Getting back in shape: Now with prizes!

This is the most out of shape I've been in my entire life. Most people probably wouldn't think so simply from looking at me, but body image issues are something most women deal with in their lifetime. I don't feel the urge to lose weight, in fact I would prefer to gain some, but I am becoming exceedingly distressed over the loss of the stamina and flexibility I once had. A few nights ago it all hit me at once and I was finally able to articulate my problems to my significant other.

I have never been particularly strong, but before I injured my knee in high school I had a fair amount of stamina and flexibility. The amount of time I spent doing pliés, holding uncomfortably unnatural positions, and simply dancing gave me above average flexibility and the endurance to hold such poses. I used to be able to put my feet behind my head, to perform high kicks, and perform all of the standard ballet positions in full turnout. These days, however, I laugh at myself with a bitter self pity because I can barely get a turnout over ninety degrees. Even a few years ago I had the endurance to dance all night, like the three hours I spent on stage without a break with Takuya Angel at his first North American DJ set, but now I'm lucky to make it through three songs before I'm trembling and hard-put to continue.  I have finally reached the tipping point where I am willing to put in the long hours I will need in order to get myself back in shape.

I don't want to make this a post about society's pressure to conform to the current beauty standards. It is an important issue with many facets, but I do not feel as if I have the voice to articulate it properly at this time. Maybe I will be able to discuss my thoughts on it in the future after I reassess the effects it has on me personally.

The significant other and I have talked a lot about this. We are both out of shape, albeit in different ways. He's strong and very flexible for a man of his size, but all of his muscle is hidden under a rather thick layer of insulation. He doesn't feel the same issues with body image that I do, but he is willing to be my workout companion. We are each going to have to set separate goals because we are aiming for different things, but it is no fun to work out alone. I've also taken the liberty of setting a major prize for each of us, which I will get into a little bit later.

My first goal is to be able to bend over and touch my toes again. I'm hoping to achieve it by my birthday in May. It may or may not be feasible, but it gives me something to work forward to. Afterword I want to train until I can do a front split and after that a side split. My overarching goal is to have abs again. Not fully toned cheese grater abs, but even in middle school I could see the individual muscles when I flexed.

The prizes are kind of silly, but are still something worth working toward. I will be making us Batman and Catwoman costumes, specifically the Long Halloween variations. He is an avid Batman fan and although I have always had a passing interest in comics, it has only grown since we got back together. I'm sitting here watching Batman the Animated Series while writing this post. I will start making mine when I have abs again and his "when the time is right". He doesn't cosplay and has little to no interest in it, but having a batsuit in the closet is something few people would say no to.

Photo by Lewis McBatman on Flickr

On a side note, I know many people who are boycotting DC Comics right now for a variety of reasons. Ableism issues, LGBT issues, women's rights issues... The list goes on. I agree with much of what has been said on that front, but again, that is a discussion for another time. If any of you are unaware of the issues with DC Comics or would simply like more information, feel free to post your questions.

At the moment I am still finalizing my daily routine. It will be a modified version of the warmup routine I used when taking dance lessons. Even after so many years I still remember it like the back of my hand. I even found the song we used: Over the Rainbow by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole.

This video is a wonderful tribute to the singer who died in 1997. The celebration on the beach toward the end is footage from his funeral, when his ashes were scattered in the ocean. It For years this version of the song brought tears to my eyes. It was the song that reminded me of who I could have been, while now it is the song of who I am going to be. But I digress.

Like I said, my workout routine is going to be, for the most part, my old warmup routine. I will be adding extra stretches, crunches and jogging. The jogging is a bit iffy right now because winter is upon us and I'd rather not run on icy sidewalks. Hopefully the fitness center at my new apartment will be finished soon so I can use treadmills, but the construction is on going and probably won't be finished until spring.

In the next few days I hope to take some photos to showcase my current state of being. It will help illustrate my goals, but right now it is too dark to do so.

Do any of you have workout goals right now? Care to share?

