We didn’t have an American flag or a Texas flag at my work, but we oddly enough, had an Arkansas flag for me to carry for the holiday. Hooray for the Natural State!
My lucky blouse, given to me by my aunt when I was 15. She bought it in 1986.
Is that vintage yet? I feel weird saying that. Here’s some more photos of me wearing it through the years.
It’s raining! I know you can’t really tell from these photos. That’s why I have my hair in such a tight set in these photos. It reminds me of of octopus tentacles or curly fern leafs. I didn’t want the rain to ruin it before I went to see the Pretty Things Peepshow tonight!
This collar is listed on etsy!
Please excuse the skipped post yesterday. I brought my camera out to take my photo and I’d left the battery pack on my desk at home!
Today was very beautiful outside and I bought myself a dozen coral colored roses and a cupcake. Tomorrow I’ll be at Rio Rita with RecSpec! for a Valentine’s Day special. They will be playing music and I will be manning a naughty make-your-own Valentine booth. Come out if you can!
I bought this dress on ebay with the original intention of cutting out the pattern and using the shape as a projection screen as part of my MFA thesis. It’s difficult to capture on film, but this fabric is absolutely luminous and glossy – it burns with so many colors! However, the projection idea proved too obtuse, and luckily, was scrapped. The dress remained, quiet, in my closet.
The first strange thing I noticed about this dress was that the piping around the pockets and sleeves is the sweetest color of periwinkle. But, I’ve never ever even thought to pair periwinkle with orange, but I think it looks quite lovely. I also like how the breast pockets look like folded envelopes! One thing I wish I could change about the dress is the length. It has a full zipper, like that of a house dress, fancy as though this fabric may be. It was probably a glorified dressing gown. We just got these paper flowers in at my work. I had a fun time today moving them from my hair to my blazer and back again. I got them in almost every color so brace yourselves to see some in the next few posts.
My remix shoes are still pleasing me with every time I wear them! These got a little beat up in the back when I rode on my bicycle.
Now my favorite! The sleeves! These are the kind of poofy sleeves I draw on all of my cartoon girls:
I think in this image I was literally chanting “Puffy sleeve! Puffy sleeve!” in a muppet voice.
The first time I wore the dress, Halloween, 2007:
I was posing as a living mannequin inside and outside of Decades Vintage Clothing in downtown Portland. I started out in the window, but I am too tall for most people walking by to notice. When people made eye contact with me, I winked at them! When I posed outside, two men pulled on my fingers to see if I was real. I held a dish of candy and whispered Enjoy when people took a piece. One woman yelled the loudest I’ve ever heard in real life. Her friends laughed at her. Two business men tipped me.
With finals fast approaching (I’m in graduate school) I haven’t been wearing any new outfits. Thus, I bring you… Adventures of My Lucky Blouse!
My aunt was born in Arkansas and brought up there. When she got her first big job in Washington D.C., her first stop was at the Gucci store, who was having a half of half sale. She bought this navy blouse, a brown mohair sweater with black sequined applique, a red suit and a teal suit. On my fourteenth birthday, she gifted all of these items to me! The other items have not worn so well, but this blouse has seen me through thick and thin. Plus, it’s my only real designer item! When I commissioned my cartoon portrait from Mimo, I sent along photos of me wearing this blouse for her to incorporate.
April, 2006
October, 2007
April, 2008
Do you have a lucky item of clothing?
When I lived in the Pacific NW, I could buy Navy pants at almost every vintage store, but I’ve never seen any in the south!
Suggestions for wearing 13 button Navy Pants:
- Change out the standard issue buttons with colorful ones
- Cut them off and hem them into shorts
- Replace the back tie with a colorful ribbon
- They gather dust/lint, so be sure to have a lint roller handy
- The number one rule: Don’t wear your sailor pants out drinking. You will not make it in time if you are drunkenly fumbling with the buttons.
As always, sailor pants are perfect for a 1930s chorus girl kind of look.
Today I got a lot of comments that I looked like a doll or like a mannequin. I suppose I have a knack for standing uncommonly still, and today I was letting myself just stare off into space while thinking of how to construct my Gadjo Disko/Halloween costume: deer antler headpiece! I have been mistaken for a mannequin in places where you usually don’t find mannequins… like the grocery store!
Here I am two years ago when I lived in Portland, Oregon. I worked part time as a living mannequin for a vintage store downtown. I posed in the window displays. When people made eye contact with me, I winked at them!
I also posed out on the sidewalk with an armless authentic. I held a dish of candy and whispered Enjoy when people took a piece. One woman yelled the loudest I’ve ever heard in real life. It was like a horror movie scream. Her friends laughed at her. The store was very close to a homeless shelter and a lot of street people would approach me and pull on my fingers to see if I was real! Oh, and people would also tip me!
* White ribbon in hair
* 1950s? navy/white vintage dress with sheer front panel – Nobody’s Baby, Eugene, Oregon
* Mary Jane High Heels – Target
Today’s outfit was rather plain to write about (bow, dress, heels) but I think the color and pattern of this dress is so striking that it doesn’t need to be overpowered with a lot of accessories. Once again, I am matching navy blue and black together! Did you know that most vintage dresses are either black or navy? I learned this from John when I worked in Portland at Decade’s Vintage. I didn’t believe him at first, but then I went to my own closet and examined all of my dresses. I rearranged my closet in ROYGBIV style and sure enough, there were more dresses in the “BIV” part of the spectrum. I’ve tried since then to make a conscientious choice not to buy navy blue, and I think I feel as if I have more variety because of it. I still have not found suitable navy shoes that are vegan friendly.
This weekend in Austin, Texas was Austin City Limits, so there were a lot of great shows. I saw !!! at Emo’s on Friday. I have been seeing them live since 2002 when they played my small hometown in Arkansas and I’ve managed to see them in almost every major city I’ve ever been to! Friday night was a good show, save for all of the beer that got poured all over my shoes in the crowd.
Yesterday at work I saw Jack White in my store and I had a really funny moment of greeting him really enthusiastically like I would any other customer and then suddenly realizing who he was and then kind of freezing up! He kind of did a double take when he saw me, and I think it might be because I have really similar coloring to his wife, the lovely Karen Elson! I spent the rest of the day arguing with my co-worker about Loretta Lynn’s Van Lear Rose. I loved it, but I like all Loretta Lynn.
I would do this, except I wouldn’t put lipstick on my eyebrows.
