Anyway, I've long loved a good red, white, and blue outfit in the springtime.
This bag looks black in the photos, but it really is a very dark navy blue. I was so lucky to snag this bag. I was at the Goodwill when I saw the "obnoxious-line-jumping-man-bun-hipster" that sells online wandering the store. Let's just say the fella has earned an not-nice reputation locally for a lack of manners, and general boorish, entitled attitude. How he managed to miss this bag hanging on a rack for $3.99 I don't snow, but I grabbed it. Vintage Naturalizer-be still my heart! I've been waiting all winter for the snow to leave so I could break out the red, white and blue salute to spring and wear this handbag. Today's the day! It was a terribly long winter made better knowing I had this bag to look forward to. Kind of like the first stalks of rhubarb poking up through the earth, I can't wear rhubarb, so hooray for handbags.
This is one of those rare occasions when my entire outfit consist of clothes made in the United States. I suppose it is only right that it be a red, white and blue ensemble. The cardigan is by Designer Originals from the years when they were still manufacturing in New Hampshire (they no longer do). The skirt is Koret of California, and the top is from, Campus Casuals. The pieces all date to the mid-late 70's, and I have the identical wrap skirt in white as well. I like the skirts very much save for one small issue...
it closes in the back. What sort of sadistic bastard designs a wrap skirt with a back closure?! There's plenty of overlap, so I'm not at risk of it coming open if I bend over, but a good gusty Nebraska wind blowing across the prairie? Yeah, that could be bad. Thankfully, the wind is calm today, but I think I might need to sew in a snap. "Full moon over Omaha!" Not good,
Outfit Particulars:
Vintage Koret of California wrap skirt-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage Campus Casuals top-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage Designer Originals cardigan-Can't remember, had it forever
Denim clogs-Goodwill
Vintage Naturalizer handbag-Goodwill
Earrings-New Life Thrift (I think)
Vintage enamel flower brooch-Thrift World (I think)
Fragrance-Guerlain Imperiale
Wrap skirt+ clogs=1978
At least it was where I lived.
Is there a colour combination that says, "Spring" to you?
Oooh, today is Friday. I've only just noticed. Happy Weekend.
I never used to buy clothes in Spring because they all seemed to be those @#$%^!! pastels that looked like crap on me.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to wear a lot of Koret polyester pantsuits, they weren't exactly cheap as I recall.
Speaking of Guerlains, has you or anyone of Goody's 'fume head readers tried Mahora or Terracotta? I was searching for tuberoses & those 2 popped up. Mahora was supposed to be Guerlain's biggest flop.
Pay no never mind to my most recent post on my blog...I posted the wrong chicken recipe at the right time so it is a repost, oops! What a newb I am. Blonde too.
@Bibi
ReplyDeleteI wasn't crazy about either of those, but Danny adores Terracotta and gives it a 7 out of 10 (and he's a tough reviewer). To me, it has that "suntan lotion" smell you get from coconut mixed with ylang, which is fine, but not at Guerlain prices-I can buy a bottle of Coppertone for the same effect. As for Mahora-let's just say the bottle was the best part of it. I really should have liked it with all the vetiver, but again-that tropical tuberose/coconut overwhelmed any green notes. I still have a small bit of it in my perfume library, but I can't imagine wearing it. Might be OK on a teenager.
Have you tried the Sonia Kashuk (sp?) Pink Inocencia? Dumb name, but a really nice tuberose with magnolia and amber. I ended up buying a large bottle of it, and I have to tell you, it was the best sixteen bucks I've spent in some time. Yes, the amber is kind of sweet, but it works well with the tuberose. Might be one to buy on your next trip to the States.
The white-buttons-on-red PLUS red-buttons-on-white are so wonderful together! Like a detail I might have made on a paper doll's outfit many years ago. Also, red, white, & blue always seems to me as though it will look 4th of July (& I'm not even American), but this doesn't - so, well done!
ReplyDeleteSnagging the Naturalizer bag out from under the unwholesome snout of the hipster made it what my law-enforcement buddies call a "righteous take." Well done!
