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Showing posts with label Advanced Style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advanced Style. Show all posts

Monday, 25 April 2016

The trend that ate her brain

Trends - they're inescapable. One minute I'm laughing at the fashion lemmings running full tilt toward the cliff, then, blam, I'm reaching for the hideous onesie on the $5 rack.

I figure trend messages are like little bits of dirt that stick to me wherever I go. They come not through TV or fashion magazines, but style blogs and high-end retailers where I ogle opulence and dig for DIY ideas.

yellow trench coat, Bag and a Beret

So my latest downfall and touchdown - the yellow trench coat, worn here with my happy doggie scarf.

Most of the trend particles are usually expelled; I like to go my own way. But once in a while they get wedged in dark crannies in my brain where, after weeks of constant abrasion, they are transformed into frigging pearls. (I wish it worked like that with cash in my wallet.) This particular pearl was thrifted last week.

Below is the heavy blue satiny dress I wore under the coat, fully lined with pockets. It's "laundry by design" brand. Thrifted. I've had it for years and seldom wore it because I thought it was too short.

dress, laundry by design, Bag and a Beret

While I usually can't pinpoint the origin of my own lemming leaps, in this particular case I can: Not Dressed as Lamb. I shall blame Catherine. Hahaha!! And thank her too because, come on, a yellow trench coat? It's not that she was pushing yellow trench coats like a dealer on the street or a trend hound, but one week she had a link-up theme on yellow and two weeks later a theme on trench coats. Blam!

I'm sure there are other fabulous bloggers who are complicit in this purchase. You know who you are. I of course absolve myself of any responsibility whosoever. I'm clever like that. You may admit your guilt in the comments below. Heh.

Digging the onesie trend over 40, Bag and a Beret

Two cases above where I've succumbed to trends. Left: the denim onesie, vintage, thrifted before all the hoopla, but still. And right: the red onesie, thrifted when the trend was dying.

And yes, I've also been wearing my shorter dresses lately, but with opaque tights instead of jeggings or slim-fit pants. This switch seems like a big deal, maybe because tights in general have a rep for being more slatternly than jeggings or jeans, especially on 40+ women wearing suspiciously high hemlines. "Oh, that hussy. She thinks she can disguise those five layers of tights as jeggings or pants? It's a disgrace."

Short dresses with tights over 40, Bag and a Beret

At least my dresses are being worn once again as they were intended - as dresses, not as tunics or long tops. I can't foresee going barelegged with a shorter dress, but never say never. And don't get me wrong, I like tunics, but they don't suit me when I'm in this edgy, pissed off mood.

My style is in flux, as it always is. I just wonder what will happen if someone hosts a linkup featuring green vinyl bikinis one week and pink faux fur the next. Vix? Can you at least give me a little warning so I can corner the market over here when that trend takes its grip? Heh.

Short dresses with tights over 40, Bag and a Beret

I'll be linking this demure little trench to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and to Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb.

That's all, kittehs. It's an interesting week ahead. I'll tell you all about it later.

Also, Katrin Braga, the photographer for Claire Cormeau's Nuage line, posted a new portrait of me. Oh! If you want to see it, check it here.

Also, on his blog Advanced Style, Ari Seth Cohen posted a brilliant piece written by Debra Rapoport in response to criticisms of her style made on Ari's Facebook after he posted Debra's photo. Excellent writing! Exactly!! It's HERE.


Friday, 13 November 2015

News Flash: Yellow Skirt Freak Show storms New York!!

LOOK Who'S Back! Bwahahaha! It's our friend, Freakish Yellow Skirt (FYS). Hurrah! Such a jet-setter she is, having stopped in New York City for a little quality hobnobbing, R&R and...

...another heap of love, added this time by NYC artist and doyenne of style Debra Rapoport. I'm so happy that Debra has joined the FYS show to spread our message of positivity and acceptance All Around the World. Thank you!


Debra's fruitally fun additions to the waist (shoulder, heh) of the skirt are excellent extensions of her brilliant creativity.  You may also notice her artistry shining like a BEACON (yes, a beacon!) on her head. Debra is the 26th woman to style FYS.

