Tag Archives: clothing

Decompress in Style!

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Ahhhh yes, a day in the park… not just any day in the park, but the 10th annual Burning Man, Los Angeles Decompression festival at LA Historical Park.

This particular event can be described as a small taste of Burning Man culture in the heart of Los Angeles. You’ll find large scale art installations, interactive theme camps, fire dancers, aerialists, art cars, happy people and my favorite… outrageous fashion. Burners (people who attend the Burning Man festival) love to exercise their radical self expression with fashion, one of the reasons I LOVE the Burning Man festival.

A few weeks ago my mom came over and had sewn me three items. The first and second items didn’t excite me too much, however she then pulled out a sparkly, silver, disco ball wad of cloth and wowed me!
Here’s the thing about my mom and me… We are almost complete opposites. I am very out-going, social, adventurous, playful and eccentric where as my mother has always been a homebody, and on the quieter side.  If we were an ice cream flavor… she would be vanilla and I would be cotton-candy-bubble-gum-birthday-cake-marshmellow-explosion.

So she shows up at my apartment with this awesome sparkly, wearable disco ball and I LOVE IT! My mom makes several attempts through out the year to get my “fashion tastes” and doesn’t always hit the nail on the head although I appreciate her efforts. So here we are, and she has sewn me this awesome top and is thrilled that I love it so of course I had to wear it to the Decompression festival.

Isn’t it fabulous?

The top runs a little big, so I gathered it in the back and safety pinned it to fit to my figure a little better. I thought it actually looked cuter with the way the cloth folded in the back.

My hat was decorated by me with a hundred or so Swarovski crystals glued to the top in the shape of the “Man” (the Burning Man icon), also a few more crystals glued to the roses on the hat. The band across my forehead I made that morning. Just glued a bunch of hematite Swarovski crystals to a thin ribbon and tied it on. The ring on my finger is so futurisitc looking and can actually be worn two different ways. Whether the point goes forward or backward, it’s an awesome ring. I found it a jewelry boutique in downtown LA.

As you can see, this particular day in the park brings out the most fabulous of fashions and you really get to see so much creativity. The last guy was great, he made his hat and his friend made him his suit… I thought he matched me quit well.

All in all the day was fantastic and everyone LOVED my top, and frankly the best part was saying, “My mom made it.”

An Outfit with Edge!

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If you are regularly following and reading my blog, then you must know by now… my style has a lot of “edge” to it. Sure, I can do the feminine, girly, frilly thing and it is fun (sometimes). But for the most part, I love to incorporate studs, black, leather, spikes, lace and unique jewelry to create an edgy appeal.

On this day I chose to re-create an entirely different look with my gorgeous burn-out velvet kimono featured in a previous post. 

By simply pairing the kimono with all black and silver accents I’ve created a look with a lot of sass, punk, glam and edge!

Easy outfit made up of black skinnies, a black tank, and the kimono. As always, an outfit is never complete without at least two accessories. Think rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, headbands, hair clips, etc. ALWAYS accessorize to complete the look!

Feather earrings: Beth Nouveau

Bag: Big Buddha

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Kimono: eBay

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The name is Cherry.

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What is more fun than dressing up in an outlandish ensemble? Dressing in an outlandish ensemble with a character to match the outfit!

At last week’s Burning Man festival I went about my day with a character, complete with an English accent. With the help of my fellow camp mates, we decided on the name Cherry Poppins to go along with the red hair and sassy attitude.

I was so thrilled to finally have enough energy and fuel to go into the day. The whole week I had spent the days sleeping around camp wherever I could. This particular Burn was really hard on my body and energy levels. The first few days were spent acclimating to the harsh desert conditions and I wasn’t feeling well enough to spend a lot of energy getting all jazzed up during the days. By Thursday morning I was feeling well and ready to go out into the city as Cherry Poppins.

To top off the outfit I wore my incredible Burning Man medallion that I received as a gift at the 2011 Burn. This piece is absolutely stunning and is the greatest physical gift I’ve been given in my 4 years of participating in the festival. The pendant is double sided and on the other side, the Man stands in the center of the globe. A fantastic piece of jewelry indeed, and is adored by many. I feel so lucky to have been in the right place, at the right time… and had the right outfit on!!! (I was given this piece because the man loved my outfit.)

Probably one of my most favorite outfits of the week, and it was appreciated by many. If only I could dress this way regularly in the default world…

Leopard love.

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Going out for a night on the town calls for an edgy, fashion forward ensemble that is sure to turn heads. For this night I chose to embrace my love for leopard print.

