Montana boots

For most of my life, I have eschewed all footwear cowboy-ish, partly as a result of unhappy memories associated with some people who wore them when I was growing up. Don't worry, that's all I'm going to say about that.

But having spent six weeks of each of the past two summers in Montana while designing costumes for Montana's only Equity theatre, the Alpine Theatre Project, and even attending some rodeos while I was there, I determined that I was ready to face my inner cowgirl and get me some boots to take back to Philly. And since I was taking such a courageous (for me) step, I wanted to get the tackiest ones I could find. But apparently, I went to a store where real cowboys shop (I even recognized some people from the rodeo), and it turns out that the boots that most real cowboys and cowgirls wear are more functional and tasteful than the ones you find on Zappos. Go figure. So I flew home with these beauties, one of the flashiest pairs in the store, if you can believe it. I love 'em.

This dress was a surprise from my husband. I tore a page out of the catalog and said "Hey, I like this dress. You should buy it for me, Baby," and then I left it on his desk. This was basically a joke, because Bryce and I both know that he rarely buys me presents. Hard to explain, but it was funny to us. I threw it in the recycling bin when tidying-up the next day, and didn't think of it again. Until about a week later, when he handed me a tattered paper gift bag containing a plastic bag mailer crudely wrapped in tissue paper. I was in shock. It was the sweetest thing he had done for me in a while. Go, Bryce!

Cardigan: H&M.
Dress: Chadwick's.
Cable-knit leggings: Mandee.
Fake pearl earrings, necklace, and bracelet: Rite-Aid (yes, the drugstore).
Boots: a store in Kalispell, Montana (the stamp on the inside says Oak Grove Farms).

Overdyed trousers

Same pose, but on two different camera settings - both of which make the colors look more blah than they are in person. I still can't find a camera setting that makes me happy.

In person, these trousers look more blue-grey than grey. I overdyed them a year or so ago. I mention it only because Kasmira's Recession Challenge for this month is overdyeing. But I do have other items that I have overdyed during this actual month that hopefully I'll get around to sharing very soon. When I bought the trousers, they were a a khaki "stone" color that always made me feel rather dreary. I have a hard time finding pants that are long enough for me, and they had a fat cuff that could be used to lengthen the hem (with enough fabric left for them to still have a small cuff!), so I decided that I could work with the color. That sentiment lasted through three wearings, at most. I think I just used Rit, perhaps the "evening blue" or "denim blue" color. They are a poly-cotton blend, so they didn't absorb as much dye as I was hoping they would. But it was certainly an improvement. Unfortunately, I don't have a "pre" photograph.

Black wrap-shirt: ?
Tank top: Strawbridge's.
Necklace: Body Central.
Earrings: a little shop on Olvera Street in L.A.
Trousers: Old Navy, overdyed by me.
Shoes: Danskos.

Intergalactic space pirate boots, hee-hee!

I ordered these boots on a whim. They look and feel very cheaply-made to me (ahem... a bit trashy, very fakey pleather), but they were so deeply clearance-priced that even if they just end up in my costume box, the purchase was worthwhile. They are surprisingly comfortable.

I've had trouble figuring out how to style them, because they tend to take over the entire outfit (duh). This was my first attempt. The colors felt kind of "meh," but I still enjoyed it. Because how could I not enjoy wearing the boots that I imagine an intergalactic space pirate would wear?

I liked the outfit much better when I got warm enough to remove the cardigan.

Cardigan: H&M.
T-shirt: "Star Trek: The Experience" gift shop in Las Vegas.
Scissors: something I wear for work, and often forget to remove for photos.
Skirt: picked up in a thrift store, probably over ten years ago.
Earrings: Dots.
Bracelet: Claire's.
Boots: Newport News.

That's right, you found me out. I'm a big Star Trek nerd. I heart Star Trek. And while I usually avoid graphic-printed tees because I think they often seem sloppy and juvenile (um... see last photograph), I give in when it comes to Star Trek-themed shirts. Which leads me to this little conundrum...

While wasting time when I should have been doing far more important things this morning, I clicked on a link to a website that sells Craigslist t-shirts (not because I want one, but because I was curious as to what a Craigslist t-shirt would look like), and from there, to Star Wars-themed t-shirts, and from there, to Star Trek-themed t-shirts.

Which meant that I had traveled from "safe from making a silly purchase" territory, into "highly likely to make a silly purchase" territory. In order to avoid a binge like this one, I'm allowing myself to order only ONE of these shirts right now.

The website prevents copying images, so I have to use links. And FYI, the image the link brings you to is usually a guy in a guy-shaped t-shirt, but I'd have it printed on a more fitted women's t-shirt.

• Expendable Crewmember on red (naturally)
• Boldly Going Nowhere on brown
• Redshirts Are People Too on red
• Picard > Kirk, perhaps in blue-green ink (you can customize the ink colors on some of these designs) on brown or a lighter blue
• Can you hear me now? on not sure what color
• Star Trek Pledge, maybe in mustard yellow ink on brown or navy blue
• Ferengi Rule #147 on not sure what color
• Resistance [from chocolate] is futile!, perhaps in some shade of yellow or light green ink on brown

I know that this really should be filed under "entirely unimportant, thoroughly superficial, and utterly juvenile." But c'mon, it's fun! So, which one do you think I should order?

