Stories About Ourselves

Self Stitched September, Days Seven and Eight

• Floral print blue & lilac sleeveless shirt: charity shop
• Bright blue cardigan: charity shop
• Cream high waisted laura ashley trousers: charity shop
• Black converse low-tops
• Pearl & chain necklace: handmade
• Teal gemstone ring: gem shop in devon
• Canvas tote bag: gift from friend at a festival
• Black bag with gold straps: refashioned from a vintage jacket

Those astute may have noticed I omitted day six in the photo documentation. Basically, Monday and Tuesday centered around the same outfit because, as mentioned, I was in Bristol. I was on foot exploring the town for the majority of the time and needed to pack light. Hopefully, that makes it seem less disgusting! I did change my shirt (the other was the pink number as seen in old photo) but wearing the same clothes two days in a row is not something I make a habit of.

Anyway, not that you're asking, but I had a pretty awesome time! Found some cool spots, walked a lot, went to a few charity shops, visited several coffee shops and cafes, had some interesting conversations and err, yeah, I'm now looking forward to moving there in... eeep... 10 days. My friend jokingly mocked me for having 'granny style' with my fondness for a floral print and old clothes. I've been told I dress 'old' before, so I don't take it offensively, but I have to say, I found it very interesting. Why can clothes be classed as 'old'? Other than the obvious, that mine are, a lot of the time, secondhand. If you like fashion, does that mean only dressing in modern styles can make you youthful? If you subscribe to the idea that fashion goes round in circles, surely everything classed as contemporary is old anyway? Simply put, you can't just disregard something because it's 'old'. And then we get to the whole issue of, why does 'old' imply 'bad' anyway? As an object, can an article of clothing on it's own have a connotation beyond simply a physical description of it? Is it not dependent upon the wearer or the particular context, that meaning can be attributed? If not, can you thereby even take designs out of their context to reinvent them for another purpose?

My friend probably did not envisage quite how much that little comment of his would trigger in thought! He later asked me if when I was old, I would "start dressing really young". I laughed and said 'Yeah, because that's my aim in life. To mess with everyone's minds." Truthfully, I don't know how I'll dress when I'm 'old'. I'm not there yet.

• 'Victory' knitted jumper: handmade, pattern from v&a
• Plain white t-shirt (hidden): dorothy perkins
• Light blue jeans: refashioned, originally from charity shop
• Red lace knit ankle socks: topshop
• Electric blue doc martens: early mornings vintage on etsy
• Silver celtic style ring: gift

For today, it's much better on the handmade front, I think you'll agree! Firstly, do you recall, back in January, I posted about a jumper I was working on? One that I have been working on for god knows how long? Well, yes, I finally managed to finish it. I am quite possibly one of the slowest knitters ever.

This is really, the first jumper I've knitted. It turned out badly though. Basically, when I went to do this blocking malarky (still don't quite understand blocking) it stretched out loads and now it's far too loose. Usually, with a handmade piece, I hand-wash them instead of putting them in the machine, but I'm actually contemplating putting it through with the hopes of it shrinking a bit. But then I don't know if it'll even work because I think the yarn is an acrylic/wool blend rather than pure wool. Ack! Seasoned knitters, do you have any ideas?

Now, onto the actual outfit. So this is where I make baby steps to attempt to subvert ideas about race and patriotism and identity. As someone who has never particularly been concerned with race (in that I, quite simply, don't see someone as the colour of their skin), lately it seems like I've been surrounded so much by conversations and blog posts on race. For example, this very interesting Fashion for Writers article on Dior & Race, numerous articles on Threadbared, the odd post on A l'allure Garçonnière and then there are dedicated blogs like, Racialicious.  That's not mentioning how many other random places I've read or talked about it. I don't intend to make this into very hefty political talk, but what clothes signify is important. No matter how much people quaff with "it's just fashion", it's never as freaking simple as that. Clothes can mean something and can be identifiers to different things, including race, so it is important to consider.

First up, the docs. Ages ago, when docs started becoming trendy (yes, sometimes I bow into trends), I read on some blog about how skinheads didn't start out as being the 'racists' that the subculture is often associated with now. I'd never heard of skins before reading the post (I can't remember where it was sorry!) so truthfully, knowing that, means I don't associate skinheads with racism. Yet, having spoken to one/two friends, I suspect a larger majority do. Actually, my friend Bethan even tweeted that idea. SO my question is, if docs are linked to skins, and skins to racism, and racism against people err... like me, what does it mean by me wearing them? Going back to what I wrote earlier about objects and connotations, can I even take them out of context? Am I condoning racism against err... myself? Or, by wearing them, am I able to sort of putting two fingers up to those ideals? Simply because of my genetics.

