Hello all! September is flying by so quickly, I'm having trouble keeping up. Can we really almost be to the autumnal equinox? The calendar says so, but it feels impossible.
You probably remember a few years ago when I bought this and another skirt from an online company and they arrived looking badly made and cheap (though they weren't inexpensive). I was disappointed, but made the best of it and I've been looking for ways to style the skirts ever since. A large photo print shouldn't be as difficult to wear as it is. The skirt is more blue than black, which also makes matching a bit of a nightmare. After several tries, I gave this knit St. John jacket a go, and it seemed to work. If I had a thin grey belt, I do think it would look more pulled together, but after trying at least a dozen belts I gave up and wore it as is. Hardly mattered as by midday it was warm enough that the jacket was no longer needed and ended up in the back seat of my car for the remainder of the day. That's how it goes this time of year in Nebraska-you need to dress for two, sometimes three seasons in a day. We'll still have the occasional 90 degree F. day into October, if we're lucky. I'm not in a hurry to see snow. Autumn would be nice though.
The sequins on the jacket don't shed as they're glued, not sewn and are affixed quite well. The buttons have lost a few rhinestones over the years, but that's almost impossible to see and if I cared enough I could replace them.
I wish the skirt were as well made.
But eh, what can you do? I did finally find a tee shirt in just the right shade of blue to wear with it.
And a grey vintage handbag. Not many outfits call for a grey handbag, but when they do, I have this one. It was practically free because of an ink stain in the vinyl. To me, that's just part of wearing vintage (and it is a small stain that could probably be worked out) so I hold that side towards my body and no one's the wiser. Vintage is rarely pristine, but there's still plenty of life left in the not-quite-perfect items. Either that or I have very low standards, I mean, just look at my hair.
Haircut? Not this week anyway.
Obviously I am not the sort of person they'd let anywhere near the Met Gala, but if I had gone, I would at least have understood the theme and worn something in the spirit of the thing. So here's my, "What I would have worn to the Met Gala Americana look".
I bought the skirt a few years ago because it reminded me of my favourite guitar strap that I somehow lost. The copper pieces have been picked up here and there over the years, usually inexpensively. I'm still looking for a 1950s copper belt in the band style but I absolutely refuse to pay the prices people are asking for them. I'll find one eventually, I don't mind waiting. Meanwhile, this one gets the job done nicely.
This is what I wore for my second attempt at getting a passport photo taken. We got one, it looks terrifying (when I showed it on Instagram there were jokes made about looking like a member of the Baader Meinhof gang, or at the very least if not a marxist terrorist, someone that looks like they want to sell you drugs. I suppose that's typical for documents photos-I've never had what I'd consider a good one, though this certainly reached new levels of awful. You thought I was going to say, Baader, didn't you? Hopefully it will be acceptable and I can move on from needing to think about my uneven shoulders and tilting head.
The dress is another from the box of forgotten vintage. It is sheer, with a built-in-slip, but rather uninspiring as grey dresses go. I knew it would photograph well against the white background, so I wore it. The vintage cardigan is grey with some silver thread running through it and beautiful bell sleeves. The belt I pulled it together with was a recent thrift find.
So there you have it, Normcore.
Someone was joking around on Instagram about being in her, "Statement Necklace Years" and I knew exactly what she meant. I'd extend that idea to scarves as the weather gets cooler, but yes-a little something interesting to distract from my face is no bad thing.
Do you like brass? I ask because I see so little of it being worn (in the West anyway) and wonder why.
I've had the Laurel Burch earrings since the 80s, but the pair of brass necklaces were a recent purchase from the "nicer" thrift store. I can't imagine why someone else didn't snap them up as they're lightweight and easy to wear. They proved quite popular, even causing a teenaged boy to lean in my open car window to tell me he liked them as I sat in front of the High School waiting for Dan. That's a first!
Speaking of school, there's a new bit of Tik Tok nonsense where the kids are stealing pieces of the school building (soap dispensers, clocks, entire sinks!) and posting videos about it. It has gone so out of control at the High School they now have to guard the restrooms, and let the students in one at a time to make certain they're not up to anything. That's well beyond anything we did, though there was that time someone super-glued all the telephone handsets into the cradles in the guidance office. I suppose we should just be happy they're not eating laundry detergent pods again?! I'm sure it will pass quickly as these things always do, but for the moment school administrators across the country are losing their minds over it.
That's a bodysuit that I briefly considered wearing with nothing but a pair of stockings. Still might do that at some point, just because. I'm glad to see them coming back into fashion.
I finally gave the raffia skirt a wear for the season.
Such an odd item, but I'm glad to have it in my collection. Time to trim some of the stray threads looking at the photo.
These wooden painted earrings are having a first wear. They were lightweight and comfortable. The blouse was something I picked up on the dollar rail at the thrift store. As far as I can tell I'm not wearing it backwards😉. Please feel free to let me know when I do things like that, because odds are good that I do it often. I'm still not sure I have my stockings on correctly most days unless they have a label. You will never offend me, not over something like that.