My new $2.50 dress

I don't know if it's bad fashion-blogging etiquette to talk about how much you paid for something, but oh, well... this dress only set me back two dollars and fifty cents!

We have a store here called Jomar, situated in a big, musty old warehouse building in the far northern reaches of the city. In the back half, they sell heavily-discounted fabrics (my main reason for going there usually being work-related), and in the front half, they sell clothing, shoes, and various household goods. A lot of the stuff is really iffy. You have to inspect things closely for damage, because that's often why the item is there. They get many factory rejects and overstocks. It looks like a cross between a thrift store and the sketchiest Ross you have ever seen. As their store motto states: "It's all here; you just have to find it!"

So, I have a love/hate relationship with Jomar. I hate having to go up there because it's really not much fun, but every once in the while, I'll be walking toward the back of the store to do my fabric-shopping duties and spy a little number like this out of the corner of my eye. Jomar has been getting a lot of Chadwick's and Newport News items lately, and this was a dress that I had admired in the Chadwick's catalog but didn't buy because I didn't feel like spending the $45-50 it would have cost. I tried it on, and it was a good fit despite being a petite size (granted, it's a bit short, because I'm definitely not petite - but I'm okay with the length). The tag said $5, and then at the register it rang up as $2.50. The only thing wrong with it was a missing self-fabric button, so I removed the one that remained and replaced them with these two black ones from my stash.

It's so comfy. I look forward to finding other ways to wear it than just with black.

Scissors: just something I wear for work (I often forget to take them off for pictures).
Earrings: a little shop on Olvera Street in L.A.
Dress: Chadwick's at Jomar.
Sweater: Joyce Leslie.
Leggings: Wintersilks.
Boots: Danskos.

P.S. on March 28th: I just saw this dress on clearance on the Chadwick's website for $14.99, and thought I might as well mention it here. It also comes in red and hot pink. I'm almost tempted to buy another, but I don't think I'd like that much hot pink on me, and I already have another Chadwick's dress (from Jomar) in that same shade of red. How strange that it was at Jomar already for $2.50. I guess it was just because of the missing button.

It's like Easter exploded.

This might be the most colorfully coordinated outfit I have ever worn. Maybe. It sort-of felt like an explosion of Easter motifs and colors. My costuming students had just been introduced to the design elements of line, shape and texture (color and other elements weren't touched upon until later), so as an extra credit question on the pop quiz, I asked them to analyze what I was wearing, using the vocab they had learned in the last class. The responses were very amusing. Some were downright insightful. They did good.

On a completely unrelated note... I have very hairy arms. This only bothered me when I was younger, in the awkward high school and junior-high years. But this is the first time I have shown it in such extreme-close-up detail to the internets. I wonder if my armhair glory eclipses the beauty and sparkle of the bracelet? That would be unfortunate.

Audi did a post today that showcased some 70's boots she purchased that are wonderful, and at the same time, wonderfully "hideous." My outfit here, especially the big flower belt, often had me thinking "this is ridiculous, and the belt is just plain tacky... but it makes me so happy that I don't care what anyone thinks of my appearance!"

Here is my interpretive-dance representation of Easter exploding, complete with incredibly dorky facial expressions:

Cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft.
Skirt: hand-me-down from my Grandma!
Flower belt: Max Rave.
Tank top: Strawbridges.
Earrings: Dots.
Bracelet: street vendor.
Leggings: ?
Boots: Dansko

Black, blue, and red: Fake cuffs and a shrug

This ensemble didn't feel as dark as it does in these photos. Actually, it felt very "American girl:" blue denim with pops of bright red. I liked it better when I warmed up enough to remove the shrug that I had layered beneath the tunic/dress. I often layer that shrug beneath short-sleeved or sleeveless articles because I can remove it without removing the outer layer, sort of like how you take off a bra without taking off your top. I look awkward doing it, but at least it's fast. Putting it back on requires more privacy, though.

I have a hard time finding pants that aren't too short. Jeans aren't so bad, because a lot of companies make them in talls. But when it comes to dress pants, I look for ones that have either a huge seam allowance at the hem, or better yet, a cuff that I can let down to make them long enough. These pants were just barely cutting it as far as the length, and they have been shrinking over time, so I hadn't worn them in a while. When I did wear them, I tried to stick with flats so they wouldn't feel like floodpants. But then I got the idea to extend them with a fake cuff, because black fabric isn't all that hard to match. This is something I have done for actors before, but I never thought to do it for myself until now. Duh. Now I like them much better. They're long enough for me, AND they have a cuff.

Headband: Kmart.
Earrings and necklace: gift.
Tunic/dress: Payhalf.
Belt: Payhalf.
Shrug: The Rosin Box, a little dance supply store.
Pants: not sure, maybe was H&M?
Shoes: no idea, had for ages.

Poll: "One Skirt Three Ways" Challenge: Which was your favorite?

