Yellow Skirt Freak Show Update!! and Visible Monday

Great balls of 

sunshine, grapefruit, and rainbow salad

The Freakish Yellow Skirt has landed on

Anne M. Bray of 

Spy Girl

for an "Indian jingle jangle" of salubrious

juicy-fruity frolicking.

See Anne's mesmerizing skirt contortions

With floral sprays and sunny shawl

G o !   G O   N O W !!!

____________________________________________________________________

Thank you, Anne for your brilliant styling!

And other news: VISIBLE MONDAY, Feeling Like Fungus

The rain, oh sweet autumn rain. Yesterday and today I was feeling rather fungal or like a root vegetable to be at one with the leaf rot under foot. This is what I wore.

It was an outfit of nothing. Nothing.

Oversized jeans, top, maxi cardigan, stretch boots, no makeup whatsoever. Fungus does not wear lipstick. I was stripped bare, plain, root runners sprouting from my soles trying to take hold in the soggy earth in an attempt at reabsorption.

Sometimes I just want to disappear into the air, be invisible, even though I do believe that a day not dressing up is a day wasted, Vix's mantra. But this WAS my dressing up, okay, perhaps sideways. I was just melancholy. But then yesterday, as I left my building, this happened...

I encountered three Beautiful People, two men and one woman (expensive or genetically-gifted teeth, early 30s, clean, dressed well), hovering outside the door. As I swept past one of the men called out: "Do you mind if I tell you something?" I stopped and turned. He said, "You're so beautiful." They all nodded awe-fully in agreement. "I love your hair. It's the hair." "No, it's everything." "No, it's just something." "Someone should sculpt you." I thought, oh, fungus becomes me. Clearly they were in a good mood. Quite a good mood. Oh, and to be fair did I mention that they also said, "We're so drunk!" "Yes, we are!" "Oh, yes!"[laughter] And they were, despite it being only 11 a.m.  Just the same, I walked to the coffee shop with a smile on my face.

The lesson here? You'll probably get compliments if you head to the nearest hardcore bar no matter what you're wearing.

Seriously, this was a case of being reminded that invisible and visible are tricky things. Timing, weather, emotional place, a butterfly fluttering its wings in Thailand... Classic chaos theory.  Were there angels dancing beacon-like on my head or were the drunkards some kind of twisted angels themselves? Does it matter?

I still felt fungal at the coffee shop, and that's what I liked, cocooned in my journal-writing and comforted by the patter of rain outside.  

This one's for Patti over at Visible Monday, Not Dead Yet Style, my version of invisibly visible. Thanks for the party but please make sure I don't get too rooted in the garden. 

PS. A wee haircut, no recolouring but the platinum in the front is blending with my natural hair. It's magic to be sure.

Don't choke on my pith

I'm possessed by my granny shoes. But don't call the exorcist because I like it.

In action again below, in high def.

Dump trucks, grass, parkade signs, street lines, construction vests, insects, flowers, and rain - these are a few of My Favourite Things when I wear this lemon rind. The inner pith of linen, silk, and what-the-heck-is-that fabric would make you choke a smile. 

I'm an elusive creature these days, dodging out of frames and sidestepping stills. The motion picture works best at capturing my current emotional voice, although soon I suspect I'll be doing talkies too. 

Clothing

• neon yellow robe, retail sale
• linen jacket with big buttons from schmancy store (Moule), gift certificate, big sale
• vastly oversized teal silk blouse worn backwards, vintage, from friend's time-sealed treasure chest 
• sleeveless rust-coloured side-slitted dress, thrifted
• blue capri pants, same length as dress, with brown silk cuff, thrifted.
• patterned brown socks made in Italy, extravagant retail
• granny oxford shoes, thrifted
• granny bag from Singapore, gift for plant-sitting
• tool box handbag, from O
• magic loupe, from O

I've been asked about my video software. It's called VideoPad Video Editor (mine's for Windows) by the company NCH. It's easy to use - there is a tutorial - and it has many special features. I bought it after test-driving the free trial. This is not a paid endorsement (I wish!). I record the raw footage with my regular camera. 

