Moodboard - S/S '13

(Left to Right: The Doom Generation still, Unknown, Pageant Girls by Petra Collins, Unknown Gwen still, Unknown Spice Girls Still, James Huang, Unknown, The Doom Generation Still, and Unknown)

  So I thought I'd make a moodboard for today's post. Since in my last video I talked about the glam '70s/millenia 2000s vibes I thought I'd show you some visuals that pretty much embody my brain at the moment. Actually, now that I look at this it's mostly focused on the millenia half but you get the point nonetheless.

I've been thinking about the summer recently and what I'm going to do with it.  I originally planned on taking summer classes at my college in May to get ahead, but I might not pursue it because the financial aid will be beyond shitty. Plus, I don't want to burn myself out for the upcoming school year. Which leads me back into the post vibe - road trips.

For those who haven't seen The Doom Generation, its a hyper stylized film about 2 teenagers who are trying to escape their seemingly messed up lives.  They encounter strange places and psycho characters along the way.  It makes me sort of reminisce on all of the absurdity that lies in the outskirts of the U.S.A. The joke shops, touristy destinations, etc. It'd probably be super depressing to constantly reside there (shown in the movie), but popping in on a road trip and leaving when you want just seems so appealing to me in a voyeuristic way.  

Something else I've been inspired by recently is the concept of Roswell New Mexico/Aliens. I remember staying up late and watching crappy reenactment shows about alien abductions on T.V. as a kid. It just makes me really intrigued how so many people across the world believe in it whole heartily and dedicate their lives to exploring the matter.

Anyways, I guess what this all comes down to is mystery. What's still out there? What can I document? Maybe that's what I'll do over the summer - get some money together and bum it across the U.S.A. More fashion inspiration on this topic will be coming soon!

Much love, 

Lauren Rose

Curbside Fashion 

(P.S. I watched this documentary called "Kurt and Courtney" on Netflix last night. I never knew there were hardcore conspiracy theorists that thought Kurt was murdered. I liked when they showed people from his past (his aunt/ex girlfriend), you can really see the impression he left - it's actually super depressing. Also Courtney is kind of displayed in a bad light (then again it's hard to make her seem like a saint), but her dad is the biggest asshole on earth. Wow. That is it, over and out. )

Vintage Shopping in St. Paul, MN!

(Me and Peter Cottontail)

Hello everyone!

I thought I'd share with you a bit of my vintage shopping adventures from St. Paul Minnesota. Recently, I've been striking out with thrifting at my local Goodwills/Value Villages, so the concept of a vintage shop is really comforting to me. For those who aren't aware, there are differences between the two:

Vintage Shops: The owners hand select pieces they have thrifted, purchased from estate sales, purchased from antique fairs, or items they have acquired from home-visit sales. Cost= $$ to $$$

Thrift Stores: Houses items that are donated from the public in which the proceeds usually go towards some type of charity. Cost= $ to $$

(Missouri Mouse Antiques, 1750 Selby Ave, St. Paul)

There are benefits and disadvantages to both.  Thrifting is almost always cheaper, but you have to sift through a lot of material and risk not finding anything.  Vintage stores are usually more focused, so you have more of a possibility of finding something you like - yet because of this convenience the prices are almost always higher. It's ultimately up to the buyer to choose what's best for themselves. 

(Interesting finds at Missouri Mouse Antiques)

My friend Sarah and I ventured to Selby Ave. and went to Missouri Mouse Antiques. Like most vintage shops, there is more to it than meets the eye - literally. Every corner you take leads you to an entirely different room, covered with random knick knacks. It's sort of disorienting but if you have a lot of energy it can be amazing. 

 I managed to pick up a couple records for around 50 cents each before we left.  My purchases included The Sound of Music, Carousel, and The Steve Miller Band. Not sure what kind of condition they are in, but if anything they will be great for decor purposes. 

After realizing how draining antique shopping can be, Sarah and I headed over to the Neighborhood Cafe (1570 Selby Ave) for a couple grilled chesses and malts. 

After recharging, we headed over to one of my new favorite vintage shops called Up Six Vintage.  Half of the store is full of vintage clothes (big emphasis on the '80s), and the other half is furniture and decor.  I loved the abundance of metallic shoes they had, it gave me a '70s glam mixed with the millenia vibe (Comme Des Garçons, Rodarte, etc).  I think overall the owner has selected some really nice pieces, and mostly everything that I saw was under $50. 

I only walked away with a couple things - the first being a '70s dusty rose flowy dress. I also found some nice black lace up heeled boots that instantly reminded me of The Craft. 

We stopped at a few other stores and picked up some more pieces, but I thought I'd end it here. I guess the moral of the post is that you should always give vintage shops a try - even though they can be a little expensive.  You wouldn't imagine the thought and time the curators put into the shop. Even if you don't get anything, it's always nice to look around for inspiration. Anyways, I took some footage of our day as well, so perhaps I'll make a video/haul on the adventure on my youtube channel, JustACurbsideProphet.

I hope you are all doing well!

Much love, 

Lauren Rose

Curbside Fashion 

Film Muse: Mystery Girls

I thought I'd switch up today's post and do what I call a "Film Muse". As many of you know, I waste countless hours watching movies, so it's only natural that I put a little more time into explaining my love for them on here, right?  Above are some crude screenshots I took for my personal swipe file. 

The left shows Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975 dir. Peter Weir) and the right is The Virgin Suicides (1999 dir. Sofia Coppola). Maybe I'm late on this boat, but while watching Weir's film I couldn't help but realize the cinematic similarities between the two. 

Check list: repressed female sexuality, modest clothing, and mystery! 

