do something silly and exquisite this week

Photos by the superb Olivia Bee.

don't let the wedding monster eat you alive

Mine is over and I'm still effing obsessed.

(Image from here)

where the f* are my moccasins?

I ordered them last Friday. And do I need these feather earrings now too? Uh oh.

Liz documents her outfits and meals on draw draw draw. This is outfit #35.

Via {frolic!}

speaking of fabulous necklines....

I dig this custom dress by Elizabeth Dye. More pics here.

how about this dress by Tatyana Merenyuk?

It would definitely show off a fabulous pair of shoes. (And legs, of course.)

r e d d o l l online. Via NOTCouture.

(Photo: Chris Nightingale)

yeeeow

Another photo of the Chanel dress.

From What Possessed Me, of course.

Hud, RIP

I didn't realize what an incredible actor Paul Newman was until I saw him in Hud a few months ago. (And he's gorgeous. Brad Pitt looks Ken-doll-ish in comparison.)

I didn't realize how badass he was until I read his obit in The New York Times this morning. This is what Newman told Newsweek a month before his 70th birthday:

"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious,'' he said. ''Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore,'' he said.

um, how do we feel about twitter?

Srsly. I'm v tempted to try it. But intimidated, I have to admit. Wired offered some advice in the August issue that has been holding me back:

"Every single Twitter post you write should be something that could get you laid, ruin a marriage, or bring a tear to a fat little kid's eye." - Joshua Allen

"Don't answer, 'What are you doing?' Be funny. Be brief (duh). Leave your lunch unpublished. Ditto your late plane. Incomplete sentences." - Jason Kottke

"Don't try to impress - just be yourself. But go a little beyond your comfort zone; share something you're hesitant about sharing." - Evan Williams

Too much pressure? But I just looked at Jason Kottke's feed, and he twittered about his deep fried Oreo lunch on September 12. Maybe I'm ready to play with the big boys after all.

(Image: "The neighborhood" by Rudat)

this is what home feels like

Monica Clapcott has taken a polaroid every day this year. Yes, I am officially obsessed with the medium.

Via design for mankind.

a fabulous desert fete

The kick-ass desert bride snuck me more polaroids from her much-anticipated (by me) Joshua Tree wedding.

Let's hear it for the dress. And the groom. And the dress. Don't make me choose.

Let's also hear it for Michelle Pullman, the killer non-wedding-photographer photographer.

I must admit, this is the shooting style I prefer. I'm curious to see what my own wedding photos look like. Someday.

a secret message from Keri Smith

I think this is important for me to keep in mind.

(Found here)

It's striped socks week, apparently

I love this shot Brooklyn designer Jenny Ham sent from her Vancouver wedding. (Two of my favorite cities.)

The old subway tile is so fabulous and gritty against the lace...

Photo by Butter Media.

I'm pretty sure I need these

For the shoot. Damn you Hollister Hovey.

Should I trash the dress?*

I signed up for this. The vain/exhibitionist bride in me wants more portraits. (I haven't even seen the first round.) And for free? With a vintage travel/air force theme? Plus I can bring H-town. Awesome. Right...?

But then these thoughts start churning through my head.**

1. What the f*ck will I do with my hair? This is not a great look with my dress.

2. Um, will I get approval on the photos shot by the however many photographers running around the air force base before they are posted on however many websites? Don't answer that.

3. Where the f*ck can I get a vintage flying helmet, and could this solve (1)?

4. Will I damage my dress? I really don't want to damage my dress. And does that mean I'm violating the spirit of trash-the-dress?

5. Would goggles wreck my makeup?

6. Do I care?

7. Am I deluding myself to think that any of the photographers running around the air force base would even want to shoot me? (My dress is not poofy, after all. It is not quintessentially bridal.)

8. Who will sew me into the dress? Do I put it on at home? Do I try to sew myself in?

9. Will putting it on again ruin the magic, or will H-town be so excited that we get super-fabulous photos?

10. Yikes.

Please weigh in, you guys. I'm totally lost.

*DISCLAIMER: I would never actually trash my dress. I love my dress. I plan to wear it again when I'm nominated for an academy award (you think I'm joking).

**I have to give some credit to Suite B for this inspiring list.

(Photo by Jaques Henri Lartigue via Hollister Hovey)

jammin 70s wedding photos rescued from the trash

Love. the. mustaches. Also love the groom's tie. When did men get so wussy about ties?

But mostly I love that this couple hung out with their friends and had a good time.

Photos from here. (Yes there are more.) Via StumbleUpon, my new favorite thing. Maybe.

Barack Obama-Rama

Rock the vote tomorrow at Spaceland (on the east side, of course).

Sponsored by Young and Jelinek, my favorite t-shirt store.

Playing with my tags again

The adorable mondmelodie inspired me to make a cloud.

I feel like an html hero today.

(Image from here)

Groom Style: Tec

I just came across this wedding on Darling Dexter.

The groom, photographer Tec Petaja, has got it going on. And the bride, Chelsea of oh my deer, is pretty fabulous herself.

(Photos by Jose Villa)

fab dress by Samantha Pleet

I'd get married in this. Pretty with just enough edge. (No need to go all soft just because you're the bride.)

