Lagenlike

Posted on November 4, 2015 by marey mercy

Ha! I thought of another great title playing off the term Lagenlook. I am awesome! Thank you!

Levitation editing – in the original photo I was just sitting on a stool. VERY easy to do with these pants on, because they’re so baggy they covered up most of the stool I was sitting on, and I only had to edit out chair legs.

I am SO behind on uploading photos to my blog – still haven’t shared my latest portraits or any of my Wings Over Houston stuff – plus I’m way behind on photo editing, too. I have sets going all the way back to September that I haven’t finished processing yet, but since the actual taking of photos is hard to accomplish right now, I guess that’s a good thing. I’ve been able to take clothing shots by just moving my furniture out of my office and sticking the 7D on my tripod, but as you can see I’ve not even bothered to put up a backdrop in months so you keep getting views of my lovely, incredibly un-fashionable carpet and a blank wall instead. Sorryboutit. Moving on.

Got this green jumper back from the tailor, with the green string-straps replaced with something more durable

In my last Lagenlook/Oh My Gauze post, I mentioned how great these clothes photograph, as well as being wearable outside the studio, which is nice. Since that time, I’ve gotten back the pieces I took into the tailor as well as buying a few discontinued items off eBay, and buying yet more stuff direct from the store’s website. What can I say, when I get obsessed, I get really obsessed, plus they still have some clearance items for sale and the prices are so good I just can’t resist picking a few more things up here and there (in fact, I was back on the site looking at what’s left on clearance this evening and snagged a few more items. Even my husband took note of the great prices, so there you go).

The pants here are called the Carnival Pant and I really didn’t think I would like them. But, they were on sale in a color that was unusual and not overly available (all the clearance stuff is in discontinued colors, so I’ve ended up with a LOT of the same colors), and they were really inexpensive so I gave them a go. They turned out to be quite cute on, and they look more like a skirt than pants anyway. I actually get a lot of compliments on these when I wear them. The May vest was a longshot too – I didn’t think I’d get much use out of it but for twenty bucks (clearance price no longer available) I thought why not. And of course, it’s ended up being a very functional piece as well. The key to the whole lagenlook style is incorporating a lot of layers and creating unusual shapes with them, so a lightweight piece like this works to pull looks together quite nicely. The top is called Marcy, and at this point I don’t think there’s any more available in the sale colors. It’s one of the few tops I didn’t have to get altered, as the shape is a bit more slim than a lot of their tops.

And for what it’s worth, I do think those shoes were a bad choice for this outfit. Oh well.

I don’t know if I’ve shown any dresses from OMG yet, so let’s throw a few in right now:

There’s the Robin wig again

This is called the Bella Dress, and it’s the first item I saw from OMG that inspired me to investigate the brand. I’m pretty sure it came up in a lagenlook search on Pinterest, and I found the slightly rounded, bubble shape of the skirt really appealing. I did have to get it altered in the top because it was a bit too wide, but as with everything from this line I was careful not to take it in too much as its looseness is part of the appeal. The color here is Fig, and it’s one of my favorite colors – but it’s not a discontinued one. Bella is one of the more expensive pieces OMG has, but it’s hella popular so I can see why, and it was definitely worth it.

The rare barefoot shot – only because my shoes kept flying off

Then there’s this Lea Blouse Dress, which I think may be my favorite piece so far: the shape is so casual and unusual and the fit is really interesting but still quite lovely (they only have one color left of this one on clearance, so I just linked to the full-priced version). It’s crazy baggy, and it looks like a sack, but strangely, a very attractive and fashionable sack. I love it – but I’ve already gotten the top taken in once and still feel like it’s a bit big, so I will probably take it back for another round of alterations. It’s the neckline that fits me a bit wide, and it keeps slipping off to one side when I’m wearing it, causing me to tug at it a lot to get it back into place throughout the day. It’s quite an interesting neckline, though:

I guess you can’t really see the neckline here, but it’s kinda square. The boots are Uggs, of course.

I don’t much agree that this could also be a blouse; it’s a whole lotta fabric to then throw over pants or a skirt, but to each her own. I had the sleeves taken in a little bit too, but as you can see there’s still a lot of room in this thing. And yet, I think it works, and I feel really pretty when I wear this. Hey, some gals want ruffles and a tiara, and I just want a fashionable sack. Whatever works (although I wouldn’t throw a tiara out of my closet if someone flung one in there either, so there you go).

The hair is my customized Code Mono by Ellen Wille

And now for another dress – the Belva is a new style and is only available at full price:

Please forgive the goofy face. And the hair here is Coco by Rene of Paris – another really good deal. The shoes are by Sperry, and they were not a good deal price-wise, but they are incredibly comfy.

