Monday, January 28, 2013

Tweedy, Sexy Librarian?


This post is going to be mostly about fashion since there's very little actual narrative to the day and the outfit itself didn't suggest to me any particular topic... Well, there was an interesting story that led me to an odd connection to jewelry and the upcoming Grammys, but I'm saving that for another post.

Beau and I just went for a little stroll in my neighbourhood and took some photos on the way.

White gold hoops: Jessica; Brooch: vintage
I asked Beau which brooch I should wear and he said one that's a spaceship. My friend (and cleaning lady, my disability making it impossible for me to do all the cleaning myself) said that this one is "almost a spaceship." Indeed, I'm assuming it's from the 60s when the craze for the Space Age had a huge influence on fashion and one can see that here. Beau, however, was not appeased.

 

I don't know if this ring is space age, but it sure is bizarre and fun. It's Aldo but I got it for a few dollars at Miscellany, one of my favourite charity thrift stores. I got the skirt and vest there too.

One of the first nice things I bought myself years ago, when I got my good job, was a London Fog raincoat in a petite. Throw that puppy on over any outfit and you suddenly look put together and classy.

My original one is still in perfect shape but it's too tight now, given my weight gain after my back gave out. This is my new one, also a petite, but a size up.

London Fog's stuff is insanely practical as well as timelessly stylish. The raincoats are truly waterproof, and come with removable linings so, in this climate, I can wear them in three seasons. They also have little hooks and buttons and flaps in all the places you didn't know you needed them. My one complaint with the last one was that the belt often slipped out if it wasn't tied. Naturally, they've found a solution for that, with an invisible button and fabric thingy that I don't even really understand.

Shirt: Reitmans; Boots: Ecco; Leggings: damned if I can remember; Raincoat: London Fog; Skirt and vest: thrift
You can see their famous lining here. It too has complicated but easy to use button, zipper, and elastic arrangements so it stays in place.

Beau started to make burlesque striptease music as I took the raincoat off so I hammed it up a bit here.

Glasses: Polo Ralph Lauren
This outfit suggested to me some combination of schoolgirl, teacher, and librarian, so the glasses were a necessity. I really do need my glasses but not all that badly so my vanity often keeps me from wearing them.

This disappoints Beau. He loves my glasses.

 

You'd be amazed by how many people, male and female alike, have their little "hot for teacher" dreams. You know the one, where the teacher whips out her bun, and whips off her glasses, and her stern exterior is transformed, revealing a smoldering heat and passion along with that impressive brain? Yeah, that one. It's right up there with Princess Leah in the golden bikini.


This skirt is pretty short for me. My lowered self-esteem has also lowered my hem lines. But my self-esteem is improving. Besides, I think this skirt looks pretty sassy and, if I do say so myself, makes my bum look pretty cute. I have more curves now and I'm learning that they are sometimes a real asset to an outfit.

Besides, I'm pretty sure Jessica Fletcher would wear it -- if it were longer.


Herringbone tweed! What could be finer?

Clutch: thrift
Clutches are great for my back, as shoulder strap purses twist my spine and hurt me. The shape of this one and the great clasp won me over. It too is Aldo but I got it at Value Village.


In keeping with my love of the second hand, here I am in a second hand bookstore. I probably should have bought this but it seemed awfully heavy for my poor back. Beau would have carried it for me though. Maybe I'll go back for it.

Shakespeare is not easy for most people to read. I was about twenty-five when, suddenly, his work became so easy for me that I could read it on the bus standing up (back when I could stand up on a moving bus). But I'd been studying him since grade eight, right through university.

Once Shakespeare is easy, Chaucer is a breeze. Seriously. Old English (a.k.a Anglo Saxon), like Beowulf, is still a challenge for me, but not impossible. Old English was my favourite subject during my M.A. Of all A grades, that's the only one I'm really very proud of. I worked really hard for that one. It was invigorating.

Glasses: Geek Eyewear; T-shirt: a gift from his parents, don't know brand; Shirt: thrift
But I digress. Back to style. As promised, here's Beau's new haircut. I admit that I kind of miss the mop it had become but it was impossible and all cowlicky and drove him crazy.


Local street art. Brainy people -- and owls -- with glasses seem to be today's theme. I believe this fence, abutting a playground, belongs a local CBC radio host but I'm not sure. I always feel a tiny bit famous when I walk by it.

 

With his blue eyes, glasses, and slightly stunned look, I think Beau resembles the owl a little here. He was uncharacteristically quiet and subdued all day. It turned out he was coming down with a bad cold.

 

This brooch belonged to my maternal grandmother. I thought it went well with the teal shirt I was wearing. After all, all the silly magazines tell me that I need a "pop" of colour these days.

Grandma was crazy about brooches. When she died, my cousins and I were allowed to dig through her costume jewelry box and I took two brooches and a necklace, to remember her by. These two brooches launched my crazy love for what I dub Grandma Brooches. I have an ever growing collection of them. I cannot go into a thrift store without searching for more.

I also inherited her Art Deco, platinum and diamond, engagement ring, which started my crazy love for fine jewelry, but accumulating that takes a lot more time!


Did I mention my funky ring? Beau tried to bite me here, and then looked sly. He wasn't completely out of it after all.


Tee hee.


qwerty

5 comments:

  1. Kira, Jaymie and I were in an antique store on vacation last week. They had a whole display case of antique jewelry. We all thought of you and how much you would like it. They even had a broach like your grandma's.

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  2. Your post prompted me to get out my Banana Republic raincoat that I had not worn in at least two years. Today is a rainy Friday in Seoul. I threw the raincoat on over jeans, and even with messy hair, I look presentable! Yay! Thank you for the raincoat reminder:)

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    1. Oh, I'm quite sure you looked more than "presentable" my dear, but, yes, it's a good way to disguise a "I'm just going to get pizza" sloppy outfit.

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  3. Love your London Fog coat and I'm glad you've gone out and got one that fits perfectly. Yes to sassy tweed pleated skirts that make your bum look oh so wonderfully perky darling!! I love the skirt length too, makes your legs look looooooooooooooong :). Beau looks like a darling and I remember when every person over the age of 40 wore that style of specs in 1970s New Zealand - I love them!! xoxo

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