A cool colour snap

Stains, tiny holes, and a frightening little rrrip as I reached behind to pull the zipper through the home stretch. Truly, pulling rear zippers and reaching for things are the biggest dangers when wearing fragile vintage pieces; I should have known better... But all these little flaws are the tangible tracks a life lived in this gorgeous maxi, which features an empire waist, a silky pink lining, and a flowing sheer shell with appliqued flowers. Probably once wore to a wedding or Sweet 16 party, I punked it up for day wear with my platform runners and diamond-encrusted meteorite pendant. For such a demure dress, she sure makes a racket with that silk-on-silk swishing.

Below is evidence that I actually wear the clothes I photograph in the garbage atelier, concrete stairwell, and parking garage. My friend Sharron, whom I've featured on my street style blog a couple of times, emailed me this photo she snapped on her phone on the sly as I was leaving the coffee shop. Thanks, Sharron. And maybe you also recognize my partner in style parkour adventures in the background. 

You can see from this photo how the dress billows so sweetly. Some clothes are made to move, others to photograph; this is definitely the former. I had so many compliments, probably a record - the positive energy swirling around these fluttering flowers is undeniable. I'm glad I finally took her for an outing.

thrifted vintage homemade maxi party dress

platform runners

carrying thrifted denim jacket

vintage sunglasses on my head

gifted toolbox hand bag from O

meteorite diamond-encrusted pendant, vintage, gift

magic loupe made by O

spare kitty head from my journal

I realized on my way home that this is the last formal day of summer in this hemisphere (written Sat), which got me thinking about how when autumn hits people suddenly start wearing clothes the colour of detritus, decay, mould, and fungus. During dark months wouldn't it make sense to wear clothes that are bright and cheerful to counteract the negative suction power of dark coldness? Or maybe people can't stand colour in winter because it would be mean, like a taunt from sunnier days. In reality, long ago we probably dressed in colours to match the seasons as camouflage so we wouldn't get knocked off by enemies or hungry beasts. Where I live now, that's not too much of a concern, but the hiding behaviour persists. I like the colours of decay too, but nothing beats the buoyancy of a full-blast colour snap.

I'm linking this outfit up to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, her blog. (Whew, I almost forgot to activate the link.) It's the perfect garden party dress. I have pearls, white pointy shoes, and white gloves for this dress, but I like the sweet punk-ass version waaay better. Maybe I'll see you there. Thanks for stopping by Bag and a Beret, my sweets! 

I feel groggy...

...because that's the label of my coat.

My coat is a lovely shag carpet of delight by Groggy, very good for telling wind direction and as camouflage wear when stalking small cartoon prey. When I bought it the man behind me at the checkout said it looked like a Sesame Street massacre. Bwa-ha-ha.

Then today, an afterthought was expressed on-the-moment, which seldom happens. On my morning inspiration walk, strolling through a group of upscale, edgy, twenty-something men and women, I was suddenly bombarded by compliments on my style. Approbation from young people is very uplifting, so I smiled broadly and thanked them. Then, ten steps past, still hearing them in my wake, I stopped, spun around, and struck a pose. "How's that?" I asked. They laughed, I laughed. I thanked them again for their great energy, and continued on my way. It was a Moment.

The photo above shows my tool box for cosmetic and financial emergencies, my ghost-on-a swing pendant, and the magic loupe that O made me. You've seen the playsuit before, here.

Oh spring, oh spring... how I long for thee. Today was a wonderful harbinger of warmer days to come, sunny, bright, but still nippy, and downtown was crowded with festive St. Patrick's Day parade-goers.

Details

• shag carpet green Groggy coat, thrifted, $20!
• playsuit, thrifted
• ghost-on-a-swing pendant, from friend Monique of little lamp sculptures
• ankle boots, retail long ago
• magic loupe, O made it for me
• tool box, swiped from O
• red beret, thrifted

Thanks for your feedback on helping to date the outfit in my last post. 

