the FASHION thread

Speaking of fashion, here is my idea of a fashionable place to get away in my own backyard.  Oh, I'd love one of these.

http://www.jeanne-bayol.com/roulottes.htm

Tina, tina...c'est tres tres chic!!!

J'ai un chambre à coucher sur
roues, si tres elegant, si romantique...regardez..comme le safari, no?

Ah,  c'est une touche de vison sur le lit...et le picnic attende.

 Linora

BTW, another great pair of tights are ones I got made by Spanx -- they're reversible, black with a brown lattice on one side, brown with a black lattice on the other.  And they make you look like you've lost five pounds because they smooth out your lumps around the hips!

Kathi...c'est robe de georgeous!! Brilliant!!!   At first I thought it was a dress...I think you're inspiring my next creation!!!  We need to collaborate!!!  

Speaking of spanx, control tops & that kind of thing...I wore some control tops yesterday to impress the girls...you know, didn't want the old lady to look too dumpy when the young things arrived!!  Well after about an hour I was horribly uncomfortable, took 'em off, my stomach was out to there, and spent the next few hours in and out of the bathroom with severe intestinal attack!!!

The h*ll with control...let's go back to old fashioned garter belts and stockings.  Tina...we recently watched the La Belle Epoque...one Penelope Cruz's earlier movies (Spanish).  It was a lot of fun...my husband loved looking at all those garters and stockings, he said the movie was a testament for old fashioned underwear!!  Very sexy!!! 

Linora 

Well, I'll tell you, girls, I was wearing spanx tights with my outfit last night & was completely comfortable the entire time.  The woman who invented them spent a long time coming up with the right mix of lycra, etc. & the right fit, so I think they're worth it.  They're made so well, they last a long time so they're probably cheaper in the long run than buying stuff that you won't wear.

Linora, anytime!  I love to sew & I'm a frustrated costume designer!  If I can get it in my computer, I'll post a photo of me wearing a Tudor/Ann Boleyn-ish costume I made for a rennaissance faire.  Love all that stuff.  I'm actually planning to make some artisan clothes this year, using my own printed fabric made with collage designs I create from my photographs.  (www.photoggery.com & follow the links to my photo site & the collage page).

Anyone ever wear thigh high stockings?   They seem to be making a come back.  no gut cruncher, no garter belt, no hanging crotch like w/panty hose or tights.   

This photo does not do the costumes justice, but this is me & my friend Holly several years ago decked out to go to a renaissance faire.  I am wearing a Tudor costume made from scratch.  The undersleeve is gold silk chiffon, the foresleeve is brocade, the upper sleeve is emerald velvet & the cuff is burgundy velvet.  My girlfriend's costumer is a redo that I did from a long black dress Holly had, to which I added the velvet & brocade.  Her costume is Spanish mid-renaissance, around the time of Henry VIII.

They're hot as blazes though!  I keep telling myself I need to make myself another costume where I'm not a member of the aristocracy but just a gypsy so I can wear something lighter!!  Ten pounds of velvet & brocade don't mix well with hot flashes!

Try buying Spanx products on eBay; not the used ones, of course!

I got a Bra-llelujah at Bloomies~~~fabulous. (PS finally said, post-X  on 11/16, sport bra to bed, any bra during the day~~~~haven't rried on all my old ones)

Well, here's another good one, girls.

I hadn't worn these black tights in a couple of years or so but they were still in the drawer.  One Sunday, I was going to visit relatives and had to stop at a market for some stuff.  While walking around in there, I could feel the hose working their way down my hips and pretty soon the crotch was almost visible at the hemline of my skirt.  Thank goodness they had a ladies room so I could run in and hike them up.  Still, by the time I got out to the car they were on their way down again.  I guess the waist elastic had had it.  When I got to my relatives, I just took the damn things off and froze.

Tina, I had the same experience with my one-time-try with thigh-highs. I lived on Capitol Hill and worked downtown near the nWhite House. I was walking from the bus to my office, and I felt them start to roll down. First, I darted into the covered front porch of an old mansion (there was always an elderly Rolls Royce in the driveway~~~I had visions of Lurch driving it) belonging to a DC Grande Dame, and pulled them up. I made it another block and went into the GSA building restroom (thank goodness we didn't have security then) for a pull-up. After a few dodges behind trees for quick tug, I made to my office~~~and shed them. I must have gone to the drugstore for pantyhose at lunch; in those days, you didn't work in bare legs, particularly if one had a reputation to uphold as a Fashionista!! 

Don't remember what we called us in those days, clotheshorses?)

I need help!  I don't know that there is a solution, but I figure if anyone can solve my dilemma, it's you ladies.