Lost and Found

So I'm still trying to dig things out after my most recent move. I've found my tripod, but I still have not discovered which box my camera ended up in. Last week I managed to dig out my favorite pieces of jewelry, which had been packed in a jewelry bag separate from my main box of jewelry. New boxes are being dug though and reorganized every day. I've managed to consolidate several boxes, 3 of my ikea storage boxes are currently sitting empty, and 4 dilapidated cardboard boxes have been unpacked and tossed into the recycling pile. And even with that there are still boxes everywhere. But the studio is slowly turing into a place where I can actually work.

I'm trying to fix up the place. The walls in the bedroom are panted a dark periwinkle blue, but have a few spots where the paint has been damaged. They are all prepped to repaint, but I have yet to get off of my butt and actually do it. There are shelves that need to be put up. The cat is getting shelves in the corner, one to use as a step to go to the padded fleece covered one which will serve as her cat bed. On top of that there are three shelves to put up over the desk/dressers so I can stash my DVDs, video games and wig heads. Even the bathroom is evolving into a functional place. My old roommate gave me the idea to buy an over-the-door shoe rack for storage which is now holding hair products, lint rollers, contact lens solution and everything else in a bottle that can be awkward to store. I have a tiny cheap set of plastic drawers which hold most of my makeup, larger beauty products like my collection of false eyelashes are hidden in a larger storage box, my nail polish is stored in several CD storage boxes and all of the first aid related items are crammed into one of those fun dilapidated cardboard boxes which I have way to many of.

Most of my accessories are still in their boxes, but the organization has gotten better. They've now been boxed based on type, hats in one box, bags in another, gloves and legwarmers in yet another, wigs and wig heads in probably the biggest box because wig heads aren't tiny. My footlocker has been reorganized as well, it is currently housing the clubwear which I have trouble working into my daily wardrobe...mostly the things I bought when I first started clubbing and I'm not even sure if I'm keeping. All of my pieces from designers like Renee Masoomian are still hanging in my closet.

I've acquired a few small things from ebay recently, mostly less than $5, but with my lack of camera I can't exactly take photos of them.

• Metallic silver leggings. Slightly small on me so despite how much I love them they aren't as fluidly metallic as they could be. There are slight fractures running through the silver on my thighs, but it is only really visible upon close inspection.
• Wetlook red leggings. I wish they were vinyl, but they don't look half bad and they fit like a dream. I have issues with leggings slipping down my hips or out from under my corset, but these  sit on my natural waist and I don't have that problem.
• Gun print nylons. I've seen a few pictures around the interwebs of these tights, with a machine gun on one leg and a garter with a pistol on the other. As much as I want to love these it is difficult. The biggest issue is that the machine gun is printed at an angle so it wraps around my inner thigh at the top and the garter is placed so low that it is around my knee rather than around my thigh. The other problem is that they are so transparent that you can see my leg hair through them, which sounds like it shouldn't be much of a problem but you can't really see my leg hair against my bare legs so the fact that you can see them through the nylons is deeply confusing. They were only $1 including shipping, so I can't complain too loudly.
• Fingerless black half gloves. I don't have a better way to describe these. They fit perfectly, though since they're vinyl rather than leather they make my hands sweat. Ah well.
• Leather O-ring belt. Bought for a steal at $15. I've wanted one for years and never really got around to it since I didn't feel like dropping $50+ on a belt that is nothing but decorative. Of course this is coming from a person who hoards Takuya Angel clothing. A bit hypocritical isn't it?

Did a little bit of thrift shopping, too. I finally have some casual pants again!

