NY Has Been Sassy Vamped!

Or perhaps I should say Desified? One blustery, snowing day last week a parcel arrived much to my surprise. Within it was treasure from the glorious Desireé! A parcel for Gwensday Addams and myself. We got Sassy Vamped!

Gwensday's parcel was wrapped up very girly, with a postcard from Frankenweenie! She giggled at the dichotomy! Inside was a magnificent Sassy Vamps headband in the perfect shade for Gwensday's green hair -- black! She put it on right away! Also included were a pair of very cool (so cool mum may "borrow" them) vintage 80s sunglasses from the AU designer Maggie T.

Pretty vintage fabric, a pink bow and "Weird Girl" postcard which Gwensday LOVED!

Ack sorry, no idea why its sideways! The sunglasses look so cool on her as well!

In my parcel, which was wrapped with what I at first thought was beautiful vintage fabric, was a Sassy Vamps headband in the perfect shade for me -- GREEN! It's just a shade off from my living room walls, so how is that for perfection? Turns out the wrapping was a beautiful tea towel, my first from AU! (And now being used in the kitchen!)

Wrapped up all pretty with a vintage postcard of a vintage bathing beauty, which I love!

The gorgeous tea towel and my Sassy Vamps headband in the perfect shade of green! Its so pretty, I'm keeping ti on display in the living room when not in use! Desireé you know me too well!

Zombie without caffeine! I think I need to wave my hair to wear my "crown" properly, my hair looks too thin this way -- I need some volume!

When bitching to my husband that he gets to be the grand high poobah, wear a special hat, sit on a throne, and what does the first lady get? Squat. Not even a damn tiara. He immediately retaliated with "You got a crown from Australia, now you're Priscilla Queen of the Desert!" So shall it be dubbed from now on!

Thank you so much Desireé for thinking of us, you are the sweetest, sexiest Sassy Vamp around!

Hmm what can you imagine is inside this tureen, festooned by daffodils?

Why homemade potato leek soup of course!

I usually make it thicker, almost stew-like, but for some reason I wanted soupy. And it was delish!  Except the daffodils didn't ward off winter like I'd hoped ):

As a side note, the plain brown wrapping (oh so discreet!) has been ripped up and added to my compost pile. I smiled as I was doing it not only for the compost (and ripping paper is my therapy!) but because now Desireé is now a part of helping our garden grow -- imagine that, all the way from the other side of the world, my compost is that much richer for Desireé's lovely parcel!

For those of you who where asking for photos of me in my new arctic/ blue fox coat, here you go! Hair freshly re-pinked too (but ignore the pre-caffeine face scrunched up face!)

Toasty warm, with pink-ified hair!

Lastly, I don't recall mentioning, but I'm finally glasses free! They've been the bane of my existence since I have to wear them all the time. I forget to take them off, then while reading doze off only to wake with a swollen nose and cuts on my cheekbones. Ew. I finally gave up and tried again, this time with success as they've finally made great strides in multi-focal lenses. The only problem is that I have green eyes, like olive green, with lots of yellow and orange. The slight blue tinge to the contacts cancels out all the green and I look like I have brown eyes! Now it wouldn't have been so bad if I was used to that, but at 53, I like my green eyes. And multi-focal lenses don't come in colours ): I found a solution though after doing a ton of research. You can indeed layer lenses. They need to be thin, not the theatrical kind (see my Halloween posts for that type), and you put them under your prescription lenses. I got one pair, not realising just how delicate they were so they were quickly destroyed. So I ordered again, this time green and hazel (hazel contacts actually make my eyes look more like their normal colour because of the orange and yellow flecks) and they're whisking their way to me as I write this. I can't wait to have green eyes again!

XXX

Jet

Tag! I'm it!

The fantastic woman who has the blog "Pull Your Socks Up" tagged me a few weeks ago, but of course I'm always behind and just got wind of it. I've been in a bit of a writing slump, too many projects, too little time... so hopefully this will jar me out of my blog writing block...

What's your favourite fashion accessory?

Do shoes count? They are my fav accessory and can transform the most boring of outfits to fab in seconds! Aside from shoes my favs are rings, bracelets, and scarves. And I have quite a collection of each to prove it!

