Bring on the hounds, and Hat Attack 29

Did I the mention the post-gala party? (what gala? see here) The wild frickin' partying all frickin' night long?!! Boozing on dregs, semi-nude prancing on linen-topped tables, catwalk histrionics with dirty cutlery aids, drunken Chicken Dance-ing down gold-foiled halls hung with dour portraits of past presidents, Carol Burnett-style yodelling in the men's bathroom, giggly Hide & Seek with security, and boisterous kitchen raids for more dessert. Did I mention that?

No? Maybe because in reality I staggered home early in exhaustion and slept, collated my photos, and got a cold three days later like a respectable middle-aged tween. Such a wuss!! One tablespoon of wine these days and I'm out. But I can dream, can't I? - if that kind of drunken debauchery still counts as a dream...

I was feeling better today so it was time to call in the hounds. Yes, nothing like double-dose houndsteeth for extra bite and snarl - that's good medicine. But no more muzzling with my facemask - that phase of my cold is past, thank goodness. I try to mask up to keep my germs to myself, plus the mask is like a little security blankie for my face. I put a photo of me in one of my masks on Instagram here. 

And it's time to join Judith's 29th Hat Attack at Style Crone - I can't miss it. I made sure to wear this lovely thrifted indigo felt beret. I used to wear it all the time and it felt good jamming it down over my ears again today. It still fits! - I was worried because of the massive head bloat I got from all your generous comments about the fashion show. (Thank you, by the way!)

I don't like the gloves with this, but, hey, it was cold. And the belt is sticking out - drats. My PA is fired!! The coat is a high-end cashmere-wool blend from My Sister's Closet, $5 rack; the Italian slip-on leather booties are from there too, so pointy the toes turn up. And thrifted houndstooth Steve Madden stretch ankle-zip pants, O's real rockstar button down from Tokyo days, and my magic loupe from O.

I'm linking these hungry hounds up to Patti's fabulous Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, where she's serving up ice cream cake. Woo-hoo!! That's something to party about.

Speaking of O, he made me another ruby and stainless steel ring with a tension mount. It's the third in a set of three rings made from chunks of stainless steel, each with increasing difficulty to make. The first one is here, the second is here, and this one.

This beauty really, really glows like an LED when the light hits it, there is so little contact between the stone and the mount with a very narrow band, which lets in even more light. Also, because the stone has such an elevated setting, sometimes I get an intense red reflection on my finger underneath. Again, he has polished the steel to a black finish.

I was excited so I had to show you. You'll see this ring frequently in my photos in the future.

I'm still coming down from the high of the fashion show. I obsess about all the things I could have done better. Live and learn. But I found out that I love styling other people, which I wasn't sure I would enjoy. Good to know.

______________________________________________________

Finally,
I must mention my great thanks to Still Weird Zine for featuring me in "10 Fashion Bloggers Who are Keeping it Weird." Yesss. I am honoured to wear the weirdness banner, especially in such august company. Cool blog full of music, arts, and weirdness. Hurrah! Have a look.

And Sally at Already Pretty gave me a fantastic shout-out on her Lovely Links on Nov. 20 for my patterny outfit that refused to go wrong, here. Thank you, Sally!

I hope you are all well and dressing every day like you're on the catwalk. Yee haw!!

Dumpy to punky tartan jacket

BEFORE

(If you believe in the sanctity of a traditional vintage tartan jacket, leave this post right now!)

I bought this vintage wool jacket by Skirtmaker of Canada for only $5 at My Sister's Closet a few months ago. As I walked by, it poked me and said: PUNK! Never mind that it was much too huge on me - to close it, the front flaps overlapped the pockets - I had to have it. We'll just see who's the punk here.

O took these photos. The green stripes are painter's tape which I used during the ideas phase.
Turnip Head kept jumping on O's back and laughing.

The wool fabric was beautiful, except for there being so much of it, and I loved the padded linebacker shoulders, cuffed sleeves, stiff interfacing, silky red lining, and matched seams. But as is, all this jacket was good for was taunting me. I couldn't ignore its punk pulse!

Then finally I had an idea; rather, I had a bout of bravado with scissors.

AFTER 

Much better...aaah. I ran straight to the alley. And I didn't use my camp stool this time.

Love this camera angle.

This isn't your cup of tea? Perhaps you'd like something shaken and stirred. Like my Everest-best hair.

Details: This whole outfit was probably less than $30. Bwahaha.

• origami tartan wool jacket, upcycled, thrifted for $5
• thrifted black jeans, $5
• thrifted Steve Madden army boots, I don't remember, $15?
• thrifted white GAP large T-shirt, $5
• gifted magic loupe

I've got my late-seventies/early-eighties Vivienne Westwood groove on, especially with the peaky hair, which gave a stellar performance for my shoot, even in the wind - a woman asked me how I keep it so vertical so she could tell her son. Heh. 

