Category :Black

More Than Aphrodite

Dress – Mango //  Jacket & Belt – F21  //  Necklace – Threadsence  //  Boots – Feet First
Black, textured, and chiffon.  This dress feel like it was made for me.  Something about the loose, drapey quality of it makes me feel like some kind of goddess.  Not that I am one mind you, just feel that way.  Though if I were to be a goddess, I think I would choose to be Artemis – the goddess of wilderness, the hunt, and animals.  More than Aphrodite, which seems to be the one everyone goes for, I love the athleticism and uncontrolled quality of Artemis.  The wild and unpredictable wildness, coupled with the grounded nature of the animal kingdom.  Yeah, I’d go with that.

*I’d love for you to continue to vote for me daily in the Wallis Summer Stylist Contest*

On Self-Portraits

Tank – Brandy Melville  //  Pants – don’t remember (no tag)  //  Boots – Cheap shop in Chinatown  //  Necklace – Threadsence  //  Rings – Threadsence, F21 and other Misc
One of my favorite music artists sings, “You ain’t nothin’ special. You’re no more celestial than anyone else.”  That’s something to keep in mind.  Yes, you are one of a kind, but so is everyone else.
That brings me to what I want to say today:  for all you/us bloggers, when taking pictures of yourself just get over it.  You’re not the most *anything* in the world – beautiful, ugly, graceful, awkward, funny, etc etc.  You are just you.  And for your blog/site, your readers want to see you.  Warts, bruises, love handles, scars, smiles, dimples and all.  
So when taking self portraits, just relax, have some fun and get used to seeing your face in all is made up glory and it’s made down normal.  I’ve come to *mostly – flawed remember?* accept that I’m also not the most of *anything*.  So you guys see me made up, but you also see me with a face mask on and you also see me like this:

We’re all flawed and imperfect beings.  But at the same while perfection might be fascinating to look at momentarily, in the long run you’d get either bored or very sad.  Whereas, well, with someone like me, you can think to yourself, “Well, at least I don’t make those faces in public!”  
*Because, come on, I know you make them in private*

When Your Child Looks At You Like You’re Crazy

Dress – ASOS  //  Jacket – Billy by Flying Tomato  //  Boots – Feet First  //  Socks – F21  //  Necklace – Threadsence  // Scarf – Kensie
Baby Girl and I are curled up on the couch in the morning.  PJs still firmly on both of us, Dora on the tv, little girl tucked neatly into my side with thumb in her mouth.  I’m reading a post-apocalyptic novel and in a very grueling section it talks about parents sending their children away so they don’t die and how many of those children perish anyway.  
As I read each sequential line of this section, my eyes tear up and my grip on my girl gets stronger and stronger, until the moment when I’m sobbing like a mad woman and clinging on to her for dear life.  That’s the moment the thumb sucking stops and two little eyes turn on me with a, “What in the world is wrong with you mom?” look.  Her gaze gives me a stare that says, “No, seriously? What’s with you lady?”  And after a few seconds, she patronizingly pats my arm and says, “It’s okay…it’s okay.”  
She must think I really take it hard when Swiper takes something from Dora.
p.s.  This is my favorite pic because it looks like I’m checking out my own butt.  Yeah!


Seen And Not Heard

Top – Zara  //  Leggings – Ebay I think?  //  Boots – Feet First  //  Necklace – Kenya via TenThousand Villages

Some days I’m poetic, whereas other days, like today, I’m just downright taciturn.  The ideas in my head refuse to leave and be shared with the universe.  My words and sentences have decided to firmly plant roots inside my brain and never see the light of day.  It’s a day that’s meant to be silently enjoyed and reflected upon, but never discussed.

Quote of Today:
“You never really learn much from hearing yourself speak.” 
– George Clooney

Not A Trend

Top – Freeway via Ruche  //  Pants – Gap  //  Boots – Feet First  //  Sunnies & Earrings – F21
Can I just say a little something?  I love fashion, but maybe I’m not understanding something.  How is Black and White the trend for Spring?  It’s not a trend.  It’s a color combo.  Moreover, it’s a classic color combo dating back goodness knows how long.  It’s the simplest color combo.  This is not a trend for Spring, this is a classic and age old color combo that should have no one surprised.  I think it was pretty much the first thing I learned about fashion – that black and white go well together.  I’m somewhat dismayed that the fashion world has no more idea than to go back and call B&W a new trend for Spring.  I think we can be more creative than that.