I've been posting some of my cooking/baking over on Instagram and people have started asking for recipes as I'm accommodating both Mr. ETB's and Dan's special diets. There's quite a lot of bad recipes online, and baking for a diabetic is not the same as baking for keto, or gluten free, although there's some overlap. Add to that a need to keep it dairy free, and any random recipe searches are likely to end in frustration. Of course there's just bad food blogging out there as well. The irony of reviving my cooking blog when I haven't been able to eat solid food since last winter isn't lost on me. I guess I could share my very un-photogenic pureed soups, but I probably won't.
Over the years I've adapted things to be vegetarian, nut-free, and the like so I didn't expect this to be as challenging as it is. Obviously, there's no replacement that will be exactly the same, so instead what I'm aiming for is making foods that are enjoyable just for what they are. As every perfume lover knows-sometimes it is better to let things go rather than reformulate beyond recognition. I'm accepting that a cauliflower crust non-dairy pizza might not be terrible, but it probably wouldn't be good enough to bother when I could make something else that would be great.
These are rugelach, a type of cream cheese pastry. I made the dough with margarine, soy cream cheese, and whole wheat flour. It rolled and baked beautifully. The filling is sugar free jam, sugar replacement, cinnamon, currants, unsweetened chocolate and chopped walnuts. I replaced what I could with my old recipe rather than introducing a bunch of things like xanthan gum or agave as some recipes suggest. Now that I know I have a working pastry recipe, that's a good part of the battle won. I will try to keep the recipe posts separate from the vintage clothing and this might be a good time to re-organise the blog. I know as we go through holidays it can be hard finding things to make. I'd rather cook once and make things everyone can enjoy rather than make special (often inferior) dishes for the person with the special diet. I've been a vegetarian since 1983 and I've seen my share of salads and nut loaves made by well intentioned people. Anyway, that's in the works.
Had to fit in a final summer wear of this absurd 80s Peter Popovitch skirt. It is jersey material, and so ugly it is good! I have several pieces in my wardrobe like that. Because it was 90 degrees F outside I wore it with a cropped top (okay, it is a bra but I won't tell anyone if you don't) and a lightweight cardie for indoors.
No abs here I'm afraid. Seriously, I can't even sit up to get out of bed but sort of roll on my side and swing a leg over before letting gravity pull me down. The appendectomy really messed up my abdomen (we won't even discuss what coughing is like) but that hasn't really kept me from imposing my sagging gut on the unsuspecting public. If anyone gets too close to me I can just grab my belly and snarl, "Say hello to my hernia Pickles". Thankfully, I haven't had to resort to such measures, but I'm ready. As I was saying to some young people on Instagram-don't wait until you're my age to wear the clothes you want to wear. The perfect body doesn't exist, so take the one you have and wear what you like.
And on that note, I'll wish everyone a great week.
12 comments:
It's a pity there's an ocean between us, as I might have the perfect grey belt for that jacket!
I'm loving the "Met Gala Americana" skirt, your all-black with quite a bit of brass outfit and, obviously, the raffia skirt.
That Tik Tok nonsense is quite surreal, but as for wearing things backwards, it's not unknown for me to do the same. Especially tights and stockings! xxx
What fabulous outfits! Hard to pick a favourite but I loved the last skirt and the raffia skirt was fab and quirky. Amazing jewellery and the brass necklaces were a brilliant find.
The Tik Tok thing made me laugh. Whatever next?
As for wearing things the wrong way round \i do it all the time - and inside out!
xxx
Wow, that navy blue shirt is the perfect match to your photo-print skirt! I actually don't see anything wrong with the skirt, so whatever it is must be something observable only up close.
Do you play the guitar? You mentioned something about a favorite guitar strap, and now I'm dying to know.
Your huge brass necklaces are beautiful, and they stand out nicely from the black shirt. I happen to love brass jewelry, especially Art Deco period pieces. I suppose brass isn't very practical because it will tarnish over time, but then again so does silver jewelry, which never went out of style in the West.
Twenty years ago, my friend dated a guy who was the son of a plumber. He got so mad at his previous girlfriend that when he broke up with her, he went over to her house when she wasn't home, and he stole her toilet!!! It was a mind-blowingly creative act of revenge. I don't know what became of the guy, but I'm sure if he's heard about the latest Tiktok fad, he's patting himself on the back and telling his friends he was stealing bath fixtures way before it was cool.
Your Edwardian blouse looked awesome backward, so it really worked out for the best because you now have a blouse that can be worn stylishly not one but TWO ways.
Loving that all-black outfit with the brass jewellery, just fabulous! The folksy skirt needs to be in my wardrobe.
Some of that Met Gala thing was on the BBC News, I didn't understand the point of it or realise there was a theme although loved that woman's dress with Tax The Rich emblazoned across her arse...take note, leaders!
