6.14.2010

My heart thoughts and my heart blossoms

Hi Starr's readers, adorers, and dreamers. Jenny here, from Fashion for Writers, filling in for Starr while she's wrapping up her Bonnaroo adventures, most likely sporting a magnificent hat and maybe well on her way to a heart-shaped tan on her back!

To give you an idea of the effusive excitement and joy I felt when Starr asked me to guest blog--let's just say I felt as radiant as I did on my eighth birthday (my birthday falls on Christmas Day,) when my family and friends gave me three laundry baskets worth of gifts, and my dad cooked all of my favorite foods (three giant pots of hot and sour soup,) and all of my friends skipped their own Christmas celebrations to celebrate my birthday with me, and I got to stay up until one in the morning and everyone danced in the living room to the Go Go Girls.

It's not just that Starr comes up with the best outfits, and knows exactly how to style all her amazing vintage finds, whether it's the perfect bowler hat, or the most adorable 60's mini, or the sweetest floral romper, and it's not only that Starr takes amazing photographs and looks amazing in them, but I kind of not so secretly think Starr is the next Leith Clark, and it's only a matter of time before her photographs and styling appear in the likes of Lula, Frankie, and Russh magazine, and labels like Miu Miu, Lover, and Orla Kiely ask her to direct fashion videos starring sartorial nymphettes (e.g. Zooey, Kirsten, Tennessee, Alexa.)

Like the guest bloggers before me, I decided to take a few pages from Starr's book and liberally plagiarize them here (am I mixing up metaphors?) In no particular order, I've compiled a list: "How to take dreamy photos and look insanely cute, Starr edition."

1) Round your photo corners! I do it in Picnik, Flickr's free photo editing software. It's under Create > Frames > Rounded Edges.  I only learned how to do this today, and I plan on doing it a lot more often now that I've figured it out.
(PS: the playsuit is from Mandate of Heaven, the sandals are old and from F-Troupe, and my canvas backpack is from Baggu and I totally snagged the same one Starr has!)

2) Find an awesome location--I'm talking the kind of place where dreams come to meet sunsets and open fields and abandoned houses with Henry Darger like drawings on the walls. While my own abilities to scout said location are nowhere near fierce enough, I was able to visit Pine Creek Grist Mill in Muscatine, Iowa. They used to grind wheat flour in this mill, and now it's just a tourist attraction, and a place for boys and girls to carve their lover's initials in a proclamation of eternal (or ephemeral!) love.

3) Wear a hat, it can be a classic black (or fiery red!) bowler, a ladylike pillbox, a boater with a grosgrain ribbon, or a mini-top hat so cute that it breaks my heart twice in one second! Before trying one on for this post, I've never worn a hat for more than three minutes in my entire life (and it was my dad's baseball cap, and I only wore it because it was a hundred and five degrees atop the Great Wall of China and I thought I was going to faint from sun and heat exhaustion.) So it took a lot for me to try this little green Trilby hat I found at Target from the Eugenia Kim collection.

4) Be amazing at thrifting. I'm not the most patient or keen thrifter myself (and I'm horribly allergic to dust which rules out a lot of fun places,) but I'm constantly amazed by Starr's discerning eye--I don't know how she manages to unearth so much vintage beauty.

5) Be amazing at wearing separates, especially vintage blouses and skirts and trousers (see #4,) and especially if they involve chambray and stripes. Here's my take (ahem, blatant rip-off) with a hemmed 70's chambray skirt and a 50's pin-up style stripe halter.

6) Add a bow to sweeten up your outfit! I love how often Starr will wear a simple dress and add a lace bow or use a little bit of ribbon to pretty up a shirt. I've fastened a black, velvet bow to my 1950's sheer nylon button-down (with a peter pan collar obscured by my pesky hair,) and paired it with a shortened Liberty print floral skirt from the 70s.

