Great Swacks of Colour

Firstly, thank you all for your very kind comments and emails from my last post! It was most unexpected, but very welcome. 

Suzanne Carillo mused, "I'm wondering with your hair change if you are finding that half of your wardrobe no longer works". Since I don't factor my hair colour into my outfits, nope, Suzanne, not at all. I've been wearing purple glasses for a few years and just go with them...and I'm doing the same with my hair. 

• Blouse - Planet, thrifted; last seen here in September 2014 with splatter
• Skirt - Savvie; last worn here in August 2014 when I was mowed down in magenta
• Shoes - Miz Mooz, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in April red and white

So who cares if my hair isn't matching the rest of my outfit? Red and purple go together; aqua and purple go together; and obviously red and aqua go together. Why can't they all be friends?

Also, why is swack getting spell-checked? Everyone knows that's a word!

I actually loved all the bright colours together - I did keep forgetting that my hair was purple (it's not like I can see it, except when it falls in my eyes).

The stuff:

Comfy platforms! With roses!

Squared-off bling:

I'm a little "meh" on this necklace, but I like the shape of it.

• Necklace - consignment store grab-bag
• Cuff - vintage 60s, Mom's
• Earrings - thrifted

I worked late tonight, so time for dinner!

Wordy Post: Purple Hair (Oh, and a Dress)

I had the following question from good friend Ally of Shybiker - we've been friends since around 2010, at least. She asked:

“I’m really curious about people’s reaction 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.”

So this is my post discussing this further. Feel free to weigh in!

• Dress - Desigual; last seen here in September 2014 with orange shoes (otherwise, same outfit)
• Floofy underskirt - Noa Noa; I don't track it
• Shoes - Half Truth Veda, Fluevog; got 'em in the mail here yesterday! 

I love this dress so much

How people have reacted to my hair…

Most people smile, grin and are expressive in a happy way about it. They like the colour, and the variation of colour (as it starts to fade out, the ends are getting a bit pink-ish).

Some people don’t say anything at all. I wonder what they think; whether that means that they disapprove or dislike it, and are just being polite. Maybe they really don’t see it. I know that people aren’t always looking at me (it’s really not all about me, ha!), or are more introspective than I realize they are. Maybe they see it, dismiss it and pretend it doesn’t exist. Hard to tell. I work with a lot of non-socially-adept people (I work in IT), who are often not good at expressing their thoughts out loud.

Some women say about my hair the same things they say about my clothes: “I could never do/wear that!” I know that speaks more to their own insecurities, projecting their own reactions to dressing/looking like me. That can be interpreted as a negative or positive – I usually interpret it to mean that they lack the self-confidence but wish they could. 

The floofy underskirt rode up all day, though

I feel more judgment about my hair when I’m outside walking around. I am a superficially confident person (as in, I’m not confident, but I pretend to be – “fake it till you feel it” is my motto!), but I don’t like interacting with people in the real world very much. I prefer to have my headphones in and not make eye contact – I don’t have a desire to initiate conversation with people. My job (being reception/front desk for a big office) means I’m constantly interacting with people in a service-oriented and helping way – which I love, don’t get me wrong – but I’m paid to do that (and I do it really well). In my real life, I am an introvert.

I notice people’s gazes sliding over me when I’m out and about. Yesterday, a woman on the street shouted, “I have to tell you how much I love your outfit!” but not a word about the hair. A deliberate omission? I don’t know. I catch people giving me the “side-eye”, checking me out when they think I’m not looking. I wonder if they are thinking things like, “She’s too old to do that” or “Who does she think she is?” or “Mutton dressed as lamb” or “Trying too hard!” I’m sure some of them are – I always assume the negative, probably as a remnant of my own low self-confidence (carried over from years of that when I was younger). I find myself waiting for the person who gives me “the truth”, where I expect the truth to be harsh condemnation.

The first time I went out with my hair done purple, with my matching glasses and lipstick, I asked my husband, “Do I look like a caricature of myself?” I fear looking silly, or looking like a cartoon. I don’t want to be a parody of myself. But that fear is there. I don’t see it as courageous – I see it as saying “F**k you” to all those fears, those things that hold me back from doing what I want and being who I want.

