Hiss and Hearse

Today the skies are grey, the snow is still falling, and I find myself daydreaming about Forbidden Island tiki drinks, driving down Highway 1, and visiting my friends in snow-free San Francisco. Some positive things that have happened during this last frigid week: I was able to span lots of time with my honey, and my new, sophisticated KCP business cards, designed by Nubbytwiglet, arrived.

I have been collaborating with another talented person, Erin Corbett, who is a photo re-toucher living right down the street from us. We have been using our combined forces to revamp the website of a local skincare parlor called Bloom. I am also working on her business identity, and she is using her skills to help me with my photography portfolio!

Other wonderful things include: receiving real letters from my photographer pen-pal, Chloe Aftel, who constantly inspires and pushes me to be a better artist; wearing my new Betsey Johnson coat, which I bought for a steal and whose heart buttons make me feel happy; watching the documentary about American figure skater Johnny Weir, “Pop Star on Ice,” which I found to be completely inspiring; and discovering a love of yoga, which I have been doing once a week with Erin Corbett.

This morning I heard birds chirping, and these winter days are starting to make their exit. At the end of the month, I am taking a much needed trip home to California to see family and friends, and I am very excited about that! Tell me things that are making you feel wonderful.

First off, for a limited time, ModCloth is having a big “Cabin Fever Sale” in which selected items are 70% off! Go here and check out the goods.

Hopeless Lingerie is making affordable and beautiful silk bow headbands, which you can buy in various colors through their Etsy store.

Richard Wayne sent me a link to fashion site, 80s Purple and I was pleasantly surprised to recognize the work of an LA photographer that I admire, Julia Galdo!

Last weekend I had the pleasure to work with model Bobbi Wall and stylist Lindsay Williams for a Margot Tenenbaum-inspired photo shoot. Check out some of our images! It was probably the coldest weather I’ve ever photographed in, and the only fashion images I have with snow!

Other things that are making daily life happier: bi-weekly shipments of my favorite San Francisco treat, Blue Bottle Coffee; NubbyTwiglet’s Week In Pictures (who doesn’t adore a lady who has an affinity for taxidermy and wears stilettos at home?); beautiful letters, music, and cards sent from friends; my new houndstooth baby doll coat; and daydreams of an upcoming California visit.

Today is the anniversary of the day my favorite cowboy Richard Wayne Brown arrived into the world. Our long convoluted tale brings us both together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I thought it would be fitting to interview the man of my heart about his job as a ModCloth fashion writer, style, Star Wars, music, and himself.

Name: Richard Wayne Brown, the Sequel
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Fashion Writer for ModCloth.com

Ten words that describe you?

After much deliberation, I’ve decided upon the following words, in no particular order: neo-luddite, considerate, nostalgic, soft-spoken, thrifty, small, tuneful, sartorial, corny, principled.

You are making me a mix tape. What are three songs you would put on it?

Who would make a mix tape with only three songs on it? Haha. I suppose, right now, the first three songs I’d put on it might be “Rare as the Yeti” by Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds, “Mother of Earth” by the Gun Club, and “Sad Waters” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Funny, Kid Congo is/was in all of these bands!

Tell me about the daily activities of a ModCloth fashion writer.

On a typical day, as soon as I get to the office, I check email and catch up on the new products and blogs that have been posted to our site. Then, at about 10:30, the writers get together to brainstorm names for products that haven’t been launched yet. For the rest of the day, we write descriptions for those products and work on copy for any blogs, newsletters, etc. that we’ve been assigned. Sometimes we have meetings interspersed throughout the day, and usually we have quite a bit of fun cracking jokes.

How do you get inspired?

At work, we’re sometimes writing so much that we can hit a creative wall, or we can get to the point where we feel like we’re writing the same things over and over again. Personally, when that happens to me, I find inspiration by going onto the site and reading the descriptions the other writers on my team have authored. They’re such a highly talented group of women (yes, I’m the only male writer at ModCloth) that it’s hard not to feel invigorated by their compositions.

Which Star Wars character best describes you and why?

Han Solo has been a lifelong hero of mine, and so I’d like to answer with his name. But I think we often admire people who carry the characteristics that we only wish we could possess. I’d like to be more like a rogue-ish space pirate with a flashy ride and a devil-may-care attitude, but that personality falls nearer to the opposite side of the spectrum as mine. When I think hard about it, I’m probably a combination of Luke Skywalker and C-3PO – a callow young fellow from a small town who dreams of bigger things for himself and also finds it generally easier to follow protocol.

Tell me about your style – has it evolved? Is it still changing?

