d.tie.y sneak peek

The first of many men's embellished ties I am making......will post more in the coming weeks...will be sold at Tatter's Alternative Clothing in MPLS.

xoxox

In today's noose...

Photo by Roger

Garbette #1

Who better to pick as my first Garbette than my lovely and dear friend Cecilia.

Her creativity has no end. I told her that very sparkly thing was a belt buckle.
"No no no... it's a scarf holder!"
Of course it is! It's anything you want it to be. =)

<3 <3 <3 her.

My first Garboy!

I want to incorporate street fashion into my little blog as well, so here is my first Garboy!

This is Don.

       He is the first guy I've seen in person wearing black allover sequin pants. I REALLY liked it. Also, the clash of the bright patterned top under the large fishnet knit sweater was great. Very fun outfit.

 

These shoes looked awesome with the sequin pants.

Lanvin doesn't love Minnesota.

      
       On November 20th I forced myself out of bed farrrrr too early in the morning so I could be at the Mall of America at opening time for H&M's release of it's guest designed collaboration, Lanvin <3s H&M. I was told by an employee there two days prior to this hungover and pretty ridiculous stupor I found myself in that morning that MOA would indeed have the Lanvin line.
       Well, that bitch lied. She was super adorable, but she lied to me. >:O
       My world was crushed upon arrival at the store. There was not an ounce of the pandemonium I was anxiously awaiting. Girls getting real ugly so they can get real pretty. That's what I wanted. The long-ass line and the wristbands for time-allotted sectional shopping and first come-first see priveledges. I wanted to see what Lanvin did for H&M up close. I didn't even want to buy any of it, I just wanted to see it!
       I was really pissed that H&M would not include the largest mall in the country on their list of entitled locations. It's the fucking MALL OF AMERICA!!! Are we not worthy, us lowly Minnesotans?! Is Chicago really that much more fashion forward? Or howabout our coastal twin, Portland? They deserve it more than we?! GAHH!
      Okay, I'm getting all steamed about it again.
      After I settled down the first time I decided to do the only thing that would make me feel better. I wrote a letter to H&M. I worked really hard to keep it down to one page, trust me. The ranting was a bit out of control.
       I hope that a real person actually reads it and feels my pain. I hope that the neglect they have shown the fashion enthusiasts of our cities is made up for. If H&M releases their next collaborated line at MOA, you'll know who to thank.
       And if it's designed by Vivienne Westwood, I'll probably pee my pants.

       For your enjoyment here is the letter. And a few photos of what the Lanvin <3s H&M line consisted of.
       Cheers!

------

Hello my lovely H&M,

            My name is Katrina. I am hailing you from Minneapolis, Minnesota. A place you may not consider “fashionable”. Trust me baby, we are.

I make sure to stop into your store every time I’m at the Mall of America (MOA) because I admire your ability to sustain wardrobe affordability for starving artists like me without sacrificing the fashion forward designs that we so crave. Good job!

I have given myself a day and a half to gather my thoughts and calm myself after the extreme disappointment I experienced yesterday in your MOA location. I’m over the fact that I was blatantly lied to by one of your employees and told that Lanvin does indeed love Minnesota, too. That Lanvin would be gracing the racks of your glorious MOA store on November 20th. That it was going to be nuts. And beautiful. And everything else I wanted it to be.

But you see- Lanvin does NOT, in fact, love MOA. The closest place Lanvin was showing it’s lovely face was Chicago.

Yes, I realize my disappointment could’ve been easily avoided had I inquired the release locations on the internet. This fact, and the lies, are now besides the point. What I’m getting at is: Why didn’t you have Lanvin loves H&M at MOA? Why aren’t ANY of your guest-designed collaborations ever at MOA?!

            MOA is the number one tourist destination in the mid-west receiving over 40 million annual visitors. It’s the biggest mall in the country! It isn’t just an out-of-state tourist attraction, though. Those shoppers make up only about 35% of the yearly visitors. Although it is nice international tourists typically spend two and half times more than local residents, isn’t it? Lanvin likes money, no?

MOA is the primary mall destination for 62% of the average Minneapolis/St. Paul shopper. On any given day it becomes Minnesota’s third largest city in population! It is built to handle the massive amount of traffic an event like Lanvin would create!

Due to the twin cities’ love for fashion and the patterned increases in both traffic and sales recorded since it’s opening in 1992, MOA recently received a facelift which is now referred to as "

South Avenue"

.

South Ave

has beautiful marble floors, swarovski crystal chandeliers and a list of retailers that’ll make any fashionista drool. Doesn’t Lanvin compare itself to the likes of Chanel, Chloe, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Betsey Johnson, YSL and Burberry? Of course Lanvin does! Lanvin deserves the company of such beautiful labels! In fact, MOA is the perfect place for any of H&M’s guest-designed collections! Madonna, Minogue, McCartney...you make it, MOA wants it!

In the future H&M should really reconsider dismissing MOA from their list of guest-collaboration worthy locations. The fashion savvy of Minnesota would thank you by opening their wallets, I assure you.