It used to be micro mini dresses to detract from my face, now it's whopping great pieces of tribal jewellery, too! xxx
love your wild hair!
and the 80s skirt, the brass and copper bling and the americana outfit. you made the most out of the poor quality skirt - in your outfit and on you it look very chic and high end. is it london? i have amsterdam with pink tulips :-D (a handdown) you can always wear black with your skirt - like the french do - black and dark blue in one outfit.
would wear more brass if it would suit me better - i´m the cold colour type so silver/chrome is the nicer choice, esp. with less makeup........
and i thought i have to cook around complicated dieties - you got the whole bunch it seems.
@kids: i guess those nonsense is better then they come to school with guns........
stay safe! xxxxx
Hmmm... I think I would have gone to the Met Gala in a Coca Cola bottle inspired gown with a Marlboro packet themed clutch and a Snickers bar necklace? Those are the ubiquitous items of American culture I have seen in even the remotest parts of the globe I have traveled to. Diabetes, pulmonary disease, and tooth decay are America's legacy in the world!
I am loving the very unique color palette of indigo & silvery gray that you've built around the London skyline skirt even is the quality sux.
My platinum Anna Wintour bob has grown out to dark and riotous curls just as your lovely locks have. Ran out of bleach & toner last December and salons are still closed here in Nepal!
Every recipe I have tried with those specialty items like xanthan gum and agave have been rather disappointing, there is definitely a need for better recipes for restricted diets.
Take care xox
I am all in with your Met Gala outfit. Your skirt is delightful with it's orangey stripes. What a nice tooled leather handbag I have been looking for one for years at the thrift shops but they are now so expensive even there. The massed copper jewelry is a joy to see.
Thumbs up for your statement necklaces I hope to see the long big round bead one in future posts. Don't hold back on that one.
At the age of 68 my petite delicate jewelry years are well over, if there ever was any in the first place. Just wish I had thicker ear lobes to support statement earrings Ha !
Don't worry you are still a young thing.
Take care,
Gail from Pa.
All hail the Empress of Pattern Coordination! I am enchanted by the silvery cardigan lace overlaying the pin dots of the dress -- and then you added the grandest of broaches, just because you had one laying about.
Literally feel your pain/frustration about no longer being able to sit up to rise from bed. I've made a habit of positioning a chair bedside so I can gain leverage on its arm. It also serves as a handy spot to park my dressing robe and slippers. No more painful bending to retrieve them from under the bed!
On getting out of bed:the way you describe it, Jen, is actually the best way to prevent or exacerbate a back injury. This is what a doctor told my friend after he herniated a disc.
Raising yourself to a sitting position, using the abs only, is unrealistic for most people first thing in the morning, even if they're in good shape. Only vampires on TV can lie down and sit up in their coffins using only their abs.And you know it's only for dramatic effect.
@Ann
The latest Tik Tok dare is to film yourself slapping a teacher! The school has already sent out email about it asking us to talk to our kids. I doubt Danny was thinking of slapping anyone but we've dutifully sat him down and told him it won't be tolerated. Sigh, we live in such a violent culture and then they wonder where the kids get these ideas.
@Vronni
I guess it wouldn't be too interesting if the kids had Tik Tok dares about who could read the most books? I'm really glad I grew up in the years before the Internet.
@Emily
Ha! That's an excellent act of revenge. Definitely ahead of his time.
I used to play but my arthritis is too advanced now. I sold all my guitars but one hoping Danny might want to play, but he's just not interested.
@Vix
The woman wearing the Tax The Rich dress is a congresswoman from New York. That made it even better.
The Gala is to announce the opening of a new yearly exhibition in the museum's fashion institute. This year the theme was American Independence which left a lot of room for interpretation.
@Beate
Black and navy can look pretty-I'll have to try that. It is London. I liked what you did with your Amsterdam skirt.
Kids! So far no guns, but they've all had to rehearse what to do should the event arise.
@Bibi
I guess this is as good a time as any to give your hair a rest when no one will see it.
I'm surprised no one played on the idea of bringing democracy to other countries whether they want it or not?
Take care
@Gail
All my tooled bags came with serious flaws, but that was the only way I could afford them. You're right, pristine condition ones fetch major dollars. I'm hard on a bag anyway, so it felt ok to have less than perfect items I'd actually use.
@Beth
That's a good idea with the chair. It would also break a fall. I hope you're getting stronger and doing well.
@Emily
Vampires! That's a good one.
Lovely outfits, particularly in love with the 'americana' themed one (copper jewellery is so Fabulous!). And also loving the brass necklaces, totally a huge fan of statement anything and also a huge fan of copper and brass (I'd love to find more fab pieces at charities here!)
Love your absurd 80's skirt and fab brooches. I have a weakness for any absurd 80/s print!, colourful fabulousness!
I'd be grateful if you share your low-carbs and dairy free récipes, as they're totally my thing. I'm intolerant to lactose and Mr.A. has been told to reduce sugar too. Not really bad, as I've found that goat milk cottage cheese and yogourth don't harm me (and they're easy to find here!), so use them instead of butter in many récipes.
besos
Ah, there's some of your copper! It mostly looks like Matisse/Renoir to me. As you probably noted, I do have one of their solid copper belts - I paid $40 for it at a vintage fair several years ago, didn't even know they existed.
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