Fall Funky Prep

Well Cleveland, today's high temperature was right around 50°, which that means summer is officially over and we will likely not see warmer temps until March. Maybe April. All right, probably May. But hey, with all the positives we have in this town, we have to accept some negatives right?

Although we may be hesitant to accept the cooler weather, at least we have fall fashion (and pumpkin spice lattes!) to keep us happy and warm inside. Let's take a look at my #OOTD...

I am all about the infinity scarf. Even scarves I've bought recently that aren't of the never ending variety I tie up the ends to make them that way! H&M has perfected this trend with their jersey tube scarves. The best part about this scarf is that there is so much material bunched up around your neck, you could, hypothetically, make it a blanket, a lap warmer or even a seat cushion!

Denim shirts have been in for a few seasons now which means they're easier and cheaper to find than ever. Old Navy has a wide variety from your basic light wash denim oxford to cute patterned ones, including always irresistible polka dots.

Fashion is nothing without comfort, especially here in the midwest. Comfy pants and jeans are now as accessible as ever. I have two pairs of these Jennifer Lopez pants and the black are a perfect pair for any denim shirt. Plus they fit like a dream and feel like a second skin on top of being cute, flattering and on-trend!

I resisted the oxford shoe for long enough before I spotted a pair for a cool $15 at Marshalls with hot pink accents. You have to commit to these and accept that they're a little masculine and a little preppy but their super cool and make you feel like a hipster (even if you're not into that whole scene ;).

Although this outfit may be fun and funky, color wise it could use a bit of a pick-me-up, and that's always where accessories come in! Multi-colored jewels are very in and easy to come by. Pair any denim/black/grey/brown ensemble with eye popping color jewelry to brighten up the cloudiest of fall days!

Stay tuned for more fall fashion #OOTD (Outfits Of The Day) all season long! The best way to honor the beautiful Ohio fall foliage is to suit up with fabulous fall fashion!

Ingenuing on the Lake

Another Ingenuity Fest done come and gone! A few weeks ago artists artists of all kinds gathered at Docks 30 & 32 on the shores of Lake Erie to share their innovation, ideas, and more to the people of our fair city.

Always a highlight of the year and fall must-go, this year's Ingenuity did not disappoint. An arguably different, however no less creative vibe was felt at this location versus those of the past, which include the underbelly of the Detroit-Superior bridge.

There were acrobats, light installations, vaudeville acts, lake views, and more! However my favorite part of the Ingenuity fest were all the handmade and other goods to oogle at, be inspired by, and spend a few bucks on.

Flip through the photos below from this year's festival and be sure to keep up with Ingenuity Cleveland's web site and social media pages for year-round creative Cleveland awesomeness!

Links:
23 Skidoo
Ape Made
The Vaudevillian
Ingenuity Cleveland

Ingenuity Cleveland 2013

Just like fall fashion September issues and Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Crooked River Couture is back! And if you're a diehard Clevelander there's something else that always comes around this time of year. Okay other than football...it's the Ingenuity Festival!

You may remember my post from the 2011 Festival, the last one located under the Detroit-Superior Bridge. I must say, I am going to miss hanging out down there this year, but hopefully it will soon be open year round, thanks to the Bridge Project!

This year, the ingenuity gets cooking down on the lakefront combining the indoor space of two warehouses with the ample outdoor space just north of the Factory of Sadness. Arguably the most underused gem of our city, Ingenuity promises to "offer a glimpse of the long-range lakefront development plan." Let's hope the luck the Festival brought to the Detroit-Superior Bridge comes to the Erie coast as well!

If you've never been to an Ingenuity Fest, check out my blog from two years ago for a little taste. But trust me, no pictures, videos, or beautifully vivid description can do it justice - you just have to go and experience it for yourself!

Ingenuity Festival 2013

September 20-22

Fri: 5pm – 1am

Sat: Noon – 1am

Sun: Noon – 5pm

Docks 32 and 30, North of First Energy (Browns) Stadium

"Cock your hat, angles are attitudes."

