#SecondHandSeptember Secondhand Party Clothes

Let's take a trip down memory lane to Russ and Anita's Movie Nites of the past.
A fun party that includes a movie! And dressing up in costumes shopped from my closet!

2019: Paradise, Hawaiian Style with Elvis [links go to OG blog posts]

[photo swiped from Anita's FB]
On Severo: Second hand tiki mask shirt
On me: '74 Matadors muumuu [informative link]

2015: Straight-Jacket with Joan Crawford [no blog post]

Me: repurposed hospital wristbands from 2010-11 chemo infusions
Stephan, who does the amazing sets in the pool cabana, such as this one

2015: Double Indemnity

Severo: used German suit from Amsterdam flea market, vintage tie
Me: 1940's rayon dress from Larry

You can see how Stephan totally transforms the cabana. Same space as above photo!

2013: Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford

On Severo: second hand sport coat
On me: gauzy shirt and plaid sheath from Larry, head scarf a gift from a former student

2012: Singin' in the Rain [link to preliminary design post]

Topper: repurposed used sari

I never buy new for Anita's dress up parties.
I can always find something in my closet (or in refurbish mountain).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Fierce 50 Fun In the June Gloom

It was fun despite the lack of sun. 

Day after simulation of my attire, including the hat and goodie bag c/o Chico's.
The "Matadors" muumuu has a good back story that I told in this old post.

About 30 women from the Fierce 50 Facebook group convened under the Hermosa Pier on Saturday.

There was a drone, and lots of InstaHusbands taking photos.

We didn't let the gloomy marine layer get us down.

Can you tell we all got into the 4th of July spirit with our red, white, and blue attire?

Rena's and my red toes in the cold, cold sand

What came in the goodie bag?

"Hello Beautiful" pouch with Madison Reed hair care samples

Arctic Cool cooling towel -- so awesome!

Mom Energy, by Ashley Koff and Kathy Kaehler

Dermalogica lip treatment -- LOVE!

Belt from Manna Dabholkar [hidden]

Lylo [Love Yourself Love Others] rubber bracelet

Tote (similar) and hat from Chico's

Big shoutout to Catherine Grace O'Conner and Jodie Filogomo for organizing this weekend series of events.
It was a super fun time, meeting all these fellow over-fifty Fiercies.

Ladies, are you 50+ and interested in joining the revolution? 
Find us on Facebook and Instagram @the fierce50revolution

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Judith's Hat Attack (finally wearing a hat in a post!)
Cherie's Shoe and Tell
Rena's Fine-Whatever

Crazy Pants Debut at Otis

Did you see my Crazy Pants on Instagram yesterday?

I've had these since 1997 and have never worn them.
Unbelievable, right?
They've been hiding in plain sight in one of my closets for a while.

Scarves on the left, a quasi "repair and sell" assortment on the right, fabric stash in the back.

I "saw" them every day, but didn't see them on me, if you know what I mean.

Yesterday, I tried them on (for the first time -- I kid you not!).

Wowza!
Aside from the abhorrent fiber content (OG 60's nylon tricot) they are GROOVY, man.
That print is going places!

Curious about my lovely pendant?
Since I lost a very important thumb drive (had all my latest course handouts from my Digital Design for Fashion class, not backed up, of course), I attached another one to the polkadot lanyard that Sue made for our Vancouver Blogger meetup.

(Sorry for the "exposed" USB plug. Kids, avert your eyes).

I managed to not leave this one behind in the classroom. At least for this week.

After class, the Crazy Pants went to Whittier to see Stan Ridgway in concert.
But that's another post for another blog.
"Seems like a pretty good idea to me".

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

52 Pick-me-up: Amber / Passion, Part 2

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Patti's Visible Monday is back in session, the epitome of a Passion project. Patti certainly inspired me to start my own weekly link-up, though I'm more restrictive and feel the need to have a theme. This week on 52 Pick-me-up, we're going with the color AMBER and the word PASSION.

I told you about my latest creative passion yesterday (shoemaking), today I give you a shirt with amber
(and honey and rust and olive):

It's a Kikit by Maurice Sasson shirt, remember that brand? A gem from Larry's stash that fits.

I wouldn't say that the amber Pantone chip (in middle) gives a sense of the fiery glow that I think of when I think of Amber the gemstone. "Honey" and "Amber" were some of the more difficult colors for me to define with a paper chip. I did Google Image searches, took screenshots (trapped on my broken iMac. Could replicate here on the laptop but too lazy).
Some beautiful earrings came up in a Poshmark feed yesterday that shows it better:

Amber Clip-on Earrings on Poshmark

Yeah! AMBER!
Linking up with Visible Monday.

Wearing anything Amber? Have a Passion for something or someone?
Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Surfin' Safari

PURCHASED/ CREATED/ 

In the Northern Hemisphere, school's out and summer is here. Time to hit the beach!
Grab your Hawaiian shirt and a large brimmed hat and go on a "surfin' safari"!