• Black skinny jeans. Slightly smaller than I would like, but workable.
• Black pants with blue pinstripes. Because they're fun and are nicer than my other dressy pants which were all purchased when flared legs were in style.
• Shiny red pants. A little bit shapeless, but I like the material and they're extremely comfortable.
• Pastel blue floral sundress. Because despite the fact that my daily wardrobe is rather monochromatic, I still love sundresses.
• Black v-neck loose knit sweater. A bit short in the hem, but a nice accent piece.
• Cream lace sleeveless blouse. 
• Black sleeveless spandex turtleneck. Heavy matte black spandex, I couldn't say no.
• Black fleece dickey. A nice thing to add under some of my lower cut tops, particularly in the winter.
• Blue chiffon long sleeved blouse. Because I love layering transparent clothing.

Once I find my camera I'm going to start a blog series. I've already started writing the posts, but I want to have photos to go along with them so that they aren't just walls of texts like this one. Once I dig out my camera I'm also going to start doing outfit of the day posts. I'm mad I don't know where it is already because I haven't been able to photo document some of my more interesting outfits recently.

AnimeUSA: Procrastination Edition

This post is extra late, considering AnimeUSA happened in November. Oops.

A friend and I taking a quick break before getting back to work

Sometimes I go to anime conventions, though these days it always tends to be working in some capacity; either as a vendor or as staff. AnimeUSA was no exception. I was on security and did my security thing, only got fully decked out once at the request of a friend, and drank myself blind on Sunday after the convention was over. I don't have many photos and I don't have many stories beyond "sorry, this are is off limits" or "keep moving, you're blocking the hallway", but I do have one.

Throughout the weekend as I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off I kept running into Mix Speaker's Inc. Pretty much every time I turned around, boom, there they were. I think they were magnetized to my corset or something. So of course it stands to reason I ran into them in the single hour I was dressed up like a freakshow.

My eyes look extra dead in this photo, courtesy of my buddy Mark. I haven't gone out much recently and I've been recycling pretty much the same outfit the last few times. So sue me.

The next day I was assigned to wrangle the line at Mix Speakers Inc's fan photo session and guard a door to make sure no one wandered into a staff access hallway all while trying to eat my breakfast/lunch. After their line was finished all the staff in the area were allowed to get photos with them if they so desired, so I decided to grab one.

My phone takes terrible pictures. There were half a dozen attempts, during all of which I was trying to convince them to make silly faces. And yet the only one that turned out was just me smiling instead of goofing off.

Before they left I got a present from Yuki (the smiley one,front left)

My legs continue onto the back of the page...

Apparently I was memorable enough he felt the need to draw a picture. We laughed about this and the length of my legs, so I took off my platforms and stood next to him while he stood on my boots. I was STILL taller than him.

All in all I had a rather fun, if exhausting weekend.

Studio Space

So I now have an actual studio space. The trouble is that it is currently filled with boxes. I'm renting two rooms in a large house (one for living, one for working), but they're pre-furnished and had been used as storage for many years. I'm having difficulties with unpacking because I don't have places to put things, but the owner of the house and I are taking time together to sort through the drawers and closets to decide what should be kept and what is being thrown away.

The room I'm using as a studio belonged to a freelance fashion designer many years ago. The largest wall is decorated with her original designs for companies ranging from London Fog to Dior. A good chunk of the stuff stashed in boxes, drawers and closets in the two rooms is fabric, notions, miscellaneous art supplies and even old sewing machines all of which I'm being allowed to use as I see fit. Not to mention the room has a light table. A full professional light table, not one of those dinky plastic light boxes that could be purchased at my school store. Changing the bulbs is a chore and a half, but it works and it is one of the sturdiest pieces of furniture I have ever seen.

On Sunday (when I have a spare set of hands about) I will be putting up wall-mounted shelves in the bedroom so I have a place to store figurines and DVDs. Somehow I managed to cram all of the books onto two book cases....I don't even know how I managed it. And even more amazingly I've managed to find a home for all of my clothing. I've NEVER had room for all of my clothing. Though, truth be told, I did get rid of about a third of my wardrobe in my last move and another third has found it's way into my fabric bins to be modified or used as scrap.

