Blogback Mountain

My BFF Rachel just started a blog called Stuff I Make, Stuff I Love, and it is funny and clever and cute and creative and inspiring, just like her! All together now: Awwwww! Seriously though, you're gonna love her blog. Go there.

In other warm and fuzzy friend news, would you be a dear and give some gold stars to my friend Lexie's Glee audition? Thanks so much!!

BREAKING: Nauticals are so hot right now. As are Sears catalogs. (I love you, Thomas.)

Also in right now? Giant nerd glasses. I remember in fourth grade I really wanted to get glasses because I thought they were so stylish, but my friend Becky, who wore real glasses, took me aside and said sternly, "You will never understand the pain of having to wear glasses. If you get fake glasses you will be dishonoring my people." Sarah VB shares her thoughts on the matter.

Hardy Boys and Paper Dolls

Apocalypstick says black eyeshadow makes her look like a "tired old whore." I recently realized it can have the same effect on me, especially if I haven't gotten enough sleep. Light brown and teal blue from now on!

Loving Queen Michelle's head-to-toe looks!

Sometimes I think of what heaven would be like, and I usually decide it would be levitating above a Lady Gaga concert for all eternity. Therefore, Fashion Hayley has experienced heaven.

Great advice: How to receive a compliment.

Sal's outfit posts are always great. But a springy outfit post that includes a bunny? Even better!

Sassy 4ever!

Joanna Goddard is trying to predict what her baby might look like. I'm gonna go ahead and guess: painfully adorable.

And finally, I'm obsessed with the neck-breaking pearls Susie Bubble featured in this post, and also yearning to ask the Five Men what they think. Stay tuned...

High Fashion Haiku

I'd like to wear this
on a date, braid the whole mane
and then be like, "What?"

Mika Organic "Horse Dress," $275--Huge thanks to Rebecca for sending it my way!

Totes.

How do guys you feel about using the word "totes" instead of "totally"? I used to hate it, then I started saying it in a jokey way to annoy my friends, then it crept into my everyday vocabulary (irony creeper!), then last week I found myself saying it quite earnestly in the middle of an important work meeting and realized my life is in shambles.

My feelings about canvas tote bags have evolved in a similar fashion: first I thought they were stupid, then I started carrying this random one sort of as a joke, and now I want to buy a new one everyday.

I love tote bags because they provide a simple canvas for a multitude of designs and styles. There are simple designs and zany ones and some that feature Nietzsche quotes and some that are just like, "Dude, pizza is so good!" There's something for everybody.

Here are the top 5 canvas tote bags I'm totes coveting at the moment:

I wish! $16

"T-Rex doesn't want to be fed. He wants to hunt." $10

Love this in t-shirt form. Love it in tote form, too. $14

This toast tote is totes awesome (say that 5 times fast). $17

An important message. $18

p.s. A local movie theater manager recently asked my brother Devin if he would be interested in dressing up as Edward Cullen and entertaining the crowds when the new Twilight movie opens. I think this is the funniest thing that's ever happened, and now I really want to buy him this sweet Robert Pattinson tote.

Awesome Affordable Etsy Find of the Week!

"Lovely Rita" Print, $6

So, speaking of blush, how gorgeous is this print? It makes me want to paint my cheeks pink and dye my hair black and pluck my eyebrows and change my name to Rita and lure two live butterflies to perch on my head wherever I go.

Reasonable goals. Reasonable goals.

Don't Show-cha Your Chocha!

And now it's time for this week's installment of Don't Show-cha Your Chocha! If you're just joining Daddy Likey, here's the scoop on DSYC: my ever-vigilant and always-clever readers send in examples of high hemlines gone awry, or shirts worn as dresses, or hats worn as dresses--get the picture? If you don't, no worries, this post is full of actual pictures, and I think by the end you'll have a good grasp of the concept. And on the bottom of your skirt. Like, seriously, hold that skirt down.

Or shirt, in this case:

Says Siobhan: I found this online tonight and immediately thought of your site. The model isn't even trying to hide it!

The amazing Ashley found some High School Musical chocha incidents:

She says: Vanessa Hudgens displays her disdain for pants in the ever popular tunic look.

And: I think Zac Efron is giving Vanessa advice like "Make sure you keep your handbag in place when we start walking again- it's a little windy today."

