photography of Laurie Bartley

I love the light in these beautiful photographs by Laurie Bartley, and of course, I'm in love with the muted colors. I've been coveting these cut-off Louis Vuitton's forever, but I reckon they'll never be mine, and I'm ok with that.

Folks, I have a four day weekend ahead of me, and I am happy to have no plans. I think I'll be doing some hiking & thrift store shopping tomorrow though.

Til next time, be free.

Crystal Lee



Source: fashion gone rogue

black and white

some recent photographs taken with my Pentax Spotmatic by Pete & I.

my Christmas get-up

My Christmas was sooo mellow. I decided not to really plan, not to stress, not to buy any gifts, and everything turned out just fine. My small family came over and we ate some good food. Pete did most of the cooking, bless his heart. Then we went on a Christmas walk around the neighborhood. Later in the day, Pete & I played Trivia Pursuit while listening to records. Instead of buying gifts for people this year, I donated money to the Afghan Women's Mission towards self-sufficiency programs. I know I can do more to help those who are less fortunate, but this is a start.

Outfit: Vintage 80s green taffeta skirt, F21 top, gold lamé headband (everything thrifted), 50s costume jewelry (belonged to Pete's grandma).

snowy days in Big Bear, dressed like Snoopy

I really do have a coat for every conceivable occasion. When (over)packing for my trip to Big Bear, I remembered this hot pink hoodie just perfect for the snow. It kept me warm, even when paired with leather shorts. I hardly ever wear this 80a vintage knit airplane sweater, so I was happy to have the chance. I kind of look like Snoopy in this get-up, don't you think? In the last photo, it looks like Pete is singing, and he may well have been, I can't remember. In any case, he sure does look cute.

I hope ya'll had a great Christmas! I'll write more about mine in my next post.

Outfit: vintage pink hoodie nylon coat, 80s airplane sweater, vintage leather shorts (everything thrifted), Oxfords (Nine West), brown turquoise necklace (called brown turquoise even though it's mostly white) (bought at a boutique in Joshua Tree).

Merry Christmas!

Gang, I think I got back the Christmas spirit back. Pete & I spent yesterday and today in Big Bear playing in the snow, going on mini-hikes near the lake, in the sequoias groves, amongst the bramble, the pine trees, and snow covered marsh, all the while taking photographs with my vintage film camera. We ate a lot of good food in old log cabin restaurants and the whole town was full of holiday cheer. On our way up the hill, the "Rim of the World" highway, we road above heavy rain clouds much of the way. It was very surreal and kind of disorienting, but a sight to behold. On the way home, the sky was clear and nearly cloudless. We were greeted with a majestic view. Merry Christmas!






















Outfit: vintage calvin klein denim jumpsuit, 80s splatter pain moon boots, long pom pom scarf (everything thrifted).

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum might very well be my favorite museum in Los Angeles. And a museum is probably the best place to spend a rainy day, which is what we did last Saturday when I took my niece, Anna, for her birthday. I think Anna was a little freaked out to find that we are descended from apes. “Look how hairy we once were,” I told her. I also told her that she was a mammal and explained why. Throughout our time at the museum I would ask her if she was a mammal. Sometimes, she answered “yes” and sometimes “no.” One day, she will firmly declare “I am a mammal.”





The Mineral Rocks & Gems Exhibit was my favorite, along with the Birds exhibit. I find these mineral rocks to be so inspiring. Looking at these intricate and unique rocks, I find myself wanting more muted pastels in my wardrobe. Can one gal ever own too much pastel? The answer is “ no”.





I’m wearing my whooping crane shirt so as to match my endangered pal. It’s possible that this is a heron on my shirt, but don’t tell me if it is.

Afterwards, we played in the rain for a bit, and Anna jumped in a puddle despite Pete’s admonishment not to. I am the worst at disciplining her, especially when she behaves just as I would in a similar situation.

Pete & I are going to Big Bear tomorrow to play in the snow. Hopefully, the road up there won’t be closed. The crazy rains have created icy roads up in the mountains. I’m excited for the visual purity that snow provides.

