THE apartment

We'll call this the "before":

View from standing in living room.

Kitchen.

My sister striking a pose in the living room.

Bathroom/view into the bedroom.

Standing in the dining room.

Living room corner!

Yep, that would be my finger.

Jets!!

Windows in the bedroom.

Entry hallway.

So cool story: this building used to be part of the Santa Fe Railroad. They had 4 buildings in downtown Dallas (three of which are left), and this is the third one. There are actually still underground rail road tunnels under downtown that they used to use back then, and the penthouse used to be the "University Club", which was a speakeasy frequented by only very prominent business men and required access via skybridge for secrecy. (Swanky.) In WWII the building was used as an induction center for the troops, and after WWII it was part of the Dallas Garment District. After that, it housed companies like WFAA radio...and now, it houses me.

Gotta get back to packing...stay edgy, my friends.

apartment hunting

I don't want to oversell this, but I may have found the best apartment ever.

And this is what I wore while doing it...

Just because it's 400 degrees in Texas is no excuse not to look edgy. Leather vest it is.

My new home also makes a good arm rest.

Here's a close up view of that action.

See! Not barefoot.

Pictures of the new place soon to come. Stay edgy, my friends.

Leather Vest: Theory

T-Shirt: Madewell

Skirt: James Perse

Nude Flats: Tory Burch

Jewelry: Elizabeth & James, Low Luv x Erin Wasson, and Alexis Bittar

Aviators: Ray Ban

Bag: Alexander Wang

new weaponry!

 I mean rings. I mean weapons. I mean...rings.

Either way, I give you two pieces from one of my favorite jewelry lines, Low Luv x Erin Wasson:

Negative Space Ring

This ring has been sold out/on back order/sold out again for forever, but THEN, miraculously, it popped up on this site and it's now on my finger. If you are similarly tempted, it runs small, which is odd, ring sizing is usually pretty standard.

Double Triangle Ring

This one, while lacking a similar history of premeditated lust, is equally awesome. I just happened across the other day...talk about dangerous. I wore it for the first time yesterday and stabbed myself at least twice. Don't walk up to me in a dark alley.

The nail polish shown is "Neon Red" by American Apparel. Even cooler on than in the bottle, becase in the bottle it looks more pink. Blind people with your nail polish, that's my motto. Just kidding, I don't have a motto.

Happy Saturday!

what's black, white, and standing next to a red door?

Me!

Or, more accurately, my outfit. But let's not mince words...

So, once upon a time, I was in an American Apparel and I found this skirt. It was light and airy and neutral and pretty much everything I love in a piece of clothing... 

...except edgy. (Write that down: cream chiffon = not edgy. Perhaps you can laugh at it later.)

So, leather vest to the rescue!

(Every good fairy tale has to have a hero, after all.)

And voila! Edgy. You might beat someone up. We're back in business.

...but still soft and pretty. This outfit is quite the successful sartorial enigma.

Then, there was dancing.

They're ballet slippers, I had to, amirite, or amirite??

(I'm right.)

And they lived happily edgily ever after.

The end.

Vest: Theory

Skirt: American Apparel

Dress: Madewell (worn underneath skirt...it's impressively see through)

Ballet slippers: Tory Burch

Jewelry: Alexis Bittar, Low Luv x Erin Wasson, and Elizabeth & James

nails...not just for hanging pictures.

What better way to distract someone before a punch to the face than with really cool nails??

Still just kidding, we would never really punch anyone.

Three nifty nail trends to suit this purpose: neon, crackle, and pastel (respectively).

"Neon Yellow" and "Mannequin" by American Apparel. (I'll let you decide which color is which.)

One of the nails is nude. Why not?

"Mannequin" by American Apparel under "Black Crackle" by OPI.

Perhaps you hit someone so hard (or with such skill) that it perfectly shattered your polish. I'll never tell.

"Borrowed and Blue" by Essie.

A softer look than the others, but I particularly love this color with black. Even the most ardent rebeller has a softer side....

Happy rebelling, fellow badasses.

closet editing/colorless coordinating

Every year (or so) there comes a time in a girl's life that's hard and taxing...and that time is closet cleaning time. 

