The dress of 1,000 faces

It's spring. And I'm ready - in this awesome striped dove-grey linen dress and jacket. They arrived on my doorstep almost like magic a while ago, specially sent from GRIZAS in the EU, so this is a sponsored post. After you read a little more, you'll know why I couldn't say no. Of course the views are entirely my own.

I had been waiting impatiently for the exact right day to debut this outfit, and then, BAM, last week, sunshine and semi-warmth, it was time. Hurray! The problem was having so many styling ideas and just one photo shoot. In the end, I opted for coppery-green glitter tights, two super-long strands of faux pearls, and, at the last minute, men's shoes. Plus of course the magic loupe O made me - I never leave home without it.

All of GRIZAS's clothing are made from natural fibres. This dress flows beautifully when I walk.

There's something regal about that black and white photo, all harumphs and tra-la's. It appears I had to shove my hands in my pockets lest they break into a royal wave! No doubt I'm on my way for pinky tea in the solarium at the country estate, whilst awaiting the hounds and news of Lord B's scandalous little adventure. Ah, euphemisms, how I miss them. More tea? Don't mind if I do. With a little something added perhaps.

But don't let that B&W image fool you.

Versatility travels the limits with this outfit, so much room for play.

For example, femininity sprang to mind initially with this jacket and dress, which I played up with the pearls and a brief flirtation with pointy-toe black pumps and a scarf for a lovely tinge of '20s style.

But then I put on the man shoes and heard an electric guitar. Yeeeah! The shoes were the perfect anchor for my mood; they said, Get your trod on!, while the dress said, Nay, tarry a while. I always enjoy the push/pull of contrasts.

I would happily wear this styling to a spring/summer wedding or tea at my country estate or indeed to a stenchy alley, obviously.

I'd also be more than content to swap out the man shoes and pearls for, say, knee-high Converse sneakers and a cross-body book bag for a casual vibe and hanging out at the cafe. Linen easily crosses lines when it comes to high/low styling.

Oh, and did I mention pockets? Yup, both dress and jacket.

Plus, these pieces work well as separates - the jacket with a T or blouse and jeans, and the dress with a top underneath if I need coverage. Or I could wear sandals and my swimsuit under the dress for a trip to the beach.

So here we have it, in this order: cafe, wedding, country estate tea, beach and stenchy alley (perhaps with Lord B?!) all in one day. And pockets to keep my royal wave at bay. See what I mean? One must always be prepared.

Below you can see the jacket buttoned up and how the stripes form a great upward arrow, and the strong A-line or arrow cut of the dress with its vertical stripes emphasizes the play between the angles. These triangulations are what attracted me to the outfit in the first place.

I started out the shoot with a scarf, but I ditched it quick - too fiddly for my taste. Don't you love those windows?

And I made a super-mini video just for myself, 10 seconds. I was not only in the mood but the alley was quiet, which made filming with a tripod less of an ordeal. I am going to post this video without the voice-over on my Instagram as well.

That's all from me this week. I hope you enjoyed this little romp with GRIZAS. They were a pleasure to work with, and you'll be seeing these pieces more as summer descends.

Whether you're celebrating a holiday or not, may the rest of your weekend be jolly - and your whole week for that matter.

When the time is right, I shall link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her weekly Visible Monday and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for her weekly #iwillwearwhatilike. See you there.

THANK YOU for visiting!

Snapping back in pearls and bell bottoms

I've noticed as I've gotten older that when I pinch my skin and pull it out, it takes longer to snap back where it belongs. Why do this? Because I've seen other people do this. It's kind of like bothering a sore spot and saying over and over, "Ow, it hurts when I do that." ???

But I've also noticed that this snap-back thing is true about my face as well. When I smile about something during my downtown walks, my face takes longer to settle back into its resting diva state. Heh. I'll go blocks and blocks and totally startle myself when I realize that damned smile is still there!! Let's not talk about how this applies to my scowl face because...

...it's been a week of chaos with nature chasers to take the edge off as the result of a computer hard drive meltdown. Some things were backed up - yeah, like my BOWELS! with all this shite to deal with. I know I'll stumble across stuff here and there on USB drives as the days go by ("stuff" of course referring to my data, not bowels. Moving right along). And the tech guy who did last rites backed up a few things for us, essentials. It was like deciding what to pack in a capsule wardrobe for, say, Paris, and being charged by the hour after the trip is cancelled.

The only true and meaningful remedy was nature with pearls, pearls, and more pearls!! And a cute vintage wool crepe shift dress with glitter tights and pointy shoes. See how dainty I am? I've brought my teacup holder with me, the one I DIY-ed from a wooden matryoshka, and that's a family heirloom teacup.

See the monster with big eyes waving at me behind the fence?

