Time-travel wear, party wear, nail art, and film debut

Flash Gordonia. Aaa-ah. Caped crusader!

Oh my goodness - I'm in the time-warp tunnel, fleet-footed in my awesome velvety-soft, blue, studded-heel platform sandals made for this exact purpose: "For fleet-footed running in time-warp tunnels," it's right there on the box. 

These are the same shoes I wore to the Nordstrom launch party for their True Nord ad campaign, which I blogged about in my previous post, here. That was more an out-of-body travel experience to Cloud 9 than a time warp. Make sure you also check out Shelley's writeup of the event on Forest City Fashionista, here.

As you can see, these sandals are the perfect all-round transportation device for any determined foot passenger. I highly recommend them as a neutral wardrobe staple that can be worn with all outfits with confidence and joie de vivre (French for "exuberant enjoyment of life").

Below is a flat lay of the full outfit I wore to the launch, except I forgot to include my Ribkoff clutch bag. Drats! 

Note the groovy sunglasses, eh? Nordstrom's personal stylist Farah picked them out for me. We had a blast putting together this outfit. Plus, red is very suitable for a Canada-themed ad campaign because our flag is red and white, although this dress is slightly orangy red. Actually, paisley, florals, beige, and plaids are also very patriotic because we get to wear whatever we damned well like. Heh.

What I particularly love about this dress are the long bell sleeves, the maxi length, and the rufflies along the cuffs and hemline. Again, see previous post, here. I had neon orange nail polish professionally applied to finish the look, but I didn't get a photo.

The clutch is partially visible in the next shot. It's got a pearly iridescent shine and zipper trim detailing.

Photo by Shelley, Forest City Fashionista. It's the only one with shades.

All of these pieces are available in Nordstrom's online shop: Simon Miller dress, earrings (on sale), sunglasses, clutch. This post is not sponsored and I don't get paid a penny if you click or buy anything (insert Lucille Ball-type Waaaa!!! here). I'm just sayin'. But I did receive the outfit as a gift for the party.

I customized the shoes by painting the studs on the heels with nail polish. The shoe design is a riff on a vintage sandal style, but through my rose-tinted sunglasses, they are badass Elton John.

The rib-knit fabric of the dress lends itself to high and low styling. Below is a more casual combo. I could also wear an oversized pullover and/or pants with it, although not the matching pants as shown in the online shop, too matchy for me.

Vivid reds always blow out on my camera. Vexing. Anyone know how to deal with that?

And below. I was sitting at my desk one night when O presented me two almost-invisible filaments with tiny, tiny red balls on the end that glistened like fish eggs. 

Hahaha. I insisted that we take photos for here and my Instagram. These antennae bend like willows in a breeze. And while they were really stuck on there, one would need to rely on one's maid to carry one's shoes about and do all the housework. I'm going to wear these everyday now! Although I'll have to rehire myself in preparation for the extra workload.

In the next shot I feel like a Vespa-riding secret agent in Moscow or London during the 1960s. Don't we all feel like that from time to time? The antennae activate my high-tech GPS tracking device (it's only the '60s, remember). I must accomplish my mission - if I could remember what it is. My memory seems not to have returned from Cloud 9.

You can see more of O's art on his website, and he sells magic loupes and rings in his Etsy store, OSK Micro-art Studio. He constantly amazes me with his imagination.

And one more thing:

KEEP IT IN THE STREETS documentary update

You might recall that I was in a feature-length documentary called Keep It in the Streets by Everett Bumstead and Sam Koopman, which I blogged about HERE. It's a skater/arthouse/street photography/Humans of New York (Vancouver) film and plans were to premiere it on the film fest circuit.

Well, in the following video, Sam and Ev share a startlingly heartfelt evaluation of where the film is at and their direction in filmmaking. "Make yourself feel awkward every day," Ev says, and, "I feel like an idiot all the time." These are men after my own heart.

They may be feeling down but they're definitely not out! You can subscribe to them on their YouTube channel and IG. There will be a premiere of Keep It on the Streets on the big screen, perhaps soon, and when that day comes, I hope all of you will join me, Sam, Ev and the other cast and crew to celebrate. Moving, timeless works about the human condition never go out of style.

