Blue Hair Don't Care

Those stripes lost a purple layer when she cropped this Goodwill find.

Anna Victoria

Between Chattanooga friends and family in Knoxville, Tennessee remains a favorite travel destination. My most recent roadtrip included a visit to the Chattanooga atelier of Anna Victoria Design. We met last summer at the Atlanta Apparel Market, where she won the Buyer's Choice among emerging designers. With the Nashville Fashion Week looming in calendar, Anna paused from her busy day to show me around the place where dresses are made for boutiques like Laura Kathryn in Birmingham, Hemline in Mobile and her new webstore.

On The Walnut Street Bridge

dress: Target cardigan: LOFT sunnies: Anthropolgie

In Atlanta: Vintage Love

Having just returned from this visit to Chattanooga made it all the nicer to meet the proprietors of that city's Vintage Love at The Goat Farm. It bears repeating: regular postings to The Chattanoogan ceased in July 2010, yet more than 400 page views were recorded during the past thirty days. Chance encounters both here and there cannot account for all such traffic. Chattanooga remains a deep well of style and a wonderful opportunity for street fashion blogging. Anyone?

On Rossville Boulevard

Lisa Cutler's amazing handbags first came to my attention three years ago at the 4 Bridges Arts Festival in Chattanooga, where she makes them from a variety of re-purposed fabrics, all with bungee cord handles for a comfortable surprise that guarantees notice. My sweetie carries a red one. Another is pictured over her friend's shoulder, but Lisa's favorite burden arrived in January. Congratulations and welcome!
Regular postings to The Chattanoogan ceased in July 2010, yet that blog recorded 400+ page views during the past thirty days. Chance encounters both here and there cannot account for all such traffic. Chattanooga remains a deep well of style and a wonderful opportunity for street fashion blogging. Anyone?

MAINx24: A Sixties Fashion Show

Saturday I returned to my street fashion blogging roots when Chattanooga hosted MAINx24. The subject of my very first blog's fourth posting, Glamour In The Garden was the 2008 event's fashion show. Little did I then know that one year later, Sondra and Travis Aten would co-produce with me a radically different, Wes Anderson-themed show of vintage and upcycled looks. South side Chattanooga applauded our theatricality and a tradition was born. The Atens put together a Tim Burtonesque feature last year and, for 2011, collaborated with Zombi Candi for an over-the-top, John Waters inspired celebration of hair, hot rods, hair products and sundry sixties stuff. For more runway images and some looks behind the scenes, please follow this link.

In Kirkwood: Kitchen Chic At Dulce Vegan

Becky Striepe calls her creations Cupcaprons. For sale at Dulce Vegan, they are but one way the lady behind Glue and Glitter has found to enjoy reducing our ecological footprint. "Cooking is so much greener than takeout," says she. If "a cute apron encourages you to get in the kitchen and put a meal together, I hope that I can make one to inspire you!"