What I Actually Wore #0158
Serial #: 0158
Date: 21/12/2013
Weather: 20°C / 68°F
Time Allowed: 8 minutes
Wide-leg pants with a fun top and colourful accessories are, and forever will be, a staple silhouette for me (in fact I am wearing a version of this ensemble right now as I type). I wore this outfit to work, and then made only minimal changes to my outfit before going to see a play with a friend in the evening.
I no longer own the pants; they were a bit big to start with, and eventually they became too big when I lost a bit of weight. (You know your pants are too big when you can slip them off without undoing the zip!) The blouse is still with me, as are all the other items except for both pairs of shoes. The tan brogued sandals are among the most favourite I have ever owned, but sadly they completely wore out and I had to bin them.
During the day, I wore a vintage 1950s silk cropped jacket in a beautiful shade of blue, and in the evening swapped it for an evening coat of pink slubbed silk or rayon. I love the drama of its maxi length. I walked into the city to the theatre, and chose comfortable leather platform wedges – although the leather of these was so soft they stretched out and became too big as well, and impossible to walk in. I ended up giving them to a friend.
The ceramic jewellery I am wearing is all souvenired from Barcelona. The necklace and earrings have become a bit lost amongst my huge collection of costume jewellery, but I regularly wear the ring, and its companion, a ceramic cluster of green balls. I thought they were great mementoes of the city that Gaudí made particularly his own.
I still remember buying that leather clutch bag with its plastic tortoiseshell frame – maybe 15 or more years ago now – from a vintage boutique that is no longer, in a street that is also no longer what it was, having become gentrified, near my old art college, which also is no longer, having closed down many years ago and subsequently was torn down! What a litany of closures, and memories they conjure up.
I still visit that neighbourhood, and marvel at how much it’s changed, and smile nostalgically at what is still the same. That vintage boutique was the last hold-out of a large number in that cool street (hipster before hipsters existed) that all gradually closed down, sadly, and it was a really good one. I also remember buying there a fantastic pair of vintage 1970s pink metallic kid leather high-heeled strappy sandals by Christian Dior that were a size too small for me for about $15. It hurt to wear them, but … CHRISTIAN DIOR. One day, in a ruthless fit, I donated them to a charity store. No regrets. I since found a pair of silver patent Christian Louboutins for $4 IN my size. Thou givest to the charity store, and the charity store givest back to thee.
Items:
Blouse: Veronika Maine
Jacket (am): vintage 50s
Coat (pm): vintage 50s
Pants: Dizingoff
Sunglasses: MinkPink
Bag: vintage 70s
Sandals (am): Wittner
Wedges (pm): RMK
Earrings: souvenir
Necklace: souvenir
Watch: Kenneth Cole
Ring: souvenir
Photos: January 2014