Tidy Kim Novak hair and a blogger meetup

My brain is finally coughing up that big social hairball built up during a whirlwind of activity these past couple of weeks, hence, my tardiness in posting.

And then, several days ago, another media opportunity came up (tba) so I decided I needed a bunch of new photos of springish looks taken in natural light. But there was a tight deadline. So in driving, freezing-cold rain, I trudged downtown in my shaggy muppet coat, lugging a heavy bag and fighting a weaselly umbrella. The afternoon was kind of like that game Whack-a-Mole as I scurried, frazzled, from one dry spot to another. I had fun in a push-my-limits way.

What I wore to the Press Preview

On March 8, I attended a Press Preview reception for Eco Fashion Week, Mar 31 - Apr 2, where I practised Extreme Hobnobbing. Armed with my bonafide business cards, as seen here, I was no longer a fish out of water like last year; I was more like a mud-skipper or other walking fish that fins its way across the mud, awkward, disheveled, and flapping about with bug eyes. Some kinds are alien invasive species. Yup.

Next is my friend Colleen at the Preview. She keeps me apprised of all the fashion events in the city and runs a great blog, Clothes Line Finds, with her daughter Anthea from Toronto. I take notes on her mingling expertise. What a fantastic outfit! Don't miss the glimpse of shoe.

I'm happy to say that I did not plant myself at the buffet table this time, aided instead by the centrepiece bowls of tasty designer potato chips on each bar table in the room. I'll soon write up EFW on my street style blog. But enough of that.

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The BEST thing that happened lately was a blogger meetup. Hurray!! 

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Look at those happy mugs, would ya? Sue, A Colourful Canvas, Suzanne Carillo, and moi (those choppers!). Suzanne came to town and we got two days of her all to ourselves. This photo was taken at Earls (where we ate at the big meetup a couple of summers ago). Suzanne instructed our handsome, young server to keep away our fans, and despite his professional demeanor, he told us he was a wreck inside with the thrill of meeting us. He got a good tip.

We shopped and talked and shopped and talked and ate and ate and ate, like what happens at all blogger meetups, except we didn't have goat yoga, which Sherry offered at her meetup in Phoenix. Just as well - there was merciless schlain (slushy rain) the whole time.

We all tried on these marvellous leather gold booties. Can you believe how fabulous they are? - I'm of course referring to the women, Suzanne in her vintage and Sue in her self-sewn dotted coat with buttons she also made.

On the first day of our meetup we converged at Talize Thrift store in Delta where we shopped until I dropped - you'll have to see the video, coming soon, to know I mean it. We didn't even get kicked out of the store for our boisterous behaviour. In fact, they gave us a discount. Woo hoo! Talize staff treated us like stars, having seen our previous videos, here and here. They were super friendly and accommodating.

I'll let you decide on your own whether Sue and Suzanne bought these outfits. It's kind of a no-brainer. I got a great haul too but my stuff is still bagged awaiting processing.

During our two days' together we also hit Used House of Vintage store, where Sue also shot some great iPhone footage of me and Suzanne goofing off, and the Hermes boutique, where we didn't goof off, a stationary store, Holt Renfrew, and The Room at The Bay for getting ideas - and keeping warm and dry. And we dined at Cactus Club. I swear, meeting blog friends is the best thing!

Edit: ALERT ALERT!!

SUZANNE put up her post on the meetup HERE. It's PERFECT. 

And it includes video from the vintage shop & Talize. You MUST SEE IT. Hahaha!!

Shameless, shameless

Suzanne flashes a bit of leg in the star dressing room at Used House of Vintage, the most glamourous vintage change room in town.

Edit: I put a new photo of Sue and Suzanne on my street style blog, here.

And below, my entire Press Preview outfit. I love it, especially with my tidy Kim Novak hairdo, all slicked back like that, my black eyeshadow, and Poe lipstick. I used my uni-suspender to hoist the waist of my fisherman pants and a kimono-fabric shoelace around my neck to secure my wallet holster. The day of this function was also terribly windy, cold, and wet, no surprise there, but my hair didn't budge. Hahaha.

All this rambling is what happens when I miss posting for a while. As I said, social hairballs - processing everything that's been going on takes time.

I'll link something up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style, her Visible Monday party. I'm exhausted! I'll be the one snoozing on the lawn. And next weekend is another big meetup, which, by the way, I'm looking forward to.

