Giveaway: Buy Definition

EDIT 6 November 2009: Contest ended and the winner was announced. Thanks for entering! (note: comments will be deleted to insure privacy and prevent spam bots from invading your inbox!).

Even if you're not from Austin, you may have heard of Buy Definition. After meeting the shop owner Esti and posing for her upcoming lookbook, I recently spotlighted Buy Definition in my weekly "Stellar Sellers" post. This morning Jane from Sea of Shoes named them as one of only four must-stops for Austin shopping. And two weeks ago, they sponsored a contest on Weardrobe, which was won by Kristin of Leproust Vintage who used her gift card to buy some breath taking Shofolk boots.

Today, in honor of my birthday, Buy Definition is doing a $50 gift card giveaway for one very lucky Adored Austin reader. Unlike my last giveaway, this one will only last six days!

The price points vary, but with $50, you can buy these things for very little or with money left over:

L-R: 1. Mink Pink crop jacket, $39, 2- Charlotte Ronson mini dress, $39.60, 3- BB Dakota sailor pants, $39, 4- Grace Sun jumper, $52.

However, you can also use your gift card to take $50 off these new, posh items:

L-R: 1- Plastic Island blouse, $149, 2- Heartloom coat, $249, 3- Kova and T blouse, $275, and 4- Lorick dress, $389.

Here's what you have to do by next Thursday, November 5th to be eligible:
1. Make sure you're following Adored Austin either on Google Reader, Blogger, or Blog Lovin' (check the right sidebar) or become a fan of Adored Austin on Facebook.
2. Go to BuyDefinition.com and pick out the item you'd get if you win,
3. Come back here and comment on this post, saying:

• Your first name and last initial,
• Which Buy Definition item you're nutty about,
• Your email address* (so I can contact you if you win), and
  
• Your webpage and/ or your Twitter address (optional)
  example:
  - Indiana A.
  - I love the Lorick Dorso dress
  - indiana at adoredaustin dot com
  - www.adoredaustin.com/ @adoredaustin
  

No need to repost or retweet or anything bananas like that. This contest is open to everyone, worldwide. Only one entry per person, please. I'll be drawing the winner on video on Friday, November 6th, and I will contact you via email to let you know you've won. Prize must be claimed by Friday, November 13th.

Again, thank you to Esti at Buy Definition for such a generous giveaway! Now get browsing!

For more info:

Follow Buy Definition on Twitter and shop Buy Definition online.
*note: all email addresses and comments will be deleted once the contest has ended.

Thank you, Weardrobe!

On my birthday, three years ago, I saw my face for the very first time on a network television show:

Now, exactly three years later, a similarly cool moment came this morning when I saw the header on Weardrobe, which is one of my favorite websites:

Yep. I got interviewed on Weardrobe, and if you cruise on over there, you can read life changing insights, such as this one:

My family never picked out my clothes for me. They just let me wear what I want-- so sometimes that meant I wore a grass skirt with rain boots to school or my grandpa's size XXXL suit jacket. I pretty much do the same kind of stuff now except on a more socially acceptable for an adult level.

Read the full interview here... if you dare. Thanks, Weardrobe. I'd choose you over ice cream, any day.

Birthday eve!

So remember how I only did one post yesterday? Yeah, well, I am making up for that today! This is today's third post, and I plan to do one more! Why the posts of fury, you ask? Well, I want to make sure you are not hurting for Adored Austin content and that you still love me because I may only get to do a post or two tomorrow and Saturday. Why? Well, because [insert triumphant music] TOMORROW IS MY GOLDEN BIRTHDAY! Then Saturday is (duh!) the day after my golden birthday. Oh, and I think Saturday may also be that Halloween thing or whatever, too... :0)

Today I'm running around town like a mad woman trying to get my costumes figured out. I have my Golden Girls Themed Birthday party tomorrow at 5:30, then later that night I'm going to someone else's Halloween party (but I do not want to dress like a Golden Girl for that). Saturday is my third year downtown with my Friday Night Lights bestie Andrea, and then I'll recover all day Sunday. Today, for running around town, I just could not resist wearing the necklace and boots I got last night at Style Station:


date: 29 October 2009
occasion: errands then a script read tonight
dress: thrifted F21
necklace: vintage, Style Station
boots: vintage, Style Station
necklace: vintage, Style Station

To celebrate my birthday, I'll be doing a very special giveaway tomorrow on Adored Austin. Make sure to check back tomorrow for that!

