Love Story (But With the Tragedy Confined to Fashion Choices)

Generally speaking, Oliver and I are a perfect match. Our personal styles, on the other hand, haven't always been in harmony.

Look at us in high school. Oliver was the ultimate 80s preppie, embracing sweater vests and layered pink and green polo shirts. Meanwhile, I was treating my high school to a parade of countless broomstick skirts and tie-dyed t-shirts. When I wasn't dressing in frumpy denim jumpers and turtlenecks. Either way, you would never have imagined the two of us together.

And then we went to two very, very different colleges.

When we met in grad school, we had settled into more individual styles. Oliver owned so many plaid shirts that once, walking into an Eddie Bauer, I was overcome by the sight of all the mannequins. They looked like a clone army of Olivers. I looked like a Victorian widow.

A few years later, we got teaching jobs, moved to Florida, and started dressing better. Faced with the Florida heat, I've traded in much of my voluminous black for little vintage-style dresses that are light on the fabrics, heavy on the polka dots. Oliver has essentially the same classic style he's always had, just a little more grown-up.

And look! We totally match.

Internet, Buy This Dress

Oohh, I love the color of this silk georgette dress. It's on clearance at Liz Claiborne for $32.99 -- formerly $165.00, which is a pretty impressive deal. So if you -- unlike me -- are a size 14W or 18W at Liz Claiborne, go get this dress while it's still there.

Cold

It's finally cold here. Cold enough for me to justify buying this vintage silk and wool Oscar de la Renta scarf from Mrsdepew? Um, no. "Cold" where I live is still so warm that a scarf like this would make my neck burn as I walked across campus. Do I still want the scarf? Um, yes.

Dress Clips

So I recently discovered dress clips and went a little insane. An entirely new way to wear jewelry! An entirely new type of jewelry to shop for! This week I bought this vintage German dress clip with odd little spiky flowers that change from green to gold to violet as you move. It goes with almost everything I own. (If you want a dress clip exactly like this, check out GoAntiques.)

I got mine from the fantastic Etsy shop Dollherup, which has some of the strangest and coolest vintage jewelry I've ever seen. Oh, and they also sent me a second dress clip as a thank-you gift, a pretty gold-tone filigree piece. They are awesome. And they are having a 20% off sale on all vintage jewelry September 22-25!

Dress clips were most popular in the 20s and 30s, and could be used to gather up a loose dress for a tighter fit, but this is my favorite way to wear them. (This website has a nice summary of other ways to wear them.) I've been clipping mine onto v-neck sweaters and dresses. They seem to stay balanced better than a brooch, and they don't leave holes in your clothes. And there are so many different kinds of dress clips:

Carved bakelite clips in juicy colors. (1940s Red Bakelite Floral Clip, $26.50 from AriesgirlVintage; Vintage Butterscotch Bakelite Carved Pineapple Dress Clip, $35.00 from The Antique and Collectible Exchange; Pea Soup Green Carved Bakelite Dress Clip, $65.00 from Ecrater)

Ornate clips in pairs. I'm planning to get myself some of these and wear them pinned to the corners of a square-necked top. (Rhinestone Dress Clips, $2.00 from Katseclectics; Vintage Fur or Dress Clips Pair Art Deco, $6.50 from MyCreations4U; gorgeous Sterling and Rhinestone Dress Clips, $18 from Ohmymilky.)

Cameo clips. (Antique Cameo Dress Clip c.1900, $95 from Eric J. Phillips; Vintage Figural Silvertone Dress Clip, $4.50 from FarawayEyes; Vintage Victorian Dress Clip, $44 from Darling Harbor)

Sculptural dress clips. Some of these are so bizarre and wonderful -- moving windmills, chessmen, vases that hold real flowers. A little more normal but just as lovely: Cluster of Grapes Vintage Dress Clip, $16.50 from Ohmymilky; amazing Goldtone Dress Clip with a Bird, $18 from Hollywooddesign; Leaf and Berry Rhinestone Dress Clip, $18 from Ecrater)

And the classic Art Deco rhinestone numbers. (Vintage Dress Clip, $50; 1930s Dress Clip with Rhinestones, $65 from Ecrater; West Germany Signed Marcasite Dress Clip, $14 from SeeJayneKnit)

My plan is to start shopping in the $2.00 range and work my way up to the terribly expensive ones.