ReplyDeleteI, too, treasure the few garments I own that were Made in the USA. Now that you've mentioned it, I don't think I could assemble an entire outfit with those labels. (Query: What's wrong with granny pants? Have a pair I bought to wear with culottes and they've outworn the culottes by decades.)
Do like the clogs with the wrap skirt, somehow the clogs seem more serious chore worthy than sandals. Takes a sturdy (too clunky) sandal to hold up a denim skirt!
@Radostin
ReplyDeleteThank you. Red, white, and blue figure in so many flags (UK, France, USA) that I don't associate it with July 4th. However, when the holiday does roll around, I have some horrible vintage Americana including a very ugly blue skirt with white stars on it, and a polyester blouse with a giant collar and HUGE red white and blue flowers that are so tacky they're really only appropriate at a fireworks display. We won't even discuss my ever-growing collection of Bicentennial tea trays, or strange necklaces.
@Beth
I dunno, the more I look at the photos, the less I like the clogs, but that can be camera angle too. I swear, it looked normal enough in the mirror this morning.
That is the PERFECT spring outfit. I am pretty certain that I owned that skirt in a nice green. I wore it with a green and white flowered Villager blouse with a Peter Pan collar, white knee sox and -yes- navy blue clogs. I got the skirt and blouse as hand-me-downs from the cool older girl that lived across the street. I always hoped that her grooviness would rub off on me via her clothes. No such luck. It was a very cute outfit nonetheless. Gosh, Goodie, you are the Proust of fashion memories. Short sleeves with my pale freckled goose bumped arms sticking out. That says Spring to me.
ReplyDeleteI've never associated red, white and blue with Spring before, more those nasty pastels which, like Bibi looked terrible on me. We never got clothes for Spring, Mum would get us something 6 sizes too big from Marks and Spencer's September sale rail and we'd grow into it.
ReplyDeleteHow weird is the positioning of the flap on that skirt? I love the outfit though, you look like a bad ass air steward.
Yay for getting the bag before the hipster. I see that hairstyle and always take an instant dislike to the person it's attached to. xxx
Although I love red, white and blue, spring doesn't immediately eh ... spring to mind, and I don't really do pastels. Maybe yellows and greens? Your outfit is lovely, though. And the handbag! You were so lucky that nasty man missed it. Oh, and I was very partial about my clothes from a young ago too. You don't know how much persuasion was needed to even let me have shop-bought clothes instead of the clothes, all of the same basic model, my grandmother made for me. xxx
ReplyDelete@Connie
ReplyDeleteIf I'm the Proust of fashion memories I;d better get right to bed and start writing them down...wait...okay...yeah. I guess I have that covered.
I'll bet you looked cool in your Villager blouse (they made nice clothes).
@Vix
I would have killed for clothes six sizes too big. My mother would buy the clothes too small as some sort of twisted encouragement to lose weight. I always had an assortemnt of clothing I couldn't wear.
@Polyester Princess
I think it might be some sort of American Preppy thing with the red, white and blue spring fashions. You're not supposed to wear white until the end of May (our Memorial Day holiday) so I suspect it was a way to sneak a bit of white into the wardrobe.
ReplyDeleteLovely Spring like outfit, Goody, and that bag is fabulous! Like the rest of comments above; red, white and blue is not something I usually associate with Spring - more with Patriotism! You make it look cool.
Veronica
vronni60s.blogspot.com
Hoorah for getting the bag before the hipster. There's never any excuse for rudeness like queue-jumping. You deserve the bag. I always think of navy, red and white as summery, I think because I associate it with boats and boating trips with sunshine.
ReplyDeleteI have come to the conclusion that back-wraps are bad after carrying a heavy bag up a hill... not realising that the motion of the bag against my leg was gradually pulling my dress open. Every driver going up the Wellsway must have seen by lardy behind! Since then, I have shied away from them (and I always wear good knickers with my front-wrap garments ;-) )