Docs, I admit, aren't limited to skins. According to Put This On, they have roots in "mods, punks, skins and grunge" so truthfully, they could link to any one of these subcultures. And obviously, I am not actually a skinhead. So, is this attempted subversion even able to work?

What about when combined with this particular jumper? And even, to an extent, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt underneath. That links to the US, where race, I suspect is a larger issue. For my jumper, I'd never considered it patriotism when I picked the colours - I full-on copied the pattern because I like navy, red & white as a combination and thought no further than that... this was certainly before I started considering context more. But when I went to a knitting group once, another lady commented on how it was 'very patriotic' and considering that the pattern itself comes from 1940s wartime Britain, is it any wonder that it's patriotic?! Though, I admit, the comment worried me. Whilst I would certainly consider myself British, I am not inclined toward overt displays of patriotism. And this one is rather in your face isn't it?

But then, because I so obviously belong to a minority group, is what I am attempting to say only able to work because it's on me? Is it just saying that I'm a Brit-o-phile? Then, if you saw a white British person wearing this, would you think them a Brit-o-phile? In love with this country? Patriot? Racist?!

Many many questions and many many issues. Perhaps it serves to highlight the importance of clothing and the messages they communicate. Or else, just a the rough context for this outfit. On the subject of race, becoming more aware of racial issues has made me frustrated and occasionally, confused on how to act/think. I think it's the same for everyone because it is a sticky topic. I get frustrated thinking how, when I'm out in the world, I'm not just representing myself, apparently I'm representing every other person belonging to my racial group. And likewise, when some people see me, they don't just see me as me or 'some girl', I'm most obviously 'a little Indian/Asian girl' (little referring to my height, which is actually 5'3" - 5'4"... you be the judge of 'little') and place all sorts of stereotypes from that onto me. Then after people get to know me, I've been told I 'act white' and I'm an 'honorary white girl' (I'm totally taking those two out of context, but the sentiments stand) as if the way people are can only apply to one particular racial group. Once, in a uni interview, I was asked if I was "a typical Asian" (I'm not going to reveal which uni that was, but it was by far the weirdest interview I had) and I think I bumbled about the question a bit baffled, when what I really wanted to say was "what the fuck constitutes being 'typical'?!" Maybe if I'd just said it, I would've got in eh? Now I've had time to think about it, certainly, if you're stereotyping people, I am not "typical", but there are parts which will not be completely atypical either. Race isn't something I choose. In short, every person is the combination of everything they have been exposed to thus far in life and that includes cultural heritage.

And now I shall hesitantly click publish and apprehensively let your views fly in on anything I have talked about in this post. Race, clothing contexts and knitting tips... it has been a varied post!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Self Stitched September, Days Four and Five

• Pink short sleeve lace jumper: vintage shop
• Stripey v-neck top (hidden): h&m
• Teal patterned dress: topshop
• Black & silver striped socks: topshop
• Black converse low-tops
• Multi-chain necklace with pearl beads: handmade
• Silver celtic style ring (hidden): gift
• Turquoise gemstone ring: gem shop in devon
• Leather bag: vintage shop

On Saturday, I went to London for the day to visit galleries and do holiday work from uni. The morning was a complete rush, so I didn't get a moment to take a photo. I had to take one when I got home and the light had almost faded and the tripod had vanished meaning I had to rope my brother into photographing, so overall, the photo quality isn't great. However, I did have a very inspiring day and I'll ramble more about that in a future post.

Now the outfit... well... according to my particular challenge it's allowed (I included accessories) but according to the titling of the challenge, it's not. Thing is, when you're visiting London, you want to be comfortable. I'm recovering from my blisters still, so my comfiest shoes were necessary. And I wanted to wear something tried & tested, which wouldn't cause me too much stress. So that is my reasoning behind not wearing a stitched item (we won't go into how few items I actually have for this challenge). I would apologise, except I'm really not sorry.

• Salmon pink short sleeve mohair cardigan: handmade... by grandma
• Bird print t-shirt (with neck cut off): tk maxx
• Jeans (strictly for home use): topshop
• Black converse low-tops

Sunday was a generally lazy day. So a very lazy outfit ensues. Again, I'm not sure about this one. Because the cardi is handmade, just not by me. It's actually a hand-me-down. My grandma made it for my mother when she was younger and then gave it to me a few years ago. It has sentimental value, so in truth, it probably doesn't get as much wear as it deserves anyway. As for the rest, jeans are very tattered & have been patched up several times, so they are only ever worn for things like painting or lazing at home. And converse, because if we're including shoes, I'm still recovering from blisters. You'll probably see them for the next two days too!

Anyway, I will write up thoughts on my trip soon. In particular, I'm going to write on post on Maison Martin Margiela after going to the exhibition at Somerset House and possibly another on the other things I saw and general trip. How exciting it'll be I don't know, but for recording purposes, I'll post it regardless. But that will be after Tuesday because I am currently in Bristol for two days to get a lay of the land before I move in a few weeks. We're planning on walking most places, so you can see why the converse are going to be regular footwear!