Oh gosh, it has definitely evolved. My friends Tiffany and Rachel, with all the photos they have between them, could probably put together a whole catalog of looks I’ve sported over the years, from glam to garage, from nautical to mod, and so on. But I feel like I’ve pretty much settled into my current style, which I’ve had going on for the past several years or so. If pressed to describe my look, I’d probably say that it’s what would happen if a cowboy hitched a ride with a biker and they bumped into a southern preacher on an Indian reservation.

Do you a favorite item in your closet?

This is a tough choice to make. I’m pretty fond of each of the nearly two dozen western shirts I own, but I think I’m going to go with my vintage, black leather jacket for its sheer versatility and dependability. It’s basically impossible to look bad in a well-fitted, black leather jacket. It goes just as well with jeans and a T-shirt as it does with a nice button-up shirt and slacks.

Not everyone knows that you are a musician as well. How did this start? Do you think song writing has affected the writing you do at ModCloth?

I never feel very comfortable calling myself a musician because I worry it would devalue the contributions made to the art form by people far more talented and dedicated than me. But I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember. I took cello lessons for the duration of third grade, then I switched to the alto saxophone in fourth and played it for several more years in school bands (and it still lives at my parents’ house). Music always came pretty easy to me – I’d make honors band with little-to-no practice outside of rehearsals in school. I also picked up some guitar chords from music class in middle school and was able to recall that information when I bought my first guitar at age 21. Pianos always somehow made sense to me, too, even though I never had any lessons until I took a beginners course for a semester in college. Eventually it just seemed to make sense to me to start writing songs and putting together bands!

I don’t really think my songwriting affects my writing at ModCloth. In fact, it’s probably the other way around. Being ‘forced’ to write on a daily basis really does wonders for getting your creative juices flowing.

Advice for other aspiring fashion writers?

I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask since I didn’t necessarily set out to acquire a job writing for fashion. But if you’re a writer applying for jobs in general, your best weapon is your cover letter. As a writer, you SHOULD be able write a good one, right? So, employers are going to be judging you from the start of your first sentence. Make sure the grammar, spelling, and sentence structures are impeccable, and make sure its a dazzling piece of work!

Today I realized that it’s the end of a decade. When 2000 came, I was 18, with long blonde hair, and home for winter break. My parents had a huge Y2K party, and all of my high school friends and I sat for hours in their garage talking about our first few months of college and if the world would end at midnight.

In this short period of time I had my first kiss, found graphic design, drove a bus, created a zine, had my first fashion photo shoot, voted in my first election, graduated college, turned 21, drove with a packed car from Sacramento to Seattle, met and lost friends, got my first real job, lived by myself, started running, and traveled to London, Hawaii, and New York. In 2003, I embarked on a ten hour train ride to from New York City to Pittsburgh, PA, where I met Richard Wayne, learned how to use Photoshop, worked in San Francisco, learned some things the hard way, saw Morrissey three times, saw the Cure, dyed my hair black, started wearing high heels and red lipstick, got my first digital camera, started a website, learned about studio lighting, found a muse, and had my first art show. In this time my siblings grew up, I turned into a woman, became a photographer, unexpectedly found love, and moved across the country.

And these many moments, words, tastes, happiness, tears, and dreams are only what I remember. Now that we are starting a new decade, it’s time to make more memories.

Download Pulp’s, Disco 2000 here.

“The people I admire are the people who found some kind of voice and stuck with it.”
-Nick Cave

Right now a storm is brewing in Pittsburgh. The sky is ominous, and from where I sit, The Cathedral of Learning (one of the tallest buildings in Pittsburgh) looks like a fairy tale castle stuck up there in the misty dark clouds.

Lately I’ve been needing some positivity, and today, while working, I’ve been listening to many Nick Cave interviews. I am finding inspiration in one about his work habits, creative process, and self perception. He says about the writing process, “All you can do is fail, and (failing) really isn’t that bad.”

This weekend, I am attempting my first Pittsburgh fashion shoot. This will be the third attempt, since the first one was canceled due to bad weather and the second was postponed because the model got food poisoning. I’m aching from every bone to make some art! Yesterday I was pleasantly reminded that I am, in fact, a photographer when I learned that Keven from the San Francisco dark wave band, Veil Veil Vanish, was interviewed for the LA Weekly and used my photographs within the article!

Another thing that’s making me happy is my friendship with My Solitary Consignment’s Lindsay Jean, who has become my resident Pittsburgh BFF and is one of the most fashionable ladies I know. Last week she had an art opening at Garfield Artworks, and within her beautiful drawings was one she made just for me! It’s a deer on a birthday cake that says, “Let’s Be Friends.” I think it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of art anyone has ever given me, and I can’t wait to hang it in our home. She even took a photo of Richard Wayne and me with it, and I don’t loathe how I look in the picture!

