fringe

Dennice Mankarious of fringe wrote a piece on UTR and
called it Mad with Desire..
I must say it melts my heart when talented, mindful
individuals, with extreme gifts shout out.

sprout chicago

Lydia of Sprout Chicago, a conscious living seedling,
contacted Under The Root for an interview. The questions were
of the utmost importance and I was deeply moved with her
care.

rogers park

Under The Root resides in this neighborhood, Rogers Park,
with all its pleasantries and hardships. The site http://www.rogerspark.com has been evolving with the movement 
of its surroundings and grown to be a source of undoubted care.
The shout to UTR is returned with a wink, blush, and kiss.
Although, the words do not sum up the love which is shared.
Visit the site and peek around, you will not be sorry.

for the love of mimi kirchner

for the love of Mimi Kirchner

the uniform project

The Idea
Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accoutrements, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

The Story of Uniforms
I was raised and schooled in India where uniforms were a mandate in most public schools. Despite the imposed conformity, kids always found a way to bend the rules and flaunt a little personality. Boys rolled up their sleeves, wore over-sized swatches, and hiked up their pants to show off their high-tops. Girls obsessed over bangles, bindis and bad hairdos. Peaking through the sea of uniforms were the idiosyncrasies of teen style and individual flare. I now want to put the same rules to test again, only this time I'm trading in the catholic school fervor for an eBay addiction and relocating the school walls to this wonderful place called the internet.

The Dress
How do you design a dress that can be worn all year around? The mastermind behind the uniform dress is my friend and designer, Eliza Starbuck. We took inspiration from one of my staple dresses, improving upon the shape and fit to add on some seasonal versatility. The dress is designed so it can be worn both ways, front and back, and also as an open tunic. It’s made from a durable, breathable cotton, good for New York summers and good for layering in cooler seasons. With deep hidden pockets to appease my deep aversion for carrying purses. More photos of the dress and the dressmaking process coming soon to the Uniform Blog.

The Accessories
The hats and plumes, the dickeys and drapes, the shoes and slips, the belts and brooches – much of what you will see are byproducts of my cyber-slacking on eBay and Etsy, backed by visits to the many local vintage boutiques, thrift stores and flea markets of New York. I am also collaborating with other designers and friends to create original pieces. If you are looking to purge some of your old accessories or if you would like to design a piece or concept an ensemble for The Uniform Project, see Donate Accessories.

environmental working group

I recommend taking a gander at this site and signing up for the newsletter.

Environmental Working Group
The Basics
The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles.
In 2002, we founded the EWG Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization that advocates on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies.
EWG specializes in providing useful resources (like Skin Deep and the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce\) to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change.

Organizational Goals
1. To protect the most vulnerable segments of the human population—children, babies, and infants in the womb—from health problems attributed to a wide array of toxic contaminants.
2. To replace federal policies, including government subsidies that damage the environment and natural resources, with policies that invest in conservation and sustainable development.

How EWG Does It
Our research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know. It shames and shakes up polluters and their lobbyists. It rattles politicians and shapes policy. It persuades bureaucracies to rethink science and strengthen regulation. It provides practical information you can use to protect your family and community.
And because our investigations and interactive websites tend to make news, you've probably heard about them. Even if you've never heard of us. Which is fine. We'd rather you remember our work than our name.

dover samples

samples from sampler pack at Dover Publications

city streets and faces

If you are in Chicago, September 4, 2009 and would like
to be enclosed with the visions from a couple of
amazing photographers...
Please come and enjoy the way a smile warms across your
face as the environment of our city wastes no space.

City Streets and Face
works of Becca Fischer and Brian M. Heiser
show sponsored by Dollop

the care of your feathers

THE CARE OF FEATHERS

The delicacy, resiliency, and exquisite beauty of feathers
have captivated people for centuries. Almost every culture
has used feathers in some manner to enhance personal
adornments, sacred or ritual objects, and decorative arts.
Feathers also have many functional uses, down comforters and
quill pens come readily to mind. Feathers are sometimes collected
individually for their inherent beauty. More often, feathers are
used in conjunction with other materials, sometimes as the focus of a
piece.
Standards for Preservation of Feathers:
• Minimal handling and dust protection are essential.
The following are tolerances for other environmental variables.
• Temperature: 60 degrees F to 75 degrees F
• Humidity: 45% to 55%
• pH: 6.5 to 7.5
• Visible light: 50 lux or less (the amount of light in a dim room)
• Ultraviolet light: 75 microwatts per lumen or less

excerpt taken from handout at the Bishop Museum Art Preservation

more about feathers::
Costume Gallery
Native American Visions

horst and his classic photography

Vogue Cover - Horst




Dalis Costumes - Horst

basic lingerie terms

Basic Lingerie Terms

The page explains several terms often used in the lingerie industry. Most of them are via The Little Flirt and Guilty Pleasures.