As I tweeted last week, I got to go shopping the past two weekends! A rarity these days, on account of my shallow bank... account. But I had some spare change and thought I'd have a little me time at Great Northern Mall and Crocker Park. I even got into a kind of "what the hell, I'll buy it!" kind of mood. Don't worry I didn't go too crazy, just crazy enough. And by crazy enough I mean crazy enough to buy THIS hat!

Ohhh yeah. Here's the story... Remember when I went to LA last month? My friend and I did a little shopping in Old Town Pasadena and took a pit stop at H&M. There was this GREAT maroon fedora kind of hat with a black band and feathers on the side. It looked fun so I put it on and kept it on for the remainder of our browsing. When it was time to leave, bestie said to me, "aren't you getting that?" I told her I didn't think so, it was $17 and I didn't really need it. Turns out it didn't matter that I didn't need it because I totally bought it when I saw it here back home. I wore it the rest of the day at the mall and I felt so baller. It fits so nicely and honestly feels down right lovely on my head! I have thusly dubbed it my new fall hat and will be really mad at myself if I do not wear this thing OUT. I hope to be known as the maroon hat girl all around Northeast Ohio.

Speaking of hats, I also bought a new straw hat at Kohl's. It's replacing one I got there a few years ago that was actually from Guinness and had a fun shamrocky patterned band around it. But due to excessive wear and tear, my good ol' chapeau has just about run its course and it was time for a new one. This one is a bit more structured and has a very nautical red and navy band. I've already worn it on a few bad hair days this week!

Back at H&M, I also bought a great new bag. Remember my white lace bag I bought on eBay? Don't get me wrong, I love that purse but it's a bit small and honestly a little too springy/summery, so when I saw this Givenchy look-a-like in a nice rose tan I had to snag it. 

The other thing I fawned over at the Pasadena H&M was this feather-patterned scarf. The past two autumns I've bought a new scarf there and I absolutely love them. I usually get a really fun and colorful one, big and comfy that I can throw on with any outfit between now and March! Keeping with this tradition when I saw the feather scarf I did not buy in Pasadena I, you guessed it, bought it here. Can't wait when it gets really fall-y and I can wear it with my trench coat and drink pumpkin spice lattes. And wear my maroon hat, of course.

Skip a week to a quick outing at Crocker Park. I hadn't been in the new Anthropologie yet, which is probably a good thing because that place is down right dangerous. I want EVERYTHING but can afford NOTHING, with one wonderful exception - SALE ITEMS! This blue striped dolman sleeved top was marked down twice - from $78 (ridiculous) to $39 (obnoxious) to $19.99 (fairly reasonable). And now it's mine!  It's kinda funky but also kinda awesome and I can't wait to wear it.

I hope I didn't bore you with my shopping sagas. I just really haven't really been for a while. And honestly, even if I hadn't bought anything it would have been fun. Just being around fashion when I haven't for so long was plenty to tide me over! So here's to retail therapy, or, giving that whole "I'll go window shopping without my wallet" thing a go :)

*Title quote by Frank Sinatra

Just do it (yourself)!

I’m baaack! I know it’s been a while since my last post, and trust me it’s been killing me. On my time off however I did take a fun little trip to Los Angeles. I had a blast and even as you know I love the Cleve, it was good to get away. (And the weather was beautiful!)

So between the trip and work I’ve had limited time to get my blog on! But fortunately I had some recent inspiration for a post and I’m bringing it to you right now.

I’ve noticed lately that DIY projects are becoming really big. It’s always cool to answer the question “where did you get that?” with “I made it myself!” Whether it’s an expertly crafted silver ring or just a scarf made from some fabric you found lying around the house. That particular joy, plus the usually cheaper cost, makes DIY the perfect way to add new items to your collection.

