On rehab and tacos...

I fell off the face of the internet months and months ago. I've decided to come back. At least I think I have. I don't really know. Blogging involves directly confronting my semi-latent self-loathing on a regular basis. Besides, having a personal style blog always felt a little self involved/fucking stupid, what with the pouty poses, constant photos, and fretting over what I'm going to wear that day due to the fact that I feel the need to broadcast it to a bunch of virtual (literally) strangers. I am kind of boring sometimes. And I need to be boring sometimes. Ok. So.

What have I been doing all this time? Have I been naked thus not seeing any point in blogging? Do I hate the interwebs? In answer to these questions: I have not been naked, mostly. I kind of hate the internet. And as to what, pray tell, have I been up to in all these months: in short, I drank a looooot, got more manic than I already was, went to Portland, made some severely dubious substance/bipolar disorder induced decisions, did too many drugs, ended up in a "treatment facility" (rehab? mental institution?), did a lot of painting there, got medicated, and now, at long last, I'm back in the certifiably sane (?) world where I can once again possess pocket sized mirrors, drink wine and beer, have a cell phone, use scissors unsupervised, and eat marinated pork (aka pastor) tacos (my all time fav). Seriously. Eat a pastor taco at your local mexican joint as soon as possible. Put guac on it. Swoon. And drink a michelada with it. (lime juice and Tecate sometimes with a little tomato juice. Sound gross? It isn't.)

Wearing: anthropologie silk highwaisted owl skirt, some top from a million years ago, vintage shoes, pork pie hat from villagehats.com

The awesome place we stay when we're in Atlanta. The lounge where the party was is right underneath it.

Fringe Factory always has tons of projectors rolling old film/photos that they get off of ebay.

This is kind of an incomplete photo of my outfit. It was worn with my AA pocket cardigan, a beret, and knit scarf. Also, AA U neck dress worn as a top, vintage belt and skirt.

Feets. Vintage oxfords and red stockings from AA

Our cozy little room...

Dear sweets,

Sorry for the unexplained absence, but a lot has been going down in the past week. I wish I could say I've been knitting scarves whilst sipping tea and watching old films while my cat purred placidly beside me, but, ah, not so much. It's been more along the lines of doing illicit substances with Republicans (bad decisions abound), driving down to Atlanta, hanging out with some bands, and getting hammered while some goober asks us if "it's Halloween already or do we always look like this". I always figured that for a reasonable question to ask me, but I'd never actually had anyone ask it. Well, now I have. On the up side, he did buy us a shot. Suffice to say there's been lots of booze and rock and roll.

Last weekend we went to a Fringe Factory party featuring the amazing Greg Cartwright (of The Reigning Sound) not only DJ'ing but also playing an impromptu set due to the other band canceling. It was radtastic. He liked my outfit, and I liked his sequin trimmed blazer. Also met one of the guys in the Black Lips, a band I respect very much. So. That leads us to the totally legit reason that I've been away without leave from all you lovely readers. I hope you haven't given up on me. We are in fact moving to Atlanta. In December. Like really really soon and fast. So I've been swamped cleaning up my house to put it on the market, looking for a loft/place, looking for a job, etc.

I think both me and E need the opportunity afforded by a bigger city. I hate to leave our lovely home and lovelier friends, but it would be worth it. We are sick of the small town blues, heart our Atlanta friends too, and I need estate sales and more bands that I actually want to see. While in Atlanta we got to hang out with the hilarious boys of the Barberries in their dingy dude pad, the hot girls behind the killer Fringe Factory parties, meet and hang out with Greg Cartwright, and generally just felt really at home. Those were all big selling points. Cause we love all those ladies and gents.

Good story, the first night we were in town E. was so drunk he fell down some stairs, I was so drunk I don't remember it, and the next day we were walking down the street in Little Five and some dudes that were at the bar passed us and yelled "Hey! That's the dude that fell down!". Lolz. It was hilarious.

Also I want to thank the always thoughtful and inspiring Susanna-Cole of Girl Meets N.Y.C. for giving me the Kreative Blogger award! She rules, so it's an honor.

Oh, and I can't get the name Pfotenhauer out of my head. Seriously I just walk around all day with that name looping through my mind on repeat in the manner of "Pfotenhauer Pfotenhauer Pfotenhauer... etc." If you talk to me you can be assured that I'm also thinking "Pfotenhauer". I don't know why. All I have to say is thanks for having a funny name Nancy. It's driving me insane.

