Pattern Armour: Beene Suit, and Snake Jacket Sleeves Part II

Monday once again. Today, I've got a seriously amazing vintage designer suit for you, and a few more pictures of my in-progress art project. 

First up: a little bit of Pattern Armour. Woo, look at all that pattern! Is there a person in there? Where? I don't see her! 

• Two-piece suit: Geoffrey Beene, vintage 1960s, vintage fair; last worn here in October 2020 with pink
• Blouse - INC, vintage 90s, thrifted; last seen here with pink and ruffles in September 2020
• Shoes - Super Fine Eminence, Fluevog; last worn here with Big Lady Boss pants in April

I'm still boggled that I picked up a real Geoffrey Beene designer suit at the last vintage fair I attended, and paid only $40.00 for both pieces. 

I love the caramel coloured "waffle" print - the fabric itself has an additional woven waffle texture. Also note the ginormous pockets! 

The skirt is quite long (but I wouldn't dare touch a designer item!) and the sleeveless jacket/vest is boxy. 

This is my third wearing of it, and I've belted the top half every time. 

It just looks better that way. 

Beene was noted for creating clothing that was all about the wearer's comfort.

With the jacket/vest off. 

I just put the same belt over the skirt's waistband. I didn't wear it like this at all, but I could have! 

I'll definitely split up the two pieces for separate outfits at some point, although I love them together. 

My hand is near the brooch on my lapel. 

• Mask - by Mom

Incognito. 

It's rather chilly in the mornings now, warming up to the low 20s during the day. I love this time of year. 

• Pashmina - Portolano, thrifted

The stuff: 

The shoes are rather spectacular, aren't they? The pink parts are thick, fuzzy velvet, and the brocade sections are woven (not printed), and the lacing panels and heels are gold leather. Snazzy! 

Minimal bling: 

I didn't need much with all this pattern, just some rings, earrings and a crocodile. Or is it an alligator? 

• Brooch - vintage mall
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Gold/amethyst ring - Frances Jewelers, c. 1965, Dad's
• Earrings - handmade/gift from Sherri
• Belt - vintage 80s, thrifted

I was speaking with my colleague Sherri recently - she made these earrings for me. Aw, I miss my coworkers. 

Snake Jacket Art Project, Sleeves, Part II

Sleeves, Part I is here if you missed it. I've finished the shoulder/upper arm section of the first sleeve - this is the lower arm/cuff area. I decided I wanted to do all of the black on the arm before I leap into the colour. Colour is quick.

I just free-handed this, using an odd number of roses (the 5th rose is on the backside). Always use odd numbers in compositions, for visual interest. That's one of those "art rules" I learned early, probably from Mom.

I positioned two roses and a leaf over the holes from the thread that (barely) held the buttons on it that were originally on the sleeves. Once the sleeves are all finished, you will barely be able to see where the holes were. 

The opposite side - there's the 5th rose.

These sleeves are odd, in that they are made from two pieces of leather. Most sleeves are one single piece of fabric (check a jacket in your own closet, you'll see), but win this case, we have a seam down the "top" of the sleeve, likely to accommodate the button loops (also removed by me).  

This is the front of the sleeve, i.e. what most people would see looking at it face-on. 

I've started the black shading here, and adding the pointy edges to the leaves. 

This will be the back of my lower arm when wearing the jacket. 

That's the part that will get the most contact when wearing it, like resting my arm on tables, desks or countertops, so I left it mostly open/undecorated. 

All the darkening/edging done. 

I'm quite excited to see how this looks all coloured in. 

I worked on it while L and I (and Vizzini) watched Sunday Night Football, so this was about 3 hours to do the bottom section of the sleeve. I won't bother y'all with progress pics of the other sleeve until I'm ready to colour both of them.