Help me make a decision

 "Glitter" leggings from Lindsay Lohan's 6126 collection online. 

This magical piece is a fusion of two of our favorite trends: sequins and leggings. Slip on your favorite city-girl shoes and be ready to glisten and glimmer all night long. 

Is this an Indie "yes" or "no"? I feel the type of shoes implied are not sneakers or those flat orthopaedic-looking unsupportive leather shoes, which leads me to doubt the Indieness of these leggings.

• ·         Front and back sequin panels

• 
  

  ·         Sold black sides

• 
  

  ·         Elastic waistband

• 
  

  ·         Modal/spandex

Are elastic waistbands some sort of new feature of leggings which I hadn't previously known about???!!!

Playing Beatie Bow

deconstructing and drawing inspiration

“when you don’t dress like everybody else, you don’t have to think like everybody else”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/fashion/iris-apfel-90-stylish-and-on-hsn-up-close.html?pagewanted=all

why can’t I show the top of the page like links on facebook.

Indie of the Week, because the week starts on Sunday

Which is the Indiest one? it's Evanna Lynch, the Irish girl who played Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. I mean DUDE! sweet pants - puffy style but not ill-fitting. Hard to come by. And the belt! And it was well done, the tight top with puffy pants and not too naked because of the cardigan. It's not grungy at all! I am only frowning because the hair needs a bit of a trim and too be off her face. She's so cute and looks full of beans for a fifteen (?) year old. Man, the more I look at this picture the more it cracks me up.

Zebra Micro Mini

Are you an Indie whose signature look is animal prints? I think not. Animal prints are not florals, which is why they are not what first comes into your mind when you think about Indie patterns. And I reckon this is because they are seen as unnatural and fake. They do not conform to the Principle of Organics. Animal prints decidedly belong to a couple of looks and that has been an unquestioned point in society. But today I am daring to challenge. Because I have seen a photo on the Internet of the Indie Icon Françoise Hardy in  a zebra miniskirt.

source: http://www.listal.com/viewimage/2421771

xoxo

Indie Inspiration

I had to force myself to sit down and write this blog post. Sometimes things are such a drag and one is surrounded by the type of energy that blocks up the joke pipe and/or system of progression of ideas. But it's okay now because I've tied back my hair in a way I haven't done in a while and have been drinking Turkish apple tea from the special glasses which were a gift from a friend a couple of birthdays ago. But anyway, I was really inspired a few days ago reading a post on beautyfool.net about how to do fake dreadlocks with hair gel. (Note: Indies are always being inspired by this or that.) From there I went to find some images but was quite unsuccessful. 

So anyway, the dreadlocks style is rooted deep in ancient history and have been worn by many religious groups. Just look it up on Wikipedia. According to that one unreliable source (with questionable information on Australian breakfast under Australian cuisine), reasons for wearing dreadlocks are to express "deep religious or spiritual convictions", "a manifestation of ethnic pride", "a political statement" and as "a fashion preference." But that was hardly new knowledge. Dreadlocks are totally a mark of commitment to something. Like, they take ages to form, so it would be unwise to embark on the journey and decide half way through that you no longer wanted to be making whatever statement you supported before.

Dreadlocks are an iconic fashion statement among rebels. In the fifties, the Mau Mau rebels lived in the forests of Kenya growing dreadlocks and fighting against British rule. And of course the Rastafarian wearing of dreadlocks to, apparently, rebel against Eurocentric ideals about beauty and the way things should be cannot go unmentioned.

These days the dreadlocks look is associated with hippies, cults and new subcultures I didn't know existed until I saw them mentioned on Wikipedia and had no desire to look at their page. So pretty much, they are worn by people who are hard-core and are displaying their rebelness. And their inspiration was possibly the reggae vogue blah blah blah Bob Marley, a staple on the Facebook profile of Indies. The rebelling is probably against commercialisation of everything in society and the absurd triviality of society's routine (such as cleaning your head).

image: http://themusicsover.com/2010/05/11/bob-marley/

Online, the alternative can congregate together as a community on sites such as dreadheadhq.com. And purchase accessories, hair care items and synthetic extensions (I get this image of opening up a drawer in the dark and landing my hand upon fat coils) at dreadlocks.com.au. And the impatient dreadlocks lover could always get a salon dread perm using chemicals, which I reckon is what they did for the Argentinian brand Complot's verano 2009 collection. (Ha! And they've got all these pages about backstage, which is an Indie like, because it's a peak into the Industry.)

images from http://lomejordelamoda2008.blogspot.com/2008/10/complot-primavera-verano-2009.html 

Indie Travels: Ann Siang Hill - Singapore - part two

Can you see the skulls (or is 'skullz')  on the wallpaper on the outside of this shop? Unexpectedly powerful.

Classic blend of old and new.

"Cakes and Knick Knacks" is definitely a misleading understatement. It's actually a fancy patisserie and Indie/Vintage shop. I think the shop on the left of the door with the cross is a vintage clothes shop.

Inside the Indie shop. Just to list a few things for sale: Polaroid cameras, Indie Christian cards, small selection of vintage frocks, books that are people's opinions on some global issue, collectibles, vintage coke bottles and this seriously Indie children's magazine. Oh, and the patisserie.

