Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Mar 7th - Outfit #6 - The Squid Mystery

I love the first week and a half of these monthly capsules; all the clothes feel new and exciting! Today's outfit features all fresh items:
My beloved sheer leopard shirt (last seen here), my olive corduroy vest (last worn here) and this new-to-me skirt.

I love how the blue and olive looked together. I'm not really a blue person (said the woman with about 50 pieces of blue clothing of various shades), but this skirt caught my eye when Lorinda and I were out thrifting. The colour was lovely, it's a wool blend, it's a nice A-line (flattering!) and what the heck? Is that a squid I see?
I excitedly checked the label: is it Smoking Lily?? It looks like Smoking Lily! They would totally do a squid design!

But...No! It's...Jacob? Jacob, the store for very basic plain clothing? Jacob, the cheaper version of Club Monaco? Really? A squid skirt? A squid?

Then I took a better look at it and my Nancy Drew brain got to thinking:
This is silk-screened. Hand-done. You can feel the texture of the ink printed on the wool. The design is centred on the panel perfectly and the silk-screening itself is not sloppy and does not have that mass-produced look to it. The skirt itself is good quality and I can easily see it being sold at Jacob in the last 10-15 years.

There is no way Jacob sold this skirt with the squid on it. It's not their aesthetic, it would be monstrously expensive to hand-screen these onto each skirt, and wasteful to produce squid-printed fabric only to cut out one panel. Ergo, the squid was added later.

But I have a theory! Actually, I have two.

One: I think someone at Smoking Lily owned this skirt herself, bought it at Jacob. I think she tested this print on her skirt, or wanted to jazz up her skirt with this design. However, I can't substantiate my theory; I can't find any pictures of a Smoking Lily squid design, although I found mentions of them doing a giant squid design.

Two: They do print-making classes, where they show you how to do screening and you get to take your screen home so you can do more on your own clothes. Someone made this design in class and jazzed up a skirt at home.

I think theory number one is more likely, actually. This design would be way too difficult for someone to do on a screen in a one-day class, and I don't think Smoking Lily would give away one of their designs in a  workshop. I am 90% sure this is one of their designs.

Anyway! Enough detective work!
I bought the skirt for 25% off $14.50 so it was $10.88. A good deal, in my books.

The stuff:
I adore these metallic shoes. Every time I wear them (last seen here) I feel like dancing.

I wore my locally-made earrings and my Wendy B ring as well:
I have a sleeping kitten on my lap...shhhhh...

Blouse (Planet, consignment), vest (RW & Co., thrifted), skirt (Jacob, thrifted), shoes (Jeffrey Campbell), earrings (Shi Studio), ring (Wendy Brandes).

24 comments:

  1. I love that the skirt has a story, and you're Nancy Drewing it.

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  2. That skirt was such a wonderful find! And I adore those shoes as well! Happy Wednesday!!

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  3. I love that squid skirt, it reminds me of the House Greyjoy sigil from A Song of Ice and Fire.

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  4. Love the squid skirt, and your theories behind it! So interesting to have a story behind it :)



    AwayFromTheBlue.blogspot.com.au

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  5. I'm so in to the squid mystery! I did screen printing in a class in high school. So the squid could be a school project. I had to cut my screen designs by hand, but I imagine there are automated tools that could cut such an intricate design easily.

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  6. The squid is mysterious, indeed. I think you are on to him. I love this whole look, and you've given me inspiration for my leopard print top. Have a great day xoxoxoxoxo

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  7. I love that color combo!! The skirt is awesome!! and of course--the shoes!

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  8. Crazy cool outfit! I love the squid and those shoes! Keep me on a hand me down list for those shoes sista!

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  9. That skirt is a very cool find. I think your theory is correct!

    That is the first pair of Jeffery Campbell shoes that I've seen that I actually like. I'm not a fan of the clunky booties that many other bloggers are in love with but those shoes are lovely.

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    1. I used to have another pair in turquoise by Jeffrey Campbell that I really liked, but they were too big and I gave them away. I miss them. :(

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  10. Nancy/Sheila: It gets curiouser and curiouser! Olive and blue - what a great combo. Peg - UI

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  11. What a cool story with that skirt! I think it was probably a test sample too. It definitely has similar design. I love the leopard top with the squid skirt.

    Although, I do know that my friend who used to go to Rock Camp (Southern Girls Rock'n'Roll camp!) used to go to the screen printing panel every year she could. People who had done it got pretty intricate with their designs sometimes. However I'm still voting for a sample of Smoking Lily just from browsing their website.

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  12. Great outfit. The shoes are especially killer. Go dancing!

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  13. Isn't it fun to sleuth with your clothes? That's one of the things I love about new-to-me things; they have a history and soulfulness. That Wendy B. ring is extraordinary.

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    1. Jean, yes, I agree - part of the fun of thrifting is researching the lineage.

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  14. I love your discussions of clothing labels - I feel like such a newb! Also, you have the gift of finding magical skirts and shoes. I really enjoy your thrifted gems! That blue is super, BTW.

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  15. I was dubious about Theory 1 until I researched Smoking Lily. What an intriguing skirt!

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  16. Hi Shelia, my name is Dawn from Suitcase Vignettes. Nice to meet you. I am reading along with you and enjoying your blog so much. You are funny, smart, and adorable. I love how you provide detective work and breakdwon your outfits for us. Including cats gets my vote. I am following along. Have a wonderful weekend. Dawn xo

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  17. Theory #2 sounds more likely to me. I want a leopard blouse like yours!

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  18. Hi, just discovered your blog, can we say fabulousness.

    I like the black dress on you, I think it's flattering.

    Lynn Brooks

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