Dirt Chic

Getting Dressed: Childhood Rainbow (and a Sunday Poem)

Mary and I putting on makeup at 10pm.  Dress: $4.  Belt: prize, sewn down.

I found this this morning.  Can't remember when I wrote it - probably last summer.  It's entitled "My Favorite Piece of Art" but I'm not quite sure if that fits.  

Christ had such a time of it
For fifteen years I bet he didn't know
   what the hell he was doing
But heavens, he hoped his path was true
Actually I'm sure of it; he knew the half of it
   Trailing his palms over flower heads,
   inhaling the baked smell of something baking,
   undoubtedly laying on his pallet doing nothing,
   but most of all,
   being a song and dance man looking
   into the future imagining himself in
   a musical number, forever;
   this is the way of being, the true spirituality,
   girding up for a prolonged adolescence
   to make way for ministry -
oh - that was my life - well -
the half of it - still -
Christ had such a time of it.
Nevermind crucifixion.  
When you get to the point of asking
   God to take the cup away,
   asking for forgetting,
of course, something is surely done.
And maybe something like ascension has begun. 

Red and Black Thrifting Fun

I feel that clothes have become less important.

...Nah.

Certainly, I have been thinking of them less, lately.  

Sorta.

I have quite a few incredible dresses that I can't fit into.  

THIS MUST CHANGE.

Change.

(Been reading playwriting.)

(Oh wait, I write like this anyway.)

I did a smidge of thrifting.  I got this skirt:

$4.  I'm working with it.  Must avoid the look of homeschoolery at all costs, yet here I find myself feeling kind of like I'm not doing a good enough job.  The point, and the secret (which is yours to have), is to be badass, not sweet.  Or have a sweetheart neckline with some intense boots.  Too much sweet rots female agency.  Yes.  I'm a nerd.  

But anyways, I paired it with an 80's shirt ($2), a silver belt Ashley sent me (love her), and my Aldo red jelly flats ($20).  At least it's comfortable.  Though I should stop mentioning that.

This is also comfortable:

It's an Express dress.  I haven't worn something this notably contemporary-ish in forever.  But it's so cute and light and sturdy.  Maybe sturdy is not a good adjective when writing about clothing.  SAS shoes are sturdy.  A neck brace is sturdy.

But anyway, it was $6, and I think it was at Goodwill because the zipper was jacked, and so I went to Hobby Lobby and for $2.50 got a new zipper and spent a half hour doing a hack job stitching it in, but hey - it now zips.  My seamstress could've done it but it would've been something like $10-20.  So, hackery was the answer.

And I didn't show you my baby knees in the picture, but they're there.  Normally, my non-tanned skin is not a bothersome thing to me, but my legs are pretty bad.  Oh well.  They also don't tan.  What're you gonna do.

Wear Marilyn Monroe clothes, that's what:

$7.  I really and truly should lose about 3 pounds to fit into this; right now I'm a little poured-in (the picture doesn't show it).  I must tell you right now, I don't do Spanx, or anything like Spanx.  More power to Spanx and the people that Spanx, but I just can't.  For ideological reasons, I guess.  It goes back to comfort - I don't find extra, restrictive layers comfortable.  Even if they are actually not uncomfortable.  I'm just not into it.  Spanx are too sturdy.

This dress IS a size 14, though!!!  In 60's values.  I'm not even remotely comparing myself to MM, but I think she was a 16 back in the day.  Oh, vintage sizing.  

But now that I think about it, it would look pretty dope if I wore a corset-ish garment under this dress.  Hm.  It's just the way it's cut, it kind of begs for it.  This does not negate my Spanx argument.  Ok, well it does, in the sense of the argument I set forth.  But I didn't set forth the whole argument.  So, trust me.  

Crazy leaf-and-feather-shouldered little black dress: $7.

Getting Dressed, etc.: Tropical Ridiculousness

Last day of one semester.  Then I went right to class-planning.  I resist class-planning much like I resisted homework.  Resistance is nothing.  Once I start, I'm fine.  And honestly, it applies to writing, too.  (Though I do not have mental breakdowns regarding class-planning or homework.  I also do not have homework.)

I enjoy teaching Comparative Worldviews, though it remains to be seen if my students enjoy being in it. ;)  Things to engage with, on tomorrow's agenda:
-Darwin's Origin of Species
-Genesis creation story
-Pascal's Thoughts on belief
-Hindu creation story
-Uh, the movie Creation
-An excerpt from Wordsworth's Lines Written Above Tintern Abbey
-An essay/blog post by Roger Ebert about evolution and existence
-Tree of Life

Heh heh.

