Today is the 11th Year of SpyGirl! Not April Foolin'

 April 1, 2010 I posted this:

It was my first entry of my second fake journaling for "International Fake Journal Month".

[If you look at the Archives, there ARE "earlier" posts, but I wrote them after April and back dated them]

Do I still have any of these garments, 11 years later?

Looking...

2/4 of the outfit ain't bad!

I still have the Mary Jane Clogs as well, but I couldn't find the box of broken shoes, so you get my fluffy leopard slides instead. The striped socks are long gone. The paisley leggings I was too lazy to remove.
The gauzy runner around my neck was pinned to the skirt, I think to cover a large oil spill.

Is it crazy that I still have these items? Some would say yes.

Others would say, no, repair or refashion!

The tee is actually quite comfy, though I would only wear it under something, because, stomach.

I now have to clean up the eruption of Mending Mountain that transpired while looking for the skirt.

I found lots of stuff I'd forgotten about! Mending Mountain has A LOT of skirts in it. I no longer wear full skirts.

Cheers, 

SpyGirl

Linking up with 

Shelbee's On the Edge

Create 28 and Decluttering

Whitney at Whitney a la Mode is hosting a fall-themed Create28, if you're interested in such things.
I'm joining in, as the mood strikes me, mostly on Instagram.

For #create28fallLooks Day 5: Fall Colors

My big project this month is tackling my clutter.
I signed up for a decluttering e-course called 27 days of Feng Shui with Katie Rogers ($49 or so).
It's helping and I'm discovering all sorts of treasures!

As part of my spin on the process, I'm keeping a journal that includes incriminating sketches of the clutter, and an online daily progress report. All can be found over on The Glutton. Some of you have expressed interest in seeing the "islands of clothing", etc in the living room. The islands have been put into boxes (be happy for me!) but there is still lots of clutter to gawk at, if you want to feel better about the disorderly state of your home.

Why am I prattling on about all this?

I found these "molten lava" beads, conveniently still strung as I purchased them in the 80s:

They (along with some 70º weather) inspired me to pull out the "manzanita" skirt:

Plus the CUPCAKE SOCKS!!!!

Socks a gift from Severo, Marcia, first time wearing them. He probably got them at Jack's. Purchased somewhere in WI.
Shoes are Kork-Ease

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday too.

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.

52 Pick-me-up: Hey Cowgirl

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Look to Western wear for inspiration this week. Dig out those cowboy boots and giddy up!

I purchased the platform cowboy boots at Nana's, an old punk emporium that
was located on Santa Monica's 3rd Street Promenade in the 90s.
They are sculptural objects chez moi -- fun to look at, torture to wear. 

This is what I wore to work.
YeeHa!

What Western treasures will you rediscover?
Link and tell!

Meanwhile, I'm moseying over to Patti's Visible Monday.

52 Pick-me-up: Hat Trick

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ GIFTED 

This week is all about hats. Judith, the Style Crone, hosts "Hat Attack" on the first of every month.
She asks us to "...display your hat, headwrap, headpiece, fascinator, hair flower, headband or other adornment for your head..." This time the linky parties shall align, despite the fact that Mercury is still in retrograde.

I'm featuring my collection of ribbon hats.
They are made in China, I think with leftovers from apparel manufacturers. I bought them all at the 99 Cent Depot in Culver City, for $1.99!

[Screen capture from my Tumblr]

Here's the first one that I bought:

The ribbon is printed with this: "get wrapped in the fabric of MIMCO...........for frolicking"
What does that mean?

I played "match the hat" with a tee and scarf:

And:

And:

And:

And:

This last look has further permutations yet to occur. When they happen, you'll be the first to know.

My personal ribbon hat stack:

That's a drawing by Cidney Hochman behind the hats, not that you can see it.

What's your hat trick? Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Almost Marsala

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ GIFTED/ 

The 52 Pick-me-up Pantone Party continues.
I thought my square dance skirt was a good match for this year's color, Marsala.

