Visions of Style: How Fashion Works

April 6, 2015April 12, 2015 | Megan

JiaXin Gao here, more here. Interesting commentary here.

Style, fashion, clothing, culture, identity, memory, vision.

What place do those words hold or demarcate in your head? When you think of fashion do you think of a catwalk in Milan, or the rig you wore last Tuesday? When you say style do you picture the latest feature in Vogue, or that crazy gothic teenager next door? When you talk identity, do you feel as though your clothing says something about you? Anything?

When you tap memory do you have a moment in time that is frozen as if it were yesterday and that image includes your garb? When you approach culture, norms, aberrance, dominant tropes of dress, and subtexts, how does fashion fit in? Does fashion fit you?

So many fascinating questions, so little time! (Cause I guess I could stretch this page out as long as I want to go, no?)

I heard an intriguing broadcast on Radio West a few weeks ago about How Fashion Works. Doug Fabrizo, personal hero of mine, interviewed Jackie Lyden and Simon Doonan. Jackie is a longtime NPR correspondent whose broadcast The SEAMS is branching out into a podcast via Kickstarter here. Simon is a fashion maven, personal stylist, global ambassador for Barney’s department store, and blogger at Slate.com. He has a new book out titled The Asylum: True Tales of Madness from a Life in Fashion.

I have received so many kind comments, encouraging feedback, and thoughtful compliments from my friends and readers regarding my style posts. Even friends who have offered to let me dress them! Honestly, I’d love to!

I’ve also had some friends make remarks like, “Wow, you look great, I could never pull that off.” Or, “do you have any tips for a frumpy mom?” While there’s nothing wrong with either of those statements, it has caused me to think about my personal style. What is my personal style? How did I come into it? What is the difference between style and fashion? Can high fashion find its way into the every day?

So here’s my schpiel about finding YOUR style in the WORLD of fashion. Yes, fashion is couture, fashion is catwalk, fashion is broader culture, or at least one way to imagine or pick up culture’s pulse. Those visions are the big picture. The arc that connects you to those concepts is YOUR own style. Style is where fasion becomes unique, individual, dynamic. You own style.

This is what Simon Doonan says about personal style, “It’s all non-verbal communication. For me, it’s sort of a kind of whacky anthropology. When I get on those shows like Fashion Police I’m terrible because I don’t have the disdain thing that you were talking about where people sneer. I was once auditioning for that show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. They showed me a picture of a dude wearing a Metalica T-shirt with a mullet and I said, ‘He looks GREAT!’ Cause my thing is I think there is room for everything on this vast chaotic landscape.”

Style isn’t simply regurgitation of designer expression, at least I don’t think it is. Style is part imagination, part necessary obligation to wear clothing put on us by society. Style might be one of the first places where your vision of self meets the broader culture. Sometimes utility has a lot to do with it and sometimes, as in the case of haute couture, art and expression are the driving forces.

Take what you are wearing RIGHT NOW for example. You might be hunkered down in bed, in your pajamas reading this post on your iPhone before bed. You might be geared up in your grubbies (like a crappy pair of jeans and a grass-stained shirt) to head outside for some yard work. You might be making that final adjustment to your tie at your cubicle desk in the financial district in city X. You might be headed to brunch with friends. What are you wearing? Why are you wearing it? This is how fashion works for the every person.

Right now I’m wearing a light pair of cotton shants (Short pants), a sweater, a wool zip jacket, and a down puffer. We’re camping and it’s a little cooler than I expected in Southern Utah. So where’s my style? At this moment, for me, it’s in the color combinations– the deep aubergine of the sweater, the burnt pumpkin of the jacket, the pomegranate nylon of my puffer. It’s in the cut of these items, too. But the expression of personal fashion in daily life more often involves those precursors– this moment, for me.

I believe the intersection between fashion, style, AND utility is also one we approach daily. And even if you purport to ABHOR fashion altogether, and shun the latest trends with a passion there is still the reality that most of us have to get up and get dressed every. single. day. And there’s probay some method, formula, or process you go through. Style.