There may even be collaborations with Ev and Sam in the near future as well. Stay tuned!

That's all for now. I'll link up with Patti at her Visible Monday, Not Dead Yet Style, and Catherine at her #iwillwearwhatilike, Not Dressed as Lamb.

THANK YOU for all your cheering on my big adventure. Hahaha!! You guys are THE BEST!!! We can move mountains together - although bulldozers are fun too. And those super-mega-earth moving machines too. And tunnel-boring machines.

Tell me your secret mission.

Avenging rock star

Same 'ole, same 'ole. My mod Emma Peel Avenger jumpsuit, in red wool, vintage, by Gordi of Montreal, featuring a groovalicious hip-slung belt and rear zip. I had to resew the seams, which can only be expected from a garment designed for action and intrigue, such as exploring high-tech volcano hide-outs used by bad guys and partying in Monte Carlo to schmooze intel from other secret agents. Sigh.

With it, I'm wearing my License to Wear (on account of that deadly collar) maxi vintage cape of Welsh wool, my diamond-encrusted meteorite pendant, and my brown leather ankle boots. AND rings that O made me, also available in his Etsy store HERE.

I've worn all of these things before on Bag'n'B. Nothing new to look at here, folks. Just move it along. (I posted the cape HERE and on IG HERE, I think there was somewhere else too but I can't find it; my labels are too stellar.) 

(Make sure you click Read More below to get the full story.)

From the boudoir to faux France

From the boudoir to the garden with huge honkin' plants. The leaves seem to embrace me, clearly unable to resist my vintage neon hot-pink robe by "Rhapsody of California made by Glazier," a phrase which must be said aloud with a haughty drawl each time I don this luxurious furry confection. I also memorably worn my Rhapsody when Shelley came to town in May 2016, post is here. 

"I am One with the Big Leaves" Photo by @vancouverbarbara

Now and with Shelley I was surrounded by big green vegetation wearing the Rhapsody. Are there strange forces at work with this robe - beyond its general fabulousness - that I don't know about?! Could this robe be opening some warped telepathic channel to our Jurassic herbal past!? Now I'm afraid to say the label name backwards. Who knows what would happen?

Shelley (Forest City Fashionista) and I goof around while feeling fabulous

The blouse is a chartreuse-y colour, very silky, with huge gathered sleeves, of course not visible here because they were smooshed in my robe. And I wore this awesome stretch floral maxi skirt and super-soft stretch leather booties, both from My Sister's Closet at one time or another.

But oh no! Do you see it? The huge honkin' camel nose? What are the odds? Giant leaves. Giant camel nose. And camel without the "ca" spells mel. Gaaaa!

Not only that, the nose's brand is - dah-dah-dummm - "totem." Is my spirit animal a camel nose? A Jurassic camel nose? Whoa, things are getting out of hand here.

In its undercover life, this is a mere courier bag. The long body strap is an upcycled seat belt, and the short handle on the flap is also seat-belt strapping. My laptop fits perfectly in there. Clever, right? Nothing suspicious there.

Of course I wore my magic loupe, which O made me. I never leave home without it. If you want to get louped like me, use the link in my sidebar to go to his Etsy store, OSK Micro-art Studio. His cool rings are there too.

You may now be asking yourselves, who let Mel into the peyote? Don't worry, I sobered up real quick when I...

...put on a little faux-French, which also required flattening my hair. This dress might be considered dour, drab, matronly or simply gross if it weren't for its extreme boxiness, which elevates it to the level of haute couture faux-French. Boxiness is a sure sign of $$$.

The dress came from My Sister's Closet. The bottom skirt half, with a single knife pleat on one side, a pocket on the other, and five gold buttons, is picky wool, and the top half is another kind of wool, yes, also itchy, but that's part of the iron discipline one may require to wear haute faux-French, n'est-ce pas?

I think this dress was made from two vintage pieces sewn together. There are no labels or notions, except for the buttons, to research. I bought another very similar dress a few months before this one. The top half looks hand-knit, black wool, and the bottom half is dove-grey Crimplene. Dreamy. But I think I'll upcycle it into a coat. I'll show you later.

