I'm cheap. Thermostat set on 78 degrees F. I
don't wear much black. I reserve that color for times of mourning
(like when Game of Thrones went off the air last year), when I have
nothing to wear, and when I'm feeling like a country ham. This ensemble
doesn't fit in any of these categories.
I
had a friend over for cocktails today and didn't feel like "dressing"
for the occasion so I wore one of my many vintage slips. My grandmother
would beat my "light-skinned behind" if she knew I was wearing one of
my slips. I tried to pull that stunt in Charleston 4 summers ago. I
was marched back into the house and not allowed to leave until I found
something more appropriate. So I threw on a cardigan and was marched
back into the house yet again. Grandma doesn't believe in underwear as
outerwear, but I do! And besides, grandma isn't here and grandma
doesn't read blogs so there!
This
is a great gown from the 1980s. I fell in love with the lace
midsection! The scarf was a purchase from a consignment shop called
Yesterday's Rose located in Fairfax, Virginia. This is the same shop
that I found that gorgeous mint green dress described in this post.
I felt slinky and glamorous, though I know I don't look as slinky as I
feel right now. I wish fried chicken was never invented.
Was called a sell-out at work (BY SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT EVEN OWN A PAIR OF JEANS AND DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN CASUAL FRIDAY) for wearing a business professional outfit for once in my life. He was half-joking but still! I did look professional; HOWEVER I was wearing a clown collar shirt and leopard print heels. Do you see why I'm forced to have one of two faces at work everyday?!
Dahhhling I'm fabulous. Who are you?
Say what? I'm not going to wrinkle my forehead for you boo boo.
Do ya'll remember Britney Jean at the height of her fame? Holy Smokes. This is called Summer body inspiration. It's designed to torture me; therefore, I'm buying roller blades and a thigh master!
I love this dress. I love it to pieces. After green, blue is my favorite color; so when there are multiple blues in one dress, I'm completely on board. This dress is from the early 1980s. How do I know that? As the 80s wore on, dresses became bigger and bigger with crazier construction. Bows on the butt. Shoulder pads as big as football padding. Drop waist into a diamond. All of that and more that I have tried to forget about. Yeah yeah ended a sentence with a preposition. Sue me! This dress is quite simple in construction, and this type of material was still being used in the early 1980s. Small pleats are consistent with this era.
I really like the diamond pattern with the ombre. The construction of the dress is really simple but there's so much going on with texture, color, and pattern it's really exciting. Ombre generally refers to the hair trend that starts dark at the roots and gradually goes lighter towards the ends (I just call that recession hair. I'm rocking it right now!) but I think it's an apt description for this dress. I accessorized with a leather, purple, Liz Claiborne belt, hot pink lipstick, and a gold brooch. I also really like the dress becaust it is sheer.
The button detail! I love small stuff like that :) Totally adds value to the dress.
I do not own a television. Frankly, it is a waste of time and money. I have over 100 books on my shelf and over 500 books on my Kindle that need to be read. Instead of paying for cable, I can go to the consignment shop twice more a month. I do have a subscription to Netflix though. Many complain that they have an outdated movie collection, but all my favorite foreign films and BBC dramas are present. One day I was looking for documentaries about New Orleans when I stumbled across one of my favorite documentaries of all time: Paris is Burning.
If you have never seen this film, please please watch it. It will break your heart, inspire you, and help you bring out your inner drag queen while you're brushing your teeth in the mirror. I think this is where Beyonce got Sasha Fierce from, and you KNOW the Queen of Appropriation, Madonna (as much as I love this woman), stole one of her eras from. The Vogue era if you don't know what I'm talking about. Madonna may be Queen of the gays, but she's largely Queen of the Caucasoid gays. Black gays were hardly visible at this point. I mean, you've got Langston Hughes and James Baldwin but they weren't out out. This is a fascinating view of Black, gay, subculture in the late 1980s. Remember how hip hop started break dancing as a way of non-violent posturing among crews? Voguing was of a similar vein, non-violent posturing among houses.
And honey, the best part of the whole documentary is this 4-minute clip about "shade."
Do yourself a favor and try not to judge the people in this film. Take this documentary for what it is: a peek into the lifestyles of sexually and racially marginalized people.
Good old Southern Comfort. When I'm sick, I watch Vampire Diaries, eat shrimp and grits, and drink apple cider mixed with Southern Comfort. I lay about in kimonos and wear fuzzy socks with my favorite Korean boy bands on them. But that's when I'm sick for a day.
My good friend's mother has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Fearing there was nothing I could do, other than to send a cliche bouquet of flowers and a naked Ricky Martin poster, I looked to my illustrious talents. The last thing someone is worried about when they are diagnosed with cancer is how they appear to others, but I think glamorizing just a tad can do wonders to uplift the spirits. Per my friend's request, here are some ensembles that will have the doctors running to Nordstrom for their own fabulous comfort-wear.