One interesting thing about OMG’s new fall colors is that there are a LOT of very springy shades they’re using, like the one above. It’s called Lilac but looks more Periwinkle to me, and while they discontinued a lot of khakis and grays and browns and put them in the clearance section, their new colors include some pastel yellows and greens as well as the one pictured above. I’m not complaining, as the colors are very pretty; it just seems unusual for a Fall line. There are also some more vibrant jewel tones like violet and orange, but still, the colors overall feel more like spring than fall to me (although there are some nice grays and olive greens in there, too). Oh, and this dress needed no alteration. And I adore the hemline. And the pockets. And I forgot to edit one of the many jumping pics I took in it, so you’ll have to see that one next time.

The next few pieces are discontinued items, and can’t be found on the actual site. I got them both on eBay, but they can be found through a Google search at some other online stores.

I am wearing a hairpiece here, but I can’t recall which one. It’s one of those hairy ponytail scrunchies you wrap around your own ponytail to add volume. And, in my case, horns.

This top is called Rain, and it was not cheap, but it got lodged into my brain from the first time I saw it, and I had to have one. For awhile, all I could find were colors I didn’t really like – crimson red and coral (coral is SUCH a no on me) – but then lo and behold one showed up on eBay in gray and I snatched it up. I’m really glad I did, because it’s lovely, although I may decide to tailor this one too since the neckline might be a little wide on me. I paired it here with the Lola pant, and if you click that link you’ll see that they are a SUPER bargain right now, and in a lot of nice colors too. I did not order Lola right away, because the shots on the model didn’t make them look all that great, and I wasn’t sure how that balloon hem was going to work on a pair of pants. But in the end – and you should be able to repeat this along with me by now – they were just too good of a deal to pass up, so I got them in a basic black, which isn’t something I normally do. I hate to buy clothes in black if there are other, more interesting colors available, but I went with it for these because I figured I didn’t have a black pair of bottoms to work with my new wardrobe so why not buy something I’m not really sure I’m going to like in the boring color and see how it turns out. Well, how it turned out is that I love them, and have already bought a second pair (in the Fig color I like so much) and I am really trying to hold back on ordering a third (again – so CHEAP!). Really, really cute.

And just look how they move! And, I think my hairpiece flew off right after this shot.

Here’s another discontinued item I had to search for a little, and that I couldn’t get at a sale price, but was totally worth it:

The skirt is the discontinued piece here – it’s called Robin and I think I managed to snag it for around $75 on eBay – it usually sells for about $90. I loved it, though, and finally took the plunge; that balloon hem combined with the pockets made it a bit heavy and it was pulling down on me, so I had to alter the waist a bit. But it’s a really interesting shape and it will go with a lot of things. The top is called Sweet – it was too wide on me and had to be taken in, but now it’s a great staple and the ruching gives it a little pizzazz it wouldn’t otherwise have, I’ve mentioned this jacket before – it’s the Rome that had long tails in the front which I lopped off to create a more cropped look that’s made it more wearable, in my opinion.

Last but not least – whew! There’s a lot going on in this outfit, but I think all the different shapes are really fun:

OK, what all do we have here? The pant is called the Basic pant, and I think you can see why. Nothing funky there, but it is a nice, loose straight-but-wide leg and in the khaki they’re incredibly wearable (I had to buy this pair off eBay because at the online store the khaki was not available – it was one of the sale colors that has already run out). The blue top (the color is actually called Washed Reef) is called Hawaii and I love it – it’s a tank top, actually, so it’s great for layering and I love how long that asymmetrical hem is. It jazzes up anything you choose to wear it with, and the color is another one that’s unusual for me, but I figured I needed to give my wardrobe a little pop; it’s also got a tie-dyed pattern that isn’t overdone but that adds interest to what is otherwise a fairly basic, subdued outfit. And of course, it was one of the colors that was on sale, which helped me decide. The white jacket is called Siesta and it’s another versatile piece I’ve found dozens of uses for already – I can’t say enough about how well all this stuff works together. I can probably get dressed with my eyes closed now, and as long as I choose OMG pieces I’m not only going to be OK, but look unique and put-together too.

Photo nerd alert: this is a composite of two shots – yes, I did leap while holding Simon, but my legs were barely off the ground for obvious reasons. It didn’t look all that impressive that way, so I layered a different leap shot where I wasn’t holding a cat over the original and put them together.

Not as much movement with the Basic pant, of course, but those two tops are great for interesting, flow-y movement, In fact, last week we had a couple of very windy days here, and I loved walking outside and feeling everything blow and float around (except the Robin skirt, which got a little dangerous). The hair up there is my trusty Easy Edge by LuxHair HOW, and that necklace came from Nordstrom a few years ago and can only be worn in photos; it’s ridiculously heavy and scratchy against my neck, which is a shame since it’s a really cute piece. Oh well.