In the face of an impending move (more on that later), I decided to take it upon myself to rip everything out of my closet yesterday and put it back in. (That last part is still in progress, see below.)

I've also made the switch to wooden hangers; I honestly have no idea why it took me so long. Not only do they look better, it makes me feel like I'm getting dressed in my own personal little store. I like pretty things, so sue me. (Or don't, among having few readers this blog also generates no revenue...)

Taking everything out proved to be a good tactic though, as somehow it's much easier to decide what I don't want when it comes to putting it back in rather than taking it out. How's that for some fashion psychology? You should try it. Kind of cathartic. 

(P.S. Yes, there is a tag on that shirt. I bought it a mere two days ago. Barney's sale. Don't go. It's amazing.)

However, now that I'm passed all the no brainer keepers in my closet, I've crossed into the muddy territory of "I might wear this someday". I'm trying to be brutal, but it's hard. I've gotten rid of things before only to want that exact thing months later. Oh the perils of clothing. I just keep telling myself that what I honestly don't wear can be sold and "regenerated" into something infinitely more fabulous/intimidating. Now that's motivation.

Updates soon. (I hope, I'd like to see my floor again at some point.)

black and nude

A.K.A. my favorite color combo of all time.

When getting ready in the morning, you may ask yourself: what could be better than dressing for the probability of doling out spontaneous pummeling? Nothing! Looking like you already have, of course..and this cardigan has the shredded fibers to prove it. (Or fibres, if you're English...)

Take said cardigan and pair it with ballet flats...am I gonna beat you up or grand jeté? The world may never know.

Cozy, but dangerous.

This clutch has amazing texture. What did I tell you? No wrong.

Bonus points if you can see your bra through your shirt. Why? It looks cool and a little thrown together and you're obviously too cool to spend time contemplating your outfit, that's just the way you look.

Tah-dah!

And finally, I leave you with this. Because there are always out-takes.

Cardigan: Trouvé

T-shirt: Madewell

Skirt: James Perse

Clutch: Alexander Wang

Flats: Tory Burch

Rings: Low Luv x Erin Wasson/ Elizabeth & James

Necklace: Elizabeth & James

recent commissioned works

When I'm not busy delving into the various manifestations of my own personal sartorial edginess, badass-ed-ness, or what have you, I like to paint...style rebelling is applicable in various mediums, you see.

As of late, I've had the honor of people actually wanting some of the aforementioned artwork, the results of which are featured below:

If you're interested in commissioning work(s), I can be contacted at jamie.gorden@gmail.com. 

life's simple pleasures

Sometimes in life, you just want to wear leather pants. While standing next to a waterfall. While simultaneously making sure to lean forward just slightly so the shoes you're wearing--which are entirely impractical for the environment--don't sink into the dirt.

 Or maybe that's just me...

Either way, voila! That's what I did. 

This is basically my go to outfit for life: leather, check. white t-shirt, check. loads of rings, check. You kind of can't go wrong. Or as my mom calls it "you look like you're going to a rock star party, we're just going to eat at Pei Wei." 

Rock stars gotta eat, mom.

In other news, I love this bag--and it's an undying love. No matter how many people have one. (I think it's quickly becoming a classic.) Seriously though, it's black and it has studs on the bottom. It's like...the mullet of purses: gorgeous on the top, weapon on the bottom. You could take someone out with this purse--and look ridiculously cool doing it. It's also by Alexander Wang and, let's face it, the man can do no wrong.

I also love mixing textures...which is not particularly bad ass, but it makes you LOOK bad ass. See what I did there?? 

Getting hit in the face with these would hurt...stylishly. I imagine. I would never hit anyone again.

Admiring nature's majesty...

And finally, just in case after all that you still thought this outfit was relatively innocuous...BAM, earrings tiny weapons for the ears.

T-shirt: James Perse

Leather leggings: Leith

Bag: Alexander Wang

Shoes: Elizabeth & James

Necklace: Elizabeth & James

Aviators: Ray Ban

Earrings: Alexis Bittar

Rings (from left to right): purchased at street fair in Huntington Beach, CA, LowLuv x Erin Wasson, LowLuv x Erin Wasson,  Elizabeth & James