Many thanks go to Shelley of Forest City Fashionista, an early FYS adopter and stellar FYS travel coordinator for some years, for snapping these photos during a party of arty glitterati hosted by Debra.


Debra is renowned for her hat- and jewellery-making with paper towels and other recycled materials, as well as her joie de vivre expressed in inspiring styling of thrifted clothing. Hurrah! Not surprisingly, she co-starred in the internationally-acclaimed documentary Advanced Style, released by Lina Plioplyte and Ari Seth Cohen, creator of the Advanced Style blog.

  
Debra currently does not have any active social media hubs - apart from her hyperactive hub in real life - even better. Just a quick search online will net you thousands of sources where you can read more about this fascinating New Yorker.

The skirt is still in New York, living it up. If you would like to know more about the Travelling Yellow Freak Show project or even join in, details are here. A Gallery of the 25 previous FYS stylists is here or click the sidebar.

Thanks again, Debra! And Shelley! And thank you, Suzanne, for getting FYS back on the road with a BANG.
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Edit: This post went up before I knew about Paris, but I would like to think of this cooperative project as a tiny reminder that there is a whole lot of love still in the world. I wrote that Debra's hat is a beacon - maybe it is even more so now. 

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Would you wear swear words?

Do you remember this dress - I mean these dresses? I frankened two Desigual dresses (gifts from Ariane) into one maxi I call "Teacup" (here). I adore Desigual's colours and patterns so much I can live with their occasional sweet text, such as "Happy", despite my knee-jerk reaction, "Kiss my...." Which brings me to another topic - swearing on clothing: is that any worse than pushing a Stepford vibe? Think about it: how many men's shirts do you see with Happy?

For clothing that speaks my language check out Lyn Slater (Accidental Icon) as she appears in a Grey Magazine editorial shot by Ari Seth Cohen, which he posted on Advanced Style here. Maybe you've seen it already. Scroll down and look for the sequins. You'll know the one I mean. (And given that the piece costs US$1,050, I would amend the text to indicate things are comparatively worse.)
Bag and a Beret, Desigual maxi
Turnip Head fills in for my own head.
Outfit details: 2-in-1 Desigual "Teacup" maxi, vintage mint-green bolero jacket, mantis DIY pendant (Liz Claiborne Christmas ornament with bug), whale airship pendant, magic loupe, black tights, geta-ish sandals. 

When I wore this out for the first time, I got these comments: Love your jacket, Great pattern, Love your pendant, Love your colour; even, Love your shoes. Upon reflection, one comment was conspicuously absence: Love your dress! Haha. I have an over-abundance of that sentiment myself not to feel the absence too keenly. I am still Happy (rassen frassen succotash).
click to enlarge
Teacup's fetching wide thigh architecture will ensure plenty of wear. Next time I'll try the dress with my fringed platform booties to avoid the plank-foot effect.
Bag and a Beret, Kobayashi journal sketch
Journal sketch from January. I had just bought a lovely non-text pailette top.
Despite my bravado, I probably wouldn't publicly wear a garment with curse words or potty words on it, except for "pissed off," which is a ubiquitous term for angry; except, if I were gifted such a $1,050 Ashish sequin top, yeah, I would wear it (here too, but I think it looks best on women +50). It would be rude not to. But I wouldn't wear the statement on cotton - that would be tawdry (heh) - or even on a sequin baseball cap. However, I saw a man the other day with a "Go f*ck your selfie" cotton T-shirt and laughed. 

When I do wear text on a T-shirt, it's usually a DIY by me or a friend. But a corporation, a  big brand, churning out masses of happy garments with happy writing and happy logos from their Orwellian happy factories to make women happy?
You want me to be Happy? Show me a kitty. 

I don't get pissed off if I see a woman wearing happy text unless her eyes are glazed over, she's holding out a tray of freshly-baked cookies as she jerk-stop bridal walks down the sidewalk, has sparks coming out of her ears, and there's a happy man with crumbs on his face and a remote control behind her. Fecker.
Bag and a Beret, Teacup maxi made from 2 Desigual dresses
What say you? Are you a happy-shirt or curse-word-shirt person? Should more men's shirts feature words like Happy, Beauty, Joy (Nausea, Gagging, Retching)? 


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