Where have your clothes taken you?

I can't believe it - I'm in Europe! Or is it Asia? I can't even remember. Everything is such a whirlwind.

Texas?!

No, no, no. It's France, maybe Italy, both of which are in Europe.

Val of @muse.fondue and @constancesnow on Instagram mused that this is an Italian beatnik look, Daddy O, and that I should be riding my scooter backwards behind a ciggie-smoking boyfriend, then taking a dip in Trevi Fountain. I think I should drive the scooter backwards myself. I'd definitely end up in Trevi Fountain.

Others saw hints of Agent 99, @suzannecarillo, and Jean Seberg, @fcfashionista. Sigh. What would I do without my friends?!

And check it out: I'm so good at posing now that I look almost identical in those two previous photos. It's uncanny.

Now, just so you don't get the wrong impression - I'd never go scootering all over Europe (Asia and the US) with just this one outfit. And my life is not all fun. As you'll see in the next snapshots, there were games involved as well. Who needs yoga!?

Healthy Body - Healthy Mind

I'm not sure if I'm playing rugby or soccer.  Does it matter? The point is to chase a ball, kick, tackle, and run for your life. And throw in some happy dances when you do good, preferably facing the camera. It's almost like social media.

I like the huddles most though (maybe that's in football, details) because while we're all bent over in that loving circle of friendship, I whip out my porta tea set and lace tablecloth for a hot cuppa on the field - so welcome during this cold weather, isn't it? Sometimes I bring cookies too, or Pop Tarts (TM).

I have to thank the brilliant photographers at unsplash.com for sharing these great background shots. Top to bottom: tao-xanh kim, sapan patel, jeremy bishop, marian trizuliak, and quino al.

And Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me fame has opened two articles based on previous interviews I had with her. They are HERE and HERE.

Finally, there I am for realsie below, in the stairwell dressed in used clothing - but damned fine used clothing. "Secondhand" always sounds better than used, but it is what it is.

This turtleneck and these sailor pants are from Talize Thrift in Delta, BC. Talize has a mind-boggling array of unique clothing appropriate for any style adventure. And shopping thrift is one small way I can help ease the burden on our distressed planet.

I've been wearing my hair down a bit more recently. Why not? And doing winged eyes. There are so many unexplored possibilities.

Happy travels, friends! Words of the week are hope and optimism - yeah! Or maybe you'd like to join my football team, the Mel Destroyers, for a huddle and a cuppa?

When it's time, I'll be linking up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb, #iwillwearwhatilike. A big thanks to Catherine for including me in her post "Celebrating 9 Fabulous Women Who Wear What They Like."

Style rules, and mending vintage leather pants the easy way

Bad ass. Elegant. Bad ass. Elegant. Elegass. Badegant?  Whatever. 

Wearing my vintage leathers - leather pants, leather jacket, leather booties - with denim jacket and tuxedo shirt. And of course my magic loupe that my partner O made me. You can buy one HERE. And a ring he made me too, which you can also buy there, unless he's sold out. Plus I'm carrying my swell, elegant, swellegant clutch. 

The word swellegant reminds me of the movie High Society with Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong (remake of Philadelphia Story) and this song, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," although the word itself is in "Well, Did You Evah" by Sinatra and Crosby. I love watching this movie on a cold rainy day, with hot chocolate and popcorn or tea and chocolate digestive biscuits.

Back to the outfit. These leather pants are snug, and you know the rule about that, don't you?

Rule 573.2 (REV 22.1a): 

One must never wear one's snug leather trousers without one's jacket covering one's posterior in case one's trousers explode when one is downtown.

I know, I know I said I don't believe in style rules, but this case is a definite exception. Thankfully, my trousers did not explode. But I had reason to believe they might.

They are snug, as I said, but there are also little rips in the inner and outer seams at the knees on the left leg, suggesting there may be more seam weaknesses elsewhere. I am quite pleased with my leather repair work: I slapped two-inch long pieces of clear packing tape onto the outside of the pant legs.

When I was downtown I went shopping in all the high-end designer stores - Prada, Gucci, Dior - and I can only hope everyone in the shops was familiar with this rule:

Rule 93.115 (REV 39-81):

When one has wardrobe malfunctions, one must patch one's clothing with what one has at hand whilst heading out the door and then proceed to wear one's repair like one is a super-stellar trendsetter and rock star.