But that's definitely not tea. Looks like I needed a little Extra Strength nature, some fermented organics with a kick. In fact, the cup was empty - even worse! Picture me wobbling and stumbling on kitten heels, fumbling with loupes and reading glasses, sinking in mulch, and then throwing myself awkwardly across these weather-soaked chairs before the 10-second warning on the camera self-timer went off - all of this while trying to keep my dress down and look aloof. I think I succeeded.

I had to face this direction on the chair because all the construction men were on the other side. Of course I lost all my photo editing software and video editing software. Pffft. It was time to upgrade anyway. These photos were done on the basic-est basic software - that's why I added so many effects, to make myself feel better. Look what I can do! Look what I can do! (Ow, it hurts when I do that.)

These heels were wicked leaf skewers. It was a fashion statement, all those golden maple leaves stuck to my heels. Very patriotic.

And below, more nature shots - my very cool striped vintage bell bottoms with a floral jacket and a Bowling-For-Dollars (name of American bowling game show) blouse. I intentionally pulled things from my closet that I thought would look putrid together. I really needed some fecking CLASH! I failed - it came out looking Gucci. I swear, that company has ruined the art of clash by making anything and everything go together. Puh.

During this shoot I thought it would be fun to do some stop motion shots of me throwing a bunch of leaves up in the air. You know: Hahaha!! I LOVE NATURE! Tralala! I set the self-timer and scrambled into position.

What I didn't know was that while the leaves looked dry and lovely on top, when I grabbed a huuge pawful I discovered they were half-rotted and wet on the bottom. And of course when I hear the camera beeping I can't shut off. Up went the rot pile and down it came again all over my head, probably with lots of critters too. None of the photos turned out. How poetic.

After that fiasco I moved locations. Behold!!

And then back in the stairwell below. Too much nature! This outfit was a no-brainer. The overalls said Not Plaid so I put on the tartan jacket for a "get it? get it? nudge-nudge" moment. I don't think anyone but me got it though and it left passersby worried about that puzzled, expectant, half-smirk look on my face, which didn't snap back at all! That's a blue silk blouse underneath. Everything is many sizes too large, except the jacket which I down-farked.

I call this outfit plaid/not-plaid undone, with reference to Canadian rock band The Guess Who and their 1969 hit "Undun." (here) She's come undone. Undone DIY jacket, undone DIY overalls with that gaping bib. At least my combat boots stayed tied, double knotted.

These photos are the first installment in Project New Leaf. I am venturing boldly where no middle-aged tween has gone before. Heh. A fresh slate is a good thing.

But I have to say that throughout this minor inconvenience my heart went out to a dearly loved member of our blogging community, Jessica Cangiano, author of Chronically Vintage, and her husband. All their worldly possessions, including her priceless collection of vintage clothing, were destroyed in a fire on October 13. Their dog escaped with them but their beloved cat went missing.

A crowdfunding page has been set up HERE to help them get back on their feet. And Jessica's friend Bonita of Lavender & Twill set up a Facebook page HERE for helping in other ways. The fire happened a couple of weeks ago, but the need I'm sure is as strong now as it ever was. Think about it, won't you?

And now one more outfit for the road:

This is my first back-to-nature photo. I'm living proof that when the going gets tough, the tough put on pearls and bell bottoms, grab a camera, shower themselves with decaying plant matter, frolic in mulch, clamber up hills and stairs, and pull out the fine china. I tried wielding a pitchfork and a very heavy watering can in my pearls, but I'll save those photos (on an external drive) for later. Heh.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I met up a while ago with my friend Sandra, who is now active on IG here. You can see her rocking her drop crotch pants on my street style blog here. Mighty fine.

The end. Congratulations - you made it!

I'll be linking something up, of course, with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb, #iwillwearwhatilike.

Have a good week. And remember: two steps forward, one step BACKUP!!

Capelet-under-cape capers

This is for Anne's 52-Pick-me-up: Holiday Ornaments and Mixed Metals at Spy Girl.

A demure school girl, I clutch my little lunchbox packed with airline drinkie bottles and leftover canapes (and nippies) squished in plastic wrap. Today on my way to class, Pole Dancing for Clergy 101, I had the above photo taken for my License To Wear (LTW) Class IV Pointed Collar Permit, having graduated from the compulsory one-month national intensive training course. Still in the learner category, I must avoid high winds and sudden spinning action for a year. 

Wearing:

• thrifted vintage midi wool knit cape with Class IV pointed collar
• awesome black lurex capelet, gift from the magnificent Curtise
• thrifted blue lurex dress
• retail bronze/black glitter tights
• retail black glitter booties with vintage kimono laces (gift)
• thrifted indigo beret
• tool box handbag from O
• magic loupe from O
• thrifted long-sleeved black under-T

Did I pick you up? I picked me up! Good prompt, Anne; good timing too. I was feeling particularly shiny today with daydreams of popping nippies and cracking open baby champers under a dance hall glitter ball. Do you have an LTW or ever been caught without one?!