Summer Loooove: Etsy means Easy Adornment June 24, 2008

So I know I’ve been missing as of late and I’m sure you were just jonesing to get Phreaked. Fear not my pretty kitties, while suffering a writing block, the ideas were, however, limitless. That is to say, I had lots of great things to mention but these Fin g .ers. jUst. w..ould. noT. ty p e!! Ugh!

Thank you for all the Loooove concerning my last post on the immeasurable style of Sex and the City. 3,145 views to date! Quite a success for me; and hopefully just the first of many. Mwa Bella!!

Speaking of Smashin’ Fashion: ETSY

My new obsession is a website featuring designers from all around the country (and beyond) selling unique handmade crafts, gifts, jewelry and fashion.

There are several ways to hunt for dazzling items:

-Browse categories such as: Accessories, Paper goods, Glass, Vintage, Furniture (and many, many more)

-Look up lists in the Treasury, where other users group together favorite items by a theme (ex. Turquoise & the American West)

-Treat the eyes with wonders in Showcase: Etsy pulls the “Top Items” from thousands of sellers. “Fresh Daily”

-Be Playful, Pounce!! Users can view sellers waiting to make their first sale (oh, be a humanitarian already!) OR view sellers who just made a sale.

-Traverse the Geolocator: Etsy’s Globe shows you the most recently published items from around the world. Think Google Earth but for en mode.

-Speaking of fashion forward, take a trip in the Time Machine and be UP TO THE MINUTE. As items just listed float on the screen just begging to find a home. Seriously, this is worse than a trip to the pound for me… “Mama, I wanna take em all home!!”

-Gift Guides are a lifesaver!! The user can choose between who will be receiving the gift, the occasion, the time of the year as well as that special person’s tastes. PHUCK Overstock. Great Prices and Originality.

-Colors: While seemingly NOT the most exciting program that Etsy offers, it is actually wildly amusing. Also quite helpful for someone trying to match home accessories in the Perrrrfect living space.

-Shop Local: Obviously a favorite. Check out my finds below.

While you can buy dresses and hand painted shoes, I’m quite partial to creative jewelry myself. Not only because it makes a statement with any boring outfit but because jewelry always tells a story. Think about what you’re wearing this moment: What was the occassion? How does it make you feel? (Please Comment Below!)

Oh, the lovely thing about ordering jewelery online? No ‘wrong size.’

These are the finds in Philly that make me want to empty my bank account:

Feeling edgy? Show it with sweetteeth’s handmade glass beads resembling pulled teeth!!
Would this be an inappropriate gift for Grandma?

I cannot get enough of this designer!! pinkflamingo61takes found item/vintage jewelry to another stratosphere!

FallenHearts‘ carries a wide array of vintage jewelry, like this ivory cuff from India.
Oh, just think of all the places it has been!

PreciousMeshes employs metal wire to net and nest some truly enviable objects.
Simple. Delicate. Lovely.

What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?

Where did you get it?

Summer Loooove: Brilliant Fashion in the NEW Sex and the City Movie!! May 29, 2008

Tuesday night I was fortunate enough to be in a seat at the Ritz East for an advanced screening of Sex and the City. Oh My PHucking God. It is amazing. Reuniting with four of my favorite girlfriends was so exciting!! You could feel the enthusiasm in the air as Sarah Jessica Parker’s infamous voiceover re-introduced us to each lady.

The audience literally ohhhhh-ed with anticipation.

Now, I don’t want to give away too much about the movie, but know this: NO ONE DIES! Apparently some ridiculous rumor about Charlotte dying in childbirth is going around! NOT TRUE. Yet, some of our usual complications DO arise. Miranda is riding Steve too hard (although not literally, which is a touchy sexual issue itself), Big and Carrie still have BIG marriage issues, Charlotte continually worries unnecessarily about her family and Samantha, well Samantha never has too much of an issue that a little sex can’t solve, does she? But really, even she encounters an issue she can’t fuck away: fidelity.

Of course I have to mention the 5^th and most prominent character of Sex and the City: FASHION!

I had a full-on couture hard-on for the whole movie.

I absolutely adored almost everything Miranda had on. Especially: this metallic dress worn in the opening scene.

As well as this black and white one worn at an auction scene:

It seems they put Miranda in a lot of geometric prints which I knew would be huge this summer with the 60’s edging back into style. Charlotte is sprouting florals everywhere! As well as clean lines. While Samantha is as bright as a canary. Think tropical yellows, reds and blues.

Carrie as usual, edges between high end tomboy and runway darling. Of course the epitome of lovely is when she dons several different designer wedding gowns for a VOGUE fashion shoot that features the sex and relationships writer as a bride at 40. “The Last Single Girl,” they decide to call the article. Do you not adore this Vivienne Westwood?! AHHH

Each actor brings his and her best, making for some truly emotional scenes. (I cried!!) The editing is fantastic as well. Sooooooo… GO SEE, GO SEE, GO SEE!!

On a softer note, I felt a sort of redemption undercutting the emotional journey we took with our heroine. In the end, the LOVE was apparent, as well as lessons in forgiveness. Which when you think of it, is the biggest expression of unconditional love, is it not??

There have been times watching Sex and The City that my negative attitudes towards love and attachment have only been reinforced.

Mainly that it’s too complicated, not worth it. But as I sat watching four of my beloved characters and their men sit down to dinner in the final scenes of the movie, I got it. Essentially, what the show has always been trying to tell me: have hope. That the search for love is messy, painful, tragic at times even, but in the end, it is found.

It is found.

In the meantime, I’ll collect handbags… go get yourself something NEON. That is an order.

Until Next time,

Phreaked

P.S. Feel free to comment on the movie if you have seen it, or ASK questions on the comments board! Thanks!