Come on, Ireeeeeeene!

Well, folks.... It's been a minute and MUCH has transpired. But first and foremost on the importance list, the summer is winding to a bitter sweet end and I am nothing short of elated. Not gonna lie,... it was grueling. Braving the summer living on the top floor of a 3rd floor walk up with no air conditioning is just foolish, or otherwise cast as an amateur move for a summer in New York. But the universe had my back in bringing the hottest and most miserable weekend when I was conveniently on a short but sweet trip to the West Coast // Best Coast. So my complaints are few. Needless to say, I am eye-fucking my winter coats from across the room and dreaming of chilly nights and heated mattress pads. Ohhh yes. Alas, there is something to live for.

Work. Life. Love. And Irene: the big joke of 2011.



I wasn't sure if I should heed warning like everyone seemed to be doing.... It just didn't feel like it could possibly be the next Katrina in NYC. I mean, there was AMPLE warning. DAYS of warning. Aren't the biggest devestating natural disasters the ones that strike quickly upon unprepared and unknowing innocent people? People began evacuating the city as early as Friday morning with the "impending doom" scheduled to hit Sunday. Welp, it's Sunday morning and skies are pretty clear. Winds were wild last night but seriously, calm the fuck down, New York. It was an 1.0 earthquake. It was an extremely windy night. The morning after, the death count is 5 oak trees and a small colony of rats. But the good news is you now have 15 cases of bottled water and all the AAA batteries that you could possibly need for the rest of the year. EPICxFAIL.

Work: Going extremely well. We're gearing up for the Betsey show on September 12th for New York Fashion Week. I worked with Betsey on the show tee and am on red alert rush mode to get that shit turned and back to us in NY in time for the show. There's been mixed reviews internally and a few naysayers but I think it's going to all come off super fun and super Betsey, which is the point. And I foresee major press as a result of it all, so we shall see. All I have to say on the show is ASS AND TITTIES. You should probably stream it live on September 12th. Just sayin'.

I've had a couple new designs of mine come through into the stores and they're doing well. Through the duration of 2011, there will be a few more styles of mine out in stores each month, so I'm hoping they are all as well received as what's come out so far. Check out whats in the mix now.....



WAYYYY more to come.
Life: On the upswing. There is so much rad shit on deck for the next few months. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. On the recent tip, I just moved into a bitchin' new place with two of my favorite gals in NYC. It's a ground floor loft unit on the GOOD side of the tracks in Bushwick. Subway stop on our corner, normal human beings surrounding us. I have said adios por vida to the endless disgusting cat calls and sexual comments by gross old Puerto Rican men as you try to walk to the corner bodega for a can of soup. The new pad is amazing but it's a major project.... It's coming along, teaching me a thing or two about general construction work (which was definitely on my "to learn in 2011 list"... errrr.... uh...) and ultimately going to be something we are super proud of since we have literally but our blood, sweat and tears into it. Check out the prog pics....


In other "General Life" news, started working on a potential project out here playing with a band of a few guys I've met over the past few months. Stoked to be able to play again, period. The trusty ol' Korginator is gettin' amped for a big cross country move, and my soul is feeling almost whole again with the promise of late night Cat Power cover sessions and rock n' roll shows. And next week marks the cameo appearance of one of LBC's finest in the big bad city. Photo documentation to follow. It's gonna be a shit show.

And last and certainly least.... Love: Love is a battlefield. Yet again, I've let an evil male (also known as a super solid, legit, amazing dude) play a leisurely game of ping pong with my heart and I, in the end, lose. If there was some alternative blouse that I could buy that didn't include my heart being completely, tragically and fatally sewn on my sleeve, I would pay top dollar. So there isn't much to say on that tip except I hang up my high heels with grace and dignity knowing that I was true to myself. And now following the storm, I transition as gracefully as possible to a new era focused on taking care of myself, my family and my friends and embracing all the things that I have built to make my life amazing.

xox

Transplant.

