Kristina is one of my favourite people on the internet, who is always up to something interesting. Whether it’s capturing the styles of Austin and New York City over at her street style blog The Rebel Waltz, chronicling her own daily outfits, or contributing to Bust Magazine, her optimistic approach to fashion will make you want to play dress up.

How did you dress in high school?
I went to an all-girls uniform-clad high school, so my options were limited. I wore lots of big, crazy earrings and bracelets to try to “express myself” during the week. I think I got in trouble pretty regularly for my fabulously tacky accessories! On the weekend, I experimented more with things like hot pink fishnets, cut up band tees, and funky skirts. I think by senior year my style evolved into something similar to what it is now — more vintage oriented. I do find it funny that years later I’ve reverted to wearing saddle shoes and loafers of my own free will all over again.

Is there a dress code at your internship? Have you ever had to “tone down” your wardrobe for work?
No, thankfully I’ve been lucky when it comes to working and interning in non-corporate dressing environments. Sometimes I can feel overdressed or even costume-y, but people are usually pretty complimentary, especially in NYC, which is where all my internships have been. I felt more overdressed going to college classes in Texas. I definitely remember trying to tone it down a bit there. I tried to only break out the pill box hats and cat eyes on the weekend.

What has been your favourite city to take street style pictures in so far?
Initially I wanted to say New York because obviously the fashion is impeccable, but the thing is, there are so many street style bloggers in NYC that all the same pictures end up all over the internet, especially at fashion related events. Fashion week is just a street style mob scene. The chase can be fun, but also annoying. I will say that taking pics at Brooklyn Flea or summer concerts in the city is always a good time though! If I had to choose, I think I might say San Francisco was my favorite street style city even though I only spent very little time there for a few Popfests. When I did go, I liked that there seemed to be a fun, stylish ease to everyone there. Plus, I’m a sucker for cardigans and chilly weather inspired looks.

What is the most awesomely ridiculous outfit you’ve ever seen on the street?
Well, I really love that super colourful poncho/beret look in the San Francisco post, but the two pictures I think of when I read this question were the hot pink business suit and funk-tastic tie this one busy dude was sporting with no fear whatsoever, going about his day as usual, and the crazy group of awesomeness that I called the Fresh Prince Time Warp. Alone, they would’ve been pretty stylish and awesome. Together, they were unstoppable.

If you could raid any fictional character’s wardrobe, who would you pick?
Oh man, do I have to pick just one? Hmm… Definitely Marlo Thomas in That Girl. Others I’d probably include would be Carey Mulligan’s character, Jenny, in An Education, Jean Seberg in A Bout de Souffle, Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, and Anna Karina in Une Femme est Une Femme. I like the Parisian looks of the early ’60s. These are characters who are full of effortless style and dresses to fall in love with. I think Marlo Thomas is probably closest to my actual style though, fun and flirty early ’60s. She’s also my hair icon!

I was actually just talking about how inspiring fictional characters are the other day! It’s pretty interesting to see how created characters in pop culture constantly turn up on the runway. Lindsey Weir wore a military jacket long before it was a spring staple, Angela Chase made ’90s grunge chic before the ’90s revival, Blair Waldorf single-handedly made headbands and bows popular again, Carrie Bradshaw made girls everywhere pin flowers to their blouses, and, of course, Betty Draper and Joan Harris brought ’60s glamour to the forefront. I think it was just last year that ’60s silhouettes à la Betty and Joan showed up in both Louis Vuitton and Prada. I’d say this fall season was actually pretty Marlo Thomas-esque!

Kristina’s top ten best-dressed indie bands (in no particular order)
The Bird and the Bee
Camera Obscura
Betty and the Werewolves
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
The Secret History
Dum Dum Girls
Au Revoir Simone
The Carrots
The School
Agent Ribbons

- Interview by Anna Fitzpatrick

When taking a break from filming Star Trek episodes or being huge stars of 1920s silent films, some of your favourite celebrities like to wind down with issue 12 of WORN Fashion Journal.

“Wait a second,” some of you intone, “Hasn’t Louise Brooks been dead for 25 years? WORN’s only been around for six. This doesn’t make any sense. In fact, it looks like you Photoshopped this in a convoluted attempt to drum up publicity for the magazine. Come on, Anna, who do you think we are? It isn’t even good Photoshop.”

Hush, gentle readers. It turns out that a love of WORN can transcend even the strictest laws of time, space, physics and photo editing.

Send your own fan photos to webeditor @ wornjournal.com.

- Anna Fitz

This instalment of WTFashion — in which Black Milk has turned Mr. Pink’s one-of-a-kind face into a one-of-a-kind dress — could easily be renamed “Clothes our Web-Editor Would Wear the Hell Out Of Had She the Budget.” (Ave Wornette dubbed it the “Steve Buscemini Skirt.”)

- Anna

Like Katherine Joslin did with Edith Wharton, Daneen Wardrop ties fashion and academia together in Emily Dickinson and the Labor of Clothing. The Dickinson that is often studied – the one portrayed within her poetry – shows her intellect and her exceptional handle on language. By analyzing often-dismissed aspects of the famous poet like her approach to clothing, Wardrop presents a more down to earth perspective on Dickinson, one that sees her not just as a talented writer but also in many ways a conventional woman living in an antebellum era.

There exist very few images of Dickinson, the best-known being a daguerreotype of her wearing a plain collared dress. Wardrop uses this representation as a starting-off point in answering the very pressing question: was Emily Dickinson fashionable? She then goes on to interpret other roles played by clothing in Dickinson’s life by studying her poetry, letters, general historical context and one famous white dress. Here her research often mirrors itself: Wardrop uses fashion as a tool to further interpret Dickinson’s life and work, then studies Dickinson’s life and work to understand the significance of fashion in this era. An impressive archive of mid-nineteenth century North Eastern fashion, including the labour practices behind textile production, is thus interwoven with biographical facts about Dickinson.

When examining the relationship between dress and class, Wardrop makes no attempt to downplay Dickinson’s own privilege, though she is also able to shed light on some of the views Dickinson did and did not share with others of her time. Wardrop pulls together some of the conclusions with minimal evidence, so that they feel a bit reaching, and I was left wondering whether Wardrop would have come to such consistently positive interpretations were she not already a fan of Dickinson’s poetry. At the very least, she is meticulous in reporting her sources, so readers are able to draw their own conclusions about what is presented, which may or may not coincide with Wardrop’s perspectives.

The fact that this is from a university press should be heeded as a warning: this is a dense, academically-packed read. Although it clocks in at just 200 pages (plus end notes and bibliography), it took me quite some time to finish. At the very least, this kind of text serves as an “in your face” to those who don’t believe fashion can be an intellectual pursuit. On the other hand, it can be a bit taxing at times. Those looking for a lighter read are warned.

Hardcore fans of Emily Dickinson will appreciate this book, as will those who want to better understand the relationship between clothing and American history. Outside of scholarly pursuits, casual fans of Dickinson’s work might want to stick with the poetry itself.

Emily Dickinson and the Labor of Clothing by Daneen Wardrop, University of New Hampshire Press, 2009
Review by Anna Fitzpatrick
Photography by Casie Brown