Personally, I've needed this exploration to renew my process and stave off stagnation; what you see is my evolution from square one (thanks for your patience). I'm curious about where this will lead; I like not knowing.Would you ever consider making a little video clip for your blog? I've been very inspired by the clips and animated gifs I've seen on some of your blogs already.

The Man Robe, also in action

When I wear this outfit featuring The Man Robe I live in several states of dimension at once, this one and another one in 1920s Hollywood. "A physicist" has proven that there are seven dimensions - I'm still looking for the last three but I'm sure this robe will help me find them without the assistance of a slide rule or a huge brain.

My garments:

• The Man Robe, thrifted, worn many times
• new thrifted granny shoes in sensible brown with Louis-the-something heels, aka The Most Unflattering Shoes in the Universe (T-MUSU), they make me feel dreamy and tough
• bamboo tights, off white with a very slight pinkish tinge, retail sale, their perpetual ankle sag goes stunningly with the granny shoes - someone catch me as I swoon with delight at this vexatious combination
• silky dress with pink Asian flower motif, belt hung around neck as scarf, retail sale, first worn here (that's not even me in that photo anymore)
• magic loupe O made me
• tool box handbag from O's studio

With the crunching leaves under foot, the tool box in hand, sensible shoes, saggy tights, and The Man Robe, I thought I would poof into thin air. And it truly was thin air. The weather forecast today said "Mist." I find that odd. "Today's weather is Mist." "Watch out for Mist." What happened to fog and foggy? I suppose most people would rather frolic in mist than fog; mist certainly sounds more romantic. Then again, maybe the forecast simply depends on whether the meteorologist prefers Stephen King's The Mist or John Carpenter's The Fog (original,1980), both nightmares. And it doesn't really matter: I'm living in a daydream anyway, kinda foggy, kinda misty.

Again, you can see this outfit in action. I hope you watch - the music is great, which means I didn't make it, and it's royalty-free. I'm hooked on video.

And...
Sandra has posted a great video she made about Vancouver Art Gallery (Sept. 13). It really sums up how much our central art institution really cares about its work and artists; or maybe it's simply the result of clouded vision caused by the persistent fog (haze) generated by the pot advocates who hang around the gallery...

Ed. Update: I just researched the difference between fog and mist. Apparently, it's a matter of degrees of visibility. I still think it's about preference of horror movie.

Vintage and Shoe Shine

Wearing: vintage dress with thrifted seafoam underskirt, mustard tights, upcycled vintage bolero jacket with humungous buttons (label "zachary's smile"), thrifted shiny red shoes by Hush Puppies for Bella's Shoe Shine at The Citizen Rosebud. Thanks, Bella, for hosting the party.

I also call these my Dorothy Shoes, as in the fantasy story Wizard of Oz. Of course "there's no place like home," as Dorothy says in the movie, but there's also no place like, say, London (England), New York, and Milan. Those are the places I'll go after I figure out this heel-clicking trick. 

The sleeves of the jacket have a wonderful patterned fabric inside the cuff - slightly visible - which reminds me of drapes. And the pattern on the dress is created by stitchery with white thread. I really need a proper crinoline to do this dress justice, but we make do.

And again, see the vintage goods IN ACTION!! Surprisingly I didn't bend over backwards this time making the clip. That's a tiny local park, also known as Giant Doggy Toilet. The photos are stills from the video clip; it's nice when I get to select my favourites from a bajillion frames. 

I have many Serious, Heavy Thoughts now too, such as is it a cold universe or a hot universe?, which require Brain Work, but that post will just have to wait. Maybe a Push Ring would help me deliver the words. Until then, you'll be seeing more words like nice, wonderful, good, awesome, and grippingly good post titles such as this one.

