Pretty Cripple

Accessible Burlesque and the Art of Adornment

Magdalena Truchan and Delilah Blue Flynn Greetings world. I will be in a new art exhibit, On Pins and Needles: Accessible Burlesque & the Art of Adornment at the Garner Arts Center in Garnerville, NY. (35 miles north of NYC.) The opening reception is Saturday, December 18, 3-7pm in Building 35. The exhibit is open every Saturday through February 5, 2022 3-7pm. It will be closed Christmas and New…

The Magdalena Wrap on Etsy

The Magdalena Wrap in “Heather Woodland” on Etsy.

It’s time to WRAP IT UP! Introducing  the Magdalena Wrap, now available as a stunning finished piece and as a knitting pattern on Etsy.

This hand knit design is a collaboration with designer and fashion bestie, Jamie Kreitman.  These bespoke pieces are hand knitted by yours truly, then passed on to Jamie for finishing and completion- all done in…

Let’s Call it a Wrap: Best DIY Knit Wrap Pattern

Greetings comrades. How are you Putin-up with this year? Rather than have an interminable meltdown, I started a new endeavor. Allow me to present: The Magdalena Wrap Knitting Pattern. I teamed up with my bestie, fashion designer, @tongueinchicjamiekreitman, to create a Jamie Kreitman® x Pretty Cripple® knitting pattern. It knits up so quickly, make one for you, friends and family. It is an easy…

Create a custom wall mural with Scribit

When I feel down during this seemingly endless pandemic, creating art can be my antidote. My illustrator friend, Brittany (@BlueFlynn), was giddy with delight when her boyfriend bestowed upon her a write-and-erase robot that creates wall murals. Scribit takes a custom sketch, created on a computer and plots it out with markers on a flat surface, such as a bedroom wall. From that point, one can…

A tribute to the Beastie Boys

As a creative person, I need to keep busy during the era of self-quarantining. My newest creative outlet is paying tribute to one of many favorite bands from the 80s, hip-hop band, The Beastie Boys. Last year the Beasties released a memoir, and this year a new documentary, “The Beastie Boys Story.” So I decided to collaborate with my friend, Jesse, who happens to be a film and video producer. In…

“It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.” – R.E.M.

“It’s the End of the World As We Know It” written by the band R.E.M. was one of many anthems of the cool kids in the late 80s. My friends and I belted it out proudly with our latch-keys swinging freely around our necks. We didn’t give a shit…

Fashion under the influence

Due to creative doldrums, I have been off the blogging sphere for months. Additionally, the challenges we’re facing in the United States and the world have contributed to my malaise.  Perhaps due to global chaos, I wanted to gain control of what I could. So, roughly two years ago,  I took a look inside my bursting-at-the-seams walk-in closet and realized that amassing new garments was not…

Ravelry has me tightly wound

There are few safe spaces left in America. This great nation has become so politically polarized. Can a happy space exist devoid of political discourse? This past Sunday, a truly warm and fuzzy craft community platform succumbed to the toxicity of today’s politics. The privately owned 8 million-member online knitting and crocheting platform, Ravelry, was hit by a firestorm of media buzz due to a…

My beach life in Asbury Park, NJ

Helmut Lang leather jacket, Supreme backpack, Moschino checkered sneaks and sunnies by Freeway. Frizzy hair by the Atlantic Ocean.

It has been over one year since I came to the realization that this clotheshorse needs to stop buying clothing and accessories. These purchases which used to do more for me than psychotherapy, simply don’t make my heart sing as they once did. I own too much…

I’m Not Shy I Just Don’t Like You

There is no shortage of hilarious Instagram posts about fashion. Fashion designers who inject humor into their work distinguish themselves in an industry flooded with staleness and sameness. During this past January Couture Week in Paris, there was one show that stood out and that one was the Dutch duo, Viktor & Rolf.They are best known for not only their outlandish conceptual designs, but also…

Recreating a TINY HOME in my bathroom

America has an affordable housing crisis. So let’s put Americans who are renowned for their savvy and entrepreneurial spirit to the test. While there isn’t a quick fix to this problem, there is one solution which I hope municipalities and NIMBY’s (Not In My Neighborhood) will embrace. A new proliferating movement called  TINY HOMES , could be a stopgap to house the homeless, seniors or people…

IF YA CAN’T EAT IT….WEAR IT with Fake Bacon!

I am not one for New Years’ resolutions because I don’t want to beat myself up should I fail. In the middle of last year, I needed to make healthier lifestyle changes and trim my budget.

I was spending way too much money on groceries by indulging in weekly $20 artisanal cheese rolled in ash, instead of settling for sharp Vermont cheddar or slumming it with Velveeta. I was able to…

Fringe Benefits at Wegmans Supermarket

Donning a Loopy Mango Fringe Hat. I purchased the pattern in April and just finished making it. It’s not easy living in the ‘burbs. In this wasteland devoid of culture, car ownership is mandatory, social isolation a fact of life and the mundane is elevated to event status.

I mitigate boredom by belonging to a myriad of organizations where I interact with people. After all, I am a people person.…

BACK PEDALING PARIS FASHION WEEK

In honor of Paris Fashion Week I’m wearing my very first knitted sweater. It took me 5 months to knit, and boy am I proud of myself. If you would like to knit yourself one then head to the LOOPY MANGO site for their patternand beautiful, cloud like yarn with saturated colors. The color I am wearing is SPICY PINK. I have an endless list of why I haven’t focused on the fashion shows occurring…

NY Fashion Week Gets Deformed for Spring 2019

What is the current state of fashion and where are things headed according to fashion industry’s pros, in this WWD article from September 4, 2018? It isn’t all doom and gloom. But of all the insiders who chimed in, this quote resonates the most.

“When you think about the French or Italians or the British, there’s confidence. Like, ‘this is what Milan or London or Paris looks like and we’re…

A Fashion Pilgrimage to the Cloisters

Flashback to an episode of Sex and the City when Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie,  introduces Miranda to “Manhattan Guy.” He’s the type of New Yorker who hasn’t left New York in over 10 years because he feels there is no need to leave. The city offers 24 hour access to the best culture, food, events, Central Park and cabs , all at your fingertips. They are known as a mutant strain of…

Soul Searching for Heavenly Bodies at the Met

A number of topics are eternally controversial. Politics and religion are two which come to the fore, with religion being the most touchy. I was raised as a Catholic and its precepts are still ingrained in me. A primary tenet of Catholicism is that God embodies love and beauty. Humans by nature seek out beauty and love by whatever means.

Fashion, a subject less controversial, has been and…