But then I pulled an actual Marsala chip from the Pantone book at work.

Close, but not quite.

I'm working on a print collection utilizing Marsala (the color, not the wine).
It'll be posted over on my Pattern Recognition blog whenever I get it done.

It's not too late to join in the fun. Click here to see all the Pantone Colors of the Year, 2000-2015. Have you worn one of the 16 colors? Add your link here or there.

52 Pick-me-up: Dress Like a Tree

PURCHASED/ GIFTED/ LINKS 

Happy Earth Day!
When I was in eighth grade, Earth Day was called Arbor Day and we planted a tree at school (I bet it's huge by now). Many years later, I had a design assignment to sketch an outfit inspired by a tree. I drew a funny pine tree ensemble, complete with a cone-shaped hat (do I still have that sketch? No idea). All this lead me to challenge you to dress like a tree this week.
Take a color scheme, focus on a tree's detail, or there's that woodland camo that I saw in abundance in North Carolina. Have some fun!

Leslie gave me this skirt with an interesting fabric that reminded me of manzanita bark

Manzanita seen in Idyllwild

Grounded

The gauntlet is thrown! Link and tell!

ps: posted this on Tuesday because of Earth Day. Able to join up with Patti's Visible Monday. Glad I got confused!

Help from the Past Outfit

CREATED/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED/

This somewhat odd combination resulted from a search on my own blog. I wanted to wear these striped tights and couldn't remember what I'd paired them with the last time I wore them. Since I was strapped for time, I used the search feature on my sidebar, using "brown". The results were less than stellar (only three) because the search feature does not include labels, only text within titles or the body of a post. It doesn't include visuals either, so I'm wondering just how helpful it really is.

Anyway, this look came up and it was exactly what I needed:

from this post from 6/11

I used the concept of mixing the scarf and the dress with brown elements, choosing warmer elements more appropriate for November in soCal.

The leopard stole:

It's a simple rectangle of soft fake fur and Chinese silk brocade for the lining.
It's my own design and you're welcome to steal the concept! It measures 18 x 60" but would work better if it were 18 x 66" (I was limited by the amount of brocade yardage I had on hand). To make it, sew the two pieces right sides together, leaving a part unsewn so you can turn it inside out, then hand stitch the remaining open part. I made the leopard side a little bit larger so that it would wrap around the edges.

Fashion bloggers: have you ever searched through old blog posts when you've hit an outfit block?

Linking up with Très Chic Style Bits

52 Pick-me-up: Coffee Klatch Tea Party

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It's time for a new 52 Pick-me-up theme and this one has you looking in your kitchen for inspiration.

Fill your favorite mug (or tea cup) with your morning brew. Now dress to coordinate.

I picked this mug up on one of my cross country road trips.

Brown and Pumpkin

And it's Monday again.
Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday

Print Max, in which I match my breakfast #OOTD

First of all, I wasn't planning to post my outfit today. It seemed a bit frivolous in my current frame of mind. I was going to post more stuff from the 70s --  that's where my head is, and that's where I'm staying for the rest of the month thankyouverymuch.

But then, while I was finishing up my bowl of quinola, I looked down and saw this:

Well, it was a good laugh and I had to share.
Why, I could roll around on the floor (70s linoleum) eating my hippie breakfast, and be very RETRO!

Here I am looking annoyed.
"Ahhhh noooo sun! Gimme July Gloom!"

Uh oh. Remember what they say about "the girl with the curl"...
No?
Well, The Google was no help on this -- was it Ogden Nash?
Patti found the rhyme, by Longfellow. Thanks Patti!

Here is the image I was going to originally post.
It's me in spring of 74, from my year book.
I'm eating dessert (ice cream). Some things don't change.

1974 was one of my years of shining brightly.
I graduated high school, and drove across the US to attend the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara.
Extreme visibility!
More here, in Patti's Visible Monday.

