I Wanna Be Jackie Onassis, I Want to Wear a Pair of Dark Sunglasses

Thanks everyone for letting me get all of that out of my system in my last post. I try to keep this space focused on clothes, cooking, etc. but given the current situation I'm glad to know you'll forgive a frustrated rant now and then. 

There's nothing here you haven't seen before, but it is hard to go wrong with a good skirt and blouse. This one was always a little snug on me, and I tended to wear it open but that's currently not an issue. Most clothes can be made to fit a range of sizes, you just have to wear them differently. 

It was a bit chill in the house and rather than reach for the usual cardigan, out came this lined leather vest. It is surprisingly warm. 

oooh looking tough😀

Would have been good with a black leather skirt as well. I need to give that a try. 

Everything in this outfit was thrifted, including the Brighton belt. It is oh so heavy, but I do love it. Belts are just for photos these days as they tend to stab me under the ribcage the minute I sit down. Sort of like being Heimlich'd . I'm over sharing, huh? 

I thought about steaming or ironing that wrinkle across my corduroy skirt, but didn't guessing it would either fall out naturally or get worse as the day wore on. Neither happened with it remaining more or less the same all day, but I stand by my decision to leave it alone. Life is too short for ironing corduroy FFS.

This pair of new, old stock Snowland Boots from the 70s haven't been outside yet. I wear my black pair all winter, but I'm hesitant to take these pristine boots out in the salt and sand and snow. I'm sure I will eventually, but I've been saying that for a few winters now. House boots can be a thing. Isn't that what Uggs are supposed to be (before people started wearing them out)?

Another of my 80s cashmeres from Marshall Field's. I will never regret buying them. The cashmere for sale now is such poor quality even if the prices remain high. These are two-ply knits. 

Is a beige belt the world's ugliest, useful thing? After trying every brown and yellow belt in the closet, beige was the winner. It gets the job done. Just.

Everything except the yellow poloneck and the locket necklace are thrifted. I accidentally shrunk the beige sweater a few years ago. It was nice wool and I kept it thinking I would find someone it would fit-just didn't expect it to be me. I'm sure that won't be forever. In an effort to make myself feel better I've started giving my weight in stones when required. It sounds less upsetting to me likely because as everyone knows, Americans aren't very good at maths (too much multiplication to do quickly in the head) 😃." Seven stones, yeah whatever". It just sounds less depressing. Because I'm American. And bad at maths. Anyway, my shrunken sweaters fit for the moment.

My love of Ultrasuede is well established here.

What's not to love? Launderable, always looks great, timeless.

And those old labels are just the best.

Lilli Ann is a sought after designer now, but the Ultrasuede pieces don't seem to be as desirable.  That means they can still be had at bargain prices. I have other Lilli Ann pieces from the more collectible era which I am planning to show soon. Meanwhile, it really is hard to go wrong with a classic tailored blazer in brown.

A cashmere that wasn't from Marshall Field's? It is true! This one dates from the 80s and is from Lands End. It is also two ply, and beautifully made. Land's End used to have a lifetime Guarantee on their items, but I never needed to take them up on the offer-after close to forty years it is still perfect.  

This velvet skirt was something I bought in the 90s but I am pretty sure it is a 70s piece. The wool socks were purchased years ago when we still had a K Mart. Never guessed the socks would outlive the store. I miss K Mart, they were good for essentials like underwear and stockings. They were fantastic for children's clothing too. Oh well, times and tastes change I guess. The belt is a thrifted Michael Kors that had a bunch of branded logo crap hanging off it. I removed that as I just wanted the belt. It also lightened it up considerably. This belt is worn low enough that it doesn't make me feel like I'm being injured. 

And you thought MLM marketing scheme Longaberger only made baskets. Or they did, I guess the original company is no more though the name and brand have been re-launched. I thrifted one of the baskets and it holds some bangle bracelets, but I mean, it is just a basket. I don't understand the fanaticism people have for them. 

The handbag is nicer than any of the baskets I've seen. It set me back a couple of bucks and I'm happy to have it. 

Contrast lining is always a plus. It is a very nice bag. 

Pardon the terrible photos, it was that kind of a day.

I don't think the Mexican tourist jacket from the 50s has ever been worn with the Paganne skirt from the 70s but I like them together. I wasn't going anywhere, but if I had someplace to go this would be a nice outfit.

The embroidery is beautiful and oh so hard to photograph. 

The skirt began life as a maxi dress before someone with more ambition than skill (Not I) took scissors and sewing machine to it, badly. I've thought about trying to fix it, especially as it now needs to be safety pinned in the waist for me to wear it, but there's better uses of my time. I've accepted it will always be a damaged yet still wearable piece. I do wish people would at least think about what they're doing before cutting. I don't sew well-you'd never see me cutting up designer vintage. I know my limitations.

The cotton sweater was a recent purchase and isn't it a feel-good colour?! 

This beautiful brooch was a bit of a mystery. I'd tried searching out the markings but couldn't find much. After mentioning it in Instagram, Mim of Crinolinerobot came to the rescue and identified it as Premier Designs a company that was around from the mid-80s to 2020. It is one of the more striking brooches in my collection. 

This necklace is a Camrose-Kross JBK piece and wow, is it ever nicely made. You can read a bit more about the Jackie Kennedy collection at the link, and it is fascinating. I didn't know what it was when I bought it (I'm indifferent to the late Jackie O, but I understand her appeal) but for fans of that era, these are very good pieces. 

Here's a better photo (not mine)

I saved the best for last. Or my favourite anyway.

I'm willing to itch a little for vintage mohair. I'm not allergic to it, just annoyed by it. If I got rid of everything that annoyed me...let's not go there.

Some baubles from the Victorian to modern era

In the lower right are my monogramed button covers.

Aren't they beautiful?

Ow, my brains!

And there's the button covers in action. No makeup except lipstick which we've already established does just fine. The blouse is by 70s/80s brand Lucky Winner. Well, that sure sounds optimistic but I'll go with it. Couldn't hurt. 

I'm going to leave you with one of the best bands to come out of Boston in the 80s doing their Jackie O tribute:

See you later