The 4th

I figure the 4th of July is perhaps the best possible day to dress kind of trashily - everyone's at least buzzed if not fully intoxicated, the humidity levels are high enough to induce wavy hair, and people don't seem to bother putting on much more than a swimsuit around here anyway. I spent the day hanging out with some friends I have seen in way too long and around a hundred gay men at a (catered!) house party, who promptly decided that I looked like a Bond girl in my romper and proceeded to refer to me as such for the rest of the time. This was further assisted by a neon watergun I tucked into my belt later. My boyfriend and I took a break to grab some lunch/air and found this nice baby blue wall to abuse. The fireworks later on were so abnormally awesome that I almost didn't mind stepping in vomit. Sick. SO glad I was wearing heels for that one.

Romper, Forever 21. Belt, vintage. Heels, Dollhouse. Sunglasses, Ray-ban.

Now and later

My other new Forever 21 skirt - it's this weird metallic floral brocade. Happy 4th!!

H&M jacket, Gap shirt, Bebe heels.

Vintage sleeveless blazer, Forever21 sunglasses, Lucky bag, Dollhouse heels.

This week's auctions

Click to check 'em out!

More zips, more studs

I am of the probably very small party that thinks that Bebe comes out with some pretty alright shoes once in a while. You just have to look past the rhinestone encrusted "athletic wear". I originally wanted to go to check this pair out but once I saw these on the busty mannequin, I knew I needed them. Kicking and screaming, though acknowledging their draw, Lulu followed me in to investigate. Once I handled them, I fell in love with the aggressive textured leather and S&M zippers. Mmm. Obviously, I wish the heel was chunkier, but I'll try to deal with it. Lulu argued that the stripper heel kind of ruined them, but, well, I know when I want something, and I've never gotten the '04 Balenciagas that they're a knockoff of off my mind. It's inexplicably satisfying to zip the foot into a sandal. I seem to be falling for zippers as hard as I did fringe, between the Nightingale, the 'stute heels, and this (selling out by the second) dress I ordered from Topshop this morning.

Oh and this jacket has kind of a funny story - I TOTALLY owned it when I was in high school, it was one of my treasured Urban Outfitters items (remember that company Bulldog? it's by them). I, of course, long since lost track of it but I found the same one in a thrift store last month. Reunited!

Jacket, secondhand. Skirt, sweatshirt top, and necklaces, Forever 21. Heels, Bebe.

Wait...something just happened.

Taking these photos was easily the strangest ten minutes of Lulu's and my recent history. The entire day was sort of odd, and ended up not being too focused on shopping, because it turns out we really weren't lying when we said we didn't enjoy it as an activity. It's probably just me, but there really isn't much out there. But we still managed to intermittently eat and browse for a record eight hours - she debuted the Levi's shorts I gave her, I dragged her into Bebe to investigate some awesomely trashy heels, we bought matching tutus, tried on that Balenciaga leather jacket, met one of the main moderators of The Fashion Spot, found out what a turban/bra hybrid looks like, almost immediately got blisters when I switched from heels to flats (UGH flats), and discussed, you know, life. As strange as the means we met through was, I can honestly say that I haven't connected with a girl so quickly in..years.

One strangeness - a guy that I randomly asked to take our photo turned out to be an actual photographer (well so he said) and he took this one of me..kind of nice. So thanks P.



Dress worn as top, American Apparel. Skirt, Forever 21. Belt, vintage. Boots, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Bag, Givenchy.

Lou and Lu

We've seen practically every famous twentysomething girl in Leger but Lou takes the cake - she even makes the purple light seem like an accessory. I'm actually even loving how minimal she went on the jewelry front to emphasize all the body con glory. And I of course had to include a shot of Lou in her usual scruffier attire...she makes that palm leaf whipstitched vintage bag look weirdly good.

Anyway, I'm finally almost all the way better, the store has been updated, and outfit posts will commence - tomorrow Lulu and I are doing something we secretly don't love as much as we probably should - shopping. This should be fun. And potentially very expensive.

Sources: misshapes, wwd, purepeople

Vogue Girl Korea!

I've been in a sorry state the past few days with an energy-draining cold I've been grappling with, so when the postman rang the doorbell yesterday I didn't manage to answer it in time and had to flag him down barefoot in my sick uniform of yoga pants and cardigan. Must have been quite the sight, but I signed for my package and got really excited when I saw that it was from Korea and in magazine form. I tore it open and the editor that had contacted me for the World Blogger feature had kindly marked the page with a Post-it note. It's quite surreal seeing photos of myself in print (though I can't decide how embarrassed I am to be wearing the same shoes in almost every photo..heh..), and I'm very honored to be included in this story - so thank you very much Vogue Girl Korea! I was so happy to see a diverse bunch of familiar blogger faces from all over the world, but I won't ruin it by posting their pages too. I actually haven't ever been able to look at an issue of Vogue Girl since I never see it for sale anywhere here in the US, but I must say it's really fun to flip through even though I can't read a single bit of it.

Now to work on getting better so I can get back to posting outfits and filling the store with all the crazy cool stuff I've found lately. And partake in drunken 4th of July festivities, of course.

The interview in English:

1 Briefly introduce yourself.

My name is Rumi Neely, I run an eBay store and do freelance fashion work from the San Francisco Bay Area.

2 When did you first blogging and why?

I first started it as an extension of my eBay store, Treasure Chest Vintage - I would receive a lot of message asking where I got my accessories from and if I had an online diary of my personal style. When Whowhatweardaily put me in one of their Myspace Muse features, I finally decided to really give the blogging thing a try.