I've also started putting an effort into my appearance again. Nothing exactly spectacular, but I've been taking the time to get dressed instead of spending entire days in my pajamas like I did for a couple of months there. It helps to actually be able to get at all of my clothing, to have access to a washing machine, and be living in an area where I don't feel afraid to walk down the street by myself.

Because I don't have photos of my studio to share (too many boxes), instead I give you a couple of selcas! And sadly my camera and shiny new tripod are still in one of those boxes, so it is just crappy myspace angle shots from my phone instead.

Before going to the airport to visit family last December. Used the wig to hide my neon hair because I hate dealing with people at the airport on the best of days, let alone around Christmas after a series of flight delays.

I gave myself a haircut about a month ago. My split ends were unbelievably horrific. I still need to get to an actual salon to fix up the hack job in the back, but it doesn't bother me all that much.

KPOP WTF: Miss A - I Don't Need A Man

This is time for the first official round of KPOP WTF! What is KPOP WTF? Its all the Wonderful, Terrible, and oh dear god kill it with Fire fashions featured in Korean music videos.

Round One: Miss A - I Don't Need A Man

I have yet to listen to this song, I've been sitting here watching Batman with the video on mute while I look at the clothes and take screencaps. Needless to say this isn't a song review, but this isn't a music blog anyway.

These aren't bad, but they aren't fabulous either. The main thing that could be done to fix the outfit is find a jacket with a fitted waist and a flare at the bottom so that their shape isn't lost while wearing them. The only time the girls don't look boxy with those jackets is when they are in extreme motion like the above screen cap.

Oh dear god. This could be passable if they got rid of the dollar sign buttons, but even then it wouldn't be anything special. But those buttons are so terrible that I am not only frustrated with their stylists, I want to smack around whoever decided their existence was a good idea.


Fei:

This headband/tiara is killer. I wonder where they found it... And I've been partial to shredded t-shirts for quite a while, so it is nice to see it is making its way into this little corner of my life.

Just a ripped up t-shirt and shorts? Boring. This is something I might wear out to do my grocery shopping. A bit simple to have in a music video.

Even though this outfit isn't my favorite, I cannot deny that some clever design went into it. The heart that appears when her sleeve and the side panel are aligned is not exactly a simple thing to do. I'm extremely glad they caught it in the video.

Kill it. Kill it with fire. Oh dear god who thought this was a good idea? There is nothing good or redeemable about this. Her shirt doesn't even fit well.

Jia:

Mini crown! I miss her pink hair, but that is something which will never change. I'm glad she has some red streaks to add, for lack of a better word, "flavor". I cannot fault this on any level, even the red lipstick.

I love this. I don't know why, but I do. I might swap out the t-shirt for something more visually interesting, but it is still wonderful.

I used to be surprised when they showed her navel piercing, but I'm now worried that it is going to be a styling gimmick. The tassels on her belt are rather tacky, but she made it work. And I want that hat. Oh man do I want that hat.

Did their stylists just get lazy hipster on all of us? They put no effort into her hair and I'm sorry, but moustache accessories are not, have never been, and will never be cool. And that poor dog, not only did it get a tshirt, but it also got a bunch of necklaces and braids? That is a bit too much. Just one of those three would have been too much.

Min:

Again with the dollar signs? Ugh. Also her nail polish doesn't match. Too heavy of a blue tone. The necklace looks like it would be fairly easy to make, but it works very well as a statement piece in a music video.

 Get rid of those brooches and this is probably my favorite outfit in the video. The fact that the flared shirt is paired with matching shorts rather than a skirt is unusual and actually a rather perfect idea.

The outfit is okay at best. The skirt isn't a flattering cut. Originally I wanted to say it just doesn't fit, but upon closer inspection it does fit and is just hideously unflattering. At very least the stylists were smart enough to not put her in fishnets. I would be extremely pissed if someone dressed her up like a cheap hooker.

Again with the sloppy styling. She looks the least horrendous, but again, the shirt doesn't fit. This is bland and uncreative. Add a jacket, find a shirt that fits, do something more interesting with her hair/makeup. Anything but this.