I carried my toolbox hand bag, swiped from O after he removed the height gauge, opaque black tights, narrow men's pointy shoes in taupe/brown - they are much pointier than the picture above suggests. And I took my teacup carrier made from a wooden matryoshka. The sunglasses are Lagerfeld, darling, a gift.

That's all for this week. Not much to say. I am preoccupied. I'll tell you about what after Thursday, which is when I'll put up my next post.

I'm going to link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb, #iwillwearwhatilike.

See youse guys later!! Get back to work!! Heh.

High-low hair, clothes to greet autumn, and big thanks

Excellent - time for another blog post, the best procrastination around! Especially when I fiddle faddle with my photos. Like this:

Autumn is officially here in this hemisphere. And I know that elsewhere, you're breathing a huge sigh of relief now that you've hit summer weather. 

I'm particularly happy to see this autumn, having not been blown up by men with big toys. Aren't you? (Oops, did I just write that?)

If you've been wanting to wear something outrageous and been too afraid, now is the time to put it on and fill yourself and the world with positive energy.

Below, a close-up. Except for this fabulous hand-made scarf by Sevya, which Sherry of Petite Over 40 gave me, these are all things you've seen before, worn in a different combination.

The coat laces up the back corset-style and dips low. Plum, purple, eggplant, aubergine. What's not to love? And that's an old striped dress/tunic and my Rip Curl pants from My Sister's Closet, where I find so many of my treasures. Finally, my magic loupe by O.

Really, the whole thing is so over-the-top that your eye starts to see it as neutral, don't you think? I definitely walk with mega-'tude when I wear this. And I swung around my toolbox hand bag from O, not shown here, like I was somewhere far more glamourous than on my way to the supermarket in search of frozen corn.

For example, in this outfit I imagine hunching over a huge glass desk in the loft of my converted monastery, writing psychedelic poetry or a pop opera called, say, Menopausoff, with a quill pen, with a purring black cat on my lap, my manuscript illuminated by a battery- or solar-powered candle. Modern concessions. Lots of treats are on hand as well, for me and kitty.

And a HAIR TRICK.

The photo below was taken by the very talented Vancouver Barbara when we went to the Rennie Collection in Chinatown for a tour of Bob Rennie's works by Ian Wallace, a renowned local photo/conceptual artist, a genre Vancouver is famous for. It's exactly the kind of intellectual art that constipated me for several decades after I studied it.

There was a faded candid Polaroid of the artist sleeping called Artist at Work. "Genius," everyone enthuses. "$$$!" the artist enthuses. Hahaha. Of course, it's the historical context of its invention that makes his work endure, as is the case with much art. [Edit: And the artist's continuing development of and passion for the work.]

And, yeah, good on him for making a self-admitted throwaway a collectors' item. How can I do that? Anyone interested in my old sweatsocks? If I call it art, will it be so? 

Uh-oh, I need my journal for some Kitty/Turnip Head sketching to cleanse myself of such thoughts. But I enjoyed revisiting my past and debriefing at The Sylvia with Barbara after the tour.

[Edit: I attended a talk by Ian Wallace at the gallery on Oct 4 and I'm so glad I did. It was wonderful seeing the passion he has for his work. Beauty in all its forms was a phrase that kept coming to mind.]

Note the short hair? Haircut by O. He's so good at it! 

Barbara's direction to me at the gallery was, go sit on the those stairs and look sad. I did, and a couple more looked really, really sad, yes, tragic even. And we of course burst out laughing between shots, oh so unladylike!

And what's that on my legs? Beige?!! I was readying my black tux pants when suddenly I thought, gaaa, too much black, and grabbed these: Missoni, perfect fit, knit, with cuffs, also from My Sister's Closet. They were perfect with this brown Pierre Cardin tie, Windsor-knotted, and my velvet blazer.

My first run-in with these pants was HERE, a post called "Clothes the Colour of Porridge."