Stellar Seller: Style Station

When I did the Buy Definition photos last week, Dagny asked me if I had ever been to Style Station.
"Nope. Never heard of it," I said.
She then let me in on what I consider to be one of the best kept vintage shop secrets in all of Texas. Twelve miles north of Waco on a deserted stretch of road along the west side of I35 is this magical, lost-in-time place, called Style Station:

I was in shock! It was filled to the rafters and had accessories tucked in every nook and cranny. There were racks and racks of pearl snap shirts and billions of boots and vintage Levi's. This shop is now a must-stop for me every time I travel between Austin and Dallas. I couldn't find it on my way up north yesterday, so as I was coming back down I gave 'em a call.

me: What time do y'all close?
Art (the owner): We close everyday at 7:00.
me (extremely disappointed, as it was 6:20, and I was still an hour away): Oh, okay. I'll have to catch you the next time I pass through. I couldn't find you on my way up to Dallas, and I'm heading back down to Austin right now.
Art: Where are you now? If you can make it by 8:30, I'll stay open for you.
me: Really?
Art: Yep. We'll see you soon!

When I got there, it was dark and still hard to find. After a couple turn-arounds, there it was in an old gas station, with a rusted out truck in front. Nonetheless, I was impressed. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry to get home, and Art (bless his heart) talked my ear off. I only made it out with a few items:

1. never worn 1980's riding boots (very similar to Jessica's but $350 cheaper), 2. a book about war that Art gifted me with when he found out my dad was killed in active duty back in 1983, 3- an 80's tourist tee/ night gown that Art said "I hate this shirt. I'm glad to see it go. I should pay you to take it out of here.", and 4- a 1970's gold boho necklace that reminds me of something I'd see on Plain Objects. Ain't she perdy?

I was able to pick up a couple shirts for Hubs in preparation for the Year of the Man Make-over:

I showed them to him this morning, and I'm pretty sure he hates them. He tried to put on a brave face, but I could tell he did not really like the flowers and paisley on the shoulders and the fact that they are not t-shirts from Threadless.

I plan to take Hubs back to Style Station to try to find some boots. I also want to stock up on some dresses. If you are ever passing through the middle of nowhere Texas, you must stop at Style Station. But beware: as their Myspace says "If you support Bush, foster right-wing ideology, or knock on Canadians, be sure to purchase something (while you have the chance) before you open yer mouth". Art will give you an earful, but you'll leave with your bags full and your bank account still mostly full, as most things seem to be very reasonably priced. What a crazy, fun place!

[top three photos used by permission from StyleStationOnline.com]

Audition outfit: video game commerical

If you're wondering why there was only one, piddly, non-fashion post yesterday it's because I had to do the three hour drive back up to Dallas for another audition. While I'm extremely happy to be back to work after six months off, I do wish the auditions would start migrating down my way soon!

date: 28 October 2009
project: video game commercial and web spot
role: college aged, a little hip, "not model pretty", "authentic gamer", spokeswoman
tee: F21
vest: American Apparel
barrette (as pin): Claires
jeans: BDG
shoes: Alfani

Little known fact about me: when I have time, I actually do play video games! I have both a Wii and a PS3. I got a Nintendo when I was five, and I used to invite boys over to play if I believed they could actually play as good as me. Let me tell you: in Seymour, Indiana in the late 80's and early 90's, that list remained very, very small. I'm still pretty sure I can school most people at Street Fighter, Doctor Mario, and Tetris. I joke around that if my acting and writing careers die I can be a professional video game hustler.

My super awesome, glam life

Well, that was a first. I've never worn alginate and plaster before! Yesterday I did the face molds for the movie I'm in next week:

Yep. That was probably the weirdest thing I've ever worn in my life. This thing of ultimate weirdness even tops me wearing hammer pants.