... As in West Coast//East Coast transplant has been a successful procedure with one week under the belt, almost to the MINUTE of writing this blog. I thought it a good look to pick up the blogging for anyone who might be interested or bored enough to stay abreast of what's breakin' down over here in the journeys and travels of this fuckin' broad.



So where do I begin....?




Let's just start by saying I forgot how lonely it can be when you make the somewhat absurd decision to pack a couple bags and move your happy ass across the United States. I remind myself that I've done this before... across the state, however,... and the emotions that come with it are to be expected. But I guess I easily forget that shit. I remind myself that it will pass... things will become easier. I will get to know people. People will get to know me. I will get to understand where the fuck I am at any given time,... and I'll start acquiring some understanding of my location in proximity to anything//everything else. I've been helping myself A LOT everyday by jotting down some ideas in the morning before starting my day, just to check my progress and thoughts on life as the days roll by. I am reminding myself on the reg that I have two main purposes for being here,.... really for existing, period, I've come to understand... I am here, ACROSS the WORLD it feels like, away from all my friends, far from all my family, long gone from normal convenient life, missing the love of my life (Pip) and diving into life in probably one of the most challenging cities in the world to A)Score a job designing @ Betsey Johnson and B)Stay sober ((aka SANE)) so that I can do things like score said amazing job and have a good//happy life. End of story. When I get lonely (which I have) or doubtful (which I've been) or thinking I'm out of my fucking mind for coming here, I only have to remind myself of those 2 things and it makes sense again.




On a lighter note, some random factoids and experiences to note from Week 1...



-I am fully living in the hood of the late ((and great)) Biggie Smalls. On my first Subway ride, a young boy of colored decent informed me that everyone in Bed-Stuy claims to be homeys with Biggie. It's a pride thing. Thank you, Mr.Doo-rag, for the enlightening info. But I can't lie, the kid was kinda cute and actually very articulate and easy on the ears. He asked for my number and I felt bad so I gave him my card. He proceeded to call me on more than one occasion over the weekend. In classic and convenient Char style I responded to the missed calls with a light text thinking although Mike is 21 and from an even more hood than MY hood, we can maybe be buds or something. But alas, epic fail on the text attempt. That shit bounced right back alerting me that my new friend is not the proud owner of a mobile telephone, but could possibly even be calling me from a payphone. Cut, sonny.



-My first commute to midtown Manhattan in attempts of locating the jobsite and practicing my traveling was a seamless success. Most every Subway trip preceding that was rather troublesome. The public trans system is probably one of the best ever but not exactly simple. Tons of trains. Lots of options. I can be honest and say there have been some short commutes that have taken hours to complete. But in the past few days I've busted some error-free trips and I'm getting wiser by the day. There's hope.



-I knew there were rats creepin' around the Subways but was still a bit alarmed when I saw one of the fugly creatures makin' a beeline towards my snowy boots. He busted a hard right back down to his trash ridden underground home before I was forced to bust out any spear or sharp blade on his ass. He was lucky.



-I've realized how much I took everything for granted back home. My first trip to the grocery store was less than amusing. I put that shit off for days because A) I didn't know where any grocery stores near my pad were located and B)I knew it was going to be rough. But days had gone by and the time had come. I felt prepared with my travel route firmly in place and my XXL fabric grocery bag in tow. Didn't realize the aisles of the ma & pop joint I entered would be narrow as fuck and extremely crowded with evening shoppers. Let's tag on the fact that I happen to be carrying a huge overnight-ish bag from being at work all day, and let's top it off with me in a massive fur coat. Cute. So as I'm squeezing my abnormally extra wide fluffy frame and ridiculously oversized bag through crowds of people in the smallest space ever, I'm pretty sure the sleeve of my vintage (aka old) fur coat has started ripping. By the end of the shopping experience, my sleeve is nearly dangling off, and my environmentally friendly grocery bag is about to break from the pressure of the couple of groceries I was able to fit into it. FUCKING DEATH. If my cans of soup and apples were rolling out into the street by the end of my walk home, I was for sure going to say fuck this life and dive into a snow pile and stay there until someone found my body. I made it home with the goods and my left arm completely exposed to the 5 degree wind chill and baracaded myself in my room for the remainder of the evening. But at least I had a bag of pretzels to comfort me.