Suzy:

Apparently now that Suzy is getting older the company wants to sexualize her. Sorry guys, its not working. She still just looks like a little girl playing dress up. I like the crop top, but it doesn't flatter her. I hate the plaid shirt, it doesn't flatter anyone. 

Seriously what is with the oversized plaid shirt? Was it stolen from her boyfriend or something? The shoes are cute, but nothing terribly special. I'm just partial to wedges. It was hard to get a good shot, but I should probably also mention that her shorts are at least 2 sizes to large.

Why is she smelling that caterpillar? Seriously, why?

Their stylists need to be replaced. Aside from a couple of gems this music video was mediocre at best. These girls deserve better. Back when they debuted their stylists made a wardrobe consisting entirely of unmodified American Apparel look fashion forward and innovative, but now they look sloppy.

LISTS AND THINGS

For the sake of remembering I'm making a list of things I need to post here:


Wardrobe staples
Simple makeup
Hair dye
FAQ
Event snap
Daily wear photos
Monthly haul photos
Workspace
Projects and DIY
Trends that need to die in a fire
Fashion vs Function

Designer Reviews:
Takuya Angel
Renee Masoomian
others as they pop into my head...

Various Music Video reviews

No I will not be reviewing Gangnam Style.

Neglect

Because I am a horrible person, I managed to neglect this blog despite many interesting things going on in my corner of the fashion world. Over the last month I've had several people tell me that I should start posting again including my brother, much to my surprise.

Since my last update I've moved twice, gone to two weddings, had several family-related trips across the country among other things. I'm applying for a steadier local job to make sure I meet rent, as well as working hard on my portfolio in order to apply for the job of my dreams.

Look like a deer caught in headlights, don't I?

The photo above was taken by Maro Hagopian of the Village Voice at Le Bain's Fashion on Top party where I was assisting with Renee Masoomian and Gerold Vincent's fashion show. Sadly there wasn't as much to do as there normally is when I'm assisting Renee, but their stage manager and coordinator was absolutely amazing and I cannot fault her for having things under such control that I wasn't truly needed. The show was short, but the clothing was amazing. Fashion show aside, my most exciting moment of the night is when I realize I was standing next to Rick Genest. Too bad it was so loud that I couldn't say hello.

Clothing:
Spiked bra from LoveCulture
Black underbust corset from Passional
Matte vinyl leggings from Ktown NYC
Spiked boots from Eternity Fashion, Philadelphia
Ruffle harness by Renee Masoomian
Leather gloves, antlers, and skull codpiece are personal creations

My friend Johanna Constantine and I had an adventure back in September. The two of us went to 2NE1's concert in New Jersey followed by a night of partying afterword. Mind you we were both dressed a bit more...ehm...conservatively for the concert, she in a cream brocade ruffled blouse and BlackMilk muscle leggings while I, well, was wearing pants. Electric blue pants. We both had a great time and we are probably going to go to more Kpop concerts together in the future. Just not the Big Bang concert in November. Despite the fact that we both enjoy Big Bang, I have prior obligations and cannot make it to any of the three concert dates in Jersey.

Clothing:
Latex neck ruffle from Renee Masoomian (custom in Neon Orange)
Black and orange acrylic bra from Prohibition Clubwear
Black and blue crop top from Renee Masoomian (prototype
Boots from Swear Alternative (via ebay)
Everything else is from estate sales or off-brand.

Yes, my hair has changed color at least once a month since the start of this year. Since I returned to Philadelphia I have only gone out dancing a few times. This was in July when I was gogoing at I Love Industrial in Philadelphia. That night I wish I owned more red clothing so I could have dressed as Thing 2. Why Thing 2 and not Thing 1? Because that way people would be looking for Thing 1 all night and not find them.

Clothes:
Black and Blue crop top from Renee Masoomian
Black and orange acrylic bra from Prohibition Clubwear
Boots from Swear Alternative
Everything else is off-brand cobbled together from ebay and small stores.