Saturday, May 18, 2013

diverting attention

hi everyone,

I've been away again, and I'm realizing that maybe this is not the best platform for me. I rarely have time to sit and compose posts, I prefer quicker medias now like tumblr and instagram. that said, I haven't stopped working, if anything I am finishing more projects quicker, and have a lot of stuff to show. I am removing the link to this blog from my tumblr, and so most of you reading this will have come here for the mori boy post. anyway, if you enjoy the content here or on any of the feeds mentioned below, don't be shy to get in touch. I always feel that I don't "know" or know of people who I can relate to on an aesthetic level, and I would like some

ill leave you now with links to my active feeds and a shot of some recent illustrative work involving tarot reinterpretation

rats4candy.tumblr.com
@penandplanchette on instagram


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Mori Boy Checklist & Guide

this is going to be a bit tongue in cheek (as the other checklists are, heres the mori girl, and dark mori ones) and is to be taken with a bit of salt. theres no hard and fast rules in any mori styling, i just wanted to compile a little something for fun, and for people just getting into the aesthetic looking for a few basics.



 Styling:

   +  enjoys looking comfortable yet eccentric, through use of eclectic patterns & textures
   +  while colors range from light to dark, they are likely to be unsaturated, seemingly bleached by the sun or    having a worn-in look
   +  likes to wear interesting fibers, like: fur, leather&suede, wool, linen, bamboo
   +  prefers more detailed fabrics to simple ones, like a textured knit to stockingette, or herringbone or tweed to plain weave.
   +  shoes are rugged and utilitarian, but can also be a bit stylish. Worn in leather boots and wool topsiders are popular, but mocassins, traditional japanese sandals and even battered western sneakers like New Balances also work, as long as the color coordinates.
   +  wants to look like wanderer, may accessorize with tools like binoculars or compass'
   +  will usually carry a bag, backpacks and large leather or canvas satchels are roomy and sturdy
   +  hair can be short to long, but has a unstyled tousled look, bed head is ok, especially if its curly
   +  loves scarves of the thick and chunky variety, can be knit, felted, or even a fur stole
   +  often wears a statement cardigan or jacket, what it is is totally up to personal preference, but is often a major element of the outfit. Common examples are large gauge sweaters, cardigans with pattern or large buttons, or haori with a large printed pattern.
   +  likes vintage style, but stays away from the fussier elements of western clothing


 Lifestyle
   +  enjoys working with hands, hobbies like gardening, crafting, cooking, etc.
   +  loves to read, and maybe write, may daydream about vintage typewriters
   +  likes animals, and may even look to specific ones for outfit inspiration
   +  prefer to appear quiet and wild, mysterious
   +  enjoys outtings that allow for discovery, like wandering in the country or a new part of town
   +  might settle down in a coffee shop for longer than average
   +  likes to take photos of adventures, but may lack for photos of themselves (they are behind the camera!)
   +  whether openly or not, may believe in fairies and other folkloric characters or spirits
   +  has an interest in music, whether playing or listening, especially unusual instruments like harpsichord or ocarina
   +  is a collector of objects, usually small things they think are under appreciated
   +  often found in thrift, vintage shops, flea markets
   +  enjoys museums, especially ones with dioramas
   +  if the choice is present, prefers rustic and wholesome food & drink, not neccessarily veg/vegan
   +  hot drink connoisseur



Wardrobe Basics
   +  try to stick with mostly unsaturated colors like ecru, deep navy or cadet blue, khaki green, burgundy, charcoal, chambray blue, sage, etc. most colors have a place, as long as they can be described as "rustic" or "earthy"
   +  brights can be included too, but can be more difficult to stay distinctly "mori"
   +  patterned or lightly textured button down shirts. chambray, flannel, and printed cotton are easy to find.
   +  tshirts with henley neck detailing or waffle texture
   +  bold & simple patterned sweater that can go with many outfits, ecru and navy dot or stripe is prerfect.
   +  bottoms can be most any type of rugged pant, even trousers if they are worn. even wide culotte pants or  wrap skirts are fine, just try to keep the forest wanderer element here.
   +  good starter bottoms would be straight legged courduroy or denim pants in a khaki or faded blue.
   +  this style is not for minimalists, it usually requires layering, even in summer, for the right look. thats not to say you have to wear long pants, socks, cardigan, buttondown etc when its sweltering, but wearing a lot of items at once is almost essential.
   +  good starter shoes might be leather boots for cool weather and short desert boots or birkenstocks for warm weather.
   + since summer is a difficult topic in all mori styles, a nice mori boy summer outfit might be:
         - khaki shorts with a leather belt
         - interesting crew length socks (to show color or pattern)
         - short sleeve button down, with a flower or other brooch
         - talisman style necklace worn over shirt
         - backpack & watch
         - hat (lots of options: straw boater, vintage felt, twill newsboy, etc, again color is important)
         - so, you can wear a lot of things but not be all covered up!



thats all for now! i have to set my work aside for a bit as im moving houses, but im putting together a tutorial, so visit again soon.

