Ob-sessed!

iheartnorwegianwood

Crop tops...

...in the shop tomorrow. Because an inch of exposed midriff really does make you less sweaty in summertime.

Mightiest Market Yet

Apparently there will also be quality knitted goods courtesy of Karolyn Lawson, mother of Shola! I have one of her cowls and wear it CONSTANTLY. Come kick it with us and check out the newest wares. I'm stoked to offer a few summer surprise pieces...

Ladies night

New dresses for sale ya'll. Haaay.

Intergalactic you and meeee...

Introducing: Space Traveler from another galaxy! This guy's quilts are totally off the hook, I mean, you see them here. Words cannot describe the dude quilting genius that spawned them. I was lucky enough to run into a video of the maker one night trolling through Etsy. Jimmy McBride. Many of you already know how deeply I appreciate unexpected contrasts. Well, meticulously mapped nebula-inspired space quilts hand sewn by a man certainly hits that one on the nose. Please check out more of his work at jimmymcbride.com or his Etsy shop at stellarquilts.etsy.com. Thank you.

New Year, New Dresses

Oh hay! Whatup everybody. Welcome to 2011. This year there are bold prints, minimalistic shapes and some fantastically faded party dresses coming from idea to reality. Riot Siren is sticking with retro silhouettes + futuristic details and as always, keeping it handmade. As much as possible, fabric and notions are vintage, second hand, or salvaged.

Thank you again to all my wonderful friends and family who have supported my dirty doll dress endeavor in 2010 (and before) by sewing into the wee hours, organizing sales, baking cupcakes, posing like maniacs for photos, treating me to dinners I would never be able to afford and rocking your custom-made dresses with pride. I am so excited to go full steam ahead in 2011!

Endlich mal was neues...

New pattern. New dresses. Coming soon.

Amsterdam gets on the eco-wagon

Strangely enough, Amsterdam's very first major "eco-fashion event" took place last Sunday. Strawberry Earth Wonderland. It was put on by an organizer called Strawberry Earth, which advocates all things earth-friendly and apparently set a pretty tough standard for vendors. I stumbled across an article about it in a magazine haphazardly tossed into my goodie bag at an Expat fair full of booths offering tips, treats and memberships to social clubs. Of course I pulled this magazine out. Of course I flipped right to this page. I mean, coming from Portland it's like "Yeah, eco-fashion. Recycling plastic. What else is new, right?" But for these guys it is a road not yet traveled.

It's kind of funny, because although the Dutch are rather stylish in my opinion, they are also quite homogeneous and tend to favor "expensive" looks in a subtle yachting-on-the-weekends kind of way. There isn't much diversity, and my beloved old-fashioned grunge doll look that would barely raise an eyebrow in Portland gets all kinds of strange (and occasionally somewhat negative) attention here. Which sucks a tad considering I'm still finding my bearings and don't really want to stand out more than necessary when I stumble mounting my bike or roll up to a sales counter with nothing more than a "Goede Dag" to contribute to the Dutch conversation. Therefore wearing familiar things (i.e. cutoff pastel Gunne Sax dress with threads hanging down, messy hair and a shoulder-padded band conductor cum office woman jacket) has to be toned down a bit. Or does it? I still haven't gotten to the bottom of this one. Anyway, I was really excited about this event because I felt like I could not only see what's up in the Dutch eco-fashion scene, but I could also rock all things I love to the max and not be stared at. Which made me realize something.

Dutch people are really just getting started on this eco-bandwagon as far as fashion is concerned. There is hope that they will yet one day find second-hand girl ghost a fashion-forward idea. Even if they would never do it themselves.

The event itself was actually quite fun. It took place in (according to Matthias) the only cool nightclub in Amsterdam, Trouw. I could see how it would be a good place to party, although like all Dutch structures, the stairways were unnaturally steep and would be somewhat dangerous while inebriated. I arrived at the beginning and had the opportunity to talk to several of the designers (more on that later). It was really nice to speak with others who are as genuinely enthusiastic about their crazy recycled work as I am and have also had some success thus far. Etsy also had a presence at the event, teaching people how to make T-shirt yarn and spreading the word to get the Euros excited about the site. Apparently its rather secret here in Europe. Which is cool, it makes me a little more stoked to spread the word.

Alright, Amsterdam. You might be far more square than people imagine and not quite ready for vampire grunge doll in ratty fur coat on a daily basis, but you have accepted recycled, eco, fair trade and conscientious fashion that has legitimate whimsy and doesn't suck. I applaud you there. It's a decent start.

Hunger Games

What I've always wanted and more...

...slim fitting a-line dress with 3/4 puff sleeves! Something about this photo totally does it for me. Anyway, I'm excited about the final drafting of this new pattern (it's been in progress for a bit). They'll be popping up in the shop this week.

NEW!

A whole slew of new cupcake skirts in the shop today...