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Sunday 16 October 2016

Words pale with velvet


The light. A yucky, packed-earth parking lot tucked off a busy sidewalk becomes an ethereal respite when a few clouds of light and shadows play on the walls.


I shot hard on burst mode with a high shutter speed. A burst does multiple shots all in a row. A setup like this pushes my photographic skills the most - what about this setting? what about that setting? 


Always, always, when I put on this velvet coat, I leave myself. Those are my wool vintage Gianni Versace pants and a chartreuse silky blouse from bcbgmaxazria. There's a better view of the blouse on my Instagram, here. I had on double scarves but tore off the second one, the blue one; I couldn't breathe in all that matchiness.


I'm sure residents of the glass-walled highrises around me learn a lot about the life of a +50 style blogger when they see me playing in lanes below them. I can almost hear their greedy eyes as they spy me strolling in there, "Honey, she's baa-a-a-ck," and imagine their grab for the chips and wine. More likely, if they're into that kind of thing, there is far more dramatic action going on in this parking lot at other times of the day and night than a middle-aged woman twirling.

I'm thinking in feelings lately, colour, light, movement, which can be calming but also occasionally frazzling. Words are sleeping. Last night I made this video below, short and quiet.


That's all from here. I have to haul up my winter coats from my space bags in storage. Dreading going down there...

I'm linking something from here up to Patti at Visible Monday, Not Dead Yet Style, and Catherine, #iwillwearwhatilike, Not Dressed as Lamb.

Edit: I also can't forget a huge thank you to Sally of Already Pretty for including me in her Lovely Links last Friday! Such an honour.





38 comments:

  1. Where is your storage exactly? I don't do a swap over though I should! Your velvet coat is dreamy. I sometimes wonder if my neighbours see me posing through their top window!

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    1. My storage is in the bowels of my building. In a locked cage, I mean a big locker. To protect me or the clothes, I'm not sure. Heh. If your neighbours see you, you might as well go all diva on them.

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  2. That coat is spectacular! as are you!

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  3. Wonderful velvet coat - the kind I covet and steal when you're not looking. I adore those turquoise trousers too - so much high-waisted goodness! I was thinking of you last night as I paraded around in wigs! I need to get a blue or pink bobbed wig!

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    1. I would need to button this coat up if I were around you then. Hahaha. These pants are in a light wool, kind of like that skirt you were packing away for winter. I can't bear to seal these up for the season though. I saw your wigs. Awesome! Reminded me of our great photo session.

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  4. Love your video - really rather hypnotic. That's a lot of swoosh factor in your velvet coat too. I do adore any opportunity for some velvety swooshing.

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    1. You are a pro velvet swoosher, Roz. You know of what you speak. I'm glad you like my video. I am learning so much with each one I make.

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  5. I loved that video art. Like a dream.

    I need to take some cues from your photography skills. I never manage to get any kind of photos that look like this.

    The back shot of the coat is AH-MAZING!

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    1. Glad you like the video, Suzanne. I can never get truly great photos indoors like you can. We always want what we don't have. Heh.

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  6. This colour combination is great. You look fabulous and I love "the swing" in your pictures.
    Honeyyyyyy shes baaaaack again! Yes :))
    xoxo

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    1. I hope you have lots of wine and chips on hand, Tina. Hahaha. Thanks for your comment. xoxo back!

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  7. drifting away on the mood of your video............
    ...........
    :-) ok. - back. wonderful red velvet coat!! love the bright colors with it - everybody else would wear it with black pants and a white lace blouse - but even that can not be boring on you dawns on me while typing this.....
    chapeau for taking such cool photos in the public - i´m shy in my own garden somedays.
    you may guess it - not coffee yet. still in bed and the cat refuses to brew me one ;-)
    huge hugs!
    xxxxxxxxx

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    Replies
    1. First, Beate, thank you so much for your support! Clearly I finally mellowed out and was able to make this quiet video. It took me a long, long time to relax in with public photo-taking. Even still, I get tense sometimes. You need a coffee remote control. Don't they make those yet, then cat doesn't even have to leave your room. Hugs! xoxo

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  8. The video is dreamy, and expressive - love it. Makes me feel quiet too. I wish I could see you twirling outside my apartment window, I would set my alarm for it! And I will def eat the brownies. xox

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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    1. Be careful before committing to the brownies. Hahaha! How I wanted to slip into that quiet city. Thanks, Patti.

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  9. Well. Good thing there weren't any bulls running around loose that day. Cuz you were an excellent swoosher of red velvet capes/ coats, by golly. Dazzling even with the extra credit colors and textures. va va vooming all the way. yeah, bay-bee.

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    1. Hahaha, too funny, Pao. I'd be a goner if there were any wild rampaging bulls around, even though I stumble across BS everywhere, sometimes even in my own home!! Hugs, Pao.

