From the boudoir to faux France

From the boudoir to the garden with huge honkin' plants. The leaves seem to embrace me, clearly unable to resist my vintage neon hot-pink robe by "Rhapsody of California made by Glazier," a phrase which must be said aloud with a haughty drawl each time I don this luxurious furry confection. I also memorably worn my Rhapsody when Shelley came to town in May 2016, post is here. 

"I am One with the Big Leaves" Photo by @vancouverbarbara

Now and with Shelley I was surrounded by big green vegetation wearing the Rhapsody. Are there strange forces at work with this robe - beyond its general fabulousness - that I don't know about?! Could this robe be opening some warped telepathic channel to our Jurassic herbal past!? Now I'm afraid to say the label name backwards. Who knows what would happen?

Shelley (Forest City Fashionista) and I goof around while feeling fabulous

The blouse is a chartreuse-y colour, very silky, with huge gathered sleeves, of course not visible here because they were smooshed in my robe. And I wore this awesome stretch floral maxi skirt and super-soft stretch leather booties, both from My Sister's Closet at one time or another.

But oh no! Do you see it? The huge honkin' camel nose? What are the odds? Giant leaves. Giant camel nose. And camel without the "ca" spells mel. Gaaaa!

Not only that, the nose's brand is - dah-dah-dummm - "totem." Is my spirit animal a camel nose? A Jurassic camel nose? Whoa, things are getting out of hand here.

In its undercover life, this is a mere courier bag. The long body strap is an upcycled seat belt, and the short handle on the flap is also seat-belt strapping. My laptop fits perfectly in there. Clever, right? Nothing suspicious there.

Of course I wore my magic loupe, which O made me. I never leave home without it. If you want to get louped like me, use the link in my sidebar to go to his Etsy store, OSK Micro-art Studio. His cool rings are there too.

You may now be asking yourselves, who let Mel into the peyote? Don't worry, I sobered up real quick when I...

...put on a little faux-French, which also required flattening my hair. This dress might be considered dour, drab, matronly or simply gross if it weren't for its extreme boxiness, which elevates it to the level of haute couture faux-French. Boxiness is a sure sign of $$$.

The dress came from My Sister's Closet. The bottom skirt half, with a single knife pleat on one side, a pocket on the other, and five gold buttons, is picky wool, and the top half is another kind of wool, yes, also itchy, but that's part of the iron discipline one may require to wear haute faux-French, n'est-ce pas?

I think this dress was made from two vintage pieces sewn together. There are no labels or notions, except for the buttons, to research. I bought another very similar dress a few months before this one. The top half looks hand-knit, black wool, and the bottom half is dove-grey Crimplene. Dreamy. But I think I'll upcycle it into a coat. I'll show you later.

I carried my toolbox hand bag, swiped from O after he removed the height gauge, opaque black tights, narrow men's pointy shoes in taupe/brown - they are much pointier than the picture above suggests. And I took my teacup carrier made from a wooden matryoshka. The sunglasses are Lagerfeld, darling, a gift.

That's all for this week. Not much to say. I am preoccupied. I'll tell you about what after Thursday, which is when I'll put up my next post.

I'm going to link up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday, and Catherine at Not Dressed as Lamb, #iwillwearwhatilike.

See youse guys later!! Get back to work!! Heh.

You've been dress-slapped

All my clothes have been such floaty, twirly MADNESS lately that I haven't been able to stop them slapping passersby at the slightest breezy provocation. Skirts flying into children's gaping mouths, skirts snapping fists clutching laptop cases, skirts skimming head-tops, torsos, and slouchy jeans. Really, it's no laughing matter.

Don't you just love a good flyaway? Nothing maximizes one's bodily air-conditioning better than a maxi. Does anyone realize we're naked under there? Except for underclothing of course. There ought to be laws!

This one is for Patti. Don't get too close or I'll love-slap you silly at her garden party, Visible Monday, unless you've already slapped yourself up. But please, no food products within 50 feet of these flyaway skirts, if you please.

Details

priceless bolt-of-fabric cotton skirt made in India, thrifted, required several hours of mending

gauzy cotton top, souvenir from Athens when I went to my friend's wedding

cotton orange tube top thing, thrifted

platform orange sandals, thrifted

Swoosh. One caress by my magical sidewalk-swept hem and you will be mine forever. Bwa-ha-ha!

I hope you've all had intensely exciting weekends.

There will be a Yellow Skirt update soon - maybe you already know what it is...

PS - After all the Google Friend Connect techno trauma, it seems that it's still working. I could have saved myself the freak-out and had a piece of chocolate cheesecake instead.

How to wear a place of mind dingle-ball style

Often I travel to a place in time and personality when I don a vintage piece I love, but this striped two-piece was leading me strongly to a geographical place. While that occurs with other pieces as well, early 20th century Paris being a recurring destination, this little top and skirt longed for the tropics.