Believe it or not, that is it for now – and if you actually read all this, you deserve a medal. Or at least a cute piece from OMG, so get on over to their website and look around! And tell them I sent ya! Speaking of which, I sent the owners of the store a message linking them to my first blog post, and they actually sent me a $50 gift card as a thank you for my review! Ain’t that grand? I just haven’t used it yet because I have to call them to do so since the website can’t process it, and I’m usually online shopping at night past store hours (not sure what that says about me), plus I’m actually pretty shy and am a bit nervous about having to call them up and identify myself as that crazy lady who takes pictures of their clothes while she’s flying through the air and goes on way too long talking about clothes. But I’ll get around to using it sooner or later. And oh – there are probably more leaping photos coming of this stuff; I wasn’t kidding when I said the clothes take great movement photos! And no, I have not yet photographed everything I’ve bought. That may never happen. 🙂

Pause for Gauze

Posted on October 13, 2015 by marey mercy

Last week I mentioned that I’d become obsessed with an online store called Oh My Gauze, and at the time I said I’d take some pics of my new outfits eventually, so here’s part one of me fulfilling that promise. I’m also going to link to items when I can, so you can go check them out if you want (some of the pieces I bought were discontinued and are no longer for sale through the store, although many times you can find them on eBay). You’re welcome.

Photography nerd alert: this is a composite shot – my upper body is from one photo while the lower body is from a different one.

I say part one because I seriously bought a lot of pieces from this store in the past few weeks. About 8 items are at the tailor right now, because in tops and dresses especially OMG clothing tends to run a little large on me. I’m skinniest in my shoulders and torso area, so with the generous sizing of this brand those things can look sloppy even though they’re already intended to be loose. Pants and skirts, though, are generally fine, although I did take one skirt in for alterations as well, because the balloon hem combined with big pockets made it a little heavy and it was pulling the skirt down (the waist was a little big, but it wouldn’t have mattered had the skirt not been on heavy side).

I will say that my outfits were a big hit at the tailor’s; it was a holiday here today so a lot of parents were taking their kids in for alterations on this or that (no idea what sort of kid-events go on in October, but there sure were a lot of people there) and as I kept coming out of the fitting room with more artsy, funky outfits, women began to notice and ask where I got all this fabulous stuff. I told them, of course; I have no need to keep a good thing secret. Since my last beloved baggy-clothing store, CP Shades, shut down, I certainly want to send OMG as much business as I can so I don’t lose another manufacturer that I love.

This past Sunday I decided to throw on some of the new clothes and shoot some photos; but pictures of me just standing around in outfits isn’t of much use to me beyond this blog, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and do some jumping shots I could have more fun with. Little did I know how fabulous these clothes would be when they are in motion! Sure, I knew they were made to move and flow, but they created such amazing shapes I almost jumped myself to exhaustion playing around with it all. If you’ve followed my blog or Flickr page at all, you know how much I love using fabric in my movement photos to create interesting shapes, but most of the things I wear in those photos aren’t things I’d be caught dead in day to day. With OMG I have finally found a clothing line that works wonderfully in jump shots but that can also be worn out of the house! Heavenly.

Yep – right after the shutter snapped that shoe hit the ceiling

Those pants are called the Ida pant and they are a new style to the store. I about died when I saw these, as I’d seen pants like them all over the Lagenlook boards I’ve been following on Pinterest, but as I mentioned last time, usually this stuff is pretty expensive. The Ida pant is only $63, though, so they were really affordable. They are amazing, and in spite of their general craziness they look great on; not bizarre at all, just interesting, and almost like a skirt if you don’t look closely at them. Comfortable and fun and no one else I know is going to have a pair of these. Moving on.

The top is called Vanna and I have two of them; as I mentioned earlier, OMG’s tops can often be big on me, and even when altered their slouchiness can weigh me down and make me look like I’m drowning in clothes, so a top like this is perfect for me. A flowier top balances my skinny torso out with my bigger hips, and this one with the cropped length gives me a waistline. It’s also very easy to wear; like most of OMG it’s a throw-it-on-and-go affair.

Some of their items, though, are not so convenient:

PS – I had NO makeup on during this shoot as I’d spent the whole day in the pool, so I thought some funky glasses would detract from that. Not sure if it did or not.

