Monday, September 16, 2013

Incordirigible

  You heard it here first, folks: Gracey the Giant is a bad influence. She may seem witty and sweet and friendly and lovely-well, I'm sure she is all of those things actually, but she's still a bad influence! I don't know if she's mad at me because I took more than my fair share of short or what, but this post is on her. I'll get her back, though. You'll see.

  So the other day I was reading this post over at Fashion for Giants, and I clicked the link to check out Gracey's sweet earrings on the Nordstrom website. It was there that I saw THIS:
Cara 'Royal Highness' Military Pin (linking because I love you, but no revenue)
  My friend called it "very imperialist, like someone snatched it off of Queen Victoria's corpse." :D I instantly thought of it pinned on a structured jacket or coat, but his comment made me think it could go on a sash, as well. I hope it doesn't look like or cause offense as imitating military, because what I want to do with it is be an airship captain.

  This got in my head a few months ago when I was tootling around with my cropped BIZZ jacket and wound up with a combination that made me inexplicably feel like one (didn't post it, but should in future). It's been a dream ever since.
Heart: vintage screwback earring (thrifted)
Lace ruffle tee: TRF t-shirt collection (thrifted)
Western-style coat: Diesel (thrifted)
Pink lace undertank: Express best-loved bra cami
Vest: Free People (eBay)
Skirt: unknown, Japanese (piked from Mom)
Boots: Naya Lightning (gift)
  This is another go at layering a soft tee with a v-neck and ruffles over a lace-trimmed camisole for some detail and less cleavage. A vest seems to make things older-fashioned looking, structured, and a little fancy all at once.

  Getting that medal on was a stone bitch, by the way. A captain needs to have her uniform in order. A captain also should have sleeves that go to her wrists instead of her knuckles, but baby steps. After several iterations of pinning it crookedly, pinning it at the wrong height, pinning it in the wrong lateral configuration, taking off the coat to try to pin it straight, trying on the coat and taking it back off again because it was wrong, I shouted in frustration, "This is why people used to have servants dress them!"
It was perfect. If you buy one, send me a picture.
  The captain would also like a hat, but this one is 140 beans. It is gorgeously shaped and the right brim shape for the period I had in mind, though. It's also not an unreasonable price, but it is about 120 more beans than I have in my pocketbook. I hung out with it on at Goorin Bros., drank free beer, and have photoshopped it onto my head for my own entertainment instead. :D

  Normally I avoid places like Nordstrom because in my mind those are places that grown ups who have money go to buy things, and I live in fear that I will be called out as an impostor or set upon by frightening salespeople and feel obligated to buy something out of social contract.

  Gracey said I should totally get the pin though, so I went. And everybody was so nice. I was left alone, and whenever I had a question, attentive lovely folks who didn't talk loudly would help out. And over at the MAC counter it looked like the most expressive and energetic young people ever were having a happy make-up party. This place has customer service down to a science. And I ended up coveting this, too:
Faux leather trim scarf (also linking for love, and because it is 1/2 off)
  Looks kind of punk and has pointy ends to look extra interesting. I don't know what would go under it yet, but just trying it on made me feel fashionable.

  My friend Diana has already called the position of First Mate in my crew. You, lovely readers, are of course more than welcome aboard, and I am saving a spot for Ken Watanabe in case he would like to come. Who would you want in your crew if you were a fantasy captain?

--------------

  Sunday I went to a clothing swap hosted by a friend-of-a-friend. I met so many wonderful women there. I hadn't expected that in addition to finding new cool things to wear, it would be so fun to see my clothes on other people and that I'd get so much happiness from seeing them go to another home. When I've sold clothes before, I feel sad, because I have all sorts of sentimentality tied up in things and the memories I made while wearing them. The personal connection of having someone's smiling face exclaim that she loves your former things took that all away.

  And I managed to achieve the major goal of a clothing swap: I came back with far less than I'd gone there with. Score! The extra clothes went to a YWCA drive for women who had rescued themselves from domestic abuse situations. They are definitely a target for my next rage donation.