Hipster Houses

There’s something in the air that must be influencing you to ask yourself big questions about the nature of things, such as what happens to an Indie Child when they get kind of old and have already been living as an adult for a while? Well, I’ve been thinking about it a bit and researching the topic a bit and I’ve concluded that the natural path is becoming a Hipster and building a house. Built on big land, their children can be cultivated in the best possible way. It is then appropriate for them to start cooking hearty, rustic meals. (Living near the water is also very desirable.) You will doubtlessly have seen many pictures of these planned homes in magazines and online at places such as Unhappy Hipsters. There is therefore no need for me to describe them.

I’m not trying to rain down on their creative sparks or anything like that, but I can’t help noticing that seeing as Hipsters seriously dig the Nordic style, isn’t their style quite “off the shelf”? Hipsters probably love things to be crafted for them by craftspeople/furniture makers. So my question is whether it is they themselves who design their chair to an interesting geometric shape, or do they buy pieces from designers who specialise in interesting shaped furniture?

And you have noticed their passion for storage space, have you not? Utilising nifty storage space is an example of Hipster minimalist values, as they’re keeping the clutter out of their lives. Though they are not actually having few possessions.

Hipster homes are a living art-space. Creative people live in them and do creative things. Hipster furniture tends to be large and minimalist. So balancing big and small is important and composition is an art form. An example is leaving storage shelves of the open variety empty, with the exception of a small object. And having a tastefully artistic home breeds further creativity in all ways.

When I set out to write this blog post, I thought I knew what I was going to write about, that I had a clear point, actually, perhaps just a point. Now I’m just plain confused and feel that all I have grasped is that if you are in the situation of thinking for some reason that you fit into the Hipster category but aren’t confident letting your own innovativeness create your home, you can read the catalogues and visit the store of Swedish furniture company IKEA (which I’m thinking you probably already like.) In the scheme of things, it’s probably best to let others judge you and your taste by the brands you buy. DIY meets design. Hahahaha.

Indie Travels: The Arab Quarter - Singapore - part one

It isn't really called the Arab Quarter. I just gave it that name because its centre is a large mosque. Adding to it's Indieness, it is such an awe-inspiring blend of old and new and different cultures. Old shop houses but with such trendy wares and vibe. It's such a gem.
You can get good Middle Eastern food in the Arab Quarter. And it's much cheaper compared to Australian prices.
I am sorry that the pictures did not load in the order I took them in. But then I didn't think ordering them chronologically would be that important...
Most of the boutiques photographed are on Haji Lane. You can have a great time on Haji Lane shopping for clothes, Ray-Ban collectible sunglasses, stationary, eating ice-cream, buying vintage frocks for a fraction of Australian prices, playing video games and enjoying aircon. (i.e. It's the place to go when you're needing full-on Hipster Cultural Immersion)
Shame I didn't take a picture of a hippy lounge cafe on Haji Lane where people were sitting on the ground smoking pipes and making Japan aid materials.
Mate, Singapore has got a pretty good Indie shopping scene, it's not just the big shopping malls.

Halal Swedish cafe, Arab Street.

Tumbled-down house with jungle growing inside.

Graffiti in Singapore.

The search for perfection always leads us back to minimalism.
(Incase you don't get my comment, those boxes have t-shirts in them and say 'The Pursuit of the Perfect Tee Project".)

LEGO is the best educational toy. Now in love heart brooches.

Can you see the green popular penguins?

Crafty ribbon, a book on impressionism, the essential denim jeans and The Satorialist.

A scarf for every type of indie.

I guess the scarf just got a bit indier.

Sky Room, where I bought a cool dress. Chinese Indie fashion.

I wonder if that tasteful brick wall is functional or decorative. Look, there's retro furniture too. Upstairs was a bar.

Cats are the indiest animal. They roam around the place. There were lots of cats around the neighbourhood, so isn't that kind of grungey?

The bicycle - an indie must-have

The Kingdom of Spain

Ah, hello to the many readers who follow my blog! Hahaha. Anyway, since quite a while back I’ve been wanting to do a pilgrim walk through Spain. Wouldn’t that be so interesting? And a few days ago I watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations trip to Spain and I was thinking about Spain again. Hahaha. I know, Whiter Shades of Pale by Christian Lander has a chapter about the show. I realised a bit of hilarious hypocrisy in that episode – so, this Anthony Bourdain guy is tired of the whole nouvelle cuisine scene and is searching for something different, a bit more down to earth. Buhe was praising Spain as the place to go for the latest in food exploration, indulgence and study! Hahaha. I’m just linking to a page I think is quite inspiring and creative (read: ‘creative’ is an indie attribute) which I found on the internet. It’s an interactive metro map of the Spanish Indie music scene. Unfortunately I didn’t know how to show the map on this page so you’ll have to follow the link.

http://graficos.lainformacion.com/arte-cultura-y-espectaculos/musica-rock-and-roll/el-mapa-de-metro-del-indie-espanol_W8ZtXUdjluWQOpQ8EWz8m6/

Billie.