I'm not Atomic Blonde; I'm Atomic Grey

I wore this lightweight snuggly-soft Yuzhe Studios coat on my inspiration walk today, inside-out because I was in the mood for the lighter grey colour of the inside. The pockets stick out like little hip wings, and we know how flattering a look that is. And I wore my man shoes and other stuff. 

On my way home, a young woman breathlessly ran up behind me, seeking my attention. I thought:

Why, look! A fan eager to prostrate herself at my feet after my recent media triumph. And so it begins - celebrity is mine! Bwahaha! Soon I'll need to buy a hideaway in a dormant volcano and hire a team of minions.

I slowed, put on my humble face, and smiled at her with benevolence.

Then she said in a breathless confidential voice:

Excuse me, but I think you have put your coat on inside-out.

[sound of vinyl record scratching] 

"Wrong line!" was scribbled in my thought bubble.

I said, "Oh, thank you for telling me. Actually, I know it's inside-out, but I prefer it like this today." Then I thought we'd exchange laughs. But no. She said, "Oh, okay. Sorry, I'm sorry," and power-walked away, red face blazing. I felt bad. How could she have known?

Perhaps the next time I wear this inside-out I need to affix a little label on the back that says, "This inside-out is right-side-out today," to spare awkward feelings all around.

And yesterday I wore this: Jacqueline Conoir suit jacket, altered with additional repositioned buttons, Anne Klein crepe wool, lined palazzo pants courtesy of Dross Into Gold, black glitter booties, and -

The Device 

scratch-built by my partner O 

(his art is here, Etsy here).

As for the glasses, Charlise Theron wore aviator sunglassses in her role as a British spy in the period action movie Atomic Blonde, so when Nordstrom wardrobe handed me these glasses on set, BAM, I was -

No longer mere Mel - 

I was Atomic Grey! 

I decided to recreate that badass state of mind with this outfit.

There's the Yuzhe Studios coat again, right-side-out. They sent it to me a couple of years ago.

Speaking of atomic, time now to switch gears for a little spacy tripping with this psychedelic vintage '70s outfit that Suzanne, suzannecarillo.com, gave me when I was in Toronto. I almost fainted with surprise and delight. 

The outfit is seductively soft, velveteen I believe. The unstructured midi-length jacket has lapels, slits up both sides, and a single hook/eye closure at the waist. The front is meant to overlap for a fitted silhouette, but I preferred it a bit looser to enhance that tux feeling, so I pinned it closed. The slacks (love that word) zip up the back.

To top it off, I wore my blue velvety platform sandals with studded heels from Nordstorm and a satin sleeveless ruffle-front orange blouse with a super-high collar from many years ago.

I took these photos with my tripod on Granville Island.

The grand exit, tux tails flapping.

That's all for this week. I'll link something up with Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb. See you there.

Floral vintage jumpsuit with microscope

Don't you hate it when you go into one of your favourite cafés and you can't find an outlet for your microscope? Right? I hate that. 

Who said only laptops and cellphones and tablets can go for walkies and coffee? Really, how tiresome. 

Bye-bye woman-with-coffee-and-laptop selfie; hello woman-in-awesome-vintage-'70s-jumpsuit-with-palazzo-pantlegs-with-coffee-and-microscope selfie! I think the security guard understood what I was doing.

Coffee mug by Anne M Bray, featuring sketches of 

many of my favourite bloggers. You can buy one here.

What would the world be like if scientists suddenly starting taking over cafés with scientific gear, setting up mini research institutes each afternoon with free outlets and caffeine on call. 

I suppose occasional shouts of "Eureka!" would crack the humming silence as breakthroughs were made in solving world hunger or health and wellness issues. If I were a savvy shop owner, I would create a "Eureka Lunch Special" with a sandwich and your choice of soup or salad. 

Clearly, below I am hurtling toward my own Eureka moment. 

Ice cream - diet ginger ale - chocolate chip cookies! And a giant pretzel for something salty. 

This past month has been a white-knuckle ride that has tested my fortitude and gumption, in a good way. I've come through intact, with a big silly grin even, except I caught a bug on a plane. Cough cough pitui!

As a result, I have been in the wearying daily routine of wearing a face mask. Believe me, this is a bug I don't want to share. I'm almost cured now, but a summer cold? There's a heatwave and I have a friggin' cold?!!! GAAAA! This shoot was my first real solo outing in a week.

I'd like to share details of what I've been up to, but I am contractually bound to secrecy. It's all very cloak and dagger, just the way I like it.

I leave you with the following photo - just another day at the café. Probably nobody uses microscopes like this anymore (I bought this one for O a couple decades ago), but it's my Year of the Prop, and this instrument caught my eye as I was going out the door. My first prop shoots of the year were here and here. 

A tricky tripod shoot in a café - I had to snap and scram. 

Can you see my tripod?

While I'm at it, I propose a caffeinated toast to women of science. You blaze trails and inspire. Thank you. I hope you have better gear than I do. And I suspect that a lot of it is in your laptops. Hahaha!

I shall link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style and her Visible Monday and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb and her #iwillwearwhatilike - if I can still remember my way there. Heh. 

Stay fabulous, everyone. All will be revealed in the weeks to come.