Comment of the Day: omg, that's creepy. I looked at the pictures before I read the post, and it made me think of some magical curse where a person is turned into a statue while they're still alive. -gina

Help: virtual photography lessons, please

I have four hours to go to the bank, go to the gas station, get my cell phone fixed, find and buy new Tweezermans (I lost mine in Indiana), get costumes for Hubs and me for Halloween and my Golden Girls themed birthday party (this Friday!), order my birthday cake, buy extra silverware, and pick up some new foundation. My shopping prowess is going to be put to the test today!

Because of these ridiculous time constraints, I do not have time to do a do-over of today's style photos. Jessica from WhatiWore recently mentioned that for every 10 photos she takes, she only uses one. Wow! That must be nice! Because I am absolutely clueless when it comes to my camera and Photoshop, and because I'm usually taking my photos myself via a tripod and a 10 second timer (one photo at a time!), I would say that I only use one photo of every 25 or even 30!

For instance, today I had trouble with framing:

And lighting:

And focusing:

I did not, however, have any trouble using a chain belt as a necklace:

date: 27 October 2009
occasion: running errands at the speed of light
jacket: vintage (Goodwill)
shirt: INC
skirt: American Apparel
belt (as necklace, per usual): Target
sheer black tights: Macys
shoes: Isaac Mizrahi for Target

I shoot on an Olympus Evolt e300, with the stock lens with both a UV filter and a polarized filter. Confession: I usually just shoot in macro mode (hahaha!) because I like the shallow depth of field. That's why my accessories photos usually rock while my outfit photos are so-so. Some of you have amazing photography on your blogs, so any photography hints you have for me would be greatly appreciated!

Comment of the Day: Ummmmm...GOLDEN GIRLS THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY?? That's the best thing I've heard all day! - Erin

I didn't come here to die... I came here to blog.

Remember that horror movie I auditioned for? Well, I found out last night that I booked it!

I start filming in Kyle, Texas a week from Friday. They assure me that though we'll be in the middle of the woods that I'll still have cell phone coverage. That means that I'll still be able to blog (I think!). Quick question, though: I know you guys are cool with seeing my audition outfits, but what about my on-set outfits? I don't want this site to become too actor-y. Is any of this stuff relevant?
How much personal/ outside of fashion stuff do you like seeing on people's style blogs?

Recap: Mixx Make Party

On Saturday night, I went to the Mixx Make party, where the girls of The Wondercraft supplied party go-ers with tables full of craft supplies so everyone could make a mask. These Wondercraft events are so fun! We basically party down at a local bar or club, but there's always a big craft area set up, so we can create something and drink and dance, too.

Just like the last two events, Trevor Ray had his photobooth set up and ready to go. I ended up creating a dapper man mask, complete with monocle:

dress: thrifted F21, sweater: American Apparel, brooch: Jen Loves Kev, mask: DIY

Hubs wanted me to make a scary bear mask for him. I did the best I could while he and Chris C declined to get their craft on due to the overwhelming amount of estrogen surrounding the craft area. My buddies Amber and Dearing hadn't yet been to one of these craft/ party events, and they had a good time making their swine and ice princess masks. Filkins, meanwhile, opted to make a paper bracelet, instead :

I finally got to meet Tolly of Austin Eavesdropper (in the pink dress) and Laura (in the white hat), who won free tickets to the Mixx Make here on Adored Austin:

Electric Promotions owner and event organizer extraordinaire Candance (i.e. Rainbow Brite) sure knows how to throw a fun party. I'm already looking forward to the next one! You'd be surprised how well crafting and drinking go together!