Unless you live in Southern California, that is.
Where almost every morning this month has looked like this:

It's called "June Gloom"

If you are craving sun and heat, you will have to take your safari inland:

It was 106º in Joshua Tree yesterday morning

Yes, you'll have sand. A beach? No.

Where will your surfin' safari take you? Link and tell!

[Enid] Q is for Mr. Quint's Shibori Scarf

ENID/

Transcription:

4.20  Q
Question:
Why am I sorting this one with Q and not S (shibori) or J (Japanese)
Ha! It is my evil plot to make Mizzz Bagg have to go on a Quest to locate it.
Job security.

52 Pick-me-up: Pattern Max

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ CREATED/ GIFTED/  

Oh thank you IRS for causing a delayed posting for this week's challenge. I managed to schedule my favorite theme -- Pattern Maxing -- in my least favorite week -- Tax Deadline. I'm back dating this and we'll all pretend that today is Sunday. If only!

Since I'm bombarding you daily with all of the fake journaling of Enid, I'm compiling the four outfits that I wore to work last week. I was inspired to new heights of pattern mixing [or maxing, as I like to say] by the Create 28 Lovely Spring Looks Challenge, the brainchild of Whitney A La Mode and Carrie of A Lovely Little Wardrobe. [I'm trying to do the challenge with my socks, but it is getting more and more difficult. Today's prompt is "Spring Dresses". How on earth can a sock be a spring dress?]

Anyway, on the the kooky outfits:

Monday. "Pattern on Bottom"
Pattern everywhere except for my tights.

Tuesday. "Pastels"
Pattern or embellishment everywhere except the faux Keds

Wednesday. Off theme.
Pattern everywhere.
Especially liked the leopard under the striped tee.
Note Jean's neck cowl [gifted] worn as a bum cover/ hip warmer.

Thursday. "Floral"
The coworkers gave me many compliments on the recently rediscovered circle skirt.

There you have it, my week of Pattern Maxing.
Go on, give it a try! Baby steps welcome too -- try a stripe with floral.
I have a helpful pattern mixing post here.

Linking with Create 28 Lovely Spring Looks
and Share-in-Style

Was your Pattern Maxing a success? Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Crazy Legs

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Time for some crazy on your legs. Crazy pants, crazy tights, crazy socks, crazy shoes.
I'm wearing the crazy tights that I had printed and rainbow socks that Ruth gave me.

How crazy will you go? Link and tell!

Are You Ready for "Wear Your Lilly Day"?

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Lilly Pulitzer, the brand, has decreed that June 20th is "Wear Your Lilly Day"

Lilly is an iconic preppy brand. I remember tons of friends and relatives sporting her shifts over the years -- Fourth of July parties, summer "dress up" occasions, etc. They were too stuffy for my taste (and probably too expensive for my mom's budget). My grandmother wanted me to wear Lilly in the worst way (as well as those Belgian loafers) but I resisted. I had my own style thing going on -- in 5th grade, I was already sewing my own creations. Yes, I made a-line shifts, but the prints were not the preppie brights of pink, lime, and yellow.

I have a Lilly that I got from Larry a while back. It's WAY too small, and I don't think I want to wear monkeys in coconut trees -- here is a sketch:

sketch available on Society6

And here is a photo:

I'm offering this for sale on Etsy for $48 + shipping. It's a nice hefty cotton seersucker and fully lined.
90's vintage, tagged size 6. Click on this Etsy link to get size specs and see more photos.
Maybe you'd like to add it to your collection!

52 Pick-me-up: Back to Front

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Oh look! I've been magically teleported to my back yard!
It's all an illusion, I'm not there at all. I'm in South Carolina.
52 Pick-me-up is still happening, despite the road trip.

This week's challenge is to wear something back to front.
I've been trying that out lately with low-cut tops. Here, the stripe dress is backwards.

Try it with a V-neck cardigan, like Roquelle. It might give you more options for stuff you already own.

Experiment, link, and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Holiday Ornaments and Mixed Metals

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ GIFTED/ 

Merry Christmas to everyone that celebrates!
To everyone else, it's Wednesday, and the 52 Pick-me-up Show goes on.
This week, GET SHINY!
Nothing shiny in your closet? How about accessories? Or look around the house -- your kitchen is FULL of shiny objects! Or steal something from the Christmas tree. Or your goofy New Year's Eve hat (which you can also share on Style Crone's January Hat Attack). Or find some glitter and dump it on yourself. I authorize you to get creative and/or silly!

I will keep the linky up an extra week, so you won't have to fake your New Year's look. Aren't I generous? [No sketch decided until 1/7/14]. Multiple links encouraged. Instagrams, Twitter pix, (hashtag #52pickmeupstyle) -- have at it.

I wore this shiny ensemble to my department luncheon last week (that's called planning ahead):

Wait. You MUST see a close-up of the purse:

I purchased it for $5 at Pic N Save (RIP). Don't you love the ball on the zipper pull? There used to be two, but one of the cats chewed the other one off.
Probably Chuey. He has that name for a reason!