And that's what I did. Perhaps next time I go downtown I'll see more people with packing tape on their pants. Or tape on the clothing on the racks. [Don't forget, I'm Canadian and we believe that duct tape and WD-40 (oil) can fix anything.]

Wearing my leathers it seemed fitting that I would unexpectedly encounter KISS playing in the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza for the Hallowe'en Parade and Expo - well, they were in fact called Alive 'n' Kissin', I think. For a couple of songs I whooped in homage to my sustained youth, heh. There was a gaggle of kids at the foot of the stage who scrambled for candies when the band threw them into the crowd.

I admired the band's outfits, makeup, and stamina. The man on the left lifted his arms once in a while to reveal amazing bat wings! I regret not staying to catch a photo, but it was raining and umbrellas were jostling for space.

Love those boots!!

But my destination was Canada Place down by the waterfront for this:

Hahaha! The first time I saw this sign I was with Sherry of Petite Over 40. I said to her, "Sherry, there I am. Oh my god, THERE I AM! I NEED A PICTURE. I NEED A PICTURE!!" She fumbled in her bag for her phone. Of course I didn't have anything at hand. The ads were scrolling and I knew I'd come around again, so I became more level-headed:

HURRY, SHERRY! HURRY!! 

IT'S GOING TO DISAPPEAR!! QUICK!!!

Sherry scrambled and fumbled frantically in her bag as I waved my arms and jumped around her. I'm pretty sure my hair stood even higher than usual too. No pressure. Hahaha. A tourist walking by said, "Don't worry, it will come back." Sherry and I laughed.

Eventually we both got a picture, but the bright sign was almost whited out in our photos against the dark night sky, and neither of us wanted to stick around to adjust our devices for the next scroll-around.

So today I went down in daylight, rainy-day daylight. Great conditions.

I'm huuuuge, literally. I confess, this was a big rush. I stood there for a while waiting for me to scroll around, my camera pointed up at the building. Of course when you look up at something with a camera, people around you start taking photos of what you're looking at too, along the lines of, if she thinks it's good, I better get a shot too.

And a photo of me on the stairs, jackets off.

Also, Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me has posted articles based on a couple of YouTube interviews I did with her. Thanks, Margaret!

1. FASHION OVER 50 – 5 INSIDER TIPS TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE (MOST PEOPLE TOTALLY MISS #4!)
2. 5 WAYS MAKING VIBRANT FASHION CHOICES AFTER 60 WILL EMPOWER YOU!

They might be fun to check out. If you found my blog through Margaret, thank you, too, for joining me!

AND, a FREAKY FACT:
Your age plus your birth year equals 2018. Every time. This only happens once every 1,000 years.
Think about it. Heh.

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

Whew. Congratulations! You've made it this far. Keep on bein' the stellar creatures you all are. Live! Live! Live! Be strong! I'm so happy you stopped by. Although I'm sorry I ate all the powder sugar doughnuts before you got here, and the chips too. But I still have some Twizzlers left (twisty red licorice ropes).

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends, well, ALL friends for that matter.

Zip me up, zip me down

Ah, the beach! Tidal-line trails of plants, bugs, and plastics, grit in your hair, in your clothes, between your toes, under your fingernails, critters, fallen food that can't be saved by the five-second rule, unless you're partial to a little extra crunch. Yes, the only trouble I have with beaches is sand. Minor detail.

Today I wore my boots to the beach. So practical, seriously. I felt I could stomp safely anywhere I wanted on this wide, empty stretch of sand downtown.

The weather was cool enough that I could wear long sleeves and boots without breaking a sweat.

It's still peak tourism season and this waterfront was deserted. More space for me!

I bought the T-shirt, XXL, and track pants by Triple Five Soul at Talize thrift store on two separate expeditions. Note the cool feature: the pant legs zip open from the hem - air-conditioning on demand.

See? I wasn't kidding about that zipper action. I can unzip them "up" all the way to the waistband.

Below, a photo suggesting motion because I certainly was not exercising in this sporty attire. Get real! Well, except for the jumping shots. I had to go have iced tea after that.

But wait! Below, check out this extra extra bonus feature: the pants also unzip down from just under the waistband to the hem. Double-wide air-con!