Probably I couldn't replicate the jacket design again if I tried. There was serious origami work going on to achieve the asymmetrical design.

Rear belt flaps as front straps, buttons near shoulders, reconfigured lapel on left, asymmetrical closure.

The original rear belt was transformed into two front straps and I sewed the pocket flaps onto the back of the jacket as embellishment. I didn't reduce the width, merely sewed two button just under the shoulder and folded and darted and hacked as needed.

I also transferred an existing buttonhole from the cut-off fabric to the end of one of the front straps (left side in photo); it was easier than making a brand new matching buttonhole, at least for me. What a slacker! 

Decorative pocket flaps.

Below the collar is down, but I think I prefer it up.  

I thought of making the profile more body-hugging, then decided, nah, I like that bag effect. And I thought of hanging chains from the hem, but, no, that would be too prosaic. But I did feel like doing the pogo.

The alley here was busy. I wanted to say, in a very ladylike voice: Excuse me, sir, can you not FRIGGIN' SEE I'M PHOTOGRAPHING MY NEW JACKET HERE!!?? Nyunh, puh.

Accidental snap when a van had the audacity to photo bomb my set.

I'm so happy I could share this with you. That's one of the great things about blogging that keeps me going.

I'm hooking this Jacket-I-Love-So-Much to Patti's Visible Monday. It didn't have much of a pulse, but it was certainly "not dead yet style". I need to see what you're wearing! 

And below, one final styling I wore today.

Breakdancing? Doh, wrong era. (photo was rotated, floor removed)

This outfit cost $15, minus the shoes: thrifted t-shirt $5, thrifted mod-ish wool maxi vintage skirt (with a new zipper) $5, jacket $5, magic loupe gift, thrifted shoes maybe $15.

Okay, that's all. It was a big post. It was a big jacket. I'm working hard at the moment and had to resort to the concrete box. Better than nothing I guess.

Have you got clothes taunting you? How do you shut them up!!?

One jacket two ways, style science, and swirly hair

JACKET WORN FIRST WAY: 

I love this sideways business-ish look. The houndstooth coat was $5 from My Sister's Closet, wool/cashmere with silky white lining, made in Canada by Propaganda, great for the cool day. You can tell it was big bucks in a previous life. Thank you, donor. 

Other pieces: vintage tuxedo pants, lined, with cummerbund-style waistband, by Simon Chang, a well-known Canadian designer, $5 at MSC. They are too large but baggy was "in" for this '80s design so I'll leave them slip-slidey. Granny shoes, thrifted. Tool-box handbag from O who knows me so well. Magic loupe from O. Thrifted tux blouse, gifted vintage tie. 

I wore this jacket for the Gaze Line Experiments conducted at the Miz Bagg Labs of the Universe. The stunning results are detailed below.

The Gaze Line Equation

This figure and accompanying mathematical equation represent the culmination of exhaustive and rigorous scientific research funded by Miz Bagg on how the eye travels when one views garb on another person. In the final analysis, the greatest beneficiary of the gaze line is the bird. Miffed at the results, Miz Bagg made a ginormous feather hat.

Science rules all. Yes. If you would like to nominate me for the Nobel Prize, please do.

It turns out I was useless as a gaze-line experiment subject. The banks of hot beeping computer equipment and the metal helmet with lightning rod thingies and cables kept blowing up. I don't understand it. In this case, the gaze line got lodged in my jacket and the viewer passed out. Wasted lab time.

JACKET WORN SECOND WAY: with platform sandals and sweat socks. (Horror! Put that helmet back on her head!)

Look, same jacket worn another way the next day. It's with my thrifted silky pink and orange tunic/dress (pyjamas?) worn tucked into my thrifted Cartonnier flocked turquoise pants, thrifted platform Steve Madden sandals with retail Reebok ankle sweat socks, and vintage gold stretch belt. Magic loupe of course.

Yeah, I'm a punk. I needed to be - I had to traverse the banking district to get to a yummy food shop and you may know how that conservative vibe in the air pisses me right off. The two photos of this outfit are lifted from a video, quicker than photo-taking, although the results are grainy. Outdoors is still best. 

Okay, so what's up with the swirly hair? More to the point (heh), what's up with Canadian women over 40 and this peakish hairstyle? Ariane of Style Sud-Est, Sheila of Ephemera, and Shelley of Forest City Fashionista all have varying degrees of peaks. Sheila and Shelley's are brilliantly coloured hair statements, like the plumage of exotic birds.