Summer On Film

I've been trying to use up some reels of film this summer. Sometimes I much prefer shooting on film than digital because it forces me to consider the photograph and capture moments or sights that really matter to me. Or at least, that's what I think before I get the photos back.

What actually happens, is that film photography highlights how I am really NOT a photographer. Nothing is composed brilliantly and a lot of the shots (which I didn't scan in btw) turn out too dark or out of focus or just nothing like you remember when you took them. But then you get the gems. The ones which are atmospheric or personal or perfect in their imperfections. And that's where the magic lies.

Roses in the garden, July 2010


Trees in the park, July 2010


House on a hill, Devon, August 2010


Andy, Mary & me, Devon, August 2010


Sunny day at the seaside, Devon, August 2010


Liz, Mary, Tom & me, Devon, August 2010

Summer, if I'm honest, has been generally unproductive and unsociable and a bit dull. But these remind me of the good moments to remember. Plus, there is still one reel to finish and another to process!  

How about yourselves? Do any of you use film?

I've Got Blisters On My Fingers!

Self Stitched September, Days Two & Three

• Green patterned blouse: charity shop
• Blue jeans: refashioned, originally from charity shop
• Black penny loafers: vintage shop
• Silver celtic style ring (hidden): gift

Day two involved me going for a short walk believing Nancy Drew with her "penny loafers are a practical footwear" comment. Oh ho ho, how I laugh! Or rather cry, because I ended up with 4 blisters on my feet (not fingers). Which would be the reason for the Beatles reference for the title. It's at the end of Helter Skelter if anyone is wondering what I'm talking about.

• Pink flower patterned top: refashioned from dress, originally from vintage shop
• Cream laura ashley trousers: charity shop
• Pale pink indian pumps: car boot sale

Day three involved me attempting to recover from said blisters. Truthfully, I only put shoes on for the picture. I haven't needed to for the rest of the day because I've just been tidying up and attempting to finish off sewing/knitting projects.

The sad thing is, I'm only 3 days into this project and feeling really uninspired. I think I'm having a 'blerrgh week'. You know, where nothing quite fits and none of your clothes look right and you feel generally uncomfortable and don't actually want to take photos of yourself everyday? My prospects of doing this challenge successfully are slim, especially seeing as everything I could potentially wear is in the 'to finish off' pile. On on the bright side, it is forcing me out of my summer of lethargy. I would've worn some old ratty clothes today had it not been for this challenge! Breaking lazy patterns (albeit slowly) is always good.

In other news, I seem to have forgotten what the hell I normally blog about on here, so you have two posts in a row with my face on them. Sorry!

Pinch Punch

September is upon us! And as promised, I'm partaking in Self Stitched September (SSS from here on) all month. So apologies for the forthcoming vanity. Just to remind me/you, here is the pledge once again:

"I, Leah (captainmagnets.blogspot.com), sign up as a participant of Self-Stitched-September. I endeavour to wear a minimum of ONE handmade or refashioned item of clothing, accessories or jewellery every day for the duration of September 2010."

Let the fun commence!

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Self Stitched September, Day One

In typical British autumnal fashion, it seems mother nature decided to bestow some lovely rays of sunshine rather than the rain, cloud & general cold over the last few weeks. With that & SSS in mind, I picked out this dress, which I made last year using the Coffee Date Dress pattern on BurdaStyle.

handmade floral patterned cotton dress, vintage orange sleeveless cardigan, pink leather ballet shoes

It's a dress I rarely, if ever wear. It had pointy dart issues for ages, which I only just got round to semi-correcting and the fit isn't really perfect and... well, truthfully, it just doesn't feel much like my style anymore. I keep it because it was my first attempt at putting in a invisible zip and I was pretty proud of the result. And I still like print and sometimes, like the weather proved today, it's useful to have a simple cotton dress for floating about the house. It fit the bill. Kicked of SSS on a moderately good note and excellent for lounging about the house doing very little. But for future wear... it's not going to get much as it stands. Which isn't exactly great if you think about the idea behind SSS, to get you wearing things you make.

What would you do? Would you separate it, to get at least a good skirt out if it? Add some embellishment, or decoration, or something to it? Just restyle it? I'm not entirely sure what would be the best bet, but it's such a waste just to have it sitting in the wardrobe. Any thoughts?

Things That Make Me Ponder, Smile Or React In Some Similar Way

Hello again! How are you all? Have you had a good two weeks? Seeing as it's been about 2 weeks since I last posted. I have actually been home for the last week, but had my nose stuck in a book and was generally sorting out a few bits & pieces and let's face it, sometimes I like to disappear on this blog. The difficulty is always getting back into the swing of posting, so I thought, head first with a 'curious things & inspiration post' in my usual rambling fashion would be best. One day, I will construct posts around an actual topic, but until then, this is what you've got.