These pants are ultra handy for, for, for showing off your underwear! They aren't really stripper pants though because, while there is bi-directional zip action, you can't separate the front panel from the rear. If you were working out at the gym this venting might cool you off, but wouldn't you just wear shorts?

The flapping pant legs would add attractive flourishes for when you break into ballroom or flamenco dancing. I guess it doesn't really matter what the zips are for; these are damned cool track pants. And a few passersby appeared entertained or scared; sometimes it's hard to tell what those crooked smiles mean.

Being at the beach, such a summery place, made me think of this favourite song by Chicago, "Saturday in the Park," except the park in this particular song is filled with people celebrating - singing, laughing, eating ice cream, and playing guitars. My beach was filled with sounds of me taking photos - beep beep beep, oof, ack, grrr, pffft.

The boots are from My Sister's Closet, which is run by Battered Women's Shelter Services. And the RayBan sunglasses are from Ah Love the Pug's family, here.

And there I am with one of my journals. I seem to have two on the go now. I fill their pages with sketches, ideas, bad poetry, lists, prose, and musings on my day. 

That's all from me this time. I am well again! Bwahahaha! Thank you for all your powerful healing vibes.

[Edit]
EXCEPT:

Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me, her second batch of interviews with me are now all open on her YouTube channel. Go watch, have a laugh. It's great fun chatting with her, part of my great big show and tell. (I'm 56 so don't freak out):

1. Fashion After 60: One Signature Piece = Many Amazing Looks!
2. Fashion for Women Over 50 Acquiring Awesome Accessories
3. Fashion After 50: The Search for Funky Treasures
4. Fashion After 50 *SHOCKER*! Should We Borrow From Men's Style?

Okay, now that's all. Heh.

lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol

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

Stay cool, my friends. I know you do!! xo

I'm still HERE!

They came. We saw. We conquered.

Who? Suzanne, Sue, Sherry, Patti, and me.
Where? Vancouver, BC.
When? June 1 to 3.

And conquered what exactly? Limitations, I suppose.

It was a rare weekend of connection, a time to join with like-minded women, all of us eager to lift ourselves above the quotidian, to dream big, dig deep, reach high.

Of course there was good food, great shopping, laughter - lots and lots of laughter - but I think it was the talking, really getting to the heart of things that matter to each of us, that will stay with me most. I can definitely say that the feeling of empowerment I got from the weekend has come in handy in the days since then.

This is a rather sober summing-up so far, so I have included the following arty video I put together with clips from our time together.

We have photos, photos, and photos! And instead of duplicating them here, pop over to Suzanne's blog where she has done two stellar wrap-up posts: Strike a Pose Blogger Style - Blogger Meet Up 2018 and Breakfast at Tiffany's Prom Do Over. [Edit: Sherry of Petite Over 40 also made a stellar post, HERE, "Blogger Meet-Up Proves Vancouver's Got Talent." You have to check out the video she made too!]

It wasn't until after our meetup that I realized we had played like champion 12-year-olds. Vamp in alleys? Sure. Mock wedding in Talize thrift store in Delta? Why not? Recreate prom and Breakfast at Tiffany in the streets and fancy hotel lobbies? Yep. March together in purple sequin band uniforms at House of Vintage thrift store? Oh, definitely. Sigh.

I like to think that if I had had a daughter, she would have said, "Whoa, Mum, can you organize my next pyjama party?" Hahaha.

So all this happened in early June.

Below are some outfits I have worn since then.

The above vest-y jacket is from Suzanne.

What else?

On April 27, I was in the Irish Examiner newspaper, which I forgot to mention before. The article, "Over 50s slaying it on Instagram," is HERE. I love the photo they used. Heh.

I had a post all planned out long before this one but then that GDPR thing hit the web. The penalties for non-compliance are formidable: 1) Up to €10 million or 2% annual global turnover – whichever is higher. Okay, I can only dream that 2% of my annual global turnover is more than €10 million. The whole exercise made me feel irrelevant. And oh so tired. So I ended up taking an unplanned blogger holiday. Plus I needed a break anyway.

I'm more rested now. But about GDPR, I have a privacy policy almost ready. But please know that if you want to unsubscribe to my email posts, just click the link at the bottom of the email from Bag and a Beret.

One last thing. I was interviewed by Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me a couple of days ago. We did four little episodes. The first two are open.