This personal DIY revolution of mine started this spring when I saw something online about making old t-shirts into scarves. I have so many old tees that, for some reason, I refuse to get rid of. (Never know when you might need that holey graphic tee from Target that never fit…right?) I figured that making things I hoard into things I’ll actually use was a pretty good idea.  I preferred the simple t-shirt scarf to the fringe one. It’s so easy, just cut a straight line across the tee right under the armholes so it’s just a rectangle (or square) shaped. Throw it over your neck and voilà!  I made a few scarves, but seeing as how it was late April I didn’t have a ton of time to wear them. Looking forward to the fall for that!

I kind of went scarf crazy and cut up a ton of my old shirts. Some were kind of small and weren’t going to make great scarves. So I got creative and made headbands out of them. Especially in the summer I wear a lot of cloth headbands to keep the hair out of my face. My favorite one that I made was this one, constructed out of a shirt printed with a plethora of peace signs. It was always so cute, but just not as a tight fitting t-shirt. I didn’t have to do much after I cut it for the scarf, again just straight across under the armholes. Then all I do when I want to wear it is twist it around, double it up, and stretch it around my head!  I usually twist it twice, it makes a nice knot on the bottom and looks a lot better. When I’m feeling particularly funky I sometimes put the knot on top instead of under my hair. Either way, so cute, so simple and so cheap!

A little while later I took a trip to Pat Catan’s, also known as the World’s Greatest Craft store. Look it up. Seriously, Catan’s is one of the greatest Cleveland institutions, far superior to national craft supply chains. I had been noticing that feathers were very in but I could never find any feather accessories I was crazy about, although I liked the idea. I thought I would see if they had any fun feathers at Catan’s to maybe make something out of. You know how sometimes you have a shopping mission that comes up short? Well this surely was not one of those times. I found a four pack of tan and black feather bunches that were so perfect. All I had to do was wrap the tips with wire and slip on an earring hook and I got these great new feather earrings! A very legitimate alternative to feather hair extensions.

With this DIY kick still going, I found myself in Urban Outfitters at Crocker Park one lovely spring day and happened across this great book on their book table. It’s called P.S. – I Made This… and it is choc full of fun and easy DIY fashion projects. Instead of paying $20 I figured I’d see if the library had a copy. Lucky me! Found one at the Lakewood Library for, oh what? FREE. There are so many great ideas in this book, I highly recommend checking it out.

So far I’ve only done one project but I definitely plan on doing more. The second I turned the page to see this ring necklace I knew I had to do it. I have so many rings I never wear and, as the book describes, not enough fingers for! From class rings, to a bent Claddagh, heirlooms from my mom and grandmas and cheap ones from mall stores, I had plenty to go around. All I had to do was round them all up, buy some strong cord and slide them on! I twisted the cord to create a braided effect and to make it extra strong. I just did this one the other day so I haven’t worn it yet but I am so excited to. It is sure to be a huge conversation piece!

I hope this will inspire you go out there and make some of your own fashions! Not only does it keep you from spending money you don’t have, it really is fun and makes each item more meaningful.  And, coming from someone who can’t sew to save her life, it’s easy to find ideas for any skill level. Have fun!

Dredging down East 4th

Last week I posted event info for the Made in the 216 and Dredgers Union grand opening event that took place on Friday night (and all weekend!) If you didn't have a chance to hit it up, you missed a great event for Cleveland fashion. It was so great to see so many people downtown, and even though I know some of the crowd was from the Tribe game, I know a lot of people were there for this event! Even Channel 3 was live from E. 4th during their 7 p.m. news!

Unfortunately we didn't get there until later, but I'm so glad we got to stop by. The Dredgers Union store is located on the east side of the street right across from the Greenhouse Tavern. The set up of the store is really cool. There was a very Anthropologie vibe. I was expecting more of a boutique, which is more common for locally owned shops. But I can definitely see the Dredgers Union becoming a national chain! Not that it ever would or would ever want to but it had that type of vibe, like you could plop it in any mall in America.


Of course me being me, the first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was this navy blue tote bag with a vintage map of Cleveland on it. It was just $20 and I just might have to go back and snag one!