But now - that is, after this - I will read some CNF for another class in the motherflipping bathtub.  I need to soak my feet.  I need to wear flats tomorrow.  I need to sit in a chair in front of the class.  (Or on a stool in the corner in a dunce cap.)  (No.  I just wanted to say that.)

Regarding this - here - what this is, Dirt Chic, let me attend.  I forgot to show and tell this garage sale find from Friday, costing a whopping FIVE CENTS: 

Official Dirty Dancing merch!  When I am reading, this is what I want to mark my book with.  And that's what people think of when they want to show their great love for Dirty Dancing - they want to go out and buy a bookmark.  Dancing = bookmark.  Patrick Swayze = bookmark.  Nobody puts this bookmark in the corner of a book.  Oh wait.

In organizational news, I went to go through my jewelry (jewellery, as the Brits say, and how did we Americans get away from this?  Have I ranted about this before?) and I realized/accepted that the green hanger, fun as it is, keeps me from wearing my necklaces.  Good thing I had some Command Strips hooks.  (Or whatever they're called.)

I then overhauled this corner.  Separated the necklaces.  Put up some of my favorite inspirational magazine photos, 15-year-old girl that I am. :)

A closer look:

Pleasing.  Hopefully, useful.

I wore this today.

Part of me feels like it's just... something.  But then the other part of me thinks it's... something.  I enjoy every component of this get-up, but... what is it?  Why can't I accept it?  Or do I?  I enjoyed wearing it, all day.  So this must mean it's all good.

Ok. :)  I'll just run with that.  I think it's just the usual professional-dressing problem of wondering if I would wear this on my own time.  There.  

Anywho.  Orange 80's shirt (which is just the best): $3.  90's Nine & Co sandals: $10.  Crazy green vintage earrings: $5.

Getting Dressed: Heart on My Stomach!!!

Isn't there a tribe of people somewhere that believe the heart is in the stomach?  Or is it the throat?  Can you tell I'm a person of global awareness and knowledge?  ;)

Pretty straightforward get-up, here.  It's been hot, and I walk around a lot when I teach, and I teach for pretty much four hours straight.  So, I had to go short-sleeved.  Fascinating.

When I got home I put on a new (old) gold lame shirt but it was shedding the lame and it got itchy.  Wardrobe fail.  (LAME.)

Now I'm in an orange 80's shirt.  Also fascinating.  I might just have to change, again.  Just 'cuz.

Back to grading.

Short: free from Mary.  Belt: $10.  Bracelet: $12.

Beauty-Induced Pain, Disco Fever, Button-Down Minds

A/C unit is in.  Hello, summer.

I wore the boots yesterday.  Ankles are bruised.

Bad pic, but they go well with the Favorite Dress.

I would've worn them with my newer black dress but I took it to my seamstress (yep) along with 5 other garments to get fixed up.  Happens.  I can't fix some things.  Three of the items just needed the stinking boning reinforced.  Ouch.

Went garage saling.  Sale-ing?  Sailing?  $4 later ($2 each), I had these:

One woman wouldn't sell me this.  

Color me resentful.

;)

So I got some comedy records.  Springfield has a great place for that: Recycled Records.  Weird store, but useful.

For a good time.  

Once I finish my daily allotment of grading and class-planning and reading I will listen.

And there's always tomorrow, too.

And I'm Doin' This and I'm Signin' That

Summer-esque humidity: the Sriracha bottle was instantly sweating, and my black dress felt like it had perhaps not spent enough time in the dryer - without having been washed in I don't know how long (hangs head in mock shame).

Now the a/c unit has been pulled out and set in front of its window which means my re-arranged room is now in disarray, again.  But that's all right. :) I can still read on the couch quite nicely.  And humidly.

Tonight - later tonight, like 15 minutes later - will call for some porch-sitting and cocktail-drinking.  And more reading.  I have largely devoted today to it.  If I have recently said something about how I have not had a real mental break from the insanity of the last year, I was wrong.  That was just prelude.  Now I feel like I have some real peace.  YAY PEACE.  And I'm even still teaching 3 classes.  But that's all I'm required to do.  THIS IS INSANITY.  Wonderful insanity.  And my students should give thanks and praise that I'm so free to pay so much attention to them!!!  They should throw me a parade!  (Well, we're going to the March of Dimes next week.  That doesn't really count.)

