Furry things, dingle bits, and Turnipheads

I went down to the scary storage locker where my alien pods are hibernating, pods referring of course to my clothes in their vacuum-sealed space bags. There was definitely a rustling sound, maybe even muffled giggles, as I tugged open the padlock. 

The key to survival in there is to be quick and efficient and carry a big vacuum hose. It helps that I have an Excel spreadsheet now that catalogs my clothes by description and bag number. 

One reason I went down is to pull out this ice-blue faux fur because I knew it would go magnificently with a new addition to my closet - a luxury bag from Jamin Puech Paris. It was a gift, a mini collaboration, but rest assured my opinions are my own: I LOVE IT!!

The next photo is what happens when I get excited by a new bag - I wave it about so much you can't really see it! Please kindly skip to the photo after this one for a calmer view.

This bag, Chair, is from their Tingshas line. Dingle bits, velvety softness, high-factor swingability, and satisfying planetary orbs that click open and shut. It is a truly unique piece of handbag art, which is why I was so happy to accept this collaboration. Even the packaging was exquisite.

And look, the cuffs of my thrifted Scotch & Soda blouse match the dingle bits perfectly. Spooky, right? Hahaha. And I didn't even plan it. I'm also wearing my fake stripper track pants that zip all the way down the sides and my brown cowboy-style booties.

No one comes between me and my Jamin Puech. 

Seriously, this is a fine bag and I know I'll use it often. It was very difficult choosing which bag I want - all their designs are absolutely stunning, and I don't say that lightly. Go have a look and you'll see what I mean. Thanks, Jamin Puech. 

And below is the Chair with another outfit. I like this pairing equally well, especially with the silk velvet scarf in the mix.

Now moving along. Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, lounging on the concrete steps in outdoor wear, as one does, leafing through my journal.

What am I wearing? All things from my closet, thrifted or gifted:

• black-and-white graphic print vintage coat with red lining from my friend Su
• heavyweight vintage jacquard pants 
• men's pointy brown shoes 
• silk velvet scarf
• "Soho" glasses, gift from Vint and York in NYC in the summer
• Jamin Puech Paris handbag

Just so you know, below is the kind of sketch that litters my journals. I have hundreds of them over many years, mostly featuring Turniphead (that's me), wearing the same thing I was wearing that day, and Kitty, often Royal Kitty, wearing whatever strikes my fancy. If you spot me in a downtown cafe, chances are I'll either be sketching or colouring one of these with pencil crayons.

I also wore this black-and-white pattern-mix outfit a week ago to a Uniqlo store in Burnaby, which is a 30-minute transit ride from downtown Vancouver. Uniqlo is an international fashion retailer headquartered in Japan and I went there not necessarily to shop but to hunt for a photo of me from a global print and commercial campaign I did with them earlier in the summer. And look! 

My friend Elizabeth (IG and website) accompanied me and took the photo. I was featured in the stretchy pants section. Awesome! Hahaha. 

I hadn't mentioned the campaign to anyone because I didn't know what happened to it. Then, cincinnata_demetria, whom I know from IG, wrote that she had seen me in the Amsterdam Uniqlo. What a surprise! When I asked, she kindly sent me a photo that I posted on my IG, HERE. 

That same night, people O and I know in Japan also called, surprised to have seen me in their local Uniqlo as well.

Of course I was excited and contacted Greetje of No Fear of Fashion, who lives not too far from the Amsterdam store, and she generously went down and took a bunch more photos. Huge thanks to Greetje! And to her husband Ron, who drove the getaway car. She has a funny story about that on her blog, HERE. One of the photos she sent me is below. 

That's me in the commercial above the photo too. I'm an architect. Greetje didn't even notice until she got home that I was in there and she'd captured my scene by chance. I'm not keen on the camera angle in the ad and told Greetje, DO NOT USE!!, but I'm over it now, it's life. This was an awesome shoot. 

That's about it from here. I'll finish with this photo - showing the wall who's boss. ???!!!

I'm wearing a short lurex dress with sport-style neck and cuffs. Those are Zohara tights, which they sent me over a year ago. They have a great collection. 

Nothing else to say really. I'll end with this little journal sketch.