A lot of the apparel was on the higher price end (again, like Anthropologie) but they were really chic and unique.  There was everything from shorts to tops, dresses and more. On the upper level stage area were all home wares. Each little area was like a separate room in someone's house. There were some really great shower curtains that my friends and I wanted in our future apartment! I also loved some of the cups, bowls and plates around. As I've always said I'm a sucker for interesting set ups inside stores and the housewares area had a really cool set up. I wish I could live there!

Now the real party was hopping down stairs in the basement level. That's where the Made in the 216 event was going on. It was like a mini craft fair with racks and racks of Cleveland T-shirts (including some from my favorite CLE Clothing Co. and their new summer tanks), tables of accessories and Cleveland-themed art on the walls.












We were really feeling the jewelry pinned up on this bulletin board. A lot of them were made from old watches and clocks from Aviaire and were so unique.

I, personally was totally into the Cleveland art up everywhere. My favorite would have to be the black and white text prints by Arterx with street names from various neighborhoods. I loved the Lakewood one featuring "Warren," "Bunts," "Detroit," and "Riverside" as well as the Ohio City and Tremont ones. Another adorable print I loved was by Rachael Novak reading "Lake Erie Love."




Even though I didn't buy anything I'm really glad I went. Like I said in my preview post it's so good to see some retail coming to downtown! Even though a lot of the Dredgers Union stuff was a little expensive for my kind of income, I can't wait to do a little East 4th shopping once I get a little dough (whenever that might be!) I would definitely suggest checking it out, and maybe to give Made in the 216 a follow on Twitter to keep up with their pop up events. And of course, one of the best things about both Made in the 216 and the Dredgers Union they are dedicated to locally produced items - spreading the CLE love one shopping spree at a time!



***Check out the links on this page to see the web sites for some of the items I saw at the event!

Salty, sweet and in between

Last week I posted info about Salty Not Sweet's grand reopening event in Ohio City. It sounded so nice I had to check it out for myself, and I am so glad I did. This adorably funky boutique features handmade items from local and national artists picked from the owner at various craft shows.

The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was the wall full of tote bags. Many of them were Ohio themed (which I love) but I couldn't help myself when I saw this bag with one of my favorite movie quotes on it. I love all of Paul Rudd's mega awkward phrases from I Love You Man. I say "totes ma gotes" all the time like it's nobody's business.

Intermixed with the tote bags were rows of glass magnets. They were really neat, many with photos of celebs like Zooey Deschanel and Alec Baldwin and patterns from zebra to polka dots. I bought this one with a couple of my favorite TV characters. However I might give it to a friend as a gift, thus the pixelated faces.

As we made our way towards the back we had to check out the tshirt shelves. There were a lot of really cute prints including one with a painterly looking pair of seahorses my friend bought and a really cute long, bright orange tee with cut off sleeves that would look super chic belted with leggings. The shirt I bought however I knew I had to have. I cannot wait to wear this out!











The jewelry at Salty Not Sweet is a whole adventure in and of itself. Really unique pieces included earrings made of recycled bottle caps and vinyl records, necklaces with birdcage and scooter charms and metal crafted rings. I also loved the line of pins, hair clips and necklaces with tiny city maps on them. (By the way, I LOVE MAPS). I had been looking for a new ring and I really liked a two finger studded ring but I decided to buy this gold triangle one. It's really different from anything I've seen, and it was just eight bucks!

Salty Not Sweet is more than just tshirts and trinkets. The locally made candles and soaps they sell smelled so good I wish I could fill my whole house with them! And as you know I love unique displays in stores and the in-house greeting card prints were displayed in an old card catalogue cabinet. We spent so much time reading these clever cards, some of which were hilariously snarky.

As it was their grand opening party, they had delicious cupcakes provided by the Cleveland Cupcake Company as well as other snacks and refreshments. I have to say the dark chocolate bacon cupcake I had was to die for.

