Althea and I went to Ferdinand on Wednesday, and we immediately noticed a rack of new shirts: soft, perfectly cut tees tie-dyed in dark, mottled shades of purple, blue, and black and printed with constellations. Diane told us that she used an ink discharge screen printing process to create the ghostly image of the night sky over Portland on June 23. Each shirt is slightly different, and I chose the purplest one.

I also got these awesome shoes.

It’s harder than I expected to take pictures of my own feet.

UPDATE: Now my new favorite shirt is available online at Ferdinand’s Etsy store (now featuring my modeling and photography skills).

my super-stylish bachelorette party

So, I’ve been the laziest blogger ever. Here’s what I’ve been doing instead of writing:

• Playing bass with the Outfits. We are playing at Picnic Music and Arts Festival on August 27, plus we got a really nice write-up in the Phoenix’s Wax Tablet. I’m psyched about this new column, and not just because they wrote about my band– this is a great alternative to the press-release heavy column Sibilance, and is clearly written by someone who cares about the Portland music scene.
• Working at Ferdinand! Come see me on Sundays from noon til 5, and stay tuned for details on the Ferd’s 10th anniversary bash! Also, check back tomorrow for a post on the amazing shirts Althea and I got there.
• Working at the new Pinecone+Chickadee store on Free Street (next to Find). This store has all of the classic P+C shirts, onesies, and cards, as well as vintage housewares, wooden toys, jewelry, prints by Kris Johnsen and other local artists, Ferdinand shirts and cards, and a random assortment of cool things found by Wary Meyers. We will soon be expanding our photography section with vintage cameras, but right now we have camera kits and cyanotype paper and fabric.
• Selling my jewelry at the Merchant Company on Congress Street. I share a table with Little Eye and eden natural bath and body. The Merchant Company is like an indoor, year-round craft fair/flea market. The whole place is jam-packed with insanely cool stuff that I am trying very hard not to buy, since I have to buy a stupid car instead.
• Selling my jewelry at Find, a store that never has a window display without at least two items I desperately want.
• Getting married. Mike and I got married on May 31 in our apartment.
  

  Photo by Audrey Hotchkiss

  

  Photo by Kristina Balbo, who also married us and helped me pick out rings (seashell cat and orange peace sign)

Ferdinand, which is owned by my friend Diane and staffed by her and Maddie (of Gertrude Knickerbocker, Find, and Moody Lords fame), does have plenty of vintage sweaters, dresses, slips, and shirts, but I’d hardly classify it as a clothing store, let alone a costume shop. It also has the “quirky* brooches” mentioned in the article, but I wear my hamburger pin almost every day, and nobody asks me if I’m wearing a costume.

Ferdinand is the first place I go when I’m looking for a birthday present, because there’s something for everyone there: handmade, stylish jewelry (almost all under fifteen dollars), letterpressed stationery (much of which is made by Diane right in the store), adorable, durable catnip mice by Doonyaya, art prints and posters, cute boots and shoes, four dollar silk scarves, eyeglass cases, journals, stuffed animals, screen-printed tshirts and onesies, sunglasses, mugs, and even hula hoops! The eclectic selection is constantly changing, and features many talented local artists, not to mention the mind-boggling amount of stuff that Diane makes herself.

Most of the clothing I’ve gotten at Ferdinand has gone into heavy rotation, including tshirts, altered vintage skirts, and underpants that feel like they’re custom-made for my butt. I also bought a gorgeous, floor-length vintage halter dress that I wore to Jay and Althea’s wedding reception. It’s fully-lined, fits me perfectly, and has a matching wrap jacket. I paid around fifteen bucks for it.

photo by Audrey Hotchkiss, who can be hired to take photos that make you look this good

I don’t disagree with the “last-minute” part of the Phoenix article: if you need earrings to match your outfit, Ferdinand has them, and they’re five dollars. If you need a card for any occasion, Ferdinand has one (or five). If you get cold, Ferdinand has sweaters in every color.