BABYDOLL
A short, flowing empire nightgown, usually with a matching panty bottom. Originally often made of sheer fabric with short puffy sleeves, it now describes many styles of short, swingy (and often sexy) sleepwear.

BALCONET/BALCONETTE
Pronounced bal-kuh-nay, it has wide-set straps and less coverage than a demi bra. The effect is uplift and fullness above the breasts, as if they were being served up on a tray or standing high on a balcony.

BANDEAU SLIP/STRAPLESS SLIP/BRA-SLIP
Essentially a slip with a fitted top, this hybrid became popular in the 1960s and has been worn ever since under strapless dresses.

BANDEAU-STYLE FULL SLIP
Often made with a built-in underwire or molded bra that offers light support and the option of going braless, this garment offers light compression that smoothes and firms from midriff to thigh. Sometimes available in a strapless form that looks like a tube and slims from the bust to the knee. (And it’s great under strapless dresses.)

BATHROBE
Usually made of terrycloth or waffle-weave cotton for throwing on after bathing. Think of a giant towel with sleeves.

BED JACKET
A short jacket meant to be worn over a nightgown for warmth and coverage around the boudoir, in bed while recovering from an illness or, for the lucky ladies, while eating breakfast in bed.

BIAS SLIP
A slip whose fabric is cut on the diagonal for a flattering fit (the hem is still parallel to the floor). The closer fit means the slip moves with you without binding or pulling.

BIKINI (STRING)
A panty whose waistband rests below the belly button and on the hips. The legs are sometimes high-cut and the sides can vary from a narrow string to a thicker side panel. Back coverage depends on the style of the bikini.

BODY BRIEFER
Looks like a one-piece bathing suit. Usually made of spandex power-net, it has a built-in bra and tummy control all in one. Perfect for whittling the waist and battling a bulging belly.

BOYSHORT/BOY-LEG BRIEF
A panty style similar in shape to boys’ underwear—but much more attractive. Often low in the rise, it has wide sides that hug your hips. Very popular with teens and twenty-somethings because they flatter most youthful body types. Don’t fall for the myth that they are universally flattering—they can make legs look shorter and fatter than they actually are. Because of their full-coverage backs, boyshorts usually prevent VPL’s. They’re great under short skirts and low-slung pants.

BRALET/BRALETTE
An often-unlined wireless bra that either pulls over the head or clasps in back. Lacking significant support features such as underwires, which offer form and additional support, this style is best for smaller busts, a more relaxed look, or for sleepwear.

BRAZILIAN BACK
A panty style that covers more of the cheeks than a thong, but less than a traditional full-back panty. For a good idea of the cut, think of a Brazilian-style bikini revealing bronzed beach buns. Not recommended to be worn under thinner clothing, as VPL is guaranteed.

BRIEF
A panty whose waistband rests at or just below the belly button, provides full back coverage and may, or may not, have a high-cut leg. The common connotation of briefs leans towards a conservative cut or granny pants, but many companies call their sassier boyshort styles “briefs.”

BUSTIER/CORSET
An often strapless, fitted one-piece bodice that extends from bust to waist or hip, worn to support and sustain a given shape. Usually stiffened with flexible metal or plastic boning and closed in the front or back with hook-and-eyes or lacing.

CHEMISE/SHIFT/SMOCK

A slip that hangs straight to a place somewhere on the thigh, it is not usually fitted to the body.

CHINESE PAJAMAS
Designed after garments worn in China, this style pairs pajama pants with a mandarin jacket featuring side slits and, often, braided front closures (called frogs).

COMFORT STRAPS
Softly padded, lined or wider-than-normal straps that increase comfort—essentials for any fuller busted woman who has experienced shoulder and neck pain from the weight of her breasts pulling her bra straps down into her shoulders. Bras shouldn’t be a pain in the neck!

CONTROL BRIEF
Looks like a panty, but acts like a girdle. A brief, available in various lengths, made with elastic yarns designed to smooth and minimize. If you’re looking for some middle management, panties with a reinforced front panel give extra attention to the tummy and midriff. Great under straight skirts, knits and flat-front pants.