A few readers sent in the following Blake Lively ensemble:

Says Anya: She's practically just wearing underwear with lace draped over it. It's more like a bathing suit wrap than a dress for a premier.

Says Liane: Taking fashion advice from co-star and repeat chocha-baring offender Taylor Momsen, are we, Blake?

Says Penelope: Um. Yeah.

Thomas W. found an inevitable DSYC moment from Lindsay Lohan's catwalk collaboration:

I remember her saying her main inspiration for the collection was, "Not being able to sit down without facing indecent exposure charges," so bravo, Lindsay, bravo!

Caitlin sent me an email titled, "Quirky Australian Chocha," which totally made my day:

She says: Readers of a travel websites were asked to send in some of their quirky vacation photos. I’m not sure why they’re jumping around in the Nullarbor, but here it is… Thank God for underwear huh?

Not soon after, lovely reader Catherine passed along this picture she took on a recent Australian vacation:

She says: The brave miss in this photo was modeling a dress made from pre-paid phone cards; she is clearly working for a larger conspiratorial movement around Aussie chocha (insert "Down Under" quip here).

From Jenna:

Saw this one on Go Fug Yourself, and I liked their caption: "Uggs with Minis: Are you cold, or not? MAKE UP YOUR MIND."

Fergie brings us a chocha moment from the future:

Says Sarah: Everyone in the crowd can see her chocha!

Carley sent in a couple great ones:

She says: I guess crossing legs and keeping knees together is getting a bit old for this model, so she's trying a new technique: Keeping the knee angled ever so slightly makes the hemline look a little longer.

And: I'd be uncomfortable too if I was forced to wear something that is a) frumpy, b) has an ugly print, and c) dangerously short. Luckily for her, the itty bitty bottom is actually classified as a pair of shorts. That explains the confused look and the lack of leg-crossing/hem-pulling...

This meta chocha moment cracked me up:

Reader Rose explains: While browsing on your blog today I saw this picture. I felt like it was very ironic. Chocha-baring ads right next to a Don't Show-cha Your Chocha post!

Ah, Google, your random ad placements are always relevant and entertaining.

And finally, the greatest DSYC picture in the history of the world:

Says Sarah: I don't know if this qualifies or not. The photo is from a menswear sewing pattern from the '70s. But it gave me pause.

Yes. Let's all pause, shall we?

Back-from-the-Dead Blush

One of the perks of blogging is getting random packages from PR companies. The key word here would be "random." For example, last week I found a giant FedEx box crammed under my doormat. Inside was an eyelash curler, hand soap, blush, and approximately 40 pounds of gourmet popcorn.

As soon as I'd determined the package didn't come from a confused terrorist, I ate a bunch of popcorn and smeared a bunch of blush on my cheeks, and you know what? Both were kind of awesome. Since this is a fashion blog and not a specialty popcorn review site, let's focus on the blush.


The product I received was Ramy Beauty Therapy Juicy Cheeks in "Maya Papaya." It's a sheer cream blush that goes on bright pink, but then you smear it around and it fades to a subtle glow. See?


Sometimes I stay up all night writing and start to resemble one of the bloodless bodies from season one of Dexter, which is really upsetting. I love this blush because I can rub it on my cheeks and lips in the morning and suddenly I'm a vibrant young professional. (As opposed to a corpse.)

Here's the thing though: as you can see, the stuff is subtle. Super subtle. Which I guess is good, because it looks natural, but it's also expensive. Super expensive. Like, $24 a pop. And while one could argue that since it works well on cheeks and lips, you're basically getting two products for $12 each, that's still a lot of money for a subtle glow.

So, would I pay $24 for it? Probably not at the moment, because I have approximately $25 in my bank account and I need to save up for a ticket to see The Expendables in August*, but if I won the lottery, maybe I would. I mean, any product that can bring my face back from the dead is worth a bit of an investment, right?

*My boyfriend informed me that I woke up in absolute hysterics this morning because I had a dream that Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, and Jet Li had all drowned in the ocean while promoting this movie.

An Imagined Conversation Between Myself and This Model

Me: Umm, ma'am?

Model: What?

Me: Well, it's just...

Model: I'm kind of busy here.

Me: Yeah, about that. What are you doing?