See more at the Pleet Street Journal. Via Jargol.

organic shotgun wedding

This is one of those weddings that makes me love weddings.

(Photo: Rob Bennett for The New York Times)

we saved this string for you

This oh my deer post made me smile.

H-town loves to save things and I love to get rid of them. I think because my stepfather loved to save things. Like keys to god-knows-what and rusty washers and gross earplugs and pennies pennies pennies. In bowls all over the house. (And that's just the small stuff.)

Anyhoo, it makes for an interesting dynamic around the bungalow.

ME
(lifting a bottle filled with soapy water)
Did you want to save this soy sauce bottle?

HIM
Yes. It won't take up any space.

ME
(gazing at the sea of other dirty
dishes I don't feel like washing)
Okay.... It's just, I'm trying to reduce clutter.

HIM
(motioning towards the stack of wedding
gifts I'm pondering returning)
Why don't you deal with that?

I won't try to reproduce our conversation about whether or not rags should be washed and reused. I like to think I'm pretty green, but.... Eew.

this makes me love my haircut

Patti Smith in Sam Shepard's Cowboy Mouth, 1971. (Here they are together.)

Photo from here.

wait, here's another boot

This one definitely won't hold up in the snow, but for fall on either coast it might just be.... awesome? I'm on the fence. At $32.95 it almost fits into my post-wedding budget.

Available in tan, brown and black at Minnetonka.

Via The Moment.

this will have to express it for me

Polaroid by Jen Gotch.

I don't believe in astrology, but turns out I believe in Colorstrology

This is a new tool designed by Pantone to keep me from getting anything done this morning.

I'm amazed, I have to say. Bright orange is my favorite color. I feel lucky when I wear it. And now Colorstrology tells me wearing orange "reminds you to take action and not get caught up in the world of ideas."

Gotcha. I'll put on an orange t-shirt and turn off the internet.

Via the one I am stalking.

Groom Style: Brandon

Ordinarily I am "eh" about a J. Crew suit, but with sideburns and a fedora? Why not.

Check out the details of this vintage-inspired Northern California wedding on Snippet & Ink.

(Photos by Lisa Dick)

I solved the riddle of the boots

A friend who just moved from LA to NYC and is very concerned about the cold asked me if it would be okay if she bought a pair of Uggs this winter. This is a cool girl, mind you, who never would have rocked Uggs in Southern California, where they are reserved for sorority girls who like to dress for "winter" when the temperatures drop into the seventies.

I explained to my friend very firmly that a) No self-respecting New Yorker would be caught dead in Uggs and b) They wouldn't keep her feet dry anyway.

But I had trouble describing the kind of boots she needed. They have to keep her feet dry and warm, and she has to be able to walk for blocks in them. But they also have to be stylish, in a timeless kind of way. She shouldn't have to replace them in year.*

These just might be the boots.**

Via the catbird blog. You can't buy them online, but you can buy them at the Brooklyn store.

*I do believe shoes are worth investing money in. I broke my rule with these, and they turned out to be sh*t.

**It is not lost on me that these boots are pictured with skinny jeans. Skinny jeans have their place. But they would work equally well (better!) with a pair of boot-cut (duh) or wide-leg jeans. In my opinion.

socks are so over

You can blame Thom Browne if your groom refuses to wear them.

Via The Sartorialist.

My Gal (Sarah Palin)

From George Saunders’s piece in this week’s New Yorker:

I’m finding it hard to concentrate, as my eyes are killing me, due to I have not blinked since I started writing this. And, me being Regular, it takes a long time for me to write something this long.

Where was I? Ah, yes: I hate Élites. Which is why, whenever I am having brain surgery, or eye surgery, which is sometimes necessary due to all my non-blinking, I always hire some random Regular guy, with shaking hands if possible, who is also a drunk, scared of the sight of blood, and harbors a secret dislike for me.

Via Daring Fireball.

(Image from here)

a desert bride got married

I'm keeping an anxious eye on her blog for pictures of the much-debated Joshua Tree wedding dress.

(Image from here)

What the f* is mountain casual? (WARNING: LANGUAGE)

While we're on the topic, What Possessed Me has shared her insight about going to a Colorado wedding where the bride (a former model) and the groom (stylish and domesticated) attempted to dictate the dress code...

P: (Overreacting) What the fuck is mountain casual? I live in New York! I don't do casual!

F: I have no fucking idea.

P: Fuck! What the fuck?

F: Whatever. Just bring a bathing suit. They have a hot tub.

P: (Pacing) Are you fucking kidding me? A hot tub? With a bunch of models in Mountain Casual bikinis? You have just described my worst nightmare.

Read the rest here

(Image from here)

powder blue tux + mustache = awesome

Via Offbeat Bride.

DFW

David Foster Wallace, one of my favorite writers, was found dead on Friday night.

Read this book when you have the time to invest. It got me through a sh*t temp job, and changed my relationship with words.

(Image from here)

no spoilers please

Don't tell me if leanimal won. I'm steering clear of the Cut and staying away from her old etsy shop. (She seems to have posted some kind of message...)

But if you didn't snatch up the avant-garde dress when I told you to (silly bridey!) you can still order this sweet one from her website.

I'm all about the anti-wedding-dress wedding dress.