Spring in the Air...if Not in My Step

March in the American Midwest is unpredictable. One day we have an ice storm, the next it is 60 degrees. I know enough to keep out my warm coats (until June, realistically) but I've been slowly shifting everything else to warmer temperatures. 

Thank you to everyone for offering your thoughts on having my spine fused. I'm not in a hurry to do it, but it is helpful to hear accounts that have gone well, and not so well. 

Anyway, onto the clothes-get comfortable, I have some proper outfits to show for a change. 

I loved the colour of this suit-an almost neon orange/red. Alas, the cut was frumpy, so I have already moved it along. That will be the case with most of the outfits I show this week. 

Outfit Particulars:

1980's Made in Hong Kong linen suit-Goodwill

1970's cotton knit sweater-Hand-Me-Ups

Necklace-Hand-Me-Ups

Poodle Pins (on sweater)-Hand-me-Ups

Floral pin on jacket-Tiff and Tam

Bakelite and cinnabar bangles-all over

Vintage Johanssen handbag-Hand-Me-Ups

Earrings-New Life Thrift

Fragrance-Coriandre

So that was a warm, sunny day. Being Omaha, it didn't last.

 Break out the vintage knits, if you have 'em. Oh, I have 'em all right...

1960's knit pencil skirt and matching sweater, both Crown Colony of Hong Kong and purchased in two different shops in Omaha within a few weeks of each other. I am positive they are a set. Must have cleared out granny's house and dumped the stuff in various thrifts around the city. 

 Would you look at the size of this bangle?! It is super-heavy-I could probably use it for a weapon, in a pinch.

Outfit Particulars:

60's skirt and top-Goodwill and Hand-Me-Ups

Wool Fair Isle knee socks-K Mart a few years ago

Telephone cord handbag-Etsyt

1940's swing coat-Hand-Me-Ups

Brooch on sweater-Goodwill

Earrings-Thrift World

Fragrance-Lentheric Tweed

Then, the sun came back (starting to see a pattern here?)

 This wild 90's silk suit has been languishing in my cupboard unworn. Sometimes the skirt would get an outing but generally it was ignored. I gave it one last wear before moving it along to a better home. As it felt too fancy for my tastes, I pinned back the asymmetrical closure with several floral pins, and added a Lynda Barry tee shirt from the 80's for fun.

 He's small, he's black, he's mad as hell. You'll never call him Fi Fi again!

Outfit Particulars:

Early 90's silk suit-can't remember

Lynda Barry shirt for the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago-bought it in the gift shop in the 80's

Floral pins-Tiff and Tam

Zipper earrings-K Mart

40's choker-Thrift World

80's Angela Frascone handbag-Goodwill

Teal bangles-all over

Fragrance-Ombre Rose

I had a serious clear out of clothes this week. Multiply this picture by four. It had to be done. 

 Once I'd gone through everything, I discovered clothes I'd completely forgotten about-woo hoo, new wardrobe!

 Oh, and the sun came out again, so yay!

 My "cabbage necklace."

Outfit Particulars:

80's silk skirt-Goodwill

St. John short-sleeved sweater-Goodwill

Vintage jacket-No idea. I don't even remember buying it. 

Necklace-New Life Thrift

Vintage crystal clip earrings-Goodwill

Vintage handbag-New Life Thrift

Fragrance-Amouage Bracken Woman (review soon-spoiler, LOVE it)

Didn't photograph the outfit, but look at how well my brooch and necklace match. How's that for one-in-a-million?

Finally, it had been too long since the Fart Blaster had been seen (and heard) in public. 

 You get some strange looks walking about with something labelled, "Mama's Fart Blaster." Oh, who am I kidding? I don't need a fart blaster to get strange looks!

 Re-discovered this sequin-lined shirt in the clear-out.

 ...and such a stylish orthopaedic shoe.

Outfit Particulars:

Parachute material skirt-Goodwill

Sequin top-no idea

Jacket-part of a 70's suit

belt-came with a cardigan

brooch on shirt-can't remember

Earrings-Goodwill

Vintage handbag-Goodwill

Silver bangle-Goodwill

Silver link bracelet-Hand-Me-Ups

Fragrance-Rive Gauche

So there you have it, our up and down weather depicted in wardrobe changes. Wonder what else I'll find as I excavate the packed away clothes? I really hate this time of year-it is almost like I forgot how to dress myself as I need to adapt to the changing weather. Anyhoo, good to clear out the less than favourite stuff so I can bring in new...