I can imagine that the bricks beside me are my leather suitcases plastered with stickers of exotic locales, now packed and ready for a new equatorial adventure. I hope they don't exceed my luggage allowance limit. Any second now my chauffeur will pull up in my new Bugatti to whisk me off to the airport.
"Porter, oh, Porter! Can you please see to my bags?" Being a good tipper is essential in precarious situations. Maybe I'm on my way to visit Frida and Diego.

The skirt fits perfectly around the waist but the top is rather large and shapeless, despite the darts designed for a bigger bust than mine, hence the belt. There is a full zipper in the back like a jacket would have.

A couple of dingle-balls were missing on the skirt so I had to carefully transplant two from the top near the zipper to fill the vacancies. Thankfully, the operation was a success, but this piece still requires delicacy when worn; although it longs for the seaside and lush tropics, the lack of any slit in the skirt requires that I walk with carefully-measured steps. I also had to replace the skirt zipper and hand restitch most of the hems and some seams, which, while time-consuming, also meant a significantly reduced sales price.

Details

• vintage dingle-ball top and maxi skirt, thrifted, $15?, due to missing balls and other required repairs
• Steven Madden orange platform sandals, thrifted
• chain belt, thrifted
• black T, thrifted, worn against the chill
• magic loupe, made for me by O
• vintage mechanical wristwatch with jewels, gift from O

And I like this last photo with my eyes partially closed, the better to see the cabana, the fruity drinks with umbrellas, the intriguing shadowy characters in colourful places, the romance, the rumbas...

Reality Check: That's my reusable shopping bag in my hand. I carry my tripod in there as well. I first wore this outfit here, to Sheila of Ephemera's e-birthday party, before it was mended.

It's strange how the passage of time bathes other eras in misty romance. I wonder if in the future anyone will write of being whisked away to early 21st century Vancouver. Will I ever hear, "Oh, she dresses like a Vancouverite," as a compliment on the level of, "Oh, she is so Parisienne." Doubtful, HIGHLY doubtful. But I can at least create my own warp in time/style/personality/mind.

I'm going to Patti's grand Party of the Undead at Not Dead Yet Style, Visible Monday.

How do you warp reality into a lightness of being?

Other News

Bella at The Citizen Rosebud has posted Part 1 of an interview that Rosalind of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee and I did of each other a while ago as part of Bella's new series, "20 on +40." I felt very privileged and delighted to have carte blanche to find out more about Roz and her incredible art and style. I am simply in awe of her. So...

Thank you, Bella, for initiating this interview. It was a treat to connect and I am humbled to be profiled on The Citizen Rosebud where I am inspired not only by your own style but the style and positive life attitudes of the many women there, especially those over 40.

PS - If you have missed the May 19 VOGOFF submission deadline, don't fret. You can have until May 31. This is your last chance to get out there with your cameras for the upcoming issue.

Blinded by the light

It's the power of gold spangles, my friends. This treasure cast so many reflections that my elevator became a private discotheque. When I stepped onto the sidewalk, the entire city lit up in sparkly madness.

The day I bought this top I entered my favourite thrift store determined not to find anything. After careful scrutiny of every corner I had achieved my targeted disappointment. But of course, like any good soldier of style, I had to do a second sweep - JUST TO MAKE SURE! On my way out, the glint caught my eye...

Details:

• gold sequin top, thrifted (same neck style as the sparkle catsuit of a couple posts ago)
• maxi floral silk skirt, Debbie Suchat sample, thrifted, last seen as spring skress HERE
• ankle boots, you've seen them all over the place, new long ago
• oversized mauve silk blouse, hand-me-over from time-sealed treasure chest
• magic loupe, O made it for me
• maxi cardi with convenient pockets located at knee height, sample sale, Metallicus 
• unseen: mustard tights and wild diamond-patterned socks, for a future post...
• toolbox handbag, not shown here but it was my bag du jour

Below is how I looked outside with my cardi against the chill and my street style camera.

When I wear this skirt the way it was designed, as an actual maxi skirt rather than as a skress, the waist settles around my hips so that the hem elegantly sweeps the floor, or sidewalk - not so elegant! So I rolled the waist to shorten the length, which worked for a while at least.

In this outfit I envision myself centre stage playing electric guitar for the song "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann, never mind that I can't play electric guitar...



Does anyone know the REAL lyrics by heart?... If you do, you have my admiration. I hope you're having a week full of sparkle, real or imagined.

Jumpin' jacquard, luscious lurex, and twirling tulips

I have some special pieces I've been longing to show you in real life, but since that hasn't happened yet I decided to do a photo shoot last night. How much fun was that? - especially with these garments...

First up is a maxi skirt which I received from gorgeous Curtise of The Secondhand Years who got it from Terri from Rags Against the Machine in a circuitous transcontinental effort. (In this same package of love I also received a fabulous velvet maxi dress with a lacy sewn-in blouse featuring leg-of-mutton sleeves, here. Can you believe its amazingness?) Here is the skirt, first in closeup and then how I styled it.

