hat revival

If there is one thing missing in our generation's wardrobe of necessities, it is The Elegant Hat. I took it upon myself to remedy this problem. Or that was the post-purchase plan, in any case. My family, along with my grandparents, took a pleasure trip to Quebec City, a cute tourist destination sporting all sorts of faux European and real French Canadian sights. The quaint but not-so-small harbour, the rain spattering on the cobbled streets, the cute French waiters, the gelato, the bakeries, the horrendously pricey clothing, the rolling green fields, sweet little cottages, and the local farmers' market, combined, was an altogether delightful experience. One of the highlights involved dropping in at a hat shop, completely genuine with hats spilling off the shelves and everything. And, to top it all of, the owners were also the chief hatmakers. As soon as I saw this hat, it reminded me of a burlap sack, and because I take to the poetic value of birds but not their poop or worm-eating habits, I decided the feather simply sealed the deal.
Since then, I wear it when I feel the need to be Really Me, although, it is probably closer to the feeling that I Wish I Were Her, that untouchable woman of the 1930s.

To conclude, it is only fitting that I drink tea from an Elegant Teapot while wearing my Elegant Hat, and so, to let you imagine yourself in my position, I have provided a picture of my math homework in the kitchen by the blossoms in a bottle and the aforementioned object.

Friday, May.

The thing I like about this outfit is the black dress. It is really a sort of, I don't know what you'd call it, it's like an over coat but it's a light material, and you can wear it in a million different ways. I like it because I got it in one of those Indian-imports stores that smell like incense and have jewellry, golden Buddha statues, carved wooden mirrors, etc., in some obscure town with a good second hand bookstore, when I was 11 or 12. I have worn it consistently for about 4 years and I still find new ways to wear it and it's still in perfect condition. I wore four variations on this outfit this week, it made dressing very easy in the morning, and I felt like I went to private school every day. Especially when I added a neck tie.

Etsy Fashion, as is only usual

Blogger and I don't really agree. But I just wanted to "talk" about the dress on the left, but for only one reason. The bow on the bottom. Why don't I see that more often? I am depressed at the state of fashion that this has appeared but once in my studies. Apparently this dress was made from a table cloth. Envy.

sixties throwback

yes. i look silly. but that is not the point here. this is about the sixties sundress, which i thrifted and which i'm pretty sure was handmade, a cardigan which i borrowed at the last minute from my cousin, and mary janes which i thrifted two summers ago at this little jam-packed and grofty thrift store in alliston where i used to be a regular. (i wanted to steal my friend's gothish boots just to be incongruous, but she kind of needed them).
closer look at my attempted miniature beehive. i think i could have pulled off a beehive fairly well. also, i was going to the movies. for some reason, that always always makes me want to dress up.
the immortal twiggy. she's much more mod than i was today, but i am going with the 60s tradition of the dark eyeliner/pale lips combo. twiggy is pretty cool.. but quite twiggy.

mod cloth

This afternoon I stumbled upon this: www.modcloth.com. Once you get past the somewhat annoyingly cute front page, there are lots of little treasures. (I wish I could find their location so I could see if shippings would be totally implausible, but at this stage of my life I should just never spend money anyways.) I approve of their vinyl/typewriter jewelry, their oxford pumps, and their dresses; not so much of their t-shirts. Anyways, here are some pretties I was specially impressed with:
Sail Away Dress.
I love corset-style tops; they're terribly flattering, but they're only corset-style so they can be sweet and pretty instead of vampy. Also, the sheer bottom of this dress lends itself to fun times with vintage slips.
Fairy Tale dress. You can see the fabric, but it is tres awesome. If you visit the site, look at the close-up. It is kind of bleedy; it looks way clearer in this picture. I'm pretty sure this dress wouldn't flatter me, though.


Lace-up Dickensy shoes always meet with approval.

This is the crowning glory-- vintage style bathing suit, sweetheart neckline, squared-off bottom, full-piece without being mumsy... lovely vintage flapperness. I may have to get one for myself. All not-spending-money resolutions aside.

Clothing from my Other Continent.

Because it is Monday, I'm going to post my three favourite photos this week of people and clothing. They are all from Africa because lately I've been listening to a lot of Afro-Beat radio and wearing wooden bracelets.

First. My parents at a wedding in Johannesburg sometime in the 80s.

Second. A photo I posted already on my other blog--but I can't get it over it. From a photo shoot inspired by the skinheads of Lagos, Nigeria during the 70s.

Third. Cloth.

some red shoes and other red/grey things

Usually-- my outfits can be summed up in a phrase, because I am dressed as something- spring, a scientist, a flapper- it is a definable costume. not today.

This is le hodge-podge. It is partially inspired by dora in this qc comic, but only partially.

I would like to talk about glasses frames. They are part of the outfit. They are not my own. Two people (both boys, actually, so I'm surprised I don't care more) have mentioned they think that wearing frames when your eyesight is in perfect working order is pretentious. To them (and anybody else who happens to agree) I say- um.. nonsense! Accessorizing your face is not any more pretentious than accessorizing your neck with jewelry/scarves or accessorizing your face with make-up. Just less people do it. But that's not a good reason not to wear something.

The necklace, which makes me happy, I got thrifting last night. It has an immense wooden elephant on it. Also a hybrid lion-wolf. They are red. Here are two of my deepest-held clothing philosophies: 1- If it has animals on it, it is drastically increased in awesomeness. 2- In the words of a wonderfully dressed girl (emily of some girls wander) "red is my neutral".

In this picture I am also wearing my heinously small red shoes. I have yet to wear them out because they pinch my toes, and I feel like my feet are being mugged after about ten minutes. If I'm ever going somewhere where I get dropped off at the door, sit down for a few hours, and then get picked up again, at the door, I will wear them. Because.. um.. 'round here, we do love red shoes.

Also, I have never dressed up as spring and only the 'knickers over tights' thing (and I guess the red-and-black thing) is inspired by a webcomic. I would feel weird dressed as a webcomic character.

-Janie

P.S. I apologize for small pictures with poor lighting. Sometimes you are a girl who lives in a basement with a borrowed and not particularly amazing camera. So, the lighting is bad. The pictures are fuzzy. They can be nicely clicked bigger though...