Oh yeah, this is the stuff - the shoes were awesome all day

So why dye my hair a bright attention-getting colour in the first place? Despite my deep-down insecurities, I am actually okay with who I am. I’m in a good place in my life, and I want to show that. I’m also an artistic spirit and like to express that through my clothes and appearance.

Until the past year, I’ve never been able to find a haircut that has really felt like me. Discovering the “pompadour” up-do recently was enlightening – after trying blonde hair, every shade of red hair, and playing with all kinds of hairstyles for decades, it’s like my style found me! I love my bright purple-pink hair and I’m glad that I did it. I don’t know how long it will stay like this – I’ve never kept one hair style for very long, much less one colour.

For now, this is me. For now, this is my hair.

If you love it, that’s awesome – so do I! If you like it, that’s cool – it’s a fun thing to do, and I encourage you to try it. If you don’t like it/hate it – that’s also cool. To each her own! And remember…life is short, so why not have fun?

And that's the bling:

• Cuff - St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop
• Bangle - local
• Lapis lazuli ring and Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

Would you ever dye your hair a bright colour? How would you react if you saw me as a stranger on the street?

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.

Purplicious Weekend Round-Up: Tangerine and Trout, Plaidness, Lace and Purple, and Yet More Purple

Happy weekend, my friends! It has been a weekend full o' surprises on this side of things. 

Friday was a good start.

I had a haircut after work, and I like to wear fun things for my 20-something hairdresser, Sophia. This is my version of Casual Friday, ha!

• Cardigan - Gap, thrifted; first worn here in April for Whitehorse
• Dress - A.J. Bari, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here (5th outfit) in April 2014 (outrageous!)
• Shoes - Miista; last worn here in early March with matchy

I loved all this colour! The tangerine cardi went really well with the bright orange in the dress' pattern. I did end up pinning my dress to my bra, because it (the dress) kept slipping down. Whoops!

I love running in the office when I wear these shiny shoes!

The stuff:

Sweet trout shoes!

Simple bling:

The usual stuff.

• Belt - Nygard
• Cuff - thrifted
• Lapis lazuli ring and Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

We had Ultimate Frisbee on Saturday, so time to wear another dress!

It's so easy to change in and out of it at the field.

• Dress - Artistic Taste, flea market; last worn here (3rd outfit) in September 2014 
• Shoes - Enzo Angiolini, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) on the same weekend in September 2014 (but a different outfit)
• Cardigan (below) - Bellisima, thrifted; last worn here (3rd outfit) in July 2014 over acid yellow

We went for brunch afterward, then L and I did a couple of errands. This skirt billowed most satisfactorily in the wind.

I'd nearly forgotten about these shoes!

I needed a cardi for sunblock.

Our game was tough - my team lost - but lots of good running around.

The stuff:

I love that aluminum belt.

• Belt - vintage fair

One of the errands L and I did was to check out the vintage section at the Patch. We have his birthday party coming up next weekend and the theme is "Rock Star". I got this old squaredance crinoline for my outfit.

It was a bit pricey at $44.00, but I love the very minty green of it. Based on this, can you guess how I'll be dressing for the party?

Maybe this will help.

Yes, that is purple hair.

Our good friend Chris had open-heart surgery recently, so threw himself an "I'm Alive!" party.

• Dress - Walk In Clozet; last seen here (3rd outfit) in April 2014 with a fur hat
• Shoes - Modern Vintage; last worn here (3rd outfit) in October 2014 
• Jacket (below) - Smoking Lily; last seen here (2nd outfit) in June 2014 with a straw fedora

I'm not feeling this dress - I love it, but it doesn't fit me well. Time to go to a new home!

Some of us guests at the party were shocked when Chris proposed to his girlfriend Allison last night. Aw! Not ashamed to say that I cried! I am such a mushy-hearted sop.

Shiny jacket for the evening chill.

I had a nap, but was still tired after Ulty. No way I was wearing heels!

I also spent about 3 hours doing my hair.

Bathroom selfie - matchy lips and specs!

I bleached my hair then coloured it with "Lusty Lavender" by Splat, leaving my blonde streak at the front. Apparently, as this is stain (not dye), it will fade out over time. I am totally cool with that - in fact, I hope it goes to pale lavender. Visible? Moi? Ha!

