cosmic neon thrifted mash up

What magnificent force is responsible for uniting thrifted pieces together in such wondrous harmony? I shall never know, but when it happens, I’m positively pleased. I’m pretty sure this look is inspired by Kathleen Hanna’s wardrobe in The Punk Singer. In the documentary, she wore a wonderfully gaudy lime green and purple vintage outfit combination, and I thought “her outfit must surely be thrifted, and golly those pieces were meant for each other, and my, she looks so young.” And then I realized once again that the fountain of youth is a boisterous outfit and a bad ass attitude.

neon weekend

Howdy buddies,

It’s seems I’ve lost my blogging mojo lately. I still love to play dress up, but the words just aren’t coming to me so easily these days. I’m feeling a little uninspired these last few weeks, as is to be expected after indulging in far too much television and social media (ie: all the many lovely fashion blogs that are far too easy to get sucked into), spending money unnecessarily, and generally not being as creative or risk-tasking as I’d like, perhaps out of fear of "having an artistic temperament but not being an artist." (quote from season finale of Mad Men that really hit a nerve: Marie, Megan's mom, to Don about Megan.) I suppose there’s no better shade than neon to help shake temporary feelings of dissatisfaction and boredom, and I’ve been wearing it all weekend.

When I find myself in a boiling pot of stagnation stew, I turn to the words of those I admire for inspiration, in this case my two favorite modern dancers: Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others" -Martha Graham

“ The only way to do it is to do it.” - Merce Cunningham

Dearest readers, how do you stay motivated and creative?

Outfit # 1: casual wear for holding my best friend’s baby for several glorious hours. I love holding babies and can do it for an inordinate amount of time without complaining. Neon 90s denim shorts (thrifted), vintage softest ragged western shirt (hand me down), red floral bandeau top (thrifted).

Outfit # 2: my best neon senorita look worn to sell vintage clothes at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Vintage neon dress with puff embroidered sleeves and vintage cowboy hat (LB antique market), vintage cowboy boots (thrifted),

xoxo,

Crystal Lee

neon orange

Last weekend, Pete and I took a drive along the coast in my new 1997 BMW convertible, and I felt like I was one of “them” – another fellow BMW driver. Needless to say, I was pretty mortified. It’s like going out in public to find that you’re wearing the exact same dress as every other gal. I wore an 80s neon orange bandage dress that Jesse recently found for me at a thrift store. Luckily, I didn’t see anyone wearing one similar. We found ourselves at Crystal Cove State Beach, where Pete took photos with his new film camera. I like the artsy photo he took of the angels in the rocks. My dress is actually neon orange, not salmon, nor hot pink, as the first two photos would lead you to believe. The first three photos were taken with Pete’s film camera & the last two photos were taken with my film camera. I expect to be wearing lots of neon in the near future, so watch out world, I’m going to blind you with color.











outfits: 80s bandage dress, 90s brown lace top (thrifted), AA bicycling shorts, Matiko sandals.