smtg by jazzy cat featuring Forever21


Happy Street-Style Thursday everyone! I apologize for the lack of posts the last couple days. I was having too much fun making sets and I just lost complete track of time! And then the addictive feeling you get when you're living in Polyvore gets overwhelming and you just have to stop cold turkey. Anyway, I'm back, and it's thursday, so it's time to celebrate some street-style! This set is a beauty from jazzy cat. As I would expect, this isn't an exact copy, but an inspired look from our dear friend, The Sartorialist. The inspiration look is marvelously simple, but calculated. The bag is the right size and the shoes match the dress just so. In the polyvore translation, the dress and shoes are a different color, but match eachother as well as the one in the picture. Also, because this dress has a slightly fuller skirt than the one in the picture, jazzy decided on a slightly smaller bag to balance the look. She also added a little necklace, nothing too much, but adds just enough interest to the look. It's fresh, it's summery, and it's to die for!

folds in your hands by chloe por el mar featuring All Saints

Welcome to Street Style Thursdays at Imprisoned Whimsy Headquarters! The above entry from chloe por el mar used a real world fashionista as her inspiration for this set. For those new to this blog, Street Style Thursdays is all about celebrating fashion in a real world way; outfits that one could actually step out of the house wearing and looking fabulous. I chose this set because I like that the outfit is not a direct translation, it's merely tapping into the feel of the clothes and how you would feel wearing them. In some ways I prefer the re-imagining of this outfit because there is a bit more color and interest than the expected black and white. And I LOVE that green parka. But you sort of need the real world reference there to convince me that it could be pulled off, and that's precisely why I love inspiration pieces. They justify your crazy vision, don't they? Well done, chloe por el mar!

"don't forget to brush your hair" by Trishy

Happy street style Thursdays, kittens! Today, I decided to feature on of polyvore's most talented pure stylists, Trishy. This set is subtle, but what I really like about it is how she mixed super casual with super chic pieces. Obviously the scuffed, dirty-ish, severely distressed jeans are just about the only element that is very casual, but notice how the scuff marks match the nude tone of the flats, tying together this somewhat discordant set. The sleeveless blouse is a nice bridging piece as well...very elegant and chic, but also casual and "aged" looking. Nicely done, Trishy!

"Oh Won't You Be My Neighbor" by Jess Lee

Apparently, this is her first menswear set ever, and I must say she did a spec-TAC-ular job. To make Mr. Rogers look hip takes talent, but she did it. Even though the jeans are womens, we have decided that's okay according to the laws of androgyny. I chose to feature this for Street Style Thursday because some of the best streetwear on polyvore is menswear, not women's (girl's like to play dress up, what can I say?). Besides that, I've had a really bad morning and Mr. Rogers is helping me calm down a bit, imagining his soothing voice and simple, quiet mannerisms. Ahh, Mr. Rogers, chicken soup for the soul.

This is what casual wear is all about. Nobody wants to pile on accessories or mess around with "layers" on their casual days (except me ;-))...They want to throw on something quick and easy, and this, kittens...

"Girly Rock Star" by joostyna

is fabulous. It looks stunning, fresh, bright colors...pastels and soft fabrics...but step back and whoa! It's a bad ass rock star! It really is, you know. This is really hip, a gorgeous mix of colors, but you don't mess around with this chick. She packs a punch. I've always been a big fan of that particular dollydagger scarf, and this is why. It's got that perfect marriage of femininity and badass-ness...as does this whole set. Well done, joostyna!

by ♥Muhsine♥

This summery concoction is a very summery street style. Still comfortable for walking and moving around, but intensely elegant (at least compared to the suburbians walking around in their mom pants and plain pastel t-shirts and tennis shoes). The wood colors and textures blend beautifully with the flowy, sheer dress and I love the heavy red necklace with it all. It sort of grounds the look and keeps it from floating away with the breeze. And the belt? Gorgeous.

by Anuska

Street Style lately seems to consist of very very VERY short shorts, a threadbare tank top, strappy flat sandals, fringe bag, some sort of jacket to protect against the occasional cold breeze, and a pair of sunglasses. This set ticks every box. I like it because it's got that whole depressed moody thing going on that I love, and that tank is devine, with the sunset rippling along the top of it...very inspiring.