"Who, me? I'm innocent!"

Come on everyone, get your shiny on!

52 Pick-me-up: Mad for Plaid

CREATED/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED/

It's 52 Pick-me-up theme time again!
This week, I challenge you to combine as many plaids as you can in one outfit.
Go ahead, expose your inner crazy cat lady.

OK, I admit, this look is NOT doing me any favors.
But I have two plaids!
The dress clearly needs some reconstruction. Even at 7:30am, the waist had floated up too high. I'm short-waisted, but that looks ridiculous. There are also massive darts in the bodice and I no longer have any bust. I "cleverly" covered up that mess with the scarf -- turning myself into a strange Christmas present.
The black and white plaid is vintage synthetic, so the static cling was rampant. Oh yes, that was fun. Clearly I need to get myself a slip or two.
Lastly, despite all these layers, I was still cold at work.

A closeup of the fabrics (blurry for now, sorry, will replace later nevermind, it's fine):

On the bottom, the scarf is a windowpane plaid.
Not sure what type of plaid the dress has. I would guess a madras?
Anyone?
I will do another post about types of plaids (because sometimes you have to suffer my pedagogy) later in the week.

By the way -- the argyle on my legs is a plaid cousin.
This graphic will explain:

This might be my most discombobulated post ever. My apologies. [slowly got my act together]

Let's see your plaids, people!

Crazy Legs Hit the Town!

CREATED/ PURCHASED/ LINKS/

I'm happy to announce that I finally opened my ASOS Marketplace shop.
[No longer available on ASOS. Contact me directly]
Two pairs of the Crazy Legs tights are now available worldwide.
There may be another printing in more sizes, if popularity demands it. Not sure yet.

Here they are, packaged next to the art that inspired them

I took them out for a spin to the closing party at SCA Gallery in Pomona, where the above print was on exhibit.
There, I met up with Leslie, who came in full mod:

Leslie vamps in front of Vibrate by Stevie Love

Put us together posing in front of art and hilarity ensues:

This morning, the torture clogs had to butt in and get the last word:

Do they match the outfit? They don't care. They just want to inflict pain.

You still have time to dress Feet First! Feel like plunging in? Add your link below!

Meanwhile, I'm linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.

Floral Mixing 101

LINKS/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED/

Floral mixing: easy or hard?

I had no idea that I have this many floral shirts!
Half of them I got from Larry last year...

Some people can pull it off seemingly effortlessly (Sacramento of Mis Papelicos comes to mind),
others not so much (I will refrain from pointing fingers).
Is it possible to have a method to mixing? Perhaps!

I thought to look to interior designers -- they constantly have to juggle colors, textures, and patterns. And, since the body is the home for the soul... why not decorate it with the same deliberation?

I found a nifty book on Amazon, Fabrique Technique, where Jennifer Birdsong Raffo lays out a system for mixing what she defines as the six room design characteristics: Color, Pattern shape, Pattern size, Contrast, Texture, Sheen.
I'm thinking we can leave out Pattern Shape, Texture, and Sheen and concentrate on the three others.
Oh, wait, there's the small issue of the garments -- three skirts that coordinate nicely won't do you much good!

See? Complicated!

For this post, I'm concentrating on florals, but you could use these guidelines for any sort of pattern mixing.

Step 1: Color
Choose your primary floral garment-- for Jennifer's system, it will have at least 3 colors.
Make note of the colors. Your next patterned choice should have at least two of them and your third will have a color [or more] common with the first two.
Now is the time to abandon the concept of mixing three florals if you can't get the colors to sync!

Step 2: Pattern Size
Variety in scale is easier on the eye. Ideally [for a room], you would have small, medium, large.

Step 3: Contrast
Dark, medium, light

Wow! It works!

Definitely worth a try -- If nothing else, it's a new way to mix things from your closet!
Have you shared your experiments with the 52 Pick-me-up link-up? Please do!

Meanwhile, I'm linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.

52 Pick-me-up: Red/White/Blue/Black

LINKS/ BARTERED/ PURCHASED/

Welcome to a new week of 52 Pick-me-up!
This week, we're focusing on various combinations of red, white, blue, and/or black.

Remember this muumuu from last year? Click on over to see the print up close!
I wedged myself into it, but won't be wearing this to work!
I got it from Larry last year. I got a lot of great stuff from Larry and will be offering some of it soon, to help him pay extensive medical bills...

It's starting to make me crazy that I can't remember the name for that sleeve style.

It's the 4th of July tomorrow, and I built this week's prompt from the colors of the US flag. Rah!
I added black just to mix it up a little.
I performed interwebal investigations and discovered that there are 70 countries with flags that utilize only combinations of the colors red, white, blue, or black. Who knew?
Here they are:

[Image repurposed from this site with all the flags]

Do share your combinations of red, white, blue, or black. Outfits, designs, snacks, whatever!
If you miss the deadline, it's OK to add your link in the comments.