This outfit screams fashion forward, fashion savvy and fashionista! I found the shirt at a small boutique in downtown LA and it was priced at $72, which is CRAZY. It’s not a name brand, it’s not quality material and it’s NOT worth $72!!! The guy running the joint tells me he’ll give it to me for $55, which is STILL crazy. I continued about the store and then found the same shirt on a mannequin, and I sighed heavily… once I see something ON a mannequin a new wave of “must have” comes over me. I decided to try it on…. JUST TO SEE how it looks on me, you know? Of course I was falling for this shirt, and I was falling hard. It truly was love at first sight, I just tried to ignore it. I finally asked the guy, “How about you give this to me for $40…” I was hoping he’d say no, because I really didn’t even want to spend $40 on a shirt. Of course he said okay! Even at $40 this shirt is overpriced considering the quality (its polyester), but I justified the cost due to the unique appeal.

Gold accessories matched the leopard and black perfectly. The necklaces are from a flea market, the big gold pyramid ring is from a sample sale, and the gold cuff is from H&M.

I wanted my hair to be sleek, sexy, voluminous and high fashion. I pulled the sides tight and pinned them underneath the teased hair at the crown of my head.

On my ear is an ear cuff I found on Etsy from the seller Antickquities. It is made with brass clock hands. This ear piece has a steampunk feel and is definitely a unique detail of the outfit. This piece actually came with another, to wear on the other ear, but I’m only wearing one at a time. The pieces were a great bargain at $11.

My leopard pants were found at TJ Maxx for 20 bucks, total score! The entire outfit tops my gorgeous Jeffrey Campbell spiked Lita’s for that really edgy feel.

My cute lil bag is a leather Betsey Johnson bag that retails for $200. I happen to work with the lady who reps Betsey Johnson and Steve Madden here in LA, and she totally hooked me up with this bag for $20!!!! A huge part of my fashion skills are made up of hunting, finding and scoring deals. You can do this by shopping at off price stores like Ross, TJ Maxx or Marshalls OR at smaller private boutiques you can sometimes bargain with them. Many boutiques and shops in downtown LA are totally down for bargaining, like the shirt from this outfit. Thrift stores are another great place to score amazing finds for dirt cheap.

The outfit was a hit and really fits my personality. Another fashion mission, accomplished.

It’s that time of year…

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August is a special month for me. It is a month where creativity explodes and styling is put into over time. The more creative and avant garde, the better! August is the month when I make my annual trip to the middle of the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada for the Burning Man festival. Burning Man in short, is a massive art festival/ social experiment in the middle of the barren desert that focuses on self reliance and self expression. The festival showcases all things extreme… the art, the people, the FASHION! No dress code, no rules, the fashion is created from the creative minds of the participants and their passions.

You can truly wear WHATEVER your heart desires in a judgement free zone. Judgement is out the door in a place where everyone looks so different and there is no “norm.” If you feel comfortable and happy wearing a potato sack, a ball gown or a speedo and a cape, then you are encouraged to do what YOU want to do and wear what YOU want to wear. Black Rock City is a society filled with citizens and participants wearing what they want to wear and not having to conform to social norms and rules of socially acceptable fashion.

Black Rock City (the name of makeshift city that is the Burning Man festival), where the fashion is one of my favorite elements of the festival. Click to see it bigger.

I have a particular love for burlesque fashion and retro pin up styling. Burning Man allows me to take my love of burlesque costuming and be able to strut my stuff in it, all day and all night. Dressing in burlesque makes me feel good. I feel sexy, I feel beautiful, and all around I just feel so womanly. I can’t exactly throw on a pair of fishnets, booty shorts and a corset and go to class in it, in the default world. Thus, my love for a more “costumey” wardrobe flourishes this time of year.

We had a “red night” in my camp this past year so I took the opportunity to break out my fabulous red satin corset and pull it all together for probably one of my best burn outfits yet!

My devil horned fascinator was a gift I received from my friend Candace for my birthday and the corset I found on eBay. In fact, I think 75% of my ensemble came from eBay from my dreads… to my boots!

The corset is a cheapy, made with plastic boning, so it has lost a lot of its shape over time, however a cheap corset is the way to go when you’re taking it to the harsh, dusty elements of the Black Rock desert! The “bustle” on my bottom is merely a yard of red sparkly fabric that I just safety pinned to the back of my ruffled booty shorts.