My hair looks really short up there, right? But below is that same short cut styled into peaks. Who would have guessed? O cut it so I could wear it both pixie and foppish. I love being able to play with these divergent looks.

In other news - 

Sherry interviewed O by email and wrote an amazing post on his art and magic loupe, HERE. Her writing is truly professional and expresses his views so well. Her generous support of his art is amazing. And she's got fantastic style. I LOVE that red lipstick!

And another huge hug is in order for Sylvia of 40+ Style, who put up an Instagram post on the stainless steel/synthetic ruby ring she bought from O.  Thank you so much for including it in a movie clip on your Instagram, below.

If you want a loupe or ring like these, head over to O's Etsy shop, OSK Micro-art Studio.

OOTD featuring a new ring by @bagandaberet's husband. Be sure to check their Etsy store for details. Also featuring @antelopeshoes @stellacarakasi @cosstores . Link to pants is at 40plusstyle.com/wiw. Also don't forget free style challenge starts tomorrow. Click link in profile for details. #womenover50 #womenover40 #styleinspiration #40plusstyle #style

A post shared by Sylvia van de logt (@40plusstyle) on Sep 20, 2017 at 9:42am PDT

I'll link up with Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style (with her cast off!), and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb. I'll bring the drinks. Patti will sing.

And that's it for another week. Stay clean. Stay fed and watered. Stay happily clothed whenever possible. And most of all, stay positive. I'm doing my best here.

Masculine-feminine style, wearing cartoons, and life as a stylist

What do you wear when you want to wear something masculine/feminine, high brow/low brow? You wear this. 

The main ingredients are my thrifted vintage Emporio Armani jacket, thrifted men's Diesel T-shirt (size Impossible with super-long sleeves), women's Bardot jeans from a sample sale, and men's thrifted narrow shoes.

The jacket, T, and shoes are all from My Sister's Closet (MSC), a social enterprise that funds Vancouver's Battered Women's Support Services. If you've got any good-condition cast-offs lying around, this is a good place to take them. And then go for a shop! (unpaid endorsement)

Of course, the most essential ingredients of this ensemble are my magic loupe and ring, which O made me. You can get them now too from his Etsy store, HERE. And naturally, I've thrown in my gold glitter ankle socks and favourite lipstick. I even wore my glasses because A) I love them, and B) the cool clip-ons make them so baaaad (say it like a sheep, should be shoop, heck, just say it like a goat).

But to add to the feminine side I did this, below.

I wore O's little leather pouch - I think it's designed for carrying gems!? Anyway, I swiped it. Hahaha. And I tied the strap around my neck with this feminine blue ribbon to secure it to my body. Without it, the pouch slides off, and wearing the pouch inside the jacket adds wretched bulk. Unacceptable! Plus, I adore this soft, colourful touch.

You can see all the magic elements there. And below, the whole damned thing. I walked down the sidewalk like an outlaw in a Western, ready to draw. Yes, I mean it - I had paper and my special pen with me, which also added a soft touch.

Carrying on with this dissection theme, we have my J.Lo workout jumpsuit in black velour. As if I'm going to work out ... Hahaha. I posted it on Instagram before, when it was oh-so-lonely, just plain 'ole black velour. But as you can see, the mystical melanization process has brought it to life, much like how Dr. Frankenstein reanimated bodies, except this cartoon doesn't have someone else's criminal brain, I'm pretty sure.

Yep, now it's a fun velvet painting. Keep on truckin'. It still may not make me want to work out, but it makes me want to have a good time, which is why I went to the alley. (No, you perves, I don't mean that kind of good time. Get your mind out of the gutter - unless that's where you do your best creative work too.)

See? This new, improved jumpsuit made me jump! Just a little. Just for a few ten-shot photo bursts. But I did some videoing in this outfit with my fabulous dotted cart, with lots of running and Flintstones twinkle-toeing, like here, well, as much as I could in platform runners. The men unloading the beer truck blocking the alley probably thought the lab switched the brains.

The extra bits below. Humongous sunglasses, an absolute must, and my platform runners, which I bought in a moment of weakness (or strength of will?) super-duper sale retail. I loove these shoes. They scuff easily though. And of course, my magic ring is there and my magic loupe.

