I Spy...People, Places, and Things, Oh My!

Despite my hectic, I-go-to-school-and-have-two-jobs-and-an-internship schedule, I've managed to sneak in a few lighthearted moments of fun. Of course, I've taken photos of my adventures. In the vein of my previous "I Spy..." post, the snapshots are in a loosely organized fashion.

Happy Monday!

Order numbers at El Taquito in Round Rock:
1941 is one of my favorite films!

Juliana Azar, co-owner of Blackbird Clothes & Curios, is pictured right. Her store tied with Green House for "Best New Business" in The Austin Chronicle's "Best of Austin 2011" Readers Poll. You may recall both boutiques were featured in The Rock the Casbah Fashion Show.

Breed & Co. (718 W. 29th Street) was named
"Best Local Hardware Store" in the same poll.

Decorative night-lights at Breed & Co.

Anyone ever watch the "Put a Bird On It" clip from Portlandia?

The story of my life fits on a magnet!

Outside Breed & Co., with one of the many CowParade displays
that are in Austin at the moment.

Allie, checking out the sweets counter at Breed & Co.

"The candy man can 'cause he mixes it with love
and makes the world taste good."
-- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

"The Playscape Project" at Breed & Co. was a chance for local architects

to show off their designs for playscapes for small-backyard use.

At Co-Lab (613 Allen Street); the program for MARFITA --

La Virgen Appears: Marfa Re-Mapped.

MARFITA is a large-scale installation

by Josh T. Franco, Alison Kuo, and Joshua Saunders,

with Natalie Goodnow.

I never figured out if the empty beverage containers were meant to be a part of the installation, or if they were litter....

Virgin Mary candles.

I believe this was a miniature artillery shed at MARFITA.

Horseshoes!

Ted Hall's Blues Jam at Kick Butt Coffee (4600 Guadalupe).

Off to work!

Blouse: Mad Men for Banana Republic; Clam Diggers: Maurices; Flats: J. Crew.

The Austin Chronicle cover photo is by John Leach.

Rock the Casbah: a North Loop Fashion Show.

Last night's Rock the Casbah Fashion Show represented upcoming fall trends, as well as the funkiest shopping district Austin has to offer: North Loop!

Not to be outdone by the recent shows from Austin Fashion Week, locally-owned shops Splendor, Green House, Forbidden Fruit, Ermine Vintage, Blue Velvet, and (my favorite Austin boutique) Blackbird Clothes & Curios all came out to parade their latest looks at Phara's outdoor patio.

Overall, the show was a real treat for a Monday night, and I enjoyed everything from the atmosphere to the free casbah cosmos, which were concocted with Cinco Vodka and made by Blackbird Clothes & Curios' Stacey and Eunice.

Because I took so many photos, I am splitting the entirety of the event into two posts. I hope y'all enjoy the photos I took; the looks are in (an almost complete) order, by boutique.

Splendor:I would sport a cape.

Greenhouse:Staria, with her younger sister.
Her hair reminds me of Stormy, the frenemy of 1980s cartoon Rainbow Brite.
Forbidden Fruit:
Corsets always have such a sexy attitude.
Ermine Vintage:
Somewhere between singer Adele and a 1940s pin-up girl.
Blue Velvet:
At first, I thought this monochromatic jumpsuit was a dress!
This gold, sheer dress was easily my favorite look of the evening!
Blackbird Clothes & Curios:Her bob reminds me of Irene Castle, the early 20th-century ballroom dancer.
This look had Roaring 20s glam all over it!
Sporting the one-suspender look like a true hipster would.
Later this week, I will post individual style photos from the show!

Rock the Casbah on North Loop!

Hey ladies and gents, my friends over at Blackbird Clothes & Curios sent me an e-mail about an event that's going on in Austin's North Loop IBIZ District. It's purr-fect for all the Austinites that still need to feed their fashion addiction after Austin Fashion Week and Le Garage Sale! Sponsored by the Austin Independent Business Alliance in conjuction with the Small Business Development Center, Rock the Casbah is going down Monday, August 29th. It'll feature fashion from all of my favorite North Loop ("NoLo") boutiques: Blue Velvet, Ermine Vintage, Forbidden Fruit, Green House, Splendor, and--obviously!--Blackbird Clothes & Curios. With music provided by Breakaway Records, appetizers served up by Phara's Mediterranean Cuisine & Christopher's Casbah, lighting by ILIOS, and samples of casbah comsos from Cinco Vodka, Rock the Casbah is guaranteed to be a rockin' weird fashion show. They even have KUT's very own Laurie Gallardo as the hostess, folks! Not to mention, Katie Cowden will be behind the camera lens in the hookah lounge-themed photo booth!

Naturally, I'm going (as well as keeping my fingers crossed that my ride doesn't flake). The only other question is, WTF am I going to wear? What?
Rock the Casbah: an exotic sampling of North Loop fashion, food, and music.

Where?
Phara's; 111 E. North Loop Boulevard, Austin, TX, 78751.

When?
8/29/2011; 8-10 pm.

Other Info?
Phara's is B.Y.O.B.

Many thanks to Blackbird Clothes & Curios for the images & info!