Resurrecting Outfits

Shirt: H&M
Skirt: Homemade by yours truly! Fabric thrifted.
Socks: I've had'em forever.
Shoes: Thrifted!
I've said before that I think fashion is something that can be accomplished with environmental low impact. Fancy phrase, simple concept: mass production of assembly line clothing is an extremely wasteful industry. And I'm not saying it's realistic to never buy another department store item again (sometimes you have to preserve the environment of your wallet, which prefers to be lush and green ;~D), but going to the thrift store is even more fun AND even cheaper than other kinds of shopping. Wearing used clothing is almost on par with recycling clothing. You can find unique, one of a kind items that you ADORE and also save them from taking up space in a landfill by selflessly donating space in your closet. Also, you can be sure not to run into someone on the street wearing the same thing as you... That's one way to instantly go from loving a blouse to feeling like you came off an assembly line yourself.

(This is Laverne & Shirley, one of my favorite Nick and Night shows growing up.)

Staples like plain colored shirts and tights and stuff are great from H&M and Forever 21, so cheap and they are frequently refreshing their floor so you're less likely to run into girls in class wearing the exact same shirt. That seems to happen if you shop at Abercrombie or Gap where they (at least in the past) refresh their inventory less frequently, but then that seems to also be part of the appeal? I don't know. It seems to me like that look hasn't changed in ten years. When I went to College of Charleston, this was pretty much the standard uniform, and it doesn't appear from looking at the Abercrombie website that much has changed...


I mean, check out this "selection" of flip flops. How can a girl live without a pair of each??

Scrap fabric can also be gotten super cheap at the thrift store, and some of it is pretty cute! I made the bluebird skirt years ago from a cheap fabric. Maybe I horde thriftstore fabric a little too often, though, seeing as I seem to own more fabric than I have space for, not to mention more ideas than I have time or talent for, ha ha.


Being a pack rat is environmentally friendly! Self-delusion, maybe, but you can remix some articles a million times. I have had those socks for years and they are still going strong! I can't say if they are working, though... a woman in Centennial Park kept saying "there's no place like home, there's no place like home" every time I walked by.

Yikes, I suppose I am a bit Dorothy with the socks and the pumps and the puffed white sleeves and the blue skirt...I guess I can see her point!!

Segway to not look good

Fashion enemy of the day: SEGWAYS! Maybe I’m just speaking from a bitter segway-virgin standpoint, but come on... can they really be that fun? I pass people on segways when I’m on FOOT. Okay, this take on a segway looks pretty fun, and the guy doesn’t look bad either. James Dean transported through time! It’s called an Uno.


But this is just a cool anomaly of the segway phenomenon. I defy an average person on an average segway to look cool. Maybe it has something to do with the big bright helmets and that awkward looking erect posture that is needed to keep balance, but in my opinion, segways are simply not conducive to dignity.



First of all, we live in a time of rising obesity. It’s one thing to be disabled and have the opportunity to keep up while touring a city, but couldn’t the rest of us use the cardiovascular activity of actually walking? And I can’t see how traveling around with a tour guide looking like a gaggle of over-sized ducklings is a good way to experience a new city. The natives are all looking at you like a fool, and in a place like Atlanta, you might as well stamp TOURIST on your forehead and try to get along without being solicited for change. Plus, how are you supposed to do the most important and necessary thing when visiting a new city, which everyone knows is shopping!? Can you lock a segway on a bike rack or something?

This is about the only image of a segway that can appeal to me.


Unless you’re a fabulous little dutch lady in a quaint little Sunday dress, maybe you should leave the segway in the garage and just use your feet.

(Image stolen from http://designcorner.blinkr.net/tag/Object?page=51)

You call this December??

I know the fifty five degree weather in Atlanta is the sign of our deteriorating planet and human life as we know it, but putting all that aside, let’s admit that it’s really enjoyable! The last few weeks my idea of dressing warm has been pairing a summery dress with tights and a sweater. My good friend, comedian, fellow blogger, and sexiest man alive Joe Pettis and I went to see Santa in Centennial Park; notice little Joey at ease on Santa’s knee in the middle of December with only the hue of his jolly cotton t-shirt to denote the season.

I hate the cold. Winter used to be my arch enemy, including fashionably, and living in France was hard at first in that respect because in wintry climates, you never fully feel like you are wearing what you really want. My wardrobe there was bland... which is really fine in one way because I was traveling so much that it really was better to have less stuff and just pack sensibly, but as amazing as voyaging the world and all that is, not dressing like yourself can take a toll! Covering up all your outfits every day in the same practical coat and boots gets BORING, and as I get older, I am learning more and more ways around that conundrum.

My trip to New York over Christmas gave me a newfound respect for Northerners who manage to be fashionable and stay warm. My outfits definitely suffered because I found out I’m much less habituated to the cold now than I was in France! At some moments this trip I wistfully imagined myself in a full body snowsuit rather than amazing pumps, but after a few days I did end up developing and picking up some tricks to look cute and stand the bitter city winds!