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I just found out that the Marie Claire Brazil magazine article I was in is also online. 

You can see it HERE. 

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Please tell me I've covered everything now. Please. Heh. 

Oh yeah, I have also been obsessing over a series on Netflix called Velvet, about a couture ladies' department store (Velvet) in Madrid, Spain, in the late '50s, and the lives and forbidden love between one of the store's heirs and a seamstress/designer who boards in the store. Don't watch it! There are 54 episodes and each one is over an hour long. The fashion, the music, the language... Sigh.

Man repeller malfunction

As I slid this awesome patchwork garment over my head, I thought, oooh, this will be a sure-fire man-repeller. I'm not likely to hear: "Oooh, baby, your quilty sack with that uni-suspender is makin' me hot!" Usually when I'm getting dressed I don't give a thought to what other people might think about what I'm wearing (unless I'm going to the financial district) but nothing screams unsexy more than a quilt, especially when it's held up by a uni-suspender to keep it from falling down around my ankles.

The first time I wore this oversized skirt, to Sheila's birthday party linkup HERE, I cinched in its hugeness with a belt. After that, I decided to make the skirt into a poncho, so I ripped out the existing dodgy zipper and sewed up the gap, intending to install a new full-length zipper in another spot. But then this happened: 

I couldn't turn this into a poncho without arm holes; that would be like, um, a straight-jacket. But really, arm holes, zippers, where does it all end!? Do I look like friggin' Julia Child with a sewing machine?! That's when I discovered that the skirt goes over my shoulders without a zipper at all and my uni-suspender could hold it up. And it looks even better lopsided and backwards. Hurrah! 

Glamour shot outdoors in the loading bay

As for my man-repeller supposition, people were drawn to my quilt like moths to moldering wool. 

The first woman to comment: "You look so elegant." No, she was serious and was sporting advanced style herself. I know, I know - elegant isn't the first word that springs to mind, especially with the vest, but I was seriously working my serene I-own-this-city 'tude. I replied: "Oh, thank you. It's a lovely day for a stroll, isn't it?"(!) True. What I was thinking was: "Hell, yeee-ah, baby. I'm gettin' my quilt on!"

Next, a woman shouted out her car window, "That's fantaaaastic!" She startled me. Then, three boisterous construction workers went silent and bowed their heads shy-like as I glided past. One of them spluttered, "That's a beautiful dress."(!) And so the morning progressed to my astonishment. 

Did I hear garbage trucks? I better hurry.

Details:

• thrifted vintage crimplene patchwork skirt upcycled into a sack
• ivory long-sleeved cotton top, retail
• uni-suspender, I made it in slacking fashion, couldn't be bothered with two straps
• DIY mantis pendant, plastic bug on a Liz Claiborne Christmas ornament
• thrifted D&G pony shoes
• thrifted faux fur vest
• colourful Harlequin socks, retail
• thrifted vintage sunglasses, gifted magic loupe, gifted vintage beads

Sadly, my thrifted D&G pony shoes are going bald in patches. What am I going to do?! I can't turn them into a poncho, can I...? Glue, did you say? Neigh. NEVER!

The sunny skies, my happy patchwork mood, tax back, the phase of the moon, peaky hair - who knows what it was that turned a mere sack into pot of gold, but for this wonderful morning I was Queen of Quilt. It was delightful. It was completely unexpected.

Has it ever happened to you? Do you ever walk like a queen? An elf? A cat? Do people notice? What's the impact?

And, May 10 is Mother's Day in North America, so I raise a glass to mothers. It's a hard job (and one I turned down flat, heh).

PS: Awesome Kezzie says that this reminds her of Colin Baker's Doctor Who coat. So I shall link this up with TARDIS Tuesday on My Closet Catalogue. Hee.

Shoe Shine and soft landing

Shoes for Bella's Shoe Shine at her blog The Citizen Rosebud. These are my go-to shoes for bad-assing with feminine floral rockin' sox 'em delicacy. And they were thrifted for a penny X about 1200 = $12.00 I think. Steve Madden. Worn here camouflage style. Thanks, Bella, for this meet-up. And huge thanks as well for PART DEUX of the interview with Roz. If you haven't seen it yet, I know you'll love to find out more about Rosalind of Clothes, Cameras and Coffee. Bella makes things happen - she's an incredible force for positive change. Can't wait to see what's next from her...!

