Pennsylvania Railroad!
Early birthday present! My inner railfan has been quietly squeeing with geeky joy all night. Exclamation marks! So pretty!
Early birthday present! My inner railfan has been quietly squeeing with geeky joy all night. Exclamation marks! So pretty!
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Well, that's a relief.
Excerpt from this excellent Perfume Shrine post on the EU restrictions on oakmoss and other ingredients in perfumery:
On what concerns Mitsouko in particular Mme Sylvaine Delacourte (artistic director for Guerlain) had the good grace to provide a quote regarding the reformulation of Mitsouko with only tree moss, setting things straight (and I translate):
On what concerns Mitsouko in particular Mme Sylvaine Delacourte (artistic director for Guerlain) had the good grace to provide a quote regarding the reformulation of Mitsouko with only tree moss, setting things straight (and I translate):
"Our house has honoured two values for decades: Tradition and Modernity. Tradition denotes the quality of olfactive construction of each of our perfumes with savoir-faire and heritage. Modernity denotes the scrupulous and rigorous respect of the European regulations in the constant concern for our clients. Mitsouko has benefited in 2006 from the most recent olfactory innovations which respect our heritage while at the same time repressing the incomfort tied to certain raw materials. Therefore current Mitsouko responds to the European directives".This means that the current version is not about to change drastically in response to the new restrictions. In other words, no need to try to stock up. Good!
Das Leben der Anderen
M, E and I saw Das Leben der Anderen yesterday. It was one of the best films I have seen in a long time, incredibly well acted and directed and the whole aesthetic of it blew me away. I have this vague idea of what the DDR used to look like - you know, the clothes, buildings, packaging and so on, but that idea isn't really built on anything real; I have never even been in former East Germany, only seen a few Trabis on West German roads back in the early 90's when my father lived in northern Bavaria. This film has that aesthetic down pat, and apparently it was widely acclaimed for how well it captures the look of the DDR in the 80's - my assumption when I saw the film was that it seemed too good to be accurate, visually, perhaps romanticising the squalor of life in a communist state.
It's drab, minimalistic and colourless, done in shades of grey, beige and brown, and the whole film is completely gorgeous in all it's bleakness. It's a must-see for any fan of obsolete technology - bugging equipment, headphones, cars, gramophones, typewriters... and the main character, Stasi agent Gerd Wieser, has a wardrobe that is spectacular in it's spare, conservative monotony. There is a fantastic grey poplin/manchester jacket that had me salivating throughout two thirds of the movie, for example (and I don't even like poplin jackets), charcoal two-piece suits worn with a knit grey pullover, black tie and a shirt that looks not quite white, but very pale grey, the kind of grey shirt that might as well be a white shirt, faintly discoloured in the laundry. Ulrich Mühe is outstanding in the part. I would gush about how good he is, as well as the other actors, but it wouldn't do him justice.
Seriously. See it, if you haven't already.
It's drab, minimalistic and colourless, done in shades of grey, beige and brown, and the whole film is completely gorgeous in all it's bleakness. It's a must-see for any fan of obsolete technology - bugging equipment, headphones, cars, gramophones, typewriters... and the main character, Stasi agent Gerd Wieser, has a wardrobe that is spectacular in it's spare, conservative monotony. There is a fantastic grey poplin/manchester jacket that had me salivating throughout two thirds of the movie, for example (and I don't even like poplin jackets), charcoal two-piece suits worn with a knit grey pullover, black tie and a shirt that looks not quite white, but very pale grey, the kind of grey shirt that might as well be a white shirt, faintly discoloured in the laundry. Ulrich Mühe is outstanding in the part. I would gush about how good he is, as well as the other actors, but it wouldn't do him justice.
Seriously. See it, if you haven't already.
DW/LJ/etc.
I am thinking about what to do with this account a good deal - whether to transplant my LiveJournal activities here eventually, use it for garden posts instead, do both (IE, create another account for the garden geekery) or something else entirely. Having two separate accounts (of some sort) for gardening and what I do on my LJ is probably a good idea, I think, partly because I suspect that the garden bits might not be very interesting to the people who read my LJ, and partly because I'm not sure I want to let the people who might be interested in the gardening posts in on the sides of me that are currently on LJ, and mirrored here.
