Inspired By a Joan Didion Quote

“I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be...”  Joan Didion

Years:
1987, 1994, 1998
1979, 2021, 1978
1971, 1976, 1980

I posted the above on Instagram, I thought I would go deeper into the images here.

Or at least pull away from the square crops.

There are some versions of me that I gladly leave behind (my married years especially).

Others, I want to keep in touch with the spunky young me.

In backwards order:

2021

Next to four of my map weavings
Holly Jolly art reception, Roswell Space.

1998

A place Severo and I stayed in Cambria.
We toured Hearst Castle that trip. So much fun!

1994

Final day of a week long summer workshop with Rafael Ferrer at Bennington College.
Holding a self portrait.

1987

Otis graduation, BFA in Fashion Design
Lisa on the left, Dad on the right.

1980

Xmas at my parents, Hampden, MA.
What am I doing in that preppie sweater???

1979

That time I was a bride.
Photo by Jamie Wolff.

1978

At Alines apartment, her birthday?
Ex removed from photo.

1976

Outside the art studio.
College of Creative Studies, UC Santa Barbara.
I quit after my first quarter of Junior year to move to NYC with the ex,
as a 20 year old know it all does..

1971

Freshman year at Emma Willard.
Music pod in the library.
Winter uniforms, mine is a micro mini version.

On to the new year and new adventures!

Linking up with

Shelbee's Spread the Kindess

What does a Forty Year Old Pop Tart Look Like?

 No, silly, not the food!

I deconstructed my old "Pop Tart" tee to use in the Scrappy Square project.
See how I used the fabric strips in the Black and White piece.
I forgot to take a photo of the tee intact, here's the graphic:

One of my early Photoshop efforts, '95? '96?
I put an actual Pop Tart directly on the scanner!
Had the art made into a heat transfer at Kinko's.

I will freely admit, in 1995, at age 39, I became a Pop Tart in the LA pop music scene.
Won't go into the sordid details, will leave it at "I had fun". Heh.

Here is an old photo from that time, "rocking" the look:

1998, with Pat DiNizio (RIP), Len?, Severo at Coney Island High gig in NYC
I'm 42, Fiorucci tee purchased in 1978

Here's how I wore the same boy's size 14 tee in 1976:

outside the art studios, College of Creative Studies, UC Santa Barbara

There's NO WAY I could wedge myself into a tee that small now!
Only a memory...

 

This one has Severo in it:

   

 Linking up with

Shelbee's On the Edge

The Fluevog Sandal Clog Has Risen

Oh how I love these sandals!
On Saturday, they were sprung from Repair Jail. On the advice of Petrea at Fluevog Abbot Kinney, I took them to Miracle Shoe Repair in Playa Del Rey. I wanted a gentle touch -- these treasures are 25 years old! They needed new soles, front and back, and the back of the heels required a little rebuilding.

You can see two strata of heel repair: the dark upper layer was added in the 90s by Zinke's in Pasadena

To try and inspire myself to do some work on Repair Mountain, I pulled all the garments that coordinated with the sandals:

I found a lot of items! Did I do anything? No, not yet.

Remember this photo? (from this post)

I've been using the bottom skirt portion to cover the broken sewing machine.

Today's outfit -- the one I went out into the world in, not the staged one I posted on IG:

I had to make a run to Egg Slut for some VERY IMPORTANT taste test items and to Staples for printer ink.
Doesn't my dotty shopping bag coordinate nicely? Severo bought me three of them!
The little bit of walking I did gave me incipient blisters, so if I wear these tomorrow (highly likely), I'll need to wear socks.

I'm now supposed to be looking for missing art prints but instead I'm going to join Mr Lou on the couch.
It's how I Monday!

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

#tbt Summer Sunglasses

Doesn't this photo from 1993 say everything there is to say about summer?
Reading a book on the beach, wind-blown sea-salted hair, happy relaxed smile.

