I'll have some fries and an ice cream sundae with this dress

This has got to be one of my favourite outfits ever - and I'm linking it to Patti's fantastic Visible Monday. I thrifted this beautiful maxi cheongsam-style dress a couple of days ago for $11. It was made in the UK, Monsoon label, which I have seen before on other blogs. The fabric stretches so there are no zips and the dress has great give.


I chose these patent leather vintage shoes to enhance the old-world vibe humming from the dress, and I wore an Indian-motif blue top underneath against the chill. I love the blue clash between the top and my turquoise tights. For another twist I added the blue beaded brooch which I bought at a craft sale from the hat lady who had intended it as a hat accent. And I topped the outfit with my bright red head bangle to jangle with the crimson. Youch. Feelin' good.

You can see how this dress might move below. There's a wickedly daring slit up one side, which, apart from the chill, was another reason for the tights. Click, click, click - I traipsed clear across town in these kitten heels.

Do I look like I'm walking?

Details of the outfit

• Monsoon dress, thrifted, Community Thrift Store, $11
• patent leather shoes, vintage, $10?, True Value Vintage (gone now)
• turquoise tights, sample sale
• blue India-print top, thrifted, Value Village about 8 years ago
• bag, gift from Singapore for plant-sitting

I wore this to the art opening of SPLASH at Baron Gallery, the exhibit of the work done by my action painting workshop participants, although it would be equally appropriate for a picnic or moon dance. What a great turnout we had. Positive energy was bouncing off the walls - so I pocketed the leftovers and carried it home to snack on later, or rather, it carried me home...

Have a great week, everyone. Don't forget to breathe...

Coming out of the clochet

Today I did something different. Usually I grab things in my closet pell-mell to create an ensemble that reflects an overall mood, giving equal weight to all parts. Today I chose a signature piece, an accessory, which singlehandedly seemed to embody everything I was feeling, and then constructed my outfit around it. I'm speaking here of my felt cloche with the flower. Poor little thing was buried in the closet.

This one little hat said it all: I wanted to partially shield myself during my walk (still in recovery mode) and I wanted to feel romantically 1920s. The colour palette is quiet, but my cloche demanded it be so. The jacket has convenient velcro tabs for closures on the front and the shift has a freighter neck, much wider than a boat neck, which is concealed by the jacket.

Details of the outfit:

• cloche, new decades ago from Sears(?)
• shimmery green jacket, thrifted, Value Village
• moss-grey shift, new years ago from Eatons closing-out sale, downsized 4 sizes
• black tights, "Frump" shoes, The Bay
• magic teacup carrier with heirloom teacup inside; I made the carrier, O did the hardware
• hand-me-over black vinyl bag that holds all my pencil crayons, sketchbooks, etc.
• Shar Pei wool sweater

I'm still recovering but managed a brief, low-intensity game of squash today. It felt good to MOVE!

And finally - 

Ms. Helga recently posted a brilliant photo essay of her drunken escapades under a tree. I immediately thought of this painting I did, although Helga was much more visually exciting than the waitress in this piece.

Title: "Becky had had trouble sleeping lately; she finally realized that it wasn't the coffee keeping her awake but something much more sinister." Acrylic on canvas paper, 18" x 24"

Have a great weekend everyone!

Follow the tangerine road...

I've been playing with the backdrop in my studio again...uh oh. This is my tangerine road, and like the yellow brick road I hope it will take me to magical places, not necessarily home, if I click my thrifted D&G heels together three times! If I say "there's no place like Paris, there's no place like Paris, there's no place like Paris" and little sparklies start drifting down from the ceiling and the floor gets tilted like in those Batman shows, I'll know I'm onto something (or perhaps that I'm ON something!).

I bought this neon pink satin blouse last week at a local thrift shop. Spookily it happens to be by Jacqueline Conoir, a local designer I had never heard of until a few days ago when I style-eyed a woman who is devoted to the label. The seafoam skirt is one I sometimes wear as a petticoat.

Details of the ensemble:

• thrifted seafoam skirt, Value Village
• thrifted D&G shoes, Value Village
• thrifted fitted Jacqueline Conoir satin top with snap front closure, Wildlife Thrift Shop
• ultramarine textured tights
• thrifted rhinestone necklace, Wildlife Thrift Shop

This outfit looks great with my patterned coat, all that slap-me-in-the-face pink jumping out alarmingly at the front, but I forgot to lug my coat into the studio with me.

