Sugar & Spice

"Celeste Cerro decided to spend her entire day downloading new music & uploading it to her iPod for the first time since she got it five years ago. You can find her dancing down the street on her way to a museum exhibit containing "hidden, untouched and curious collections from around the world in photographs and artifacts".

Well, at least that's where I thought I was going, as I stepped outside in this ensemble last Saturday night. My dear friend and I were excited about seeing baby skulls and cobwebs and giant taxidermy creatures, but instead we were greeted by displayed photographs of skulls, and spiders, and disemboweled things. The only actual artifacts were a few teeth and some snakes in bottles. I mean, from someone who writes a blog entitled "Morbid Anatomy," you'd think she could have made it a little more creepy. So I took some complimentary wasabi peas and hit the road, which took me to pretty much the best place ever, totally making up for that less-than-morbid buzzkill. We walk up to this bar, and I am immediately confused and intrigued. As I peak inside, I exclaim to the doorman, "What is this? What are all those books doing in there? Look at those antique sofas! Is that a fireplace? Where are we??" To which the man replies as he stamps my hand, "Welcome to Hogwarts!" I. Could. Have. Died. Anywho, it's actually called Union Hall, but if you reference anything with Harry Potter, I'm pretty much sold. But yes, the entire bar looked like a quaint/just spooky enough old library, complete with antique sofas, cozy fireplace, vintage portraits, dusty books lining the walls, and random oddities like brass bugles and women's busts placed in between them. Oh, and then there were the two indoor bocce (ball) courts?? Did I mention this was a bar? I must go back to that little slice of heaven soon when it's not so crowded. I ended up at a few more bars, dancing the night away, until I ended up at a friend's house with twenty donuts (give or take) in my belly. Listen, all that excitement and dancing takes a lot out of a girl!

But yes, this is what I was wearing through all of that.

My friend basically described my outfit as two polar opposites
Religious up top, satan on the bottom. Which roughly translates to a less extreme version of: Nice up top, naughty on the bottom.
Actually, when I stood up at one point, some girl at the same table as me goes, "Whoa, those pants! I never would have guessed! What a surprise. I love surprises."
Bahahaha.

Vintage bow hat; Double-breasted wool coat, UO; Silk salmon blouse, $2, Salvation Army; Vintage woven bag; High-waisted disco pants, American Apparel; Vintage cut-out oxfords, thrifted; Boy & girl kissing silhouette necklace, charm I've had forever.

I also want to show off my new vintage midnight blue velvet Armani high-waisted wide leg trousers I got at the Salvation Army for $3.50!

I got SUPER lucky that day at the Salvation Army. AND to top it off and to my surprise, it was "Family Day" which apparently meant 50% off on half my stuff! I also found that little salmon silk button down the same day. As well as a perfectly shoulder-padded velvet bolero, and tons of lace. Apparently the Salvation Army is gettin' classy! Or the people who shop there are gettin' trashy? And passin' up the goods? Either way, I'm into it!

Here are some close-ups of the necklace.

And my favorite shoes! That are falling apart! Someone buy me these!

The pictures really don't do the pants justice, so I tried to edit it for a more correct color. Which obviously did not work very well, haha.

Till next time! :)

Side Shots

So right now I'm going through this phase where I love off-centered portraits. And I have such wonderful photographer friends to capture them/beautiful friends to be captured!

Mary Virginia Carmack by Mary Virginia Carmack

Celeste Cerro (me!) by Sarah Culbreth

Sarah Culbreth by Dan Schmahl

Megan Gram by Daniel Diaz

Daniel Diaz by Anonymous

♥ ♥ ♥

Sun Kissed

So in the name of summer right around the corner, and the fact that the photo below just popped up randomly on my friend's tumblr, I have decided to make a post about swimsuits. The aforementioned photo was taken at an outdoor concert last summer. I don't remember the stranger who took the picture, and pretty much forgot all about that day until one of my good friends told me it came up on her tumblr feed. And the girl who posted it is from L.A.? So who knows where my kiss covered chest has been. Ah well, here it is now!

