Emo but Make It Fashion

Nothing really changes 'round these parts, y'all.

Sure, there's a different landscape. There's a rural town surrounded by cows and cornfields and mountains where once there had been skyscrapers and charming old cobblestone streets and buses rattling past at three in the morning. A train pass has been swapped for a driver's license. There's less walking and more driving and everything is an hour away instead of just a few blocks.

But there are still thrift stores. There's still a sewing machine. There's still Chuck Taylor sneakers. There are still Sherlock Holmes books.

And there's still My Chemical Romance.

Some things just never change.

I wear my denim jacket like a second skin. Not this one, a different one. For most of the year, even when it's too hot outside, I clutch my jacket around me. It is my armor. I've worn it to auditions. I kicked up a fuss in cosmetology school when it wasn't allowed to be my 'pop of color' (we had to wear all black). It's threadbare at the elbows and holes are forming around the collar, but I never feel as good as I do when I'm wearing that jacket.

Sadly, the world is getting... warmer. And I felt like maybe I wanted a change. Something I might be able to wear to rehearsals in the spring or at least on a date if I ever got one. Earlier this year, just before the 'Rona took the world by storm, I took two dresses and a leftover jacket and attempted to make something I really would wear. It did not work out. First, all rehearsals and productions were cancelled. Second... what do I even wear this with?

Overall, I love the aesthetic. I love the sleeves. I love the juxtaposition of the floral and the punk rock MCR patch that Megan got me one Christmas. I love the bleach spattered denim. I don't know what it is I don't love about it, but it's something that I'll have to work on. I've honestly only ever worn this for these pictures.

 This dress, though, as I said in my last post, I've worn a lot. I'm not sure about the platform Converse, though. I wish I'd gotten my size. Based on the recommendations I got about a half size smaller than my usual and if they had normal Converse toes they'd be fine but the toes are a little narrow. I don't know why I was determined to keep them. I was like, "No, no, they'll stretch out."

They have not, so far.

Will they make it to next week's episode!? Stay tuned and we'll find out together! ;-P

But seriously, see you with another post on Thursday, this time about a project I'm very excited to be involved in.

Until next time! xoxo - Meghan

South Street Art Mart

I miss Philly every day.

Don't get me wrong, I've accomplished a lot in Maryland and I'm probably going to be sticking around here for a while, but I miss Philly every fXcking day. For me, every day was a romance. I'm not stupid enough to believe any place or person or thing are perfect, but I want to see the beauty in all the imperfections. I want to work towards being a better human. Philly helped me do that and sometimes, despite the fact that again, I've grown so much since I left, I wish I'd stayed.

Maybe, to quote Gonzo, I'm going to go back there some day.

Until then, I continue to follow favorite Philly businesses. TapedOff TV and NightOwlDesigns are two of THE BEST. I used to go to the Punk Rock Flea market just to see them every Spring and Fall. They are a very hardworking couple who are both named Nicole and together they opened one of the coolest shops- South Street Art Mart.

I actually remember seeing TapedOff TV Nicole on South street on my last day in town. She was across the street from where I was walking and she waved at me and I waved back. I didn't go over and say hi to her because I didn't want to sob on a stranger about my break-up at the time, but they're such a fixture of that neighborhood, it was kind of a nice goodbye when I left to see her one more time.

I have a wide collection of denim jackets. I can't help it, they're my favorite things to wear. I think I have like, twenty, and they're all embellished in different ways and they always have buttons from South Street Art Mart on them. Sometimes they're older ones I've purchased at the PRF over the years, but the newest ones are from the Art Mart. It felt real nice to bring a little bit of Philly home to me during the quarantine.

I also got a She/They badge, for reasons that I'd like to discuss more in depth in the future.

This jacket is special to me in a weirdly thematic way that I didn't think about until after I took these pictures. I didn't go back to Philly for years after I left, but there was a hair show there a little while back and I made this jacket to wear specifically for that event. It's made from three pairs of jeans/denim scraps, but at the time I made it I drafted the sleeves poorly so it never fit right. Recently I took it apart and scooped out the sleeves a little better and now it fits really well. I can't wait until the fall to wear it.

You can't see them but I'm actually wearing Night Owl Designs anatomical heart earrings that I've had forever.

This whole outfit is about repairing things, I think, because the jeans were a recent patch when my thigh rip finally became a waist-band rip, but these were my favorite jeans so I couldn't get rid of them. I also hated my white vans so I dyed them the most perfect teal and now they're my favorite sneaks. I made my necklace and the shirt was bought new from the Old Navy clearance rack.

Definitely check out South Street Art Mart online. It's chock full of Philly artists and pop culture goodies. I love them to pieces and they're doing a lot of charity work right now that is just amazing.