Pattern Max - #OOTD

On Friday, I reached a new level of pattern maxing:

Light orange, turquoise, and brown.
I can't explain why it works (some complicated color theory reason, no doubt) but it does.

Last night, I tried this:

Desigual shirt, Dorothee Bis skirt

Lurid tropical + brown zig zag... Yes!

Since I was working an art reception, I made an extra effort and decorated my arm.

I've said it before, I mix patterns like a painter mixes paint. Put me on a diet of "all solids" and I would go MAD!
Happy patterny Sunday, everyone.

Linking up to Visible Monday -- go check out my Visible compañeras.

Fashion Challenge: Pining for Printed Pants

I envision myself, lounging under the umbrella pool-side, wearing my Pucci palazzo pants, sipping on a virgin mojito...

Source via Lyst*

Then again, I could be in the garden, wearing my Gaultier Monet trousers, stopping for a sip of cool spring water...

Source via Lyst*

Ah, well... The Pucci is actually a skirt and not pants, the Gaultiers are a "bit" on the expensive side ($779)...

So here I am, on the back patio, wearing my Indian hippie skirt that I got in Artesia:

I'm OK with that.
Thus concludes Thursday's Fashion Challenge: Printed Bottoms.

Here are some more printed pants that I found on Lyst*

In a Brown Study - #OOTD

Brown, pink and yellow. It's such a strange combination of colors (for me).
I'm working on a 30x30 type challenge. I decided to try to wear summer-appropriate garments that have been either in the back of the closet or newly added to my collection to see what combinations I can concoct. This Shabby Apple cotton pencil skirt I got last March at the TxSC Lulu's swap from Shasie of Live Life In Style. The cotton is "sticky" so it doesn't "play nice" with tights. That makes it perfect for summer, if I can find things to go with it!
I've been very happy in today's combo. PLUS, I can finally close the zipper and not have the skirt float up over my ribcage.

I chipped out the colors of the print:

It reminded of this piece of art I did in the 70s:

Maybe I should print this on fabric and wear them together?

I'm Inside the Box - #OOTD

I'm all in favor of garments made from rectangles. They are very, um, ROOMY! Easy to sew too.
This one is from Mexico so it's called a huipil. I wore it today because the forecast said 86º weather. I was also quite pleased to find another garment that "goes" with my brown/mustard/teal striped scarf.

I'm working on tribal themed prints at work, so I tried shooting a closeup of the pattern on the chest.

Even with the "flip view" feature on my new iPhone, it was really difficult to get a good shot. OK for the blog, not good enough for pattern pirating. I'll have to bring it in tomorrow and scan it.

It's still Monday and you know what that means... The Visibles!
Go look!

Stripes Meet Spots and Play Nice

Visible Monday, all day

Not What I Started With

but it worked out OK

I love my $10 square dancing skirt!
The gold rick-rack is disintegrating, can hardly tell.
I got it in Austin in maybe 1999? At Flashback?

Visible Monday already. Where did the weekend go? I want a do-over!
More visibles here. GO!

Fashion Challenge - Stripes: Pattern Max

I wore this to a blogger/fashion event on Thursday night [more on that after I get all the TxSC posts written]. I was very pleased with my combination and had a high school alumnae event today so I wore it again. In this photo I'm carrying my trusty Pantone Tangerine Tango journal that I forgot to take to the Thurs event [doh].

wouldn't say stripes are the focal point here
but they are an important part of the mix

I thought you might like a breakdown of my pattern mixing (which on Thursday I called pattern max). I use pattern on my body like a painter uses tubes of color and I adore mixing (maybe you already figured that out).
Here's one way of doing it:

browns and camels tie it together

And here's my way:

there is some brown in the tunic print
in my mind it matches

Pattern max!

Thus concludes the Stripes Fashion Challenge week held by Megan and Keely. I had a good time choosing stripes with purpose. What'll they think up next?