Waist Not, Want Not?

Trying a layered look with this altered crop top and Diesel tunic to see if they can work before I send 'em to the donation bin:

Blue crop top: Treasure Rock (formerly tank top)

Grey tunic: Diesel (thrifted)

Skirt: Express (thrifted)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Some background: both tops are on the chopping block as I persevere in my Sisyphean task of pruning my closet.

The blue crop top was originally a Treasure Rock tank top. I wore it one of my early blog posts:

I wasn't feeling it any more, but I really liked the embroidery, so I tried cutting the bottom off and using the fabric for sleeves. The sleeves worked great, but I cut off too much. I would have liked it if I'd kept the sleeves t-shirt length and left a few more inches on the shirt:

The Diesel tunic, thrifted because it has a sweet asymmetrical collar and these cute fabric buttons running down one strap, defies any attempts at comfortable wear. Its straps sit at different spots on the shoulders, meaning one bra strap is always showing. I have to pin it in place, seen here:

The other problem is the cut, as with so many Diesel things, is for a mutant people who have no chest span, so it garrotes me under the arms. It fits at the waist, but the chest is so badly draped that it makes me look blocky, flat chested, and wide waisted:

It doesn't help that I thought tunic meant skinny jeans, creating the look Underwear Over Sausages

Strategy: cover the problem Diesel neckline/underarm issue with the crop top and add a third block with the black skirt to anchor a long grey waist with blue above and black below. I think the crop top doesn't look too short this time.

Thoughts on the triple layer? Should I keep 'em or donate? Also I just noticed I'm wearing the same black skirt with the blue Treasure Rock shirt two years ago. Man, I gotta up my game. 

Giveaway winner and a peek back in time

  Congratulations *drumroll* ...to the Couturgatory giveaway winner Tag R! I'll be in contact shortly to ask about what thrifted goodie you'd like from San Francisco!

  And since things have been a whirlwind this weekend (I'll have a full post on the Bloggy award from Ally of Shybiker when I think I have some words. You should check her blog out in the highly unlikely event that you did not find my blog through hers.) here are some older outfits that got left behind for one reason or other this last month.

  Spoiler alert: the reason was usually lighting. Stupid time change. Stupid sun not putting in enough hours at its job.

Laguardia Cloche: Goorin Bros. sample sale (available here)

Long cloak hoodie in blue suede: Prairie Underground (old, more colors)

Purple knit top: Elie Tahari (thrifted)

Cotton godet skirt: Free People (old)

Floral gauze square scarf: Old Navy (available here)

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

  This outfit is pretty much exactly the same as the Waiting for Godet one except with a different top and a scarf. (Scarf is no longer on sale for $6. Boo.) Got skipped due to lighting, made a very similar outfit to photograph later, but I was super excited at the time because it was the first time I'd managed to coordinate an outfit, scarf, shoes, and a hat. Unfortunately also the last.

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Dress: Treasure Rock (Treasure Rock on eBay)

Top: Treasure Rock (old)

Sandals: Eastland (old)

  Last wore this shirt way back in June, when my dear friend Diana was visiting. Since I never wear it, I hacked the bottom off and turned it into sleeves as a topper for this sleeveless dress, also by Treasure Rock. Well, formerly sleeveless. I also added straps to the dress as it was driving me crazy.

  They line up great, I just wish I hadn't chopped quite so much off. I was worried the sleeves wouldn't be long enough, but there turned out to be more than enough fabric, length-wise. Width-wise it was close! I had to draft a custom sleeve pattern, but I'm pretty happy at how it turned out.

  I'm also endorsing Eastland Sandals as having a wide toe bed. I own two pairs of their sandals, and these aren't even wide width (they offer wide width on some of their designs.) My toes aren't squished, and I usually have to go with at least width D for that to happen. I'm working on a wide shoes review page that I'll stick in the sidebar. :D

  Happy rest of the weekend, folks, especially for those who have a long weekend for Remembrance Day. I have my own strong feelings on war, military, and authoritarian power pyramids in society, but I do recommend checking out the history of the 442nd Infantry Regiment from WWII. It was composed almost entirely of Japanese American soldiers who volunteered despite their families being imprisoned in internment camps. I'm sad there was a schism between those who served and those who angrily refused the draft (some of whom were deported to Japan, a country they'd never lived in,) because of the loss of their and their families' rights. I think both courses of action took such incredible bravery.

Treasure Rock of Ages

  Wow, people are here! Ally wrote about me in her blog and a number of her lovely friends found their way over. Should I have a separate post and an outfit post? I'm not sure what the protocol for multiple posts in a day is. I suppose we just make our own rules here, so I'm flying blind. Blind, but excited. :D

  I'm really looking forward to reading about and getting to know everybody. I read an interview once in which a style blogger said that one is supposed to read/find bloggers who are built like you and dress similarly. I don't know how folks put up the Bat-signal for that ("ATTN: short stocky future fantasy warrior/AZN punk fantasy warrior/steampunk past fantasy person/fairy princess style blogger seeking more of the same") but what I have found in style blogging is a network of interesting, supercool people whose passion and creativity pop out in their writing. It is a fun, organic process of exploration following links, and I'm so glad you guys took the time to say hello and give me more places to explore and read.

  To the outfit post!

  So, here's the deal. Several years back, I had a thing for shirts with lots of studs in them and laces. I'm over it now, but funny thing: if you add extra stitches to clothes, then tie them together with laces, then rivet them together, they do not come apart. I've made my wardrobe, now I have to lie in it for a few decades. Or not, because all of these metal studs are kind of uncomfortable to sleep on. (I'm joking. I took a nap in this shirt earlier and it is fine.)

  This Treasure Rock tank top is from a defunct online shop. After a poke around the Internet, I'm actually not sure the brand exists any more either, but there are brand new copies of this tank top in black on eBay. Or if you really like it in blue, come and talk to me. I layered it over one of my ubiquitous lace racerbacks and wore it with a black miniskirt and criss cross leggings because I am trying not to bore you dear readers into Denim Oblivion, which has actually been the reality for the last 26 years. :D

  Since the Treasure Rock brand's aesthetic is rock/glam and my aesthetic is more huh?/dork, I tried balancing out the outfit with accessories.  First, a pink hoodie. Then, in the event anybody still thought I should be taken seriously, I added a teacup necklace and sun bracelet.

It's hard to be taken for an angry rocker in a pink hoodie.

  I bought the bracelet in Paris several years ago. My friend Cathy and I went in summer, when dawn was at 6 am and the sun didn't set until after 10. It completely threw off my circadian rhythm, having that much sunlight, but I loved it, at least as much as you can love 100+°F in a country without widespread air conditioning or iced beverages.  I thought this gold sunburst bracelet would be the perfect reminder of those times. Then I came back to San Francisco and found the same jewelry company downtown a month later. Hahaha! It's ok though, it's still an awesome souvenir (and I know where to take it if the glittery stone falls out.)

  Thank you to my friend Diana for taking the outfit pictures today. We hung out in Golden Gate Park today, by the Sharon Art Center, where we saw the most beautiful stained glass window we both agreed we'd ever seen.

Tank top: Treasure Rock (available in black)

Victorian Hoodie: Prairie Underground (thrifted)

Criss Cross Leggings: no brand (eBay)

Sun Bracelet: Jeanne by CJ (Paris, old)

Teacup Necklace: (Nordstrom, old) - similar on etsy