I hope you are having (had) a grand weekend full of pleasant surprises. I'm skipping over to Patti's at Not Dead Yet Style for some Visible Monday joy. I hope to see you there looking fabulous as usual.

Vintage wool dress for mystery

Today I wore one of my favourite odd dresses, a heavy wool garment with little gold studlettes, graduated in size, on the sleeves and front pocket, and a flared skirt. The dress was three or four sizes too big when I thrifted it, so in standard slacker fashion I simply sewed up the side seams to fit and lowered the shoulder seams at the top. Although this is a frequent go-to item for evening music recitals, I also enjoy it for daytime wear as well. There is a mysterious air about this garment which brings to mind the classic holiday-season movie Bell, Book and Candle in which Kim Novak, a witch, falls for a mortal, James Stewart.

Walking down the sidewalk I felt so deliciously witchy in the rain shadows that I was sure that if I turned around quickly, boo!, I would catch a dozen black cats (named Pyewacket) frozen in stride, amber eyes blazing. I always liked Kim Novak far better as a witch than as a mortal. I wonder if the street lights flared and burned out in a trail behind me.

Details of this ensemble:

• vintage dress, thrifted
• black tights, retail
• medium-heeled shoes (aka frump shoes), retail
• magic loupe, O made it for me
• magic pendant, O made it for me
• fingerless gloves, upcycled from Canadian Tire automotive store
• beret, thrifted
• seafoam cotton skirt underneath as a petticoat, thrifted

Below is a closeup of the dress fabric with the studs, and this is the tool-box bag I carried today, which came with a tool O ordered. Isn't it divine? I shall customize it at some point but I was content with the plain exterior today.

Happy Visible Monday! This week I'm able to make it over to Patti's place at Not Dead Yet Style. I missed you all last week... Time to catch up. Do your clothes put you in a mood or does your mood put you in your clothes?

Also, regarding my last post for Vogoff magazine, I greatly dislike ageism, and yet I defined this faux magazine's audience as women +40. Big mistake! I know so many wonderful bloggers who are under 40 and the world would not be complete without you. So if any of you want to contribute to Vogoff, I heartily welcome your suggestions.

PS

AND - I am very excited and flattered to be featured in an interview (here) posted by 

Sylvia on her amazing blog, 40+ Style (TM). 

The piece is called: 

"How to be more creative with your outfits: Style lessons from Melanie." 

Thank you! 

Sylvia is the kind of woman who could put on a scratchy potato sack and make it look cool and breezy in Singapore heat. If you haven't see Sylvia's style yet, do go have a look!

Oh dahlings, meet my little wittle Pucci jumpsuit

Oh dahlings, why, oh why, did I buy this $2,000 Pucci jumpsuit? Am I, as they say, fou?

But is my jumpsuit not jolie? Especially with my Miu Miu boots? In the above photo I am Puccicking in my foyer. And below I am Puccicking again at my back door. As you can see, I simply cannot let you inside - the mess is, as they say at my chateau in France, horrible.

Yes, jolly frigging right this piece is jolie. I paid 19 bucks for it at House of Vintage Fashion. Bwa-ha-ha! And it's not Pucci. Frankly, lacking a label I have no idea WHAT it is, and I don't caaaare. But I can tell you this: this polyester jumpsuit madness made me feel like far more than a paltry $2,000, especially on a rainy day.

Details of the outfit:

• vintage floral polyester jumpsuit, thrifted, House of Vintage Fashion, $19
• brown crackle leather Miu Miu boots, thrifted, Wildlife Thrift Store, $9
• quilted cotton biker jacket, sample sale, Metallicus, $20?
• indigo beret, thrifted, Community Thrift Store, $10?
• magic loupe pendant, O made it for me
• black wool turtleneck, thrifted, Value Village
• fingerless knit gloves, retail ($5?), Canadian Tire automotive store

The room above is in fact dark grey, but as soon as I walked in it turned white and multicoloured tongues unfurled from the walls to blow happy raspberries at me. I swear it's true. I was drenched in fruity wall spit! 

