Fruits of my labor

It's incredibly enjoyable to see pictures of my friends' pint-sized progeny in general — but pictures of them wearing and/or playing with the clothing or toys I've made for them? Quelle joie!

Here's young Desi Baroz making use of the corduroy snake P and I foisted on him.



The little man apparently enjoys rattling its tail.



Meanwhile, across the ocean, Xan and Eshkol's tiny heartbreaker Ad is shown here sporting his kimono. I used a pattern from Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing, and fabric from one of her collections. Yes, I have long been crushing on everything Heather Ross.

But, you know, this world of craftiness isn't without its competitive edge. When you make something for someone, you have to be prepared for the other people out there, people with their own thread, needles, ideas, and interestingly textured fabrics.



A cupcake with a pipe-cleaner-stemmed cherry on top. I cannot deny it.Très brillant!

A badass lady photographer

Wow. Thanks, Adrian. If not for you, I wouldn't have heard about this great, nearly lost-to-the-sands-of-time photographer Vivian Meier. And if not for this John Maloof guy's wise decision at an auction, and hopefully his forthcoming book about her and her work, no one would have.


A self-portrait.

It's crazy, considering how impressive her photos are. It's the kind of stuff I can get lost in. Street photography, I love ya!



It's also embarrassing how long I gaped at her pictures on Maloof's blog before I realized a large percentage of them were taken in Chicago, the city she lived and worked in, not New York. Apparently NYC wasn't the only city bustling with people and full of cool-looking architecture in the 50s and 60s, when most of these shots were captured. Hyuk, hyuk.



Not much is known about her. She was a movie buff and always had a camera around her neck. She worked as a nanny for three boys who apparently rescued her from homelessness late in life by buying her an apartment and paying her bills. (Thanks, boys!) She died last year at the age of 83.



Here's an article from the UK about her with an irritating title. Little Miss Big Shot?



A socialist, feminist, and anti-Catholic Catholic, among many other things, according to Maloof's research, she don't strike me as no "Little Miss" anything.



Her compositions are totally dope.



Enjoy.

The muppet makes the outfit

An online fashion magazine, Refinery29, posted an interesting question the other day, and illustrated their query with some very compelling imagery.

Is fashion's current "fur trend" inspired by the Muppets?


Did Sam the Eagle inspire the coat at left?


Did the Cookie Monster have something to do with this?


I've never heard of the muppet Sweetums, and I don't see his resemblance to this coat.


It looks more inspired by a bloodhound, to me.


But I agree, Fraggle Rock's Wembly definitely influenced this ensemble.

I wish more things in fashion involved and were equated with muppetry. Don't you?

By the way, did you know you can design and order your own muppet at FAO Schwartz? I'm not crazy about the choices they give you, particularly in the noses and eyes departments, but it's a great idea.

Anyway. Thanks, Erica, and Refinery29!

Fashion sense

A page from Nina Chakrabarti's excellent book My Wonderful World of Fashion, illustrated by my niece Hazy.