Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Polka Dot! Why Not?



I got this boys duffel coat at a clothing exchange; everyone brings clothes she doesn't want anymore, throws them into a pile, and we all just dive in. Jeans: Reitmans. Shirt: fun 2 fun.
I recently had reconnected with a very good high school friend, with whom I've lost and regained touch many times over the years. She took these pictures. We used to always have a friendly competition for who could be the top student in our little, academically enriched, alternative school. She always won because she's into the sciences as well as the humanities. She got a degree in Environmental Studies and always teaches me new things about botany. The world of plants and trees is quite wondrous, at least the way she tells it.

I can't tell you where she got her clothes, but, if I know her, they're probably all from Value Village, which is a laudable thing indeed.
Like me, she was raised by hippies. Flower children's children share a sort-of vernacular, a kind of lifelong alienation from "normal" people. It's almost like an ethnicity we share with each other. Getting together and speaking the same language, we can breathe just a little more easily, like coming home.

Boots: Ecco. Earrings: Toni Cavelti for Birks
I'm crazy about these boots. Because of my back injury, I can't wear high heels anymore and even flat shoes can hurt my back, so footwear can be a real battle for me. Truth be told, I based this entire outfit around these boots, trying to pick up their warm butterscotch colour throughout. They're Ecco, one of the few brands I've found that doesn't hurt my back and actually looks good on me. And they were half price!

I carry clutches these days because, unlike purses with straps, they don't pull on my shoulder, twist my back, and cause pain. I have a vast array of second hand clutches that I get from between 25 cents to 10 dollars.

I have a total pash for "scarf ruffle things" as they're called in Jane Wagner's one woman play for her life partner Lily Tomlin, Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Why? Well, partly because I get to call them "scarf ruffle things," partly because they make me feel like I'm costumed as a second wave, feminist, career woman, circa 1982 (though this style of shirt was also popular in the 1930s). But, mostly, I think, because Jessica Fletcher wears them so often in Murder She Wrote. You'd be surprised at how often I dress with her in mind. I'm sure she'll be the subject of a future blog post or two.


My friend, getting creative, gave me the following pose instruction: "Look sad. But think of something happy." This was my response. I actually love this photo. I didn't laugh a lot when my pain was at its worst.

I got the square ring at the Salvation Army. The glass, round ring and the glass bangle are from garage sales. The gold ring is part of Birks' Links Collection.


Even a coffee looks more exotic when the hand holding it is wearing interesting rings.
qwerty

2 comments:

  1. Great post, yet again. You're so brave. I don't know if I could be this open.

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  2. Really? I'm actually not very open at all here. There are uncharted depths! Thanks, though. I'm glad you like it.

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