I'll probably be pretty busy with this whole moving thing, but I hope to keep the blog up a little better. I promise another post tomorrow. I already have the photos and everything. I always fail to take photos of my outfits these days because I'm usually too impatient when we are heading out, too busy while out, and too drunk when the night is over. So. I'll try to be a better blogger. And the store is still coming, but on hold due to the move.

Lust and Schizophrenia

This was worn out last night. It was very black and shiny.
U neck dress and lamé leggings: AA
boots: BCBC
jacket: Silence and Noise at UO
scarf: dunno
hat: UO

This outfit was worn the day before yesterday to run a few errands around town.
socks, skirt, cardi: all AA
shoes, belt, and tank: vintage
sunglasses: random costume shop, worn because I didn't have any make up on

Fashion lust and schizophrenia, that is. I finally got a double U neck dress from AA, and I'm in love. The black is super flattering and really not as trashy as I feared it might be. I want to get it in white as well, but only for layering. Also, this is the blog debut of my Silence and Noise moto jacket that I ordered months ago. I was going to return it due to the sleeves being a little too long, but I decided I liked it after all. And I can't afford a real leather jacket, and there are no fake ones that I like better than this one. So.

Today I had the choice of devoting my time to finishing up the store or doing the dishes, laundry, and sweeping. I chose the latter because living in a world of dog hair is most un. I have been lamenting all week about my dire need of heeled, black, lace up boots. I was lusting after the Marc Jacob's booties for awhile, as well as the Colin Stuart knocksie offies. The bottom line is I can't actually afford new shoes. However an e-mail from the very generous people over at Solestruck cured my woes! Soon these babies will be mine:

My current list of must haves also includes a pork pie hat, man/boy's trousers, some brown leather heels, a body-con black lace dress (I think AA needs to get in on this lace trend, they make the best body con stuff), a structural cape and/or coat, and possibly much to my own shock, drop crotch pants. Yes, I said they look like diapers. Yes, Lulu can point and rofl and say "told you so". I also want riding pants and a proper derby hat still. Oh, and an oxford shirt, some proper tailored shirts for wearing with high waisted skirts, and something really scary spiky. I could go on and on.

One other thing, I've been feeling very conflicted about my style lately. I am inspired by a wide variety of blogs these days and they range from the sweet vintage looks of Liebemarlene, Thumbelina, and The Snail and the Cyclops to the edgier looks of Lulu, Camille, and Karla. Point being, each of those girls seems to have a distinctive style. While all of them are eclectic, they are also distinctive. As for me, one day I want to wear sweet vintage pieces, the next I want to look like Clockwork Orange had sex with My So Called Life and had a me baby, and lately I tend to look like a biker-hooker that American Apparel vomited on. Okay, so no one actually wants to look like an AA hooker, but you get my point. If it were just as simple as being "true to myself" or some other drivel, I'd go for it and only wear what felt like "me". Problem is, it all feels like me. Maybe it's that whole bipolar thing. I feel like my refusal to commit makes my style mediocre. For the time being, I will continue being a fashion schizo, but I hope to discover a more personal style in the future. Does anyone else have this problem? Or am I the only person bouncing back and forth like a game of pong?


Oh! And I wanted to thank the lovely Miss Woo of Cheapskate Chic for giving me this lovely blog award. I promise to pass the love on in the near future, but I'm pressed for time at the moment. I am god awful with tags. I mean seriously, I suck at them.

I leave you with this amazing Prada promotional video. You all may have seen it before, but it's just so lovely I had to share it for those that haven't.

Lolita

Still wearing my clothes from last night, I got into the Halloween spirit for the parade with my wig and Lolita Sunglasses. I don't have any proper pictures of the outfit, which was worn with my mustard cardi, but perhaps I will recreate it for a photo, because it was a winner. I wore it with black tights as well, but the next day I put on paprika colored American Apparel thigh highs to complete my "Lolita" costume.

This awesome velvet mini dress reminds me of Christmas as a child. It will be up for sale whenever I get my shit together and post my listings on Ebay. Which will hopefully happen by the middle of the week. I really have to learn to not set deadlines for myself; it's a sure fire way to fail. Worn with vintage brown leather buckle shoes, black stockings, bowler, and vintage glasses and belt.