Wanderer

Happy Street Style Thursdays! I'm going to look around Polyvore for other examples of Street Style other than my own...somewhat restrictive street style...but for starters, here's my sort of latest. The thing is, I'm not a huuuuge fan of Steampunk. I like it, but sometimes I think it's silly, like the goggles, for instance. You will never see me wearing goggles unless I'm swimming, and even then, it's not likely. And I particularly won't wear them like a hat. However...I get it. I get the whole romantic attraction to 18th century steam driven stuff...there's a mystery about it, the passion for discovery, which is why I titled this "wanderer". When you walk out onto the street, you never know what you'll see, who you'll run into, what sort of shenanigans might ensue...wouldn't it be great if we could all move through this world with the passion of discovery...rather than just...doing it because we have to. That's a concept I could really use, because all too often, I find myself bored with EVERYTHING...but mostly, I'm just bored with myself.

"Pollen in the Air"

I won't lie...this set and...about 3 of the following sets are directly inspired by Mannoneke's inspirations. See, I usually work off of one picture, but she works off of many at a time, creating a richer tapestry of images and an ultimately more sophisticated look. She is always whimsical and playful, but it comes from a base of nature and reality. Of course, lets not forget that the real artists of polyvore are the photographers who have the inspiration to take the shot in the first place...or the designers who design the garments to be featured in the photographer's shot, or the model who selects the pose, or the make-up and hair crew who add to the vision...I guess what I'm trying to say is...all art is built off of inspiration. It's interactive, between the artist and the audience of artists...art is a fundamental human experience that needs to be cultivated a lot MORE...I'm tired of the world being driven by the inventors and scientists and money. Money, as a rule, is the biggest threat to art. More on that later though.

"We're All Mad Here"

Well, what was I thinking? I saw this picture...i can't remember who's set I saw it on, but I know I stole it...and was immediately inspired by the saturated colors in it. Obviously, the white top hat with a big pink scarf wrapped around it was inspiring, but I tried to stay away from really obvious Alice in Wonderland references. So I stuck to the colors. I've had that Batman t-shirt saved in my items for a month now and every time I intended to use it, the set went another way. This time, luckily, it didn't. I found those fabulous shoes by chance and then the rest of the set sort of built up from there. I didn't waste too much time looking for items because...well, I had the shoes. The rest was incidental. I do think the feather earrings were important. I said to myself...there's just not enough FEATHERS here...why I felt it needed feathers is a mystery, but that's what I was thinking. All in all, I'm rather happy with the wackiness amidst these sophisticated colors. Oh, and the vest...yeah, that's just to pull in some pink. This is, after all, meant to be inspired by the picture. And it sort of "goes" with this carefree bohemian look.

"Lying awake intent at tuning in on you" by Misseliz

Happy Street Style Thursday, kittens! Well, as I think I've said before, street style, for me, has a certain freedom...you can be too coordinated, but you can't be too UNcoordinated...does that make sense? Yes, well...this is Gokarm "pre-coffee" so you'll have to forgive my slight meandering. Okay, TO the point, this set is really cool. I love the pink shoes pulling out those little pink flowers hiding in the bag, "I see you there, little pink flowers, you can't hide from meeee"...without the cardigan, I don't know that I'd like this set much at all, but luckily it is there to tone down the t-shirt. I like the t-shirt, it just needs something to...you know...tone it down. Of COURSE the super polyvore trendy chunky frame glasses are present and generally speaking, that's it. It's comfortable, casual, but stands out and uses color creatively. Well done!