Model: I'm a model. I'm modeling this dress. Isn't it pretty?

Me: It's gorgeous, for sure. It's just...this is a Mexican restaurant. And I don't see any cameras. And you seem to be really confusing the house band.

Model: The camera guy is on his way. He's running late, I guess.

Me: Right.

Model: Oh look, there he is!

Me: That's a decorative cactus.

Model: He did seem a bit prickly.

Me: Did you have one of those giant margaritas that's wheeled up to your table in a re-purposed bathtub?

Model: No!

Me: Really?

Model: I had four.

Me: Well then, I applaud you for wearing any clothes at all.

Model: I told you, I'm a model. I'm a professional. Now, will you tell the cactus to hurry up? I can't hold this pose forever.

p.s. Huge thanks to the lovely Lydia for sending me this picture!

Giveaway: Karma Cards!

My intense love for fellow blogger Sarah Von Bargen of Yes and Yes is no secret. In fact, sometimes I worry about professing it too often and becoming one of those couples on facebook whose status updates become mile-long "No, I love YOU more" contests. But I don't worry about it that much, because I just love her so much. (No, Sarah, I love YOU more!)


That being said, SVB always has something new and cool up her sleeve, and I'm super excited about her latest project: Karma Cards. These beautifully designed little cards are meant to brighten the days (or change the lives, who knows?) of strangers, acquaintances, and close friends. Slip one in a library book or a restaurant billfold, leave one on the new kid's desk at school, or send one to your best friend when she's feeling down. Sarah has a great list of ideas to get you started, but I'm sure you guys can think of some amazing people and places who could use some good karma.


A set of 15 Karma Cards costs just $6 (free postage and handling, holla!), and I'm delighted to be able to give away a set to a lucky Daddy Likey reader! For a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post telling us where you'd leave a Karma Card, or where you'd like to find one (or if you're feeling lazy, you can also just leave your first name and email address, that's OK too). I'll choose a winner at random next Monday.

Thank you so much for supporting my dear friend Sarah VB (No, I love YOU more!).

Awesome Affordable Etsy Find of the Week: Butterfly Body Art

Butterfly Tattoo Knee-High Socks, $13

When I first got my driver's license, my parents would let me borrow their Volvo if I agreed to take my little brothers to school in the morning. I needed that Volvo in order to drive up and down Main Street blasting my Fatboy Slim tape, so of course every morning I dutifully drove my brothers to school.

One day I was hustling everybody out the door when I noticed my youngest brother Bob had locked himself in the bathroom.

"Get out of there, Bob, we've gotta go!" I yelled.

"Umm, I can't," he whimpered back.

I walked over and knocked on the door. "What's wrong?"

He opened the door a crack and peeked through. "I drew penises all over my hand."

He held out his hand and sure enough, the kid had had a Superbad moment and made 6 or 7 very obvious renderings of the male anatomy on his hand and forearm. With a permanent marker.

I put his hand under the faucet and tried to scrub them off, but they wouldn't budge. We were running late. I had a test. "You know what?" I said, "They're hardly noticeable! I think we should just go."

"But what will the other kids say?"

"Just tell 'em they're butterflies."

Philosophical Fashion Question

Do you usually refer to this kind of shirt as a "button-up" or a "button-down"?

And in related news, do you think this cup is half empty or half full?


Please leave both your answers in the comments section. Thank you.

These Are the Plates I'm Looking For

You know the feeling when something comes into your life and changes it so drastically that you can't fathom how you even LIVED before?

Early man surely felt this way about the wheel. I have previously felt this way about System of a Down's first album (high school), the eyelash curler (college), and now, these altered antique plates featuring Star Wars characters:

I did not know happiness before I knew these existed. Amazing.

About $35 each, here.

Tuesday Top 5: Gimme the Details!

A couple weeks ago I was reading the always-amazing Karla's Closet and came across this outfit:

So glamorous, right?

Now, the thing that makes Karla always-amazing, besides her perfectly defined jawline, is that homegirl knows how to do details: just look at the jacket, the shoes, the hat, the earrings, the sunglasses, the brooches, the nail polish, oh my! She's a beautiful girl with a killer sense of style, but it's really the details that make her outfits so memorable.

Looking at her photos, I had a profound epiphany. It went something like this: "Winona, stop wearing boring outfits. Be more like Karla! Work on the details!"

