Tidy Kim Novak hair and a blogger meetup

My brain is finally coughing up that big social hairball built up during a whirlwind of activity these past couple of weeks, hence, my tardiness in posting.

And then, several days ago, another media opportunity came up (tba) so I decided I needed a bunch of new photos of springish looks taken in natural light. But there was a tight deadline. So in driving, freezing-cold rain, I trudged downtown in my shaggy muppet coat, lugging a heavy bag and fighting a weaselly umbrella. The afternoon was kind of like that game Whack-a-Mole as I scurried, frazzled, from one dry spot to another. I had fun in a push-my-limits way.

What I wore to the Press Preview

On March 8, I attended a Press Preview reception for Eco Fashion Week, Mar 31 - Apr 2, where I practised Extreme Hobnobbing. Armed with my bonafide business cards, as seen here, I was no longer a fish out of water like last year; I was more like a mud-skipper or other walking fish that fins its way across the mud, awkward, disheveled, and flapping about with bug eyes. Some kinds are alien invasive species. Yup.

Next is my friend Colleen at the Preview. She keeps me apprised of all the fashion events in the city and runs a great blog, Clothes Line Finds, with her daughter Anthea from Toronto. I take notes on her mingling expertise. What a fantastic outfit! Don't miss the glimpse of shoe.

I'm happy to say that I did not plant myself at the buffet table this time, aided instead by the centrepiece bowls of tasty designer potato chips on each bar table in the room. I'll soon write up EFW on my street style blog. But enough of that.

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The BEST thing that happened lately was a blogger meetup. Hurray!! 

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Look at those happy mugs, would ya? Sue, A Colourful Canvas, Suzanne Carillo, and moi (those choppers!). Suzanne came to town and we got two days of her all to ourselves. This photo was taken at Earls (where we ate at the big meetup a couple of summers ago). Suzanne instructed our handsome, young server to keep away our fans, and despite his professional demeanor, he told us he was a wreck inside with the thrill of meeting us. He got a good tip.

We shopped and talked and shopped and talked and ate and ate and ate, like what happens at all blogger meetups, except we didn't have goat yoga, which Sherry offered at her meetup in Phoenix. Just as well - there was merciless schlain (slushy rain) the whole time.

We all tried on these marvellous leather gold booties. Can you believe how fabulous they are? - I'm of course referring to the women, Suzanne in her vintage and Sue in her self-sewn dotted coat with buttons she also made.

On the first day of our meetup we converged at Talize Thrift store in Delta where we shopped until I dropped - you'll have to see the video, coming soon, to know I mean it. We didn't even get kicked out of the store for our boisterous behaviour. In fact, they gave us a discount. Woo hoo! Talize staff treated us like stars, having seen our previous videos, here and here. They were super friendly and accommodating.

I'll let you decide on your own whether Sue and Suzanne bought these outfits. It's kind of a no-brainer. I got a great haul too but my stuff is still bagged awaiting processing.

During our two days' together we also hit Used House of Vintage store, where Sue also shot some great iPhone footage of me and Suzanne goofing off, and the Hermes boutique, where we didn't goof off, a stationary store, Holt Renfrew, and The Room at The Bay for getting ideas - and keeping warm and dry. And we dined at Cactus Club. I swear, meeting blog friends is the best thing!

Edit: ALERT ALERT!!

SUZANNE put up her post on the meetup HERE. It's PERFECT. 

And it includes video from the vintage shop & Talize. You MUST SEE IT. Hahaha!!

Shameless, shameless

Suzanne flashes a bit of leg in the star dressing room at Used House of Vintage, the most glamourous vintage change room in town.

Edit: I put a new photo of Sue and Suzanne on my street style blog, here.

And below, my entire Press Preview outfit. I love it, especially with my tidy Kim Novak hairdo, all slicked back like that, my black eyeshadow, and Poe lipstick. I used my uni-suspender to hoist the waist of my fisherman pants and a kimono-fabric shoelace around my neck to secure my wallet holster. The day of this function was also terribly windy, cold, and wet, no surprise there, but my hair didn't budge. Hahaha.

All this rambling is what happens when I miss posting for a while. As I said, social hairballs - processing everything that's been going on takes time.

I'll link something up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, her Visible Monday party. I'm exhausted! I'll be the one snoozing on the lawn. And next weekend is another big meetup, which, by the way, I'm looking forward to.

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I just found out that the Marie Claire Brazil magazine article I was in is also online. 

You can see it HERE. 

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Please tell me I've covered everything now. Please. Heh. 

Oh yeah, I have also been obsessing over a series on Netflix called Velvet, about a couture ladies' department store (Velvet) in Madrid, Spain, in the late '50s, and the lives and forbidden love between one of the store's heirs and a seamstress/designer who boards in the store. Don't watch it! There are 54 episodes and each one is over an hour long. The fashion, the music, the language... Sigh.

Vintage wool dress for mystery

Today I wore one of my favourite odd dresses, a heavy wool garment with little gold studlettes, graduated in size, on the sleeves and front pocket, and a flared skirt. The dress was three or four sizes too big when I thrifted it, so in standard slacker fashion I simply sewed up the side seams to fit and lowered the shoulder seams at the top. Although this is a frequent go-to item for evening music recitals, I also enjoy it for daytime wear as well. There is a mysterious air about this garment which brings to mind the classic holiday-season movie Bell, Book and Candle in which Kim Novak, a witch, falls for a mortal, James Stewart.

Walking down the sidewalk I felt so deliciously witchy in the rain shadows that I was sure that if I turned around quickly, boo!, I would catch a dozen black cats (named Pyewacket) frozen in stride, amber eyes blazing. I always liked Kim Novak far better as a witch than as a mortal. I wonder if the street lights flared and burned out in a trail behind me.

Details of this ensemble:

• vintage dress, thrifted
• black tights, retail
• medium-heeled shoes (aka frump shoes), retail
• magic loupe, O made it for me
• magic pendant, O made it for me
• fingerless gloves, upcycled from Canadian Tire automotive store
• beret, thrifted
• seafoam cotton skirt underneath as a petticoat, thrifted

Below is a closeup of the dress fabric with the studs, and this is the tool-box bag I carried today, which came with a tool O ordered. Isn't it divine? I shall customize it at some point but I was content with the plain exterior today.

Happy Visible Monday! This week I'm able to make it over to Patti's place at Not Dead Yet Style. I missed you all last week... Time to catch up. Do your clothes put you in a mood or does your mood put you in your clothes?

Also, regarding my last post for Vogoff magazine, I greatly dislike ageism, and yet I defined this faux magazine's audience as women +40. Big mistake! I know so many wonderful bloggers who are under 40 and the world would not be complete without you. So if any of you want to contribute to Vogoff, I heartily welcome your suggestions.

PS

AND - I am very excited and flattered to be featured in an interview (here) posted by 

Sylvia on her amazing blog, 40+ Style (TM). 

The piece is called: 

"How to be more creative with your outfits: Style lessons from Melanie." 

Thank you! 

Sylvia is the kind of woman who could put on a scratchy potato sack and make it look cool and breezy in Singapore heat. If you haven't see Sylvia's style yet, do go have a look!