"Don't Edit"

This is the last 'pure' street style set I made. It has the usual "gokarm" features...doc martens, gloves, vest, hat, glasses...I think i was getting a little punchy when I made this lol. I normally wouldn't have gone with the peacock clutch AND the checkered scarf...which is why this is titled the way it is. It was hard for me not to take that bag out and replace it with something a little more acceptable/predictable. I mean I already had crazy going on with the shoulder length leather gloves and the top hat and the round frame glasses...did I REALLY need to go further and add the bag? Looking at it now though, I think the bag is perfect (with the earrings). It's an added element that pushes forward that "glam" david bowie-ness...without it, this would be just another boring hipster set.

"no, I promise you...wearing a Harvard tee will make you look smart" by tay.ah.luuhrr.

For me, the best way to make an impact in streetwear is to create an outfit that you would actually wear, but others wouldn't. This is that sort of look. I can imagine someone walking down the street in this and looking so hip and cool, but I would NEVER leave the house wearing it...why? Because it's not my street style, it's her's. Another reason I think I love this is more to do with my Beatles fetish i.e. anything featuring the Beatles and I'm on board. But I love that hat and I have used it a few times myself (well, maybe once)...and I love that she took chances with color. Pink, mauve, orangy brown, black, gold, grey, red...it all goes.

"What It Do" by Narz

So I went into my favorites section of Polyvore and just scanned through them and this caught my eye for the third time today. I don't honestly know WHY it's so good, all I know is it continues to appeal to me. The color blocking of the shorts and bag is clever...basic primary colors (I know green is secondary, but this is kelly green, about as basic a green as it gets). The boots paired with the sunglasses is creative and unusual...and for my money, you can never go wrong with a leather bomber jacket. The proportions are odd...there's a lot going on up top, nothing covering the legs until you hit the boots, which don't seem to correlate at all with the rest of the outfit. But stand back and look at the wearer...somehow, worn with confidence, this is totally chic and striking. Well done, Narz!

By the way, awesome title ;-)

"Smell Like Teen Spirit" by Phoebe Juliet

What kind of Polyvore blog would this be if it didn't include the great Phoebe Juliet? I'm going to look past the composition for now because we all know that it's fantastic. The reason THIS set is so good is because of the threads. I love the arm warmer sleeves on the striped shirt...just an aesthetic I respond to, I guess...And I love the grey tights under brown boots. I love the proportions on the second outfit, the cropped vest and long cami top over skinny jeans...That's really all there is to say. It's casual and grungy and comfortable...it's reminiscent of typical teen style, but neither is wearing uggs (ladies, please...enough...particularly you children from new jersey...stop it with the uggs, there's a reason they're called "Uggs"), the sunglasses are aviators, the ONLY way to look cool...not the Nicole Richie over sized frames...little details that protect this from being TOTALLY predictable. Well done, Phoebe!

"Rock" by me, Gokarm

I know my look is not for everyone, but it's 100% for me, and in fashion, that's all that friggin' matters. What I like about my street style is how grounded it is. (How do I alter that sentence so it doesn't end with a preposition?) Anyway...That's why I like big boots, because you plant yourself to the ground with each step. It's that "rock" stomp...when I visualize it, it's a ripple of sound waves that start with the foot...and thus, there is a presence about you...you're at the core of it all. Furthermore, you're solid and steady. You don't look like someone could knock you over with a feather.

The rest of the look is all about being creative with comfortable attire. I like socks because they keep your legs warm. I like these shorts because they're long-ish in a sturdy fabric and they don't require ironing. In fact, ironing would erase their character. The t-shirt is all about the color. The boots are a super-saturated candy apple red and the shirt is the same color, only lighter. Try to erase the color on the boot, and you'll wind up with the color of the shirt. This look is all about power. It's my armor, shielding me from judgement, disapproval, and contempt. This look tells them all to screw off.