Author: giantjonquil

Ladies Love Cool Fishnets

Dwarfing the lilliputian office furniture. 

No apparent tummy control in fishnets.

You may not notice it, but I am wearing some pretty awesome fishnet hose today.  Don’t you wish your lawyer wore fishnets?  Ok, maybe not, especially if he is a dude.  But, there is no disputing they look pretty good with this fantastic 60s shift dress (from Lula — looks Burberry-esque, but it’s not) and AGL boots.  I had planned to include a close-up of my legs in the fishnets, but that gave pause to even me.  So, no.  You’ll have to take my word for it.

Good Guys Finish First.

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It’s 1976 up in here today.  That was a good year.  The bicentennial and all that.  And, freaking Charlie’s Angels fighting crime in their pant suits and heels!  Be honest, can’t you see Farrah or Jaclyn rocking this bad ass, red leather vintage trench?  Underneath the killer coat, perhaps this v-neck, also from the 70s.  Actually, it would be Kate that would wear the sweater since she was the sporty one.  Either way, I am feeling it.  I might sleep in this coat tonight, I love it so.  Coat and v-neck from Lula Vintage Wear.

How You Like Me Again?

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Is there less zeal for vintage when you wore it the first go-around?  Stated differently, when you are old enough to remember the many lambswool sweaters you wore in the 80s, can you still find joy in wearing this lambswool sweater from the 80s?  Answer: resounding yes.  And, unlike the 80s, I did not style this lambswool number with multiple strands of fake pearls in a sort of homage to Madonna.  (It must have been my churchy upbringing that caused me to substitute pearls for crucifixes.  The same reason I never touched my Ouija board post-Exorcist.)  That can only be a good thing.  Of course, in the 80s, I was not rocking awesome suede boots by Stuart Weitzman, either.  Boom!, as my fashion friend, Erin, would say.

The Parable of the Mustard Dress

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On the short list of ways I like yellow mustard (spread on my annual footlog hot dog at the Minnesota State Fair and for dipping French fries), I now add this spectacular, mod ’60s dress.  In fact, it’s Number 1 on the list.  Note the chevron stripe-like stitching on the bodice and the cool stand-up collar, which reminds me not a little of the collar on the winning dress from Project Runway earlier this season.  And, by way of a universal truth, which every parable must illustrate, mustard (as a color, not as a dipping sauce) is tres a la mode for fall.  If you have any doubt, check out the raft of mustard-colored dresses for the picking on Polyvore.  Plus, it’s very Megan Draper, which calls for another picture of Don.

Back to the Future

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For those of you that think nothing good came out of the 80s, take a look at this fantastic Diane Von Furstenberg dress from that decade.  I picked up this number just last Friday from Lula Vintage Wear to help combat my end of the season wardrobe malaise.  This dress couldn’t be easier to wear — pull it over your head and tie the belt.  Done.  It’s also a great foil for colorful accessories, like this necklace from StyledLife.  And, while the good fashion karma from this dress doesn’t completely off-set the horrific karma from the perm mullett I rocked in the 80s, it is a gigantic step in the right direction.

Better Than Your Average Mouseburger

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Say what you want about Cosmopolitan (I think it’s basically dreck), Helen Gurley Brown had style.  Not everyone has the balls to rock fishnets and miniskirts into her 80s.  (Balls or not, that look is a No for me at any age.)  And she said at least one thing I agree with completely: “What you have to do is work with the raw material you have, namely you, and never let up.”  I am going to remember this as we slog through the last weeks of I-am-so-over-it summer clothes.  And, when I let up, I will thank you not to mention it.

Today, I have not 100% let up. Even though I phoned it in on this favorite dress, I am rocking it with different bling.  I am a huge fan of this particular bling because it achieves that elusive thing: a blend of vintage and comtemporary that works.  Here, the vintage piece is the shorter number with the spectacular, beaded tassel.  I scored that one at Lula Vintage Wear.  The contemporary piece is the longer string of raw emeralds from StyledLife.  No mouseburger today for me.

And, yes, that is Joe Biden on my PC behind me — shirtless and waxing his Trans Am.  I find it easier to practice law this way.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Seems like the end of the season malaise is starting early this year. I already can no longer get excited about my summer clothes, and I am day dreaming of tweed pencil skirts, cashmere sweaters, and tall boots. The other day, I even said the F word. F as in fur. This is a family blog, people.
But, it is still as hot as Hades, and I have to wear something. Today it is my modern Mary Tyler Moore dress with some “new,” vintage necklaces from Lula Vintage Wear.