One thing I saw girls doing is wearing super long leg warmers over their jeans. I think I’m pretty much over the calf-length leg warmers of seasons past. I have two pairs that are a few years old and I rarely feel motivated to wear them except cozily around the house. I think the thigh high is appealing to me for some reason, it’s a good remix on them and I can't wait to get my stems in a pair to call my own <3

I'm also in love with my elbow-length gloves from Forever 21 which are perfect for making a springish coat more winter. If you happen to have a vintage coat fettish, you’ll notice how those Jackie-O inspired partial sleeves leave your wrists bare! These gloves are on that for you.

Being accustomed to my warm Atlanta winter, I thought my brown suede pirate boots were the epitome of cozy, but once in NY I realized they would NOT do in a sloshy snowy climate. I wasn't too unhappy with my wet feet because it gave me an excuse to buy these waterproof riding boots at a steal near some crazy new yorky Christmas market:



It’s good to be home where I have access to my whole wardrobe especially now that the temperature is starting to drop (no, really! they say it will get in the 30’s... that’s cold, right...?). I like looking at people's photostream's like Dearilu's for help preparing for the cold front

Dearilou's blog.

If you’re like me and get those chilly blues, try to remember that snowproof doesn't have to equal bland! I've gone from being a one-coat kinda gal in my naive youth to the neighborhood coat rack! ....I mean a sophisticated young lady. But seriously, having an orgy of scarves and tights and accessories and shoes in your closet makes life worth living in the dreary months of winter... and dressing up for the cold can be just as fun as dressing up for the mild.

Santa + Martians = best holiday experience possible

Thank you to Atlanta's public TV station, I was given the christmas miracle of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." For all of those unlucky enough to have missed it, here is my little synopsis:




"I am so concerned for our little martian children... they are acting so strange with their demands for presents and a big fat man with a beard and cocacola etc...."

The Martians decide to go to earth to abduct Santa, coincidentally landing in white protestant America and picking up two little waspy kids along the way.



"It sure is cold as martian balls out here, sally... hope we don't die of hypothermia while we try to find Santa's workshop to warn him!"


"Raaaar! I am the martian robot thing sent to thwart your escape! Raar!"



"Goodbye dear, looks like I am being abducted now."
Santa doesn't really put up much of a fight, but then again, he is santa so he must have some higher motive...


"There, there, dear. Your father is bringing you a freshly stolen Santa any moment now."
I wish I could have gotten a full body shot of her amazing 60's mom-alien outfit!!


"We're not so different you and I! Shaking hands with a martian kid is way more conceivable than shaking hands with, say, a black kid..."


"MUAHAHAHAHAA!!!! Now I can spread my generosity and good cheer across the entire universe! No stopping me now!! MUAHAHAH ahem HO Ho ho..."

...okay, that's not really how it ended but you'll just have to rent the movie to find out! MERRY CHRISTMAS HUMANS AND OTHERS EVERYWHERE!

Atlanta Shoe Fetishes

Nobody understands a shoe fetish more than I do, but even I was impressed with the dedication shown by the guys camping out in front of Walter's (on Decatur St).





The first boys in line waited for an entire week, choosing to spend their christmas breaks waiting for the new Air Jordan and choosing to drop their christmas dough on the same. Only around 500 shoes were released on Tuesday worldwide, fifty of which ended up at historical Walter's. Today, I tip my keds to these fellow shoe-lovers, who arguably love foot adornments even more than I do!

The beginning.

This is going to be a blog about culture and living in Atlanta-- AFAP stands for As Fabulously As Possible, because anyone who has lived here knows that sometimes you have to dig a little bit to find what's amazing about this city, and in many cases make your own fun and fabulousness.

I am a college gal living Down Town therefore most of my time is occupied by schoolwork: I'm a creative writing major (don't worry, it counts as an English degree so it isn't completely useless) and working on my own stories and editing other people's stories keeps me busy. I intern at the wonderful New South Magazine but I also hope to publish some Atlanta literature right here on Zombie Lace! This blog will definitely be affected by these factors and my major interests, and I happen to love

1) Fashion: magazines and designers, sure, but mostly vintage, thrift, and bargain shopping... I like to drool over the designers in the fancy magazines then use that inspiration to create myself a fantastic outfit for less that ten dollars... if I can. Sometimes my imagination is a bit overambitious!

2) Old Used Stuff: Thrifted, antiques, vintage. Ever since I was a kid I had a thing for used stuff, I loved to go antiquing with my parents and touch all of the quiet, pretty objects and imagine the people who used to own them in the 'old days.' Some of my best vintage dresses come from being that age when I couldn't even fit into them yet but knew I just had to have them! I owe young me a lot :~) I've also always gotten a kick out of watching old shows and commercials and looking through vintage magazines and photo albums. Yard sales keep me happy for hours.

2) Crafts, including sewing, cross stitching, knitting, sculpting, doodling, glueing, glittering, etc.

3) The World and living in harmony with it, either by hanging out with woods and streams and deer and whatnot, or just by living a day to day LOW IMPACT lifestyle; I think this can apply to crafts and fashion because you can be green with glamour! Resurrecting the corpses of dead clothing... Call it putting a little lace on a zombie!

And perhaps overarching and encompassing everything:
4) Culture! Mine, yours, ours, theirs, etc. I'm obsessed with languages and traveling, religions and social structures, and everything in between. History and art are amazing, but I am just as interested in the phenomena of POP culture!

I hope this blog will be a way for me to share my interests with the interested, thoughts with the thoughtful, etc. Maybe I can offer ATLiens a fresh look at ATL.