The couple on the balcony, overwhelmed by delirious contentment gazing at my Pucciesque explosion of floral goodness as I leapt past, immediately turned to stone. Even distracted birds were flying into the walls. That's the power of style, my friends. Yup, the power of style.

Sandra, bandmate and blogger of Lens is More, and I were at it again, combing downtown for photo ops and behaving rather badly. But we have no shame... 

Pay no attention to my moustache. Whatever you do, don't look at my moustache. That black thing, don't look at it - it's not there, the black moustache thing. Kidding aside, the bronze arm under my nose makes me feel like a true artiste like Dali and ready for a sneeze at a moment's notice. See Sandra's blog for a photo of her with a moustache - if she posted it... It was her idea.

Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck. 

So much architecture to climb, so little time today. We really ought to bring a step ladder on our next outing. 

I shall be linking this post to Patti's fantastic Visible Monday at her blog Not Dead Yet Style. I missed last week - bu hao. I look forward to seeing everyone there. I hope you've all had shameless weekends. 

Have you ever had someone mistake your vintage finds for designer label apparel? I'm sure many of you have, and I admit getting a laugh when the two are confused. If I really HAD paid $2,000 for this "Pucci" jumpsuit, most of you would think I'm mad. I considered trying to fool you but in the context of this blog, that would be almost impossible! But what if all my blog's "thrifted" finds were really new designer labels in disguise? Would you think less of me?

Finally, I have been LOOOVING everyone's twee-free tulle photos! Huge hugs to Sarah at Misfits Vintage for setting off this tulletarianism! See her Tutu and a Teacup Challenge if you want to join. Liberate your inner bitch ballerina. You'll feel better. Really.

Corset as daytime wear for limp spirits

I drew on the extraordinarily rigid structure of this wonderful corset to prop up my limp spirits today. There is no room for sagging or slouching in this marvel of sartorial engineering. I don't lace it up tightly for waist-cinching; wearing its boning to fit my existing frame provides quite enough spiritual support.

Forget Maid Marian - feeling like Robin Hood is infinitely more empowering. My cross-slung camera feels like a quiver; one misstep and I'd have to shoot you, but only if you were fabulously dressed.

Details:

• Voller corset, made in England, retail many, many years ago
• long black T (you can see it under the corset), retail
• airship pendant, new from Little Lamp Sculpture on Etsy, my friend Monique 
• ivory silk blouse with mother-of-pearl heart buttons, retail, Tokyo many, many years ago
• black stretch riding pants, sample sale (usually worn as jeggings with a tunic)
• stretch wedge-heel boots, thrifted
• fingerless gloves, retail
• "had-it-up-to-here" attitude, my very own

I wore this corset with a similar pairing on Christmas Day. I also wore it here. The blouse was worn here.

This last photo reminds me of a time tunnel. Funny how a shift from colour to black and white takes me from Sherwood Forest to the world of sci-fi.

I lament that this outfit is all black and white. How much more fun it would be to wear a similar ensemble in rainbow colours, but you work with what you've got at the moment. 

At +50 some might question the age-appropriateness of this attire. I'm afraid in my current mood I would have to refer those people to my expletive-laden music video. Sorry to be so abrupt but Robin brings out a feisty shooting-apples-off-your-head non-chalance. 

Would you/have you ever worn a corset for daytime wear? Do you have one?

Also, thank you for your kind comments on my last post. Now that I am recovering from my drunken Spider Woman hangover, as Pao so astutely pointed out, I see the wisdom of your words. It also helps that my cleaning is finished.

Now excuse me while I go find my merry man (that would be O) to drink grog (coffee) and feast (exploding garden salad).