OK, this is another new piece from them called Jeane; they call it a dress but it’s actually more like harem-pant overalls. Some of you know how much I love overalls and have been lamenting their lack of cool-factor since the 90’s, so a combination harem pant and overall seemed to be a slam dunk for me. However, the entire jumper is resting on those tiny little straps, which are basically shoestrings that tie in the back, and they are not up to the job, in my opinion. First of all, I despise anything that ties in the back (bathing suits come to mind; I love the look of a halter-style bathing suit top but they almost ALL tie at the neck and I just can’t stand that. And yes, I’ve been looking at a lot of bathing suits lately, too) and secondly, those skinny little straps don’t feel resilient to me at all. Plus, the first time I washed this one of the straps came ‘unthreaded’ (not sure what else to call it) and I had to use tweezers to force it back through, so they are not secure at all. I started to send this one back, but then I took these photos and realized how amazing the whole thing is, so I took it to the tailor and asked her to replace the shoestrings with something more sturdy that I would not have to tie. I don’t think I can get the straps in the same green, but I told her black would also be fine.

See what I mean, though, about the pictures proving that I really need to keep this piece? It takes some amazing photos – only one of which I’ve had time to edit (trust me there’s more):

My eyes went really wonky in this shot, so I ended up actually copying the left one and pasting it over the right one, then flipping it horizontally. I still look weird here, but not nearly as weird as I did before. Sorryboutit.

The shoe match here was great; those are from Urban Outfitters and are always on sale two for $20. I have a ton of them and find uses for them all the time, aside from photos (I learned long ago that bare feet are not the business for jumping shots unless you have pretty ones and can point your toes well; shoes make for a more flattering photo without the distracting dragon toes or, in my case, super-long skinny feet that look awkward). This was one piece people at the tailor’s place today were really freaking over how cute it is. Really unique; I just hope she can fix the straps to make it more manageable.

And while I’m thinking about it, I want to link here to another fabulous clothing discovery I recently made: Sleevey Wonders. I’ve always hated having to wear full-length tops under sleeveless dresses and things, but I also am not a big fan of sleeveless things (I just like being more covered than not; I’m not modest, I just think covered arms are prettier). Sleevey Wonders give you, well, sleeves, without the bulky top attached. Brilliant! They aren’t cheap, but for me they’re worth it. So far I have a blue mesh one and a white jersey, and I’m going to be picking up an ivory one soon. I wear the two I already have all the time – including in the pictures above. Moving on.

Now this next item is also unusual, and I was uncertain whether or not I’d like it, but in the end I’m glad I tried it out:

This is a color I’d generally never wear, but OMG is having a sale of discontinued colors right now that’s up to 50% off, and I couldn’t bring myself to buy this in a more wearable color (for me, anyway) and pay twice as much. So, chartreuse it is. I paired it with a pair of Chico’s Black Label satin cargo pants and a long-sleeved tee from Ann Taylor Loft, and bingo – I really like this look. It’s especially nice how well all this stuff goes with so much of what’s already in my closet – it’s not my first time at the artsy-flowy-fashions rodeo, people. Remember my Free People obsession of about a year ago? Most of what I bought from there works great with this stuff too, so my wardrobe has literally doubled over the past three weeks. It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s all good. This can also be worn on it’s own as a dress, by the way.

Also good for leapin’ – YEP!

Speaking of overwhelming, I had to quit editing outfit shots after these last two, but believe me, there’s more where this came from.

The hair is Laine by Rene of Paris, by the way

The top here is called Lynn, and it’s a narrower cut that didn’t require alterations for me. They also make a short-sleeved version of this called Grace that is great under other things. The whole line has some really interesting hemlines – there’s lots of angles and asymmetry that makes layering really eye-catching. The pants are pretty fabulous – they’re called the Osprey and I kept resisting buying them, because the price was around $85 and I couldn’t bring myself to spend that much when the sale pants were around $30 – finally they also went on sale and I snatched up two pair (in this color, called Fig, and also in Bone). I will say these pants looked AWFUL right out of the box, and I thought I’d made a mistake until I washed and dried them and they fell into place. The shoes, by the way, are another pointy-toed flat slide from Free People that I bought recently – so comfy and so unique with the shiny fabric. Love them.

Simon is also impressed

I have a lot of really fantastic jumping shots to process later, and more outfits for a future post, but I did want to go ahead and show off some of this stuff now. I think I’ve calmed down on the purchasing for awhile, but I definitely plan to go back often and add to my collection when I can. Dressing has been so much fun the past few weeks, and I think you can see why – this stuff was made for me. And comfy, and easy to clean (machine wash and dry), and affordable! Love.

I’ve also got some self-portraits to share that I’ve edited recently, but I’ll upload those later. For now, enjoy the rest of the week, and I hope you have as much fun getting out of bed and putting on clothes as I do!