3 What is your signature style?

It's very California - slightly messy and bohemian with an edge. I like to wear really casual, nondescript items alongside crazy heels, and most of the time I incorporate vintage into my look to give it a special touch.

4 When and how did you come about establishing your own style and look?

I've been into clothes since I was a little girl, but of course like anyone else, I've experimented and been through a bunch of phases. I think the mark of coming into your own look is when most of the things you buy you still love and wear years later, and this happened for me a couple years ago.

5 What is your fashion/styling rule?

I think my only rule is to not have any rules! I love to take something that is generally perceived as ugly and try to make it work, like a strange '80s fringe jacket or oversized men's denim shirt.

6 Explain how you get dressed in the morning, step by step.

For me it isn't about a method, it's more just pure randomness that affects what I wear. Some mornings, I'll try to pick something out of my closet that I haven't worn in a while and try to rework it, other times I'll base it on the shoes that I want to wear that day, and sometimes I even just put on whatever's on the floor of my bedroom since it's the most easily accessible.

7 What is your key fashion item?

I have a strange fascination with denim shorts, currently my vintage Levi's are at the top of my list.

8 And what's your favorite way of styling the item?

Since they're so tomboy-ish and rugged, I like to wear them with high high chunky heels and lately I've been loving the look with my vintage fur vest and tons of jewelry.

9 Explain how you mix and max color palette.

I like to wear colors that aren't so obvious to put together, I recently wore an outfit with a red bandage skirt and army green strappy heels and really liked that combination. I like neutrals just as much as I like brights, so it really depends on what mood I happen to be in. If I think an outfit is too dull, I'll add in colorful bangles or an obnoxiously bright bag.

10 Who's your fashion icon and why?

Erin Wasson - she has such a way of mixing up simple clothing to create unique looks and always knows exactly how much to accessorize or layer.

11 Where do you shop? What are some of your favorite shops and why?

I shop everywhere! From Barney's to thrift stores to eBay to cheap stores like Forever 21 and H&M, I think there are treasures to be had most places if you look closely enough. I love to put together looks that incorporate pieces from all of these places - I think it really adds dimension and personality to one's look.

12 What are some things you keep in mind when you shop? Do you have any shopping rules?

I always ask myself if I really love something before I purchase it, my closet is too small to buy everything that catches my eye. I never really go shopping in order to look for a specific piece, I just go when I'm in the mood to hunt and buy whatever sticks out to me, be it a feathered headband or a mirrored jewelry box. I've found that if I go looking for something in particular, I'm bound not to find it! So my main shopping rule is to be open to anything.

13 What's your most recent purchase? Can you give any tips on how to wear it?

A pair of triple strap Chloe maryjane heels from the spring '06 collection that I bought from Yoox. I imagine I'll be wearing them the most with summery minidresses, but my first look with them was a simple knit top and fringed skirt worn with long chain necklaces.

14 What's your favorite show from 2008 S/S collection? Has this show affected the way you dress in any way?

My favorite show was Balmain, the tough hippie look really appealed to me. I love that Christophe Decarnin made everything from tie dye to sequin vests look fresh again.

15 If you can buy one item for the summer, what would it be?

Balmain's moccasin ankle boots to wear with shorts and minidresses - they are the ultimate shoe to me.

Lanphear does cheap chic

I always look forward to seeing Kate Lanphear's work in Elle, though not as much as I do to seeing random street style snaps of her on The Sartorialist and Style.com - her futuristic crop of white hair is always perfectly set off by her grungy/edgy style. If you thought there were only so many ways to wear black, just check out her thread at The Fashion Spot.

Last week, when airport boredom led me to the magazine stand, I stopped obnoxiously lingering and flipping and purchased the issue on the spot after seeing this editorial featuring her styling work. The pieces she used are ridiculously cheap, the details listing off brands such as Forever 21, Fruit of the Loom, and Converse for Target, though they are spruced up by thousands and thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. Gotta keep it high fashion somehow, duh. The pieces she used are very familiar (lamé leggings, denim shorts/vest, leather jacket) but taken to another level. I dug out my scanner that I haven't touched for about two years to share these, so sorry if they're crooked, horridly done, etc. - I can seriously never manage to align the pages properly. Now to find those amazing stripey knit shorts...

Iwona Ludyga

I do an immense amount of pretend shopping for my non-eBay job, which frequently results in me buying things I never would have otherwise (most recently: Kain tops) and discovering odd little lines, or, actually, big lines that I'm clueless about for whatever reason. I first noticed Iwona Ludyga's jewelry by way of the twig-inspired bracelet, it's organic design and rather delicate wood nymph-ish feel appealing to me so much that I would consider forgoing my usual armful of wrist-gear to focus attention on it. Further exploration turned up a gorgeous chain-linked double ring (please ignore the model's pretty scary talons), a horizontal horn necklace, and a couple well done scapular-inspired pieces (is it weird to anyone else that these are becoming trendy?). I just might try out the bracelet, but what I'm really irrationally lusting after is the Electric Feathers chain vest that Susie posted earlier this week...

White on white

There's something so wrong about the white dress/white shoe combination but sometimes such things are hard to resist. And I'm not quite sure what it is that has me so re-obsessed with this scarf and these aviators, but I definitely think I have a tendency to wear something for a week straight and then shove it aside forever. I need to work on that.

Dress, American Apparel. Shirt, secondhand. Scarf, H&M. Shoes, Aldo. Sunglasses, Ray-ban. Bag, Givenchy.