Is it something in the air? In the water? As Canadians do we feel it our patriotic duty to point Due North? Whatever the reason, I like the chaotic/edgy/Vivienne Westwood/surly pixie vibe I get when I wear my hair styled in a peak. Plus, it's easy to blow-dry, and morning bed-head becomes an official "look," at least in my case.

I don't know the real name for this style except it seems to be the opposite of a mullet, perhaps a matlet, a Middle-Aged-Tween reverse mullet.

Are there any contagious hairstyles where you live? Are you immune? What's your effect on the gaze line?

One last gratuitous shot to show you the platforms on these suckers. Heh. 

Of course I shall be linking this up with Patti's next Visible Monday when it opens on her blog Not Dead Yet Style. That's a crowd that can wear anything like a schtar, no two ways about it (ba-da-bum). I know I'll see you there...!!?

Aqua brows and dizzy tulle spirographing

Jazz Fest Day 2.

Yup, nothing like those crazy spirograph circles to get in the mood. 

And my aqua brows with bright lipstick, no eye products - a face in colourful parentheses.

I met so many great people downtown today. The music was unbelievable! 

This last photo catches my mood best.

Details:

• ballerina dress, thrifted, vintage
• graphic top worn over dress, thrifted
• platform sandals, thrifted
• silky accordion-pleat underskirt, thrifted
• green beret, gift from gorgeous Ariane at Style Sud-Est
• magic loupe and pendant, O made them for me
• whale airship, from friend Monique of little lamp sculptures on Etsy
• mechanical wristwatch (I seldom mention it although I always wear it), vintage, gift from O
• tights, retail

That's all. This is my third post in three days. Extremely unusual. 

I'll be joining Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday with this. See you there.

Don't forget to email Shelley of Forest City Fashionista to get on the Freakish Yellow Skirt travel itinerary. 

Again, thanks, Shelley!

How to wear a place of mind dingle-ball style

Often I travel to a place in time and personality when I don a vintage piece I love, but this striped two-piece was leading me strongly to a geographical place. While that occurs with other pieces as well, early 20th century Paris being a recurring destination, this little top and skirt longed for the tropics.

I can imagine that the bricks beside me are my leather suitcases plastered with stickers of exotic locales, now packed and ready for a new equatorial adventure. I hope they don't exceed my luggage allowance limit. Any second now my chauffeur will pull up in my new Bugatti to whisk me off to the airport.
"Porter, oh, Porter! Can you please see to my bags?" Being a good tipper is essential in precarious situations. Maybe I'm on my way to visit Frida and Diego.

The skirt fits perfectly around the waist but the top is rather large and shapeless, despite the darts designed for a bigger bust than mine, hence the belt. There is a full zipper in the back like a jacket would have.

A couple of dingle-balls were missing on the skirt so I had to carefully transplant two from the top near the zipper to fill the vacancies. Thankfully, the operation was a success, but this piece still requires delicacy when worn; although it longs for the seaside and lush tropics, the lack of any slit in the skirt requires that I walk with carefully-measured steps. I also had to replace the skirt zipper and hand restitch most of the hems and some seams, which, while time-consuming, also meant a significantly reduced sales price.

Details

• vintage dingle-ball top and maxi skirt, thrifted, $15?, due to missing balls and other required repairs
• Steven Madden orange platform sandals, thrifted
• chain belt, thrifted
• black T, thrifted, worn against the chill
• magic loupe, made for me by O
• vintage mechanical wristwatch with jewels, gift from O

And I like this last photo with my eyes partially closed, the better to see the cabana, the fruity drinks with umbrellas, the intriguing shadowy characters in colourful places, the romance, the rumbas...

Reality Check: That's my reusable shopping bag in my hand. I carry my tripod in there as well. I first wore this outfit here, to Sheila of Ephemera's e-birthday party, before it was mended.

It's strange how the passage of time bathes other eras in misty romance. I wonder if in the future anyone will write of being whisked away to early 21st century Vancouver. Will I ever hear, "Oh, she dresses like a Vancouverite," as a compliment on the level of, "Oh, she is so Parisienne." Doubtful, HIGHLY doubtful. But I can at least create my own warp in time/style/personality/mind.

I'm going to Patti's grand Party of the Undead at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday.

How do you warp reality into a lightness of being?

Other News

Bella at The Citizen Rosebud has posted Part 1 of an interview that Rosalind of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee and I did of each other a while ago as part of Bella's new series, "20 on +40." I felt very privileged and delighted to have carte blanche to find out more about Roz and her incredible art and style. I am simply in awe of her. So...

Thank you, Bella, for initiating this interview. It was a treat to connect and I am humbled to be profiled on The Citizen Rosebud where I am inspired not only by your own style but the style and positive life attitudes of the many women there, especially those over 40.

