He's paid to say he's a girl

This is what it felt like:

This is what I saw:

This is what you see:

Val is close to my heart, literally; I wore her opium den on a dog harness again. This thrifted floral cotton cheongsam cried out for a liberal topping of her Muse Fondue. (See previous post for details about this magnificent diorama.)

Don't let this demure photo fool you. In the wind this kimono-style neon yellow robe billowed extravagantly into oncoming foot traffic and my toolbox handbag swung wildly at my side creating yet another pedestrian hazard.

Almost daily I am confronted downtown by clean young men wearing blue uniform jackets that say "Because I am a Girl" in their job soliciting money for a charity. They are so wide-grinning and their hair is so perfectly coiffed that they could easily be mistaken for cult members. If I'm feeling particularly cheeky I'll state the obvious, "You're not a girl." Impossibly, their grin stretches even wider and I expect a loud snap as their face splits in two. I wonder how people would react if I stood on an opposite corner, clipboard in hand, dressed in a pink uniform jacket that said "Because I am a Boy."

One time in Tokyo I mistook a couple of well-dressed Japanese Jehovah's Witnesses at my door for salespeople of beauty products. The cover of the brochure they politely held out to me featured the most startling beehive hairdos I'd ever seen. I said to them in slow English, "Hairstyles? Beauty products?" while pointing to my head and fluffing imaginary hair. They looked at each other worriedly and gestured to the sky and their chests. Once I realized what they were really selling, I said no thank you and sent them on their way. I think I heard a gasp of relief on their hasty retreat; I sighed because I had missed out on a hair miracle.

It's a tricky business, sending messaging and receiving them as intended. In the Japan case, clearly the misunderstanding was completely my own. How has your week been? Any mixed messages out your way?

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...

My bloomin' floral dress

Summer is here! Really - today is the first day that I could go on my inspiration walk without a jacket or cardigan, although tights are still comfortable at 18C (64.4F). I wore this cheongsam-style light cotton dress on May 25 and posted the sketch here. Today I opted for my dove-blue tights instead of the mustard tights in the sketch. I also think my black beret would have grounded this look better, but I didn't care - I was craving bright red on my head. I also like the analogous smack-down between the red beret and the pink top.

Details of the outfit:

• cheongsam-style cotton dress, Wildlife Thrift Store
• Dorothy shoes, Hush Puppies, Value Village
• dove-blue tights, sample sale
• red beret, Community Thrift Store
• pink top, sample sale

And below is what I wore to my artist talk at Baron Gallery last Saturday, minus the vest and the ankle boots, taken from my post of January 27. The day was rainy so I changed into my thrifted Dolce and Gabanna leopard-print shoes when I got indoors. While the severe pencil skirt and Grushenka, my magic wand, projected the image of a strict school teacher, my voice was much too twee to pull off that persona. Maybe next time, July 8...

My action painting workshop is on Saturday and I am fluttering around to prepare, so this is my last post till next week. See you soon!