Halloweekend: Smells Like Teen Spirit!

This past weekend Ben and I were inspired by colorful musical figures from the 1990s for our Halloween costumes.

It wasn't a difficult look to put together, as we just wore our own clothes. The only extra accessory that we needed were wigs. Blonde wigs.

You know how much I love dressing up like a trainwreck-- there's just something really fun about pretending to be someone who is out of their mind, also I have an excuse if I happen to go a little nuts. Luckily, I took it easy and the only wackiness I got into was overindulging in the free snacks at an airbnb event late on Saturday night where my friend, DJ Lil Elle, was spinning.

Anyway, on to the costumes!

My inspiration:


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90s vintage dress (can I even say "vintage" if it's from the 90s? If 90s is vintage, what does that make me?!) that I bought a while ago but have never worn. It had the Courtney Love vibe going on, so I pulled it out of the closet for the occasion.



The "Heiress" wig I picked up at a Halloween Spirit store for $12.99. Not too bad, though the quality was very poor. I knew I would have to cut it.



Posing in a wig cap and holding the bleached-blonde wig. It was super long and gross and reminded me of a dime-store Rapunzel.



After giving the wig a first cut, I took a photo and posted it on Tumblr and Facebook asking if it looked all right and if I should cut it more. I knew it needed to be shorter, but I didn't want to go too short and risk the synthetic hair falling out all over the place. It had already started to fall apart when I began trimming the length.



After I felt satisfied with the styling of my wig (which I had a hard time stuffing all of my hair underneath), I threw on one of Ben's plaid shirts over the Valley Girl dress, added some torn stockings and boots, and voila!



Doing a dazed face while waiting for pizza at Little Star, where we dined in costume and felt eyes darting over us as we relaxed and dined.



Ben, with his grandpa sweater and Kurt Cobain wig:



After a deep-dish pizza debacle (we mistakenly ordered Chicago style by not specifying when I wanted thin crust-- the only real pizza is thin crust pizza, IMHO, but we ate it anyway!) we stopped by Solstice and sat at the bar with Juv, dressed as a zombie Raggedy Anne, and her banana-friend:



The happy couple:



Getting photobombed by a Vendetta/Occupy dude while making my gangsta face:



Saturday night was a lot of fun-- it was nice to get dressed up and go out, even though I was still trying to fight off this cold and wasn't feeling 100%. My nose looks super dry in the photos from all the tissues I've been going through since Tuesday (the same day I started my temp job, coincidentally), but I guess it adds to the Courtney Love look.

Did you have fun over the weekend? What did you dress as, and where did you go?

Also, do you think I look good as a blonde? LOL

Halloween Costume Ideas, 2011

Still wondering what you're going to be for Halloween this year? Fret not, the Tsaritsa is here to help!

Last year, I predicted that the Lady Gaga meat dress and Christine O'Donnell "I'm not a witch" witch costume would be popular choices amongst the big-kid crowd. I actually did see a few meat dresses and some witches when I went out to celebrate, so hopefully my costume-picker is still on for this year!

- Canceled Playboy Bunnies. Throw on some lingere, bunny ears, and string a sign around your neck that says "canceled." Perfect!




- Charlie Sheen and his goddesses. I've seen masks with his likeness in Halloween stores, and they're actually branded "Charlie Sheen." He's certainly not one to shy away from capitalizing on a meltdown.

- Zombie Amy Winehouse. Is it too soon? I still have my wig from two years ago, all I need is some zombie face paint and a raggedy dress. So, not that different from dressing as regular Amy Winehouse. [Sidenote: I actually like her music, and no disrespect is intended]



- Bridesmaids, from the movie Bridesmaids. I'm picking this because I just watched the movie while Annie was visiting (and LOVED it). I've actually never been a bridesmaid, but I feel like everyone has one dress in their closet that is ugly enough for this costume! Add some Jello Pudding splatters if you feel like recreating the scene where the girls get sick from food poisoning while trying on dresses at a bridal boutique.

- Got a big blonde wig? Are you partial to making creepy facial expression using mostly your lips? You could be Courtney Stodden, the young girl who got married to some former child star, now in his fifties! Just print out this mask, courtesy of Pop Dust.