Also soon to be up for sale is this amazing vintage dress. I think it might be hand made. It's super cheerful, has puffy sleeves, and peplum. I adore it, but it just isn't me. Worn with vintage glasses and F21 oxfords.

Lastly, this is an outfit I wore at some point last week. It's a vintage floral kid's dress, vintage shoes, black tights, my bowler, and yellow glasses. I was going to sell this dress but my husband wants me to keep it, and who am I to say no?

Well, we had an amazing weekend in Atlanta with my brother and his wife. We saw The Magnetic Fields perform at Symphony Music Hall, and at one point Stephen Merritt called interacting with the crowd "gauche". So he is in fact as wonderfully surly and pretentious as they say. He played two of my favorite songs, Papa Was a Rodeo and The Book of Love (which I had a friend of mine play at my wedding). We then got trashed at the Earl and ran into some friends of ours from Chattanooga that had played a show somewhere in town that night. I ate a tiny corn dog doused in sriracha sauce. Good times. We crashed at the Highland Inn which I'm oddly in love with. There's a little waterfall out front, and an ambient ballroom/lounge downstairs. We are going back down next weekend to listen to the Fringe Factory girls do some DJ'ing along with Greg Cartwright (of The Reigning Sound!!) at the Highland Ballroom for sure.

The next morning we went for mimosas and bloody mary's at the Brewhouse Café in Little Five Points. Arsenal vs. Everton was on so the place was full of soccer hooligans that kept yelling "skin that fucker" which was hilarious and a little awesome. Soccer, a.k.a. football, is the only sport I enjoy watching. Afterward we did some shopping for clothes, records, and a Halloween costume. I spent $300 at American Apparel (drunk shopping), and I also got a bunch of new records (some Black Moth Super Rainbow, Blitzen Trapper, Joy Division, Bonnie Prince Billy, Elliot Smith, Silver Jews, and Deerhoof!!). I got a really cute vintage yellow dress for my Morton salt girl costume for Halloween as well as a blond wig. They were having a Halloween parade in Little Five that day, so I put on the wig, heart shaped sunglasses, and thigh highs and called myself Lolita. I love Chattanooga and all, but I am reaching a breaking point at which I can no longer stand living in a small town. I guess we'll be making trips to Atlanta often because moving just isn't an option right now.

It was just a great day, and I look forward to going back down next weekend. We are also going to be in Lexington, Kentucky on the 23rd for the Elephant 6 show. Sure would be nice if Jeff Mangum showed up. I'm not getting my hopes up, but it would be pretty amazing. Due to spending more time in Atlanta than we anticipated I'm pushing my store opening back a little farther. But I mean, honestly, who didn't see that coming. I'm a perfectionist and while my listings will be a far, far cry from perfect, I'd like them to be a bit better than they are now and today is devoted to recovering from my weekend.

Sneaky Peeky Show

Amazing hot pink romper that makes every dance party sooo much better. It will be, sadly, up for sale coming this Sunday.

Another vintage romper that will be for sale. Sadly, again. It has shoulder pads but just enough to be freaking awesome without feeling like a line backer.



Sorry, but this baby isn't for sale. At least not yet. I finally found the perfect over-sized plaid shirt to wear as a dress! I was so excited about it! And these shoes are a recent acquisition, and they are also new favorites. They are brown and kind of pointy and have buckles. Very winkle pickerish. I heart them and wear them constantly.







This awesome tweed coat with puff sleeves and pleats will be up for sale. I just bought these awesome black vintage boots as well, and I just can't bring myself to sell them. But, oh, if only they were over the knee... you couldn't pry them from me. But, alas, they aren't. Still, I want to keep them for my selfish self.




I wore this wonderful, cozy high waisted plaid skirt to watch the debate with my family and friends, but I am going to sell it regardless of my love for it. I love the fringe on it. It reminds me of Ralph Lauren and equestrians.







Lastly, the last of the sneaky peeky show, is this amazing high waisted teal/blue leather skirt. I also don't really know why I'm selling it, but I am. It would also make a really great mini skirt if someone wanted to have it hemmed/ hem it themselves. But I didn't want to be the one to make that decision. That decision is up to you to make, hypothetical person who may or may not buy this skirt.