I tend to like keeping different parts of my life separated to some extent. I haven't shared the LJ account with very many of my friends, for instance - they may know about it anyway, of course, I haven't exactly kept it a secret either and it would be very easy to find for anyone looking for it, but it's not meant as a way to keep in touch with people I know, or even to let people know what is going on in my life.
We'll see.
I tend to like keeping different parts of my life separated to some extent. I haven't shared the LJ account with very many of my friends, for instance - they may know about it anyway, of course, I haven't exactly kept it a secret either and it would be very easy to find for anyone looking for it, but it's not meant as a way to keep in touch with people I know, or even to let people know what is going on in my life.
We'll see.
Random bad idea of the day
'Allo 'Allo would make a splendid drinking game.
Sad excuse for content, I know, but I've been busy working and sewing horrific chair covers this week, and I haven't seen any photos of last weekend's instant couture yet, so there it is.
Sad excuse for content, I know, but I've been busy working and sewing horrific chair covers this week, and I haven't seen any photos of last weekend's instant couture yet, so there it is.
Yesterday
Not a great weekend, this one, lots of exhausting real life bullshit and worries going on, so after wrapping one of the Hootchy Kootchy Hussies up in white plastic bags, paper napkins, torn-up paper plates and white gaffer tape I was more or less finished. I couldn't/wouldn't throw in the towel for the night, though, so I drank coffee and tried to keep up until about half past one, when I went home. Pity about the Jäger 90 gig, which was really good, I would have liked to be able to enjoy that more than I did. But at least the costume turned out well, I had fun with it and it was very nice to get to talk to some of the Hootchy Kootchy people.
Still very tired and rather cranky. I think there may be photos of the instant costumes showing up sooner or later, but I rather hope there are none of me.
Still very tired and rather cranky. I think there may be photos of the instant costumes showing up sooner or later, but I rather hope there are none of me.
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Lighter than they look
So, earrings for the Carmen Miranda turban. Nothing special, really, just artificial cherries, bones, odds and ends thrown together, hopefully they will add something to the outfit. I might add some feathers too.
Local burlesque club first, apparently I'm becoming the go-to person when they want someone to make instant crazy costumes from garbage bags, newspapers and gaffer tape, which is loads of fun and gives me a good opportunity to air the turban. Then on to the Jäger 90 and/or Spetsnaz gigs at Bodytåget, maybe.
We are having great weather, as you can see, which is nice in itself but less than great for taking photographs.
Local burlesque club first, apparently I'm becoming the go-to person when they want someone to make instant crazy costumes from garbage bags, newspapers and gaffer tape, which is loads of fun and gives me a good opportunity to air the turban. Then on to the Jäger 90 and/or Spetsnaz gigs at Bodytåget, maybe.
We are having great weather, as you can see, which is nice in itself but less than great for taking photographs.
Cuffs or no cuffs?
Every spring I scoff at the idea of specal summer clothes, thinking that I can just as well live through the summer in wool skirts and heavy slacks (seriously, how hot does it even get around here?), and every year I get the same slightly panicky reality check when the first late spring heatwave arrives. I thought I would be a little bright for once this year, plan ahead and make a few summer garments that are not the sloppy result of some frantic can't-stand-the-heat-anymore sewing, so I'm making a pair of 40's styled shorts.
Plain black rayon/poly/something mix with a twill structure, nice drape and a tiny bit of stretch, six of those huge, black American Navy peacoat buttons closing a functional sailor flap, wide legs and somewhere between mid-thigh and above the knee in length.
So, what do you lovely people think? Cuffs or not?
Plain black rayon/poly/something mix with a twill structure, nice drape and a tiny bit of stretch, six of those huge, black American Navy peacoat buttons closing a functional sailor flap, wide legs and somewhere between mid-thigh and above the knee in length.
So, what do you lovely people think? Cuffs or not?
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I received my Austro-Hungarian badge today
and it's even better than I hoped it would be, especially after some polish. Photos tomorrow.
Am also bleaching bird and lemming bones for a pair of earrings to match the Carmen Miranda turban, which I will wear on Saturday if everything goes according to plan. Artificial cherries, buttons and bones.
Here it is!
Am also bleaching bird and lemming bones for a pair of earrings to match the Carmen Miranda turban, which I will wear on Saturday if everything goes according to plan. Artificial cherries, buttons and bones.