-First two days @ the job site were pretty rough. Can't lie. There are about 10 interns for this season (January-April). Some are interning for school credit, most don't have any industry experience, all are younger than me and most are completely irritating. They're just squirrels trying to get their nut too... I get it. But they just try wayyyy too fuckin' hard to be "funky" and it's just obviously super unnatural. Most of the interns spend their days bustling around trying to help Betsey in particular, kissing all the asses they can to get in good with the people that work there. I have a few favorites that I can't help but mention. But we'll refrain from a novel of a blog entree by zooming in on my top pick. We can call her "Clown". Trudy is out of school and has a little experience in the industry. Working for who, I could not guess in my wildest dreams. Trudy reminds me of a vaudeville character mixed with that skinny raccoon character from the Lion King. Was that Timon? Pumba? I don't fuckin' know. If you took one large witches cauldron and threw in the wardrobe from Clueless with some choice apparel pieces from Burning Man, and add a dash of the industrial goth scene, you have Trudy's signature look. Apply makeup similar to the mom in Requiem for a Dream when she's completely cracked out and applying lipstick, and this girls ready to conquer Fashion Avenue. I would never be sooo critical of someone's original fashion sense except that this character tried to call me out on Day ONE by saying "Are you posing for a school picture?" as I sat at a table quietly listening to someone give instruction. Nooooooo no no, Clown Girl. I don't think so. I suggest you sew that mouth up stat.



Anyhow, after two rather uncomfortable and discouraging days at BJ, I fell into the flow of how shit goes. It takes a few days (I seem to forget) in a new environment to get a feel for who's who... who does what... who's important... who just thinks they are... who's a bitch for no reason,... who HAS a reason to be a bitch... what you're supposed to do with yourself... how others work... how you want to be and not be. By Day Three I had that shit in the bag. I know what my plan of attack is for the most part and like I said,... I came here with a purpose. That's what I'm working toward everyday.



The legend herself IS in the office everyday. I was a bit starstruck at first but she's growing on me and I'm carefully formulating my angle to make her see that she needs me on her design team. She's a pretty bitchin' woman even though I'm pretty sure she's completely bat crazy. But I'm really stoked to see first hand that in a company like this with a line at this price point and global level, she is still completely involved in the design element of the collections. She's on sight everyday, she's choosing fabrics and doing hand sketches. Today I sat there as her "right hand gal" while she hand drew a spin off graphic of Rosie the Riviter for a tote bag that will be coming out. (I might have snagged one of the first sketches she did that she didn't like. I'm a souvenier collector). But it's pretty surreal. At the same time, I have seen in this first week a lot about the company, how it's run, how Betsey works and how her company works with her/for her. And I want in. It's the perfect company for me from the office design, the atmosphere, the way things are run, to the product that is produced. Eye on the prize.



What else... Betsey drinks a large 5 equal skim cap everyday, in case you were wondering. I've picked this up a few times this week @ Cosi, the cafe next door to the showroom who, by the way, has the most DELISH tomato basil soup I've ever mowed down.



Other shit... I deposited a check for $300k in the bank for Betsey the other day. I have never touched that much money in any form and I think it's pretty wild that they just trust an intern who has been there for two days to do that kinda shit. But whateva. Rad.



So overall.... a lot of progress has gone down from this one in 7 days time. I was skeptical for the first three days that any of this was going to be at all easy or enjoyable but my mind has changed completely. I am so happy that I am able to be here and experience this and just have to check myself a couple times a day to remind myself that this is all for a purpose. And like I've said before and mean more than EVER right about now, if the rad life was easy to come by, everyone would have it.



