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.

Austin Street Style: Monday on North Loop.

Anyone that has an interest in street fashion should be reading and listening to what Bill Cunningham of The New York Times has to say. He has mastered the art of taking someone's photograph without the subject realizing it. And sometimes, that's the best way to take a style photo.

I've always thought photos of people in their natural state of being are more interesting to look at, before I even knew who Mr. Cunningham was. Snapping a candid shot also takes out the clumsy "Hi, I write a style blog you've never heard of, can I get your photo?" chat. The bottom line? People, as strangers, fascinate me, and capturing the essence of an event can be done without anyone posing for their photo.

So here are the rest of my photos from Monday night's Rock the Casbah Fashion Show at Phara's outdoor patio. Some are candid, others are not. Either way, I hope you enjoy this little piece of Austin.

Laurie Gallardo: her radio personality matches up with her personal style.

I like the floral pattern on the stripes.

Juliana and Amy, from Blackbird Clothes & Curios.

With Juliana, co-owner of Blackbird Clothes & Curios.

I like how she tucked the handkerchief halter into the high-waisted shorts.

Still wearing her skirt from Splendor, this model has the look of a genie.

The lighting was done by ILIOS.

This is designer of the leather pouches that were shown during the Green House segment of the fashion show.

I have to give props to the belly dancer.

Phara's, as we were leaving.

At Epoch with a muffin to-go: Lisa; many thanks to her for getting me to the show!

At Epoch: I was inspired by Sofia Coppola's lavender wedding dress to break out these tights.
My tights and boots are from Wet Seal, while my shirtdress is from Target. I say "shirtdress" because it was meant to be a kid's shirt, with an attached cami underneath. I cut out the cami long ago.

If you would like to see my photos of the fashion show, I posted them on Tuesday. 

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!