Here it is!
Black with silver m/60 buttons
There's more, but I was not photogenic yesterday. Have been inexplicably exhausted today, so this is it for now - I will have a closer look at the rest of them tomorrow.
As usual, it's not completely finished yet, I'm going to add piping to the pocket flaps on the sleeves, and possibly some topstitching on the pockets themselves to keep them from bulging too much (if/when I can be bothered to remove them from the sleeves, and maybe the sleeves from the dress as well). I'm not sure I'm pleased with the cap either. Well, well.
I am pleased with the shoulder pads, though. Just needed to say that again - although I might beef them up even more.
Edit: fuck it, I'm wide awake all of a sudden. A few more (artsy-fartsy, B/W) ones ( here. )
As usual, it's not completely finished yet, I'm going to add piping to the pocket flaps on the sleeves, and possibly some topstitching on the pockets themselves to keep them from bulging too much (if/when I can be bothered to remove them from the sleeves, and maybe the sleeves from the dress as well). I'm not sure I'm pleased with the cap either. Well, well.
I am pleased with the shoulder pads, though. Just needed to say that again - although I might beef them up even more.
Edit: fuck it, I'm wide awake all of a sudden. A few more (artsy-fartsy, B/W) ones ( here. )
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...
I now have a uniform-inspired dress with home-made shoulderpads that would make Grace Jones proud. They are stiff and hard, to quote Herr Flick in yesterday's 'Allo 'Allo episode.
Argh!
I'm experimenting with crossposting from Dreamwidth and fucked up - that's why some comments are missing. They are still here, though, and it's perfectly possible to comment on that post and others on the Dreamwidth account with a regular Livejournal account, if anyone has more to say on the subject. Sorry!
New hardware
How gloriously kitschy is this on, say, a scale of 1 to 10? There's a skull with what seems to be crossed stick grenades, an imperial crown over a shield with a big, gaudy K and it says Sturmtrupp. Supposedly Austro-Hungarian, WWI, probably pewter or pot metal. I won the auction yesterday, will post better photos when I have it.
I have high hopes
This will be interesting. I will probably maintain my LiveJournal too, but I really hope that this will replace most, at least, of my activities on LJ in time.
Edit: not too fond of the layout options so far, though. Wish I had the energy to figure out how to port the Disjointed layout, but I feel very lazy and extremely CSS-challenged right now.
Edit: not too fond of the layout options so far, though. Wish I had the energy to figure out how to port the Disjointed layout, but I feel very lazy and extremely CSS-challenged right now.
...
Tech Noir has a new venue - that was fast. The first club night in the new location is in just one week, April 24th. Four bars and three dance floors, I hope the place is nice. I have resumed work on this project and hope to finish it in time for next Friday.
Other than that I feel thoroughly dull right now, you will have to wait for more Tinitus photos. The German film project is underway, we watched Das Testament Des Doktor Mabuse and Der Himmel Über Berlin last Sunday, this Saturday we're going for more Fritz Lang - probably M - and something a bit more contemporary. Good food and great company, so it's all very gemütlich.
Other than that I feel thoroughly dull right now, you will have to wait for more Tinitus photos. The German film project is underway, we watched Das Testament Des Doktor Mabuse and Der Himmel Über Berlin last Sunday, this Saturday we're going for more Fritz Lang - probably M - and something a bit more contemporary. Good food and great company, so it's all very gemütlich.
The Klinik - Hours And Hours
From Saturday's gig, with good sound quality.
Also, photos are beginning to show up - here's a peek at that Red Army-inspired dress + cap I made for an acquaintance last fall, at long last:
We couldn't resist grabbing the guy in the middle for a couple of photos when he happened to be passing, some British guy who shows up at big events sometimes. I loved both his outfits for the festival. Great attention to detail, what with the make-up and everything.
Also, photos are beginning to show up - here's a peek at that Red Army-inspired dress + cap I made for an acquaintance last fall, at long last:
We couldn't resist grabbing the guy in the middle for a couple of photos when he happened to be passing, some British guy who shows up at big events sometimes. I loved both his outfits for the festival. Great attention to detail, what with the make-up and everything.
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And he didn't say no!