Hello all my sweet meats. I promise my absence hasn't been for nothing. This is a small look at what I've been up to since my last post. I have a lot more photos, but I'll save some for another preview tomorrow. Due to the bitchin' fact that I'm going to go see The Magnetic Fields in Atlanta tomorrow, the shop opening is being put off until Sunday evening. Most of these photos are of items that will be for sale. I honestly love them all and don't want to part with a single one, but times is tough and a girl's gotta... drink.

That said, okay, so certain folks have sounded off on this with a big fat "don't do it!" but I've been very seriously thinking about chopping off all my hair in the manner of the ever present Agy Deyn. Am I nucking futs? Or is it the best idea since sliced bread? I don't know. I've always felt like my face wasn't angular enough to carry a pixie cut, but I reeeeally want one. I also, um, want to dye my hair platinum but then I'd really look like an Agy clone. It's not so much the Deyn factor that makes me want to do this though. It's that I want something utterly challenging and different, and short blond hair is about as different as you can get from what I've had my entire life. So what's the verdict?

Another random thing, but I've been having odd anxiety like I think a young girls will read this blog and think that the decisions I make are good ones. I just want to go on the record as saying that being a bipolar lush is most un. And I just dropped out of school again today for the billionth time. I'm still in my writing class, but that's it. I am coming to terms with the fact that while I have a great education, I may never have a degree due to mental and motivational defects. And the fact that I refuse to take Algebra at age 25. No, sir. No no no. So let me hypocrite it up and say: don't drink, do drugs, and stay in school. I probably have some, uh, dangling modifiers in there. But I'm a drop out, so I can't be blamed. But no really, drinking is awwwwwesome. Nom nom nom.

More importantly, what do you all think about the clothes and photography? Suggestions? Slurs? Knock yourselves out. Oh, and a huuuuge thanks to those of you that gave me the flickr advice. I'm still just getting the hang of it, but yes yes yes, it's exactly what I needed. I would sing to you like Rick Ocasek if you were here. Lurv you people that indulge me by reading this blog. Seriously, I take my perpetual hat off to you guys.

xoxo,
Snowshoe

Oh, and PS.... I forgot to mention it but apparently bloglovin' is all the the the rage... so if you heart me (and lord knows I heart you) heart me on bloglovin'. Most srs. I wouldn't be no thing if it weren't for you guys. Mwah! (that was a big, fat kiss)

The Usual Suspects: Clothes, Bands, and Shoes

My husband made this awesome logo for me! He's going to turn it into a banner for the blog. You guys like?

wearing: vintage blazer and white lace up shoes
city of others skinny jeans
H&M white t
F21 bowler
Eyear optical glasses

wearing: BCBG patent leather zipper booties
CVS tights
unknown black shirt dress
black drapey vest as a scarf
vintage necklaces
F21 bowler hat
yellow glasses from some place in Rome

Sneak peak!! These will be listed in my store later this week!
They are a size 9.

These beauties will also be listed. They are tiny, size 5.5.
Hopefully some lucky girl with petite feet will have a lovely
home for them.

I'm still a bit off the blogging wagon, but luckily I've been working hard on graphics for the store (that is, my husband has been working on them, I just give input), taking photos of inventory, figuring out the ins and outs of shipping, packaging, and policies. It's actually quite a bit of work. So here's a tiny peek of what we'll be offering. These are two of my favorite pairs of shoes that we are selling. I'm still undecided about the whole Etsy vs. Ebay thing. If any of you have experience and want to share your opinion with me, I'd love some more wise sage advice.

Speaking of sage wisdom... does anyone know how to get bigger pictures on blogger? The size of my photos kind of doesn't do them justice sometimes, and I can't seem to figure it out. Help!

Today I'm going shopping for more fall inventory. I'm excited because I haven't been shopping lately, and I find shopping for others just as exciting as shopping for myself. I've been getting my act together recently, and I have finally stopped going out. These two outfits are from my last few nights going out. The second outfit was worn out Friday night to a show at JJ's Bohemia. It was so incredibly good. I know I say this about all the bands I see, but this show, namely one of the bands, The Parenthetical Girls, was the best I've seen in ages and ages. The lead singer's voice resembles, dare I say, Jeff Mangum. A friend of mine described it as Jeff Mangum meets Morrissey. So, obviously, you are going to want to check them out. I bought their album on vinyl and it's just as good as their live show. They, among other instruments, play an electric organ, keyboards, violin, drum, and melodica. The played with a band called The Evangelicals, whom they are touring with. The Evangelicals have been written up in Pitchfork (for whatever that's worth these days...) and play distorted, echoey indie rock.