And lastly, one of my own harebrained tips:
♥♥♥♥♥ If all else fails, put a heart sticker on your cheek and call it a day! ♥♥♥♥♥
(Photos by MTT & me)

Love, Jenny

23 comments:

Unknown said...

oh jenny you don't give yourself enough credit! you're an amazing blogger yourself and i am always amazed by your own vintage finds! i too am allergic to dust, which makes me weary of thrifting but looking at starr's vintage finds makes me want to down some claritin and just go to a musky thrift store until my whole body is covered in a rash, but hey at least i hopefully would've found some vintage beauties!

i love the second to last photo--your top and skirt are gorgeous! i'm going to have to take your advice on starr's fashion and tie random ribbons to my tops!

you and starr are definitely two of my favorites :)

Myriam said...

This is such a cute post! Ugh, I wish I could pull of the sheer blouse trend. You wear it so lady-like.

And now I'm seriously considering purchasing my own Baggu backpack. I need something to use in Spain...I just don't want something that screams pick-pocket me...buuut it's so darn cute!

Angela Joy said...

This post made me really happy and excited to try more girly things! Great job substituting!

moonshinejunkyard said...

okay your little romper looks so beautiful and gleefull i'm kind of a little bit faint. this was such a sweet tribute to starr and so true. thank you for the photo-rounding tip...i can't ever emphasize enough how nothing-at-all i know about these sorts of tricks or anything at all about fashion or blogging for that matter...and anyway it just makes me really happy when people reveal a little bit in a clear and basic way. so thanks for that one. as for all the other tips, well you are undeniably pulling off a dreamy look all your own, irresistible and unique and inspired. this was so fun to read and look upon; cheers!

Anonymous said...

what a beautiful place! i love your outfit with the white shirt and yellow skirt.
also i always put stickers on the outside of my eyes! i'm rather partial to stars though.

xxx
Ellen

http://theravenandthecellardoor.blogspot.com/

Bea said...

Hi, Jenny! I am so glad Starr got you as a guest blogger because I am heading over to your blog right now. You look so adorable :)

I am guilty of using Picnik to round the corners of my photos. Haha! What a cheeseball. :P

love,
B from A plus B

Rebecca said...

This is a great post! That romper suit is adorable. And your tips are all very useful, might have to try the adding bows to shirts idea.

Fabiola "Fab" said...

You're one of the sweetest blogger & etsy seller!!
Awesome post! Now have to check out your blog!!

Q's Daydream said...

You are ADORABLE! and, omg that playsuit is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :o)

hannah and landon said...

Yay Jenny! You look great (I especially love the yellow skirt outfit)! Your birthday story was the sweetest.

xo

Anonymous said...

I'm adoring your romper in the first couple photos.

Maria Confer said...

Lovely post Jenny. You channel Starr so well.

Lulu Letty

Victoria / Justice Pirate said...

goodness!! you are adorable, Jenny. I too love that romper!! Awww.

Idée Géniale said...

Oh this was a great read! Jenny, you did Starr proud! Love that little romper and it makes me want to visit some rural town and just take pictures all day.

Anonymous said...

esas fotos son de lo mas bonitas!
:D
pretty!

Unknown said...

fantastic, absolutely just what I wanted to read today-thank you

http://lavieenfonctiondemoi.blogspot.com/

Passport Smiles said...

Ah I LOVE LOVE LOVE the romper with the hearts on the ass. And Starr, what a great idea to let people guest write for you...it's a great way to strengthen the blogging, fashion community.

sarahhartsu.blogspot.com

Diana said...

Jenny, you always have impecable style with some whit to match your personality. Love this post! Love Jenny!

MarieBayArea said...

you look so gorgeous. i love your playsuit! i esp. like the photo of you wading in the water.

MOUSEVOX VINTAGE said...

What an adorable post! I imagine Starr must be very pleased with this. xo.

Hattie said...

What an adorable post! This was absolutely wonderful! : )

theleavesthataregreen.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

your romper is just sooooo darling!! love it ^.^

Gina said...

Jenny, you weasel!
You win again with your wise words and adorable pictures! I'm absolutely going to rip out and plagiarize the pages of your and Starr's book (OMG THIS METAPHOR IS AWESOME!) on the silky, round corners for photos. Really, everything is silkier when it is round. Yes, that made no sense.
xoxo!
Love,
Gina