Hive Mind

Thanks for always being so kind - I'm still not 100%, the hives situation is tedious (more dietary restrictions) and draining (wishing I was able to be more present in Bloglandia) but getting sorted. Keeping things in perspective, my thoughts are with Lynne's daughter as she and her family prepare for the next steps in her fight to cure sickle cell anemia. 

The first wear of this dress (early May, pre-hives - how I miss you, non-rashy skin!) caused a minor shoe-mergency. As I hollered to Beary, how is it possible that I don't have shoes that work? His response - "I guess you DO need more shoes!" - is one more of the many reasons he is a keeper. Here are just a few of the footwear options which do not go with it: suede shorty cowboy boots, cool green Fidji shoes, Frye boots, and taupe clogs. Here's what I ended up with, which was a lot better in theory than in practise: 

green silk honeycomb-and-floral dress: Nylon by Dex, Netty Vintage
brown wrap belt: no label, Netty Vintage
scarf: Charming Charlie, worn here
pirate boots: Vivienne Westwood, My Habit, worn here

I felt kind of Comic Con-ready, and not in a good way. Oops! Ah well, can't win 'em all.

necklace: random jewelry booth ~20 years ago, worn here
usual wrist business: Swiss Army Cavalry watch (beloved gift 1994), silver OM bracelet (Lollapalooza vendor, early '90s), leather and silver "hands" bracelet (AGO, precious gift, early '90s replaced 2005), rubber O-ring
silver and amber bracelet: gift to self 2008, Pages (very dear local shop, now closed)

But wait! I'm not sure how I overlooked these shoes last time - they are a great improvement (photos are from last week, post hive-action, on a day dim enough to downplay the poofy face and blotchy chest):

shoes: Fluevog Pindown Farrah, worn here

Hmm, guess all the shoes in the world that are for sale will remain safe from me for a bit yet. The air conditioning is on at the office, and, as usual, I layered up for the fluctuations:

sweater: Nurture, Dillard's, worn here

I'm headed over to Patti's Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday (her 100th!) with my outfit un-fail!

The Object of My Affliction

I want to thank everyone for all your tremendous responses to my recent plea for fresh earworms and Travelling Yellow Skirt action-adventure! I just love the lot of you. 

turquoise rose-patterned scarf: Gabii's (Progreso, TX), worn here
off-the-shoulder t-shirt: Joe Fresh
tank top: Smart Set
orange brocade wrap skirt: Alchemy (Toronto ~10+ years ago), worn here
shoes: Cydwoq Instinct, ebay

I've been off-grid due to a mysterious cause-yet-undetermined allergic reaction necessitating a hospital visit, lots of missed work, and ongoing antihistamine haze - I thought I was behind on everything in life even before this new wrinkle, dammit. I have sorely missed being able to keep up with correspondence, respond to the wonderfully funny bits and utter gems in your comments here, and leave comments in return.

Or I suppose I could have left comments, but they'd have been way discomfort-preoccupied and not actually in response to your incredible sartorial ensembles, divine wisdoms, and life happenings - sort of all, "I have hives on my eyelids, " or, "When did the sides of my throat start to squish against each other so friendly-like? Huh." and such. Before folks so kindly say I don't look all that bad here, the upside of having plenty of photo backlog is a few documented outfits from early May - taken well-prior to this latest (and, sadly, kind of hideous) season of pox upon my house. 

horseshoe nail necklace for luck: Old Clothing Show and Sale (Toronto, early 90s), worn here, shown in 1994 long-ripply-hair photo here (scroll down)

watch: Stuhrling Tuskegee Skylancer
antique orange amber bracelet: a gift from my mother, worn here
usual wrist wear: rubber O-ring, silver OM bracelet (Lollapalooza vendor, early 90s), leather and silver "hands" bracelet (AGO, precious gift, early 90s, replaced 2005)

While I'm off meditating on how one might attain brain-in-a-jar-dom while retaining the excellent outfits which occasionally seem to be the only main benefit of not being a brain-in-a-jar, and alas, possibly sometimes consoling myself with more shoes between futile attempts to restore every darn thing to any slight semblance of the glorious order I once knew, here are just a few amazing bloggers to visit who've been especially on my mind since I fell off the face of the earth: Emalina, Pao, Judith, Curtise, Jean, Lynne, my scritchy-sister Sheila, Gracey, and look! Look who's back, it's Terri!

Closing with a reader query, Val of late blooming sparkle asked, "... I am wondering if you added your own mark to the yellow skirt (or did Starr add a mark)." Hee! The answer is both - but not to worry, it was all my doing on our behalf rather than a direct deposit by Starr - my idea came after the photos and post were finished. Here is the white wing I added and how it interacts with the other customizations accumulated along the skirt's journey so far:

Though I may be a scarce and spotty (ha) presence for a bit yet, I surely will be seeing you over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday! Thanks again for visiting, and much love.

