Big hair, big coat, little tape

I'll just throw on a little more coral lipstick and blue eye shadow before I pop down to the grocery store in my new AMC Pacer*. And shut up about the bag boy in the parking lot, will you? Can I help it if he has a crush on me? I'll have to get a move-on to get that Cheez Whiz and Ritz cracker casserole in the oven before the new Charlie's Angels comes on. (*it's a car, see end of post for details)

My "100% textured Fortrel polyester" vintage coat by Marty Gutmacher. Its hugeness almost put me off, but five bucks? For all that zig-zaggy, almost-crunchy '70s wonder? You bet! Without a lining, I also knew it would be less difficult to resize and I could wear it in the spring. These are the "after" shots, still slightly roomy but much, much better.

Meet me in the deli aisle

I'm wearing The Marty here with my wide-leg Grey Ant jeans, old black dickie (fake turtleneck), thrifted lace-up Miu Miu boots (with cheating side zips), gifted Chanel sunglasses, and magic loupe of course. This coat cried out for enormous brown hair. Luckily I have my "Tina Turner" wig for such emergencies. 

To bring this coat down to size, I redid the shoulders to sit one inch closer to the neckline on each side, and took in the body width almost six inches. I hardly cursed at all in the process. Is it because I have attained a state of sewing nirvana? No! But...

I often work on a carpeted floor where using chalk is futile, so I finally came up with the idea of using narrow painter's tape instead. WOW! I love this stuff: 

• easily I can mark out any shape, including curves; 
• it is highly visible, even in poor lighting; 
• it is an excellent stitching guideline;
• it anchors filmy fabric making it easier to make smooth cuts (at least for a non-pro); 
• it sticks when you need it but removes easily when you're done, and;
• the used grungy tape ball removes thread bits stuck on the floor.

Tape in action. See that 100% textured Fortrel polyester?

I also tried painter's tape when I shortened some trousers made of very lightweight crepey stretch rayon. The tape anchored the rambunctious fabric edge brilliantly for a crisp smooth cut. No freaking out! And in the future, if I want to copy an existing garment, I'll use tape to mark out the pattern. O is happy that I don't shriek so much too.

Worn with ivory silk blouse. Meh.

The bust area of the coat is still roomy (when is that not the case?) and I'd take the whole thing in even more if it didn't require time and, uh, major skills. As long as I remain a blur, no one will notice. I'd like to shorten the coat too but I think I've reached my time-investment quota.

Speaking of tape, did you know that Hugo Boss "fuses" it's ready-made men's suits together, as in hot glue? Yuck! Would you pay $800 for a fused suit? I should hope not! I would demand thread at the very least. And I hope the day is not coming when all clothing is glued together, when home sewists become home glue-ists. Or fuse-ists!

No man of mine would ever wear a glued suit

How dull life would be without dressing up and time travel. And how satisfying it is that I can wear this entire outfit for real, done so far without the wig. I'll link this up with Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. If we're lucky, the bag boy will tag along. Hehe.

I found this ad by Jean-Charles which appeared in Europe for the American Motors' Pacer. To my unsophisticated eye it appears that the woman is about to do a royal evacuation on this little American vehicle; however, the curvy derriere is supposed to mirror the revolutionary curvy design of the car. Rrright.

AND, NEWS FLASH:

If you like browsing magazines but don't want to buy them, you can view countless magazines from around the world online for FREE in their original format. You name it - it's there. Go to:

issuu (http://issuu.com/)

There is a search bar to find specific titles. Probably I am the last one to hear about it since I'm not on social media, but better late than never, right?

AND, SHOPPING ALERT for Vancouverites:

If you're a fan of Vancouver-based designers Obakki or JNBY, they have generously donated many of their sample and/or new old stock to My Sister's Closet (IG here) charity thrift store. Prices for these pieces are a steal, starting at around $40(!), but the shop has a wide variety of donated clothing, from newer high-end labels to vintage, with proceeds going to Battered Women's Support Services. I've found many spectacular pieces there, including this coat. 

That's all. See you next time!