CONTROL CAMISOLE
Resembling a tight camisole or tank top, it gives a seamless, contoured look under sheer or form-fitting tops that show the slightest detail of an undergarment. An often overlooked solution for those sensitive to underwire bras, or those concerned about back fat squeezed over the lat muscles by bra bands.

CONTROL SHORT
Bike short styles slim from the waist to the upper leg, instantly reshaping bulging hips and thighs; they also often have a woven built-in lift feature for droopy bottoms.

CONTROL THONG
Newer styles with a specific waist-cinching feature come in varying lengths. Some begin just under the ribs, some under the bust line, some at the waist, and compress the midsection from that point to the hips, eliminating lines at the waist and providing a smooth silhouette on all sides.

CONTROL-TOP PANTYHOSE
As the name implies, hosiery with a panty portion containing more spandex to provide control, like a lightweight shaper. There are styles that target the tummy, while others go after the derriere and thighs. This is where hosiery and shapewear meet.

DEMI CUP
A popular underwire with cups that are partially cut away to expose the top part of the breast (demi means “half”). With less coverage than a full cup, and more than a balconet, it’s sexy and flattering, and perfect for low-cut, squared necklines.

FRENCH KNICKERS
A panty with wider sides and less fabric to cover the bottom of the cheeks, often made of lace, silk or satin.

FRONT CLOSURE BRA
As the name implies, a bra that fastens in the front. This style makes it easier to put your bra on and take it off. On the downside, the band does not allow for the adjustments of a back-closure bra, which usually has at least three settings.

FULL CUP/FULL COVERAGE
A bra that covers most of the breast, offering more coverage and support than a demi-cup bra. A full cup fits a fuller figure well and is perfect under a T-shirt.

FULL SLIP
Worn under sheer dresses to reduce transparency or under unlined dresses, this item prevents clinging and provides smoothness. You should have a plain slip in a flesh color to wear under sheer garments, another simple slip in black or any other color and one lacy slip for fun.

FULL-FIGURE BRA
The term often used to designate a bra specifically designed for a more voluptuous woman. Cups tend to run larger in size than regular bras.

G-STRING/T-STRING
With even less coverage than a thong, it’s a small triangular front panel with a string up the rear joining one around the sides.

GARTER BELT HOSE
Stockings, attached to two elastic strips that in turn connect to an elastic band around the waist. Some more modern one-piece versions have stockings and garter belt both built into a single garment (without any hardware).

GARTER PANTY
A style with attached garters to hold up stockings.

GEORGETTE
What it is: Crepe woven both lengthwise and crosswise from twisted silk or polyester yarns to produce a dull yet delicately textured, grainy surface. The lingerie connection: Although opaque georgettes exist (and were popular in suits during the ’80s), georgette for lingerie is usually sheer. The pebbly weave of georgette gives transparency but has slightly more coverage and weight than chiffon.

HALF-SLIP
These serve the same purpose as a full slip under unlined skirts or dresses, but start at the waist. You should have half-slips in varying lengths from mid-thigh to above-the-knee length to midcalf

A shaping slip that starts at the waist and is perfect under sheer, clingy fabrics and pencil skirts; smoothes and firms rear, stomach and thighs.

HOSIERY
Knitted apparel that covers the foot and/or leg, including socks, knee-highs, thigh-highs, stay-ups, stockings, pantyhose and tights.

KIMONO/KABUKI ROBE
A robe modeled after the Japanese kimono with wide sleeves, often with a floral or scenic print, closed with buttons or frogs, or a belt. A kabuki robe is a short version of the same, and is closed with a sash.

LASER-CUT PANTY
A style with edges cut with a laser to avoid the bulk of stitching and elastic for a completely smooth look. The least lines possible today!

LONG-LEG PANTY OR PANT LINER
Longer leg styles create a smooth line from waist to knee (or even ankle!), offering the look of an all-over tight, toned body in a jiffy. Instant gratification!

LOW-RISE/ HIPSTER/HIPHUGGER
Perfect under low-rise clothing, this style sits at or below the hips. Any type of panty can technically have a low rise, but if a style is simply called “low rise,” it usually refers to a hipster/boyshort style.