A Puzzling Skirt

 This vintage Jack Winter skirt is part of a suit, though I rarely wear the pieces together. What I find so curious about the skirt is the button and zipper are placed in the front, along with the kick pleat. I've rub across front pleat skirts, and front close skirts, but not all at once. I'm confident I'm wearing it as intended (the pockets won't work any other way) but to be honest, I've felt slightly off kilter all day-like wearing a shirt backwards.

Still, a beautiful tweedy wool skirt is worth feeling a bit twisted about. Jack Winter was better known for manufacturing women's trousers than skirts-perhaps someone in the factory got confused.

 A pair of pregnant ballerina brooches.

 An old, and well loved handbag.

Outfit  Particulars:
Vintage Jack Winter skirt (part of a suit) My guess is late 70's/early 80's-Goodwill
Vintage 60's Jantzen wool sweater-Thrift World
Vintage Pendletob jacket-Goodwill
Bangles-both Hand-me-Ups
Brooch on jacket-Hand-Me-Ups
Ballerina brooches-Hand-Me-Ups
Earrings-Thrift World
Ring-Salvation Army
Handbag-a thrift store in Western Massachusetts 25 years ago
Shoes-K Mart
Fragrance-Vintage EDP L'Heure Bleue
Lippy-Loreal Colour Riche British Red (when no other red lippy will do)

I took some baked goods over to the volunteers at the Friends of the Library book sale today. I haven't been there since Christmas even though I live practically across the street. I've had a tough time medically, and I just don't like discussing it. As a result I've avoided people that were likely to notice, which I'm sure sounds silly to anyone not dealing with on-going medical issues. I don't mind drawing attention to my vintage clothing collection, but I don't really want to put myself on display. Anyway, people were happy to see us, and it was like a family reunion as most of the volunteers have known Danny since he was a baby. He found some birding books, one of the volunteers gave him a book, and I came home with a Farm Journal bread baking book for .50 cents. I'm glad we went.

 I spotted this interesting nest on my walk today.

I love our park this time of year. We only saw an elderly couple walking, and had the park essentially to ourselves.

...well, almost to ourselves. This curious squirrel followed us through the park making certain we didn't disturb any of his carefully buried stash of nuts.

I'll  leave you with a photo of a "Stink Bug". As the name suggests, they smell bad, particularly if you smash one. The best I can describe it is a very overripe banana. Anyway, best to give them space. 

Hope you're having a great week.

Stray Vintage

I'm rather specific about the items I purchase for my collection, but sometimes I find things that are just too good to leave. That's generally okay if I can wear the item, but what to do with a vintage crepe Eisenberg suit? It was too cheap to pass by, so I brought it home and it will get packed away as a lovely piece that doesn't quite fit with the overall goal of my collection. Suits happen.

The mustard yellow photo is closest to the colour in person. Ignore the messy bookcases and jug of vinegar on the floor (I get through a lot of vinegar between cleaning and canning). 

This vintage Glentex faux fur jacket purred from a bargain rack at the thrift store. $1.99 later, I was the proud owner of an early 60's jacket I can't wear (I can barely get one arm in it). 

The size would best suit a child. Unfortunately, I don't know many children willing to wear a leopard print jacket (except for my son, but that was part of his Little Edie costume). Into the collection it goes waiting for one of my friends to have a child (or grandchild) that can wear it.


The last thing I need is a wool 80's dress. Something made me look at it closer. The trim was so perfectly applied, and the overall tailoring seemed to be of good quality. The dress is heavy, and the pattern matches up in the back over the zipper. A quick look at the label, and I knew I had to buy this Bill Blass dress for the grand sum of .49 cents! I didn't want it, but it would be madness not to. I might wear this one, if I ever find myself needing to look like Nancy Reagan. It is a flattering dress, and well made, but not the sort of thing I would actively seek out.

Finally, where was this magnificent coat in the 80's when I was going to the Limelight Club? I have no obvious use for it today, so it gets used as a sort of over-the-top pool cover-up. I figure it can serve dual duty as a sun reflector enhancing my tanning potential. Perhaps I should just use it as a blanket.

I live in a good part of the US for vintage, as it isn't as highly valued as it is in other places. There are some vintage shops, but they tend to be affordable, and there aren't so many dealers that the good stuff gets snapped up at the thrifts. A few of the thrift stores have started selling from a dedicated vintage section-but they don't do well as the prices are absurd for the condition of the items. To get Etsy prices, you have to clean and repair the items. Eventually it all ends up on the sale rack where it belongs. I tend to favour the 70's, which hasn't really caught the attention of locals yet. Still, when you find a 40's suit there's little point leaving it behind. Eventually I will need to sell some of the pieces that aren't interesting to me, or I will run out of room. I've been selective with my purchases, but you know how that goes.