Fashion After 50 *SHOCKER*! Should We Borrow From Men's Style?

Fashion After 50: The Search for Funky Treasures

It was fun. It was a lot of work too because I like show-and-tell style, but, as usual, I wasn't organized enough to show you 70 percent of what I had ready. Hahaha.

That's it for now. Big hugs to all of you. If you have come back to read this, thank you! And thanks for your patience.

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

Courage to be who you are

I love the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. In particular, I like to sing "If I Were King of the Forest" as sung by the Cowardly Lion played by Bert Lahr. It's a sonic adventure duplicating his vibrato and little doggie woof sounds. In the movie, through a series of adventures, the Cowardly Lion eventually finds his courage. He is a role model.

I've had my share of scary adventures since I started Bag and a Beret in early 2012 - auditioning, schmoozing, modeling, using my tripod in public - and each time I do something new, I feel empowered and ask, What's next!? 

But getting to Bag and a Beret was a step-by-step process. Even though I dressed in things I loved, I loathed having my picture taken, and I didn't really understand how/why other women did it.

First, I launched a street style blog, Culture Serf, which focused on other people. A partial photo of me is featured in the masthead and just that freaked me out.

Then I opened a "blog" called Social Hangover, which was really a website that I updated manually, where I put stories, cartoons, and some art. My archives of that are on a USB stick somewhere "safe" (meaning, I can't find it). No photos of me, no way.

And then I opened a blog called Queen of Canada, where I did the same but added sketches of my outfits, pre-Turniphead days, taking me one step closer to actual outfit photos, although I would have denied it at the time. 

I made the initial drawings in pen, then coloured them in with pencil crayons, then scanned them, and then did touch-ups with a digital airbrush. My beret figured prominently. Again, no face.

That's a cartoon from Queen of Canada below. No disrespect intended, I just find it weird that Canada has a queen and I can't work in England even as a Commonwealth-er. I don't see much "common," or wealth for that matter, heh. 

I also did a series of paintings of the Queen living in the Canadian wilds, as a wandering pioneer, guarding her Corgis from wolves (so sorry to hear that her final Corgi passed recently), rinsing her gown outside her cabin.

At last I included my head but with a blurred face. Rarely would I include my face face. And I rarely wore any makeup at that time - didn't want it/didn't feel I need it - but that might be lipstick in the right photo. And I carried my camera at all times for the street style blog. These were in the sketches.

Social Hangover and Queen of Canada each lasted less than a year. During that time I got a better handle on my camera and tripod photographing my art. But what I was really doing was working up to join Patti's Visible Monday at her blog Not Dead Yet Style and all the other fabulous over-40 women who were having fun with style. 

And then, in early 2012, I was ready. I would soon hit 50 and that whole invisibility thing was really, REALLY PISSING ME OFF! I opened Bag and a Beret.

So here I am. Gimme an audience!! I'll woof, and I'll woof, and I'll roar. 

I've always been a creator/maker and bold in thought and style, but putting myself out in the virtual world required a shift. I mean, once you're out there, you're out there. I'm over it now. Besides, it's too late anyway.

And it's interesting that my current email is actlikeadiva, which, I noticed just now, is clearly an extension of the queen theme. As Cowardly Lion sang, "My regal robes of the forest, would be satin, not cotton, not chintz." Ah, Bert Lahr, he was a brilliant performer.

And next came Instagram. The following video is a fast-forward look at my outfits from my first year there, October 2015/16. I have to thank Sylvia of 40-plus Style and Suzanne Carillo for their encouragement to join. Now Instagram is my most popular social media platform.

So that's my story, my path so far. The key for me these days is unlearning many of the stifling unnecessary rules out there to reduce the clutter on my way forward and translating the scary things into power.

Which leads me to my next point. I have started doing what I call Style Boost Coaching.

Style Boost Coaching

One of the best things to come out of my style blogging has been hearing from a diversity of women about how I have helped them in their own style adventures, not in dressing like me, but adapting some of my ideas into their own style or giving them the courage to make a complete style change. Really, it's the best feeling.

Whether you need a little boost or a big, huge style change, I can give you tips and energy for change learned through my own journeys. It's up to you. But we definitely need to talk in a one-on-one Skype coaching session. Until now I've only done style consulting in real life, sample HERE, but this is a new thing. Come join me. It'll be fun. It may even change your life...?