If I don’t get around to posting until after Christmas, Happy Holidays to you & yours!

Outfit: vintage 80s whooping crane knit shirt, 80s herringbone shorts, vintage cape (thrifted), red tights (?), oxford shoes (Nine West).

when it rains, I wear a vintage coat or two

Sunday was a lazy rainy day, and I didn't do too much, but I did change my outfit twice just for the heck of it. I'm pretty much ignoring Christmas this year. Everyone deserves one year without Christmas, though it is pretty hard to avoid. I wanted to go to Sephora at the mall yesterday, but the parking lot was a madhouse of desperate Christmas shoppers. Why the mad rush people? Noone needs anything except maybe the poor and hungry. Donate your money instead. Oh goodness, listen to me bashing materialism when I have more clothes than anyone on the planet. The only mitigating factor/justification is that all my clothes are thrifted.

Despite my grinchatude, I still managed to dress up rather festivally, especially my first outfit in which I'm wearing a green sparkle sweater & tweed mini skirt. I recently thrifted the Sherlock Holmes-esque wool cape coat, perfect for all the rain we've been having. It’s unique & cute and not too trendy - a welcome addition to my already overstuffed vintage coat rack. Later in the day, I wore a shortened 60s green dress over my turtleneck & polka dot tights. (You may see this dress in my shop soon.) I think the abstract green floral print mixes well with my vintage cheetah coat.

Pete & I have been spending our rainy days watching entirely too much television. We recently purchased a Roku , a device which makes it possible to stream netflix instant movies to the t.v. Yesterday, we watched “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”, which was so bloody heartwarming, I cried most of the movie. I was a little mad at Pete for that movie choice because I was not expecting to have mushy heart for nearly an hour & my nose was super stuffed on account of torrential tears. Then, we watched a documentary on 60s girl groups. I think my favorite 60s girl group is The Ronettes, though I always get super bummed with Ronnie Spector for letting Phil Spector abuse her and take her away from all her friends & family. Of course, what I should be doing with my time during this rainy season is reading more. I recently started Colette’s “Claudine at School,” though I should be reading “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.” The new year is fast approaching, and I’ve been lacks in preparing myself for my goal to quit smoking. Has anyone made any New Year’s resolutions?

Ciao for now.

Crystal Lee

Outfit # 1- vintage sparkly green turtleneck, vintage tweed mini skirt, Sherlock Holmes cape coat, and monkey boots, (thrifted). I can’t remember where I bought the polka dot tights, but I believe they are made by Hue.

Outfit # 2 - 60s green shortened dress, vintage cheetah coat (thrifted)

"Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being." Albert Camus

I am really enjoying taking photographs with my 1960s Pentax Spotmatic. Rebelling against modern technology is a favored stance of mine. Heck, I didn’t even get a cell phone until rather recently, and it’s the cheapest bare-bones phone on the market, and most of the time I want to do away with it. For me, taking film photographs is akin to listening to records. Perhaps it’s the little rituals that go into either of these past times that give these acts such a meditative and pure quality. I’m not a very good photographer, but taking photographs with this heavy old camera that I found at the thrift store for $5 just feels right.

I forgot to tell ya’ll that Pete took a bunch of black & white film photos of me nakedly exploring San Pedro the other day. I took advantage of the desolate landscape, and enjoyed nature the best way I know how – buck naked. It was invigorating. I think the photos turned out alright, but they’re a little too “in your face” and I’m not ballsy enough ( boobsy enough) to post them on the internet. It was embarrassing enough picking the photos up from the film processing store.

Enjoy yourselves.

Crystal Lee

Photos taken by me & Pete.

Christmas times a coming

I want to play in the snow!

Blue & Brown: Pentax Spotmatic

Some film photos taken with my 1960's Pentax Spotmatic.






Pete looks so cute in his blue plaid pajamas. The scenic photographs are of Joshua Tree. I can’t wait until my photography class starts because I truly have no idea what I’m doing.