Comment of the Day: I think drinking goes well with anything but work. Hahaha. I am a alcoholic. Glad you had fun! :) -alya

Audition outfit: horror film call-back

This afternoon, after my expedition to the City Wide Garage Sale, I had to scoot down to south Austin for my call-back for the horror movie I auditioned for last week. The character was described as "geeky, smart, witty, and sarcastic". She listens to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and she likes zombie movies. I deduced that this character was probably a hipster, so I tried to dress accordingly:

date: 24 October 2009
project: feature length, independent horror movie
role: early 20's, smart, geeky hipster
plaid shirt: Polo, thrifted
tee: Wifebeader (gift)
shorts: F21
tights: Target
boots: Rue 21
tv watch: prize from a James Bond costume contest that Hubs won (hahahaha!)
glasses: Tom Ford

I wanted to wear boots and long sleeves because the film takes place while the characters are camping. I wore the glasses and the tv watch to up the geek factor. The ripped tights were an afterthought. I thought it would be weird for my character to be camping in November without some sort of leg coverage. I ripped them to make it look like I had been camping in them.

Anyway, I may have overdone the whole "hipster look", especially because at the conclusion of my audition, the director/ writer let me know that we'll all be wearing a camp uniform. Oops. What is a hipster, anyway?

Comment of the Day: i love hipsters... check out this website: http://www.latfh.com/ -Lauren

City Wide Garage Sale

I hit up the very famous City Wide Garage Sale at the Palmer Events Center this afternoon. I had heard good things about it, so I was eager to check it out.

While there, I ran into my friend Joy (of the Sad Accordions), as well as Stephane, whom I met and photographed at Neimans a few weeks ago. I ended up being there for three hours, as I looked at every single booth. I really wanted to get this,

but Hubs didn't really like it that much. Don't judge me. I have a soft spot for taxidermy, okay? Look at that face!

Though I reluctantly passed on the beaver, I did end up buying these things:

1. old Bingo card: $3
Bingo reminds me of my grandma because she used to play like four times a week! I love Bingo so much that we're even playing Bingo for my birthday this Friday! This card jumped out at me because it has my anniversary dates on it. I plan to frame this, then hang it in my kitchen.
2. Ball jars: $5/ each.
I love old Ball jars. Why? Well, mainly because they're made in Indiana! I want to use these as vases on my mantle.
3. elastic butterfly belt: $1.
I saw this in the dollar bin and squeeled. I had just seen similar ones on Wild as a Mink and at Feathers Boutique last week. The one at Feathers was marked for $10, so I had to get this one since it was only a tenth of the price. ONE DOLLAR!

I wore some vintage finery for this festive occasion, and even saw this same dress (in a different color) being sold there by a vintage clothing vendor:

date: 24 October 2009
occasion: shopping the City Wide Garage Sale
chiffon dress: vintage
sweater: American Apparel
belt: Savers
tights: Target
shoes: flea market
bag: Gucci

I'm so glad I got to wear these suede shoes again. Lots of the older ladies complimented me on them. One vendor even told me she had the same exact pair in the 1960's! That means these are a decade older than I though. Cool. Very cool.

Comment of the Day: I can't believe I found another girl who loves fashion AND is fascinated by taxidermy. Suddenly, I don't feel so abnormal. :-) -The Commandress

Doin' the pigeon (toes)

Hardy har har. Ha. While I was trying to set up my focus for today's daily pics, Hubs took time out from turning to compost pile to make fun of the way some of us fashion bloggers pose sometimes.

date: 22 October 2009, occasion: tending to the compost,
tee: Hanes, jeans: Lee, belt: Timberland, shoes: Adidas

Hmmm... I don't really appreciate being made fun of, but it's TRUE. Le sigh.Hubs better watch out! He has, after all, volunteered to be made over for all of 2010. Since that will have to include daily style photos, I say, "BRING ON THE PIGEON TOES, MAN!"

Stop. Hammer (loops) time!