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- A "pretty girl," a la American Horror Story. Are you watching this show? Why not? It's kinda like The Shining, but with more murders and sexual situations. I love it.


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- Steve Jobs/Apple/iPhone related costumes. I will be surprised if I don't see any turtlenecks cruising around this year.


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- Boardwalk Empire characters. Because who doesn't love Art Deco glam, booze, and gangsters?

What are you going as this year? What do you think other people will be?

How Clothes Are Made: Garment Manufacturing in San Francisco

Garment manufacturing is quietly thriving in San Francisco, thanks to a plethora of local designers producing handmade clothing here in small batches and independent companies like SJ Manufacturing.

“SJ” stands for Seymour Jaron, the president of SJ Manufacturing, whose 55+ years of experience in the garment industry have granted him living legend status in his field. We recently went inside the SJ headquarters, located in a South of Market warehouse full of local start-ups and sewing machines, to find out how clothes are made in San Francisco.

When most people think of America’s fashion epicenters, either New York City or Los Angeles comes to mind, but San Francisco is currently experiencing a mini-manufacturing renaissance that’s worth noticing. In many ways, the rise in local manufacturing makes sense: San Francisco has both design talent and a long history in the apparel industry forged by household names such as Levi’s, Dockers and Gap.



It’s more expensive to produce clothing in S.F., especially in large batches, largely because the minimum wage is higher here than in New York or Los Angeles. It’s even cheaper to manufacture a clothing line in China (though usually impractical for small companies unless the quantities are in the thousands), but more and more designers are deciding to produce locally, for reasons ranging from quality control to civic pride. So the thinking goes: when you build a relationship with the people producing your garments and actually see them being made, the process becomes more personal.

For many start-up designers needing small batches, the San Francisco garment manufacturing scene is just the right fit. In recent years, SJ has worked with numerous emerging Bay Area apparel labels, including Chi Wear, Hip-T, and Janine Marie Handbags & Accessories.



SJ specializes in sample making and small to medium runs, which range from as few 50 pieces and up to 1,000 pieces in a production. Hong Ning, SJ’s Production Manager, uses her over 40 years of experience to create the sample, as sample making requires a higher level of expertise to resolve any problems within the garment and find the best method for mass manufacturing.

Designers who are ready to manufacture come to SJ with sample garments and paper patterns (if they have them). Once the pattern is set, SJ will make a duplicate sample for approval.

With the approved sample, the pattern is then graded, or scaled into various sizes, and becomes ready for manufacturing.



After the pattern has been graded, a process that involves software, and printed onto paper in different sizes, fabric is stacked on a cutting table and cut into the necessary shapes and sizes. At this point, some pieces of the unfinished garment may be sent out for embroidery or printing before assembly.

The assembly process requires various machines specific to each task at hand– there is a machine for bar tacking, a machine for sewing buttonholes, a machine for lock stitches, just to name a few. The finishing touch? The labels. In order for a garment to be produced and sold legally in the United States, the designer must provide a label describing the fabric composition and care instructions.

Next stop: a store near you and – many designers hope – ultimately your closet.

Photos and words by yours truly. Originally posted on SF Indie Fashion.

Karaoke Halloweenies!

Hey everyone. So sorry for the delay in this month's Karaoke Ring O'Death. I could create a list of reasons why we're a little late this month (or I could be low brow and insert a period joke here), but instead I'll just introduce the wonderful Katie of Struggling Single Twenty-Something, and direct you to view my KROD contribution on David's blog, The Fiction Factory, afterward. Enjoy, and HAPPY HALLOWEEK (yes, it's a week-long celebration)!


Hi everyone! I'm Katie from Struggling Single Twenty-Something. I recorded this video on Monday, which, believe it or not, was a fantastic day- I got a new job, got a new haircut, and then went home and recorded my video for KROD!

This year for Halloween I'm going to be Minnie Mouse, and I was all set to do the Mickey Mouse Club song for karaoke, since I figured all of the songs I associate with Halloween- "Monster Mash," "I'll Put a Spell on You," that song from The Nightmare Before Christmas- would be taken pretty quickly.