Edited to add: also linking up at The Citizen Rosebud for Bella's new monthly feature: Shoe Shine! 

The Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show

It's here, it's here! The Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show's in town! Well, not town exactly - but having been hatched by my idol Melanie of Bag and a Beret, it soared to Sarah of Misfits Vintage, winged its way to Helga von Trollop-licious from whom it flew-flew-flew to Edie Pop of Homesick Blues, and most recently alighted over by Tami of Thrift Shop Commando before touching down for a spell in the country at Butane Anvil. 

I asked a feathered friend along - you met Starr Ethel Steele last summer at the bottom of my most popular post. I did have to wait a while so she could lay her egg first, and took way too many pictures while the sun cranked its volume. 

vintage handmade snakeskin-print rain cape (on tree limb): Black Market Clothing (Toronto), early 80s, previewed here

t-shirt: Denver Hayes, Mark's Work Wearhouse
obi belt with leaf-pattern topstitching: Good Times Barcelona, etsy, worn here (Aww! Bring me Kahlua chocolates!)
our meanest (alpha) hen: Starr Ethel Steele, TSC ~ 2 yrs ago
Travelling Yellow Skirt: Joe Fresh with hand-customizations, via the Sisterhood, wee video here

Madame Royale fleur-de-lis necklace: Wendy Brandes
deer and Colossus of Rhodes necklace: vintage shop on Montréal's rue St-Denis, early 80s

It took time to figure out how I could best honour the Travelling Yellow Skirt, particularly because this blog is about outfits I actually wear as I go about real life. However, I have lately been working with symbols, and thinking on concepts of metaxy and the liminal. I decided I needed to reach back across my life for the earliest similarly iconic pieces that I have worn, and complete the ensemble with a smattering of more recent bits and pieces, some from the present, all integrative-like. 

I acquired the vintage vinyl snakeskin cape when I was 14 or 15 and used it as a raincoat all through high school. Like my vintage fun fur maxi skirt, it's a handmade piece whose existence I take to be evidence of the world being at least in part a good place. Or at very least a humorous one. Though the cape is a facet of my Yellow Skirt outfit, this wasn't a rainy day, and knowing ahead how chickens feel about poufy tulle ballerina skirts and therefore being somewhat able to surmise their thoughts on tremendously billowy yellow skirts and flapping snakeskin capes, it mostly stayed perched in the plum tree. 

I'm wearing my Wendy Brandes Madame Royale fleur-de-lis pendant for the first time. Fleur is one of my middle names - I translate into yellow flower. The larger necklace is another treasured artifact, and probably the most excellent piece of costume jewelry I have ever seen. It's reserved for special occasions because the silvery coating has been flaking off its fringe-y dingle-dangles for decades. I've tucked a picture below the jump of 15-year-old me wearing it (with stupendously enormous 80s hair). 

I vividly remember spotting the necklace in the case and being unable to hand over my moolah fast enough, and how the shopkeeper went all abrupt. My friend said they'd probably expected me to haggle over price, which at that age would never have occurred to me, plus $18 seemed entirely reasonable for such a fabulously mythological objet. I still find it to be brimming with secrets and implications. 

The boots, the boots, the legendary boots, what to say? As is clear by their wear, back in the day I tromped many, many satisfyingly jingly miles in them.

black satin half-slip: Linda, Sears ~ 7 years ago
perfect tights: Ralph Lauren, Winners ~10 years ago 
(loved so much, went back for multiples)
pointy buckle boots: shop on Queen West I can't recall (Toronto), early 80s, 
previewed here
plum blossom confetti: Mother Nature

silver water ring: some booth or other ~20 years ago, and 
silver and onyx dragon ring: Courage My Love (Kensington Market, Toronto), mid 80s
worn together here 
and check out that sweet button-closure on the cape

Overall a fair assemblage for transcending time, space, and dimension, yeah? A white bird, the light's gone liquid, and life is extraordinary in its audible crackling.

But for truly transcendent expertise, I defer to Melanie's extraordinary post today: How to wear a place of mind dingle-ball style. You must go! There are dingle-balls! Also, have you seen her interview with Roz at The Citizen Rosebud? And that's only Part One!

For anyone who's come back and / or is still here, what's on my mind and wants to fit here too is a follow-up to the tulle-and-teacup phenomenon, which was also inspired by Melanie: I did photos last September (surprise! I took way too many) and made some "virtual party" appearances but never formulated a stand-alone post. I've collected a few images after my 80s hair below the jump. Starr won't mind returning the favour and letting MJ-the-hen visit the fluffy bottom of her post - they are flock animals after all. 

Stay tuned for the next landing of the Travelling Yellow Skirt, which is presently in migration to the Forest City Fashionista. In the meantime, join us for a fly-by over at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style for Visible Monday. A very special thank you to my Travelling Yellow Skirt Sisters! 

Safe journeys, all.