Picnic at Hanging Rock focuses on a group of Victorian girls in the Australian wild that go missing whilst on a picnic.  The Virgin Suicides shares the same mystery as the former, as a small town in the '70s tries to come to terms with why the lusted after Lisbon sisters decided to all commit suicide.  Both films operate in a voyeuristic approach, displaying the girl's beauty in closeups and montages. I can't tell if I should be creeped out or mesmerized.

I tried to research online to see if Sofia Coppola used Picnic At Hanging Rock as cinematic inspiration (see similar shots above), but couldn't find anything about it. But most importantly, both films and books center around the notion of mystery. Best summed up by a reviewer online:

"We, as the audience, are not supposed to care about why these events happened, but rather how the mystery affects us". (source)

"We worked very hard," Weir told an interviewer for Sight & Sound, "at creating an hallucinatory mesmeric rhythm, so that you lost awareness of facts, you stopped adding things up, and going into this enclosed atmosphere. I did everything in my power to hypnotize the audience away from the possibility of solutions."  (source) 

Although finding the solutions is impossible (and sometimes intended to be), if you've seen both of the films, do what implications do you think were made? Because the girls at Hanging Rock were undressing/revealing their sexuality, were they punished with their disappearance? Because Lux gave herself to Trip in the football field, was it ultimately the catalyst of the Lisbon girls' deaths?  How much agency do all of these women truly have, or are they merely just passive participants in society? Are these directors trying to explain the hardship of young women throughout the decades, or rather just create a mystery story with beautiful girls? 

 It's definitely something I think about, perhaps too much. Although they are ultimately just books/movies, this kind of stuff sticks with me.  So what you do you guys think? Leave some comments down below and we'll discuss!

I hope you all enjoyed, and if you haven't seen the movies already, I urge you to asap!

Much love,

Lauren Rose

Curbside Fashion

The Loon Sweater Returns - OOTD

Lazy Tuesdays. Can we make that a thing?

I thought I'd share my go-to lazy outfit with you all.  The first thing you need for this look is a horribly gaudy loon sweater (Minnesota's state bird might I add!). This bad boy was thrifted circa 2009 at my local Value Village. There happened to be a turtleneck attached to it, but we had to part.  On the topic of ironic ugly sweaters, I wanted to share a quote with you from an interview with the director John Waters by Hazel from Rookie Mag:

"...If you buy the ugliest sweater and it's funny, I think that's fine. You still look hot in it. You don't wear it to look ugly. You wear it because you're so hot an ugly sweater can't make you look bad, and that's a great look"

- John Waters

I dig it. 

Lastly, I paired it with my super comfy American Apparel Easy Jeans in black (nice investment, literally wear them 5/7 days a week). Since I'm Up North, it's function over fashion with my Sorel boots. No shame. 

(screen shot of some video I took of the place, look how cute it is!)

Before I leave- I must give an update on the thrift shop I was planning on going to. It was closed. Again. My heart. Is broken. I'll give it one last chance before I hit the road tomorrow morning, but I can't get my hopes up.  I might have to wait until the summer to visit when business is flowing.

Much love.

Lauren Rose 

Curbside Fashion

I'm Still Here - Joaquin Style

(Me wearing my Nature Valley headband which I get mocked for MERCILESSLY everyday)

Hello! 

After I made my hiatus video on JustACurbsideProphet, I've been thinking a lot. Actually, my brain is almost as fried as the college sorority girls' bodies who happen to be kickin' it in the Keys over Spring Break
(no hard feelings tho tbh).

 Anyhoozle, I've come down to three things that I'm working on currently:

Human Interaction (see last post)

Redefining Confidence

Making plans and actually fulfilling them

    1. As for human interaction, things are looking up. I've made more friends, and made peace with others. I still have yet to talk to my dream guy who lives my dorm. He resembles an ungodly mix of Michael Pitt and Andrew Vanwyngarden, but hey - baby steps (we make eye contact a lot). 

2. Redefining confidence is a new concept for me.  You always hear people telling you to "just be confident", even those within the beauty/ fashion community. I don't think half of them even know what they are saying. It's become such a cliche that even I don't know what it actually feels like anymore.  But what does it even mean? What does it feel like to be confident? Is the key to ultimate happiness purely confidence? Can you really learn how to become that way or will that self doubt always linger? It's more about psychology than anything really.  I'm trying to find those revelations that can change the way you think... it's just been a little harder than I imagined.

   3.  Lastly, the third point is making plans and actually fulfilling them. For those who don't know me in real life, I can be a flake sometimes.  When I don't feel comfortable, or when I plan incorrectly, I kind of fall off the face of the earth and I don't like when that happens.  But this isn't just a social issue, I'm beginning to make plans for future projects, summer classes, jobs, and adult stuff. Blerg.

(Trees on trees on trees)

(Blueberry pancakes get at me)

(Lake Superior)

    So I'm currently Up North with limited internet wifi, thinking intensely about these three things. There's also this crazy thrift store down the road from me which I intend on rummaging through tomorrow, so expect a Youtube video on it if I find anything. That's something I've been into recently- absurd and quirky thrift shops like the one in The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki. I plan on going ham when I get back to the Twin Cities and hitting up all of the vintage shops when I still have the foggy illusion that I can afford the things I'll by. 

(Rose McGowan in the Doom Generation (1995) by Gregg Araki. You should really see it. )

   But as always, I love you guys and I want to thank you for sticking around on all of my websites! If you don't see a video from me soon, just remember that I'm still going through those 3 bullet points. 

Much love.

Lauren Rose
Curbside Fashion