* * *

1. A Handful of Flickr Photographers
I don't trawl through flickr all that much these days, but it's nice when you find talented photographers.

Photograph by Hannah Davis. (Found through Amelia)

Photograph by Lissy Elle. (Found through NEET)

Photograph by Lauren Treece. (Found through NEET again I think)

2. Beauty and Body Acceptance
Things such as Natalie over at Definatalie has posted - see You can't bully me out of my skinny jeans and Rejecting the notion of the flattering outfit and About fat acceptance. Also Jessica on Tangled Up in Lace, posted something on the price of fat fashion, which I personally thought applied to mass-produced clothes in general (i.e. that they've all become increasingly poor quality in recent times, but that's a rant for a rainy day).

Perhaps, some of you have seen this whole fat fashion movement thing going on and are wondering why the hell you should be interested in it if you are, like me, not really plus sized. Thing is, whilst on the face of it, it is about accepting weight, when you really pick the issue apart, it's about being happy with yourself whatever you look like. I could extend this musing, but it's better to leave this topic on Gertie's post entitled The Good Body, which sums it all up perfectly.

3. Liberty's How to Tie a Scarf
I'd guess you've probably seen these already. I remember, when I was collecting data for my English a-level coursework (almost 2 years ago now) I went to Birmingham library which had archives of Vogue dating back to the early 20th century. There was one article I seem to remember reading from a wartime issue I believe (my project was on language change & social changes within fashion, which obviously I found really interesting) in which it had different ways to wear a scarf. Anyway, these videos reminded me of that but equally, it's still surprising how many ways to wear a scarf there are!

4. Constant Thoughts on Style (or blogs I read which are pretty damn great)
So, maybe I'm kind of biased on the first, because Tessa & I have been emailing one another and have discovered we have a fair bit in common! But the message of her blog, Rethinking Style, still stands and it's a pretty interesting one - gentle encouragement for experimental dressing or sticking with your style or basically enjoying wearing clothes and embracing your personal style, whatever it may be. It's one of those blogs you read that doesn't necessarily promote a certain style of dressing as a kind of ideal (because there is no ideal... but you already knew that) but gives suggestions, musings, to make you err... rethink the way you dress and approach style. I find it really refreshing to read and it never fails to make me want to have a dress up sesh with my limited wardrobe (more on that in the future).

Next, is a blog I am basically in awe of right now - Threadbared. My god this is a good blog! Maybe you have already read it already, but if you haven't, and you like to contemplate fashion beyond face value (e.g. the social, political or cultural implications not just aesthetics), it is definitely required reading. I would link to specific posts I found interesting, but there are just too many, so have a dig yourself. It's a blog which is firmly lodged into a category I like to call "thinking blogs" (better termed critical blogs perhaps?) because it never fails to provide something to think about.

Similar to that (and recommended to me by Tessa actually) is Fashion for Writers, which very wonderfully combines the 'what I wore' outfit blog format, with this interesting and analytical thought process on fashion. I'm not quite certain how they manage to achieve that combination so successfully, but they do and frankly, it makes it all the better. Another gem to go check out.

5. Detail, detail, detail
Basically, so I don't make this far longer than is necessary, I am a sucker for detailing. Sometimes (not always) it's elaborate, very ornate decoration like this:

Found via Beehive

Photograph by Pieter Musterd (found via the vamoose)

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Anyway, that's all for today. I've discovered it's verging on September which means the Self Stitched September fun will begin shortly and I still have a couple of things to finish off. It also means that all my grand schemes to make lots over summer which never quite manifested are going to come back to haunt me. However, I am determined to participate this time round, and my challenge is to wear at least one handmade/refashioned item and I think I can just about manage that! Be warned, you will be subjected to some month-long vanity and numerous repeat outfits, which is actually fine because it's more honest & real than pretending I have a limitless wardrobe. Perhaps it'll ignite that 'creative streak' again?

Hmm, is anyone reading a fellow Self Stitcher? I'm looking forward to seeing other people's wares more, so please do introduce yourselves. Other than that, farewell for this post.

Escape To The Country

Ack! I had hoped to post something proper before I went gallivanting off to stay with my friend, but the post(s) in question are taking longer than anticipated. And I had other stuff to do. So you'll have to wait. Not that you would've noticed anyway with my weeks between posts.

Right, so, it is of no importance to anyone other than myself... by the power of timed posts, I am currently on a train heading toward Devon for a week. To the sea and hills and good friends and happy, probably a bit rainy, days. I have not packed a computer, but have taken a sketchbook and some rolls of film and some knitting too. So yes. Switching off for a week. That's all. Bye for the moment!