Saturday, September 04, 2021

Go Right to the Source and Ask the Horse

 Hey everyone, we made it to September!

In the US that means the unofficial end of summer this weekend with the labour day holiday. It also means bright white shoes and handbags while not technically "wrong" just don't feel as correct as they previously did. I'm not much of a fashion rules person, but by this point after a very uncomfortable summer I'm ready for something a bit more autumnal. I did however want to get at least one more wear from these shoes.

This dress is not a Paganne, but it is trying so hard! I couldn't find anything similar online and there wasn't a label but I'd wager this is fast fashion by the way it is sewn (hint-not well). Still, it looked presentable on, and as the mornings and evenings are getting cooler here something lightweight with sleeves was welcome. Hard to go wrong for .99 cents
Other than earrings, a dress like this doesn't require much by way of accessories. I enjoyed wearing it, even if the top part could have fit better. I'll be keeping it as I think it could work in other seasons with blue accessories. I'm wearing blue eye shadow in the photo which doesn't really stand out, but perhaps that's the best way to do it. I've always been intimidated by bright eye makeup and tend to stick to neutrals. 

Now this, is a Paganne. 
See, it says so right in the fabric.
I was killing a bit of time before going to do the afternoon school run and  I called in to a thrift store I almost never visit. Didn't find much else there, but it was great. They even gave me the "Senior Discount" without my asking for it, but I wasn't insulted. 

I suspect the dress was re-styled into a halter style as I don't recall any Pagannes in that style, but it was well done and unlike the skirt I found hacked into badly re-sewn pieces, I'll be happy to wear this. Someday, I'm going to find the print I want (and have been looking for pretty much forever) but I'll gladly take this one for five bucks. 

Before we talk more clothing, can we just pause to admire these tomatoes grown from "last chance" (ie: almost dead) plants I bought off the clearance  table at the garden centre? They just needed to get planted, and have some water. Our growing season is long in Nebraska, so I sort of knew they'd still be flowering into September. 
Mr. ETB said the large tomato was the best one he'd had in years. There's several more still on the vines. No idea what variety they are (the tags were gone) but I might save some seeds for next year. The two varieties of cherry tomatoes are also doing well. 


I've been going through my packed away clothing and re-considering things that previously didn't fit. I'm loathe to invest money in clothing for a body size I don't intend to maintain once I'm healthier, but raiding the clothes I purchased with the intention to sell has been working to my advantage. I don't think I've ever been 110 lbs/49 kg as an adult, so I really don't have that many old clothes to continue wearing. Anyway, here's some of the cool dresses I bought for someone else that are going to temporarily be mine.
The top part is a taffeta fabric, and the bottom is embroidered velvet. It is a completely bonkers dress and I can't wait to wear it.  

This beauty is a silk-like material, but I don't think it is silk. 
Those sleeves!!!
Original customer tags were in the dress as well, but I didn't grab a photo.
I don't wear a lot of black (I did when I was younger and lived in Boston, but around here you wouldn't do that unless you were a widow. Or Goth) but I seem to keep finding beautiful pieces in black. 
This one is stunning on. The top is a bit large, and much more revealing than I'm used to but I'm sure everyone at Target will enjoy seeing my tits on the 7 AM grocery run (I mean, where else do I get dressed to go?!). 
Apologies for the shitty photos-the light has been awful in here lately. 
A few pretty dresses will help to make the best of a bad situation. 

Moving on, here's what I wore on my last early morning grocery run
The linen wrap skirt is from the 80s by IB Diffusion, a brand better known for their gaudy, embellished sweaters. This is pretty sedate for the brand, but I knew it was a quality piece of clothing just seeing in on the rail at Goodwill. My first thought was to wear it with a brown blouse, but I thought better of it and went with black and before I knew it there was some pattern mixing and...well here we are. I loved how this combination came out and enjoyed the novelty of a linen skirt that didn't seem to crease at all. I could use more clothing like that. Everything here is thrifted including the Coach handbag and vintage Qualicraft shoes. 