How to wear Chanel

Meet the linen Chanel dress I received last week in the mail from my dear aunt who's been on a shopping spree while vacationing at her villa in Cannes. I was scared to put it on! I've worn it here with my D&G pony shoes. I looove it!
OR
Meet the linen sailor-style bag dress I thrifted off the five-dollar rack. I looove it! What? Now the slouchy fit looks a little less sophisticated, a little more slouchy? Puh. This is still a home-tailored beauty. With pockets! And shoulder pads.

Did you think the wool hot-pants outfit in my post "How to Get More Followers" was conservative chic? Wool hot pants? Those short shorts? On a woman +50? In the middle of winter? Standing amidst grunge by the road? I have posted much more conservative outfits in the past, although they were couched in whimsical language. Did the Moschino label of the hot pants (yes, that was real) create an aura of sophistication, or maybe the blurry background...

I think it's empowering that we can craft how we want to be viewed. Framing is everything. Like magic. There's Lucille Ball stomping around a vat of grapes (I love that episode here) and then there's Lucille Ball glamour queen. I think I want the grapes and the champagne. Some days I feel like I'm in the vat; others, I'm in the lap of luxury.

Below is my Donna Karan ivory silkiest silk blouse (yes, that's true). Thrifted. It's a pyjama top (there's tell-tale piping), so dreamy, so over-sized on me, but perfect tucked half into my wrecked thrifted jeans that I DIY'ed with yarn and markers, my thrifted long black velvet opera coat, and a thrifted beret and shawl which I fling about with drama. Cuffs and boots for the rain. Puh. And magic loupe for magic.

I must walk daintily with the dress which has so little kick space, despite its being made from a whole bolt of linen. I'm not sure if I'll put slits up the sides or at the back or upcycle it into something completely new. I suppose I should learn someday how to use straight pins. Have you ever tried to push in a pin and pushed the sharp end by mistake? Oh, no, no - I have never ever done such a ridiculous thing. Oh no. By the way, did I mention that's a Chanel dress?

I'm on a "deceptive blog title" kick. Just leave me be - getting it out of my system is all. I'm going over to Patti's house now, Visible Monday, ready to swill some champagne, trying hard to keep a straight face with this restricted kick. We are the yin/yangs, the control/chaos, the Chanel/bargain binners, the balance that makes life interesting.

EDIT: I am being too abstruse here, which I suppose was partly my intent, playing with how it is easy to frame our reactions to clothes by the label, which I do too, from Biba to Chanel, although I hate that phrase at awards shows: "Who are you wearing?" This is NOT Chanel, not by any stretch, and, alas, I don't have an aunt in Cannes, but this dress has a boxy, rich quality to it and a very odd fit, which could be seen as thrifty bag dress or couture, which was part of the appeal, and it was five dollars. It was made by a talented home sewist. The dress is navy. 

Re. comments. I feel bad that some of the comments you have taken the time to write have gone missing. Mine regularly go missing on other blogs as well. I started to notice it particularly when the "I am not a Robot" began popping up on many blogs. And there's a message "Leave this page? Stay on this page?" But even before that, I have had comments go amiss. Usually I copy my comment before I submit it and then send it again if I don't see the message stating it has been saved for moderation or will appear soon. It takes much longer and it's very frustrating, as many of you know, and I'm still not sure if it works unless I go back later. 

Anyway, thank you all so much for your comments wherever they end up. I'll keep checking my trash and spam to make sure my email is not auto-sabotaging me. If any of you can crack this mystery, please let me know!

Hat bigger than my head in fake Paris

When I've worn this outerwear in the past, I've felt like it's wearing me, not that I'm wearing it. But today...

I want to sweep through the lobby of the Hotel Georges-V Paris on my way to my suite, stopping briefly at the front desk with instructions to  "Do please hold all my calls and send up some caviar and cheesecake immediately" delivered in a low husky voice with heavily-accented English that startles me, not caring that my ruby red lipstick has bled into the heavily powdered spider lines around my mouth, nor that I don't even like caviar. With a dismissive yet graceful flourish of my gloved hand I disappear into the lift. Ah, Jacques, he understands my needs so well.

The coat - such velvety midnight madness, the hat and sunglasses hiding my identity like a mysterious aging screen star or a socialite who's had recent work done.

