"these socks, those earrings"

Glenda Adams, late 1980s, Sydney, Australia

My mother, Glenda Adams, died five years ago today. I am her only child, and she was an amazing mother. While our tastes are different, she and I shared a love of clothing and a sense of personal style. She is a well-known Australian writer; I keep a blog about reading her writing here.

In an interview she had with Jan Hutchinson in the October 1988 issue of the journal Fine Line, they talk about whether her writing is autobiographical, morality in her writing, whether writing is political, women and writing, and my mother's two novels (at the time) Games of the Strong and Dancing on Coral.


But my mother also gets a chance to talk about clothing (because Games of the Strong includes a conflict about shorts and petticoats):


"Well, that's in a lot of my stories. What you wear. Nothing much has changed. We take as much care throwing together something casual. We choose quite carefully our tops and bottoms. These socks, those earrings. I feel that to think happily about clothes is quite a wonderful thing and it's been mistaken for -- given the fifties and sixties and the women's movement -- a sign of low self-esteem that you have to doll yourself up. You can also see it as a sign of extraordinary self-esteem. To decorate yourself with some confidence seems to me to be a wonderful urge. And not one that was encouraged in us young Australian women, especially if you were supposed to be good at your school work, which is sad for girls."


Of the many lessons she taught me? Play with and enjoy your clothing. 

the shop is up and running...

I am starting to love the photography and write ups for the new Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SlipperyCrockery. Goal for February: 30 items listed. I am at 17.

I remember always wanting to have a clothing shop. I thought it would be a dream to live in a clothing store.
I remember scouring thrift and vintage stores for interesting finds. The five-dollar bin at Alice's Underground was my go-to spot (and I rarely had more than five dollars then).
I remember designing and drawing pictures of clothes as early as 4 years old.

Yesterday, my 7 year old son said, "This looks like a clothing store!" He had arrived home from school, and I was in the middle of photographing and hanging and organizing my stock. I've made it!

my son dressed me today

I am wearing an Iz chosen and approved outfit today. I am not sure how it all worked out, but he does know me. Knee-high 70s Frye boots with rolled-up jeans (how else would you see the boots?):


Dark blue jeans, mini dress with a pink and citron pattern on a cream background, topped with a pink and grey striped pullover cotton knit sweater:


I went out it it--with my 1970s black leather jacket to top it all off. - Posted using BlogPress

my mother's ski sweater

In honor of what would have been my mother's 72nd birthday, today, I wanted to write something thoughtful to honor her. I wrote some notes about what she called the "clothing museum." It included clothes of hers and mine that were special in some way. I have not finished this piece for many reasons. I will get to it, soon. For today, I will post one photo of one item from that museum: my mother's ski sweater from the 1950s. It was handmade, tiny and wool.

I would never have worn it--even if it would fit me--because wool makes me itch. And I never saw my mother wear this sweater. But I picture her in it when I read her short story, "The Circle," in The Hottest Night of the Century, which revolves around a skiing trip.

Today's work on the Schrader dress re-do

I have draped Daisy in the cut pieces of the 1980s Schrader dress and the new grey fabric to get an idea of what I have and what I want to do. The whole dress will be lined in the grey cotton. (I have yet to cut those pieces.)
Do I want to add the grey stripe down the center of the skirt?
How do I want the neckline to work?
Can I pull this off?



- Posted using BlogPress

marathon, purple tutu and Frye boots

I ran my fifth marathon on Sunday, the Philly marathon. This was the first marathon for which I wore the purple tutu, and it kept me lighthearted as my brain became foggy and my legs stiffened up when I hit the wall at mile 22. I finished, thrilled with my 21^st-century PR (that’s “personal record”) of 3:54:06. (I did run the NYC marathon faster in 1999, but that was last century and doesn’t count anymore, right?)

The photo may be blurry, but it is the only one I have and nicely captures the movement of the tutu. I also appreciate the pink and yellow hues of the runner behind my right shoulder.

And because I ran a marathon, I get to buy these boots:

 

They are not Frye, but they are so like the then-used, now-vintage Frye boots that I bought in 1986 from a street vendor who set up her wares on a sheet on the sidewalk near the Astor Place Cube in New York City.

Since those boots became unwearable, I kept them in mind when I was wandering thrift stores, but have had no luck. I searched on etsy and eBay. I refused to pay upwards of $200 for a pair of boots that would probably let the rain in, no matter how awesome they were. (You could say, “Don’t wear them in the rain,” and I would probably listen, but as a 15-year-old, I did not.)

The day after the marathon, I looked on Etsy again. And I saw the ones above, sold by cherublover,  ], and they were on sale for a mere $80 (which is still more than I should be spending on anything, if I were to be honest). I actually like them more than the similar Frye ones below, sold by Stellah’s Groove, because the shape of the toe box is chunkier, which I appreciate, on the non-Frye ones.

Another thing I like about both pairs? They don’t have a zipper, which conflicts with the aesthetic and the purpose of the laces. I believe one should have to do the lacing up, not just work around them with a zipper as most modern knee-high lace-ups do.

So they are my marathon present. (This is not to be confused with a push present.) 

tweed swing jacket

This tweed coat is not vintage. The brand is O'Neill, and it was probably bought at a local department store (Macy's perhaps?). I found it at the local thrift store. I liked the idea: tweed with a swing shape. But the length and proportion were awkward, and the buttons were cheap.

I replaced the buttons, added a skirt using a grey and citron cotton weave with a bird print to exaggerate the swing and lengthen the jacket. The jacket now looks more interesting and retro.

And the buttons and birds match perfectly.

The size is small. Who wants it?