And lastly, last night Richard Wayne bought me a Christmas tree! We had quite the Griswold Family experience trying to get it set up in it’s tree stand, which was made of plastic and which we discovered to be cracked when we got it home and filled it with water. What a mess! But after some inventive thinking and a screwdriver, it’s all set up now, and just looking at it makes me so happy. Just the thought of having a real tree with someone I love makes me warm and fuzzy too. It’s really a nice feeling to know that even though I’m faraway from my immediate family, I have a little one right here in Pittsburgh.

By Angelique Houtkamp

Just this moment, dear readers, as I sit in my new Pittsburgh apartment, drinking peppermint tea, listening to The Yule Log play holiday carols, I am feeling like this place is starting to feel like home.

In the last months, autumn came and passed us as we moved in our new apartment. In this time we had to learn how to entertain ourselves here without cable, or a computer. We watched the entire season of My So Called Life, visited the bar across the street – called “Remedy” – more than a few times, sang songs, took a few photos in yellow and the reddest of leaves (where the trees looked like they were on fire!), listened to records, had dinner with new friends, and talked for hours many nights. I have been learning my way around the city and have even driven myself to and from work a number of times!

Thanksgiving happened, and I found myself in the small town of Williamsport, Pennsylvania with Richard Wayne’s family. We ate too much turkey, I met his sister, and (thanks to his mom who works in a small photography store there, called Hoyer’s) was finally reunited with a new camera! Since returning to Pittsburgh, we’ve taken walks (during one such walk in the nearby cemetary, we encountered three deer!), danced, eaten macaroni and cheese, and watched falling snow flurries. And, finally, I’m starting to accept the Steelers and love my new job.

I look forward to creating art with the people I meet here in my new city. The last days have humbled me, since without my usual tools of technology, I was forced to think about what is really important, which are my family and friends. I feel so lucky, and look forward to continue sharing thoughts, dreams, music, style inspirations, and artist interviews with you.

Lack of a computer and internet at home is forcing me to use actual pen and paper to write to you, dear readers, then transcribe it into this window at a later time. This Friday, November 13th (Friday the 13th, how appropriate) will be my one month anniversary of living in Pittsburgh, PA. So much has happened in a thirty day span – probably the most change I have ever lived through. I packed up my California life, gave some of it away, left bits at my parents house, then flew to Pittsburgh, where for two weeks I lived with Richard at his good friend Andrew’s house, which is also occupied by a handsome tuxedo cat, Sebastian. My first weekend there, I was invited to see an actual Steelers game with my friend Dona, from San Francisco, who is – coincidentally – also dating a guy named Richard from Pittsburgh! And then three days before we were to move to our new, cute apartment in another part of town called Lawrenceville, Andrew’s house was burglarized, and everything expensive and electronic that I own was stolen, including my brand new Canon 7D that I had in my hands for a total of five days.

We moved into our own place on Halloween, which was appropriately grey and raining. I spent that entire weekend unpacking boxes, cleaning, and trying to put things away with what little furniture and space that we have. Last week was a mix of emotions, as I feel like I am going through art withdrawal not being able to take photographs of my new life, or work on freelance design projects (there are a few that I have and want to work on!) The weather here has also been so unpredictable. During my first week here, high temperatures during the day were in the 40’s, and since then, it has been everything from overcast, sunny, rainy, warm, windy, to today when the temperature is supposed to climb to an unseasonably warm 72 degrees Fahrenheit!

On the bright side of things, though, I feel thankful that I am slowly starting to meet the great new connections that I need here, like becoming friends with a digital re-toucher and photographer, Erin Corbett, hair dresser Beth McHenry, who owns Evolve, a hair salon, and entrepreneur Alissa Martin, who owns Pavement, an adorable Lawrenceville neighborhood boutique, and for the fact that Andrew has insurance, which will help replace most items that I’ve lost. So, now I am trying to practice patience, which is very hard for a normally impatient person.

I apologize for lack of updates on this blog, but with so much change and not as much free internet time, it is difficult. Please be patient with us, and soon things will be back to normal with posting artist interviews, favorite finds, and photography.

PS. All of the electronic support that I have received on this space, through messages and letter, has has really been helping me cope. Thank you all so much for your continued love.

I am writing to you dear readers, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Tuesday I left the fortuitously rainy California (it’s currently raining here), had what felt like the shortest cross country flight ever, and arrived late last night to my new home. In the last month’s time, Richard bought a car, I got a graphic design job, I sent most of my belongings in boxes across the land, and we figured it out.

I am really excited about this change. I’ve always been a traveler type of person and to help me make this huge change, I am looking at Pittsburgh as at least a year experience and as if I’ve arrived in a new country. Case in point, the moment I stepped foot in the airplane headed here, I noticed not one, but too many people covered in head-to-toe Steeler’s gear, men and women alike! When Richard picked me up, the weather was already noticeably cooler – to me it feels like California in December, so I am already confused!

