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.