Aren't they stunning? Comfortable too. I don't wear kitten heels too often, but these definitely fit in with my wardrobe. Can't always wear platforms (though I do love my platforms). 
Of course once I left the safety of home I was fully accessorised with an N95 mask with another surgical mask over it. I can get several wears from an N95 and I'm hoping anything out there will have a tough time penetrating two masks. There's breakthrough infections amongst the vaccinated now, and I really don't want to deal with it no matter how mild it may be. Our hospitals are full again with the fourth wave this time largely the unvaccinated. That also means people with other conditions are dying because there's no one available to treat them. Yeah, I'm worried. It also like watching a train wreck you knew would happen. Once kids went back to school (without mask mandates) all hell broke loose. 
Let's just not even discuss the horse medicine thing, OK? 
Oooh, Givenchy necklace. I'd rather talk about that, wouldn't you? 
As I was already at Target and not making a special trip, I treated myself  to some new leggings that actually stay up on me. Yes, they came from the children's department and yes, I am very, very, short. Six dollars well spent as I layer them under skirts all winter. Sometimes I sleep in them as well. I tried buying the cutest red and black princess coat there but it was too long in the arms. Right. A children's coat is too long for my arms. I am built like a tyrannosaurus.

. Except for the tail, obviously. At the rate things are going, perhaps I'll grow a tail next.

The creative minds at Shifty Thrifting made some limited edition Beet Poot earring, so I had to purchase a pair. 
Beet Poot!!!
I'm just waiting for someone to ask me why I have  SylvaC pottery earrings. Explaining the origin of Beet Poot (root) is complicated. Long story short, it looks like it says, Poot, not Root. And then thousands of people on Tumblr had a laugh about it. 

And another dress that makes me look like a waitress. 
I've never worked as a waitress, but I know I'd be terrible at it. I've worked my share of menial jobs, but none of them required good balance. 

You want a tip? I got a good one. Don't take horse de-wormer to cure Covid. Sorry.

This was a fun dress. Made from jersey it is super comfortable and looks perfect right off the line.
The ruffles give it some movement which is nice. I wore my eel skin bag for the first time in years. The necklace has a working pen inside. 

This skirt is from the box of forgotten clothing. I've had it since  university days. It had a blouse, but I'm afraid that's long gone.




While I'm taking photos in the mirror, here's a more casual look. I've never really been a sweat  suit sort of person, but it is soft and comfortable to wear which is a priority for me right now. No worries, I won't be jogging. This also from the children's department at Target. Note how long everything is. Sigh. And now I've started shrinking. 
I've had this sweatshirt since third grade. It was my sister's before it was mine so it is from sometime in the early 60s. Yeah, it is falling apart but it is also still completely wearable. 
At least the arms aren't too long!
That's probably the oldest thing I have in my wardrobe that was mine, though I still have a polo neck sweater from grade 4. I mean, why get rid of something that's still useful? 
Another skirt from the forgotten clothing box-this one I purchased around 1990. The bolero goes with an evening gown.
Vintage nylon disco shirt and vintage belt. Shoes are Clarks that I thrifted
Long defunct Omaha department store
Someone on Instagram said I was dressed like her mother. 
Finally, this dress got a final wear for the season. When I bought it the built in bra was crumbling and the elastic had rotted. I spent some time removing it all and sewing it back together. It was worth it as I now have a beautiful, timeless sun dress I can wear year after year. But it was work getting it back into wearable condition. 
The necklace was a recent thrift purchase. Unlike the Givenchy choker, this one is very lightweight. The earrings are modern. 
And that's about it from here. And just remember, a horse is a horse of course...

and remember kids, if someone offers you horse de-worming medicine to treat covid, just say neighhhhhh.























9 comments:

Emily said...

You look stunning in every outfit! The green bolero is an especially nice piece, paired with the blue dress. And the Givenchy necklace makes you look like royalty.

It must've been satisfying to rehabilitate the tomato plants from the "last chance" rack. Your green thumb never fails.

Your old sweater from the '60s is a little short but otherwise it fits you really well. It's definitely worth hanging on to. I have a couple articles of clothing that I bought when I was a junior or senior in high school. They still fit me, but I keep forgetting to wear them.

The long black and orange dress will be awesome for Halloween. I can't wait to see how you accessorize it.

It's cute how the Beet Poot earrings are attached to a card that parodies the World card in tarot.


bahnwärterin said...

a friend told me that some kitchen foil head informed her that she will die from the vaccine exactly(!) one year after her vaccination...... all vaccinated people will.
so now we have a new running gag - "dont care - next year we are dead anyway".
......

the blue/white dress is stunning on you!!
the "no whites after xyz-day"-rule seams strange to me - as i know a lot of wonderful bright white winter items made of fluffy wool or fur - not to mention the stylish white patent leather boots who come into fashion from time t time........
love the brown/black ensemble - all the elements and all together. had a navy blue/grass green phase around 1985 - still love the colour combo - and you do wear it with the right attitude!

stay safe!!!
xxxxx

Bibi Maizoon said...

