I would like to announce the launch of our mens' line with these first three pieces, modeled by my handsome friend John!
There are about a dozen more stunning pieces, including a tweed jacket, mahogany leather coat, and Aztec sweater. Not yet, not yet... they will be unveiled once I publish the look book!
I had a friend say John looked like he just walked out of the woods. Yes, dear, that's why it's so good.
I like rugged clothes. Clothes that have journeyed with you and know who you are. Old cotton shirts. Wool socks. Vintage 'jumpers.'
Do you lovelies buy for your handsome men, or do they like to shop? What do you like to see them in?
Well, my darling readership. Here is a real fashion post for you! My new Hibiscus lipstick by Mary Kay just arrived the other day. Let me tell you, "hibiscus" is an understatement! After I finished applying it, I stepped back from the mirror and startled myself a bit! But as I don't wear any makeup, it's kind of fun to wear a bold lip color in the cooler seasons. Getting the right hue (pink, not brick) will bring out the white in your teeth.
These photos are from a shoot I did photographing a new batch of items for the shop. The leaves are finally changing color. Everything is glowing in warm autumn tones. And... the temperature is dropping. I seriously suffered bringing these photos to you. Thank goodness for fire places and chai. (Side note: I want a tshirt that says, "My tripod is my best friend")
This beautiful tee has an adorable drape to it! The lace detail at the neck is very feminine, and works well with the iridescent shimmer in the fabric. Perfect for spring or autumn.
The makeup look I used is suitably dramatic for the season, and very easy to achieve! It works well if you have thin eyebrows, especially.
Little Make-up Tutorial:
For Dramatic Eyebrows: Don't pluck... Let them grow wild and crazy. Using an eye shadow a little lighter than your hair color, fill them in with a sponge-tip brush. Then, take a mascara (Covergirl's Lash Exact offers perfect precision) and gently brush them upward. The color of mascara you use will determine how dark your brows are!
Complete the look: I used a shimmery ivy on my outer lid, and then blended matte "granite" into the crease. Finish with a touch of white on your brow bone and inner lid. Carefully winged liquid eyeliner is perfect... you don't want your dark eyebrows to overpower your eyes!
Well, I think I am going to take a bath, fix a tea, and read a book. Thanks for reading, loves!
I'm going to risk wierding you guys out a little bit. I just improved upon one of the most excellent systems in my life, and it was so exciting, and I even fist pumped it, so I just must share it.
I always have this water bottle with me. It is an aluminum Camelbak Better Bottle and the love of my life. It has survived crashes from my bicycle and hiking expeditions. But when I drive, it rolls around and drives me insane. For me, preparing to drive is like preparing for flight. Everything must be stowed. In a moment of brilliance, I once discovered I could use this purple carabiner to clip the bottle! But alas, it was starting to scratch the cup-holder...
Having recognized this problem, I felt very brilliant.
So today I went to a hardware store and asked a knowledgeable gentleman there if they might carry a product that answers to the following description: adhesive, flexible, thick, removable, and protective enough to hold up to the repeated abrasion of hooking and unhooking a carabiner.
I was surprised by his genius when he graciously said, "Hmmm. Duck tape might work for that."
Really, Courtney? Really? Leave it to men. Jeesh.
So, some practical advice: 1. Buy a carabiner for your water bottle, 2. Protect surfaces with duck tape.
Ahem. Please notice the spotless cargo mats. (I am obsessed with washing them. Often.) Then I wipe down every surface in the car with anti-bacterial wipes. And spray the upholstry with Lysol.
Well, still plugging away at our late fall lookbook! Tomorrow I am going to a friends' to photograph the listings for the ladies' wear section, and I am quite excited. A warm chai latte in front of the fireplace will be a nice way to wrap up the morning.
Considering how wonderful the weekend was, it's very silly I didn't bring my camera.
I am not sure why I didn't. (I need that on a t-shirt. Perhaps I would not get asked so many questions.)
If any of you are on Twitter, you really should skip on over and follow me.
I tweet quite frequently about nothing significant, and it is an absolute riot the whole time.
Friday night I went to a local play called "You Can't Take It With You" with my family. If you like unexpected explosions, vintage evening gowns, and quick wit, you will love the film, circa 1935, directed by Frank Capra.