The location is Watch Hill, RI. The book is "Morgan's..." [something from the canon of English literature -- can't ID]. Granted, the the book isn't your typical beach read, I probably found it on the shelves at the rental.

Here's another:

Summer 1982 at Jone Pasha's home in Jamestown, RI, watching the Tall Ships sail up Narragansett Bay.
(If I ever locate the rest of the photos from that party, I'll write another post about it).

I still have those sunglasses! And their sibling!

I got them from an optometrist who was located on Thayer Street in Providence.
He had an amazing collection of vintage frames.

Add your summer-themed pictures and posts here:

#tbt Fashion Rosebud: The Sundress

Back in the olden days, when I had a waist (and a bust, for that matter), I had a cache of 50's sundresses.
This was one of my favorites:

1996, Estes Park, CO
Twill shirt now a studio apron.
The Sundress, skirt portion lost in Repair Mountain.
Fluevog clog sandals, still going strong! 

The bodice was reinforced (really!) with interfacing so no bra was required (in fact, it gave me a bigger, more 50's bosom). PERFECT for summer and for summer roadtrips! I wore it so much, the left side straps got shredded from the friction against my seatbelt.
To me, that dress says: summer, the open road, destination unknown.

Have a garment that whispers summers past? Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Best Foot Forward

PURCHASED/ GIFTED/ 

This is the 52 Pick-me-up week for all you shoe fanatics. Or sock fanciers. Or those who bare their soles.
It's all about putting your best foot forward.

I have recently unearthed a lot of shoes from my past by sorting through old bags that I found in the garage. They were full of things destined for a yard sale or charity. (Sample items worn last week). Yesterday, I thought I'd be writing about these:

Skechers collection from the 90's

Instead, I procrastinated and a Fluevog detour was taken.

Severo and I made an impromptu visit to Abbot Kinney this morning after breakfast out. We discovered while discussing eyeglasses that there is now a Warby Parker shop there (thanks smartie pants phones!). That reminded me about the newest Fluevog branch. Not to mention the free clogs that I won from Zingara almost a year ago that I never followed up on because the parking over there is so daunting. We figured it was early and gloomy enough (cloudy marine layer) that maybe it wouldn't be too crazy.

Thank goodness we had already eaten -- all the restaurants had mobs waiting to get in.

We did a slow stroll up and down Abbot Kinney and I managed to get a free bag of goodies from Fluevog.

The shoes I bought in SF several years ago, the bag has the free goodies inside.

Alas, the item that I asked about [not saying what] that resulted in the giveaway bag was not inside.
Oh woe is me.

I got a Fluevog button, a tiny sleeveless tee (back graphic shown), aqua laces, and a pencil --
courtesy of Fluevog on Abbot Kinney, Venice, CA

Now I need to call them and get what I asked for so that I really can Get On the Good Foot:

How about you? What's on your feet? Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: On Broadway

PURCHASED/ 

We had a stellar Stripes Week last week! Thank you everyone for linking.
This week is more of a challenge. Create an outfit inspired by the theater or Broadway.
(Oh, what was I thinking last June?)

I'm choosing Cats. I've never seen Cats, though I certainly know about it!
So while Googling to get more intel, I discover "Memory":

Today I'm having a "Yart" (yard + art) sale and while rummaging for stuff to sell, I found all sorts of old treasures.

I was ready to settle on just posting the photo above, but, inspired by the costume in the video, I thought "What if I turn the jacket inside out?" And there were my VERY WIDE jeans (which fit!) in another pile, and the brown Sketchers platforms, and something to "rave" about developed.

"Hello 90s!"

The furry hat is going in the $5 box, the rest I think I'll keep!

Where will exploring the limelight take you? Link and tell!
Visible Monday is on this week, I'll be strutting my visible stuff on over later today. Here's the link.
Also linking with Maricel's TARDIS Tuesday, because Kezzie says I'm a Cheetah Person.