A selection of new and vintage scarves. I have about two boxes full to the brim!
For those of you "Desperately Seeking Susan" fans, that shawl/ scarf to the left -- black with green skulls screen printed all over was made for me by one of my besties back then, the artist Michael Roman. His artwork featured heavily in the film. You'll spot his art right away, as a Mexican-American he used a lot of Dia de los Muertos themes, hence loads of skulls. He always painted me as cat skeletons, and I guess this is one of my "portraits". One day I'll get brave enough to show another as its slightly embarrassing!

Who's your fashion role model?

I don't have any. If pressed, I'd have to say me -- I'm my own fashion role model. (and I don't mean that in a pompous way -- it is what it is). Seriously, I've never wanted to look like or copy someone else. My fashion inspiration is a complete mix-up of styles and eras. It's just about what I want to wear at any given moment. I may see something on someone I adore and will purchase, but its always worn with my own twist and never exactly as originally shown.

What do you always carry with you?

I always have my glasses (can't read without them!) and a pair of sunglasses (bright light sux), my iPhone, a pen and moleskine notebook (writing inspiration always comes at the most inopportune moments, so I've learned to be prepared!), something for my lips (balm, lipstick --usually some shade of red, I hate dry lips), and a foreign coin (my travel lust runs deep). If the weather is inclement add a scarf to that as I hate brollies. Oh and if I'm out shopping I carry a Longchamp Le Pilage--those suckers can hold tons! Here's a tip: an acquaintance discounts them, and you can buy online. They're even cheaper than the outlets! Here is the website: http://www.bagshop.com/ The owner's name is Phyllis and you can tell her I sent you! She also discounts Wolford! And has shops in the city as well.

How would you describe your style?

Crazy mixed-up kid with a shoe addiction.

What's your favourite? Jeans, sunglasses or heels?

Heels, no contest. I recall being just old enough to finally fit my tiny tootsies into heels, and there's been no looking back! The Punk Glam King will back me up on that as well as anyone who has seen my overflowing closets (yes plural). I started collecting vintage shoes back in the late 70s, and can't part with many of them as now they're pieces of history, as well as works of art! Sunglasses and jeans are close but I tend to stick with favs rather than switch things up like I do with shoes.

Currently in rotation -- both high and low end, doesn't matter as long as I'm in love with them!

The Punk Glam King got me these gorgeous (and comfy) glitter booties as an anniversary gift. A little early as our anniversary is Halloween, but they've been selling out so I got lucky --both with the shoes and my beloved Punk Glam King!

What is your favourite fashion store?

I don't really have any one... depends on what I'm on the search for. McQueen is always a fav and I've followed his career from the very beginning (and miss him dearly), iconic styles, upscale department stores for ideas, basics I want to last, and of course vintage and thrift for the thrill of the hunt! The internet has been great not only for finding the latest, but also for seeking out the hard to find and discovering new designers.

What inspired you to blog about fashion?

I'm a professional writer/ author, and I started privately blogging about 5 or 6 years ago. Finally I decided to go public and write about the things I love that I don't "have" to. Its a release to be able to babble on about what I love rather than what I "have" to write about. Fashion has always played a big role in my life, along with music, so its nice to write without having some editor hanging over my shoulder!

Who doesn't love Nick Cave in a helmet?

What is your favourite fabric in clothing?

Silk, velvet, and silk jersey. I just love the way it drapes.

Who are your favourite designers?

McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, vintage YSL & Pucci, MiuMiu, Louboutin & Manolo (along with YSL for shoes that last a lifetime) gosh so many I love...this week! And too many emerging designers to mention here. There are also those "no-name" vintage designers that created masterpieces! Some of my favourite vintage pieces are hand-made, the care that went into those garments is something to behold!

Who or what inspires your style?

Gosh it can be anything from a colour, to a mood, to art, to well anything really! Sometimes a certain fabric will inspire me, and I've been a designer in the past so many times its the fabric that will inspire me to create or put something together in a new way.

Would you choose to buy something high quality or make it yourself if you could?

Depends. If I had the means to make something I'd do that, but I do have limitations. I never use patterns, which can sometimes make for some interesting mistakes that wind up being my favs! I'd opt to buy something quality made if it was out of my design skills, which doesn't always mean high-end.

Since I'm late to the party, consider yourself tagged! The first to respond can go ahead and follow through-- and hopefully you won't be as lame as me! And thank you for tagging me!

Cheers!