***7.16.2015 EDIT***

hii :)

if you found this page, i'll welcome you to our mori corner of the internet. if you blog on tumblr, lets connect! mine is imyrdungeonmaster.tumblr.com . i curate a large tag of my own magazine uploads from mori relevant publications, and i make little mori guides, photo sets, outfits etc over there instead of here ;) right now, im working a guide to co ordinating sneakers in mori outfits.

seeee you !



Tuesday, February 26, 2013

intermission

so ive been gone for a bit, and i see more than usual traffic because of the new intro post i made in morigirls lj, where im the new mod <3 since leaving school which i spoke about in my last post, ive gotten a day job and also gotten sick 3 more times, and have not been being very productive blogwise or shopwise. but anywho i wanted to share some of the posts im putting together:

- a style guide on boyish mori
- the results of my black bean dye experiments
- maybe something on finding your "inner muse" ... ok that sounds a bit weird, but i think that a big part of having a wardrobe that works together and being able to easily combine pieces in many ways is always having a certain "character" in mind when you are buying/making clothing.
- a little tutorial on a cute & simple accessory. im loving vintage ribbon medals right now, so maybe on how to make your own with paper, embroidery, buttons, whatever!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

the devils disciple

*filthy language warning for anyone who cares*

just dropping in to my own blog, see the cobwebs collecting..
well it has been an eventful year so far, and i have not seen or done much outside my bedroom for the past few days as i have been struck with bubonic plague the flu. luckily the twin swords of dayqtuil and lemon tea have my back, and i think im on the road to recovery. anywho, not doing much means not much to share, but i have been doing a fair amount of sketching so i thought i could share that, as well as some recent life news..

i am officially a 2 time loser dropout. i dropped out of high school to attend free college when i was a sophomore,  which i got my diploma from anyway. now ive been in art school for four years, and when i looked back on what id learned and gained (a fat lot of debt), i had to be honest and say

fuck this shit.

everything ive done that has gotten me anything good, money, recognition, whatever, has been on my own, and im really tired of art school bukkake, so called because yes, thats what it feels like, and no you aren't one of the guys. So i left. i have been my own best teacher and im going to stop doubting my own ability and kick my academic dependency to the curb. im tired of being the bastard child student who asks too many questions they can't answer, expects to actually learn something, looks too far into the future & past their tired rhetoric, ive had enough and ill be my own & the worlds disciple from now on.

...

So here's sketches!


on my list of stuff i really want to do but haven't figured out yet : slippers. tabi slippers. they look like goat feet and thats all i need to hear to want them on my feet 24/7. i know they would look so amazing, but i haven't had a good mock up yet. i was relying on layers of fabric to stiffen the sole, but i think it might need something more, but i don't know what yet. on the side there are some of my natural dying notes, so disappointed to learn that acorns, pokeberry and black walnut wont mature until august/september... but that means looking forward to dark khakis, brick reds and brown blacks for falls. appropriate.


some sailor collar sketches. i did a tutorial on how to make your own on my other blog way back, if any ones interested. but this one is a bit different, im toying with a circular or crescent shape and a "pull through" type of closure instead of either knotting it like a tie (which is a pain) or requiring a brooch pin (not everyone has pretty ones). and it looks cute & interesting.


some other items. you can expect the skirt and shirt, which look adorable as a set, so i will probably list them individually and together, with the set being cheaper than buying two on their own, but will be limited to them being in the same fabric. i love the bra top look, so much cuter than most spandex bikinis on the market today, this will probably be a made-to-measure type item, making a bit more expensive, but dang those scallops & buttons will make anyone the cutest chickadee on the beach (or anywhere else.)

i really really want to do a coat, but i haven't been seeing any good coat weight fabrics so it will have to wait. but its based on the story of the stolen child, taken by fairies (ok ok i have been playing ocarina of time and its deeply affecting me - pointy hats!), and when they grow up, they still wear fae attire. im looking forward to doing this, i really like making coats, something about all the heavy finishing is very satisfying. 




ive been sketching up some business card ideas, full scale this time. i recently ordered some MOO mini cards, and while im impressed at their customer service, speed and quality of print, the cards are just too tiny to do my brand justice. however they will make extremely nice hang tags and i will probably toss a few in each order in case some wants to help me out, by handing them out.

anyway, ive been basing the design on tarot cards, that is simple line work, rounded corners, white margins w/ thin border.. but ive changed the border to a stitched line, and in place of the arcana symbols will be illustrations of some of my favorite items, with shop info on back. thats the plan for now at least, i don't have the $$$ to order them now, and by the time i do i could hate them.


and last but not least, heres some bias tape bows adorning the fronts of three play suit tops that are all ready to hop in their yummy dye bath. i tried one on and man, they will be perfect for summer, the silk feels so nice and cool against bare skin, and the muslin binding adds some structure so these won't be too delicate to go out and play hard in. it occurs to me now that they would also be cute over a tee any time of the year, or under a warm cardigan..

thats all for now sweet things!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

i'm wishing, i'm dreaming





 

















some of the things ive been taking in, all via my tumblr (where you can also fid the sources for these)

im really into summer/ summer camps and uniforms, especially the freaky power dynamic when they are combined. So far i have a two piece playsuit and a collared shirt patterned and ready to go, and i think that's all I'm going to plan! trying to just let the ideas come and get away from planning things to death (2013 resolution?) anywho here's a preview of that shirt, it's super roomy with a box pleat in back, and sweet with a rounded stand collar. there's lots of add ons for it, like homemade wooden buttons * featured below*, front pocket, long vs. short sleeves...


