Friday, October 19, 2018

Snow Joke

For goodness sake! 

Snow in October is almost always a bad sign of things to come, and this was a bad storm. Last Sunday we were expecting 1/2 inch of snow. Instead we had several inches, high winds, ice, and mass power outages across the city. By Tuesday morning there were still people waiting to have power restored. We had a tree come down blocking our street, but the city was out quickly to take care of it. Our lights flickered a few times but we were lucky enough to keep power on. One street over they were blacked-out. Today, the sun was out, our temperatures were in the upper 60s and there's no trace of the storm that ground things to a halt. If it happened in December we'd have been ready to deal with it, but instead it was a surprise for everyone concerned. Ah well, we got through it but really, I never did like surprises.
I did get an opportunity to wear my new-to-me vintage 70s ski jacket. I was drawn to the zip-out sleeves (I'm a sucker for clothes that multi-task).

I had a ski jacket in the 70s but it was down, very puffy, and it leaked leaving a trail of feathers on my clothes. I got through most of the 70s wearing a red wool Hudson's Bay blanket coat, which I loathed, but at least it didn't shed. For the longest time I wouldn't wear red as I still felt the trauma of being teased by my classmates' "Orphan Annie" chants every day on the bus, but I've long since made my peace with red, even purchasing a vintage red car coat last year. I do draw the line at Hudson's Bay though.
I stayed warm, unlike Mr. Ghosty in the garden. Poor fella had icicles hanging off him.

Speaking of Halloween decorations, here's some you can wear. Honestly, I'll wear these all year. Sequined skull pumps might not seem like a practical pair of shoes at first glance but...yeah, fine. I can't spin these as anything other than wildly impractical but at least they were cheaply thrifted so I'm keeping them out of the landfill. How's that? 
I even have a sparkly purple sweater to perfectly match them. 
They would have worked with this outfit too, but I went for my purple suede boots. Yes, the vest is made of feathers, and yes I have shorts on beneath the blouse. No, I can't hook you up with a dime bag. Sorry. 
Really, The hardest drug I do is vitamin D. Now get off my lawn, you beatniks. 
Speaking of things that remind me of drugs...this dress was described by my son as, "Someone's bad acid trip rendered in fabric." 
...He might have a point. I think it is more like The Scream. Anyway, whenever something seems over-the-top I like to throw some sequins and a big belt at it-just so there's no possible whiff of "Normal" in certain light. Nothing kills the possibility of good taste like an 80s belt...
.. except possibly a floral hat. Or both. I mean, there's no law insisting you choose.

 Anyway, back to the outfit photos. This 60's dress isn't really my style but I've had the dress for decades. It was just "Old" when I  bought it, not vintage. The shiny faux silk material reflects light beautifully making it perfect for a sunny, autumn day.
 The shoes and bag are also 60s vintage, ands somewhat shiny. I'm sensing a theme here.
I don't have words for how much I love this 60s faux amber cha-cha bracelet. The 70s goldstone ring on my index finger was made by Avon. I just adore goldstone-wonder why it fell out of popularity? It seems like it was everywhere in the 70s. 

Outfit Particulars:
Vintage dress-A thrift store in New Hampshire years ago
Vintage handbag-Thrift World
Vintage Shoes-Goodwill
Bracelet-Goodwill
Rings-all over
Brooch-can't remember
Fragrance-don't recall what it was, but probably something green-Knowing, maybe?
Know what would look great with that dress...

Exactly. But it needn't be this hat. I have plenty of others. In fact, over on Instagram (@Goodymcgoodface) I've been doing a regular Saturday hat feature called (wait for it)...Haturday Night Fever. Ain't I clever?! Anyway, here's a better hat for that dress...

Isn't it a beauty? 

 I chose Saturday for Haturday because it obviously rhymed and because I don't have anything better to do on Saturday night except have an early dinner and wait to die watch television. I'd lie and say I didn't expect my 50s to be like this but I expected my 50s to be exactly like this. It isn't all bad though-I get a senior discount at the supermarket.

That's the sort of satisfied smile that says, "I saved 10% off my groceries."
College football is a big deal in Nebraska as we don't have any professional teams. I bought this vintage plastic football charm (that's an old fashioned leather helmet on the left) to wear on game days. Personally, I don't care if they win or lose but they are now 0-6 for the season and I really feel bad for those kids! They had a chance to win in overtime last Saturday, but as someone observed, "The Nebraska Cornhuskers snatched defeat from the jaws of winning." I will keep wearing my pin on Saturdays until the season is (mercifully) over, but I do feel for the poor players, especially the ones in their last year.
 Do you remember blanket skirts from the late 80s/90s? I had one, but rarely wore it as it always felt like it was swamping my small frame. Know what? I was right then, and they still don't work for me. This was a Goodwill bargain, so I'm cutting my .49 cent losses and re-donating it. Someone tall will look magnificent in it.
 I was able to get this vintage tooled bag for a few dollars because there were pen markings inside. Who sees the inside of a bag?! There's still plenty of life left in this beauty.
 Another bargain from an antique shop because the clasp was broken. It was an easy, quick repair.
This vintage rayon blouse caught my eye because of the great buttons. Much to my delight, it fitted perfectly.

Outfit Particulars:
Skirt and blouse both Goodwill
Boots-K Mart
Vintage handbag-Hand-Me-Ups
Brooch-Antique mall
Tooled belt-Thrift World
Well, gotta fly so I'll see you later. Have a great weekend!















8 comments:

Bibi Maizoon said...

