Urban camouflage, hold the Meldo

This technicolour post is your official coffee substitute. 

I love strolling through this punchy little alley - the graffiti swallows you whole - but I have avoided shooting here, partly because it's a place of business. Then this morning, struck by a bolt of optimism - and dread of the leaden concrete studio - I packed up my gear and headed out, come what may. And, ah-ha!, there was a construction crew blocking off one end, which meant the regulars were detouring and I had the space pretty much to myself. 

I'm wearing my fuchsia-burst linen jacket with a mitten-clip closure, aqua Anthro flocked pants, patterned vintage jersey top with pearl buttons, black shag booties, knit tabi socks from Japan, magic loupe and rings, big blue round sunglasses.

The light was playful; its hard fall edge reflected brilliantly onto the walls in the shadows. Isn't the artwork stunning? I'm sure there is a story behind it. 

A few locals did drop by to say hi and see what I'm doing. One woman asked me to take her photo with her camera phone - I wish I had asked for a shot of her as well. 

This is not ordinary camo-wear; this is not an ordinary street. "Where's Meldo?" Okay, Meldo sounds like the name of a moldy cheese spread. Moving right along...

Of course the shaggy boots always add extra sproing to my step. And I love the mitten clip which works famously at keeping my jacket closed while adding visual interest. 

Don't judge - you would look confused too: oatmeal cookie or peanut butter cookie? Hold the Meldo. I had the peanut butter with a cup of steaming hot coffee after these photos. One of my Top 5 cafes is just two minutes away. See the mitten clip?

On my way home after coffee, I popped into Dressew fabric store - source of the mitten clips - and was poking around their massive wig section wouldn't you know, when I heard my name called. I turned and there was Vancouver Barbara! I met her at the blogger meetup in July. She looked fantastic wearing a gorgeous grey Marcy Tilton jacket she had made, and her arms were loaded down with fabric. It was great to chat.

That's all. Oh, I'm on IG. Yeah, I'm IG-ging. I don't know how that will go. I'm just shocked that it worked at all. I put a link in the sidebar. I can't think about it now though - it will have to wait until tomorrow. O is glad that at least now I will shut up about whether or not to IG. Heh - he has no idea...

Edit: Catherine's prompt this week at #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb is pink, so I linked up with her. Thanks for the meetup!

Amaryllis by any other name would be wrong

And that's that. 

A little amaryllis (how I love that word) for Anne's bunch at 

Spy Girl, 52-Pick-me-up: Amaryllis, 

and a touch of visibility for the bunch at 

Patti's Visible Monday at 

Not Dead Yet Style.

I'm short on words at the moment; 

they are all flying in other directions.

No need to comment - I'm not giving you much

to work with this week. heh.

thrifted: linen coat, tux pants, spiderwebby tie-dye-ish pullover, D&G shoes, belt

retail Harlequin patterned colourful socks

This type is impossibly small.

Trouble posting my face

Edit Update: (Mon. Oct 13, Miz Bagg HQ) I am featured in an interview HERE on Imogen Lamport's "Stylish Thoughts" column in her dynamic blog Inside Out Style. If you want to know more about me, "Yesh, secrets of the schtars!!" have a look. Imogen has had some life changes lately, well worth the read, and she believes in breaking style rules.

This is my face when I wake up (minus lipstick and eyeliner).

All thrifted except the tights: shiny satin summery dress with attached lemony underskirt, pink tulle petticoat, yellow zig-zag coat, red beret, D&G pony shoes, striped delicate cotton T, and magic loupe and toolbox hand bag from O. 

I have trouble posting my face lately; I have trouble posting any photo I like lately. If I like it too much I must defile it somehow, say, by dropping in a different background or a fake head or both. I guess that's my reaction to seeing Everybody Everywhere turning into models, especially kids who are adept at striking a pose-and-grimace within photo target range. 

Do you ever think your outfit or photo is too settled, too nicey nice, too model-wannabe, so you just want to wreck it up? Of course it's hard to get away from when the goal of an outfit post is to show people what you're wearing, but still, the desire to bust out is always just under the surface. The thing that usually creates harmony in what I wear is that little something that's "off." What's off in this outfit? It's not the pattern mixing but the red of the beret being repelled by the reds in my shirt. Brrr! (frisson of delight)

Maybe I need props... Or a cat head and a sideways background.

All thrifted except the tights: Karen Millen dress, floral linen coat with satiny lining, D&G pony shoes, vintage sunglasses. This is what I wore the day before, same tights (laundered between wears) and shoes. What's off in this outfit? The hemline - too short! I liked the selfie I took, hence the cat head and sideways backdrop. So, have you wrecked any good photos lately? Or bad photos? 

Do you favour beauty or the beast?

Why do laundry when you have scissors? EZ DIY

This is a project-ish project - paring down my clothing and focusing more on earrings and suchlike, meaning tights, hair thingies, face paint, maybe shoes. I am looking forward to the challenge but this is mainly an attempt to free up more space in my space-challenger home. In fact, I bought some Ziploc Space Bags (in tropical colours), which are vacuum-resealable bags capable of squishing a huge pile of clothing into one fruity brick. Spacey, baby, spacey.

I am also entering a floaty phase. Ahead I see wispiness, wavering, wandering, willowy floating a la Monet, and NO PANTS (as in trousers, my Gutter Friends). Yet, there is solidity, an uprightness, dare I say character-building fertilizer in minimalism? This outfit looks better in motion. For clarity: wispy equals minimal.

Wearing: 

• premiere of thrifted lined heavy-linen jacket from the '60s (so the tag said...) 
• bluish tights 
• thrifted vintage patent black shoes, 
• thrifted hip-slung oversized, accordion-pleated chiffony skirt
• hand-it-over satiny fuchsia blouse (why don't they spell it fyuusha?) 
• jewels, double vintage (already old when thrifted in the '80s)
• magic loupe, of course

As part of the floaty phase I am foolishly upcycling a cacophony of hand-it-over oversized silk blouses into skirts, tunics, and body casings, a process which requires Skills. On second thought, they would all look stellar as scarves with fraying edges and sleeves...

Speaking of which, this is my slacker alternative to laundry.

Simply cut away the offending parts. Ta da! And then excise a few extra bits for good measure. Be sure to include a fabric tongue (front left). Now the writing really matches the garment. My forethought is astounding, psychic even! Those green parts are not shirt stains (or I would have hacked them off); they are discolourations from the photoshopping I did to make my carpet look like a rare Persian rug - didn't work.

I am also reading a book on etiquette from pre-automobile days. It turns out I am a freakish Vulgarian. I would have been kicked out of the lowest classes of high society. "I visited Vulgaria once but they have ghastly plumbing," Miz Bagg says.  

Thank you very much to Sacramento at Mis Papelicos for the including me in Stylish Friends #5 on Feb. 11. I'm so tardy in my posting. See what I mean? - Vulgarian. And if you haven't seen Skye's incredible styling of the Freakish Yellow Skirt at My Kingdom for a Hat, git on over there!!

Have a great week, everyone.