Then I stumbled upon the 90s classic "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground in my iTunes and thought, "Hey, that song works for Halloween!" And there we have it. Thanks, everyone, for keeping this ring going! And be sure to stop by my blog to see Jes from Jes Getting Started singing one seriously creepy song.

Taking it to the STREETS, participating in our democracy! #OCCUPYSF

Are people bored of hearing about the Occupy Wall Street / Occupy Everywhere Movement that has been going on for over a month now? I surely hope not, because I still have plenty to say about it.

If you're still confused as to what everyone is so jazzed-up about, please read my piece describing the message of the movement, or check out this eloquent letter reposted here from the Daily Kos, but really, all you have to do is read the signs people are holding (or read a newspaper) to understand why most of the country is voicing their troubles.



Campaign finance reform and income equality are two of the hot-button issues.


Average household income for the wealthiest in this country has gone way up, while most of us are left out in the cold.


So many people gathered in support of the 99 percent.


"When you get the money, you get the power..." a quotation from Scarface appropriated here.


Masses outside the San Francisco Federal Reserve building.


Overturn corporate personhood. Yes, please. A non-living entity is not a person! What's next, tax breaks for ghosts?


Corporate oligarchy is not a product of freedom! Get off the couch and PARTICIPATE in your democracy! It's our country, too!


Young and old, people from all backgrounds flocked to downtown SF to support the cause.


"There Must Be a Strict Supervision of All Banking and Credits and Investments.There must be an end to speculation with other people's money..." Uh, yeah. FDR had it right the first time, in 1933. Why haven't we learned?


"My bank went to bailout-land and all I got was this lousy recession." I got an account with the unemployment office as a souvenir! And yo, please give us our schools back. So many problems within this country could be solved easily with a better education system (but the people in power don't care because they send their kids to private school, anyway).




Joining a credit union and taking my money out of the bank... I'm working on it.


America seriously needs to wake up. I pray for the 85% who don't have a clue.


Seems logical enough to me. Instead of bailing out big businesses (who clearly were making terrible decisions), why not bail out small businesses? Hmmm?


We are the American people. There are too many of us to fail. We cannot fail.


We're fighting for freedom, we're praying for peace.




"Democracy, not just for the 1% anymore!!"




Let's legislate without the prodding of private enterprise and lobbyists.




LOL. What do you say to that, Rick Perry?


The cutest sign of the day. It really is ruff out there.

I testified, my mama cried, poor people died when the other man lied...

Rewording a Public Enemy song for my own purposes. I hope Chuck D doesn't mind.



Video of the October 15, 2011 Solidarity March in downtown San Francisco for Occupy Wall Street.

The video is a compilation of shots I took while at the March. It's funny to watch it and see how many people pointed and smiled at the sign I was holding: "Broke, but not broken."


I made this myself. Feel free to share, just please cite the source :)

Photos are coming soon, I've been busy this past week with running all over the city with Annie, my friend visiting from Philadelphia. Let's bet on getting the photos posted this week-- they're edited, I just need to write captions.

Any way, I'd love to hear any stories you have about the Occupy Movement, or any thoughts or opinions. Please share them here!

Prize collages, winners of the Passion Giveaway

Just wanted to announce the winners of my PASSION GIVEAWAY!

The lucky ones, and their respective blog entries are, Charles of A Real Good Blog, Annie of Re-Make/Re-Model, and Chemgirl of it's so FUZZY!

Please send me your addresses (except Annie, who is currently staying at my house) so I can mail you your prizes! I want to give you a little preview of what I'm sending over, so for your enjoyment here are the collages that I personalized for each of you. Hope you love them, and don't forget to tell me where you live so I can stalk you send you presents.

Happy birthday to me!!

This arrived in my inbox this morning. My dad is awesome. I know I promised photos from the Occupy Solidarity March, but it's my special day so I'll get to it later. Maybe later this week, though I shouldn't make any promises because one of my East coast besties is flying in tonight. Just wanted to let you know so you're not hanging around in anticipation of awesome protest photos, but I will get to them. Eventually.

<3