PS - If you have missed the May 19 VOGOFF submission deadline, don't fret. You can have until May 31. This is your last chance to get out there with your cameras for the upcoming issue.

Have you seen this woman lately?

Bwa-ha-ha!

I'm never more at home than I am in my painted world, which had been spinning beyond my orbit for too, too long. With the help of booster rockets, I at last achieved reentry.

I've worn the above a couple of times in the last three weeks, in variations. It also looks good with flats. I must give credit to Thorne Garnet for the inspiration here - she sent me this amazing blouse in her site giveaway. I can't think of a better top for these pants.

Details

• awesome florally, paisley-ish blouse, Thorne Garnet
• blue vintage Versace stretch pants, front zip closure, striped side-stitch detailing in blue thread, inner ankle zips - $9.99!, Wildlife Thrift Store
• orange platform Steve Madden sandals, thrifted
• crazy turquoise socks, retail
• red beret, thrifted
• handbag, from O, the case that his Starrett height gauge came in
• insect pendant with mantis, made it
• gloves, Canadian Tire, de-capped and hemmed by me

I forgot to throw on my chunky multicolour beads, which leaves this re-creation somewhat lacking... Next time.

Here are all the treasures from Thorne Garnet, which came wrapped in lovely pattern tissue...

Isn't the hat amazing? She made it! You'll definitely see it in a future post. I had been looking for exactly this kind of blouse and hat. Perfect timing.  And the "fake French hair" - I'm thinking of something special for that too. And who could live without beautiful heart candles in a lovely snowman box? She also tied everything with a knitted string. Thank you.

I took the photos of the first outfit this evening, but below is what I wore this morning, photos taken in the detestable concrete box with the epoxified floor...

I guess I have been craving colour lately. I wore my "R" coat on top for more patterny madness. The socks send this over the edge, which is where I'm most comfortable lately.

Details

• hideous yellowy-green bow-tie blouse with ruffley bits, thrifted
• zigzaggy weird top with gaping peekaboo opening in front and single neck button, thrifted
• accordion pleated chiffony skirt, hiked up, thrifted (unhiked it is almost as long as my sock tops)
• unisuspender for hiking up skirt, slightly visible under zigzag top, made it
• teal tights, retail
• crazy turquoise socks, retail
• D&G leopard shoes, thrifted, Value Village

I'm definitely linking up with radiant Patti at Visible Monday, Not Dead Yet Style, just barely making it in time. It's been a while. I'm submitting the first look because...well, because. I look forward to seeing everyone there! ("this morning" means Monday) Thank you, everyone, for being patient and supportive during my absence. Hugs all round.

If it's Monday it must be 1978

When I saw this wondrous lemony poly pantsuit I instantly thought Charlie's Angels, pantylines, deodorant commercials, department store perfume, and racquet sports. Hence...

Interior. Daytime. On the club phone in the lobby: "Burt, oh, Burt (Reynolds), I'm finished playing. Course I trounced him. Gawd, I'd sell my third unborn child for a drink; meet me on the deck for daiquiris before we hit the beach, okay, sweetie? Then let's go for a spin down the coast with the top down. (LOL) YOUR top you naughty boy... Mwah." This was a very fun mini shoot - having been my first step away from work, journaling or foraging for food since my last Visible Monday shoot. And I have

GORGEOUS, SMART, FUNNY SARAH

at Misfits Vintage to thank for it!!

She sent me a package stuffed with love and goodness last week and I hugged it in its marvellousness.

Check out this fantastic drawing she sent me on the card! I LOVE IT!

I just had to put this pantsuit on and prance about in it. I haven't worn it out yet, but I shall when I have more free time to enjoy its spendour.

That's not me. It's my evil bitch catalogue self. I get that way when I wear makeup - can you see it? It was only proper for this homage to the lemony yellow pantsuit. Plus, the pineapple light. One never plays squash without mood lighting, darling.

Details of the outfit:

• lemony yellow rescue pantsuit, from Sarah
• platform Steve Madden sandals, thrifted, $11 hee hee
• striped socks, retail
• earrings, vintage, purchased new
• pineapple light, retail, Tokyu Hands, Tokyo

Obviously I am joining Patti's Visible Monday bunch at Not Dead Yet Style. Wish I could hang out for longer but I'll have more energy and time in a couple of months...

Sarah also included a skirt and top that made me speechless. I can't post it yet because I must do some tweaking before I can squeeze into the skirt. I'll just say, you have never seen sleeves like it before in your life. Hugs, Sarah. Wish I were there to loll about with you on the whore!

And this last photo conveys a bit of my real courtside self. Kick you to the curb? You betcha.  Especially in my orange platform court shoes. Bwa-ha-ha. Hugs, everyone. You are my joy.