It's a giant cat or a little tree. You decide. A windy autumn day. 

I'll link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb for her #iwillwearwhatilike. 

Thank you for visiting!!! I hope you all have a stellar week. Until next time...

Monochrome with quirk, and ACTION!

The sun was blazing at 14C (57.2F) when I prepared to go for my inspiration walk. So what did I wear to celebrate? An austere black and white outfit. Hahaha!! Plus thick black tights and brown lace-up booties. I must be damaged - although I quite liked this.

Me: "Good morning, Madam. I'm applying for either of your posted positions: unsmiling high-fashion snob or strict matron of all sorts. I excel at the stupefaction pose and thrashings with gluten-free wet noodles." 

Vintage designer Pancaldi & B silk skirt, made in Italy.
I had to restitch the hem before I went out. It took forever!

Are you alarmed by this dour presentation? At least I've unwittingly maintained a semblance of quirk by mitten-clipping my collar into an erect position and carrying my favourite toolbox handbag, a gift from my partner O. We have the ideal relationship - he takes the tool; I take the case.

[Edit: A mitten clip is a band of elastic the size of a bandaid with a suspender (braces) clip at each end, one to clip to the mitten, one to the coat sleeve, although I use them for many applications. See here. Mine are a bit different.]

I've had strangers ask me if I carry poker chips in there. Or a gun. Well, the only chips you'd find would be BBQ or Sriracha, although I'd have to crush the bag to fit it in the case. I sometimes crushed chips as a child reasoning that it would prolong the chip-eating experience. It did - although it made for particularly crunchy sleeping bags during camp-outs with girlfriends in the backyard. Chips were special - seldom allowed in my home - and each crumb had to count.

I've done no gun-packing with this case (illegal in Canada), but I have elastics in there, which in the hands of O are pretty lethal for flies and mosquitoes when he employs his rapid-fire shooting technique. I have witnessed the carnage first-hand.

There's no question that I'd rather project the image of a gambler or hit woman than a fashion elite or humourless matron. I don't think I've ever met a hit man, although if I had I think the key would be not to know it. I saw a bloody gangster type once in Emergency, surrounded by police, waiting to have the tazer barb removed from his chest. He kept flirting with me, yelling, "Hey, blondie." I still wouldn't have answered if he yelled, "Hey, greylie." It was a surreal experience.

And the vintage graphic, double-breasted coat above really elevated the look too. It was a gift from my Fairy Thrift Sister Su. She's amazing. The coat is amazing!! Always my thanks fly out to her when I wear this. The lining is silky bright red.

A closeup of the toolbox handbag. What's inside? Let's have a look: my red journal/sketch book, reading glasses, special ceramic-tip roller-ball pen, change purse, face mask, three tissue packs, bandaids and crumpled wrappers, a whack-ton of safety pins (I've been looking for those!), a wood coffee stir stick that O sketched on, and old receipts. There are elastics in there too.

In other news...

I've made another video, an introduction to my YouTube channel, BagandaBeret. With 40(!) videos now I figured it was time for some tiny effort, so I created a header image and About section (there's a new fact in there about me). Now, in theory, new visitors and non-subscribers will see this video as the channel welcome.

People say video is the future. I'm not convinced with regards to bloggers, but I feel ready if it is.

WELCOME TO MY CHANNEL!

This assemblage of clips conveys the Bag and a Beret flavour, not BBQ - maybe Fully Dressed with a touch of Dill Pickle? I welcome all new subscribers of course! (Fully Dressed and Dill Pickle are chip flavours) [Edit: I just changed the video to make it shorter.]

I love making videos and asking friends to join in. In the one I did with Shelley, she came up with the choreography, heh; another was based on a blog post by Suzanne, and another on a story idea she had. Everyone involved chips in with good ideas, acting, and/or filming: Sue, Sheila, L, Vancouver Barbara...so many of you, and I tease out something coherent in the end, or try to. Of course it all started with Sandra of Standard Deviations and our style parkouring around the city some years ago.