I'm in full-on recovery mode! I'm still resting up from yesterday's photoshoot, and I'm consuming mass amounts of Emergen-C and Halls in a pathetic attempt to stave off a sore throat. Today I've just been relaxing and catching up on some of the style blogs. As soon as I hit PUBLISH POST, Hubs and I are going to watch Wordplay, a documentary about cross word puzzles. After that, I'm going to study my script for tomorrow.

date: 22 October 2009
occasion: studying, movie night in
tee: American Apparel
jeans: gift from Built by Wendy/ Simplicity
bag: Express
shoes: vintage, Dexter
scarf: DIY (instructions by The Wondercraft)
necklace: courtesy of Fenno Fashion

These jeans were built by Wendy... like literally. Wendy Mullin made these jeans as a prototype for the Built by Wendy Simplicity patterns. I walked in a show for her a couple of years ago, and she let me keep these jeans. I forgot I owned these until today. I had put them in my clothes swap pile a while back because I'm not crazy about the loops on every pocket (because, seriously... even if I owned five hammers and worked construction, I just can't see myself putting the hammers in the hammer loops), but starting today, I've decided to give 'em another go. As long as I keep the jeans on this side of super casual, these will be safe from the swap pile. For now. Bhahahahahaha!

Winner: Fenno Fashion

My throat is a wee bit sore, so I thought I'd try to make my Fenno Fashion Giveaway Drawing video without talking. Enjoy:

Congratulations to the winner and a huge thank you goes out to the 100+ of you who entered! Thank you, Fenno Fashion, for such an incredibly wonderful and fun giveaway. If you did not win, no worries! Until November 30, Adored Austin readers can still enjoy 15% off purchases from FennoFashion.com with promo code "Adored15". That means you, too, can get the Silver Hoot Necklace for $15.70 (plus $2 shipping). Enjoy!

[Music: Colorblind by Aaron Sprinkle]

Cathedral of Junk & Nordstrom Rack

So I didn't get any photos of me in my Buy Definition ensembles that we photographed for the lookbook today, but I am sure there will be plenty of those to see once the photos are published. I did, however, get Kean to shoot my daily photos after the nine hour shoot wrapped:

date: 22 October 2009
occasion: Nordstrom Rack grand opening and lookbook photoshoot for BuyDefinition.com
cardigan: American Apparel
jumper (yep, that's all one piece): vintage
socks: Target
pumps: vintage

Note of truth: I did not wear those socks or flats to the Nordy's Rack opening. I wore these shoes, instead, and sported bare legs. The socks and flats were only worn out of necessity: I had to put on the socks to avoid mosquito bites and the flats to avoid getting stuck in the mud. We shot at the infamous Cathedral of Junk in Austin. You can get a glimmer of the unexplainable awesomeness that is the Cathedral of Junk in the bottom photo. Imagine: it goes up three stories and is super sturdy and climbable!

By the way, the Nordstrom Rack grand opening was at 8:45 this morning, and sadly, I did not win the 90 second/ $2000 shopping spree. Nor did I get the free tote bag that was for the first 1000 customers. In fact, I looked at shoes, found two cute pairs of boots, took a gander at the check-out line that wrapped around the entire store, and then I bolted. Like instantaneously. I'm pretty sure that every woman in the Austin metro area skipped work to wait in line at the new Nordstrom Rack today. I'll have to check it out when I'm not feeling so impatient and/ or when there aren't lines that are a million miles long... which ever comes first.

Check out these Austin Bloggers: Animal Talk, Helloooooo, & Austin is Burning

Today was my photo shoot for Buy Definition. Esti, the shop owner, decided to use four bloggers in this season's lookbook, and I was honored to be one of the bloggers she chose. The girls at Pearl did our hair and make-up, and we were shot by the amazing Andrew Chan. The other three bloggers that will appear in the editorial are:
Sixteen year old artist and fashion darling, Isabel, of Animal Talk,

drop dead gorgeous model and incredibly talented photographer Dagny, one of the bloggers at Helloooooo,

and nightlife queen / fashion maven Tiffany of Austin is Burning.

I'll admit that I can be a bit socially awkward around new people, and I'm always a little intimidated by people who I think are perceived as cool. These three women are definitely at the top of the proverbial Totem Pole of Cool, but each of them were also sweet, funny, and a joy to spend a nine hours photoshoot with today. Plus their blogs are pretty awesome, and they all three deserve to be my blog of the week (which I haven't done in several weeks). So, yeah, ch-ch-ch-check 'em out, and check back here in a few weeks or so for our fancy photos!

