Wednesday, November 12, 2014

There's a mouse in my kitchen and he's eating my cheese

There is, in fact, a literal mouse in my house. An entire family of them, actually. Despite what cartoons have taught me about how cute, spunky, and good at cooking mice are, it's fair to say that I am freaked out about this development. I actually had dreams last night about wearing a dress made of live mice. It was not a good one.
We set traps last night and caught a few, but some of them seem to be clever enough to nibble the peanut butter off without setting off the trap. I'm predicting the rise of a race of super mice that will take over first our apartment, and then the world.
Until that happens, I'm having some fun exploring a style era that I hadn't really been attracted to until recently - the mod style of the 60s.
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It's not that I didn't like mod style up until now, but more that I didn't think it was a style that I could wear well. A-line shift dresses, which obscure the waist and place all the emphasis on the legs, are a tough sell on my body. I was also avoiding mini skirts this summer after discovering just how short my big old butt was making them. Now that it's tights season, though, minis are back in the game, and I'm finding that as long as there's some waist definition, I don't have to be totally cinched in to look like I have a shape.
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One of the things that made me revisit 60s styles is the place my hair's at right now. When I came back from vacation, I realized it's long enough now that I can start styling it as a bob. I cut some bangs and trimmed the back, and ended up with something somewhere on the spectrum between flapper and Sgt. Pepper. It's funny how much it's made me rethink styles that I'd pretty much categorized as "not for me."
mod2outfit1
Something that I like about mod style is how playful it is with things like color. I felt a bit funny adding these mustard yellow tights into the mix with burgundy shoes, a pink skirt, and a charcoal gray sweater, but I think it's actually fairly coherent.
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This dress was a total impulse buy. I picked it up from The Vintage Mistress for less than $10. The fabric is pretty much the Platonic ideal of polyester - thick, vaguely chemical smelling, and completely lacking in breathability - but it's surprisingly perfect in cold weather. It was something like 35° when I took this photo, and aside from my hands, I was pretty comfortable.
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Feeling like a proper dollybird.
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The print and my pose here are transforming my hips into an M.C. Escher drawing.

I'm enjoying looking at other eras in fashion and seeing how I can make them work for my body and my style. Maybe I'll finally make a drop waist flapper style work for me, possibly with the help of super-intelligent rodents.

10 comments:

  1. That bow neck dress is great on you! I think you do suit the '60s look! Sorry to hear about your mice issue. Quite a coincidence, I have a mouse in my office. I leave out seeds and nuts for him and want to see how long I get a pet for, until pest control inevitably outsmart him. X

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    1. When I thought it was just one, I was kind of tempted by the same thing. I've played with a friend's pet rat, and I'm not too bothered by rodents most of the time, but a family of them living in the place where I make my food is just nasty. Good luck with your pet though! And thanks for the encouragement with the 60s look. I'm still feeling it out a little bit.

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  2. Oh no, I've dealt with mice before, including a bad infestation of them in our house after my parents split up when I was a child (the two things will always be linked, rather bizarrely, in my memory now). I hope that you're able to get rid of them without needing to involve an exterminator (they're anything but cheap - understandably, but still).

    You're rocking these 60s styles, dear gal. I especially love (and sooo want a pair of) your fabulous mustard yellow tights.

    ♥ Jessica

    *PS* "Somewhere on the spectrum between flapper and Sgt. Pepper" made me smile ear-to-ear. :)

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    1. Ha! Glad you liked the turn of phrase.
      It seems the traps are doing the trick, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed about not having to involve the pros. And it's so funny how things get entangled in our minds like that, like the way certain smells bring back a memory so vividly.

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  3. I completely sympathize your mouse problem! When we had our first snow the other day it also brought with it a few chilly field mice.It's not uncommon in this area for that to happen. What I've found works like a charm, sticky pads and mouse peanut butter bait. Its non poisonous very bold smelling and works. Plus the pads are less gory and easy clean up! No more mice (caught 3)

    Love your outfits. The last dress being my fav! You pulled off a 60's vibe wonderfully and I love your bangs. Your hairstyle has a very Wanda from Cry-Baby vibe only shorter.

    xoxo,
    Heather
    www.thearbitraryfox.com

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    1. I didn't think about Wanda, but I see it now that you mention it.

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  4. These looks are fab on you! :-) I know what you mean about hair - sometimes I feel like my hair is actually telling me what to wear (it's a little creepy, lol). *Love* yours, by the way, and I can't believe how awesome your Vintage Mistress dress is!

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    1. Thanks! I was a little tentative about getting it, but it was so cheap I couldn't resist, and I'm really glad I did.

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  5. Not mice!! I've currently got some scrabbling round in my attic every single night. Before long they'll break into the kitchen like last time :( mice aside, I love the mod inspired look on you! I think all the colours in the first outfit are fab together, you have a real eye for that stuff. And the dress in the second is gorgeous - so unique and a little bit flirty. You're making me want to invest in some shorter skirts again! CC x

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    1. I'm surprised at how much I'm loving them right now. It's funny how your eye adjusts to a silhouette after being averse to it for a while.

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