If you stock it, they will pay.

Thank you for your time, much love,

Katrina

Facts source:

MOA 2010 Leasing Brochure

http://www.mallofamerica.com/content/files/Leasing-Brochure-2010-web.pdf

------

How coffee saved my keffiyeh.

I have a black and white keffiyeh. That's a scarf. A scarf that every hipster you know owns.

I think I just called myself a hipster. Oh well. Here’s mine:

                    

       Anyways, these scarves deserve all of the attention they are getting from the fashionable of the western world. They have simple, beautiful unisex designs that can be worn easily with almost anything.
       Traditionally from the Middle East, the keffiyeh is also called a shemagh or a hattah depending on the blend of fibers, color scheme and country of origin. It's also considered a trademark symbol of Yasser Arafat and Palestinian nationalism. I just think they are pretty, okay?
       Okay. So I have issues with white. I never wore my keffiyeh because the black and white bothered me. It was just so...white.
       To save my scarf from the dreaded ‘sell pile’ I opted for a centuries old dyeing technique: coffee. It results in a lovely antiqued shade of sepia.

       Now for a quick lesson in coffee dyeing! Yeay!

       First...boil some coffee grounds! I bought the cheapest and darkest roast I could find for three bucks at Cub. If you regularly drink coffee at home just keep your old grounds for a couple days. There’s no real measuring involved. Just make sure to fill a large pot with enough water to submerge the fabric completely without it being crunched up too much.
       Then put in a crapload of grounds. I think I used about a cup or two. I wanted to make sure I could get as dark of a sepia color as possible.
       After ten or so minutes of boiling, strain out the grounds. Then put the pot back on the burner at a simmering temperature and put the fabric in the dye bath! I let my scarf simmer for about 45 minutes. Time allowed for simmering and the amount of grounds in the dye bath are things that you can alter to your liking for color results.

***Quick Tips to Dye For***

      - If fabric is creased or really squished up in the dye bath it can lead to uneven color results. 

      - Synthetic fibers generally don’t take dye evenly, if at all. Stick to cotton, wool, hemp, linen...all those wonderful natural fibers.

      - Wet fabrics take dye easier! Soak the garment in luke warm water before submerging in the dye bath!

      - Mind how you wash the fabric/garment after it is dyed. Most modern detergents are designed to remove stains. This technique is really just a coffee stain.

      - For best results, handwash. You may need to re-dye after a few years.

I had to try the dye bath coffee...so strong and tasty...

       After you’ve decided that the fabric has had enough, let it cool down, and rinse it (with cool water) until the water runs clear. Then throw it in the dryer on high heat to set the color. I guess you could hang dry it...I was impatient.
       So here it is! My new and improved keffiyeh. The colors are perfect now! Things like this make me excited that it is getting colder outside. Scarves..gloves..hats...layering...hurray!

                                            It matches my favorite hat...extra happy thumbs up!

       While on the topic of things changing... I’d like to dedicate my second post to Ozzy. She was the most adorable, skeletal (^_^), sweet and smelly 18 year old cat I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She was born in my bed, lived in the same home her whole life and will be buried with our other deceased fuzzy (and feathered) loved ones in the backyard.

       She was the first cat I ever tortured by dressing her up in doll clothes.
       She hated it.
       I was seven.

                                                     Immamissyouozzyboo... <3 <3 <3

Yes, I'm adding to the blogpool.

I've been struggling for a while with whether or not I should actually start a fashion blog (the outcome should be pretty obvious by now). I really want one. I think I could have a pretty hep blog. I want to share! I think there are some cool cats out there that are into the same freaky shit as me (and don’t mind cusswords). I want to share un-freaky shit too, but it’s really the freaky shit that gets me going.

It's a little discouraging when everyone and their mothers have blogs nowadays. Is it really a blog eat blog world? What’s going to make my blog stand out? Who’s going to read this thing anyways? Will anyone? Will it be interesting? Inspiring? Insightful? Will it be utterly cliché? Will it just be completely self-gratifying and egotistical?

Well, you are reading this, so that’s a start.

It will be self-gratifying, and that just makes for a happy Katrina. :D

Fashion is an ever-changing, insanely fascinating, widely accessible medium that keeps me up nights with it's inspiring beauty and raw power. I can already talk about it for hours on end in the flesh if I am allowed; why not share with a larger audience on the interwebz?

I have received a mostly positive reception to my fashion-oriented posts on Facebook thus far. I’ve counted it as my very own version of a “would this blog suck?” survey. So here I am. A blog it is. My hopes and aspirations for a worthwhile blog have outweighed my fears of utter failure.

My good friends assure me they will follow my blog like gay boys follow Gaga. I hope someday to touch the fashionable lives of many I’ve never met!

Welcome to my blog! I’m so excited!

Yours,

Katrina

I'll leave you with my favorite self portrait to accompany my first post. This was taken around four on the morning of my birthday this year. I made the dress that I wore out that night, and this was a scrap that I was playing with in my sleeplessness. Enjoy!