The Snake Goddess

This dress of the day from The Fashion Police reminded me how much I like a few tiers or ruffles in a skirt. It also reminded me, however, of the time a few years ago when I interviewed for a teaching job. I was wearing a black suit. My interviewer was wearing something that looked like this:

Oh, yes, seriously. There is a lot of freedom to dress the way you want in my profession, which is one reason I love it. And while I had some trouble focusing in the presence of giant rainbow-colored tiers, I knew the look my colleague was going for, and I sympathized. She had just been inspired by this fashion icon:

The Minoan Snake Goddess. She's one of two little figurines discovered on the island of Crete, made around 16oo BCE. They might be goddesses, or priestesses -- no one really knows much of the details of Minoan culture. (And we won't know until someone manages to translate Linear A. You might want to get on that, Internet.) As far as I'm concerned, the main thing this figurine tells us is that the Minoans had cute outfits. I mean, you probably want to shorten the skirt, lose the apron, and, I don't know, put on a shirt. But once you've done that, this is a totally wearable outfit:


It's just a tiered skirt with a fitted, three-quarter-sleeved jacket. You could add a wide belt if you want to look even more like the Snake Goddess. Cute and trendy!

The other Snake Goddess figurine appears to be wearing live snakes for bracelets.

I would replace them with some snaky jewelry.

(From top left, reading across and down: Itty Bitty Drop Sterling Silver Earrings from Phoebestreasures; Serpent Necklace from Zeba; Ouroboros Ring from PocketandSpark; Vintage Snake Arm Bracelet from Ricracandbuttons; Vintage Etched Snake Clamper Bracelet from Viciousvintage; Brass Wurm from Ragtrader.

I don't recommend wearing a cat on your head, though.

Sea Blues

My midwestern hometown is at its best in the fall. The trees turn spectacular shades of gold, plum, and crimson, and they are so lovely that when I was living there, those were the only fall colors I wanted to wear. (Except black, because I always want to wear black.) But now I live in a place where the leaves don't change and the weather is always warm, and the fall color I find myself longing for is blue. Not just any blue, but the particular cobalt blue of the ocean on a sunny autumn day in Florida. Fortunately, I'm seeing that color everywhere:


I'll wear it with black. Which will not be a drastic change for me.

(Blue Notes Cluster Earrings from Poppigirl; Silk Brocade Purse from RidikRidonk; Captivating Cornflower Necklace from Wiyomu; Art Gallery Flats from Modcloth; Ocean Iridescence Blouse from Lane Bryant; Vintage Bluebell Earrings from Vintagelizzy; Tadashi Jersey Short Dress; Into the Blue Necklace from LighthouseDesigns; Blue Ribbon Lace Bombshell Dress (44-34-44) from VintageSedona; Vintage Limoges Ring from Enchantedbeas; Bold Vintage Givenchy Scarf from QuiteRightSlick; Merona Plus Cardigan with Bow Tie from Target.)

A Dressier Dressler

This post from Fatshionista! made me curious. I wanted to see some women close to my size wearing the fashions of the past that I love. So I did a quick search, and then it occurred to me: Marie Dressler. She was a fantastic actress, she sounds like a fantastic person, and I love all of her outfits.

Especially this one from Dinner at Eight. (Which is the greatest movie ever.) So now I'm a little obsessed. I want to dress like Marie Dressler every day.



Which means having no fear of flowing layers, lace jackets, fingerless gloves, and serious jewelry. Marie Dressler's character in Dinner at Eight is always dripping with jewels. Internet, there is no way I can carry this look off the way she did. But maybe I'll give it a try.

To Have a Heart

Internet, if I had the money I would definitely bid on this necklace in support of this blogger and her family. Go ahead, you do it for me. Or donate here instead.

The Big Lug

I'm teaching a class this fall at one of the colleges here in town, and I wanted something big and luggage-y to haul around all my books. (And I also wanted this print, Traveling Woman With Bags, from Amyartist.)

I had in mind something like this Dolce and Gabbana satchel.

Or this one from Urban Outfitters.

I was tempted to buy this vintage doctor's bag. After all, I did finally manage to become a doctor. Although this belonged to the kind of doctor who saves lives, not the kind of doctor who corrects grammar mistakes on essays.

In the end I decided to give up all the trouble of searching for a bag that looked like luggage and just buy ... luggage. My vintage maroon leather carry-on bag arrived today from Verovintage, and I love it! "Does it look like I'm going on a trip?" I asked Oliver. "It looks like you're going on a trip to the 70s," he said. "That is exactly where I want to go," I told him.

Movie Inspiration

Internet, you'll be happy to hear that we finally made it. After two failed attempts, Oliver and I saw Hellboy 2 at the second-run movie theater yesterday. And it was totally worth our persistence. I loved the gorgeous and elaborate design of the movie, so much that I wanted to pack up some of the best moments and take them home. These were my favorite parts:


1. The Elvish seal that kept showing up on boxes, armbands, and so forth. I couldn't find a picture of it, but it was a sort of Yggdrasil tree. The one on the left is an actual Norse depiction of Yggdrasil from a Viking Age tapestry, but the seal in the movie looked more like the center image, which is the Tree of Life necklace from Modcloth. On the right, Phyllophilia Tree Earrings from Lenastudio.


