At this point, late February it is feeling like the snow will be with us for some time. There's so much of the stuff in Omaha at the moment that the city is running out of places to pile it up. Another 6 inches last night, more on the way Friday-it is getting downright exhausting planning my life around being trapped indoors. We've been so lucky in recent years with freezing cold, but relatively little snow that we've become spoiled. Thank goodness I have a teenager to dig out my car for me😁.
As tomato season is a very long way off, I thought perhaps donning a cheerful print as a reminder that the snow will eventually melt might help. I spent some quality time with the seed catalogues as well, planning this year's garden. I need to replace one of my raised beds as the wood is severely decayed. I'm viewing it as an opportunity to start over in an area I've been unhappy with. I like perennials, as I'm more of a once-and-done sort of woman. Anyway, between the dress and catalogues there's something to look forward to at the end of the season. I should mention for local readers that the Omaha public library has a seed share library where you can benefit from donated seeds. And of course, if you need gardening books, they have those as well!
Amusingly, I was recently in Hand-Me-Ups buying an equally fun 70s print dress and the new-ish volunteer mentioned that they "Had a crazy tomato dress I would have liked" a few weeks back. Of course I pulled out my phone, showed her the photo on Instagram, and had a good laugh.
Of course I bought it-is there anyone else in Omaha that would dress like this?!
Outfit Particulars:
Vintage 70s nylon dress with original hippo belt-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage 80s jacket-Goodwill
Vintage 80s shoes-Thrift World
Vintage handbag-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage 70s lucite necklaces-Mum's
Earrings-Target
Vintage expansion bracelet-Goodwill
Fragrance-Coriandre because it has a tomato leaf note. Subtle reference, but eh, it works for me.
The eagle-eyed reader might wonder why my thermostat is set so high. If it were anywhere near 71 F in the house I'd be dying, but being an old house, that temperature is skewed. Upstairs we are lucky if it reaches 55F. It also doesn't help that the thermostat is next to the kitchen and a sunny window.
This outfit consists of pieces I've owned for years but never thought to wear together. At some point, the jacket had matching flares, but I have no idea what became of them. The belt is something I've owned since the late 70s, having bought it at The Limited. I wasn't wild about their clothes, but of all the shops in American malls at the time, they had the very best accessories. I still have many of the belts, scarves, and earrings purchased there in my youth. I regret not keeping a hideous Western-inspired outfit of bright yellow shirt and trousers festooned with white silky fringe. It was so horrible, it was a work of art. The Urban Cowboy fad was short lived, but the memory of that outfit will stay with me forever in a, "What was I thinking" sort of way. Mercifully, there aren't any photographs of me wearing it! Now, the white felt cowboy hat is another story...
Outfit Particulars:
70s polyester jacket-can't remember
80's blouse-Goodwill
80s (possibly 90s) skirt-Goodwill (I think)
Belt-The Limited, 70s
Bangles-all over
Earrings-K Mart (I think?)
Brooch-can't remember
Boots-Hand-Me-Ups
Sometimes, it seems like there are pieces in my collection just patiently waiting for their perfect match. This 80s silk dress was always a favourite, but I never could find the right jacket to wear with it. I have a red and black kimono, and sometimes I'd wear them together, but it always felt to me that something else would be better. Enter this hooded 50s coat purchased last summer at an otherwise uninteresting thrift shop in Lincoln, Nebraska. I bought it thinking it *might* match, but it wasn't until I'd unpacked the dress in autumn that I realised just how perfectly. It doesn't happen often, but when it does-magic!
Outfit Particulars:
80s silk dress-Hand-Me-Ups
50s coat-Salvation Army
Brooch-Goodwill
Bracelet-Goodwill
Earrings-Goodwill
Boots-Goodwill
Handbag-Antique mall
Sometimes I like to try clothes that aren't my style, not my best colour, but seem worth a gamble because of nice fabrics. This 80s rayon shift dress is just such a piece. It is too big, too long, too mauve...but the fabric is so very lovely. I'm not sure I pulled it off, but it was worth my .49 cents to try.
Belted and not. Better with a coat?
Probably not destined to be a favourite, so likely to be passed along to someone taller that can do it justice. On someone statuesque, this could be elegant. I could shorten it, but the top wasn't quite right either.
Outfit Particulars:
Dress-Goodwill
40s coat-costume shop
Handbag-Goodwill
Boots-Hand-Me-Ups
70s silk scarf-Borrowed from Danny's collection
Brooch-Yard sale-Earrings-K Mart
Hello, tiger.
The same day I bought the tomato print dress, I found this 70s 3 piece polyester dream ensemble waiting for the right person to bring it home. *
It MEEEEEE!*
I rarely use terms like "Amazing": but that's honestly the best way to describe how I felt in this outfit. I made the clasp for the jacket by combining a sweater clip and a large brooch. An outfit this 70s demanded equally retro jewellery. This is a good example of, "boring on the hanger, incredible on the body". I'm so glad I gave it a chance. I mean, that print is nuts up close, but from a distance it just looks like a beige abstract.
Outfit Particulars:
1970s skirt, top, and jacket-Goodwill
Machine age bracelet-Yard sale
Cazal eyeglass frames-Mum's
I'll leave you with the new patch I bought for my motorcycle jacket. It is quite large. Didn't think in 2019 it would be necessary, but here we are.