See? With these little style vignettes, this is just like a REAL style blog now. Pffft. Kiss my cartoon!


And next, who do we have here? Why, this is Vivian! She was my personal styling/closet-rooting-around client. I had to share photos of her; we had such a good time. First, we went through her closet, and after, we went on a field trip to the store. It was a two-day thing.

Below, the Before photo from shopping. It's hard to believe we could "up" this starting point, but we certainly zigged and zagged and got her lots of new, fun, and lasting pieces for her wardrobe.

You know how there is that popular style guide called Dressing Your Truth? Well, my version is more Dressing Your Dare. Vivian showed how it's done. Shoes! Scarves! Dresses! Coats! Bring it on!!

Nah, she didn't buy the stole, we're waiting for the Bigger Sale. Hahaha! But she was game. And check out that lime green and burgundy wine designer dress behind her. Yes! No. She didn't get that either. The super-long pointy collar was impale-worthy. But it was a time of exploration, functional play I call it, taking stock and restocking. There are more photos of Vivian on her Instagram, HERE.

I got permission from Vivian to post these photos, so don't go sweating all over yourself if you've gone all gaspy. Seriously, we had lots of fun and got lots done.

If you're in the Vancouver area and feel ready for a little Frankening of your own, contact me through the email on this blog or via my Instagram. I haven't done it by video yet, but probably we could work something out. Maybe.

That's all for this week, my little shoops, meese. (Goose, geese, right? That's how it's supposed to work.) Not that I think any of you are mutton! Or mooses! No! Okay, clearly, it's time to sign off for this week. Heh.

_____________________________________________________________________

I'll link up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday. Yeah - refill the punch bowl, I'm bringing my Super Big Gulp cup!* And I'll link up to Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb, #iwillwearwhatilike.

Have a good one, everyone. You figure out what that "one" is. Have a good multiple. !!! Okay, it's really time to go.

Thanks for visiting. My appreciation is unbounded. Too bad I ran out of cheese nippy hors d'oeuvres to feed you.

*Super Big Gulp is the SUPER HUUUGE drink size you can buy at 7-Eleven convenience store, 1.3 L/44 US oz. Who? Who buys this size? There's even an X-treme Gulp - 1.56 L. 

I can't hear me. The Big Interview.

I painted my eyebrows white, well, very light blue, before I went out in the morning, and in this photo, taken when I got home, you can't even tell. So what happened to my makeup? Was it sucked into my body?! 

It's a pancake type from MAC, which means it's not tested on animals, a plus, unless you count myself. At least it washes off very easily, the part that your body hasn't lapped up already. 

My Big Interview was recorded a while ago for a podcast that went live a few days ago. The show is MaturePreneurial, hosted by Elaine Benoit. If you ask how it went, I would say it was kind of like snapdragons growing out of rocks, like these, which I photographed recently. I felt nervous but I pushed through it - I won't go so far as to say I bloomed madly, but I conquered another fear, and that's worth celebrating.

I arrived at the sound recording booth early, having decided to use the pro studios at Vancouver Public Library's Innovation Lab. A Skype interview. The facilities are free with a library card - computer, mic, mixer. The tech promised to set me up, but when I couldn't hear my own voice through the headphones, only the interviewer's, the tech said, "It's supposed to be like that." ?! NOT.

As a result, I was not only nervous but also flustered from the outset and didn't have a chance to review my notes. But I survived. Maybe it was better not to hear what I was saying. Heh. At least I could hear Elaine.

When the interview was over, I noticed something weird. My pant legs had been hiked as high as they would go, and when you're wearing palazzo pants, which I was, that's pretty high. Yes, I had subconsciously been raising my pant legs throughout the interview, a nervous tick I suppose. Hahaha! Thank goodness I wasn't wearing a dress! - there was a tinted window in the booth where anyone could look in.

So if you want to know more about me, have a listen HERE. Elaine has interviewed lots of interesting people, including Lyn Slater, who gave a detailed account of how her social media presence was born. The mysterious rising pants are in the bio photo there. A big thank you to Elaine for having me on her show!