So, thanks to Jane of WorkThatWardrobe, I have completed my very first blogging challenge. And I'm also putting up my first blog-poll! This challenge was fun, and each day, I wore pieces together that I had never thought to wear together before. Which ensemble did you think worked best? The poll is over there in the sidebar.

Day 1: Multi-generational hand-me-downs? Bohemian? Gypsy? Layered?

Day 2: Serious blue

Day 3: Skirt as Dress

"One Skirt Three Ways," Day 3: Skirt as Dress

I attended a gathering of colleagues at the home of a professor friend of mine tonight, in honor of a man from Scotland who is doing workshops with our students as a guest artist-in-residence in our department for part of this month.

In order to avoid wearing my black Dansko boots again (one of my goals for this challenge being to NOT wear them on more than one of the three days), I had to don these heels. I rarely wear heels because I spend so much time on my feet at work and walking all over town. And I only own two pairs (gasp!): black, and white. Not counting my dance shoes, which I rarely wear anymore. While some of my frequently-worn boots technically do have heels, I manage okay in them because they have chunky heels and offer plenty of ankle support.

You can see in the picture how wide the heel-base is even on these heels. I'm a heels-wimp. I am amazed at those women who can walk in skinny heels, as I find it almost impossible. Skinny heels make my knees swell and my ankles wobble. But since this was a bit of a special occasion and I wasn't on my feet all day (spending most of the morning and afternoon working at home in my jammies), and because we rented a Philly Car Share vehicle for a few hours rather than bussing and walking to get there, I was able to get away with my wimpy heels without my knees and ankles getting angry at me. It was great.

The waistband of this skirt is shirred with elastic like a tube-top, but in order to make it work as a dress, I had to pin some 1" wide black elastic into it as temporary shoulder straps because I'm not comfortable with the whole tube-top thing. Especially at a gathering of professional colleagues. "Whoops! Sorry about the bra-flash, professor so-and-so!" Eventually, I'll probably assemble some black shirred georgette straps and rig them and the dress with hooks and bars so that they can be easily and securely attached and removed.

Headband: Wal-mart?
Earrings and necklace: Claire's?
Bracelet: Mandee.
Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft.
Skirt (as dress): Newport News.
Tights: ?
Shoes: Had them for over ten years...Nordstrom's?

I was still wearing it all when it was time to brush my kitties' teeth!



The actual teethbrushing part of the video is shared elsewhere, on my regular life (not about clothes) blog.

"One Skirt Three Ways," Day 2: Serious blue

I think I should call this my philosopher pose. "Look at me, I am Mrs. Furrowed-Brows."

Today's variation felt very serious. Except for when I picked up my skirt to show you the target.

I really need to polish those boots.

Sweater: ?
Button-down tunic: MaxRave.
Belt: Payhalf.
Skirt: Newport News.
Necklace, earrings, and bracelet: dollar store, modified by me.
Socks: Payhalf.
Boots: Danskos.

"One Skirt Three Ways," Day 1: Multi-generational hand-me-downs? Bohemian? Gypsy? Layered?

For Jane's challenge to wear one skirt three different ways on three days, I have given myself a few rules:
1) Choose a fairly recognizable skirt, not one of my black ones.
2) I'm only allowed to be predictable on one day. Predictable as in: complementing the skirt with black or being very matchy. Because those are some of my natural habits.
3) I'm only allowed to wear my black Dansko boots (the likely choice when wearing a skirt in which black is the predominant color) on one day. See #2, specifically, "predictable."

So, I'm not sure what to call this look. This black-and-white patterned handkerchief skirt is the one I chose for the challenge. I wanted to find a way to wear my brown suede embroidered boots with it (see "avoiding predictability," #'s 2 and 3 above). So the long skirt layered beneath the challenge skirt created a patterned border to help reduce the clash between the black/white graphic print and the brown embroidered suede. But I wanted one more skirt to layer between the burgundy top and the challenge skirt, in order to avoid the "target crotch" aspect of the skirt because it was taking up so much acreage on my body (while not so obvious in this 3/4-profile shot, a front-on shot of this skirt shouts "TARGET: CROTCH"). So I borrowed this brown one because it was the best option available, but I wish I had temporarily ruched it up a bit or something, so that it would have been a bit shorter. It obscured the challenge skirt more than I wish it had. Nonetheless, I received positive comments not only from my students, but even from one of the front desk security guys in our apartment building. Score!

Well, not to worry, the challenge skirt will be featured far more prominently on days 2 and 3.

My favorite thing about this outfit? It features hand-me-downs from my mom and from my great-grandma. If something from my grandma were in there, it would feature FOUR generations!

3-tone metal leaf necklace: hand-me-down from my Great-Grandma Pagie!
Earrings: one of those random jewelry stores on South Street, here in Philly.
Long beaded necklace: Body Central.
Waistcoat: Moda Inc?
Shirt: hand-me-down from my mom!
Brown skirt: borrowed.
Handkerchief skirt: Newport News.
5-tiered skirt (beneath hanky skirt): Burlington Coat Factory.
Boots: Appepazza.