Probably what I like most is producing, directing, and editing, if it can be called that at this stage. I'm comfortable "acting" when it's a friend or Dick (my tripod) behind the lens, but the greatest challenge is setting up and filming scenes on the fly, in public, ultra-quick, almost like guerrilla film-making, and then marrying them with my vision of how the finished piece should look/feel. It's raw and real, like VOGOFF magazine, a reaction to the highly-slick, highly-funded, highly-controlled, highly-manipulative advertising shoved in our faces every day. I'm grateful to have friends who help me play in this medium. Thank you!

Now I'm exhausted. Did you notice my hair? Slightly pouffed up on top with sculpted bangs and wisps on the side. I like it. And my almost-black Poe lipstick.

That's all for this week.

Naturally I'll link up to party-gal Patti at Visible Monday on her blog Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine at #iwillwearwhatilike on her blog Not Dressed as Lamb. And congrats to Catherine for her big UK Blogger of the Year Award. Three cheers for over-40 bloggers!

Have you ever made videos? Moving images with sound have opened up new realms of creative expression - I sense an immediate connection with the grassroots enthusiasm that comes from bloggers, especially women over 40. Do you believe that videos are the future? Thoughts?

PS. I didn't get a callback to the audition, as expected, but I'm raring to go to another audition next year. Hahaha!! Thank you all for your best wishes on that though.

My coats made me do it

I was leaping at the courthouse. You'd be forgiven for thinking I'd been hauled in by the fashion police for wearing garish clashing patterns, but even if I had, one magic word whispered in my accuser's ear would have sprung me free: Versace. It can soothe even the most ruffled fashionista. I'd keep quiet that these pants were thrifted for around $25. And that I could care less what brand they are. 

As for the leaping, this crazy-ass coat is hopped up on circles and stripes and some serious red. Of course I'm airborne! On me it's a goofy/cool femme fatale coat that says jump, vamp, drink martinis, throw caramel corn in the air and catch it with your mouth even though you know it will probably stick to your eyelids instead. It says drive a Bugatti with the top down in winter. Okay! Clearly my lifestyle needs to catch up with my wardrobe. 

Su Bennett, my mad stylist partner on the recent fashion show, gave me this ga-ga-gaaageous vintage beauty. Such glee! She is a self-confessed fairy-clothes-mother. No kidding. Thank you, Su!! Below I am undercover like Johnny English (James Bond spoof starring Rowan Atkinson).

The leaping was also instrumental in scientifically testing my new got2b hair product. I'd give it an A-, which is not bad considering my former got2b (A+) had 15 to 20 years of aging to achieve it's gluey superiority. In another ten years this new one should be just right.

I'm wearing the coat with my favourite graphic T - "Dressed to PISS YOU OFF" - custom-made by another favourite woman, Suzanne Carillo. She gave it to me when we met the first time, with Sue of A Colourful Canvas, almost a year ago (here), although it feels like I've known her and Sue forever.

I'm also wearing thrifted Miu Miu boots, a black under-T, and my magic loupe from O. (O says thank you for your comments on his rings!) The only label on the coat says ILGWU, International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union of the US, size 10.

And below, what I wore the next day. The graffiti behind me says "The goal isn't to last forever. The goal is to create something that will." It's a quote from Chuck Palahniuk, the man who wrote Fight Club, which was made into a movie.

Wearing: thrifted muppet coat, thrifted silk velvet scarf, thrifted pants, but the chenille top was from H&M - I sometimes get supplies there for farking. So far I've only  "adjusted" this one around the neckline.

Detail of the silk scarf. An elegant woman, a bamboo grove, a full moon. You can seen the sheen on it, which makes it difficult to photograph. It's slidey and ultra-soft. The tag says 100% silk. Thrifted.

I'm linking something up to:

1. Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for her Visible Monday, as usual - thank you Patti! 
2. Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb when it goes live. This week's prompt is faux fur, which I remembered after I took these photos. Good timing.
3. Anne at SpyGirl, 52 Pick-me-up with the theme Reflection/Integration. These outfits have a bit of both.

A: But why is she laughing like that?
B: She better be careful she doesn't sprain anything.
A: These narcissistic bloggers, I just don't know what they're thinking.
B: Hmm.
A: I wonder does her husband know what she's up to?
[silent pause]
A: Let's check out the next blog.
B: Oooh, yes! More tea?
A: Lovely, with a wee splash of a little extra maybe...?
B: Coming right up.