Monday, May 25, 2015

Grey Lace and Purple Reaction, and the Veda

Day One in the Real World with purple hair, meaning daytime, in real clothes, at work. I was a little nervous, to tell you the truth. People treat you differently when you have purple hair.
I pulled out all the stops to make a good outfit that would show I am a classy ol' chick. With funk.

  • Dress - Banana Republic, thrifted; last worn here in March with cowboy boots
  • Shoes - Prepare Hi Steady, Fluevog; last seen here in April with denim and plaid

With my coworkers, way more of the men admired my hair than the women. The women usually commented the second time they saw me, perhaps processing it mentally and coming up with something nice to say, heh heh. My boss liked it, and the HR lady squee-d really loudly over it, so I'm cool there, at least.
The street people are very vocal in appreciating purple hair (it's really bright in the sun). No filters on them, so I always expect a bit of the truth.

The stuff:
I love everything here. Except maybe the belt - it's crappy vinyl. I should have bought a yellow leather one I saw at Danier years ago...gah.

Black bling:
A bit of vintage, a bit of zipper.

  • Scarf - Oscar de la Renta, vintage 80s, thrifted
  • Belt - Nygard
  • Zipper rose - Victoria & Albert Museum gift shop
  • Cuff/earrings - vintage 60s, Mexican, Grandma J's


I've had the cuff and earrings since my grandma gave them to me around 1986-7. They aren't high-end, but I like them. The stone is carved Mexican obsidian and both the bracelet and earrings are marked (not real silver, though). This is 1960s tourist jewelry - I see tons of these at vintage fairs - but mine is still the nicest set I've ever seen. And I've never seen earrings other than mine.

Please welcome a new member to my family...my shoe family, that is.
Half Truth Veda by John Fluevog, meet blogosphere. Blogosphere, meet the Veda.

I bought these online, which I rarely do - I prefer to buy in person, and Fluevogs are never sized how you think they'll be so it's really risky. However, since I already own a pair of shoes in the Half Truth family (my Tanyas here), I knew exactly what size I would be in these: a size 10 (they are really narrow, and I have narrow feet). In other Fluevogs, I wear an 8.5, a 9, a 9.5 and a 10. These fit perfectly!

I am excited to wear these, even though, yes, a plain black kitten heel. But this is easily my 4th or 5th black kitten heel I've ever owned - they are a staple for me.

9 comments:

  1. I don't understand why purple hair is considered more radical than, say, pink hair or bright bright orange, do you? It must be because it's not as common...? I'm glad you got good feedback at any rate.
    I like the kitten-heel shoes.

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  2. I really like your purple hair, so I'm glad you got such a good response to it at work! :)

    I like the way you've tied the scarf to your belt too! :)

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  3. I LOVE the purple hair! It's so you!! (Did Vizzini notice? mrow!)

    As a semi-prematurely gray brunette who's been doing the fake redhead since her late 20's, I have a plan: when I'm really white-haired enough (not stupid salt and pepper) I shall proceed to color my hair every shade of the rainbow. Especially pink 'n purple. :-)

    I have narrow feet too, so I dig pointy, narrow shoes. Those Fluevogs are sweet!

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  4. I'm really curious about people's reactions to your hair. You mention they talk about it but you didn't say what was expressed. If you're ever inclined to discuss the subject further, I'd be very interested. I think all of us -- especially people like me -- wonder about taking an extreme step like this in our appearance. What you do takes real courage.

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  5. Ok your description of yourself nailed it! - classy chick with funk! I think it is a great style label and here is my take on it: "Classy" embodies recognition of cultural norms and the ability to say "I am secure enough to not need to capture your attention with the latest, greatest fad or most expensive designer clothing" and "I can fit into society well enough to get along with and appreciate you". "With funk" is a way of saying "I, like you, was created uniquely so I will express my artistry/creativity in a fun or crazy way that displays my mood (happy, sad, rebellious...), my statement (patriotism, anti-government, I don't have to be a prissy girl, I love color...), or my desire (I want to be a dancer... maybe a pirate... maybe a roaring 20's girl...). I love that! You are inspiring and I think you've given me a way to describe my fashion ideal that is not limiting
    - "I'm a classy chick with funk" Ha, that makes me smile for the joy of it!... Too fun!

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  6. Laury, thank you for the fuller expression of my little phrase!

    Ally, will send you an email.

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  7. Such a very elegant dress, and your purple hair definitely funkified it up a little! xxx

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  8. I'm both glad and jealous you work somewhere that loves your ink, clothes, and purple hair! I'm seeking out something myself where I can continue to be 'ME'. Who says you can't be professional while having a head full of purple hair? It's not like hair dye lowers your IQ!

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  9. The gray lace dress is very elegant with an edge, and really sets off your hair. My feet are too wide for Fluevogs, unfortunately, even the ones that are a little wider like the Prepare. You can't lose with a black kitten heel.

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