When I think back about how my own personal style has been shaped or how it has morphed and evolved I think back to the story of my five-year-old self on my about page. You can read it here. But for me, style has been important for a long time and I find the expressive ability of dress to be engaging, creative, mood changing, and fun!

To those of you who struggle to find your personal style, fear not! In fact, I encourage you to let loose a little. Try to release the restrictions you’ve tied yourself to. “I can’t wear that, try that, do that because…” Play creatively with your dress. It doesn’t have to take a ton of money, either.

Jackie Lyden explains, “We certainly didn’t have any money. My mother was affectively a single mom. She was divorced when I was six. The idea that you’re inventing your life, and you’re doing it as you go along and the possibilities being endless. Not expensive. Endless. I just find that very liberating.”

When Doug Fabrizo asks, “What does your wardrobe say about you? What do you notice about other people’s clothes? Was there a moment when fashion clicked for you?” Where does that locate you in the landscape of style and fashion, at the intersection of imagination and vision?

Perhaps it’s with the likes of Phylis Diller. Says Simon Doonan, “It’s not a race. It’s not a contest. I feel like at this point in life, you’re growing old. You’re nearing death. Why not just go out with a BANG! Like Phylis Diller!”

You may not be “nearing death”, but why not take a page from Ms. Diller!?!

XX, Megan

Cleaning Pennies: Simple Solutions

April 3, 2015March 29, 2015 | Megan

We have made our yearly Easter pilgrimage to Moab and are thoroughly submersed in the dirt by now, I’m sure. So this Friday I wanted to share our Science Friday from LAST Friday afternoon. (I’ve received some questions as to our schooling situation, and we do not homeschool, though I respect those who make this decision for their children and their family very much. We happen to have 1/2 day Fridays at our elementary, so we’re still able to do Science Friday projects nearly every week.)

This project was so much fun and VERY easy to pull off. As with recipes, I like to gather everything I will need ahead of time, plus at this point I really need to gather TWO of everything.

You’ll need:

Dirty pennies
Vinegar
Salt
Jar with a lid
Strainer
Bowl
Eye dropper (or medicine dropper)
Toothbrush
Towel

We’ve all seen the dark tarnish that pennies take on over time. Pennies are (predominantly) made of copper. Over the life of the penny the copper oxidizes due to its reaction with oxygen in the natural environment (there are other oxidizers, but oxygen is a predominant oxidizer). This oxidation causes copper oxide to form on the pennies.

By dipping the pennies into a simple acetic acid solution (vinegar + salt), you can clean your pennies and remove the copper oxide tarnish. A fun, safe, easy chemistry experiment for your kiddos!

1) Grab your dirty pennies. 2) Set up your work station on the kitchen table. 3) Mix 1 Cup of Vinegar with 1 teaspoon of salt in your jar or container with a lid. 4) Add five or more pennies to the mix. 5) Secure the lid to your container tightly and SHAKE! 6) Check out your pennies progress inside the jar. 7) Strain your pennies over a bowl.

8) Lay your already clean pennies out on a towel. Use the eye dropper to put a more concentrated amount of vinegar and salt on each penny. 9) Scrub your pennies with a tooth brush to see if you can remove even more copper oxide. 10) Rinse. It’s that easy! Instructions with pictures below.

XX, Megan

1) Grab your dirty pennies. As you can see we raided the piggy bank for these puppies!

2. I set each scientist up with their own work station including: jar with lid, strainer, bowl, eye dropper, and towel.

3. Put 1 Cup of vinegar and 1 tsp salt into each jar. 4. Add five or more pennies.

5. Shake. Shake. Shake.

6. Progress. You might not be able to see from the pictures, but the pennies are brighter and shinier already!

7. Strain. Pour your solution and pennies through the strainer. Take some time to check out the results.

8. More. If you want to see if you can get your pennies even CLEANER, lay them out on the towel. Use and eye dropper or medicine dropper to put the solution directly on the pennies.