The first outfit (the blazer and jeans) was worn out to watch a friend's metal band play in a room that smelled like sandwiches (i.e. sweaty gutter punk kids). We then went to the bar down the street for shots, and some loud, drunk girl kept talking to me about how I looked like Diane Keaton. Annie Hall, represent!

Live Fast, Blog Young

I am the kissing booth. Will take payment in the form of beer.



This was my outfit on... Wednesday night? Don't remember and I have no other photos because we got inordinately drunk and I wasn't in much shape to take photos. I think my car got impounded the next morning because I left it at the bar. Better than a D.U.I. (Don't drink and drive kids!)
wearing:
FCUK faux leather motorcycle jacket
UO beret
F21 chloe knock offs
AA T-shirt dress
vintage super fringy scarf
drugstore tights


This was worn on another night this week. Variation on the same basics.
UO beret
F21 heeled oxfords
Velvet black bodycon dress
FCUK "leather" jacket
vintage fringy scarf
vintage glasses

Someone printed this gem and hung it up in the bar. The red one is the original photo of it. This is my inane pseudo Warhol collage cause it was just too easy to resist. Yes, I wear my political leanings on my sleeve, or blog as it were.

Last oufit, what I wore last night. I am in love with this sweater/dress (hats are the new pants, if you recall).
vintage sweater
drugstore tights
BCBG zipper patent leather booties
vintage super fringy scarf
UO Beret

Bathtub Gin playing. I like how Wes (the bass player) stands in such a way that indicates how many Ramones tapes he's watched. And the intense guy on drums is my husband.


The admittedly very cute boys from The Armed Forces. I love how I'm always like "Hey! Listen to this band. PS. They're hot."

I love how the sweater is kind of crappily embellished. I am down with tatty homemade 80's gear.

So this is an amalgamation of mostly crappy photos taken over the past few evenings of me going out. And I have gone out every. single. night. For over a week. I wish I lived in a city where I could pretend that it's Friday night every night, but sadly, when you go out on a Tuesday night, you feel like you're going out on a Tuesday night.

Last night the band my husband drums in, Bathtub Gin, played with a local band Thee Something Brothers and a band from Nashville, The Armed Forces. Bathtub Gin plays bluesy garage rock about fucking up. Thee Something Brothers play intense, raw garage rock that will leave your ears ringing in a good way. And lastly, The Armed Forces, who I had not seen before last night, are a) very well dressed and b) play sweet rock and roll power pop. Check any and all of them out if it sounds like your cup of tea. I would have a photo of Thee Something Brothers but didn't manage to take one. All in all it was a pleasant evening that resulted in a not so pleasant morning, as most of my pleasant evenings seem to.

In more clothing related news my Silence and Noise leather motorcycle jacket that was on back order from Urban Outfitters finally came into today. I'm super excited as it ups the awesome factor of just about anything. My only complaint is that the sleeves are kind of long. Looking like a doofy kid is most definitely not the new pants. But that's a minor issue. I really haven't been that creative in my outfits lately. Mini dress + tights + beret + leather jacket + super fringe scarf + hooker heels + dorky glasses = me every night of the week. I love love love the sequin/bedazzled sweater I wore out last night though. It's the perfect length and has the perfect amount of slouch. Sadly, I will probably be selling it because that was it's original purpose, but I'm going to have a hard hard time letting it go.

Lastly I am starting to feel like I'm the only fashion blogger who doesn't follow fashion or read fashion magazines. Okay, so I "read" (i.e. look through and tear out pages of) me some Teen Vogue every now and again. (shhhh...) But I wouldn't know about a single collection if other bloggers didn't post them/lust after them. I follow street fashion and blogs, but I don't actively read anything other than personal style/street style stuff. Maybe this is a handicap. I can't help but think I'd be far more innovative/ in touch if I would just keep an eye on the runway... but the runway mostly makes me le yaaaawn. Not all the time. I (and everyone else) love A. Wang, Chloe, Luella, and various other random stuff I've seen but couldn't name. What do you guys think? Runway vs Street style... hrm.