Details

• vintage maxi jacquard skirt with rear zip/button enclosure, gift from Curtise and Terri
• jacquard vest, hand-me-over, downsized three sizes
• vintage jacquard jacket, thrifted, home-made (the price tag said "Mad Hatter at the Tea Party")
• aubergine silk blouse, hand-me-over, many sizes too big
• red wool beret, thrifted
• brown crackle leather Miu Miu boots, thrifted
• blue brooch, craft fair, sold as hat adornment

I wore a variation of this outfit a couple of weeks ago but was unable to photograph it that day even though I felt bee-yoo-ti-ful in it. The jacket is heavy like upholstery fabric - it can almost stand up on its own - and the skirt doesn't have any vents in the bottom which meant I had to take feminine steps thereby enhancing my wearing pleasure. My approach to this outfit was, if I'm going to wear one piece of jacquard, why not wear all my pieces at once? I call this "Runaway Chesterfield." (I always get confused between brocade and jacquard - I hope my use here is correct...)

The next piece I received in the same package. It is an absolutely delicious lurex capelet, special from Curtise. Oooh, she knows my heart well.

Details:

• crappy dreamy shoes, retail, with vintage kimono-strip laces, gift from my friend Sharron
• glitter bronze tights, retail
• lurex dress, thrifted
• lurex capelet, Curtise
• red wool beret, thrifted
• black long-sleeve under-T, thrifted

I haven't worn this ensemble out yet because the shoes, worn only once, already need sole reinforcement, hence the "crappy" descriptor, but this outfit is DEFINITELY an incentive to get that done. The capelet is very cool because it has little sleeve openings sewn into it. I would  need to wear a wrap or shawl of some kind over it for outdoors, thus adding to the drama and glamour of the sparkles.

And the finale, ta-dah, this is a gorgeous maxi dress with a tulip motif and beret which I received from awesome Ariane of Style Sud-Est.

Isn't this dress divine? At first I wasn't sure how to style it - the bodice is attached to the skirt in a zig-zag line you can barely make out in the first photo - but when I added the belt everything fell magically into place. This dress is so filmy and dreamy; it's the most fun to twirl in. You should hear the swishy sound. And the green beret, I have to thank Ariane for reintroducing me to this beautiful colour! I love it now with my white hair. The denim jacket turns this into daywear but the delicate hemline requires dry sidewalks. Thank you, Ariane!

That's all. Sorry for such a long post. I have woken up every day wondering if this is THEE day for any of these outfits and I'm glad I have finally photographed them to share with you. So hugs to Curtise and Terri and Ariane for making possible this post and my happiness wearing these amazing pieces.

When you're stumped by how to style an outfit where does you mind go first: scissors? scarves? belts? donation bin? I was tempted to shorten the dress and I'm so GLAD I resisted!!

Happy maxi skirt with attitude

Hello, everyone! I'm on my way to Visible Monday at Patti's place, Not Dead Yet Style. It's a new week, full of possibilities... I'm ready. Nothing like a zesty lemon maxi skirt to sproing me up. I bought it at - gulp - Joe Fresh...new. (I hang my head in shame.) This skirt very boldly screamed at me as I gawped at it in the window about a month ago. I didn't flinch though - I knew the price would drop. And drop it did. I waltzed in and rescued it late last week for half price. I don't think the store had sold even one; every size was still on the rack. So sad but not surprising. (Where do unwanted skirts go?)

Here it is, the look that says, Don't get in my way or I'll flatten you in my happy skirt. O calls it The Willow Monster with Two Shadows. In fact, I can imagine silently levitating down the sidewalk in this upright position, frighteningly calm and zesty, very Japanime.

This is the best spinnaker sail in my closet! Today was breezy and I just couldn't resist gently holding out the folds to catch the wind. Whenever I'd stop at a walk signal, it would take seconds for the billowing fabric behind me to catch up. I wore the turtleneck to protect my neck from the sun but the fabric is light and breathes. And there was plenty of air-conditioning down below...

Details of the outfit:

• yellow maxi skirt (with pockets!), Joe Fresh, new, $30
• fuchsia silk top and teal silk top, hand-me-overs
• turtleneck, thrifted
• Michael Kors platform sandals, thrifted, Value Village
• sunglasses, new about 15 years ago, Sunglasses Hut?

I also had a kick in my walk because I was feeling energized and to prevent falling flat on my face by tripping over that hem. Did I also say this the longest maxi I own? Tip: People are friendly to women in lemon skirts.

Other News

I took down my art pieces tonight; the Baron Gallery exhibit closed yesterday. What a ride that was!! The people who attended my action painting workshop will be exhibiting their works for a week and the opening is Sunday, July 22, 2-4 p.m. Free refreshments. I'll definitely be there. Everyone is so incredibly talented, I wouldn't miss it. Thanks for your support during this exhibition!! I really appreciated it.