[Enid] Von Dutch Flaming Board Shorts

ENID/

Transcription:  

4.5 GOOD NEWS!
It's Easter Sunday and I was allowed out of the closet for "good behavior" or some such BS. Also, I'm NOT FIRED!
Mel K, Miz Bagg's "left hand" informed me in a curt text. I was able to go visit my mom. While there, she made me go through some boxes in the attic and I found my FLAMING BOARD SHORTS! Oh memories of RISD and Lupo's! What I would give for a hot dog at The Hot Club. No. Not really.

52 Pick-me-up: Inspired by a Toy

PURCHASED/ GIFTED/ 

Thank you everyone for your kind sentiments on last week's post. I appreciated them very much.

This week's challenge is to dress like a toy. It could be the colors of said toy or whatever. Or just a picture of the toy if that's all you can manage.

Some of my favorite toys as a young girl were my Barbie Dolls. I played out many melodramatic scenarios with them -- often Midge was in peril and Barbie always rescued her. I sewed outfits for them and I think even hand knit a sweater or two. Those artifacts have disappeared, which is probably just as well.
In 1989 I started working at Mattel as a Barbie fashion designer. It seemed like a fun job to have at the time and I lasted there full time for four years. Here I am at my going away party on my last day:

See my matching Barbie? It's a custom doll that my coworkers made for me. In this case, the outfit inspired the doll. Close enough for this week.

What was your favorite toy? Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Purple Royale

CREATED/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED/ LINKS/

This week on 52 Pick-me-up, we don Purple, the color of royalty.
Back in 1500 BC [says Wikipedia], purple dye was derived from tiny snails. It took a lot of effort, so only the big-wigs were allowed to wear it. Good thing they got rid of that rule!

You may address me as Queen Anne

I'll admit, I have a purple past.

Here I am back in 1993, my last salaried day at Mattel (I later freelanced), in my purple Leon Max suit, yellow tights, and purple Mary Janes. Hoi and Anita made a mini-me Barbie wearing the same outfit. 

Then, farther back in time, there's the purple maxi (details here):

sorry such a wretched photo
wish I had a larger scan

Have any purple in your closet that you might wear to my party?
Please link up your look!

Digital Catwalk: Bella Does 90s

CREATED/ LINKS/

Bella of The Citizen Rosebud

52 Pick-me-up: 90s

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ GIFTED/ LINKS/ 

This week, let's have a 90's party! I'm attending as Grunge.

Featuring a Gotcha corduroy shirt, thrifted in Austin(?)
Conoz wrap skirt, thrifted in Portland

Confession: it's still too hot here in LA to dress like this all day. For work, I changed into something else entirely.
That got me thinking... what did I wear during the summer in the 90s? I think it was mostly 50's sundresses.
Oh, and big baggy jeans:

1995: house sitting in Laurel Canyon

Off-White for Summer

LINKS/ PURCHASED/ 

"Don't wear white before Memorial Day" "Don't mix plaids" "Don't wear black and navy"
Who wrote these rules, anyway? [Here's a fun circa 2008 article expanding on ways to break them]

Well, you know me. Sartorial rules were made to be broken. Or stretched to the limit...
School uniform that requires "shoes that tie"? Hello hiking boots. And a 15" skirt.

Tell me to "start wearing pantihose"?
Hello bright tights!

What does this have to do with how I'm going to wear white this summer? Nothing!
In fact, I won't be wearing white, because it makes me twitchy. Too much pressure to avoid spills. I prefer off-white, in the rectangular silhouette known as a huipil.

The indigenous people of Mexico (and other points south) know how to beat the heat in a loose, usually hand-loomed garment that slips over the head. Of course modesty often requires the addition of a skirt, which kind of defeats the purpose of staying cool with minimal clothing, but I'll be a gringa and a cultural vampire and just wear it the way I want to. Call me insensitive, I don't care. I'll be cool and comfortable!

This is part of Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, a weekly series hosted by Katie of Modly Chic.
Click on over to see how others are wearing white this summer.