Today I slept in until almost three, east coast time! I am up writing to you and daydreaming about possibly living in the cute apartment we looked at tonight. My internal clock doesn’t know what’s going on, and I’m looking forward to a new routine and life with my love. It’s still unbelievable to me that we live in the same city again! October has always been one of my favorite months, as it seems to bring change in all things, and I can’t wait to experience a true northeastern fall with all the vibrant colors of the autumn leaves.

Hiss and Hearse are back together, so stay tuned for regular updates, interviews, and inspiration!

“Inspiration is overrated. I can’t be worried about whether I’m having a good day or a bad day. I look at the whole thing as kind of labor. If you’re gonna go down and build a brick wall, you need to go down and build a brick wall. It’ll never get built if you wait for the day that you actually feel like getting out the bricks and the mortar.”
-Nick Cave

The last few days, I’ve been in a love-induced state of bliss,  with my head in the clouds and my hand holding Richard Wayne’s hand, going here and there. This, I hope, explains the lack of regular updates.

Favorite places we have visited this week include:

♥ Coca Coffee Lounge is a really adorable breakfast and brunch place located in a part of town called Lawrenceville, which everyone says is “up and coming.” Richard Wayne and I went here on my first day. He had this unique stuffed french toast [Richard says: It was herbed goat cheese-stuffed French toast], and I had a mushroom omelet. Scrumptious!

♥ Pavement is a shoe and clothing boutique, also in Lawrenceville. We went there to meet up with the adorable owner, Alissa, about future photo collaborations! The place sells shoes by many of my favorite brands: Pink Studio, Seychelles, and other indie designers. She also displays a white deer head, and the entire back wall is plastered in a black and white printed wallpaper (my heaven). [Richard says: While visiting Pavement, I purchased a really cool cuff bracelet made from a vintage tie, and it features a pearlized snap enclosure that reminds me of all those western shirts I collect. I've been wearing it every day since!]

♥ The Round Corner Cantina, right now, holds my title for favorite bar of Pittsburgh. It’s kind of 1970s meets old west themed, with delicious cocktails and amazing art deco wallpaper. Friday night, I met up with my Pittsburgh friends Eli and Sari (who stayed with me in California a month ago), and we had many cocktails, salsa, corn on the cob and conversation. [Richard says: The Cantina, as locals generally call it, makes probably the best taco I've eaten since moving back to Pittsburgh from California. Their drinks are pretty special, too, since they create their concoctions with fresh fruit juices. Oh, and they have a huge back yard where you can drink (and smoke) under the stars, giving the entire place the feel of a hip house party.]
♥ The Pittsburgh Center for Complementary Health and Healing is where Richard and I got our massages on Saturday. They have you lie on a water-cushioned tables and are super sweet and accomodating. It was incredible and the best massage I’ve ever had.

♥ Yesterday I finally got to visit the ModCloth offices while on my girl date with Lindsay Williams, who is a buyer there and also the lady behind the fashion blog, My Solitary Consignment. I got to meet the famous pug, Winston, and see where my honey goes to work every day! [Richard says: I've never seen Winston act with anyone else like he did with Kristin. Normally calm, cool, and reserved as he patrols the office, he ran up to her and jumped up on her lap as she knelt to pet him! I think Kristin really is an animal whisperer!]
♥ Big Dog Coffee is where I sit and type to you now, dear readers. It’s an independent coffee house recommended to me by Eli and is in a part of town called the South Side Flats. I have already consumed one delicious, iced americano, a huge perfect homemade chocolate chip cookie (something I have been craving all week), and iced tea. I am patiently waiting for Richard Wayne to be finished with work so he can pick me up and we can attend one of the many Pittsburgh, “cookouts.” [Richard says: You say "barbeque," I say "cookout." Put it together, and you get "cookeque." I think I've just coined a new term that will join east coasters and west coasters in culinary harmony.]

I have two days left here, but things are falling into place. And for the sake of all the people who have been good to me here: Go Steelers? Though getting used to being in a city obsessed with their football team might take me a little more time, I am definitely not ready to throw in the Terrible Towel just yet! [Richard says: It's true. We would commit major felonies for our Steelers. Yes, OUR Steelers. When they lose (which isn't often), the next day in workplaces all across southwestern PA, workers are more disgruntled then they'd be if you were to take away their vacation days and benefits packages. Another interesting note: Pennsylvanians often refer to the place where they live simply as "PA". Do residents of other states refer to their homelands in a similarly abbreviated way?]

How is your week? Care to share with us your favorite spots where you live!