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Thursday, 28 January 2016

Vintage tails

THE VINTAGE TAILCOAT
original design by Simon Chang

It's waay too big, but hey, it has linebacker '80s shoulders so who cares? And there are wonderful accordion pleats in the back. This is the somewhat conservative styling, partly because I had no time to do my face and hair. Just wait...

I in fact passed this jacket and a matching skirt on to Sandra (Lens is More) about a year-and-a-half ago because I knew it might fit her better and it's got that cool rocker vibe that she wears so well, but I had to borrow it a few days ago after having a tux attack. It was $5 at My Sister's Closet. I kept the pants, though, which I wore here - these are different tux-style pants.

I'm behind on everything - browsing, digging, commenting. I'm barely squeaking into Patti's Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb. But this is how my life is at the moment. 

And thanks, Catherine for including me in your monthly roundup of blog posts for my highly instructional and professional advice on how to use a camera remote control here. Bwahaha.

See you all soon. Must dash!


Saturday, 23 January 2016

Yes and Yes, and dressing like a star

Sarah of Yes and Yes: Because Yes is More Fun than No blog interviewed me as part of her series REAL LIFE STYLE ICONs. Yes, that would be me. Heh! Aren't you itching to read all my secrets of the schtars?! Sarah describes her blog as a "lifestyle blog for smart, funny people," then winks and says, "So you're allowed to read it."

But why do my photos look so much better on her blog than mine!? Is it like in a restaurant where a friend's food always looks waaay better than your own order? Is her tomato sauce better than my alfredo because she has a bajillion site visitors every day? I would never let something like that influence me. Oh no, not one. little. bit. Nooo. But I've decided to move my blog over to Sarah's blog. I hope she doesn't mind.

To celebrate my new-found stardom, I decided at last to dress like a star. Like this.


All that other colourful stuff? FRAUDULENT stardom!! This is how a star really dresses. 

I am referring to some wildly successful mainstream +50 style bloggers, the kind with serious numbers for serious moolah potential, although the prices of their outfits probably have a few more zeros than mine. And O doesn't cut their hair. And they don't wear men's narrow shoes. Or run around with a toolbox handbag. Or go out without makeup. Or carry cash (that's what assistants are for, think the Queen). Minor details. Maybe no one will notice I'm in a concrete stairwell either. The point is, I'm dressed like a STAR!! You can call me Clarisse and shop in my boutique.


This pose of benediction is perfect for showing off what I'm wearing. I would never be a blasphemer and suggest that holy figures pose this way to show off their clothes. No, no, no. But look how easy it is to see those great bell sleeves on this turtleneck with my arms this way.

Despite the look on my face, I happily wore this when I went out for coffee with O, enjoying its comfort and simplicity. No joke. I really like it!! I dress like this a couple of times a week, usually in the evening, and cloak up with my black velvet opera coat and maybe sunglasses. But if I were a real star fashion blogger, I'd have to dress like this all the time, or variations of it, ditch the loud humour, and shore up on pithy quips that won't embarrass anyone at dinner parties. Puh. Who goes to dinner parties?

Earlier on the same day I wore this wildly, happily:


It's my vintage robe/dress/coat, I'm not really sure what. It's heavy fabric with a thick waffle texture, fully lined and so structured it sticks out like a tent. There is a front zipper from the neck to the waist partially concealed behind the button closure. It came with a detached button pinned to the collar but another one came off. I distinctly remember putting it in the pocket; trouble is, these are faux pockets.

The cool boots are from Sheila of Ephemera, part of a footwear care package she sent me a while ago. I made a video about it here. I got this white coatish thing and the earrings at My Sister's Closet.


I took these shots at the library, a tricky feat because there is lots of foot traffic. And my remote battery died this time so I was back to click and run. And then yesterday I wore this:


This outfit features a towering Dr. Seuss hat and a scrumptious, vintage plush velvet coat from my fairy thrift mother Su. Can you believe it?!! It's designed to bag out fit-wise but I wanted it tighter so I overlapped the front and mitten-clipped it shut.


The other day when I was out for coffee with Sandra of Lens is More (now also on Instagram HERE), a coffee shop barista gave me the best compliment but prefaced it with, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way but..." - I braced myself - "you look like Cruella de Vil." Hahaha!! I was wearing my red faux fur, red earrings, rrrred lipstick, green pants, purple ear muffs. You get the idea.

That's it. For now. I'm swamped with work in a good way so I'll be skulking for a while. Happy holidays! (Now you're wondering, what holiday? There is no holiday.)

And thanks for interviewing me for your series, Sarah!! It's an honour.



Sunday, 17 January 2016

My silent movie

Melanie Kobayashi, Bag and a Beret, lots of necklaces

Where's my classic Rolls Royce? I feel like a '20s film star in this get-up. Well, it's not actually a get-up; it's a get-it-on, get-down, get-with-it, get-goin', gettin'-real kind of outfit, not a costume, even though everything we put on lends us character. 

Mel Kobayashi, Bag and a Beret, large magnifying glass pendant
Fashion rule: It is perilous to wear a large magnifying glass pendant on a sunny day because
it may burn a hole in one's torso, which is never an attractive fashion statement. With winter sun I stayed intact.
If I were a Hollywood star, in this outfit I'd definitely have been photographed in, say, New York, as I'm dressed far too warmly for Beverly Hills. I'm wearing my thrifted midi length made-in-France wool knit turtleneck dress, which features a hood and gold lurex thread decorative seaming, and my impossibly amazing faux fur maxi coat, which I bought on consignment. If I was really a star, those yellow diamonds wouldn't be from a thrift pile in East Vancouver either.


My imaginary agent, director, manager, and publicist would probably all be screaming at me that I'm getting a bit long in tooth for my imaginary profession, in which case I'd have to tell them to feck off and then build my own studio empire and distribution network where all female actors, whose falling "fuckability" quotients (from ruling misogynist eyes) have kicked them out of the system, will find a new lucrative home. Woe betide those who underestimate women's power of the grey - that's something real.

Mel Kobayashi, thwarted silent screen schtar, Bag and a Beret

I have no script; I'm better when I improvise. Or maybe I just haven't stumbled across the right script yet. Clearly, not having a script at all doesn't give me much chance of finding a good or a bad one. Nunh. But one outfit certainly brings up lots of ideas and dreams which I scrawl down here maybe a day or hours before I post.

And...
MY SILENT MOVIE: 
BAG AND A BERET CHECKS HER BLOG READING LIST

I have made a little Silent Movie that shows me reading the blogs I follow, which I had been thinking about for a while. Sooo much ended up on the cutting room floor. Heheheh. I just wish it wasn't such a pain to remove the makeup. I hope you enjoy this.


No ears or fingers were harmed in the making of my video. And don't worry - I used an old computer. I use a big trough, designed for animals long in tooth, while I'm browsing on my regular machine. Below is a still taken from the video with shadow added around the edges. It fits my mood. 

Melanie Kobayashi, still from YouTube video I made, Bag and a Beret

With this windswept-style hair I often feel like I'm in a commercial selling high-end stereo equipment. Very empowering, but who buys stereos any more? Which consumer products do you feel like you're selling with your hair style?

That's all from here. I'll link something up with Patti at Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday and with Catherine at Not Dressed at Lamb for #iwillwearwhatilike when they go live. These linkups are great motivators for me to organize myself at least once a week. Thank you, Patti and Catherine!


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