Audition outfit: PSA for biodiesel

That drive to and from Dallas was vicious! I just spent six hours in the car, in the rain, for a 10 minute audition. Bah-nan-ahs!

But you all asked for it, so here's the first entry in my new audition outfit series.

Role and Project: a mid-30's, eco-friendly, professional, spokeswoman for a public service announcement about biodiesel fuel and cooking oil recycling.
date: 21 October 2009
occasion: commercial audition
sweater: Cris (Weardrobe contest prize from Angela's Runway)
blouse: vintage
hair clip (as pin): HEB (i.e. the grocery store)
slacks: Goodies?
shoes: Alfani

I tweeted late last night that my business casual clothes bore me, and it's true! But here's why I wore what I wore:
I decided to wear green as a subtle nod to being environmentally friendly. The flower hair clip (that you may recognize) was repurposed as a pin to connect my character with nature. The slingbacks were chosen because they're conservative and professional but are still fun, and I chose pants (instead of a skirt) so I could move around a little better just in case they wanted me to do a walk and talk. Wow! So much information, huh?

This was my second audition since having jaw surgery and the 'ole braces removed. My horror movie call-back for tomorrow got pushed back to Saturday, but I do think these audition posts will become a part of my regular, daily "self-style" photos. I hope they're not too terribly boring!

Comment of the Day: Once I drove 6 hours for a quasi-audition. It was a reading of a horror film by the director John Carpenter (from the Halloween movies). He was actually there, so that was really cool. The movie we read is actually going to be out in 2010. It's called The Ward, so if you ever see it, just think of me nervously (and very poorly) reading two parts for that movie. Haha! -Delightfully Tacky

Steller Seller: Buy Definition

I first learned about Buy Definition from Jane over at Sea of Shoes. I can't believe it took an out- of- towner to introduce me to this fabulous local shop. After reading Jane's post, I went in and instantly fell in love. Now six months later, I still regularly browse the online shop to see what's new. I am especially enamored of all things Lorick.

So, wow! I sure was excited when Esti, the owner, recently contacted me about being in some Buy Definition editorial photos this Thursday. I stopped by the showroom today to take a look around. I couldn't believe my eyes! A lot had changed since April (when they were first moving into their new space), and it was so exciting to see that most of the labels they carry are international brands not carried at any other Austin boutique:

For the fitting, Esti let me look through the entire store and pick out three complete outfits for the shoot. This was a nice surprise, because I was expecting her to have the outfits already pulled for me. By letting me pick the ensembles, I think I'll feel more like me in the photos, and my eclectic/ whimsical style will still shine through. These were my final picks:

Here's a sneak peak at some of them:

On top of all the awesomeness and excitement that goes with a fitting for a photoshoot, Esti introduced me to two brands that I am now bananas about: Mink Pink and Motel. Both of those lines are new to me, but I'm in love with them because they're both affordable, modern, and fun.

So yes, today was a stellar day, and I can't wait to see how Thursday's photos come out! I totally recommend that you check out Buy Definition online, and if you're in Austin, make sure to stop by the showroom to say hi to Esti and to see all these amazing pieces in person.

Comment of the Day: You need a PA on Thurs? I'm totally available to hold your purse and make sure you have water to drink occasionally. AS IF! ;0) The day you need a PA is the day I no longer need a full time job! =0) -Delicious Melissa

Tell me about it, stud.

This studded top used to be a dress. It was my favorite dress, actually, until my monster dog ate the bottom of it. This morning I cut off the bottom eight inches or so and turned this dress into a tunic. When I learn to sew, I'll hem it. For now, I kind of like it raw and uneven:

date: 20 October 2009
occasion: fitting and then a blogger meeting
dress: Audrey 3+1
tank: Old Navy
leggings: Miley Cyrus/ Max Azzaria
boots: Anne Klein

It seems from yesterday's style post, you guys are down with seeing me in my audition clothes. This will be a good week for that as I have a commercial audition tomorrow and a call-back for the horror movie on Thursday. In the next couple of days, you should see me in my business casual and geeky hipster best.