i would, of course, have to remove the generic art and replace it with art of my choosing. but upcycling something like this would probably be a breeze.

Fab.com | Wireless Sound Systems As Art.

i’m pretty proud of myself for buying nothing totally impractical. the suitcase i’m going to use for storage; the coat i’m obviously going to wear between temps of 40 and -20 degrees.

then there’s …. well, i don’t even know. it might be an art piece, or it [...]]]> one more and then i shut up.

i’m pretty proud of myself for buying nothing totally impractical. the suitcase i’m going to use for storage; the coat i’m obviously going to wear between temps of 40 and -20 degrees.

then there’s …. well, i don’t even know. it might be an art piece, or it might be really useful if i, y’know, decide to break out and have a full-on sit-down korean bbq dinner, or something.

whatever, when it’s this pretty i stop caring.

this is a 1950′s korean dining table. it has wooden foldout feet. it’s about 5 feet tall and about 3.5 feet wide. when it’s set upright with the feet unfolded, it’s about 18″ off the floor.

it’s laminated. or it has a transparent layer imposed on it. i’ve never seen one like this, really, so i’m not sure what the construction is, other than dark wood.

oh, and the white bits aren’t paint. or overlay. or carving.
they’re inlaid mother of pearl.

every little swot and scrap is inlaid mother-of-pearl. it’s hard to capture on camera, because to see it you have to look diagonal to the glare a flash causes, due to the lacquer layer.

i have never seen anything like it. of course, it’s not like it’s a ming dynasty vase or a hibachi from the 16th century (i quote that because my mother actually *had* a hibachi from the 16th century, and it was so lovely i was nervous just being three feet from it) – it’s a beautiful little midcentury thing, is all. and it’s going in my dining room.

$120. not bad, imo, though i don’t know for sure (furniture is less my area than clothing).

now i’m shutting up.

you’d be surprised how often i buy coats in summer. [...]]]> some people probably think it’s a bit strange that i tend to blog about things i buy. but i love a bargain, and i like chronicling the Tao of Bargain Wa, and i’m a showoff, and i don’t feel like i need any other excuse.

you’d be surprised how often i buy coats in summer. almost all the really good coats i’ve ever bought have been found in July or August. i’m always on the lookout, because (a) i’m really hard to fit: most extremely petite women aren’t as curvy as i am; (b) i have extremely discerning tastes, and (c) good coats, up here, are worth their weight in gold, if you’re out and about in the winter as much as we are – scooterists here will ride year ’round as long as the roads allow for it, and they usually do, no matter how cold it is; we just throw on six layers and go.

when i find one, therefore, if it’s worth it, i grab it and growl. it’s a challenge for me to find them, anyway: i’m still not as used to thinking about needing a new coat for winter as most people who grew up somewhere that they, well, *get* a winter.

enter something you don’t ever expect to find in a semitropical place like the Katrina Zone:

i don’t buy new furs. ever. i don’t contribute to the fur trade, at least not unless it’s something i kill myself. however, if it’s something that died before i was born, i’ll think about it.

especially if it’s entirely composed of champagne mink.

this may look odd if you’ve never seen mink bellies. technically, this color is called “palomino”: it’s about three shades darker than my hair. the collar is champagne fox and is much closer to my hair color.

it’s meant to be below-knee length. on me, it’s more below-calf length.

the nearest we can figure, it was made for a woman almost exactly my size, sometime in the early 60′s – it’s not a swing coat, but it’s trending that way; the lines feel like a transitional style – and we’ve no idea who made it at all. there’s no label, but the fastenings are more or less professional quality, and they’re perfectly intact and sturdy.

i love these interior details. much of the lining is hand-whipstitched: i’ve no idea what to make of that.

this was $65.
part of the deal was a promise that, once we get a good solid couple feet of snow here, i’d get as glamorous as possible – which, if you haven’t met me or have never seen this, is terrifyingly glamorous – put my coat on, take a bunch of pictures in the snow, and send them to the ladies who sold me this. (i also had to promise to at least try to find a matching toque, which is doubtful, but of course i *will* try.)