Handle shit. <3

LAYED OUT.

I missed out on the being born part... I think that took place in some average hospital in scenic Visalia, CA,.... but to anyone who reads this, consider this a partial spin off section of my will. God forbid something happen to me, I'd like to be kept on life support for a bit o' time at this lovely institution, just for the photo opps if nothing else. Check it.


"The 30-bed Hau Sheng Hospital in Yuanlin in central Taiwan claims to be the only institution of its kind authorized by the popular cartoon cat's parent company Sanrio Co Ltd.
Newborns get everything Hello Kitty but a set of whiskers, including pink or blue receiving blankets, nurses dressed in pink uniforms with cat-themed aprons, cot linen and room decor."

Sweet November.

Wow. Busy does not do justice to my life this month. I haven't blogged in awhile. Too much has happened. But we shall try a quick recap.

Ye Olde Election--As we all know, I was unable to vote. But the man took first and all is well in the world. Well not all.... Prop 8 protests weekly.



Big TWO FOUR Birthday-- Flew to the LB. Strongest jack and diet I've had in my life. Southwest. Must've been the altitude. Saw a lot of people I really miss. Drank far too much. Missed my plane to SF. Rad.

D-Stricts Fashon Show--Vip list capped at 300 people. Tons of SF press in the mix. Way stoked. Dress rehearsel goes rad. Models leave. Boss crushes our hearts with his overly constructive criticism. Me and partner feel 2 ft. tall. Hearts are officially broken. Natural next step: go out with friend in town to see the show and get way too drunk. Friend and I see a cat on a leash in the mission. Friend and I meet some random young skateboarder boys outside a bar. Shots are had. I am hit in the eye with something launched from across the room. Possibly black eye in progress. Last call comes and goes. Mob 15 blocks at 2am to boys house I kinda liked. ETA: 3 a.m. Ruin any potential with said boy due to my antics. Fannnn-fuckin-tastic. Boss follows up the next day with extreme remorse for his antics. Friend in town makes me a tiny top hat, which I've been obsessively wanting for weeks. Show goes AMAZING. Complete success. I sport tiny top hat. Fantastic reaction from most. Couple interesting comments from non-fans. Go to Thrasher warehouse party in my hood. Comments such as:
--"Hey Axel Rose."
--"Is it Halloween?"

Dicks. Its a very Carrie Bradshaw thing to do. Some will love it others won't get it. Fair enough. Walk home: we all have to pee and decide to each squat behind a different car in a dim lit alley. I set my open container down on the ground and proceed to get into position. LIGHTS AND SIRENS. Oh shit. Mosey along. Leave open container. "YOU! WITH THE HAIR STYLE". Um, Officer, you mean tiny top hat. I walk over.
TinyTopHat: "...Hi."
OFFICER: "Can you please pour the contents of that out and NOT IN YOUR MOUTH".
TinyTopHat: "....okay...... I'm sorry, we're just on our way home"
OFFICER: "We won't make more of it than it is".
(Officer vrooms off into the night with his crew of motocop homies.EXIT STAGE LEFT.)

Off the hook.

Saturday-- Show family around the city. Union square. Chinatown. Upper Haight. Mom almost falls on the bus. Love her. We stumble upon a Tom's Shoes promotion at Villians in Upper Haight. Buy a pair of Tom's and get them custom spray painted for free. AND get a couple free Sopporo tall cans. Sold.















