Geriatric vagina and '80s power suit

I needed to go to the financial district last week and thought I should dress accordingly. So I wore a suit. This one has dots instead of pinstripes, it's bright orange instead of grey, vintage not new, and it's silky, pyjama style, and has linebacker shoulder pads. Other than that, I fit right in and was ready to address the board of directors.

When walking with these shoulder pads, my shoulders start gyrating like a washing machine, which has all kinds of personal '80s associations in terms of style and female empowerment. (I just realized that this woman/power image involves a home appliance! How wrong is that?!)

Interlude:

For something different, I made a cartoon in response to a comment I read on someone's blog which said that a doctor told her friend she has a geriatric vagina. Oh, really? This rant has been wanting to explode for several weeks now. Here it is. (Warning: If you hate this topic, you'd best leave now.)

I probably laughed more drawing this than you will reading it. You should see the stuff I deleted. Hahaha!

Back to the outfit:

And below, a closeup of my '80s power suit. I'm linking this up to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb, and Anne at SpyGirl for 52 Pick-me-up: Completion. It's the last week of her latest year-long colour theme project. Why not join us?

You can see the neon yellow lace blouse that united this jacket and pants for the first time since I bought the suit over two years ago. The tie is made of vintage fabric, and I'm wearing my orange elastic, front-lace corset belt. This is a new favourite outfit.

Finally, heartfelt thanks to Susan at une femme d'un certain âge for mentioning me in her recent thoughtful post THINKING ABOUT: THE MEANING OF PERSONAL STYLE.

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Bill Cunningham (1929-2016)

[Edit: I was interviewed on JUNE 27 by Lisa Christiansen of CBC Radio One about Bill Cunningham and his impact on my life for the show On The Coast. You can listen to it HERE.]

I just found out that Bill Cunningham has died. I didn't know him personally, but this renowned NY artist/photographer had a direct and unlikely impact on the life of this middle-aged woman in Vancouver, Canada.

I remember clearly heading out alone to the theatre to watch a discount matinee of the documentary Bill Cunningham New York. Before the show started, in my seat in the dark, I furtively pulled my pink Munster Fluevog shoes from the plastic bag I had been clutching and slipped them on my feet. I had read up a bit about Mr. Cunningham beforehand, and properly shod I was ready to be swept away. I was.

Bill Cunningham. Bill Cunningham - his name rang in my head for weeks after the movie. When he saw the beauty of a woman in a wet blowing garbage bag, I fell in love. His unpretentious heartfelt drive and vision gave me hope. And confidence.

Soon after, I started a street style blog in Vancouver under the guiding force of his saying that if you look for beauty you will find it. This philosophy sustained me during the long, dark months of Vancouver's wet winters.

From these beginnings, this blog, Bag and a Beret, was born, and my own style confidence took off. While I have not thought of Mr. Cunningham specifically throughout this evolution, he was the star of the critical moment that launched it all and the person whose positive outlook buoyed me when I felt abandoned by beauty. I owe him tremendous thanks.

Bill Cunningham is an irreplaceable man. I am sad he is gone and rejoice in what he has shared.

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Yellow Skirt Freak Show Update!! and pyjamas with a tie

My silk Donna Karan pyjama top, low-rise trousers, big fat '70s Pierre Cardin tie. On top I wore my burgundy faux fur maxi coat. Here's the feedback I got from strangers: "Kick a hole in the sky!" "Annie Lennox" "Diane Keaton" "Yalie" "Katherine Hepburn". Hahaha! And I was already in a stellar mood - I mean, who doesn't like to wear pyjamas with a tie to coffee? 

I probably paid less than $40 for the whole outfit, minus the coat, but I felt like a million bucks, no, 10 million with inflation. Even the marble-sized dollop of hair paste was worth its weight in gold. 

And (almost) breaking news, a Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show update:

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She clutched her skirt 
and ran

and ran 

across the snow,

ready to fly -

and she did.
On the wings of the

Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show

- No. 28 -

Beate Grigutsch

bahnwärterhäuschen

Go ! Go Now !!

Number 28?! How did that happen? We just saw Sacramento at Mis Papelicos. Beate wanted snow for her shoot and the day she received the Skirt she got it. So if you weren't a believer in the magic before, are you now?! Hahaha. 

Thanks, Beate, for joining the show. So happy to have your energy in the Skirt now. Link to her blog post above. The whole gallery is HERE.

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And back to my style journal...

My toe continues to persnick so these runners are a frequent go-to shoe. I wore this lovely linen Calvin Klein dress for a meetup today (Sat) - you'll find out with whom soon enough. I love the long cuffs, the way the collar stands up, and the attached narrow fabric belt that wraps around and around; plus, it feels chic and expensive. This was purchased a couple of years ago at a Value Village free-for-all with Sandra (her IG is here).

I ran into a friend in the coffee shop when I went casual a few days ago, below, hair down. He thought I looked like a teenage boy. Yay. For bundling, I wore my maxi denim coat with faux fur trim and a beret, which added a feminine snap.

I got those divine brown velvet pants from Anna of Anna's Island Style, along with a few other goodies. These pants are now favourites, so soft and dreamy. Thank you, Anna!

And the last photo, just so you know I haven't gone all conservative/monochrome on you. Well, I'm still kind of monochrome here, but you know what I mean, right? Hahaha.

I'm trying to keep up with blogging with mixed results. For now, I'll link up to:
Patti at Visible Monday, Not Dead Yet Style and
Catherine at #iwillwearwhatilike, Not Dressed as Lamb.

That's all. Make sure you go see Beate if you haven't already!! Connie of snow in the air is looking like a Hot Harridan in her latest post. And Forest City Fashionista flashes some skin, here. There's so much misbehaving going on! Hurrah.