Saturday I spent the day at Pike Place Market with my grandparents, wandering around in the rain with black coffee and a spinach/feta croissant. The vendors are often also the artisan and business owner. All were very excited to answer my ridiculously random, detailed questions. I love handcrafted goods.
After Pike Place we saw a theatre production called "An Ideal Husband." Scripted from Oscar Wilde's work and set in 19th Century England, it was absolutely brilliant. The costuming was perfect. The culture and society of England at the time, which I think is a bit hilarious, was brought to life. The long and short of the story is that a respected English politician gets blackmailed by a shadowy French woman for a secret he sold at the beginning of his career. Terrified of losing his wife's love, Lord Chilten turns to the conceited and good-natured Lord Goring for help. As the intrigue increases, so does the chaos. During the second act, I was very involved. It was pretty much hilarious.
Annnnnd I watched an epic survival movie last night. "The Flight of the Pheonix," 1965.
And now, for something quite exciting...
I kind of made this adorable online friend in the past months. Her name is Sam Wish and she runs two beautiful Etsy stores, one for her vintage and upcycled goods, and one for her gorgeousjewelry collections. I spotted this little look book over on herblogand it brought me a lot of joy. It includes some lighter Spring pieces as well as Fall pieces, so it really is perfect for the season right now.
Here's to you, Sam. I think I'm in love.
Until next time. I promise to be a better "blogger" this week. (I think. )
I'm not usually attracted to accessories, but these belts make me very happy. I'm getting a distinct Michael Jackson/superwoman vibe. Thrilling. (Pun intended.) The textures on each of these are fabulous: bright purple felt and beaded gold braid, rouched red, and slinky snake. I could not stop photographing the snake belt! It is AMAZING!
What do you guys feel is "on trend" right now? Wide belts or skinny belts? I feel like the simple Snake Belt works with the midi-skirt craze. It's functional and versatile, and doesn't clash with all the warm autumn tones swirling around this time of year.
There are a lot of creative ways to wear a belt. The red Planetary Power Belt is so unique because of its STRETTTTCH. You could wrap it two times at least around your waist, or wear it low.
Welllll.
Equinox 2011 is still in post-production phase. It was, all things considered, a smash hit, thanks to the sacrifice of my amazing three-member team. I. Cannot. Wait. To. Publish. It. Is it really strange that I'm already story boarding winter's project? I'm considering trying to pull off a little film look book in early December. Since I have time to burn. (What does that feel like?)
Black and white. Red. Mustard yellow. Chiffon. Color blocking and body con. Excellent ways to start off the fall season... six weeks ago. Still beautiful pieces, anyway. You can view the entire lookbook here. Coming soon to the store!
Let me just say, I learned a LOT from this little endeavor. Being a perfectionist, I have developed my sense of humor into a survival tool. I present this half-seriously, wishing it was a wee bit more professional. But as far as the concept, styling, and one-woman execution goes, I must take my hat off to myself. Overall: satisfied.
If any of you know of reasonable web hosting with a functioning slideshow, I would be overjoyed to hear. More than overjoyed. I will fist pump until I pass out. I have looked into doing Big Cartel with a third-party Theme Fiend web theme, but I desperately need the easy Etsy traffic! I am a total idiot when it comes to code, and don't want to take the time, or have the time, to learn it. But it would be so nice to have a central hub for all my networks to link up to besides the blog... Something clean, minimalist, and professional where I can showcase the culture, aesthetic, and photography of Tandem.
I cannot believe my eyes are still open. This day has been so exhausting and so rewarding. Equinox 2011 is now entering post-production phase, and will be shared in just a few days! For REAL this time! I cannot wait to share the amazing details about the team, the vision, and the authentic goods!