Snow!?! O my! It's a balmy breezy 26C here in my Himalayan valley.
I'm loving the purple suede boots with the hot pants, feather vest, & Gucci Pucci blouse! it's far out, psychedelic, mod, hip, & swingin'! That 70's ski jacket with bootleg jeans looks like what was really worn in the mid to late 70's in my native California. (With feathered hair & a puka shell choker of course.)
Ibuprofen with a famotidine chaser is my tipple of choice whilst regaling in middle age.
Weren't blanket coats as well as blanket skirts a thing in the early 90's?

bahnwärterin said...

show!! with storm!
thank goodness you came thru without blackout, damage or freezing..... i remember snow on the 1.oct. once - the forests were locked up because of danger of falling branches & trees - the foliage was still up & green and the weight of snow on it killed many wood.

of cause i love the autumn color 60s dress with all the shimmering accessories! :-D
the red(!) ski anorak looks cool, the scull pumps to fab for only halloween but very dangerous for knees and hips - at least my own.... oh - and the acid trip outfit - wow!
@early 90s: i remember that i sewed me a blanket skirt in purple - but the material get caught in the buckles of my combat boots - so it wore it at home only - "kamin rock" - despite living in a 20m2 flat with central heating ;-D
xxxx

Polyester Princess said...

Oh, my goodness, I hadn't even expected to read the S word this early on. I'm not very good with surprises either, especially when they're this kind. I don't like snow even if it was expected. I used to have a ski jacket when I was about twelve, bought for a school ski trip, and which I then had to wear as a Winter coat until I grew out of it. And let me tell you: I was a total dunce at skiing! I love that 60s dress and I love the faux amber cha-cha bracelet even more! Other favourites are the tooled bag and antique mall brooch. Oh, and I lost count of the times I bought something because of its buttons! xxx

Vix said...

Loving the 1960s frock, the Gucci Pucci mash-up and your purple clad legs.
All the kids are into those ski jackets these days. They're a big seller at vintage fairs. I hope you won't be getting too much use out of it over the winter. Today was the first time I've worn my Afghan style coat since Spring - it's gone very chilly over the weekend but hopefully no snow for months yet!
xxx


Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

We had snow this time last year, too. My brother's gig was cancelled but it reruns this weekend so we hope the snow stays away...

There is so much fabulousness in this post, Goody! I loved the mini skirt with the acid trip jacket and the big 80s belt. The skull shoes were amazing and they would definitely look gorgeous with the lovely sparkly jumper. Fab accessories and bags and hats. I also loved your 60s dress, that wonderful tooled bag and the cute cowboy brooch.

I must have missed the blanket skirt trend altogether and I've never heard of goldstone...

Hope your week is going well.

Emily from Etsy said...

Wow! So much vintage goodness, I don't know where to start!

The acid-trip outfit is really lovely! You never cease to amaze me with your knack for expertly matching pieces that, at first blush, don't look like they would go together. And those skull pumps? So gorgeous and versatile! And if you wanted a theme, I bet they'd work well with your skeleton-print loteria skirt from last year.

Mr. Ghosty doesn't look fazed by the early winter weather. I daresay he's more annoyed with the painfully tight necktie, which is probably what caused his demise in the first place. : )

I don't remember the blanket-skirt fad, but I do remember last year's short-lived ruana fad. I got caught up in the hype and bought a plaid ruana from Target, which I wore exactly twice before donating it to Goodwill. It was a huge and unwieldy one-size-fits-all type of garment, and with no clasp or button or tie to hold it in place, it was constantly falling off my shoulders. Everywhere I went for those two days, I looked like I was literally walking around with a huge blanket draped around me, like a not-so-cute Linus from the Peanuts cartoon. Lesson learned.

You, on the other hand, are a goddess of style.

Goody said...

@Bibi
You were always at least a year ahead of us in California-eventually those styles trickled down to thew Midwest, but too late to be cool! I'm proud to say I never wore feathered hair...a Prince Valliant, sure, but not feathered. Blanket coats come back every few years, but I've resisted buying one.

@Beate
I will pay for wearing those heels, I'm sure. They're the sort of thing I'll wear when I spend time sitting! I think it was the weight of the leaves that did the damage to our tree as well. It was an odd storm, that's for certain.

@Ann
If it makes you feel better I was terrible on skis as well ;)
You've made great use of your button collection changing them out for more interesting ones-I really ought to consider doing the same. It is amazing how buttons can make or break an item of clothing.

@Vix
I hope it doesn't dare to snow until you are safely in India! How funny that the kids want the ugliest stuff from our youth. I've seen some of those hideous 80s nylon patchwork jackets on the youngsters around here and I always want to scream at them, "WHY?!"

@Veronica
Goldstone is a type of glass with copper flecks in it. It can be made in dark colours like blue and purple as well. I hope your snow stays away.

@Emily
Wraps are so hard to wear! I have some vintage ones that I'm tempted to cut up and make cushion covers from. Linus was very commited to his look though-gotta admire that.
I forgot about the loteria skirt-I should probably wear that soon. Thanks for reminding me.

Mim said...

Halloween styles *and* a 60s dress! I so covet your wardrobe. You can keep the snow, though, I hate it!

Like you and Vix I'm bewildered by the vintage the young'uns like. I mean, I know I wear the frumpier side of the 60s, and a lot of it's the sort of thing people's mum/nan would have worn back then, but it's kind of weird to go to one of the trendy London vintage shops and see racks of the sort of floral, button-front dress I'd have run screaming from in the 90s. (They do look more appealing to my ageing eyes, mind...)