Saturday, October 21, 2017

All the 80's Looks in One Hideous Jacket

The Jaeger jacket gets the yearly wear. I own three, but this one is by far the strangest.
The crazy, long lapels, the goofy shoulder pads, the pockets so low you'd need absurdly long arms to reach them. This jacket is every bad idea from the 80's rolled into one. I'd never part with it!
The skirt is equally bonkers. Prince of Wales check and gingham in alternating panels. The fabric is a very stiff cotton that would be best used for upholstering outdoor furniture, and the heavy, industrial zipper better suited to a duffel bag. The length is quirky too. There's a very old label in it, in Hebrew. It looks like something put together in a home ec class on a kibbutz. Needless to say, I've been wearing it because I like oddly constructed clothing. I just wish I knew the story behind it.  The socks are of course the Ouija patterned ones I bought at the Halloween shop. They're quite tight on me. I have, thanks to all the running larger-than-typical calves. Most days I don't notice it, but knee socks are tricky to find large enough. I'm also swollen like a damn balloon from all the steroid medications, so for the time being, I might need to stay away from knee socks. I wish they made compression hosiery in Ouija board patterns!

I tried out some very matte green eye shadow. I don't think it is me, but it was fun for a day.
Outfit Particulars:
Skirt-Goodwill
Sweater-Target about 15 years ago
Socks-Halloween shop
Shoes-Goodwill
Betsey Johnson bag-Goodwill
Necklaces-both Hand-Me-Ups
Earrings-Hand-Me-Ups
Brooch-Goodwill
80's Jaeger jacket-Goodwill
Fragrance-Chamade
We were at Lake Manawa today, and found ourselves caught in the most magnificent downpour. We sat in the car watching the thousands of gulls scatter as the hail began, only to return ten minutes later as the skies cleared. Sometimes it can be nice to quietly experience nature, even in less than perfect conditions. Earlier in the day, we stopped in at the Douglas County Extension office for their open house. There were bunnies, goats, sheep, hissing cockroaches, spiders, plants, cooking demonstrations and just about everything you would expect. We ran into a Master Gardener we know, met someone Danny saw at Bird Banding last week, and chatted with an entomologist about those bloody Pirate Bugs biting like crazy this time of year. There were 4-H kids showing off their prize animals, and the loveliest girl told us all about her bunnies. It was a very nice way to draw people in from the community that wouldn't otherwise have reason to go to the Extension. The thing is, they're really a great resource.  Gardening questions? Food preserving worries?  Something eating your flowers? I've availed myself of their expertise over the years, and have always been glad we have people around that really know their stuff. It was a great way to spend an hour on a Saturday afternoon.

I hope you're having a nice weekend.






10 comments:

Bibi Maizoon said...

All that and hissing cockroaches too?
I guess that jacket is he 80's does 40's female zoot suit?
Anywho, you've accessorized all that oddity fabulously! (as usual)

Radostin said...

Hissing cockroaches? Yikes! Your weekend does sound lovely, though. It seems to me that perhaps the jacket is simply designed for someone much, much larger than you, no? The shoulders would be less exaggerated, pockets closer to the right place; even the lapels would be more proportionate.
I share your fondness for odd clothing as evidenced by the skirt; if you like you can photograph the label and I'll see if I can tell you anything more about it.
Also, great socks! I sympathise about calf muscles, though mine are mostly from pushing a buggy uphill (I obviously don't push the buggy any more, but the uphill walk seems enough to maintain firmness since)

Beth Waltz said...

Zounds! Whenever we think you've tapped the outer limits of pattern mixing, you exert yourself -- swollen calves be darned! -- to press on to new summits! The jacket fits no one, no where; however, with that exceedingly odd skirt, it becomes wearable. But it's the Ouija tights that tie the ensemble together in an elegant if eccentric statement of "this is how to have fun with vintage!"

Yes, of course, what else would one wear with Prince of Wales checks but multi-strand pearls...

Polyester Princess said...

Finally we get to see the Ouija board socks, which of course are perfect with the bonkers skirt, which looks a bit like pieces of two different skirts put together as an experiment. Maybe that Jaeger jacket was made for a giant? I love the multi layered pearls, and are those green shoes you are wearing? I quite like matte green eyeshadow, but I hardly ever wear it, as I don't think it looks good on me. The Douglas County Extension sounds interesting, although I'm not sure I'd be too keen on the hissing cockroaches ... xxx

ThriftyParka said...

I think you the matte green eyeshadow looks quite nice on you! Thank you for sharing the outfit, the construction and provenance of the skirt is interesting to say the least!

How lovely it must have been to quietly enjoy nature...you're inspiring me to avail myself of local resources once these blasted renovations are done!

Thank you again for posting, your blog always lifts my (drywall dusty) spirits

Happy thrifting ;)

Melanie Folly Bird said...

That's a lovely colour eye shadow. I don't wear it myself, haven't in years, not since the navy eye shadow and kohl eyeliner episode at a gig years ago, when I had a coughing fit and ended up with eye makeup down my cheeks!

Mim said...

That skirt is ace. Yes, the pattern mixing is bonkers, but it works.

What is an Extension in the US? Here in the UK, it's when someone gets an extra bit built onto their house!

Vix said...

I once a shared a bed with a hissing cockroach - actually, not sure if it was the one hissing or me when the bastard ran across my face.
Pattern mixing rocks. Yes, why don't compression stocking manufacturers make them in groovy prints rather than cream? I hated wearing mine.
Jaeger's 1980s jackets put David Byrne's to shame. xxx

Goody said...

@Bibi
Whenever the bug people from UNL show up to an event they either bring the giant millipede or the hissing roach-neither of which are native to the US, let alone Nebraska. This time however, they also brought a wolf spider, which at least you can see locally. I guess if you have exciting bugs, you want to show them off!

@Radostin
It is pretty faded, but I'll try to get a photo of the label. Thank you.

@Beth
It is certainly one of the oddest pieces in my collection. I'll have to get out the other two jackets-they're also oversized, but tamer.

@Ann
The shoes are green, covered in a sort of felt-like fabric. They're uncomfortable as can be though, so their days are looking numbered.

@Thrifty Parka
That's such a lovely thing to say-thank you! I hope the renovations will be concluding soon-I imagine it must be hard to do stuff like that in the winter?

@Melanie
By the end of the day my makeup is often all over my face...but it works for Alice Cooper so...*shrugs*

@Mim
I'm glad you asked! The Extension service is an educational service provided by state land-grant universities through a government programme. It is largely based around agricultural subjects, but also increasingly early childhood education, and economic development. Each of the 50 states has a Cooperative Extension, and they administer the youth 4-H programmes. It is a wonderful system that does such a great job of getting accurate information to people that can use it (the food safety classes come immediately to mind).

@Vix
Maybe we can become rich selling fashionable support hosiery.


Cee said...

Hey, I like that jacket !