PS. This post was written Wed and posted today, I like to marinate for a night.

Swinging in my '60s eggplant dress

This is not a genuine '60s dress, merely something I picked up at Winners that makes me feel very swingy Twiggy. I realized when I put this on today how seldom I buy new any more, and while this dress was about 60 percent off, if I saw it again today I probably wouldn't buy it. I love it, but I would rather spend the money at a local thrift shop.

This dress is a bit short, but when I wear it with tights I am more confident. Sometimes I wear this with my mustard tights and an aqua T underneath, but I wanted a leg colour that was a bit more subdued today. 

Next is my impression of an extra terrestrial with a ginormous head. My head is actually tiny, but I was leaning forward so you could get a better view of my fierce jewels and the detailing on the top of the dress. DON'T BE SCARED!

Details of the outfit:

• knit dress, new on sale at Winners a few years ago
• pink under-T worn backwards, sample sale, Metallicus
• blue-grey tights, sample sale, Metallicus
• pendant, $2 (?) at Wildlife Thrift Store
• Dorothy red shoes, Hush Puppies, thrifted, Value Village (a wardrobe staple)

I am not including any standing up photos today. I like the change with the ladder.

Okay, that's all. This is my frock on a Friday. I played squash today like a worm.

Heathcliff, is that you?

This outfit is almost the same as in my post "I feel like Amelie," except I am feeling more sprite than sprightly. What's different outfit-wise is I'm wearing a different blouse, my red shoes, fingerless gloves, and my wonderful Ghost on a Swing pendant which contributed greatly to the Heathcliff-howling-in-the-moors mood. The darkness of the backdrop I did in a dirty photo edit to try to capture the thrill of standing in the shadows of a Gothic estate under a great rumbling sky. Sadly, there is still too much cheerfulness here.

With that expression could I be mistaken for the new governess at the gates of her lordship's manor - hopeful yet intimidated? This is "gleeful darkness." Shall I nauseate you and burst into song like Maria in the Sound of Music?: "I have confidence in sunshine..." I think a crow would have flown straight out of the backdrop and pecked my head off if I did.

Details of the outfit:

• wool/cashmere winter coat, thrifted ages ago at Second Suit, a real workhorse of a coat
• upcycled skirt made from a thrifted handmade dress purchased at a movie-clothing sale
• tuxedo shirt, Zara, thrifted, Wildlife Thrift store
• brown-and-black plaid tights
• Dorothy shoes, thrifted, Value Village
• Ghost on a Swing pendant from my friend Monique, also on Etsy. I love this!
• seafoam skirt as a petticoat, thrifted, Value Village, seen recently in another post
• knit fingerless gloves, sold as regular knit gloves at Canadian Tire automotive store but I cut off the tips of the fingers and hemmed the openings to prevent unravelling.

Oh dear, the picture up there is not a governess but a sprite from the woods, a playful temptress who lures innocents into the enchanted Dark Forest from whence they shall never return! Did you notice the cloud halo? Totally unplanned, my friends...

And I just threw this photo in there. I like the sense of dance and the old-world feeling. The cloud in this photo could be a giant feather sprouting from my beret.

Here is a closeup of my pendant, Ghost on a Swing.

Happy darkness to you. Oooo.

Impode/Explode

As a tribute to all the fantastic Fluevogs I've been seeing these days, I drew the following cartoon last night. I had the idea for it last year and finally got around to drawing it up:

That's not me in the final frame, but those are certainly my shoes, the Fluevog Munster in lilac suede! (That's a startled cat in the first frame.)

Some of you were asking, so here are some shots of the magic pendants O has made for me. He machines them on a watchmaker's lathe in his studio from blocks of metal such as aircraft-grade aluminum or stainless steel, and he adds bits of gold or emeralds or rubies or other little stones. He doesn't sell them; if he did they would be too expensive because they are so time-consuming to make. Each one is an original and I cherish them.