When we finished our shopping and browsing, we headed up to the counter to make our purchases. Candra, the owner, was so sweet and funny. She genuinely loved everything in her place and everything I bought, she had one of her own! (And she also shared my love of vintage keys that were scattered around the shop ;) We also got to go home with our own little plants Candra said she had been growing in cups in her kitchen for weeks. My friend chose some herbs and I, who would have no use for such things, picked a lavender and a snapdragon. Such a cute idea!

I had an amazing time at Salty Not Sweet's opening on Saturday. I cannot wait until summer when I have some more dough and I can really go on a shopping spree there! Ohio City has always been one of my favorite Cleveland neighborhoods and it is really blossoming. This new boutique addition, as well as its neighbor Room Service, are making the area even better.

The Flower Child Experience

I have always considered myself an old soul, obsessed with the past and everything non-contemporary. You can imagine my glee when vintage shops started sprouting up around Cleveland, especially since my mother saved nothing for me from growing up in the 60s. There are some really great vintage shops around town but the first (and still favorite) one I ever went to Flower Child on Clifton.

The first few times I went to Flower Child, I didn't even buy anything. It's really an experience in and of itself. There is so much to look at and play with I could spend all day in there. When you first walk in you are greeted by so many visual stimulants it's hard to take it all in. The front room is full of vintage jewelry, from tasteful to gaudy and everything in between.

Like I mentioned in my post exploring Lion and Blue, many of my friends have been the benefit of gifts from Flower Child, and a lot of it has been jewelry. One of my favorite gifts I bought at Flower Child was a pair of cameo earrings. Something I've bought myself from this front room full of bling was a large ceramic red and white flower pin. I bought it around Christmastime so I took it as a poinsettia but it's so fun and bright I've worn it all year round.

The rest of the top floor is mostly full of housewares. I can only dream of having my entire future home furnished with the shag rugs, funky lamps and brightly colored couches you can find there. One cool item I bought as a gift was a vinyl record bowl. There are also always great cups, glasses and bowls as well as vintage mini bars that are sometimes discretely hidden for 50s housewives.


Once you get your fill of the first floor, take a trip down to the basement. There you'll find rooms and rooms and more rooms full of clothes, bags, accessories and more. As I said before, you could literally spend an entire day at Flower Child and most of it would be rifling through all those racks. From retro tshirts to sequined jump suits there is something to tickle everyone's fancy. One great find I bought was this kimono-style robe. I was casually looking for a light robe to wear around the house and I instantly fell in love with this leaf-motif number. Sometimes I wear it over lounge wear or take one of my sashes or scarves to cinch it closed.


Possibly my favorite Flower Child purchase is this vintage Pan Am bag. As I mentioned in my preview post featuring this classic bag, I had wanted a Pan Am bag since I saw Catch Me If You Can. That bright royal blue and instantly recognizable logo is so classically 60s. I was pretty close to buying a Marc Jacobs Pan Am bag on eBay but I knew I'd appreciate it more if I found an authentic one. I was in one of Flower Child's basement rooms when I saw it sitting on a chair around other random items. I could not believe it and once I saw the $20 price tag I knew I had to have it. If there's any doubt that it isn't an authentic 1960s bag, I can tell you the janky zipper and adjustable strap is definitely at least 40 years old. But regardless, this bag is great and I've used it a lot, especially since the recent cross-body bag trend.

I can only describe Flower Child in so many words, you really have to experience it for yourself, and it is quite an experience. One cool thing they do is indicate on much of their merch what decade or year they are from. There is also a good chance you can find some fancy vintage designer items. And although I am always for promoting local businesses, you can very easily spend a great afternoon soaking up all the vintage awesomeness without spending a dime. But if you do have a dime or two to spend you can definitely find a lot of great items that won't break the bank. And the best part is that every time you go, it's almost like a completely different place, they are always getting in new items and donations.

Post Preview: Red and White Flower Pin

As a result of two crazy weeks and the holiday weekend I have yet to put together a full post. But wait no longer, I'm working on a new entry at this very moment! I will definitely, DEFINITELY post it later tonight. So I thought I'd throw up this quick preview (in addition to my last preview) to tease tonight's full post!