MOLDED/SEAMLESS BRA
Because of a process in which a flat piece of fabric is heat-molded to form the cup shape, this one is ideal to wear underneath T-shirts and other smooth or tight-fitting tops. The only problem? Most seamless unlined bras made of stretch material don’t offer the best support to larger busts

NEGLIGEE
A flowing robe made of delicate, often diaphanous fabric and featuring lace and ruffles. Often worn with a matching nightgown.

NIGHTGOWN
A long nightgown is a bias-cut gown that is slip-like but intended for sleeping and lounging, not for wearing as a liner under outerwear. It’s for beneath the covers, not beneath clothing!

NIGHTIE
A short nightgown, it is a sweet little number for slumber, often made of cotton or other light material.

NIGHTSHIRT/NIGHTSHIFT
An elongated shirt worn for sleeping, modeled after a man’s shirt or a poet’s shirt with a rounded hem and slits in the side seams. In the mid-1980s, T-shirt and tank variations made for women started doubling as daywear.

PADDED BRA
Any bra that contains padding in the cups to add fullness. Graduated padding, thicker at the base of the cups, provides a natural, enhanced look. These bras sometimes come with crescent-shaped, removable demi pads (“cookies”) to give some extra oomph.

PANT LINER
Also known as an underliner, this pantaloonlike garment is worn with unlined pants to protect your skin from scratchy fabric, to prevent your garment from stretching or clinging and to reduce transparency under sheer pants.

PANTYHOSE
Sheer waist-to-toe fitted leg wear, often woven out of nylon or microfiber.

PATTERNED HOSE
Hosiery with designs woven in; usually made on a jacquard knitting machine, which has a versatile pattern-making mechanism. Some popular patterns are lace, herringbone, argyle or point d’esprit. waist-to-toe fitted leg wear, often woven out of nylon or microfiber.

PEIGNOIR
A feminine robe made in an elaborate or sheer fabric; usually found with a matching nightgown, which is known as a peignoir set. The name is derived from the French meaning “to comb,” because the style was originally worn while combing the hair those one hundred strokes before bedtime.

PLUNGE BRA
A bra with a very low plunging front, angled cups and thin center gore, this style is good for deep v-necklines. It is sometimes lined or padded to create center cleavage. How low will you go?

PUSH-UP BRA
Designed to give the appearance of a fuller bust, an underwire bra that emphasizes the breasts by lifting them high. Padding or angled cups can create center cleavage.

RACERBACK BRA
A must-have bra for summer, worn under sleeveless tops and tanks, it features back straps that curve away from the shoulder blades. Many front-closure styles are racerback and most convertible bras can be adjusted that way. Particularly good for women with narrow or sloped shoulders.

SANDALFOOT HOSE
Sheer hose with no visible reinforcements at the toes or heals—ideal for wear with open-toed shoes or sandals. But be gentle pulling it over your foot!

SEAMED HOSE
Sheer or opaque hose with a seam up the back of each leg. Before the advent of circular knitting machines, all stockings had seams up the back as a result of their construction. Later, with advances in weaving technology, the seams were no longer necessary—stockings with seams today are “mock seams,” for appearance only.

SEAMED/CUT-AND-SEWN
A bra with cups constructed out of carefully cut pieces of fabric that are then sewn together to form the rounded shape of a breast. The cups consist of two or more sections; generally, the more seams, the more support.

SEAMLESS PANTY
Thanks to modern technology, this style eliminates side seams, giving a smooth appearance under garments.

SHEER TO WAIST
Sheer tights with a consistent appearance from waist to toe, ideal for a more uniform look. They lack the heavier, reinforced panty portion that is knit into many styles, with the higher risk of poking your fingers through the upper region as you pull them on. Avoid that final yank!

SHORTIE PAJAMAS
Two-piece pajamas with short bottoms, most often worn in warm weather.

SOFT CUP/NO-WIRE/WIRELESS BRA
Available in many shapes and styles, a bra without wire that provides light support. Best for the smaller and firmer busted, or for when you just a want a break from wearing an underwire bra.

SPORTS BRA
Sports bras protect chest ligaments and prevent breast tissue damage. Compression styles are best for smaller cups sizes, while more structured harness styles, which encapsulate each breast, are best for women who wear larger cups.

STAY-UPS/HOLD-UPS
Stockings that stay up without the aid of garters. A special rubber or silicone is applied on the inner edges of the stocking tops that grip the skin around the thigh (much the same as the gripping material around the inside edges of strapless bras).

STOCKINGS
Hosiery you wear with a garter belt.