which i fully intend to do, of course. i hardly ever get actual *commissions* to get dolled up. usually i just do it because well, darling, someone has to provide some sort of visual ambiance.

there’s nothing quite like buying something practical *and* luxurious. and, you know, mink.

of course, actually *having* a mink coat now means that i cannot any longer use it as a figment of sarcasm for impossible velleities and people who are lost in the throes of barbie complex (aka “i want everything, and i want it handed to me on a platter”). i’ll have to fall back on “i want a pony and a diamond ring the size of my head, but you don’t see me getting them, do you.”

oh, my poor belabored reader. you thought this was the end of my pompous blathering, didn’t you? alas.
more momentarily.

i’ve got a new suitcase.

things are cheap in the Ancestral Lands. especially antiques, because the market for them isn’t as good as it is in more civilized areas of the world.

i just like antique suitcases. of course, they’re pretty kitschy-soughtafter right now, so you know what [...]]]>

i’ve got a new suitcase.

things are cheap in the Ancestral Lands. especially antiques, because the market for them isn’t as good as it is in more civilized areas of the world.

i just like antique suitcases. of course, they’re pretty kitschy-soughtafter right now, so you know what they’re like if you’ve ever tried to price one at a flea market. this one has latches that work, a bakelite handle and the interior is quite intact.

it was $26.

it was the perfect thing to haul home stuffed full of these:

Nancy Drew. lots of Nancy Drew. LOTS AND LOTS OF NANCY DREW.

these aren’t rare by any stretch of the imagination. but they’re mine, so i brought them home with me.

also? big big thanks to Janey and Lexxious for taking care of the childies while we were losing ourselves in tropical storms, blues and mindless conspicuous consumption.

he DOES TOO exist. and apparently he's glad to see his Daddy. (don't ask me; i'm as bewildered as anyone.)

more momentarily.

also, i don’t have a tag for #ifIhadamillionsimoleonstoblow, but maybe i should.

just [...]]]> OH SNAP. come on, you knew this was coming. if i had a dime for every rider that’s posted that OMG SO EXCITING** lightcycle repro this week, i’d be closer to being able to afford one of these helmets.

also, i don’t have a tag for #ifIhadamillionsimoleonstoblow, but maybe i should.

just $1200 to $1800 clams and lookin’ like Tron Guy can be all yours.*

Protect Your Skull In Total Tron Luxury on Kotaku, from Les Ateliers Ruby.

um…. OLIVIA WILDE IN A CATSUIT. that’s all i’m gonna say.

*no disrespect to tron guy. that brother is clearly doing his own thing, come what may. more power.

** not sarcasm. it IS exciting.

My Fatal Sniping: Let Me Show You It.

i’m kind of mad for spatterdashes lately. i’m not too sure why. possibly it has something to do with never being able to find boots that don’t seem to be built for people with ankles proportionate to their feet – in other words, cankle boots, [...]]]> or,

My Fatal Sniping: Let Me Show You It.

i’m kind of mad for spatterdashes lately. i’m not too sure why. possibly it has something to do with never being able to find boots that don’t seem to be built for people with ankles proportionate to their feet – in other words, cankle boots, which all boots seem to be,  anymore.

this is a lot of four pairs of black jersey spats.  they seem to come complete with the label. there’s a size 6, a size 7, and two size 13s, which i’ll probably improve and sell on etsy to recoup some of my expense. i may replace the buttons on the others as well, just to make them a little flashier – i found something else that bespeaks clean and classic; something that evokes the Ideal Platonic Spat,  something like (after the jump) .  . .

something rather more like these.

thick woollens in a very dark olive.

such beautiful craftsmanship.

now i merely need to convince myself that i don’t really *need* this gown.

alas, the line between need and WANT is so blurry as to be excruciatingly arbitrary.

rather badly.

aren’t they unspeakably stunning?

FABULON: The Shrine.