An Over the Top Outfit, Deconstructed

I'm going to a Zandra Rhodes book signing on Wednesday.
On Friday I road tested an outfit.

Let's study what's going on.

The pink fluffiness is a rectangle of Mongolian Lamb. Maybe originally intended as a rug?
It was displayed on the floor at the Flitterman Collection studio sale:

It was love at first sight, but it took me several circuits of the room to commit.
No regrets!

Next layer is the pink mystery fiber sequinned ombre scarf that I got at a Tibetan shop in Williamsburg, NY in January 2012. That MIGHT have been the moment I was finally comfortable wearing Barbie Pink.

On my extremities:
chenille armlettes cut from socks,
striped socks from Uniqlo (obtained at a store opening on deep discount).

Neon Yellow Fluevog Aimees on my feet.

Base layers: royal blue cheap Chinese high-low dress:

And last but not least, the Crazy Legs Leggings from Society6!

Somebody (on Facebook? on Instagram?) wanted to see a closeup of the print on the leggings:

It's a digital composite of three 60's prints which I insterted into the Crown of Thorns quilting pattern.

Let's continue deconstructing!
I couldn't find the red ground paisley vest (in a box somewhere), here are the other two sources:

Pink, mustard, and white smock that is "in work" (I cut off the yoke).

You've seen this neon shirt before!

All three garments came from my friend Larry's stash. Thanks Larry!

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Ageless Style

The Laurie Coat

Lesley came over for a jam making session and we got to talking about how we're going to use the "loot" we snagged at a yarn sale in Newberry Park on Saturday. She was talking plans for denim yardage and I mentioned a coat I'd seen and specced at an exhibition in Portland in June 2011.

click on the link above to see a detail

I sewed a version from sari fabric in 2012(?) and I don't think I ever posted it.

Here it is today:

I happened to have on this new abstracted leopard sweater and knew it'd look good with the coat.
Then, since the pattern on the sweater reminded me of the 80's Norma Kamali tights that I still have, I added those. (They're 100% nylon and no longer tolerable for daily wear).
And to finish it off, I dragged out my 80's Norma Kamali "elf" booties. (I no longer wear these either).
Voila! An olive casserole!

Linking with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

FierceCon 2019 -- the Power of Kindness

What? FierceCon was last weekend? Where does the time go?
WHAT is FierceCon? The tag line is "It’s not a Conference. It’s a Connection! Celebrating and empowering women at Midlife & Beyond." It's the brain child of Catherine Grace O'Connell and I encourage all of my over-40 female friends to consider attending in 2020. It was amazing. Yes, I've imbibed the Kool-aid.

I will probably [read hopefully] write more about my experience eventually.
[Including my project to sketch everyone that attended].
This post is about what I wore, as documented by others [credit given if I recall photographer].

Friday. The Fluevog Dress.

With Rena Perez of Fine.Whatever
We are brandishing the mini cards I had printed of the sketches I'd completed in time for printing.

I had a professional photoshoot with Courtney Paige Ray and wanted to have photos in The Dress, wearing Fluevogs, and showcasing my Fluevog Shoe Art.

photo by Courtney Paige Ray

Saturday day. The Kimono fabric Tunic

We are the Leopard Squad!
Lana Lindgren, Jill Lorentz, Amy Kennedy, Deb Gutierrez [shoes, can't see]

Saturday Gala. The BOOM! tunic.

In the hotel bar before the "Gala" party.
photo by the bartendress

Barbie Holmes, Sophie Davies, BOOM!

Sunday. The "tribal" tunic. The one I hand sewed on a bus.

photo by Paula Griffin

With Theresa Martin and wearing her super light leather earrings [gifted, link to similar].

The Faces of Fierce on Sunday morning. Catherine is reclining center front.
photo: Mike Castagna

Looking at these photos brings back the super fun time that I had and all the new friends that I've made. Really, consider joining in next year! I'll sketch you!

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Off Duty in Houston in Selfies

My last post showed you what I wore during my exhibition in Room 400 at the Hotel ICON StARTup Art Fair Houston.
What did I wear during my leisure time?

I didn't plan this well:

Thursday afternoon, cold brewing teas in the bathroom.

Thursday night. In the main lobby with the StARTup signage.
Can you tell that the hotel's ground floor was originally a bank?

Friday morning. 4th floor landing.
Wait, isn't that the same outfit as Thursday night?

Saturday morning, outside the ICON's main entrance.
Those weird steps over my shoulder almost did me in, I slipped on them
but was able to grab onto the decorative architectural element to avert a face plant on the bricks.

Sunday morning. Trying to dry my one pair of socks that I hand washed the day before.
I wore them damp.

Monday morning, elevator area in lobby.
Here you can see the entire "chilly weather" look:
Flannel shirt
Patterned scarf
Red Fluevog Creepex Tee (you can't see the graphic in my pix)
Leggings (second of the two)
The Socks
Leopard Clogs

I packed a tunic and the Fluevog Dress, and I never wore them.
Used the red tee as my night shirt as well. Could have used a second tee!
Really glad I took the clogs (chiefly for airport TSA. Did not want to be barefoot through security). I needed them!