Sunday, January 13, 2013

fun & games

i found this cute list thing that pairs birth dates with colors and birds, apparently at 5/29 i'm a dark warm grey (#585352) and a dacelo novaeguineae, a laughing kookaburra. pretty cute i think!




Saturday, January 12, 2013

goals for the new year

1. Get involved in a few communities, online & off.
im generally a very secretive and introverted person, but i know that getting my face out there will do no harm. im starting a school club for fellow craft sellers, and im making a point of going out to events that im interested in. Ive also started frequenting the mori girl lj again (im kidcaella!) and also posting on burdastyle. relating to goal #4, i might start posting outfits on lookbook or here, but im not sure if i can keep up with it.

2. Fill out the shop with a few more styles.
right now there are pants and dresses, but id like to fill it out and have all the categories covered. im finishing up the samples for a sweet button down shirt, that can be ordered short or long sleeve. it has a cute rounded collar that springs open for a chill pajama look <3. im also thinking about a long pleated skirt with a removable jumper bib, and a short wrap skort thing. ive been daydreaming about more out there sorts of stuff ( playsuits! tabi slippers! >o<) but those might be experimental one offs, or stuff i make for goal #4.

3. Approach some brick&mortar boutiques.
there are a few stores here in philly that i think would be great to show my stuff in, but ive never done this before so its pretty daunting! but i know my work can hold its own against everything ive seen in these stores before, so im feeling *sort of* confident.

4. Beef up my own wardrobe with handmade stuff.
wearing your own work is the best publicity, they say, and is probably true. ive always been complimented while wearing stuff i made in the past, and told i should make and sell it. ironically, id been working so hard on filling the shop out i didn't have time to make stuff for me, but ive made some stuff now i can wear to school and out&about AND then have a shop to direct people to. ill be wearing the prototype shirts, which ive made up in a short sleeve fish print, and a long sleeve tomato&dot print, so cute. i also want a pair of "The Scholar" culottes and im sure ill be wearing the new skirt prototypes as well. maybe i should post outfits here?

5. Expand my makers skills.
I was formerly a fashion design student, and literally had 2 years of exactly the same stuff at the same skill level, and was so bored i felt like walking into a brick wall might be more productive. ive recently switched to studio arts, and im SO excited for all the awesome stuff im gonna learn!! small metals and printmaking are on the must list for next semester!

6. Do some more of my hobbies.
ive been so busy sewing (which is still my favorite thing to do.) i haven't really had time to tend to my other hobbies. i love baking, which ill be doing some of this weekend, forest exploring (hard in a city), gardening (near impossible in a city x_x), bike riding, drawing and more (i have an endless amount of hobbies!)

do you have any goals for 2013?

Sunday, January 6, 2013

co incidence

i had always planned to open my store before the coming spring semester, and, i have <3 but i didn't intend for pen&planchette's opening to coincide with the start of a new year!

it seems unreal, but i do now sell my stuff out of penandplanchette.storenvy! Here's some of the goods I'm selling, i also have pants that aren't up yet but will be soon. an ill be getting back to those soldiers very soon.










Wednesday, January 2, 2013

even more apprehension


was all geared up to shoot today, list and all, but then i hit a wall. several very badly lit walls. there isn't a good place to shoot in this entire house, what a bee in my bonnet. anyway here are a few ok photos i took of the first piece i tried out, The Witches Garden smock, inspired by a recovered book from my childhood. it has two bound pockets and a tie neckline, it's very roomy and fun to spin and pretend to fly in. this is a style ill be stocking in a few different fabrics, this on is a very loose and floaty cotton in a grid weave.






Tuesday, January 1, 2013

a questionable charm





this is my charm necklace i wear very often, and get a lot of questions about. like any charm anything, the objects on it invoke a certain nice feeling, each targeting a certain sense. the jaw bone is visual, the colors and textures are gorgeous and bring me back to when i lived on a farm in rural delaware, where I found this bone (i added the silver teeth later), and the tassel is for touch, it's lovely silk that is so wonderful to feel slip over your skin. i used to have a tiny silver bell for sound, but it was lost... so now i am waiting for the charms for hearing, scent, and taste to reveal themselves.

on a more apprehensive note, i haven't photographed anything, but I'm starting tomorrow because of the nice sunny days that are coming in. ive been inspired by very minimal editorials like the one below from a mori girl magazine, and want to set the mood with minimal hand held props and possibly by doodling on the photo after. it's all in the air now