Tool-belt handbag

Karate-ish Queen. The Queen executes a flying helicopter kick to thwart a rabid Canadian deer.  Original, painting 18" x 24", acrylic on canvas paper. By me, painted in - why must I remember such details - um, maybe 2009?

Too bad the auto body shop near me was closed because that's where I would have preferred to take the first photo. I'm wearing thrifted button-fly jeans, $5, thrifted pretty black lace sleeveless top, thrifted Steve Madden army boots, and a leather tool-belt bag, a hand-me-over. Instead of a cigarette, I'm chewing on my seam ripper and that's a measuring tape in my tool belt. I embroidered eyes on the pant legs, black on the right, as shown, and a matching one in white on the other knee.

The second outfit is one I wore in March, a groovy thrifted tunic over a thrifted blouse, thigh-high socks with a silver lurex diamond pattern, black leather boots, magic loupe, and caramel-coloured jeggings. I hated this photo when I took it, I forget why, but now I don't mind.

Of course I had to show you the Karate Queen when I stumbled across this jpg during a desktop cleanup.

I'm linking up with Bella's Secondhand First at The Citizen Rosebud. See you there!

Taming the blood-thirsty boucle

I've decided to be friends with my pink boucle jacket - it's time - and really, let's put the blame for the original "Blood-thirsty Boucle" moniker where it rightly belongs - with the evil seamripper! (see post here) There's also a reason for the adage "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Um, that's not really the intent of this jacket though...

I wore this fluorescent pink blouse a mere week ago, here, but then days later I thrifted this fluorescent ruffly orange number and I thought they would look traffic-stopping together! Ariane of Style Montreal Sud-Est said in a recent comment something along the lines of, Why not go all the way? Indeed! Why not? There is a point of no return and I am there; my closet may not be there, but I am. 

I thrifted this skirt, also in boucle fabric, at the same time as the acid orange blouse. I like the high belting I did with the jacket. I'm slightly short-waisted so it's always a good policy to emphasize my weakest feature by making myself even more short-waisted. I did that here too. I love how the blouses stick out at the bottom of the jacket; I call it slovenly chic. And then I added the dirty-dove-blue tights and thrifted Miu Miu boots.

Okay now, put on your sunglasses!!

BAM!! Did I scare you? (I'm always scaring you - Munsters, bright colours...) Also, I did not retouch this photo - they were THAT bright.

Details of this outfit

• Le Chateau fitted skirt and neon orange blouse, thrifted at the Wildlife Thrift Store, $8 and $6 I think. The boots and pink blouse are from there as well.
• pink boucle jacket from a random thrift sale on Commercial Drive, couple bucks
• soft black leather belt, men's department, Value Village. I bought a leather punch to put in the extra holes I needed - this is a great tool!

I had a jaunty kick to my step wearing this, flaunting all these fabulous lip-smacking brights around like a loaded flower gun during my inspiration walk. Many bystanders were struck - which means I had several very wonderful chats with strangers who were not asking for money or in altered states. It's that indefinable bubble of positivity that comes from a perfect storm of style, sun, and happy sass. 

Here's a closeup of the skirt fabric. You can see better the wonderful little lines of brilliant tangerine and blue and pink and aqua running through the checks.

Revelation:

I did not wear my beret. In fact, in several outfits that I've worn lately I have not worn my beret. It is becoming glaringly obvious to me that the more confident I become with my style, the more I feel grounded in myself independent of whatever clothes happen to be on my body. 

Since I have decided to make nice with my jacket it's only appropriate that I try to do it with my seamripper. Perhaps I carry a teensy bit of the blame? Here is "Romancing the Evil Seamripper."

And here's my impression of the day's outfit here. This time I am an onion head not a turnip head.

Hope you all had a great weekend and have many new positive adventures in the coming week.

And it's that time again - time for Patti's most awesome Monday style party, Visible Monday, over at Not Dead Yet Style. I shall surely see you there.