of panda head mag at the end of september. hurrah!

designer impostors at BYT...

give your TWO CENTS on fashion copycats at my BYT post for the week: designer impostors!
fry day,
morgan

viva la fashion video at BYT...

click HERE for BYT and viva la fashion video; click play above for vena cava's delightfully charming CFDA entry.
girl crushes,
morgan