Do you bring home strays?

Chop Chop

I did it myself with sewing scissors. 

I chopped off my hair this morning. I figured, I could hand over good money to someone that would give me a stupid looking haircut, or I could do it myself. With the money I saved, I can treat myself to some perfume. Any idiot should be able to cut a bob, but from what I see walking around, it seems to be a lost skill. Anyway, it came out even enough, I'm happy and I can stop screwing around with curling irons for a bit. Hooray.

Went to the library for the Friends of the Library monthly book sale in the basement. That was great, then I wandered the stacks upstairs looking for interesting books to check out.

Fascinating.

 My vintage Mosell earrings arrived in today's post, and they're beautiful-even better than the listing led me to believe. Mosell made serious art pieces disguised as costume. I was so happy to have these for a mere $13.00 There are still great deals to be found on Etsy, but you do need to search them out. The clips on the earrings are unusually comfortable-a nice bonus.

Outfit Particulars:
1990 Anne Crimins for UMI silk suit-Some posh boutique on Newbury Street in Boston, probably long gone.
Boots-Hand-Me-Ups
Mosell earrings-Etsy
Handbag-Goodwill
Niello bracelet-Goodwill
Fragrance-Guerlain Parure (wearing a perfume that smells like old paper to the library was an obvious choice)


That's a one-in-a-million match on the boots and bag. I was rather pleased with myself when I put them together. I might not have many talents, but finding shoes and bags that go well together is my gift.

It will probably be another 25 years before I feel the need to wear this suit again, but I thought it deserved a trip outdoors. If this had been thrifted, I'd wear the jacket all the time, but since I know what it cost new (because I forked over the cash) I'm reluctant to let anything happen to it. I do wish I could go back and tell my younger self not to shop on Newbury Street.


I can't say I learned much about "man nipples" from the book, but here's a relevant video.

I have to figure out something interesting to do tomorrow because I don't plan to watch the Superbowl. Well, I know where to find interesting books.

The Owls Are Not What They Seem

We're halfway through watching Twin Peaks. Yeah, I don't know why either, but I did enjoy it when it ran originally, so it seemed like a good time to revisit the series before the new ones are made. I can't binge-watch it in hours long sessions, which I think is for the best. I am finding it much funnier than I did years ago, but maybe that's just me being old(er).

Anyhoo, that seemed like as good a reason to drag out one of my (several) owl pendants. For someone that isn't particularly fond of raptors I seem to have an abundance of accessories bearing their feathered images. *Shrug*.  This one puzzles me, and I can't figure out if it is new or old. The chain is super-long, and I had to loop it around twice to be wearable, which makes me think, "old." On the other hand, there's something that's trying too hard at looking retro. Whatever the age, it is a fun necklace to perk-up an otherwise boring suit. know what else perks-up a boring suit? Boots, that's what.

 See? Perked that shit right up, didn't it? Boots, the boring suit's best friend.

I couldn't believe my luck finding this lightweight, wool suit at the Council Bluffs Goodwill last week. Old Hong Kong pieces are getting scarce, and they aren't always in very nice condition. This suit looked unworn (and the pockets were still stitched together). This time of year, lightweight wool is a welcome addition to a Nebraskan's wardrobe. Grey isn't my best colour, and I tried every possible colour combination with it from white (too twee) to claret (too collegiate). I went with black as I was in a hurry and didn't feel up searching for my camel polo neck, and in the end, I think it worked. At least I finally found an occasion to wear this lurex top I've been hanging onto for a couple decades.

 I like a bit of sparkle around my neck. Sure, I'd prefer a diamond necklace, but the polo neck works too.

 Outfit Particulars:

Grey British Crown Colony Hong Kong wool suit-Goodwill
Jones New York polo neck-Jordan Marsh (RIP) when I worked there (Shoppers World, Framingham in the old round building!)
Vintage earrings-Hand-Me-Ups
Brooch-Goodwill
Necklace-Goodwill
Boots-Hand-Me-Ups
1970's Shoulder bag-Goodwill
Fragrance-Dahlia Noir

 The brooch has a finding on the back to convert it to a necklace. That's a useful addition, and something I've had added to large brooches over the years. A good jeweler can do the work while you wait, and it isn't expensive.

What do YOU wear with grey? Any thoughts? Is simplicity best when it comes to "boring" but practical clothes, or do you go nuts with bright colours and funky accessories? Do tell!

Have a great weekend, everyone.