That's a Desigual T-shirt that Shelley of blog Forest City Fashionista gave me, with "RAINBOW" splashed across the front in sequins, and butterflies, so I farked it. Shelley suspected I would. Nobody tells me happy words and gits away with it! Heh.

I added the phrase "Existential Angst" to balance things out a bit and wore it the first time with my tuxedo pants and a jacket I got from Sylvia of blog 40 Plus Style during the clothing swap at the big blogger meetup a couple of years ago. This outfit made me think of Tom Waits. And I'm wearing a couple of rings that O made me, also available in his Etsy store here.

And I'm wearing BROWN. Whaaa?! It was nippy and this dress is a stretchy wool blend. If I hadn't had the striped tights, I wouldn't have put it on. And I'm wearing my watch choker. It's easy to tell time because it's broken and time stands still. Of course you see my magic loupe too, also available in O's shop here, a handmade piece. He even shaves the lens to a custom size.

I don't know what I'm doing in that pose down there.

And one more outfit for the road. My huuuuge pants that will definitely fall down without my unisuspender or that chain belt I'm wearing. They are so cottony soft, double ply, by the Vancouver label Babs. And on top is my silk Donna Karan pyjama shirt. 

On my feet are my Velveteen Rabbit D&G shoes.

Ahhhh, summer is here. I like it. Not too hot, not too cold. For now. 

That's all for this week. I had a whole post written and scrapped it at the last minute. I took time to write it too. That often happens when I think too much. Sigh. 

In my last post I wrote how I just got a cart. Pffft. I keep forgetting to take it out, or don't take it out on purpose thinking, oh, I'm not going to buy anything this morning, and then what?! All-natural peanut butter, $3 off per jar?!! Heh. Must. take. cart. And fan.

I'll link up to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb.

I hope youse guys are in your groove, making the most of each day. As always, thanks for dropping by!!

Maxi skirts, meetups, movies, and dressing like a bouquet

Vintage bias-cut maxi skirt from the $5 rack. Ack!!! What luck. From My Sister's Closet (MSC), don't you know. I got a whack-ton of '70s treasures in a two-day spree there. Again, eagle eyes and persistence, my friends. 

"But I'd rather look ridiculous when everybody else does than plain and sensible all by myself," persisted Anne mournfully," speaking about her love of puffed sleeves on dresses, from Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. 

I have that puffed-sleeve love for this top, silk, hand-painted, by a Nordic company, I don't remember which one because I cut out the label when I decided to wear it backwards (I like to see the faces on the front) and then hid it in a safe place. 

The big earrings are from MSC too.

Below is a skirt that Suzanne of SuzanneCarillo.com gave me when she came to town recently. I wore it for the first time to an afternoon's 2017 Resort Wear Trunk Show by designer Rabia Dastgir. The event sounds rather lah-ti-dah but I met a great bunch of people there. I did a brief post about it on my culture/style blog HERE.

The skirt says, "THIS KIND OF MEMORABILIA, IT IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION." Haha, yes! I tell you, Suzanne is the wicked wizard of bod. Although I would have admired this skirt for its design and colour, I would not have picked it out for myself - far too fitted. Thankfully, Suzanne is not so short-sighted. She always picks out winning pieces for everyone when we shop together. 

Bare legs? Body con? Suzanne said, yes, please.

I love the simplicity of this piece with its elastic waist (more food for me!). And I love vintage typewriters with their satisfying Ding WHAM refrain at the end of each line, not to mention the hard clacking of keys, sigh. It makes me think of snappy dialogue between Rosalind Russel and Cary Grant in that screwball comedy His Girl Friday. Another sigh.

There's also a 2012 French film called Populaire set in 1959 about a woman who reluctantly enters speed typing contests. I thought it was charming, with just enough style gluttony to fuel my popcorn hypno-feast. Beware. It was on Netflix.

I bought those beautiful red sandals at Talize thrift store in Delta during our meetup too. I walked all the way across town in them for the trunk show - so glad I took my runners to wear home. 