I have an Excel chart that I use for packing and if I'm super organized I'll make notes on it after a trip of what I didn't need or wear. It helps a lot when space is at a premium. This trip, I need all the space possible for art.

Do you have any packing rituals?

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

SpyGirl: The Case of the Mistaken Identity

Melissa thought she was going to visit Anne Bray at the stARTup Art Fair in Houston at the Hotel Icon. She found it curious that during their most recent phone conversation, Anne hadn't mentioned that she'd be in Houston. "Well, I'll just go surprise her," she thought.

SURPRISE!

She got me instead! Anne M Bray! It's all in the M, folks.
I had to start deploying my middle initial when I learned of my name double, who is also based in LA.
There is also Anna Bray.
We A Brays are legion! Well, legion in LA, anyway. Haha.

Melissa and I had a great meeting of the minds.
It was probably my best experience of mistaken identity!
Melissa is a professional photographer, as you can see from this great portrait:

StARTup Art Fair Houston was a grand experience. Maybe you caught some of my Instagram posts.
There's a great video interview posted on Facebook shot by Ray Beldner, the fair director (which I don't know how to post anywhere besides Facebook. Sorry. It was one of those Facebook Live things).
I'll be writing more about it on the On the Edge blog eventually.
Right now I'm supposed to be doing my taxes and then go to the day job.
Sigh.
Reality bites.

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

#SecondhandSeptember My Local Flea Market

All hail the Santa Monica Airport Antique and Collectable Market!

View this post on Instagram

Sparkle on! At the Santa Monica Antique Flea.

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Apr 23, 2017 at 12:50pm PDT

I love this market and I could even walk to it if I got myself a granny cart to tote my loot home. Therein lies my problem. I ALWAYS find stuff to buy. I try my utmost to "shop with my camera" . but then I'll see some irresistible object. And then I have to impose a shopping ban upon myself.
Things. I hear their siren call.

The time I ALMOST successfully shopped with my camera. (1/2019)
Another time (2/2018)
Both times, bought things. I am so weak.

Another great find:

Ungaro silk shirt: $6.
link to post about it

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Rainbow Connection

I donned all the Rainbow Things:

And went over to bG Gallery to hear a talk by Lynn Segerblom aka Faerie Argyle Rainbow, the woman involved with the creation of the original Rainbow Flags flown for the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco.

Lynn doing a mock [waterless] dying demo. Prints of her paintings are on the right wall.

Explaining how she dyed the stars.

Small mockup.

This photo from 1978 shows the scale of the flags -- 30 x 60 feet.
They flew for just one day for the parade.
Lynn's Star Flag (on left) was stolen in 1979 and has never been seen since.

Link to an LA Times article from 2018.

The rainbow theme is carried throughout bG Gallery, with the sixth annual Spectrum Gestalt exhibition, up until July 6, 2019. The salon-style group show of 80 artists has the art arranged chromatically. View the artworks here.

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

The Fluevog Dress Visits Fluevog Manhattan

I just returned home from a wonderful two week trip East.
Many, many different meetups and museums -- eventually I hope to write about them all.

Today, it's all about The Dress and its debut at Fluevog Manhattan:

Photo by Paul, who sent it to John Fluevog, who responded: "Does she do those drawings herself?"

I posed with the Investigator, as it's one of the styles sketched in the repeat.

From the 2017 Fluevog Sketch series. See the entire set on Pattern Recognition

To commemorate this auspicious occasion, I (finally) made an individual Investigator sketch that's available on Redbubble (I get a commission for purchases):

Fluevog website Investigator link

In addition, I wore The Dress yesterday to an event that I chauffeured Ruth to in Pasadena.

My Fluevog Peacemakers pair perfectly with The Dress.
I obtained them on Fluevog Day at the Abbot Kinney store.
Here is The Dress link.

Don't forget -- I've got a Summer-long Link-up Party happening.
Link as much as you'd like. The more the merrier.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

Very Visible!

I have achieved a new high of visibility. And I coordinate with this painting by Raffi Kalenderian perfectly:

I'm standing in front of "Bernard" 2019
[photo by Dean]

Rafi's show at Susan Vielmetter is a riot of color and pattern. Like me!

I loved how this room was hung:

[click on image to embiggen]

Check this out.
Painting on left:

Raffi Kalenderian, Robert, Bob and Seymour, 2019

Painting on right:

Raffi Kalenderian, Shanti Reading, 2019

Do you see what he did? Look in the mirror!

I cruised the galleries in Culver City with Lani, Dean, and Judy on Saturday.
We had a great day. Will post more images on my art blog, later.

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

SpyGirl Does the Beverly Hills Art Show

I exhibited my #dailytruck series at the Beverly Hills Art Show. 

Mostly I watched the world roll by.

Here I am in my truck camo.

I did some stealth sketching.
[see more here]

Oh, the peacocks of BH! They have no problem wearing what they like!
(no judgement -- pure wonder)

Many dogs took their people to the event.
On Sunday morning it was raining, so there were fun canine fashions.

OMG, the dino dog!

I won Honorable Mention in Digital Art and got a ginormous ribbon!

Here's the truck banner wafting:

Linking up with:
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's On the Edge of the Week