STRAPLESS/BANDEAU BRA
These bras come without shoulder straps and are usually lined with silicone or rubber strips on the inner edges to help keep the bra from slipping down. They can be underwire, seamless, push-up, padded—or bandeau, which is more like a rectangular tube.

TAILORED PAJAMAS
Any simple pajama set that is not overly decorated. Reminiscent of men’s tailored garments, and sometimes finished with piping.

TAP PANT
Feminine, flattering and sometimes flared, these are sweet and playful shorts, often made of lace, silk or satin. Think of the shorts worn by tap dancers of days gone by.

TEDDY
Once made of silk or the like, it combines a tap pant and cami. Teddies can be flowing or fitted, stretchy or slinky, with or without underwires, full coverage or thong-back. Ruffly versions are meant for play, but a teddy can be an undergarment. Another type of teddy is more like a bathing suit—a tight-fitting, one-piece number with either high-cut legs or a thong back.

TEXTURED HOSIERY
Any style of hosiery patterned with thick and thin sections: ribbed with vertical wales, cable-knit patterns, dimensional lace, fishnet or windowpane.

THIGH-HIGHS
Any over-the-knee hosiery or stay-ups

THONG
A panty style that leaves the buttocks exposed, preventing visible panty lines. Has slightly more fabric than a g-string, but the concept is the same.

THONG BOY
It looks like a panty coming, but a thong going. A cross between a thong and a boy brief, it offers more—but not total—coverage in the back and along the sides, while the cheeks peek out the bottom. A flattering variation of the traditional thong.

TIGHTS
Leg wear constructed like pantyhose but made from heavier, opaque, printed, or woven patterns and fabrics.

WAIST-CINCHER/WASPIE/FRENCH CINCH
A short garment beginning at the ribs and ends above the hips. When tightened, it cinches the waist, à la Scarlett O’Hara. Made from all manner of fabrics—lace to leather—with lace-up, snap or hook-and-eye closures, they are typically reinforced by vertical boning or stays to provide shaping. Many of today’s innovative control garments have cleverly included this waist-cinching feature by weaving it into the fabric.

green for all

About Us

Green For All is a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

Our Mission

Green For All is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy. We work in collaboration with the business, government, labor, and grassroots communities to create and implement programs that increase quality jobs and opportunities in green industry – all while holding the most vulnerable people at the center of our agenda.

Why America Needs a Clean Energy Economy

A clean energy economy will move America past some of our most pressing challenges. By making us energy independent, it will improve our national and economic security. By radically reducing pollution, it will improve the health of our families and neighborhoods, as well as repair our deteriorating atmosphere. And by creating millions of quality jobs and careers, it will pull America out of the current recession, better protect us from future economic turmoil, and save lives here and abroad.

More than that, building a clean energy economy is a chance to reinvigorate and reinvest in the best part of the American dream: the idea that everyone gets a chance to succeed and be happy. By ensuring that every community has equal access to the opportunity of the new economy, we can lift millions of people out of poverty.

Please read more about this initiative and be involved::
Green For All

in the bedroom with erin flaherty

Erin Flaherty is the style editor of The Frisky, a ladysite that
offers a humorous, irreverent, and above all, authentic take
on pop culture, relationships, and style.  In her previous life,
she was a fashion mag editor, but ever since she started working
on the interwebs, she's been hooked. She is a huge Etsy fan
because as someone who lacks mad craft skills, groovy handmade
items simply blow her away.  She's so excited to share smokin' hot
lingerie picks today!

Under The Root's Levity Lette Set is cited in the Related Items pics,
and we are so honored and pleased to be with The Frisky.

save the thread

Save the Thread is dedicated to revitalizing a local studio/craft 
space in downtown Virginia that was devastated by an 
August fire.
Please visit this link to see the many ways we can help.

for the love of the little things

the smallest of things matter to a mind which is hardly small at all

a midsummer night's dream

Nina Thelaide film stills in A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Max Reinhardt in 1935

oh kirby!

Sarah of oh kirby! has made a beautiful list for items
she sees as a ode to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has
kindly included the Sidhe Stockings...
Read here:
http://ohkirby.blogspot.com

Upon reading her blog, I then stumbled upon her
two Etsy Shops, you must indulge yourself and catch
some profound vintage pieces, as well as, her handy work.
http://www.kirby.etsy.com
http://www.kirbyvintage.etsy.com

Thank you ever so, Sarah