Dress like everyone’s looking.

Top & Sunnies – F21  //  Jacket – BB Dakota via ModCloth  //  Pants – Lululemon  //  Boots – Feet First  //  Necklace – Threadsence
It’s the first lovely day of Spring so of course Baby Girl and I go to the playground for an extended stay.  It’s a lot of fun, and even though the slides and the postman were the only ones to see me, I still needed to dress up and feel great.  ‘Cause that’s what it’s really all about.  
p.s. So I just got this necklace, and I’ve already lost the matching earrings.  Fail.  Oh and I’m having a 50% off sale on all ad space!  Use the code “SPRING”  Sale lasts until April 15th.  Everyone who purchases an ad with this code until April 15th is automatically entered into a random draw to win one month of “SuperCool” ad space.
Quote of Today:
“Mommy has boobies!  hahahaha!!”

Projected Self Image

Top & Bracelet – Brandy Melville  //  Pants – hand me down  //  Scarf – street stand  //  Necklace – Threadsence  //  Boots – Locale
If you passed me on the street right now, what you’d see is that bundled up lady in the second picture pushing a covered up grumpy baby, but of course those of you on the web usually only see the first picture there.  It’s clearly a projected self image that, while true, is not representative of the whole picture. *pardon the pun*  It’s like FB or twitter.  The rates of depression have soared because of social media where everyone presents their best selves, the image of the selves they would like to be project to the world, and that makes us all compare ourselves to these false representations of people.  No one can live up to that. 
You never see that the woman jet setting around the globe cries herself to sleep at night.  Or that the man with the perfect family is swimming in debt. Or that our favorite blogger who looks so cute or does so many crafts is in pain all the time.   Nor should you really since social media is public and we don’t air our dirty laundry in public or on the street.  But my point is that as hard as it is we should never compare ourselves to people on FB, twitter, or blogs, because we don’t see the truth behind the pictures.  
Your life is good, warts and all.
Here endeth the lesson

Fringe in February

Sweater- C’est Moi via Trixie  //  Dress – 8000 Nerves via ModCloth  //  Tights – HUE  //  Boots – Feet First
Necklace – Threadsence  //  Belt – thrifted

So two things have happened.  One, I’ve gotten tired of February keeping me in pants with long johns or tights underneath.  And two, I finally got up the nerve to wear my ModCloth stylish surprise dress and in the middle of a frostbiting blustery day.  And I nearly froze my fingers off again taking these pictures.  So I guess that’s three things.

Pardon the wrinkled nature of the dress.  I did have it on all day with the babe, through the ordeal of forgetting items and running back to the house then back to the bus, and a test shoot with a very lovely lady.  While we’re on the subject of the dress, I love it.  It’s one of those pieces I never would’ve chosen myself but now it seems to fit seamlessly into the shifting aesthetic of my style. 

If you haven’t noticed ModaMama is moving ever so subtly away from sweet dressing and more into a boho style lately.  Maybe I shouldn’t say it outright, maybe that’s some bloggers faux pas, but I find myself drawing away from certain sweet items like Peter Pan collars in favor of fringe and loose fitting soft materials.  Who knows.  One thing I love about fashion is it’s ever evolving reflection of the changing nature of our selves. 

Boycotting February

Sweater –Free People via The Bay  //  Tank – Gap  // Leggings – hand me down  //  Scarf – street stand
Freezing cold.  I think I’ve decided that I hate February.  Even with Valentine’s Day and copious amounts of chocolate, I think I could do without the entire month.  It’s cold. And everyone gets all cabin fevery. *yes, that’s a word* 
On days like this I don’t even dare to step outside to take out the recycling.  It can sit there until it walks out on it’s own, or Andrew takes it out, whichever comes first.  
Time for tea.  Stay warm everyone.

You May Stop Traffic…

Dress – Line & Dot  //  Top – Jacob  //  Belt – thrifted  //  Tights – HUE  //  Boots – Feet First
…but I bring down fences.  Or so I would have you believe.  The truth is a lot less glamorous and not at all flattering to me.  We had a huge storm that blew off the fence separating our backyard from the neighbors.  That’s it.  Nothing fun or glamorous, and kind of depressing considering we’ll have to pay to get the fence re-done in the Spring.  So for now, I’m going to pretend that the fence was just totally blown away by the awesomeness of my dress. ‘Cause that’s a lot more fun, and kind of superpowery too. 
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