Some of the most comfortable things I own include a Duke sweatshirt and stretch pants. They are not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but the following things are pretty and comfortable. I suggest pretty kimonos, real cashmere, lacy robes, and decorative leggings. Please keep in mind that the items featured below are ideas. I would never spend more than $30 on a robe, while some of the things below are extremely expensive.
OOOOH the Caftan. LET'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT. THEY ARE NOT MUMUS! I BARELY KNOW WHAT A MUMU IS BUT IT IS NOT A CAFTAN! I adore a brightly colored caftan. They're my version of sweatpants. They are easy to slip on and off, comfortable, and come in a variety of fabrics: Silk, satin, polyester, or cotton. One can easily wear leggings or nothing else underneath. Throw on a turban and all of a sudden you're Lana Turner. Also, there are tons in vintage shops. Throw a spit ball in a vintage store and I promise you'll hit one. Short ones are available but the longer ones are truly more glamorous. Many billow, but I prefer the ones that align with the silhouette of the body.
The Bad Southern Belle Store will be opening next week. I've provided a sample of what's to come below. I came up with the concept of having a store not as a money-making operation, but because so many of my friends lament the fact that they have neither the resources nor the patience to go to a thrift store and find something wonderful. I am great at digging, so let me do the work for you. I not only find vintage, but also modern ensembles. Below is a brand new Tracey Reese dress, never worn, with the tag still attached.
The fur hat. The broach. The beaded necklace that matches the broach. That beautiful teal, wool dress. And child that shade of lipstick! She was lovely. Absolutely lovely.
Yesterday was one of the worst days of my Hooters career. *Aside-Basically, multiple stereotypes were proven true. Do not go out to eat if you have a bad attitude. Stay in your cotton pickin house and make it your cotton pickin self. It's Hooters. Not the Hilton. Aside Over*. I generally wind down at Spa World, but my nekkid partner Victoria was not available (She has a date next week, had hair done last week, doesn't want to mess it up blah blah blah.) I pardoned her because I am a fantastic friend. I decided to explore new thrift territory. My favorite Salvation Army is not open on Sundays, my only day off natch, so I hit up yelp and found 3 well-reviewed thrift stores in Fairfax. *Aside PS DO NOT GET PULLED OVER IN FAIRFAX! THEY ARE THE STRICTEST PO-POS IN THE UNITED STATES. I ALMOST WENT TO JAIL LAST AUGUST YA'LL! GOING 20 MILES OVER THE SPEED LIMIT IS A MISDEMEANOR IN THE UGLY STATE OF VIRGINIA. Aside Over*.
When I walked into the first store, this song started playing in my head:
In a word, the store was epic. I discovered this gem for $25. I will definitely wear it to one of two weddings I'm attending this year. It is one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen in person, and the pictures really do it no justice. The sheer mesh fabric of the bodice is overlaid with hundreds of rhinestones, pearls, and glass beads. The clerk and I agreed that it was early 1960s, like 1961. The detail is astonishing, and most have taken hours upon hours to sew.
There is a beige camisole attached to the bodice.
Even the sleeve is wonderful. The bottom of the sleeve is similar to the neckline of the dress: bejeweled.
The skirt attached to the bodice is a creamy mint color. Again, the picture does it no justice because when I tried it on, I started doing the cabbage patch. The only thing that makes me sad is that there are some rust stains on the back of the skirt; however, the awesome clerk suggested I sew some very sheer fabric, similar to what's on the bodice, to the skirt so the mint will still come through and the rust stains won't be that noticeable. This dress is in great condition for being fifty years old.
I found beige leather gloves at the thrift store in what I call Little Mexico. I was one of 5 non-Mexicans in the entire place. The gloves were $3.99. If I'm feeling bougie I may wear them with my new dress.
I love this Anne Klein scarf. It's quite wrinkled, but it depicts an orange glove holding a bejeweled gold purse.
This has to be one of my favorite buys of the day. I love the Medieval depiction of the angel Michael, the balances of justice, and the Latin phrase. I thought the swirls of blue were great and didn't think twice when I put it in my basket. And for $2.99, it was hard to find a reason not to purchase it.
I love kimonos. There are pictures of my sister and I in kimonos when we lived in Japan. When I saw this one for $3.99 in Little Mexico, I snatched it up. The tag says "polyester" and "Made in Japan". I don't know about you, but I love little details like that. I become excited when a piece I buy was made in a country outside of China. That's quite sad.
Nice simple skirt for work. I think it will look really nice with an emerald green button up with a giant pussy bow on the neck. Gold accessories. WIN!