Click HERE to read more.

And below is my outfit of the week, an orange top $4, Billabong jeans $6 that were custom-dyed by Annie, and a reversible heavy quilted coat/robe $9, all amazing deals from the West Vancouver United Church Spring Flea Market. Again, my personal shopper Yvonne, who found me a cool Moschino suit last time, picked out an Armani dress $18 this time. So good. Can't wait to show you.

AND...
Margaret Manning of Sixty & Me also posted more transcripts of my Skype interviews with her in Sept. about how to boost your style over 50. So far:

1. Vintage Clothing is Back for Women Over 50: Embrace the Past and Create Amazing Style 
2. Fashion Over 50: Forget What Others Think and Express Your Eccentricities!
3. Fashion After 50: The Art of Walking Like a Movie Star 
4. I Love Floral Tights! Why Fashion After 60 is About Wearing What Makes You Happy

Feel free to comment! You can watch the videos at these links too. These were my very first Skype interviews, so scary but oh so fun too. Thank you again, Margaret! My original post from September is HERE.

And one final thing - I went to the Murakami exhibition at Vancouver Art Gallery as the guest of friends blogger Judith and her partner Handsome, whose joyful "May the Fourth Be With You" outfits stopped people in their tracks! You'll know why if you check out the pics on Judith's Instagram, fancified.ca.

That's all for this time. I'll be linking to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style (thanks for the inspiration all these years) and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb when the time is right. See you there.

Have a great week!!!

This post is long - well done on making it to the end. When I only post once a week, I feel like I have to cram it all in. So question: Do you prefer shorter but more frequent posts or longer less frequent posts? I'd appreciate your thoughts on that.

Dressed up for Ed Poe

A Bag and a Beret quiz. Based on the first photo, which scenario is this blog post?

1. The post in which I birth a lunchbag handbag. A labour of love. The doctor faints, nurses weep with joy - "Madam, O joyful day! It's, it's not a boy or a girl! It's a handbag!" Celestial bells. Twinkle stars and tweeting birds orbiting my head. I cradle my newborn and immediately stuff her with chocolate bars, chips, lipstick, and my keys.

2. The post in which I scream in the countryside while balanced on a split-rail fence. I had to put in the fence to sit on and support the handbag because otherwise it looks like I've just given birth to a handbag. (In the original photo I was sitting on the stairs.)

3. The post in which I debut the latest trend, the dangling muffy-pack, a fanny pack worn at the front really low, sub-muff-line, and get swarmed by paparazzi in the woods. Walking is awkward and trying to fish out change or business cards is not only difficult but embarrassing. Restrooms? Pfff, and you thought overalls were difficult...

4. The post in which I wear a tarp.


Go to Photo 2 for the answer.

Ding ding ding ding. If you guessed No. 4, tarp, you'd be right!!!

Bwahaha! I saw this tarp hanging off the side of the truck the day after I wore this dress. This is clearly the vehicle of a tailor who does serious gardening on the side.

In reality, this is the block mesh dress, as known before I polluted my mind with all those other images that I'll think of now every. single. time. I put this on. Thank you so much, brain.

I bought this dress on an expedition to My Sister's Closet with Sheila of sheilaephemera and her partner L when they were in town celebrating their wedding anniversary. Sheila picked it out for me. I would not have given it a second glance because: 1) form-fitting; 2) see-through; 3) Kardashian-ish (say it fast five times). And now I love it so much. Thank you, Sheila!

There's a built-in cropped cami, front only, a very short sewn-in slip, and a big slit up the back. I wore black tights and lycra shorts for psychological backup, a light-knit striped top, and knee-high Converse sneakers, also from MSC.

And to finish the look I wore black eye shadow, which my eyelids are cleverly hiding. Believe me, it was there - it took for-frickin'-ever to take off because I forgot to apply my eye-shadow primer. And I'm wearing near-black lipstick called Poe, as in Edgar Allan.

It's hard to imagine how my image of that writer would be altered if he were known simply as Ed Poe. "Look, honey, there goes Ed Poe of The Pit and the Pendulum." Did you know that that story first appeared in The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843? Happy holidays!

In other news, Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me published a transcript of one of the interviews I did with her early last September. I did a post about the interviews HERE, my first time doing a video interview.