Would people even care that I'm wearing an old oversized coat turned inside out with a single new button sewn way off to the side near my neck to size it down and had the pockets ripped off? Or that this thrifted faux fur hat, as big or even bigger than my head, has a scarf stuffed in the crown to keep it from sliding down over my eyes? Or that the coat sleeves extend far beyond my pale fingertips? No! Rather - Non!

Did it matter that I had to dodge moneyseekers and spitters on the sidewalk and dodge puddle grunge on my way to the coffee shop? NON! Or that there were babies crying and businessmen talking too loud into the air when I got there? Um, okay, yeah, that really bugged me.

And then when I got home I worked.

Dreaming is free. If you can't dream it, it will never happen.

Where do your clothing dreams take you lately? 

"Ah, Jacques, do tell those autograph hounds to keep their distance. I'm not who they think I am. And lock the door on your way out...."

Details

• coat, inside out, several sizes too big, pockets removed with button added, old
• boots, retail, very forgiving of a persnickety toe
• oversized hat, thrifted
• scarf stuffed into hat, thrifted
• Chanel sunglasses darling, hand-me-over (not to be confused with "hand it over!!")
• camera, for sudden street style photography, but I can't find subjects these dark days

I tried to post this earlier but Blogger wouldn't let me put up my photo. I had to do a workaround.  

*When I say today I'm referring to last week. I have a different post for Patti's Visible Monday...

Call me Mr. Talbot

I have finally worn these pants again. They are lightweight but I reason that the extreme gathering pushes these babies into honorary wool. They are Talbots, which is a store I like but never shop at; these I picked up for a couple of bucks at a thrift store. Only about four sizes too big, I sewed two giant darts at the front, hike the pants above my waist, and belt the whole mess. Voila. Miraculously the pockets are still accessible. I'm never one to let size stand in the way of a great feeling.

Details of the outfit:

• Talbots pants, perhaps in rayon, I didn't check, thrifted, gathered like mad
• needlepoint-like vest (there's a proper word, brocade but not shiny), a hand-me-over. This vest was much too big as well so I took in the seams drastically on the sides and top of the shoulders. It's stiff feeling but satisfying
• Zara tuxedo shirt with those weeny horizontal pleats on the top, thrifted (again, there must be a proper word - please teach me if you know!)
• shoes, thrifted. OH MY, I LOVE THESE SHOES. They are an interesting vinyl and they sparkle like sequins but it's just the stamping they did in the texture that makes them reflect light. The heel is covered in off white leather. They feel very, very '30s. 
• wool/cashmere coat, thrifted

Oh mum, look, I'm a man! It's like Coco Chanel had a wicked hangover and pulled on her friend's hideous vest instead of her pearls - at least I was thinking Coco at the time because I love the manly styles she threw together early on. 

And one goofy pose to show that I'm behind all these serious faces.

I am happy to put this outfit on Patti's Visible Monday. It's like a little tea party where everyone can get together and be fabulous. Thank you, Patti!

Invincible Monday!

Well, it's time for Patti's Visible Monday, but today I was feeling pretty invincible. I decided to try to overcome my fear of white coats. I've had this thrifted Armani Exchange white coat for quite a while and it was in my studio ready for a custom paint job when I decided to give it one last shot in its pristine condition and... I'm surprised I liked it! You know how some days you get a positive energy bubble around you that rubs off on everyone you meet? This was one of those days during my inspiration and style-scout walk.

I wasn't sure whether to go with black tights and black shoes or mustard tights and red shoes - I chose the black and black to ground myself and get framing with my hat and gloves, plus it makes the look a bit warmer on this chilly day, especially when I'm already chilling it with a white coat. The Chanel sunglasses were a gift, used.

Details of the outfit:

• thrifted Armani Exchange coat, $20 or so, Value Village
• knit scarf from Sears I think
• blue stretch dress from Metallicus, and lots of T-shirts under it from Metallicus (layering at 5 degrees C)
• vintage shiny black shoes with short deadly heels

That's it. I look forward to checking out all your Visible Monday looks too. Thanks, Patti, for this forum, at Not Dead Yet Style.