I love seeing your seasonal wardrobes and thrifted treasures!
Thanks for educating me on Paganne, yet another brilliant mid century designer I had never heard of.
Beet Poot looks like Humpty Dumpty’s sunburnt cousin.
My favorite is the ruffled dress, I’ll take one in every color! The kitten heels are bomb!
I had a couple IB Diffusion sweaters, big shoulder pads and glued on Swarovski crystals on a crap acrylic sweater as I recall.
Ivermectin is still being prescribed in India for Covid. It’s more a “ we have nothing else to prescribe “ phenomenon than what’s going on in the USA though.
L’shana tovah u’metukah!
Stay safe and take care!
Xox

Vix said...

Fast fashion or not, I love that first dress on you.
Those earrings are ridiculously good.
I've a friend who works as a nurse in ICU at our local hospital, this time last year she had 451 Covid patients on ventilators this year she's got 40 - all under 30, male and unvaccinated - there's no cure for stupid. xxx

Beth Waltz said...

Greetings from the American Midwest, where some of my friends are celebrating New Year 5782 -- and commenting that it seems unlikely we'll do this on the Julian calendar, given that the local license branch has closed until Oct 2 due to Covid-related staffing shortages and the regional hospital notes the usual 20-minute wait in ER has now stretched to 4 hours.

The only vet-prescribed remedies my family ever "borrowed" were the tin of bag balm (great for chapped hands) and the bottle of Southern Comfort used to dose the arthritic hindquarters of my horse (and my father). We wormed our equines with a syrup of cooked onions; afflicted farm kids were fed raw pumpkin seeds.

The ruffled dress is dazzling! How could anyone wearing it not be inspired to twirl? Your mixed patterns ensemble for the early morning grocery run no doubt "made the day" for some other early birds. Oh, that Givenchy necklace!

Anonymous said...

Great job on your sundress fix up . It is so cute.

Wow , it's amazing you still have clothing from your youth. I have a few antique pins that where given to me in my youth. No one else in the family wanted them. I'm so glad I keep them all these years. I really like the color and print of your linen wrap skirt.

Happy thrifting.

Gail from Pa.

Mim said...

Your dresses all look fabulous - I really enjoy seeing them on IG. I hope the other people on the morning grocery run appreciate the bonus boobage they're getting with their shopping.

The whole horse wormer thing is so bizarre. Every time I think the bar has been set for Stupid, a whole chunk of humanity limbos effortmessly under it.

Goody said...

@Emily
Thank you. I'm trying to find things I enjoy wearing and really, who doesn't love Givenchy?! The tomatoes are going wild now given our hot weather, so yes, it is really satisfying. I'm okay with gardening but my houseplants are another story-I just don't have that skill.

@Beate
Dan overheard two of his teachers arguing about the vaccine and one trying to prove it would make them magnetic by waving around a magnet to "prove" the point. People have lost their minds, but it does worry me that some of these people are tasked with educating children.
I read that the "No white after labour day" rule was designed by an advertising agency to convince women they needed a new wardrobe each autumn. I'm not surprised.

@Bibi
Thank you.
I guess I can understand giving something you know won't work to a dying person to calm them, but yeah-the US is just fucking mad right now. At this point the surge is just the unvaccinated spreading it to each other, which is fine except they're clogging up the hospitals for other sick people.
If you go look at the Paganne tags on Pinterest you'll have your mind blown. Those designs were just so good.
Stay safe.

@Vix
No, you can't fix stupid. Fortunately you have less stupid (stoooopid) than we do! What the US is seeing right now is the result of fifty years of de-funding education. "Johnny can't read" but he can watch conservative television shows.
Sometimes the fast fashion houses do a good job on something.

@Beth
I heard at last count we had 39 ICU beds in the whole of Douglas county. Damn fools. Raw pumpkin seeds eh? That's a new one to me. I'd love a shot of bourbon at this point but I'd fear burning away the last remaining bits of guts.
I hope you're doing well and staying far away from those equine enthusiasts.

@Gail
Most of my toys and books went to my older sister's children (who promptly destroyed them) but I guess being the first born she wasn't keen to have the old clothes, so I kept them.

@Mim
Thank you.
Yeah, 'Murica is a strange place. Pre-pandemic people largely kept their strangeness to themselves but now that it is blown wide open for any and all to see, it is just horrifying.

Polyester Princess said...

We just got back today, and I'm running a bit behind with comments, I'm afraid. Your blue and white outfit is absolutely splendid, even if the dress is suspected to be fast fashion ...
The real Paganne is a thing of beauty, as is the black dress with those gorgeous sleeves, and how fun is that ruffled dress!
The Beetpoot earrings, of course, are the best thing I've seen in a long time! xxx