Well, I was immensely relieved to discover that I spoke in real sentences, at least sometimes. You are welcome to have a read HERE and post feedback. (Sorry, I can't join in because I'm not on Facebook.) This particular interview is called "Fashion over 50: Forget what others think and express your eccentricities!" Thank you, Margaret, for this transcript.

And there's lots going on here in Bagland. I'll keep you in the loop as much as I can. I hope YOU are all fine, getting done what needs to get done or at least putting it off satisfactorily with dull pencils that need sharpening. I recently bought 450 vintage pencil crayons. Divine procrastination! More divine than birthing a lunchbag handbag.

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

Classic velvet blazer for total drama

My hair may soon need scaffolding; it's starting to collapse under its own weight. But I like the big curl off the forehead, which reminds me of Brit actors as brooding uniformed school boys or gentlemen in period dramas, or poets, framed always by huge windows or great gnarled trees in emerald forests of romance and intrigue.

I'm wearing my fave velvet blazer by Triple Five Soul, featuring raw edges, satin tuxedo striping down the arms, and surgeon's cuffs, which means the cuffs have functioning buttons so you can turn them up for, uh, surgery, so you don't gore up your sleeves. Excellent!

This means I can fearlessly deep-dive into barbeque chips and bar snackies, and not worry about reckless dragging through ketchup and coffee.

I tied my vintage tie in a Full Windsor knot (instructions here if needed), which is fatter than a regular knot, and made the front stubby and the tail long enough to hang below my buttoned blazer. And that's a men's wrinkled white shirt.

The men's belt is thrifted, the kind of soft leather hard to find in retail stores these days. The brand is Josef, made in Canada, mint condition. The silver medallion buckle is what caught my eye (closer view here). 

TIP: Always check out the men's belt section in thrift shops. Not usually as elaborate as women's belts, men's belts can easily be resized with a leather punch.

And my button-fly, low-rider jeans by Bardot of Australia, purchased a few years ago at a sample sale. The legs are super skinny. 

Below, detail of the subtle asymmetrical embroidery on the back of the jacket. 

I know I said that my hair reminded me of a Brit actor/poet, but I also got a strong rockstar vibe with this outfit. The heeled ankle boots added a sense of being in control, literally "on top of it." And I layered my Poe almost-black lipstick over my standard red.

On my Instagram I also said that this outfit makes me feel like a low-rider car with flames painted on it. At each red traffic light I would start hopping, loudly and awkwardly, startling all the pedestrians.

So there you have it: school boy/gentleman/poet, rock star, low rider. Which vibe do you see here? Or something completely different perhaps? I like that there is no one feeling but a whole playhouse of characters.

And just so you know I haven't gone all dark in my clothing, I wore this outfit below, with slicked back hair, which I have previously referred to as "tidy Kim Novak hair" but not for this outfit. And I piled on the jewels.

I like wearing many necklaces at a time, but dislike: 1) the bother of fiddly clasps, and 2) the jangling sound they make. 

To fix the first problem I got two pieces of blue ribbon and tied on the smaller necklaces, threading one ribbon through the jump rings and the other ribbon through the clasps, transforming the whole mess into a single longer necklace easily thrown over my head. I tie it at the back so I can adjust the overall length.

To address the second jangling problem, clearly I have to become a Russian folk dancer, like HERE. 

Finally, all five my interview episodes with Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me are open. I wrote about it in the previous post but when I published only one was up. Today, because my main outfit features black and white, I thought I'd highlight this one. 

Fashion Over 50: Exploring the Power of Simple Black, White and Grey

Mel Kobayashi 

Plus, I want to get the most mileage from the clothing explosion that happened while setting up my demo pieces. O was very stoic about the whole thing. In the end, I only had time to use about 20% of what I had out. And I forgot to say my most important points - I got carried away. What a surprise! Hahaha.

The links to the other episodes are here:

1. I Love Floral Tights! Why Fashion After 60 is About Wearing What Makes You Happy
2. Forget What Other People Think and Express Your Eccentricities
3. The Art of Walking Like a Movie Star
4. Vintage Clothing is Back for Women Over 50: Embrace the Past and Create Amazing Style

And I can't end this post without saying I'm linking up with Patti at Visible Monday, Not Dead Yet Style - I have been worrying about her family in Florida all week. And I'm linking up with Catherine at #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb.

