You know how it is-some mornings you wake up, and the first thing that pops into your head is, "This is going to be a day that requires serious sleeves." When that happens the best thing to do is go back to bed and try to wake up requiring something more simple, like coffee and a bowl of cereal. If that fails, and the sleeves will not be denied, start rummaging through your wardrobe for something 80's when the sleeves were as big as the shoulder-pads supporting them. Bless you, Diane Freis and your wild and wonderful 80's dresses.
Yep. This will do nicely.
I don't wear this dress often, the last time being 2014. I styled it a bit differently that time wearing it with one chin instead of three.
Today, I went for a more well rounded (face) look.
If your shoulder pads aren't at least five inches thick, you're doing it wrong. This jacket delivers!
Outfit Particulars:
1980's Diane Freis dress-Thrift World
1980's jacket (part of a suit)-Goodwill
Madden Girl shoes-Goodwill
Vintage Angela Frascone handbag-Goodwill
Earrings-K Mart
Flower on jacket-Tiff and Tam
Vintage cloisonne clamper bracelet-Hand-Me-Ups (part of a set)
Fragrance-Rochas Femme
I thought about cropping these photos so you could see the rings and bracelet without seeing my horrible hands-then I thought better of it. I work with my hands, they are constantly in either bread dough, hot soapy water, paint, or garden soil. I am the Home Ec teacher, the art teacher, the science teacher and everything else. I couldn't maintain a manicure if my life depended on it. Really-that's truth, not a cliche. I am also middle aged. I'm not suggesting there's anything more, "genuine" about showing my wrinkled hands than people who chose not to. I am suggesting that I'm not ashamed of how hard these hands work, and I'm not going to hide them. The ring with the purple stone (It isn't amethyst, and I've forgotten what it is called) was a gift I bought myself when I graduated from university. No one else bought me anything, so I took myself over to Marshall Field's and bought myself something to remember the occasion by.
So now class, what do we do when big sleeves demand we acknowledge them? That's right kids, we go full-on 1980's. The sleeve will not be denied.
In other news, I am an idiot. The prescription vitamin D supplement I've been taking? It was supposed to be once a week for eight weeks, not once a day. Oops. I called Poison Control and between trying not to laugh, the young woman on the phone told me it happens "Often to older patients who misread the instructions." Thanks, I needed that. In hindsight, 50,000 IU does sound like a bit much on a daily basis.
Clearly, the RIF message was lost on me because Jenny Can't Read.
Gah. I have to say, "Menopause Brain" has been far worse than "Baby Brain" ever was. I hope I'm not going to spend the rest of my life doing stupid things, and having young people try to comfort me with that tone they adopt when speaking to anyone over thirty. I'm afraid it is all comfort shoes, soap operas, and Geritol from here on out...if I can be trusted around a bottle of Geritol. I'll just get a young person to read the itty bitty printed directions.
I'll be drinking warm milk, and watching Corrie if anyone needs me.
And get the hell off my lawn.
Oh what a fabulous bag! Will you leave it me in your will, please?
ReplyDeleteI love the dress and the flower on the jacket is a brilliant touch - and very catwalk! Beautiful dress - it looks like a riotous flower garden.
I also love your rings and bracelet. I have some cloisonne brooches and a few pairs of earrings - in the 1990s I had lots but have lost some over the years.
I agree with you about hands, I don't hide mine but they're not pretty. My mum told not long before she died that I had the same hands as my maternal grandfathe (who was a manual labourer for most of his life!). When I was 16 and bits my nails; a boy I went out with told me I had hands like pig's trotters! I also have liver/age spots on mine which I think is due to sun damage - my hands always go brown in the summer. I've never had a manicure nor am I likely to. Like you my hands are constantly in water or food preparation etc. I do paint my toenails though!
All that Vitamin D should mean you have super strong bones - strong enough to hold up enormous sleeves....
Have a lovely week
Veronica
vronni60s.blogspot.com
We're both all about the sleeves! My puffed ones yesterday should come with a government health warning.
ReplyDeleteThat dress is fabulous, proving yet again that the Eighties weren't a style wasteland.
My hands are a heck of a lot worse than yours, a catering career is cruel thing!
I'm glad you didn't poison yourself. Look on the bright side though, with all that Vit D these no way you'll ever get rickets! xxx
Bless you, Goody, for a post sufficiently hilarious to lift the spirits of a woman suffering from her 8th week of a bacterial sinus infection. The pharmacist's assistant who carefully read the instructions to me TWICE must be a near relative of the tactless twit at poison control.