Wearing: Kissy one-piece, Brooklyn Flea Market, $10. Acid wash shorts, Goodwill (Florida), $3.
I was so excited when I found this swimsuit thing with kisses all over it. I even haggled the girl at the flea market down half the price! The shorts are another one of my favorite finds. Although they have these awesomely tacky neon spandex bike short things sewn into them that I always hike up so they aren't visible. I still haven't had the guts to wear them pulled down. Although they are pretty fun to pull out at parties and confuse the crap out of people with. :)

So if you aren't into jumping into someone else's spandex, here is another alternative to finding your perfect beach wear. Design your own! This was the second bathing suit I've made. It's supposed to be inspired by the tuxedo with the collar, cummerbund, and black/white combo. Although, here's a quick tip: If you actually have boobs, you probably should not make the neckline go all the way down to your navel, unless you want to flash the entire ocean. Needless to say, I have to wear a bandeau top underneath mine...which I learned about the hard way. The hat I'm wearing is part of my vintage faux floral headdress collection. I'm pretty obsessed with those. Completely impractical, but so much fun!

Speaking of designing your own swimsuit!
Here is what my amazing friend Sarah Culbreth designed and made from scratch. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she's also super cute to boot! More from her magical fingers to come in future blog ramblings for sure.

Ok, so say you you aren't quite as gifted as Ms. Culbreth in the sewing department? Don't fret, there are still more options. How about a SALE? Everyone likes a sale, right? High quality designer threads for CHEAP(ER)? Hello! Here are a few of my favorites from Bluefly's extensive selection.

Salinas Swimwear Polkadot Bikini

Kushcush Aqua Keyhole Halter Swimsuit

Or Kuchcush's Leopard print one! Equally as cute.

Still not convinced? How about some retro looking ones without the fear or hassle of thrifting?

Urban Outfitters has some cuties...

Ruffled Halter Bikini

Calico Print Bandeau Bikini

Or if you are willing to shell a whole lot more outcha' pocket for a whole lot more cute, try Anthropologie's incredible selection!

Golden Days Bikini

Sea Stripes Bikini

Sea Prairie Bikini

Jungle Dive Maillot

Blue Jean Queen Swimdress

Calypso's Calm One-Piece

Natalie One-Piece

Buried Treasure On-Piece

And last, but certainly not least, my favorite!
Classy AND wet? Hell yeah!
To-The-Nines Maillot

And then there's this...

Is it just me, or are bronzed boobs a little pointless if you have pale triangles and lines scattered across your entire body...? My point is, most people go topless so they won't have tan lines up there. But what is the point, if you still get weird tan tines everywhere else with this design? Unless you just have really perky awesome tits and want to make everyone else at the beach have super low self esteem and/or boners. Then I guess it's perfect!

Add a caption

Is it just me, or are bronzed boobs a little pointless if you have pale triangles and lines scattered across your entire body...?

Happy hunting, and I hope this helped!

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Bahahaha, is it bad that I kinda love this?

Hilarious and beautiful and animal inspired all at the same time? SCORE!

Hump Day

"On my way to work a bug used my mouth as a windshield, and then I bungee jumped my earphones into my water cup. Which now means my left ear is water-clogged, without the benefits of an epic beach day or hour long hot shower. So I am treating myself to an extended lunch break and wandering around the city in purple shorts. Who knows, maybe I'll find a sweet muzzle or motorcycle helmet to keep out future pesky, kamikaze insects."

That being said, on aforementioned purple-shorted wandering, although I did not find any facial protection apparatuses, I did happen to discover a badass elderly man reading a book outside on the High Line. Bald as the day he was born and wearing nothing but cutoff jorts and a silver chain. That's right, no shoes, no shirt, but plenty o' skin!

After that I wandered some more. In fact, I wandered right into a "Family Day" sale at the Salvation Army, which means most of my purchases were 50% off! AKA I spent less than $50 on 13 amazing items!! I'm talking tons of lace, sparkly, sheer, silk, floral, velvet, knit, shoulder pads in a GOOD way! The whole shebang! I'll try and post pictures of them soon!

Now I'm just sitting here at work trying to figure this one out:

Whaaaaa?

I am, however, pretty damn sure I NEED this:

urbanoutfitters.com

Musical Wears

What have I been up to lately? Well besides getting awkward tan lines on my lunch breaks and online window shopping all the beautiful crap I can't afford, I've been replaying the same two artists' music videos over and over again.

First I discovered VV Brown's "Shark in the Water," which not only sounds amazing, but the music video is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. She is probably just about the cutest thing ever in her pompadour, floral romper, and vintage looking bow veil headpiece. Even everything from the quaint little coffee shop to the polaroids to the antique radio. Gah. I just can't stop watching/listening!



Her other songs are just as amazing, but her other music video that I'm just as obsessed with is for "Crying Blood." That black and white mini sequined shift dress paired with her cute as hell dance moves? Seriously, could it get any better?