Diane and I have talked before about how awesome it would be if every day was Halloween, if people could just stop caring what others thought of them and wore whatever they want. But to say that she “cares far more about fun than fashion,” implies that fashion and fun are mutually exclusive, and I don’t buy that. Plus, while Ferdinand may be a store with a sense of humor, that doesn’t mean that Diane isn’t serious about what she’s doing. She works hard to keep her store, and by extension Portland, awesome and unique.

Diane

And she looks great doing it.

*As a person frequently referred to as “quirky,” I am so sick of this word. I feel like it’s become a euphemism, and I wish people weren’t scared to say what they really mean. Seriously, stop calling me “quirky.” I know you meant to say “weird” or possibly “borderline autistic.” I know I’m weird. Weird isn’t a pejorative.

The swap is sponsored by Goodwill, and will be held at Head Games on 116 Free Street on May 21. At the door, you’ll receive a sweet tote bag that you can fill with clothes! If you drop off a bag of clean, undamaged clothing before May 21, you’ll get in for free. If you bring a bag of clothes to the swap, admission is $5. Even if you don’t bring anything, you can still fill a tote bag for only $10! There will also be coupons and other swag from some of our favorite local businesses.

We’re accepting good condition, clean clothes, shoes, and accessories for men and women, so start hoarding now! I am bringing TONS of stuff in sizes 6 through 14, so if you want my clothes, come get them!

So, I’ve been super bad at updating my blog, but here’s some other stuff I’ve been into lately:

• this video
• this sweet clothing swap that I helped plan (more on this tomorrow)
• learning to play the bass
• bringing this picture to my hairdresser

• watching horrible Lifetime movies (new review up tonight)
• you liking this Lifetime, Wow! Facebook page
• my boyfriend’s video Tumblr
• Audrey Hotchkiss’s neverending awesomeness
• Fore Front Fashion winning Best Portland Blog at the Phoenix Awards! Yay!

So, if you want to dress like me, you better go to the Mill Creek Goodwill.

While I’m proud of my singing in this video (taken by Mike Cunnane of Brass Cankles and being my boyfriend), I also like it because I think I look wicked cute. I don’t have a double chin or crossed eyes and I love my outfit. Let’s talk about my outfit!

The two best parts of my outfit were birthday presents: my sweet Doc Martens from my supercool sister Rachel, and my slutty slutty dress from my mom. At first, my mom refused to believe that this dress was not underwear, but after much Clueless quoting from my friend Kate, she came around. I’m also wearing a stretchy gold vintage belt from Material Objects, two pair of tights, and my own jewelry.

Metal Feathers is playing tonight at the Apohadion with Brenda, Corpse Pose, and the Milkmen’s Union. You can listen to their new album here, and surprisingly, the perpetually out-of-touch and out-of-town Sam Pfiefle wrote a very nice review. I especially like the description of the Keith Richards jewelry box.

pascalvintage This shop has a great selection of leather bags and shoes, and the prices, while not exactly low, are pretty reasonable.

pascalvintage

osborneoddities I bought a shirt with a picture of a green-haired vampire girl on it, and I absolutely love it. This guy also has some cool monster and alien toys.

osborneoddities

nobletownvintage Pretty, earthy, layerable necklaces and eye-catching earrings at shockingly low prices. I want almost everything in this shop.

nobletownvintage

Shrinkle Sexy vintage and reconstructed slips and dresses, modeled by ladies with amazing multicolored hair.

Shrinkle

Nadinoo

Gorgeously girly handmade clothes that I can’t afford but can’t stop looking at.

Nadinoo

iheartnorwegianwood I want all of this! Such wearably weird clothing and accessories.

norwegian wood

MissVioletLace Look at all the different hairdos you could have if you bought wigs!

MissVioletLace

billyblue22 I want your skulls.

billyblue22

However, she does look totally awesome. Her outfit should be outrageously boring, but her otherwise almost austere look is perfectly contrasted with a pile of tough, covetable jewels. Also, now I want coffee.

*Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Frankly, if you can rock the weirdo hipster fortune teller from the 1920s look, I’m super jealous.

Based on your interest in knee-high Doc Martens, we assume that you are covered in scars from various mosh pits and knife fights.

You must get into all kinds of trouble, you wacky iconoclast, you!

You’re a little bit goth, and a sucker for nostalgia.

But mostly, you’re just hopelessly trapped in the nineties.