ReplyDeleteThe purse prompted me to Google Angela Frascone. The dress? I do believe in sleeves, I do, I do -- but even a little 80s goes far with me. I'd be tempted to do a Vixenish deconstructionist maneuver and remove those bounteous sleeves and reattach them to a black velveteen vest one could flaunt with black slacks or a maxi skirt.
Mani's are for women who do not possess lovely rings such as yours. And good on you for buying yourself a graduation present. My parents also considered a daughter's college graduation a non-event. When I took a bottle of wine to their house to turn a Sunday supper into a celebration, only my brother bothered to raise his glass in a toast.
I do love a dramatic sleeve, and those are beauties! And a bold floral print, love that too.
ReplyDeleteYou have some fabulous jewellery and I like seeing close-ups of your rings. I never noticed anything about your hands other than that they are great for displaying those rings! My hands are definitely showing signs of age - they have never, ever been dry or cracked before but they are now. Age spots too. Oh well - not the end of the world.
You don't need to tell me about menopause brain. Actually you do, I forgot... xxx
ha! Another witty and beautiful blog post! And don't you dare hide those hands!! Those hands have accomplished a LOT!
ReplyDeletehappy thrifting ;)
@Veronica
ReplyDeleteOkay, I alerted the boys that you get the handbag if I "kick the bucket." Remember to hold them to it so they don't try using it to hold tools or something!
@Vix
I love that dress you wore yesterday-and the waistcoat is magnificent. Somehow I managed to avoid rickets, but I swear I've had every other deficiency disease over the years. I swear I eat well, I have no idea what my body is doing with the nutrients.
@Beth
Whatever you do, don't cut up a Diane Freis dress if you're lucky enough to find one-they sell for insane amounts of money at First Dibs. Always Google before cutting.
@Curtise
Wait...what were we talking about?
I suppose handling clothing all day does some damage to your hands as well. I've yet to find anything by way of hand lotion that doesn't wash right off.
@Thrifty Parka
Thank you, that's a sweet thing to say.
Oh my, I had that same big shouldered double breasted jacket in the 80's that came with a moderately priced shirtdress set from Macy's. I wore that that jacket with everything from leggings to palazzos & extremely ridiculous hair.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving that dress not only for the voluminous sleeves but the sequined detail at the neck & that fabulous print - what a great transitional piece for Winter to Spring!
I was just reviewing my supplement intake. I take iron & vitamin D too. I can't go out in the sun at this altitude without my skin searing off so I understand the lack of vit D - but iron has always been a problem even though I eat meat & leafy greens. If you were taking 50,000IU's daily for more than a week you probably don't need to take any more til next year. Vit D is stored iin fat, just sayin'!
Your friendly pharmacist,
Bibi
Adore your dress. , I have very few regrets about things I've given away but similar dress like yours little regret is now here.
ReplyDeleteHope
It's amazing how the two different jackets affect the way the colours in the dress pop or not.
ReplyDeleteThose rings are lovely. And your hands are YOUR hands. They are hands that work, hands that care. I like seeing real people's blog posts and outfits, it's good to know that there are people who are interesting and fun and don't simply care how 'good'* they might look in their next selfie. Your hands are fab because you are fab.
*By which I mean 'in line with current beauty standards'.
Tourmaline?
ReplyDelete@Bibi
ReplyDeleteyou callin' me fat?!
You're lucky I know you well enough not to get my nose out of joint ;)
The funny thing is after letting the DR. know what happened he wants me to wait two weeks, and then start again. I guess my labs came back so deficient that I'll need to keep taking 4,000 units a day after I'm done with the weekly doses. No idea why I can't get enough D (I drink milk, go outside in sunshine, etc.) but it can cause all sorts of problems, I'm told.
@Hope
Maybe you'll find another. Both of mine showed up in thrift stores.
@Mim
You never do see those wrinkle-free, manicured hands offering a flip off to their readers, do you?
@Propagatrix
Possibly. I can't remember but looking at Google images that does look close.
Hi Goody! After today's tragic events here in Belgium, your post made me smile, so thank you! I cannot maintain a manicure either by the way, and frankly speaking I don't care. I'm sure those power sleeves will detract attention from your hands anyway. xxx
ReplyDelete@Polyester Princess
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you today. I'm glad I could bring a smile to you on such an awful day.