I was SO DISAPPOINTED about the blurriness of the photo - the effect takes years off my face and I would never ever want anyone to think I am younger than I am! Goodness, no! Actually, I was twirling in many of the photos so most of them came out making me look younger (and often like a dunderhead). And I adjusted the lights so that's why my eyes are glazed. Honestly!

This is my piece for the fabulous Patti and her Visible Monday party. See you there?!

Canned spaghetti in the jungle

This outfit reminds me of canned spaghetti. I don't know why.

Maybe it's the long vertical stripes like noodles. Or it could be the shirt's "o" print in dirty orange which reminds me of the American canned spaghetti called Spaghetti-O's (wretched). This 100 percent genuine polyester shirt is so vintage that the synthetic pleasure is ramped up exponentially (it almost crunches). 

The skirt is a couple of sizes too big but I like how it hangs on the hip. I tucked the top in and I was going to wear a belt at my natural waistline, which had the excellent effect of making the ensemble look like a one-piece dress (who knew?), but opted for the tie at the last minute because I couldn't resist those polka dots, and why waste a perfectly tie-worthy shirt collar? I employed the ever-handy gargantuan Quintuple Windsor knot, otherwise known as the King's Throat knot. (see this site for a how-to)

Details of the outfit:

• black cord jacket by Current, a local label I think, thrifted at Value Village
• thrifted 100% polyester button shirt, almost free from vintage shop close-out sale
• Pierre Cardin polyester tie, hand-me-over
• thrifted skirt shaped like an upside-down tulip (there must be a proper name for this), purchased last week and highly twirl-worthy, made from very silky fabric that flutters when I walk 
• Miu Miu thrifted boots, $6 I think
• Tissot mechanical wristwatch, new old stock from the '70s, eBay
• beetle stick pin handcrafted by a friend who has a shop on Etsy, Little Lamp

Finally, here is my impression of the outfit which I sketched during my inspiration outing.

It's called "the Unspeakable joy of communing with my Jungle companions." That's a polar bear/hippo I'm riding on. I like the fish on my toe.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Rainbow-striped flamenco sausage

Surprise - me again, dorkily smiling into nowhere... dum-dee-dum-dee-dum. I should have done The Clean Line! I love how this skirt flares out flamenco-style under the rainbow-striped, alien-fabric sausage dress on top. The purple heels again got nixed at the last moment in favour of my boots - my feet said demurely, "TODAY?! Are you out of your Freaking MIND?!!!..."

And here I am outside. My friend took these. Look how I am breathing! My expression is a bit demented in the second one - I did a little tap-dancy thing and had just landed, plus I don't have a clue how to tap dance. 

The look:

• circle wrap-around cotton skirt reminiscent of a table cloth, about $15 a couple of years ago
• rainbow-striped, alien-fabric sausage dress, Value Village, an "I-dare-you-to-buy that" purchase (or maybe it was more like "If you buy that, I'll buy this..." I wear this baby by itself in the summer when I'm feeling daring, but I tug it down more so it's not so short and often wear tights with it.
• long-sleeved black T under the dress, purchased new from an athletic store
• beret, coat, bag, all thrifted, all loved
• booties, thrifted, $6
• cashmere gloves, gift

Happy weekend, everyone!

Trousers, jacket, hat. Go!

I keep telling myself, it's just trousers and a jacket, but I had a hard time keeping this outfit in its proper place! The trousers are heavy linen with two big pleats (supposed to be there) but there is so much fabric (we're talking living-room drapes!) that they waffle wildly in the wind making walking a challenge. Add to that my 4.5-inch platform shoes and it takes all my biped skills not to fall over. The trousers are long so I need the heel but I also like the long line.

I had no idea of the impact this outfit until I saw the photos. The glasses really make this into something else entirely. I like it, but I think in a perfect world I would wear this jacket with a patterned pink circle skirt and a red crinoline. I have worn this piece once before with vintage ultra-wide-leg jeans and flats and it looked very different. When I am actually moving I think this outfit looks more real.

Details of the outfit:

• thrifted silk brocade Oriental-style jacket with wide obi-type belt (you can see the strings hanging down), $15
• linen ultra-wide-leg trousers, Totem, sample sale, $10
• D&G leather and wood shoes, thrifted at Value Village, $10
• felt "acorn" hat, Kyoto, Japan, new about 20 years ago, I've also had this hat called a Hersey's kiss, nice name

And a fun shot. The wall is keeping me up. This ensemble was really a challenge to wear but fun too. Hope you're all having fun in your closets today!

A bit spooky.

 

Invincible Monday!

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

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

Details of the outfit:

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

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