I truly had a dream team: a beautiful model to rock my menswear; a superb and perceptive stylist who truly outdid herself; and an amazingly talented sister to wield the camera. I cannot believe these incredible people gave me an entire Saturday. It will be interesting to see how this team, and my organizing efforts, change as I take on more complex projects. I may have to scout out new members. :)
And now, an announcement: Tandem is now live on Twitter! And believe you me, ladies and gentleman, it is quite easy to get carried away when you have 3G. I am finally wrapping my head around the concept of social networking. Each network targets a different kind of interaction. My challenge is to learn which will help me fulfill my goals. I must say, Twitter has been exciting for me. It feels like victory every time I 'tweet.' Plus, part of the essence of Tandem for me is fast-paced reality. Constant growth. Humor. Twitter lets you share all these things real-time, when you are excited about them, with no lapse between the ecstasy of the thing and the sharing of it. Yes, yes... fist pump. (I fist pumped too much today... a mental one will have to suffice.)
Hopefully by mid-week I will be on Lookbook.nu as well as Facebook! This is revolutionary for someone who has never had an internet presence. I guess its more in my nature to be a stalker or a snooper.
Well, darlings. Thank you so much for your wonderful comments lately! It is so encouraging. And it makes me very happy. :)
These pieces all have an actual, real meaning to me. They have a smell. And the glass shards still have sand on them from where they were scavenged. I literally dropped each piece on the paper, tweaked it a little, and drew the "negative space" standing up. (The outline of the whole shape, but no detail.) I did the drawing in pen on watercolor paper, and used oil paints with turpentine and liquin as thinning agents.
It was very nice.
I really wanted to wait to unveil this until I could do it all at once. But the way my life is going, I have decided to phase the changes in now.
The fact that this is an illustrative logo is interesting. Some of the logos I admire most are RVCA's "balance of opposites," Insight's simple graphic, the Volcom stone, and a million others I can't recall. All of these are perfect in their simplicity. Brilliantly simple... an art I can't ever quite accomplish.
That said, I think this image is the right mix of versatility and culture that I've been looking for. It's simple enough to be memorable, but detailed enough to give all my marketing materials an instant "look." Plus, it calls to mind hand-carved awnings for "Joseph's Apothecary" that used to grace our store fronts in those 'olden' days.' Done well, detail itself can show others we are craftsmen.
What do you guys think? Do you like this aesthetic better than the old one? Do you go for simplicity, or detail?
Love and kudos,
P.S. If you haven't already, be sure to check out my beautiful collection of images over attumblr. I'll follow back!
Hitchcock's "Suspicious," starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine.
Considering how many Golden Era films I have seen, it is about time one appeared here! Hitchcock ranks high on my list of film obsessions. After a productive week, I decided to put everything aside and watch something.
This film is one of my favorite Hitchcock masterpieces so far. The plot twists are riveting. The characters are so believable and true-to-life that, as the viewer, you become part of their reality. There are so many little classic bits in this film: the Hitchcock cameo, a glowing glass of milk, and a running theme of torturous, psychological tension. Our heroine is both vulnerable and victorious. Cary Grant outdoes himself form the opening sequence, and Joan Fontaine is the perfect leading lady.
Bookish Lina never intended to marry. But when she finds herself falling for the wild and charming John Aysgarth, she leaves behind her rigid independence and impulsively weds him. Months into their marraige, Johnny's questionable connections, apparent wealth but lack of employment, and obsession with murder mystery novels seem to reveal another man. As Lina tries to put the pieces together, the tension between the two escalates. Will Lina be able to save her marriage, the Johnny she loves---and even her life?
Keep an eye out for running analogies and foreshadowing throughout the film. Be ready for some jaw-dropping vintage; the wardrobe in this film is incredible. And be sure to explore the alternate endings discussed during production of the film after you watch it. Between Hithcock's edgy sense of plot and the movie industry's production codes, finding a properly climatic conclusion was no small task.
Well, my lovelies... hopefully I will be posting more often this coming week! I have a couple little finds to share that I think are quite exciting. :) The shoot I had planned for this weekend had to bumped back yet again. This collection is on trend NOW... but, then, the pieces are timeless and beautiful, and I think people interested in vintage seek to be beyond trends anyhow! I cannot wait to gut the shop and start taking action on an actual business plan...
I just discovered Muttonhead the other night. All their pieces are exquisite! Within a few minutes of viewing, I said to myself, "Canadian." What do you know... I was right. The craftsmanship, simplicity, and relaxed approach seem to sing of northwestern culture. Check out their surprisingly simple Big Cartel store here.