Nighttime--: Go to everyones favorite bro-land in the city: North Beach. Have to chase not one but TWO city busses on our route. This section of town has some of the most unsteezy people I've ever come in contact with. At least for how pretentious they are. We bounce to the 'Loin. Take friend to Edenburg Castle. The crowd kinda blows so I start playing the piano and taking requests. Always an easy way to make friends. I have a cute fan and he comes with us to bounce across town in attempts to meet up with Broke Ass Stuart,... the author of friend and my #1 read of the year: Broke Ass Stuart's Guide to Living Cheap in San Francisco. We meet up with Stuart. And his girlfriend. Have I mentioned we don't really know Stuart? We bought his book randomly a few weeks past when he was selling it on the street. He gave me his business card, seeing I am a buyer and al. Friend decides to utilize this business card and texts him in attempts to meet up and pick his brain. He responds to text. We relocate to Stuart. Afterall, he wrote a whole book about rad cheap spots in the city. He's gotta be doin' something fun, right? Stuart's kinda a douche and random boy from the 'Loin points out that Stuart looks a little fluffier than his photo on the cover of the book portrays him as. Photoshop. We ditch Stuart and head to some bar called The Phone Booth. I don't remember much about this except that it was last call when we arrived and none of us needed to be ordering a DAMN thing. I smoke pot with some random man on the street. Not a bum, but also not wearing shoes. Very awkward.

Sunday. Friend flies back to homeland. I did my part in a freelance wardrobe gig that I really didn't feel like showing up to. It pays to show up. I did my part. Explored a chinese fast food spot on 7th and Market (a.k.a skid row jr.) Sketchiest chinese I've ever eaten with a Diet Pepsi that tastes like it was made in 98'. Exhausted isn't appropriate verbage for my feeling right now. I don't know what it is. But I had a fantastic weekend and am feeing better about life here on the daily. There is a reason I'm here and I need to remember what that is and think about what matters. What is my time here for? What do I want out of all of this? Who do i want to be and what? All such open-ended free questions. While I figure out all the answers, I also need to work on NOT taking myself so seriously. Progress not perfection.

Sexy Time.

Well I'm about a week deep staying at my new place and last night I had THEE worst sleep of possibly my whole life. Well that's a stretch, but definitely since living here in San Francisco. Damn the walls are thin in my building...... Woke up more than 4 times throughout the night to my semi hotty neighbor boning the shit out of some broad next door. And unfortunately I heard every breath of it. So awful. All I have to say is I hope she gets knocked up over it! I'm so tired today. HA.

In other news, things are gettin' crazy, but in a good way, generally. Went through some bullshit over the weekend where I got an up close glimpse of the insanity of women. I watched this girl rip through a dude for completely unjust reasons.... so selfish and so self absorbed. So unreasonable. It makes me sick to think about. And the worst part is that the girl was me. But as usual everything happens for a reason and this is no exception. Lessons learned, and we can move on.

Getting busy with a bunch of freelance wardrobe gigs. Working on two separate films in the month of November and also diving into some more print work. I still get scared and nervous and have the initial inclination to back out, but I CANT and won't. I have to try or I'll never get anything I want. I have a plan....

*build up my list of credits (especially on movies and with film projects) that is at least a page long by this time next year.

I really want to work towards wardrobe for a full time job.... particularly on movie or television sets. Yea that means going back to LA, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. For the time being I can experience everything here while I'm building that credits list, making contacts and getting experience. Plus there's a lot to reach for as far as getting into costume for stage here. SAN FRANCISCO... Hello!?

And on the other hand, I was building the production calendar for my job yesterday and just slipped in all the deadlines for my own line. It got me really excited, fictitious or not, and I want to pursue it full force. Launch time: JULY 2009.
This is one that I've wanted for as long as I can remember. One of the biggest perks to this job was the possibility of getting to do that. I have to take full advantage, and that is what will take up my mental space in my spare time from this point on.

New plan: don't worry about anything else but getting my shit in line and being successful in my endeavors.

Unfortunately, I feel like you lose friends when you have this attitude. Does it make it wrong?? Maybe the reality is that if you're moving forward quickly, you're likely leaving others behind. While I don't know how to be anything BUT ambitious, it still leaves me feelings somewhat alone.