Tag Archives: Reel Expression

The Wearing of the Green

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I am Irish on my mother’s side and so we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day though I have never drunk green beer.  Of course, the Irish ancestry is far and distant and long away because   Mom’s ancestry was that wonderful American melting pot of everything from Iceland to Iraq and Russia to Romania, England to Egypt and all points in between.  However, among her Irish ancestors is that great hero Brian Boru who probably did not unite Ireland, but gets credit for it anyway.  However, it was not the scant trace of Irishness in me that led me to choose the Emerald version of the new Lelutka Maria dress, but just my love of green as a color – rich and deep and vibrant green.

and of course, the stunning constrution that includes this marvelously well-done sculpty two strap bodice. With the straps sculpted like this, there’s no fading, disappearing and melting strap to mar the look. My only wish was that the attachment point for the bodice had been the spine, not the chest as the chest is the most common attachment for necklaces and so I had to resit the bodice on the spine.

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The Luck o' the Irish

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I have never understood that phrase. Have you noticed any particular luck the Irish have had, what with potato famines, centuries of occupation and colonization, the “troubles” and to top it off, leprachauns.  I guess the one lucky thing is their association with the color green – my favorite color – and one that has worldwide associations with luck, wealth and prosperity because it reminds people of plentiful fields and the promise of big harvests to come. So, in many ways, the luck of the Irish is about the promise of the future – not so much the reality of today and of the past. So perhaps their luck is optimism. The sort of happy, luck-reliant optimism than imbues this Clover dress from Moxie Polano – a Relay For Life Clothing Fair offering.

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Prim Fringe Rocks My World

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This fun and creative pink halter to with prim fringe is one of many special items available at Hope Valley created to raise money to fund breast cancer research. BOOM – where you can find this and a man’s I <3 Boobies shirt is only one of the many stores selling special items. Others are The Sea Hole, Naith Smit Designs, Republica, *BOOM*, Diamond Photography, .tga swimwear, Gigi Couture, Aden, and Meya. I recall from a group notice that Meya also  has a free “Luck of the Irish” pose over at their Hope Valley store as well – if you can find it. So tonight or tomorrow, you should head on over to Hope Valley and check things out. The Hope Valley fundraiser ends tomorrow, so get on over there.

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Hearts & Moonshine

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This newest design from Moonshine Clothing is called Gem – and how apt that name is for this is a gem of a dress.  The bodice comes on all layers and can easily be worn with pants and other skirts. The question is who would want to wear it with any other skirt than this luscious little gem. Normally I run from fabric covered in hearts – thinking they all look a bit twee. Not this. Partly because the colors are not the ubiquitous pink, red and white  but the fresher green, blue and brown. It’s not just that though, it’s also the fine details such as the lacing on the skirt and the perfect little metal holes for the laces. You would have to look long and hard to find something so fresh, new and exciting – and with hearts on it no less.

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A Sure Touch

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There’s no sure touch with separates than Iki from Dutch Touch – whose newest release of casual separates will not disappoint. For me the highlight is the striped sweater – which comes in many different color combinations including the lovely  pink/raspberry sweater above. The skirt is Baiastice and comes with that bright silver belt right on the glitch pants layer

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Afrophilia

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The new issue of Vanity Fair suggests that the explosion of leopard, zebra crocodile and python in fashion is the byproduct of Afrophilia. They offer many examples of clothes and accessories in the trend – but I don’t know if that proves their point.

I was thinking it was nostalgia for the Abba and disco. 8)  To illustrate my suggestion, I went for it big with leopard and palazzo pants and hair that might be a bit over the top – but it sings “I Will Survive” at the top of its lungs. Not only will I survive, but I will wrestle wild animals to do so.

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Round Buttons

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Oh I do love the round buttons that trim this jacket from Zaara – a jacket I am sure you will see again and again as the truly well-made and flexible clothing items do get a lot of wear and air time. I decided to follow through on the theme of gold buttons – and chose the lovely necklace from Genesis that the green blouse from Zaara because of their gold buttons – but the piece that is the buttoniest of all is the pants from TOSL – the wonderful Sergeant Pepper pants. I have worn them before in another color – but this time I am grabbing the teal pants and yes, they work with that top.

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Another Mwuah for Ivalde

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I remember the first time I saw pre-pleated fabric on bolts. I was in Algeciras across the bay from Gibraltar, living with a family there while attending school. We went fabric shopping and went into a fabric store that was made for film with shelves up to the ceiling overflowing with fabrics, a rail with a sliding ladder like in old book stores and that aura of having existed in one place for over a hundred years. The store was dim and the bright sun of the Costa del Sol was kept out by thick velvet curtains – guardians against fading and sun damage. My friend was making herself a skirt and we looked at dozens of shades of cream in fabrics with sharp, narrow pleats. I had never seen such variety and abundance in fabric choices nor had I ever been in such an atmospheric and magical store.  Back home, the fabric store was a back room at the florist shop and cream was cream was cream and the idea of a dozen shades of cream was unimaginable.  I think that store was where I caught the fashion bug.

Ivalde’s Neferia Abel probably has been to more fabric stores that have multiple shades of cream than those who offer only one – you can see that in the subtlety with which she approaches color in this dress, Benedicte.

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Crocheting

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When most of us learn to crochet, we start out with a straight crochet and make a potholder or a dishcloth, but soon we move on to the ubiquitous granny square that has been used to make 857,634,999,234,741,337 afghans to date. If you don’t have one or two of your own, well – how did you escape?  Granny square afghans usually are made when a crocheting relative has enough partials skeins from their blouses, dresses and skirts to combine – with utter disregard for color harmony – into one crocheted rectangle big enough to cover your legs – no matter that with its huge holes it will not keep you warm. It’s the thought that counts.  However, at anuenue, we have someone who realized the granny square has other applications and made a bodice that originates in that design. Contrary to traditional granny square design, it is one color and that gives it a cohesion the traditional pattern usually lacks. Still with the folk roots of the granny square and the flowing gauze skirt, this is the perfect boho dress.

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