9. Scrub.

10. Rinse. And repeat! (If your budding scientists want to clean more change like mine did 🙂

Baked Cod with Lemony Bread Crumbs

April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 | Megan

Another win from/for The Scramble*. One of the great things about The Scramble’s meals for our family is the introduction of NEW meals every week. There isn’t time to become bored or tired of one dish. Of course, there are favorites that I’ve saved, or special dishes we simply love to share with guests. The great thing is that this meal planning service meets your dietary needs while simultaneously expanding your dinner-time horizons.

Fish is a great example of this. I really love fish. But before the scramble I had only a few solid recipes to fall back on. NOW… In the Spring and Summer programming of The Scramble, there is a fish option almost every week! Major win for our family as it brings this lean healthy flavorful protein option to our plates more often than we otherwise would make time for. It’s so so easy!

XX, Megan

Ingredients for main dish

1 – 1 1/2 lb. flounder fillets, or other firm white fish
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or to taste
1/3 cup bread crumbs (use wheat/gluten-free if needed)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon, juice only, about 2 Tbsp., plus additional for serving
1/2 tsp. minced garlic, (about 1 clove)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. Dijon mustard (use wheat/gluten-free if needed)

Serve with Farro or Pearled Barley and Asparagus with Pine Nuts.

Start: Begin by boiling your chicken broth for the Faro or Pearled Barley first if you are serving it. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray (you can see that I was out of foil, so I just applied the spray directly to my baking sheet). Salt and pepper the fish to taste. Top each portion of fish with the bread crumb mix below.

Mix: Bread crumbs, oil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, kosher salt and mustard can be mixed in a medium sized bowl. Again, apply equal amounts of this to the top of each fish portion. Bake the fish for about 10 minutes until it is white and flakey. You can also broil the fish for the final two minutes of baking to achieve a more brown crisp appearance.

Saute: Once you put the fish into the oven, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet. Add 2 tbsp of pine nuts and toast them for 1-2 minutes. (Don’t let them get too brown! They toast pretty quickly.) Add the asparagus (washed, ends trimmed), and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a dash of lemon if you have any left over from the fish.

Remove: Take the fish out of the oven. Give it another squeeze of lemon on the way to your plate and…

Wha-la!

You can see that there is a bit of a difference in the face of the first boy looking at the fish and the second. This is simply to let you know that certain recipes still have differences in palatability from one kiddo to the next. My oldest loved this fish so much he is twirling his fork about! 🙂

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 5 weekly meals which means 5 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts. PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

StoryCorps Part II: YOU

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 | Megan

What did David Isay do when he was given 1M dollars?

So what did David Isay, founder of StoryCorps, champion of the personal narrative, the people’s listener, do with his 1,000,000 dollar TED prize?

Drumroll, please…

David Isay and his StoryCorps team have taken their message of listening one step further. They have created an APP where you, your mom, your neighbor, ANYONE can record an interview for StoryCorps. That’s right, anyone, ANYWHERE.

In Isay’s own words, “My personal dream of the app is maybe someday people take this app and go into homeless shelters and hospitals and maybe even prisons and honor people who feel like their lives don’t matter … and asking them who they are, how do they want to be remembered. Interviewing them is kind of the highest use of StoryCorps.” (New York Times, March 25, 2015)

View Isay’s TED Prize Acceptance Speech below. It is powerful.

Can you say DEMOCRATIZE! Everyone MATTERS! (I’ve realized recently that part of my online persona incorporates the microphone skillz of Aziz Ansari. Ever heard him finish a punch line? ALWAYS in all CAPS, friends.) Link to Ansari’s comedy.

I really can’t think of anything more incredible than a way to truly record your loved ones so that their voices, their words, their stories will live on in perpetuity. Incredible. Check out the App here.

I’ve already downloaded the app to my phone, but haven’t had a chance to try it out yet. But this is BIG. This is EPIC. This is REVOLUTIONARY. This app will continue to allow StoryCorps to amass the largest body of human voices, stories, and interviews ever complied. It is incredible.