And let me just tell you about these boots. These AMAZING boots have made it to the playa THREE times (heading for a forth in a few weeks!) and been on my feet to countless clubs, festivals, dance parties and social day events. I found these beauties on eBay years ago for a mere twenty bucks and they were brand new!!! Yes that’s right, $20!!!! They are branded Hot Topic, and these boots were easily $80 in the store. I absolutely LOVE these boots and would easily name them the greatest pair of boots I have ever owned, which is difficult to say, due to a lot of really cool boots in my life. I love these boots SO much, that I went on another search for a back up pair. After only a few months of looking, sure enough I came across another pair on eBay, brand new and in my exact size. I paid a little more for the second pair at around 50, but sooo sooooooo worth it! I haven’t unwrapped them from their tissue paper housings yet. They just sit in a box in my closet waiting for their day to take on a lead role in my life: Rebecca’s bad ass, all terrain, ground stomping, ass kicking, platform boots.

Two of my camp mates looking equally as impressive in their black and red ensembles. This photo really captures the beauty and fun of fashion at Burning Man. We all have very different looks and styles, yet we all fit one theme and look incredible! Everyone in the whole camp looked so awesome on our “red night.”

This outfit was hands down one of the funnest ensembles I’ve thrown together at the Burn. I felt it truly matched my personality with it’s glitzy glamor, the feminine sex appeal and with that touch of “edgy, bad girl.” If I could dress to my personality regularly, you’d see a lot of this look. I’m definitely going to shoot for more burlesque styling at the upcoming burn since I enjoyed it so much last year. On an end note, red is totally my color.

It’s all about the accessories.

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Another plain jane outfit spruced up with accessories! If you don’t already own a plain white, tailored button up shirt, I highly suggest you get one. They go with so many different outfits and looks, indeed a staple item in any fashionista’s closet.

I don’t invest a lot of money in any staple article that is white. With white articles of clothing you have to worry about the three D’s: dirty, dingy and damaged…. all too soon. This shirt I picked up from a local low end boutique for about $10, it’s not the greatest quality, but it fits great and will last me through the next couple seasons.

My jeans are skinny cut Levi’s and they are from Kohls at $40.

How about that belt?! That is one solid chunk of leather and metal. The belt is by Brave. Brave is a leather company that makes women’s and men’s belts and other small leather goods. This belt retails for $120 in stores and online. Of course, I didn’t pay that much! I found this belt at downtown LA’s Friday Sample Sale. Usually at sample sales, the showrooms sell everything at cost (wholesale) price… this belt being $60 wholesale…. but the guy sold it to me for $15!!! Wooo! Major score! I love how chunky and industrial it is.

The ring I’m wearing is a fancy shmancy armor ring that I found at Wet Seal (of all places!) It’s a great statement piece of jewelry.

No purse today, just a little wallet clutch that my girlfriend gifted to me. It’s sparkly black patent leather and the handle is built in “brass knuckles.” Not only does this clutch carry all my cash and cards, but I could bust somebody in the temple if I had to. In self defense of course. ;)

One of the best ways to spruce up a some what dull outfit is to slide on some bold statement shoes! These shoes are by Jeffrey Campbell and are the most expensive part of the outfit (a little bit over $200). Don’t get me wrong… I don’t go spending that much EVER on anything… except the occasional pair of shoes. Shoes are worth it!

Accessories can make your entire outfit go from blah to WOW! In addition, you can take the same basic articles of clothing and create entirely different looks using accessories. Look for an upcoming entry, where I create a whole different style using the same jeans and white button up. Until then, cheers to my lovely readers! I appreciate your views more than you know!

Trend alert: the fabulous fringed kimono.

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The trend is just emerging and just a few weeks ago I found this picture on the cover article of a fashion tabloid:

Three well known celeb- fashionistas rocking the kimono jacket.

I first fell in love with the fringed kimono last year while searching for Burning Man garb on Etsy.

It was love at first sight:

I did not want to spend 300 dollars on this particular exquisite article of clothing, so I continued on my search.

A few months ago my beauty arrived. It’s burn-out crushed velvet in a gorgeous deep burgundy. I absolutely love it!

I love that this type of garment can be worn so many ways. With jeans or a skirt, a tshirt or a tank… or even belted or not belted. This garment will speak numbers no matter which way you wear it.

I added two long feather earrings on one side, to add to the hippie feel of the outfit and a couple of chunky, bold rings on one hand.

In my opinion, the fringed kimono is article of fashion that can transcend seasons and years with its classic beauty and versatile ways of wearing it. Trendy or not, I’ll still be rocking mine.