As you may recall, I've been on a powerful steroid (Decadron/dexamethasone) ever since my brain met was discovered, the first week of Nov.. It's necessary to reduce the intracranial swelling that causes pressure and other symptoms. BUT - it is evil, nasty stuff as far as side effects. The specific one we'll discuss here is weight gain and funky fat deposition patterns. Decadron has this charming characteristic of causing moon-face (with accompanying triple chins), central adiposity (what looks like a beer gut) and deposition in the 'dowagers hump' area (cervial thoracic region)..

Having been on this drug non-stop for 13 weeks, I have gained 20 pounds.

Being 5'10", I can carry a little extra weight, but NOT twenty pounds, especially  in the regions described above - face, gut, and 'hump'. Unsurprisingly my clothes don't fit. I am going on a trip this week to visit extended family in VA. It's going to be a challenge because I have NOTHING to wear. I subsist primarily on the stretch/sweatpants look, with sweatshirts or tank tops as the weather dictates (we do get tank-top weather now and then even in winter). But it will be COLD in VA, lows in the 20's and highs in the 40's on a good day. And I can't get by with yoga pants when I'm going visiting and out to brunch etc.

What are some ideas for some interim clothes?!? I refuse to buy much of anything because I plan on dropping these 20lbs once I can get off these meds. I thought maybe I could get away with a couple of leggings/long sleeved T with a tunic of some sort over top. Of course, that looks best on a petite figure and I am approaching Brick Sh!thouse proportions. I have one pr black jeans and one pr.olive jeans that I can just button - so that's the extent of it. Any ideas that may acually be flattering are welcomed.

HELP!

Lisa

Hey Girls,

Thought you might want report on the Runway Show...it happened last night, and it is such a relief to have it over!!! We were up by six am yesterday for rehearsals and were done around 4 pm...then we had an early dinner and I was practically asleep by 6 pm. This old lady doesn't quite have as much steam as she used to!!! In fact, posting this message is all I have steam for at the moment...and I'm afraid it's recycled too!

All the designs were very creative, the competition was very stiff. The contestants included two young girls who designed their own costumes, without any parental help!!! Only two prizes were awarded in the adult category, and I'm afraid I missed!! But Gina was the epitome of elegance in her black and grey dress, and Andrea looked ethereal and angelic in the green and black. My dresses were part of small group that were selected to be shown in storefronts in Howell and featured at another art show.

We had a large group cheering us on including friends, family , neighbors...several women from the church including a lady who is now 94 years old and perhaps our oldest parishioner.

This was the first show of its kind in the area and we expected a few snafus & got them!! The first major snafu happened at the hair salon in the morning. My lovely red headed model showed up with beautiful hair, but in the space of an hour the stylist had turned it into a frizzy disaster. I wanted to take her home (a half hour away) but I did not have keys to my own house and my husband was in church with his cell phone off. We ended up taking her to church and scrounging some bobby pins while my husband went out in search of hair spray and green eye shadow.

The designers had written their own gown descriptions, which were read by the announcer...or I should say...ad libbed... My description of Gina's gown which had started: "The inspiration for Gina's gown was the discarded bodice from the first project..." came out "The original idea for this dress was discarded.."....and from that point on every sentence got jumbled so that it sounded like the whole project had been a mistake from start to finish!!

But snafus were taken in stride, and it was fun for everyone. At the end, the gowns were auctioned off. Gina's gown went to a Mom who wanted it for her daughter, but the nicest surprise of all was when a little girl--seven years old--bid on Andrea's dress. There were lots of little girl outfits at show, but this little girl wanted Andrea's dress so she could keep it and wear as soon as she was big enough!

Linora, thanks for the Runway Show report.  It sounds like you probably needed to take a "Pirin" by the time you were through.

Your models look just lovely in the photo!  They both look so classy.  Congratulations to you for doing such a good job and creating those beautiful dresses.  The story about the little girl buying the green dress is so sweet.

Gina, I don't know if I'm worthy of giving fashion advice but I can tell you to plan for uncertain weather and potential cold.  No matter what you wear, you don't want to be miserable because you didn't have warm enough clothing or a decent jacket with you.

I remember that you said you are quite busty.  That makes it kind of difficult to wear some tunics, which might cover a problem area or two, because if the tunic fits the bust and falls straight it may just make you look "blocky."  If you butt isn't too big (and often on busty women the butt is not biggish) you might wear your pants with high-hip length tops and jackets instead of longer ones.

I can see loose cami-type tops, maybe a swing-y cut, in colors to match the pants with colorful knits underneath.  Just one idea to consider.  I will try to find some stuff online that I think might work.  In any event, I wish you a wonderful trip.

Girls!  I just ordered a THONG!

http://www.garnethill.com The Hanky Panky Lace Thong

In Periwinkle.  Are they cute or what?  The blurb says they are the most comfortable thongs on the market.  We'll see about that.