Fredrik (that's a band plug and they are good, you should have a listen!) and I just asked Dirk Ivens to marry us both. Feels great to make a complete fool out of yourself in front of one of your heroes! I just hope he didn't think we were too much of a pain in the ass.
I am still high on endorphins after the Klinik gig. I'm not going to say that it was one of the best live shows I have ever seen, I'm going out on a limb and saying that it was the best live show I have ever seen. I think I will agree after some sleep, too.
I am still high on endorphins after the Klinik gig. I'm not going to say that it was one of the best live shows I have ever seen, I'm going out on a limb and saying that it was the best live show I have ever seen. I think I will agree after some sleep, too.
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First night report.
Last night exceeded expectations - I met a friend from Malmö in the line outside (wish they would come up with a door solution that doesn't create one hour of queueing outside), which enabled me to skip most of it, and we teamed up for the rest of the evening, more or less - we have a lot in common, much to talk about, we matched pretty well visually, which is always fun (he wore jodhpurs and riding boots, hee), and each scared off pick-up attempts for the other. We also discovered that we were both big And One fans in our teens, and the And One gig was actually great, to my surprise - the best live act by far yesterday, although Combichrist were better than I expected. Steve Naghavi seemed more or less sober, for once, and almost the entire set consisted of very old material - I.S.T. and earlier, with perhaps two exceptions, and several from Flop! and Anguish. Not much from Spot, which remains my favourite And One record, but it was lots of fun anyway.
The Klinik will be playing an extended set tonight, I hear, to fill out for Die Form. Not bad.
The Klinik will be playing an extended set tonight, I hear, to fill out for Die Form. Not bad.
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Tinitus!
First Tinitus night tonight, the lesser one - Noisuf-X, at some ungodly hour like half past eight, which is the only band I rather want to see tonight, and then local talents Trakktor, Combichrist, Suicide Commando and And One. It will be fun regardless, of course, but tomorrow is the important day.
Die Form cancelled sometime yesterday evening, due to illness. Bah. Still, The Klinik, Portion Control, a side project of Kirlian Camera (Spectra Paris) and whatever else there is, can't remember at the moment, is still a pretty great festival night.
Had a lovely time yesterday evening, and I really think the fact that I am not in the slightest bit hungover is a testament to P's cocktail mixing skills - he's another one of those domestic men who cook delicious food and mix fantastic drinks while walking around being outrageously handsome and incredibly well dressed, apparently, just like C's man, S. Lucky women, C and P's girlfriend E. I see all the bad sides of A up close as well as the good ones, so I can't romanticise him the way I can and do romanticise P and S. Ha.
Die Form cancelled sometime yesterday evening, due to illness. Bah. Still, The Klinik, Portion Control, a side project of Kirlian Camera (Spectra Paris) and whatever else there is, can't remember at the moment, is still a pretty great festival night.
Had a lovely time yesterday evening, and I really think the fact that I am not in the slightest bit hungover is a testament to P's cocktail mixing skills - he's another one of those domestic men who cook delicious food and mix fantastic drinks while walking around being outrageously handsome and incredibly well dressed, apparently, just like C's man, S. Lucky women, C and P's girlfriend E. I see all the bad sides of A up close as well as the good ones, so I can't romanticise him the way I can and do romanticise P and S. Ha.
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Anchor buttons
Right, and I brought these home from Lisbon.
Much better than souvenirs, and will last longer than the two bottles of port I also bought. I'm thinking of a summer jacket in red cotton. The question is, would a sailor collar be completely over-the-top in a good way or a bad way? They so easily come off as a little childish, and that is not the effect I'm after.
Tonight I'm going to a party, for once - the invitation promises the blood of Christ plus small pieces of the body of Christ after seven o'clock tonight, and might just be the most sacrilegious document in my inbox so far. Good company, too. It'll be fun.
Much better than souvenirs, and will last longer than the two bottles of port I also bought. I'm thinking of a summer jacket in red cotton. The question is, would a sailor collar be completely over-the-top in a good way or a bad way? They so easily come off as a little childish, and that is not the effect I'm after.
Tonight I'm going to a party, for once - the invitation promises the blood of Christ plus small pieces of the body of Christ after seven o'clock tonight, and might just be the most sacrilegious document in my inbox so far. Good company, too. It'll be fun.