The stuff:

Lots of accessories!

Multi-bling:

A mix of new and vintage.

• Necklace - Nygard, consignment
• Cuff - Mom's, vintage 60s
• Bracelet - Trifari, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Earrings - Weiss, vintage 60s, vintage fair
• Spinner rings - Twang & Pearl
• Crystal ring - late 90s

Today, I went grocery shopping and to get some birthday prezzies for L!

Purple overload? Messier hair today - it was very windy out!

• Cardi - Express, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in September 2014
• Top - Costa Blanca, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in June 2014
• Skirt - Le Chateau, consignment; last seen here (3rd outfit) in September 2014, where I contemplated allover grey/purple hair
• Shoes - La Canadienne, consignment; last worn here at the same time as the skirt

I'm not being very original; here's a repeat of this entire outfit here (2nd outfit) in June 2014. What can I say? I like how the pieces all work together.

I got a few looks about the hair - many people commented on it.

I am interested to see how it will go over at WW and at my regular work.

The stuff:

Still in need of easy shoes.

• Necklace - Shi Studio
• Earrings - gift from L; local 

I bought a couple of more things for my party outfit while shopping for L. This is a junky little black dress. 

The lady in the thrift store was very surprised that I was buying black. This was $17.99.

I fell hard for this sweet little pink cardi-top.

It was $8.50 and is vintage 80s. Any ideas about my outfit? Hee hee!

I also spotted this sweet bag at the thrift store.

It's a pale yellow faux snakeskin leather.

It's by Banana Republic and was $23.50.

Of course, I checked the tags to see how old it is.

Summer 2011, looks like. Someone enjoyed it for 4 years.

A "Hello!" to the nice lady in the red denim jacket who recognized me from my blog! It's been so long since I've been spotted by a reader - my apologies for being glazed!

Vizzini has missed us while we've been out and about, having our busy weekend. He's been lounging on the deck a lot.

"What did you do to your hair this time?"

His fur is so nice and warm.

"Your mother is going to flip."

Oh, I think a few people will.

And how was your weekend? Any crazy dye jobs?

Un-Mellow Yellow

Hola, my friends! How about some colour?

That enough colour for ya?

• Blouse - Hale Bob, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) in July 2014 with clam-diggers
• Skirt - Mister Leonard, vintage 80s, thrifted; last worn here (2nd outfit) in September 2014 for the Vintage Expo
• Shoes - Presence Guide, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) with vintage greens a couple of weeks ago

I found out why our office has been so hot - it's not the weather! Our HVAC system has a broken part! And here I thought I was being peri-menopausal.

This was a nice cool outfit for inside and out today, including my WW meeting after work.

The stuff:

The people at my Thursday group are not quite used to me yet - they are all agog at my colours and shoes! I knew they would love these ones, just like I do.

Bright bling:

Oops, a bit blurry.

• Necklace - vintage fair
• Cuff - thrifted
• Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes

And now...dinner! I'm so hungry...

2,001 Posts - Forever Colourful

Yes, you read that right: two THOUSAND (and one) posts! I can't believe I have been blogging for more than 7 years (I don't do most things for longer than 7 months).

This is just as good an outfit as any, I suppose. I can't pick a favourite.

• Jacket - Holt Renfrew, thrifted; last seen here in August 2014 with yesterday's blouse
• Skirt - CiCi; last worn here in March with killer shoes
• Shoes - Wonders Ayers, Fluevog (converted by Vizzini, dyed by me); last worn here in September 2014 with pink plaid

So much colour! I think if I had to pick something that makes me stand out, it would be my playfulness with colour. I'm never afraid to mix colours or play with as many colours as possible. My style has changed a lot in 7 years, but my love for colour has never waned, despite flirtations with neutrals at times.

I have no desire to stop blogging, but as always, I take it one post at a time. I have tomorrow's outfit picked out and will select my accessories tonight before bed (a very relaxing habit). And that will be 2,002.

The stuff:

No bling for you! I just wore mismatched stud earrings.

Thank you, thank YOU, all my dear readers. Some of you have become friends, some visit for a while and then go away, some lurk. Knowing that somewhere out there in this great wide world, people are listening, looking and smiling...well, that's the best. Thank you.