So I wrote this post a couple weeks ago about not thrifting for awhile.  I'm glad I didn't post it, because then I would be hanging my head in real shame, as I do still thrift a bit.  I was the Thrift Monster before, gobbling up crazy 80's garments like there would be no more clothes, anymore, after.  I treated life as Thriftageddon.  And if you think that doesn't make sense you're right.  But I'm reading absurdism, and I'm working on it. ;)

Well.  I do plan - after my cocktail, or maybe before, or during - to go into my closet-wardrobe-boudoir and put things away and weed through stuff.  Again.  I'm even going to go through my jewelry.  *gasp*  I found a stack of books I want, today, and I knew the only way to justify getting them (besides reading 6 other of my own owned books first and tracking down mega-cheap copies online) was to sell something.  So I did/am.  (Magazines.)  The same goes for clothes.  I will indeed get rid of two things for every one I have recently brought in.  And I will sell some lovely beloved jewels, the ones I don't wear - because I just think someone else should have them.  Who will wear them.  And who will pay me for them so I can go buy silver fringed leather items.

Well.  It's later - and I have my cocktail and I put my clothes away and moved the 80's shirts to where the sweaters were and vice versa and now I will read on the porch.

In this.

Somewhat *sedate* for me, yes?  But it's 70's Nieman Marcus jersey.  And the fit is so awesome.  And it is summery.  I mean springy.  I mean humidity-appropriate.  $3.

You know what else was $3?  

Yep.  I couldn't believe it.  Maybe a person doesn't like cowboy boots (I do), but it's hard not to appreciate incredible cowboy boots that are already broken-in but not actually falling apart.  $3.  (Shaking head) (Smiling)

My grainy bad pics don't do them justice.

Super-awesome.  I'm ready to roll.  Right into Wyoming. 

Oh, and when I put them on, this was stuck to my leg.  This is my life.  I find sequins everywhere. :)

And I leave you to go READ (stop talking about already, Arwen).  But here is my pile of 80's shirts.  May your May be pleasantly humid and frugal as well....

Getting Dressed: Manic Monday For Sure

A new quarter begins; a semester draws to a close.  In other words - busy.

I may be a bit crazy-busy; my apparel feels pretty tame.  But I like this get-up.

H&M blazer: $6 (or something.  I forget).  Chartreuse tuxedo shirt: $3.  Navy wool tie: $2.  Blue socks: $3.50.  Shoes: mom. 

And it appears one of my pant legs is longer than the other.

I'll get on that.  Or not.

Getting Dressed: Frippery

Went to a wedding.  Wore this number.  Hard to see the beading, but it's there; it's why I kept the dress.  I enjoy this dress.  And it is quite comfortable.  That seems to be a thing with me.  Dress: $6.  Belt: $3.

I also wore fake eyelashes.  Because I've had them for a long time.  And it sounded like fun.

They are not as comfortable.  And you can't really even tell they're there.

Unless I do this.

Getting Dressed: Some Kinda Somethin'

Naming this outfit is a bit beyond me at this point. :)  (At this point meaning this point in today.  Not that it would perhaps be beyond me at other points.) (Ahem.)

This outfit is because of my morning coffee "reading": Vogue.  Yep.  Was pretty bleary-eyed this morning.  Wasn't quite ready for meatier stuff.

Benetton flower jacket: $4.  Black and white striped shirt: $3.  Navy blue socks: $3.50.  Franco Sarto "mod" shoes: $4.  Pink elastic belt: $2.  Pink felt hat: $10 (but my mom bought it. ;).

Homeschooling a-Go-Go (Not)

I wore this today.  It never fails to cheer.  Or be comfortable. 

It would've gone nicely with these:

These are actually new.  "New".  AKA deadstock.  I know what you're thinking - these look exactly like my OTHER go-go boots.  You're almost right.  The other ones are gorgeous white leather.  These are shiny synthetic.  And a little bit taller.  I never see go-go boots.  It's so weird that both pairs I've come across have never been worn.  Anyways, I deliberated about getting them, but not for very long - I'm more careful with the real leather pair, because I don't want to ruin them.  This pair can be the ones I don't worry about.  Now I have casual and dressy go-go boots.  Wow.  $4.

Yes, I went thrifting.  I wanted to celebrate my good play news.  Yes, I will find two things to get rid of.  I also got this 90's dress:

I fear the picture makes it look kind of... homeschooly.  No dis on homeschooling, but I would NEVER want that word to be an adjective used in relationship to my style.  EVER.  I can promise you, no matter how my style morphs and changes, you will NEVER see me in a denim jumper.  

I love this dress.  Except it has boning in it, and without fail, everything I ever buy that has boning it, after I wear it once, the boning pops through in one spot and starts to scratch me.  Sigh.  I need to do something about it, because I could see this becoming another "casual" summer dress.  $4.