Other recent outfits:

and

This second outfit looks waaay better in motion than static and minus the I-think-there's-a-piece-of-sand-in-my-mouth expression. The obi-style belt is high and in combination with the vertical stripe my legs feel like little trees. The roots of the tree are these clonky crappy-new shoes, so-named because although they were purchased retail the quality poor; the clonky part I like. Everything in both of these outfits was thrifted,  except for the teal tights and the crappy-new shoes.

Thanks for your response to VOGOFF! And again, huge hugs to all the amazing women who participated. I'm including a small cover image if you feel like putting it in your sidebar. If you want a different size, let me know and I'll make one for you.

And just copy and paste the following link address:

http://bagandaberet.blogspot.ca/2013/06/vogoff-june-2013-hot-off-press.html

The weekend is almost upon us. Are you giddy with excitement? I'm feeling the void of getting VOGOFF out, a soft landing, the puzzlement that comes with the curtain-drop on the final night of a stage performance. What's next? What's next?... 

Promise of spring skress

What I'm wearing was originally snowy white, but as soon as I stepped outside all the shy spring flowers in the ground instantly bloomed and hurled themselves with vigor onto my dress. What a shock!

When I found this garment in my local thrift shop I thought it was a strapless dress. When I got it home and tried it on, it was apparent I had purchased a skirt. No mind. I hauled out my trusty uni-suspender and MADE it be a strapless dress - so now it's a skress, wearable as a skirt or a dress. 

Details of the outfit

• skirt (skress) called "Modern Day Geisha" in "Watercolour Print," Spring 2012 sample, Debbie Shuchat design, with tags, retail $195. Moi? $15
• black boat-neck under T, thrifted
• uni-suspender worn halter style, made it
• quilted cotton biker jacket, sample sale
• red wool beret, thrifted
• black tights, retail
• ankle boots, retail way back
• magic loupe and pendant, O made them for me

This skirt feels all silky wonderful and it was made in Canada. I love the bias cut and twirliness. Swish, swish, swish, oooh, feeel my legs! Even the earthworms came crawling out to see this promise-of-spring skress.

This outfit will just squeak in for Patti's fantastic Visible Monday. Yay!

I have been invisible in the blogging world recently. I'll be in and out for the next month or so as well...duty calls. Also, I just realized that a couple of days ago marked one year of exposure on my blog. What a scary step it was starting Bag and a Beret. Tremendous hugs to all of you for making this such a rewarding experience!! You guys are the BEST! I'd like to do a Thoughtful post, but it must wait...Still you all shine and shine and shine. Stay warm or cool, as the case may be... And stay GORGEOUS!

But would Shackleton approve?

I popped my nose out of my ice cave for a moment and it froze. I knew I would need to wear my polar-bear camouflage coat today (aka pastel-nicotine faux fur coat) with my skirt hiked above where it should be in shameless fashion.

The uni-suspender I had made for a previous skirt (here) came in handy to prevent slacking down of this one too. In its normal waist position this skirt looks hideous, truly. It's always been a bit too roomy. I like the asymmetry of one side higher than the other. Polar adventurer, yes, but somewhat cavegirl too.
Plus, One must show off  One's New Socks  to maximum advantage. Aren't they FABulous?

These socks feature a stunning geisha motif, sadly hidden by the ankle boots which were necessary for my Antarctic trek. The kanji is about bringing good fortune. Hot, hot pink leggings also provided an extra layer of warmth under the socks. I bought a couple more pairs of socks in bright designs since they were 30% off. Would Ernest Shackleton, polar adventurer, approve?

Details

• psychedelic graphic turtleneck, thrifted
• uni-suspender, made it
• skirt, sample sale
• leggings, sample sale
• graphic socks, NEW ALERT! (no lucking thrifting babies like these)
• polar coat, thrifted
• magic loupe, O made it for me.
• ankle boots, retail, new 10 years ago

You've seen all of these pieces before except the NEW SOCKS. Oh, did I tell you I got NEW SOCKS?
I'm off to Patti's Visible Monday. I mustn't stop moving or I shall freeze in place. I'll see all you lovelies over there of course. Have a visible week!

My persnickety toe is cured! For now...
Let's keep up that positive energy force field for indomitable Sarah and her valiant love shack!!!