Neutrals in overdrive (or my Clint Eastwood impression)

You know how much I love pattern mixing and loud florals lately... Well on Friday I needed something calmer, something quiet but with a big stick, er, handbag. This is what I chose and what I am including in Patti's wonderful Visible Monday get together.

My expression in this photo reminds me of Clint Eastwood - "Make my day, punk," she coos as she catwalks the city streets, swinging her oversized vinyl handbag menacingly at her side. This face is close to the rocker bad-girl face I was striving for with comic results the other day. To achieve it, all I had to do was "think chic." What does that mean?!...

I had forgotten the power of this hat. It is a light-knit cotton hat, very flimsy in fact, but the brim has stiff ribbing in the brim that maintains the strict shape. It was still cool outside so I had to wear my wool wrap too. 

Details of the outfit:

• side zip Capris, thrifted, Value Village years ago
• wool wrap, Eatons closing sale(?), years ago
• stretch shoe with wicked kitten heels, new several summers ago
• large black vinyl handbag, hand-me-over
• black oversized short-sleeved T by American Apparel, Winners years ago
• Hermes leather wrist wrap, hand-me-over (yes, a fabulous piece)
• black hat, I think it was new from The Bay years ago

Other News

The action painting workshop I led at Baron Gallery on Saturday was very satisfying. Everyone who joined made spectacular paintings and I am so pleased with how the day went! I returned home exhausted but with a big grin on my face. 

This is a photo of me with participant Jane Appleby and the magnificent piece she created in the workshop. You can still see signs of activity around the floor. Jane is a professional artist in Vancouver who had an urge to GO BIG. Did she ever! You can check her work here. I wanted the participants to paint my pants during the workshop as well but I forgot - next time. By the way, the talk last week went very well too, backed up by Grushenka, my magic wand, and the PowerPoint cartoons I had drawn.

My bloomin' floral dress

Summer is here! Really - today is the first day that I could go on my inspiration walk without a jacket or cardigan, although tights are still comfortable at 18C (64.4F). I wore this cheongsam-style light cotton dress on May 25 and posted the sketch here. Today I opted for my dove-blue tights instead of the mustard tights in the sketch. I also think my black beret would have grounded this look better, but I didn't care - I was craving bright red on my head. I also like the analogous smack-down between the red beret and the pink top.

Details of the outfit:

• cheongsam-style cotton dress, Wildlife Thrift Store
• Dorothy shoes, Hush Puppies, Value Village
• dove-blue tights, sample sale
• red beret, Community Thrift Store
• pink top, sample sale

And below is what I wore to my artist talk at Baron Gallery last Saturday, minus the vest and the ankle boots, taken from my post of January 27. The day was rainy so I changed into my thrifted Dolce and Gabanna leopard-print shoes when I got indoors. While the severe pencil skirt and Grushenka, my magic wand, projected the image of a strict school teacher, my voice was much too twee to pull off that persona. Maybe next time, July 8...

My action painting workshop is on Saturday and I am fluttering around to prepare, so this is my last post till next week. See you soon!

Floral pants to summon summer

When a man passing me on the sidewalk said, "Wild pants!" I should have said, "Yeah, baby, they match my wild heart," and winked. Instead I shyly laughed, "Yeah." When another guy yelled, "Great pants!" I SHOULD have shot my imaginary finger pistol and twirled it around before reholstering it with a grin and a wink and a couple of clucks like the sound you use for horses to giddy-up. Instead I quietly said, "Oh, thanks." Why, oh why, do these saucy come-backs materialize AFTER the fact?

I thrifted these gems (pants) the day I was coming home from taking photos at orchestra rehearsal in late April. I was still recovering from my cold at the time and I thought they would be good medicine. Indeed. The saleswoman in the shop assured me that they were REAL Versace - but it wasn't until she raised the point that I questioned their authenticity. Frankly, I didn't care who made them - I was in love.

This fantastic Cirque du Soleil tank has all the colours in it and my satin blouse provides a perfect neon pink ground. I tried to look like a punk in some of my photos but my expressions looked angry and bewildered. My friend also gave me a little sample jar of Product for my hair the other day which helped me achieve this case of bed head. It's an amazing substance, powder blue and stringy like candy. Instead of my hair feeling like soft grass blowing in the wind, my hair felt like gyrating stalks of broccoli. 

Details of the outfit

• floral pants by Versace (or not), $29, a new thrift shop, forget the name
• Cirque du Soleil tank, hand-me-over
• pink satin blouse by Jacqueline Conoir, Wildlife Thrift Store
• crackle brown Miu Miu boots, Wildlife Thrift Store

My main inspiration for buying these pants came from Debbi over at She Accessorizes Well. I had seen her in floral pants a while ago and they were great! I'd never worn floral pants before, so when I saw these I thought of her and bought them. Thanks, Debbi!

I am wearing this visible outfit over to Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style. See you all there.