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  10. beautiful video. That coat is too. My coats are being held hostage in that closet over there, across the room. One day soon, my dears.

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    1. I hope you are able to negotiate their freedom soon! The free world depends on it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  11. Absolutely beautiful coat and you look so stylish and elegant in it. Love the wool pants and red and turquoise together is a match made in heaven!

    have a lovely week

    Veronica
    vronni60s.blogspot.com

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    Replies
    1. Such kind words, Veronica. Thank you so much.

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  12. Great light!! That coat is so fabulous, and I love how you've captured the movement. Is your camera a Nikon? I haven't been able to use burst mode with a remote on my Canon.

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    1. I use a Sony camera with my remote. I don't have problems with it other than sometimes it takes a few more presses of the remote button to set off the camera than a single shot. Usually with my tripod I forego the remote and just set the self-timer for burst mode. The camera beeps to let me know when it will go off. I look forward to see more pics from your new camera.

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  13. I so enjoyed your video . Your swishy red coat looks wonderful paired with the Turquoise. I so admire your camera skills , no idea what sunburst is but it creates such atmosphere, I am sure you could sell tickets to the people in the highrises.

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    1. Hahaha, Jill, about the tickets. They must get a good laugh, but I suspect nobody or very few people are watching. But I can't help but dwell on it sometimes. "Bust" is when the camera takes a bunch of shots all in a row without pause. But the sunlight, there's no setting for that on my camera. I wish there were!!! Hahaha. Thanks for your comment.

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  14. I'm loving the swish of that coat, you look like a superhero!
    Clothes in storage, blimey, that sounds posh. Mind you, you're a schtar, you don't have a knackered suitcase stuffed with your winter gear like the rest of us mortals! xxx

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    1. I can only dream of being a mere mortal with a big house and garden and space to put suitcases, Vix. Hahaha. Then I'd be real schtar!

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  15. Spectacular photos Mel. The light and you, the artist and photographer. I'm with Vix! You're a SCHTAR!

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    1. It's days like this one with the light/shadow that are the best. You know what I'm talking about. I'm taking schtar training from you and Vix.

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  16. I love the way you have shot these photos with the high contrast. Excellent coat swishing!

    Nice choice of images and soundtrack for the video. I like your disembodied head superimposed over the city (because I'm weird like that).

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    1. Shelley, you would have loved this lighting. They look high contrast because it WAS super high contrast. Very hard to balance so I don't look too dark or too light. That was my FAVOURITE part of the video, the disembodied head. I wanted the whole video to be like that, but I thought that might be boring. Heh. Weird sisters.

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  17. Velvet, velvet and more velvet! I LOVED these few shots on Instagram and am loving them again - plus some - here. So much movement and artistry, Melanie. Fabulous. And it's so good that some of us are out there playing in lanes and car parks and the streets and everywhere while others are in their hermetically sealed towers. Keep the videos coming, please :) xx

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    1. Gosh, if I had a tower I think I might enjoy it there, but only if I owned it. Heh. Vvvvvelvet, such a great word for such a luxurious fabric, right? This coat really brings out my swoosh. Sadly I lost the covering of the top button in my zeal. Sad. Thanks for your positive energy, Elizabeth.

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  18. That coat & your photos are stunning. I always wondered what my neighbors thought if they saw me posing like a twit in the garden. We moved house a year ago and my garden, at present, doesn't lend itself to photos so I've yet to shock my new neighbors with weird goings on in the garden...

    Visiting via #iwillwearwhatilike

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  19. Gee...that video was really nice. I thought it evoked a bit a Canadian melancholy. Being from Minnesota I feel like I'm half Canadian. I get very disembodied at this tI me of year and I think the long winter season ahead is part of that feeling. I sort of like a diem bodied feeling once in awhile. I'm loving your video ventures. Clearly a new talent is being revealed and honed. How nice!!!

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  20. You are a velvet wonder. Every time I see you in such high tight trousers I think to myself: gosh what a lucky woman with such a flat belly. Wise to highlight that.
    When you say middleaged woman (referring to yourself), I keep thinking: "that just doesn't apply to her". She is not a middleaged woman. Period.
    You are too unique to be soiled by such stigmas.
    Love your play with colours. I wouldn't have been able to resist the blue scarf (being a matchy matchy person), but now that you removed it, I must admit, it looks even better. Don't know how you do it.
    Greetje

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  21. Such a glorious velvety-swishy-opulent vision of loveliness! Yes, the curtains will twitch as the voyeurs take respite from the heavy stuff - you're their light relief, that's the truth. Good luck with all of those winter coats a-waiting to pounce and envelope you!
    Anna x
    www.annasislandstyle.com

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