  The haul:
2 dresses, 1 workout tank, 3 shirts, 2 skirts, 1 trousers, and accessories
  The bottom dress belonged to a gal who must've been half a foot taller than I, with truly bodacious curves. I do not know how this dress violates the laws of physics and fits us both, but you don't turn down technology like that. It could end up powering my airship.
  These are a gorgeous black and metallic red, depending on how the light hits them. Stretch fabric, very comfortable. Maybe an everyday goth look, with black boots?
  Western brown steampunk-ish skirt and plum blossoms. See that, Gracey? MINT. I got you!
  Brown steampunk style socks for my outfits! Gold bracelet that looks like armor for a fantasy war! Sandals from the young lady who got my former pink pants! :D

  Of course the winner of the afternoon had to be:
  Holy shlamoley, knee boots! I don't know who was being pursued so hotly by the mob that she had to leave these behind, but thank you. I have wanted knee high boots since I was at most twelve, probably earlier. I have stared at them online often and contemplated what it would be like, but now I know and I will never forget.

  If you were tired of me wearing my Naya Lightning boots with everything before, you might want to brace yourself for boots showing up in every one of my posts now, forever. :D

13 comments:

  1. Love your Airship Captain uniform! Very Agatha. You are, of course, a Girl Genius fan?
    http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php

    And the over-the-knee-boots are To. Die. For.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had not read it before! I'm poking through the volumes now. :D

      Delete
  2. Hot diggity those are some boots!!! I had a pair of OTK boots awhile back that I wore a bunch. Sadly they were cheapo-pleather so they didn't last. You scored some great pieces!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh man, I hope these last, then. They are also man-made materials. Everything online says just keep 'em out of extreme weather and excess sun, so we'll see how it goes!

      Delete
  3. Yes, Gracey is a bad influence. She got me to wearing lady-ties, not only by showing me how cute they are but mailing me one. How can you defend against that?!

    You look great here. I love your individual style: it's so unique and entertaining.

    Nordstrom is a surprisingly nice place to shop for the reasons you cite. And it stands out for carrying women's shoes in larger sizes than normal, even for my ginormous feet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There was a pair of purple shoes that I was coveting for you, but they were a size too small. ):

      Yes, I was surprised that the clothing prices were more than reasonable for new things and that everything was laid back and nice. I guess I was too accustomed to the blaring music in those giant junior shop warehouses.

      Delete
  4. I love your OMG face - knee boots! Wow, that's an awesome haul. I didn't get anything at the swap I had this weekend, but I had a good shopping weekend, so I don't feel too bad.

    I pin brooches on my stuff when it's not on me - it helps a lot! Also, yes, to airship captain and ooooooh...I think George Clooney circa "O Brother Where Art Thou" would be an excellent first mate. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Incredible--the knee boots. Please call me the next time there is a swap like this and I will FLY in for it! I know the feeling about Nordstrom and yet the last time I screwed up my courage and went there, I was amazed that I felt like I fit in (girls in yoga pants getting made up at my local Nordstroms).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Terri, I would love to. :D This was my first, but from what I hear, the gal Anna who hosts these has them every few years. It was such a lovely group of people.

      Delete
  6. MINT PARTY! ;) What a great haul! Those knee boots are amazing and I am looking forward to seeing them over and over.
    You're right, Gracey is an official bad influence. Throw in the insurgent thighs, and there's definitely a problem. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Blown clean to smithereens at your haul. And of course you NEED the medal-adornment-brooch-thing. Perfect on your coat. Perhaps a lacy foulard for the winter. Knee boots are so wonderful a score that they defy comment, almost.
    I miss a coast. Either east or west will do, but not southern. Inland, rural life sucks for me. I need an urban fix.
    Thanks for the great post ... made the angst a little easier to bear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I gather from your posts that idleness and a slow pace of life do not suit you! I think I understand. I'm glad I could be of some little service. (:

      Delete
  8. This post made me laugh. Love how you steampunk!

    ReplyDelete