That's it for now. I hope you are all safe!! - my thought for the week. The autumn chill is coming here and I like it.

I wore fake Audrey Hepburn for my big Skype interview

Me:  "You want me to what? With my WHAT?! I don't think so! This movie is supposed to be family entertainment. And isn't Fred (Astaire) a bit old for that kind of thing - even with the miracles of modern medicine? 

Them: garble garble garble.

Me: I don't care if Miz Bagg Productions has him locked into a three-lifetimes' contract! If you expect me to perform this dreck, you have another thing coming!

Just another day at the studio. Heh.

You want me to do what? With my WHAT?!

That's when I stormed off to the stairwell to cool down and do some serious editing on my lines.

"Where's my PA!? Get me Patti, she'll fix it! Must I rewrite the whole script myself?!" You wouldn't believe my PA - I told her I needed a trailer on set and what did she do? She brought me a trailer lunch-bag hand bag instead. Can you believe it? Only in a Miz Bagg production!

Editing my script. Who writes this trash?

Out, out, out, no, no, no. Another red marker bites the dust. Luckily, I know that a script can always be saved with the addition of a good yachting scene.

I am rehearsing during every spare moment - hiking off door knobs in the cafe, and railings in the library and stairwell. And practising my lines.

EXT. YACHT - DAY

MEL
(screaming sexily over high winds)

Oh, Roddy! Nobody does a tacky jibe better than you!! Toss me another bologna sandwich, then meet me in the saloon for a Russian mule and cake!!

Mel scoops fish out of water with her free hand, turns to camera, winks, then falls into water.  Roddy's arms!!!

At least I got Astaire replaced. His tap shoes were not only giving me a huge headache, but they were wrecking the deck.

Practising my hiking with the stairwell railing, for my yacht scene

It's funny how one single photo can set a whole production into motion, like the shot below. It reminded me of Audrey Hepburn in the 1957 movie Funny Face. She was 28 in that picture and her love interest, Fred Astaire, was 58. It happens. But reeeeally - Mr. Astaire? Out of all Hollywood?

What's even more shocking is that I am approaching Mr. Astaire's age but I still identify more with Ms. Hepburn. Would I do a film with a male love interest who's only 28? Hm, let me think about it.

Adding to the vibe was the winged eyeliner, which got there from a mascara incident on one eye, which I tried to replicate on the other rather than starting over. Just going with the flow.

Feeling impish like Amélie or Audrey Hepburn

I had a Skype interview that morning with Margaret Manning of Sixty & Me. I am not 60. I am still in my very mid-50s, and when I told Margaret, she still wanted to interview me, plus I liked the topics she had lined up. The first episode (of five in total) went up today, HERE. It's called:

I Love Floral Tights! 

Why Fashion After 60 is About Wearing 
What Makes You Happy 

Mel Kobayashi

The simple late-'50s-style jazz club outfit of black capris, top, and flat ankle-wrap sandals was perfect for throwing demo clothing on top during our talk - although at the time I was barefoot.

THANK YOU, SIXTY & ME, 

for having me on your show. 

Stay tuned for more episodes. 

EDIT:

Margaret has posted some of the other episodes now too. I'll keep updating the list here.

1. I Love Floral Tights! Why Fashion After 60 is About Wearing What Makes You Happy
2. Forget What Other People Think and Express Your Eccentricities
3. The Art of Walking Like a Movie Star
4. The Power of Black, White, and Grey
5. Vintage Clothing is Back for Women Over 50: Embrace the Past and Create Amazing Style

If you're wondering why I am looking up during the talk, it's because I use a big monitor above my webcam. Next time I'll fix that.

I have to say, after my previous podcast interview with Elaine of MaturePreneurial, HERE, which I posted on HERE, I thought I had learned from my mistakes. [insert cosmic guffaw here] Geez, with all these risks I'm taking with pods and Skypes, according to life gurus I should be on the superhighway to enlightenment by now. Pfffft. My GPS is busted for sure.

Bird understands me well

I'm linking up to Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her ever-fabulous Visible Monday, and Catherine at her inimitable #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb when the time comes.

That's all for this week. Got any scripts lately you want to rewrite?! CUT!! Did you ever think Fred Astaire was sexy?

Hugs to all.