Also, many hugs and thanks to Shelley of Forest City Fashionista for her continuing awesome work in mapping out the Freakish Yellow Skirt's global trek. You're a schtar!!

That's all. 

Yellow Skirt Freak Show Update!! and more...

The Mystical Freakish Yellow Skirt

F R E A K S   O U T!!!   fer realZ 

Each teensy glitter bit gets its groove on when

SULTRY  JEAN of

Dross into (Disco) Gold 

struts into town....

See her freakishly fabulous FREAK-out in this 

magic spectral yellow skirt

Complete with S O U N D T R A C K!

We KNOW you wanna dance...

G O!   G O   N O W !!!

________________________________________________________________
Thank you, Jean. You look awesome!! Great timing for this post, for both of us...

AND -
Today is Visible Monday over at Patti's - which means it's time for Excruciating Elegance.

This outfit was soooo excruciatingly elegant that I wore it TWICE last week, yesterday and the day before that. I don't know if anyone noticed. I am currently in a video phase so I had to capture this look in a kinetic-wise counter-clockwise-like fashion. If the video looks blurry (and you are not ill after the first few seconds), lock and reload - it should be high-def.

This look is called "Bonjour Gung Haggis Fat Choy" for the French, Chinese, and Scottish elements it incorporates. Gung Haggis Fat Choy is a Vancouver cross-cultural event which celebrates Chinese New Year and Scottish Robert Burns Day. Haggis is a dish made of sheep heart, liver, and lungs; I've never had it.

The T-shirt is upcycled from a rag of a crap shirt. I lopped off the sleeves and transplanted one of them onto the bodice in elephant trunk-like fashion for supreme practicality. Naturally, I used black glitter yarn as thread. The robe was last worn here inside out. Everything is thrifted, ah, I mean purchased at the finest boutiques in Paris, New York, and Milan.

Let's raise a glass to silly celebrations and come up with our very own. I'm curious - what nonsensical celebration would you invent? Hugs, all!

Gowning in the alley with a hat condition

Boing. I'm back.

That's my beret in my hand. It's not really a hat attack, more like a chronic hat condition. See my hat in action below. (I think the frame is bigger over at YouTube.) Hello, Style Crone, I'm so happy to join your hat celebration, Hat Attack No. 2. Although this shoot from Aug 30 wasn't planned for the occasion, how happy I am that it works. Raw footage, style parkouring with Sandra.

A hard rain scoured the ground in the dark. When the sun came out, the back lanes were not pristine, not putrid either - I couldn't say the same for the previous day Sandra and I filmed there. This is the perfect location to capture our kwalidy and crassmanship on film. Despite the breezeless day we stumbled upon a mighty wind blowing eau de fries and fish from the ventilation shaft directly behind and above me. It was for Art, ladies and gentlemen.

Wearing: thrifted black satin opera gown with thrifted black T underneath, magic loupe O made me, beaded lucky charm bag, D&G thrifted shoes, thrifted indigo wool beret.

This dress is by Deborah Davenport who specializes in couture clothing, $12 from my local thrift, worn yesterday, Aug 31. Apparently Ms Davenport is now buddies with Dr. Phil (big Hollywood pop-psychologist person) and this dress was probably made to measure for someone Important (yeah, me) with hand-stitched lining, etc. The dress fits like a glove. It's so tight at the knees, in fact, that I had use the cut curbs at crosswalks because I wasn't sure I could climb onto the sidewalk on the other side (not kidding). Sandra guided me on my walk home. Again, for Art. 

We're filming for VOGOFF. Hilarity and Serious Fashion ensue. Drahma, dahlings. Miz Bagg is practising her krumping and twerking but is not quite ready for prime time. 

I hope you are all well. I flit about, here, there, here, there. Hugs to you!! You are all extraordinary inspiration. Have you got your groove on? See you soon. I'm also invisibly connecting to Patti's Visible Monday, which is on holiday this week.

Question: So what happens when you find your mind?