You know the old adage, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off"? Well I'm trying the opposite: "Before you leave in the morning, put one more thing on." It helps me focus on those easy-to-overlook details even when I'm rushed in the morning, and on more than one occasion it has ensured I wore pants to work. Phew.

Here are some little details I've been adding to my outfits before I leave the house:

1. Flower hair accessories. Lots of flower hair accessories.

My first order of business: head to Etsy and spend my life savings on flower-themed items for my hair. I got a giant red rose clip, a blue flower headband, and these yellow rose bobby pins that I absolutely love:

Put on a potato sack. Stick a rose clip in your hair. Feel put together and chic!

2. Watches

My boyfriend has a great watch he got as a gift in high school: it's silver with a blue face and he keeps it by the door to remind me daily of how great it would look with all my outfits, but he never wears it, and he won't let me wear it because he says I'll break it. [Editor's note: This is a completely reasonable thing to say, especially since I borrowed his ipod last week, added "Lean Like a Cholo" to his playlist, and then dropped it on the treadmill.]


Anyway, the point is: it was time for me to take charge of my own watch destiny. I love the look of men's watches, so I bought my own for $2 at an antique store. I also unearthed a couple of my great grandma's old Timex watches, and the giant, rhinestone-encrusted watch I got at a seaside giftshop a few years ago. Sometimes I wear them all at once, but I'm still late everyday, because none of them work.

3. Sunglasses

I favor vintage aviators the size of dinner plates, but round with polka dots or hot pink heart-shaped ones are good too.

My BFF Katelyn and I are happy to model some options.

4. Shiny, Happy Shoes

Life is too short to wear boring shoes. That might sound like a quote from Forrest Gump's mom, but seriously, it's so true.

When I wear my neon plaid flats instead of basic flip-flops or boring sneakers, good things always happen--I might have a good hair day or win the lottery or find a perfectly good donut on the ground. And spring is such a good time to try some bright, sunny shoes like these. Or how about these?

Definitely not boring.

5. Knee Socks

My friend Becca and I recently visited the Sock Dreams outlet in Sellwood, and it was awesome. If they had been serving mini muffins and screening Seinfeld episodes, I would have thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

I bought a pair of cream-colored knee socks, and I've been pairing them with bright blue tights and brown boots--the combo is really pretty and surprisingly subtle. I think Karla would approve.

Are you detail-oriented when it comes to fashion? What's your favorite way to make an outfit stand out?

High Fashion Haiku

This would look better
on Russell Crowe than on me,
which is upsetting.

"Glam Rock Mini Skirt" (in my mind it will always be the "Gladiator Showdown Kilt"), $103.50, shopbop.com

Awesome Affordable Etsy Find of the Week: Arch Nemesis Edition

1970s Poisoning Handbook, $16

I recently acquired an arch nemesis. It's a pretty low key thing so far. Mostly we send each other ominous text messages and say, "We meet again" whenever we, well, meet again.

If I wanted to step things up though, I can think of a lot of uses for this book (which is actually a guide to known poisons and remedies, rather than the How To Poison People guide that the title implies). Here are a few of my ideas:

1. Set it on the coffee table and invite Arch Nemesis over for tea. Be sure to mark pages and write things like "Good option. Minimal foaming."

2. Run into Arch Nemesis on the street. Say "We meet again" (duh). Let book fall out of purse. Look at book, then look at Arch Nemesis. Say, "Oops."

3. Send book to Arch Nemesis's house with a note that says, "You might want to look up the antidote on page 43. Like, now."

That's all for now. I've gotta get to work on perfecting my menacing cackle.

New This Week at Stolen Peacock Vintage!

Stolen Peacock Vintage is jam packed with new items these days, so I thought I'd share a few of my top fave things!

"Vintage 80s Orange/Pink Iridescent Silk Pencil Skirt That Changes Color Almost As Well As A Chameleon And Requires No Feeding"

Awesome 80s Aviators. Once belonged to Burt Reynolds. Well, maybe.

How great would this little dress be for muggy summer work days? Or a safari. It would also be great for a safari.