Personal Aside: My Tie to StoryCorps

The intersection between my personal story of StoryCorps really crosses paths with this app in an interesting twist. What I am saying is, this app allows us to go after something we, myself and my husband, wanted to do a long time ago. While researching StoryCorps for my Master’s Thesis, I found out that you could rent a small sound system to be sent from StoryCorps to our home.

I had listened to hundreds of hours of StoryCorps recordings at a sweet little desk smack dab in the heart of the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Not an interview went by that I didn’t see the overwhelming merit in the exchange the two participants had. Not a voice crossed those headphones that did not speak to some unique aspect of the human existence.

Not only was I researching StoryCorps from an academic perspective, I was totally and completely hooked. Here it was. Here was our chance to join the movement! Here was our opportunity to listen a little more closely to those we love.

I don’t remember specific pricing of the sound equipment rental from StoryCorps at that time, but I remember that it was almost cost prohibitive for us as a young couple, living on a shoe-string in an expensive area of the country. (We lived just outside of D.C. in Virginia). At one point, we decided that we would actually order the sound recording system and have it shipped to Utah so that we could record BOTH of our parents’ interviews over the Christmas break in 2008.

Time passed, plans changed, and we never did rent the sound system from StoryCorps. But we didn’t ever forget about it. We also did a couple of other interviews one with my Grandmother the other with my Grandfather for the Veterans History Project, also an initiative to record the stories of Americans who served in the armed services during wartime, and archived in the Library of Congress.

What about you?

I know that you know some pretty amazing people. I know that you know and love someone whose voice you would like to have recorded for ALL TIME. What can you do? You can listen to David Isay’s TED talk. You can download the StoryCorps app. You can figure out the app (I’m right here with you on this step!) The app is designed to be a digital facilitator. You can decide the person you want to interview. You can NOT WAIT.

Record now. Cross the street, go straight to the X and push RECORD. Now is our chance– me and YOU. Make Isay’s dream ring out, across the globe, enabled by technology. “Help us spark a global movement to record and preserve meaningful conversations with one another that results in an ever-growing digital archive of the collective wisdom of humanity.”

Remember, that your listening will always stand as one of the most powerful acts of love that we are given as humans who inhabit this planet. I can’t wait to hear the interviews you capture and record.

XX, Megan

Sizzling Korean Beef

March 25, 2015March 24, 2015 | Megan

The flavor in this dish is DYNAMITE! Especially if you like the snap that fresh ginger brings to a marinade. The recipe comes from *The Six O’Clock Scramble. So savory and a real win over here at Refined + Rugged. Try it for yourself! I’d love to hear how yours turns out.

XX, Megan

Ingredients for main dish

1 1/4 – 1 1/2 lbs. skirt steak
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (use wheat/gluten-free if needed)
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic, (2 – 3 cloves)
1/2 Asian pear, peeled and grated
1 yellow onion, halved top to bottom and thinly sliced

Served with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Chop: Chop the onion in half top to bottom and then thinly slice. Grate the pear and the ginger. Mince the garlic (I use a garlic crusher.) Slice the steak into thin strips cutting across the grain.

Mix: In a large bowl mix the soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and onion. Add the steak and coat thoroughly.

Marinate: You can marinate this dish for as little as 10 minutes and as long as 24 hours. I am a huge fan of the 24 let. it. sit! But tonight we were strapped for time, so I gave it a good 15 minutes which is all I had to give!

Start: If you are planning on using quick cooking brown RICE, you can start it now before you add the meat to the skillet. (I was using the 45 minute jobby, so I started my brown rice before I began any meal prep whatsoever.) Now is also a great time to start your steamed you broccoli.

Sauté: Saute the meat by putting 1/2 of the meat (plus marinade and onions) into a piping hot skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes. Remove to a serving dish and then cook the remaining 1/2 of the meat for 4 minutes.

Steam: I actually sautéed our broccoli in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and then added 2 Tbsp. water and covered it for about 10 minutes (maybe less). I added sesame seeds and a Tbsp. of soy sauce to the broccoli just before it was done.

Eat!

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 5 weekly meals which means 5 recipes, complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts. PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.