2. The map seller with a Gothic cathedral for a head; The Two Towers ring by BarbaraTaramasso; House and Tree Ring by JDavisStudio.


3. The giant roots of a forest god; Roots...Horn Earrings by Carpedraco; Roots: Soft Suede Journal by Kreativlink.


4. A beautiful Victorian-era edition of Tennyson from the movie; a similar edition you could buy from New Boston Fine and Rare Books; a less expensive edition of Whittier from Bambooks.


5. Creepy Angel of Death with eyes in his wings; creepy and wonderful Owl Eyeball Ring from Jessitaylor; equally creepy and wonderful Glass Crocodile Taxidermy Eye Ring from Dolldisasterdesign.



6. The Venus of Willendorf, available from the Museum Store in an 8-inch tall reproduction (almost twice the size of the original). You have to love the Venus of Willendorf; she is awesome! And if a monumentally oversized version like the one in the movie actually existed, I would totally buy it and put it in my living room.

After the Fall

I don't particularly like the bandage-y look in fashion.

And I especially don't like the look I'm sporting today after my fall down the stairs. In spite of what the makers of those boots might want you to believe, bandages are not pretty.

So I'm concealing my legs until they start healing a bit, and that poses a problem for me because: I HATE pants. Hate them. Long skirts are obviously the solution. They won't irritate my legs, they provide easy access to the bandages in case I need to re-adjust them, and basically, they are the perfect leg injury garment.

So here is what I'll be wearing for a while:



In my tragic high school days, I wore long A-line skirts made of the stiffest material I could find -- denim or poplin or something equally atrocious. (WHY? I think I was trying to look like my mother, who is an elementary-school teacher.) I will never make that mistake again. I still have long skirts, but now they are in soft flowy fabrics and have a slim cut, maybe flared at the bottom. This week I'm wearing them with long, slim tops. And safe, flat shoes. Just to be sure I don't lose my balance.



Maxi-dresses are another way to go, because I do live in Florida, and it is still summer here. I'm adding brightly-colored flats and fancy bracelets to distract people from my limp.

Sigh. Soon I'll be able to wear cute short dresses like this one without looking quite so literally like a fashion victim.

Oh, Let There Be Nothing on Earth But Laundry

Yesterday I had lunch at my favorite restaurant by myself. I spent the time looking out the window and thinking. Mostly about what was in front of the window, which was a clothesline of pretty vintage aprons. They were pink and green and gold, and the Florida sun was shining through them, and it made me want to recreate the effect in my kitchen. And also to go home and look up this awesome poem by Richard Wilbur about clotheslines, where he says:

"Oh, let there be nothing on earth but laundry,
Nothing but rosy hands in the rising steam
And clear dances done in the sight of heaven."

And then I got up to leave and fell down a flight of stairs, which kind of ruined the moment. Still:

Aprons are pretty.

(Orange Fish Vintage Apron from Etsy seller Tita; Vintage Apron Dotty Gingham Aqua from Etsy seller Paisley Path; Vintage White Apron with Orange Lace Trim available on Ebay; Vintage Cotton Apron Circles from Etsy seller Sfisher08; Vintage Apron Mod from Etsy seller Retrochicboutique; Orange Vintage Apron from Etsy seller Tita; Polka Dot Apron from Etsy seller Edelweiss Vintage; Vintage Homemade White/Yellow Appliqued Apron available on Ebay; Pretty Pleats Vintage Cocktail Half Apron from Etsy seller Beyond the Valley.)

My Imaginary Windfall

(Image from this website)

This would be a good day to find a little extra money. Not a lot of extra money -- not anything that should go to bills or student loans or anything important -- but maybe a forgotten twenty-dollar-bill stuck in a pocket somewhere. A little windfall for an impulse buy on the internet. I might spend it on:

This black velvet swing jacket from Torrid, available in sizes 0-3 for $12.96.

Exotic Croc Belt from Avenue, available in size 1x (53") for $6.96.

Vintage burgundy pumps from Etsy seller Willow Street Vintage, available in size 8/8.5 for $11.00.

Amazing vintage necklace from Etsy seller Oh Faro for $6.00.

Cute Bon Bon Necklace from Etsy seller Strawberry Latte for $5.00.

Etsy seller Spritz is selling all of her lovely plus-sized clothing for $10 a pop. My pick is this sparkle pink knit tunic, size 20.

Cable-knit vest from J. Jill, sadly not available in this color -- only quartz blue, size 1x, but for $9.99, I would still take it.

Cardigan from Lane Bryant, only available in lime green (sizes 14/16 and 18/20), but also only $9.99.

And now off to check my pockets.