We're really excited to announce the first official Seven/Seven Sale! Every Saturday we'll post a new item for just 7 bucks! That price will stand for 7 days, and then we rotate in something else. To kick things off, we're offering this gorgeous red maxi dress (yes, it's really only 7 bucks!):

If you love it (don't you love it?), grab it while you can!

We're adding even more new stuff over the weekend, so please check back often for updates. And thanks so much, as always, for your support!

Stuff I Love

Anyone who knows me will tell you that my three worst qualities are tardiness, messiness, and insisting that Spice World is actually a really important piece of satirical cinema.

There's obviously nothing I can do about the latter two, but I remain confident that someday my doctor will diagnose me with a rare thyroid problem that causes me to be 15 minutes late for everything.

Until then, I need this shirt:

No explanations or excuses necessary. Just smile and shrug.

p.s. Once, to make up for my lateness, I drew my supervisor a silly picture inspired by this. It didn't work.

Top 5 Style Lessons I Learned at a Muse Concert

Last Friday I drove up to Seattle to see Muse in concert. And holy god, what a concert it was. I would call it a life-changer. My friend Kyle would call it a "MUSEGASM!!!" Point is, it was good. Really good. Like, I tried to listen to Muse at home the day after the concert and all I could do was fall to the floor and weep. That good.

Since this is a fashion blog, after all, let's discuss the top 5 style lessons and insights I took away from the experience:

1. Bedazzled blazers are hot.

The lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, sang the first few songs wearing a black blazer with silver studs across the shoulders. And he looked hot. And I mean, yeah, with that voice, Matthew Bellamy could have worn one of Marilla's house dresses from Anne of Green Gables and I still would have wanted to hump his leg, but let me tell you: this blazer was quintessentially rock and roll. A perfect choice.

Hey Matthew, I like your house dress. Wanna date me?

2. Ed Hardy trucker hats are not.

The guy sitting next to us was wearing an Ed Hardy trucker hat and a pinstriped vest, and as much as I didn't want to judge a book by its cover, he ended up being exactly the kind of douchebag one would expect to be wearing an Ed Hardy trucker hat and a pinstriped vest.

After every single song, Mr. Douche would scream "Plaaaaaaaaayyyy iiiiiiiiittt!" directly into my boyfriend's ear. We found out at the end of the concert that he was referring to the song "Knights of Cydonia," because when Muse finally did plaaaaaaaayyy iiiiiiiiitttt, Mr. Douche sighed dramatically and said "About time." While I completely agreed with his sentiments (Knights of Cydonia is, like, the best song in history), I wanted to take him aside and give him a little workshop on communication skills. It would go like this:

Me: You're very demanding that Muse "Plaaaaaaaaayyyy iiiiiiiiittt!"

Doucher: Well, they should. I want to hear it!

Me: But how are they supposed to know what "it" is?

Doucher: Isn't it obvious?

Me: Not really, no. Especially when you're yelling it from the 200 section of a large stadium.

Doucher: Well what am I supposed to say?

Me: Yelling, "Knights of Cydooooooonnniiiiiaaaaaa!" is really satisfying. I do it all the time. And it's much more specific. Why don't you try that instead?

Doucher: Well, OK. Fine.

Me: And also please stop wearing that hat. You look like a douchebag.

3. I need more lasers in my life.

Throughout the show, giant, swirling, green laser beams would erupt from the stage and rotate around the arena, making the audience feel as if we were trapped inside a giant kaleidoscope with an awesome soundtrack. The day after the concert I turned off the lights at my house and put some Muse on my stereo and cried, but it just wasn't the same. What was missing? LASERS. I need to get a laser pointer necklace and a laser-themed t-shirt and a laser photo backdrop in my garage, stat!

4. Wearing this shirt would be like wearing the stage:

The set design for the show was a dark cityscape, with three big buildings rising up out of the stage. This shirt is from Topshop, which is British, like Muse. I need this shirt.

5. WWBV is the new WWJD.

One of Muse's best known songs is called "Uprising," and part of the chorus is "We will be victorious!" What a great personal motto, right? Me and my friend Kyle, copyright-holder of the term "Musegasm" (k) and proud owner of a Muse tattoo, recently decided to shorten it to WWBV and use it in place of that old favorite, WWJD, or "What Would Jesus Do?"

I find it very empowering and now I really want to a WWBV bracelet.

Plus, Jesus would totally listen to Muse.