O's work is usually super-duper small, like this:

He machined those screws and the other metal pieces, shown above with grains of Japanese rice. So you can imagine when I look at his work I get a huuuuge headache (in a good way) and I must rush to my studio and make something like this:

Implode - Explode.

That particular painting is 5 feet high and 11 feet long and is called Sunny Noon Downtown Saturday. (Note the framing or capping on the ends to keep the chaos from exploding off the ends of the paper!) You can see more of O's work here if you're interested.

That's all for today, something a little different. The forecast is for rain all week. I better arm myself with more colour!

The gauntlet was tossed and I picked it up

This is my outfit for Patti's Visible Monday. Thanks, Patti! I call this my garden party skirt, it is so dreamy, flowy, and leg-caressing, perfect for the wind we've been having here, a very girly outfit. I really should have taken a photo of me twirling in this, the skirt is so full. There is a matching cap-sleeve top, giraffe pattern as well, but the two together give me motion sickness.

Details of the outfit:

• giraffe-patterned garden party skirt, chiffon with silky lining, new about 25 years ago
• oversized silk beige blouse, oversized silk fuchsia tank and teal top, hand-me-overs
• thrifted patterned coat by a label in Japan, I love this, $10?
• new thrifted squid-ink indigo felt beret, $6
• nude pantyhose, aaaa! but they have a control panel which makes me feel very put together indeed
• thrifted patent black shoes with deadly heels
• magic pendant O made me (I will do a post of his incredible work soon!)

Speaking of motion sickness...in this next photo it looks like I'm scaling the luge track! I've been mucking about in my studio and the perspective on my backdrop so far is satisfyingly real and unreal. Of course the pose and camera angle help.

This post is actually going up late Sunday evening, hours after the end of the St.Patrick's Day parade downtown. You will note that I'm not wearing green. In fact, I don't think I own any green, but I do have a great Irish poem as a tribute to the festivities... 

SAUCY POETRY ALERT!

"A whey-faced slat"* and a "parboiled ape" with a "tough jaw" are some of the delightful descriptives that 17th century Irish poet David O'Bruadair used to describe a wench who refused to give him free beer. A gent friend from Cornwall, whom I banter with in the art gallery cafe from time to time, fired it off to me last summer in good fun. Well, this saucy poem fell like at gauntlet at my feet and I felt it was time for a few female invectives in response, so I fired off my poem "Ten Dollars" in reply. Mine is a clumsy attempt to mimic Mr. O'Bruadair, as translated by James Stephens, but I had so much fun trying! [SORRY, I HAD TO TAKE MY POEM DOWN. I decided that there are too many invectives and I'm looking for more joy! But here is Mr. O'Bruadair's poem.]
*Please use a "U" instead of an "A" in "slat."

A Glass of Beer

by David O'Bruadair

The lanky hank of a she in the inn over there
Nearly killed me for asking the loan of a glass of beer;
May the devil grip the whey-faced slat by the hair,
And beat bad manners out of her skin for a year.

That parboiled ape, with the toughest jaw you will see
On virtue's path, and a voice that would rasp the dead,
Came roaring and raging the minute she looked at me,
And threw me out of the house on the back of my head!

If I asked her master he'd give me a cask a day;
But she, with the beer at hand, not a gill would arrange!
May she marry a ghost and bear him a kitten, and may
The High King of Glory permit her to get the mange.

______________

[MY MISSING POEM GOES HERE]

Do any of you write poetry? Rosemary the Shopper had an excellent poem in her post of February 23, When in Doubt, Turn to Poetry. It's priceless! Any ideas for replacement or additional lines in the poem I wrote? Or, better yet - and I don't expect it because it takes so much time - another poem in response to Mr. O'Bruadair? If nothing else, I would be satisfied with just two male-equivalent phrases as gratifying as "whey-faced slat" and "parboiled ape."

I hope you got a laugh.