I have to say, if you're in the Toronto area and need a wardrobe pick-me-up, you MUST contact Suzanne. No kidding. I'm just throwing this out there without consulting her, heh. She sees things you wouldn't even consider but look great. Or check some of her amazing vintage finds in her Etsy shop, HERE.

And next, for your entertainment -

A real movie! Sherry of Petite Over 40 made it from footage we shot during the meetup with me, Suzanne, and Sue of A Colourful Canvas. (I posted on it HERE.) It cracks me up every time I watch. Sincerely, Sherry has a talent for this stuff. She used to work in media so this marks a return to video after a long hiatus. So glad she's baaaack!! 

And that's not all. There's a video clip of Suzanne riding Vancouver's SkyTrain public transit in novel and exciting ways HERE. Hahaha! This is what happens when you give Suzanne a dare. Nobody even batted an eye! 

Another Blogger Meetup
No, it didn't take place in a pool but I just thought I'd put myself there using a stairwell photo I took in the outfit I wore to the meetup.

With the cold and rain, a frigging cornucopia of flowers was required. Thank goodness I had this vintage rear-zip jumpsuit for such an emergency. Also, when meeting one's fellow bloggers it's always a nice gesture to dress as a bouquet. I'm wearing my vintage angel-wing top underneath. O had just cut my hair so it's extra-special sticky-uppy too.

So whom did I meet? Lisa (Amid Privilege) and Susan (une femme d'un certain âge), who had flown into town to spend time with their friend of many years, Frances (materfamilias writes). I was happy that this trio set aside time to include one more. Left to right in the photo below: Lisa, Susan, and me. Frances had left by the time we took this shot.

We convened at Thierry café, which often wins Best Dessert and Best Pastry in popular Vancouver eatery surveys. And it is also a fancy chocolatier. What better place for a blogger meetup? 

I'd met Frances before for a sketching outing but this was my first time meeting Susan and Lisa. What a bunch of strong, smart, stylish, and supportive women. We had an intense and satisfying discussion on the issue of invisibility and aging, as well as techniques I can use to take over the world. Hahaha! I was moved by their generosity of heart, thought, and laughter. 

After "coffee," I showed Susan and Lisa around a few stores, including Holt Renfrew, which they had asked about. As a staple in my eye-candy diet, I know that place inside-out. And then I took them to Italian Kitchen restaurant before we parted ways. It was a brief meetup but worth it. I hope we can meet again! Susan's writeup is here and Frances' is here. [Edit: Lisa also put up a related post here.]

And now, what I wore just for nuthin'

This next outfit I call Fake French De Niro Style or How to Look Tough in Ballet Flats. "You lookin' at me!?" 

Skulls, chic high-waisted fit and flare skirt, sparkly clutch from MSC, ballet flats, Lagerfeld sunnies, fun fabric flower clip/pin hand-made by Suzanne as a goodie bag gift at the blogger meetup two summers ago, and my magic loupe. (Thanks to all of you who bought a loupe! O has had to restock.)

The skirt was originally a dress for a woman with a Barbie doll figure. I would have had to remove a couple of ribs and had massive implants to make it fit. So I hacked off the top part and farked it into a bolero jacket; the rest became this high-waisted skirt. Below you can see the subtle patterning on the fabric. I bought the dress at a movie lot sale of costumes.

Poking my bag to make sure it's not moving. Always a good idea.

This next red outfit is called Failed Highland Dancer or Weak Scottish Gladiator. The dress was oh-so-flat-falling on the front so I added some thrifted suspenders from MSC to create interesting draping and a wonky hemline. The back is also clipped up in one place. Those are my white Reebok sweat socks with my sandals. They save me putting four band-aids on my ankles - these sandals bite.

That's the tartan jacket I farked from dumpy to punky, HERE. It's one of my favourite farked pieces. I can't believe it's mid-June and I still wear wool jackets!

If you've made it this far you deserve cake! And ice cream!! I missed posting last week and the backup just came tumbling out this time. 

I'll find something here to link up with Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb. 

Now I'm tired. Heh. What's up with you? Share it in your comments. Thanks so much for visiting!!