Then I came across Janelle Monae's "Tightrope" video. Holy crap. Talk about fancy footwork! I want to dance in those shoes with those people SO BAD. Janelle is so freaking pretty, making her androgynous attire contrast in the most amazing way. And her shoes! Oh my goodness, her shoes. Asymmetrical oxfords that let you slide around like that are pretty much perfection in my book. I've always said, if you aren't moving your feet, you aren't dancin'! The moves and style and personality in this video are just so killer. Not to mention her voice. So good. AND I just realized I could have had the chance to dance with her!! We were both at the MTVU Woodie Awards Afterparty, and she was up on stage with the DJ dancing her little butt off, while I was on the dance floor with everyone else. She didn't stay for very long, or else I might've gotten the courage to jump up there with her! She was just as stunning as always, clad in a cape with her signature poof and huge smile. At the time I had no idea who she was, although I knew she had to be somebody since she was in the VIP section and up for an award. I didn't think about her again until this music video was brought to my attention. And thank goodness it was!

Easter Hunnies

The Easter potluck started off nice enough. I made strawberry shortcake. We hung out on the porch in the beautiful weather. Colored some eggs. Then six hours of beer, mimosas, and wine later all hell breaks loose, the dudes end up topless, Easter eggs are thrown, and the gyrating booty dancing ensues. I love my friends. ♥

I even got to wear my Lucca floral maxi sun dress it was so nice out! As you've probably picked up on, I'm just a teensy bit into wearing floor-length frocks nowadays. Getting girly without having to shave your legs? What's not to like? Here is a better picture of the dress. I love the back! And now I have a sweet tan line to go with it!

Now I want to know how the temperature can drop thirty degrees in two days?! What does Mother Nature have against the 70s? 88 is way too close to 90, and 58 is way too close to COLD. Don't we deserve at least a month of 67-77?

Listen, I recycle and take public transit. I even give people nasty looks when they litter. I bought a box of organic oatmeal once. It was gross, but I ATE THE WHOLE BOX. Doesn't that count for something? Is this about those 45 minute hot showers? Or the four rolls of toilet paper we go through in three days? Listen, if you had just given us the ability to fly, we wouldn't have all this pollution now would we? Just because you're going through some bipolar bouts of PMS does not mean your children should have to feel the wrath. Please, just one month where my armpits don't have to worry about being drowned in their own sweat or keeping my hands from turning into clawcicles. I swear I'll install that solar-powered hair dryer this time. I SWEAR!!!!

she and him and my nipples

Last night the boy and I went to a semi-formal corporate private party, with a brief and bouncy performance by She & Him. The boy went for the free booze; I went for the rare chance to venture out in public in NYC in a floor length layered tulle skirt, and we both went for the millions of fancy-shmancy, mouth watering hour devours the size of silver dollars. At the beginning we were both chasing down the models disguised as waiters in hopes of some new tiny spinach souffle square or mini tuna wasabi tower, but by the middle of the night, my belt was pretty ready to divorce my high-waisted skirt, and I was waving them and their loaded trays away. I did however, manage to save room for a last minute minuscule bacon cheeseburger the size of a checker piece, and a shot of vanilla milkshake through a chocolate straw. Hello, amazing! And apparently I'm not the only one who enjoys a good floor length drapey bottom half. I got several compliments, and two online magazine editors asked to photograph me in my ensemble. Actually, who knows if it was the skirt or the fact that my nipples were probably showing through my lace bra and micro-mesh top. Either way, they were into it, and I was into the free food and swaying around to the sweet tunes of DJ Cutefest. (*Not really her name, but boy was she adorable and playing everything from "Mr. Postman" to Nancy Sinatra. If someone knows who she is and where I can dance to more of her, please feel free to let me know!)

Here is my pathetic "don't laugh/don't pout" smirk, along with what I wore, photographed by the good people at Fashionista. I walked in, surrounded by a sea of suits and ten foot tall models in 4 foot heels, with my 3 feet legs dragging my tulle skirt, and all the cat hair weaved through it, behind me. I was also offered all the ginger ale I desired, but alas, I had to stick to 2.5 drinks considering the fact that I would end up giving my skirt a swirly in the bathroom, and most likely walk out with an entire roll of toilet paper and who knows what else trailing behind me.

They literally said, "Get a shot of her bra." An hour before this I was discussing with my roommates about how my nipples were going to show, especially if I had my picture taken. Then my boyfriend was like, "Eh, we're already late and who's going to take our picture anyway?" HA.

American Apparel lace bra & micro-mesh button down; vintage skirt, belt, & bag; thrifted blazer.
Adolescent boy's haircut by me. Bowl not required.