In Which Minnie Zephie Dresses in a Manner Unseemly to Her Age

This past year was a rather pivotal year for me, fashion-wise.  It was the year I realized that I have reached an age that requires different ways of thinking about myself and the clothes I wear.  It's not that I suddenly started feeling old, or think that I have to follow someone else's Rules for Dressing When You Have Reached Middle Age;  it's that I realized there are things that I see others wearing that I may like very much on them (Lolita skirts! Steampunky hair accessories! Anything baring or calling attention to the midriff!), but which I have never had the urge to buy for myself, because unconsciously I knew they would only look ridiculous on me.  Yes, I'm now of an age to look ridiculous in certain things--hard truth, but one I can honestly say I'm perfectly fine with, esp. since the realization of it came about in a very natural, self-honoring way.

As I started assessing my wardrobe last year for potentially increasing it's Steaminess, I started paying more attention to the things I found myself not wearing.   There were clothes in my wardrobe that had previously been favorite favorites that I just no longer reached for, that I realized I had not worn all season--I kept reaching past them in the closet, choosing other things instead.  Since the closet real-estate is at a premium around here, I took the time to evaluate why I was not wearing them, to decide if they should stay or go.  Some of the things I just did not have the right pieces to wear with--they need different footwear, like the flat-soled tall boots I've been searching for recently, or a different skirt.  Those are "problems" I can (happily) find solutions for. But there were other clothing pieces that I finally decided just seemed too. . . youthful.  They bared too much skin on my chest and upper arms--places I feel actually more youthful if I cover up.  Or they had fabrics or patterns or colors that seemed more appropriate for a 20 year old and not a 40-something.

I'm not ashamed of my age.  I think I'm rocking it quite well!  And I don't feel like I have to kow-tow to the Expectations of Others in Society.  (Clearly, or I would not be regularly sneaking Steampunk into church services.)   But.  One of the good things about getting older is that you start to understand and appreciate yourself better, and I am old enough to know I want to feel good, not only in my own skin, but in what I put on it.  I don't care what others think as much as I care about what *I* think.

And *I* think I am of an age where I want to be attractive, but attractive AS my age, not seemingly trying to be a younger age.  We've all seen older women wearing things that just didn't look right--and it's just because some styles are made for the young, and when an older woman wears them, it looks like she's not happy with her own age.  Or like she's not aware of fashion enough to know what not to wear.

Which leads us to. . . the skinny jeans. 

This is my first (and only) pair of skinny jeans.  I bought them because there were some tops/tunics I had in my wardrobe that seemed to necessitate them, and I thought I was pulling them off well enough.  (At least the teenager who was sharing the changing room mirror with me there at Ross was enthusiastic. ; ) 

I also really wanted to try a pair of skinny jeans because I find that if you want to do "everyday" pseudo-Steampunk, you have to be very careful about the silhouette you create--and as I learned back in this post, the only jean that lends itself well to the more punk aspect of Steampunk is the skinny jean.  So, I tried playing around those skinny jeans and other pieces in my wardrobe that are each vaguely Steampunky, and this is the first look I came up with:

Top by H&M, found at the Salvation Army

Vest by Jones Wear Jeans

Ancient belt, once belonging to my husband's grandpa

Jeans by Rue 21, from Ross

Marin boots by Caterpillar

Seeing as how it was still winter (northern California style), I also tried the look with a favorite Victorian-esque jacket.  But as you can see, the slight peplum shape of the jacket is just. . . odd over the long and lean jeans.  Proportions all out of whack!

Jacket by Ann Taylor LOFT

Earrings by ElainaLouise on Etsy

See--when I crop the image, the jacket over the vest looks just fine.  Picture beneath a long, full skirt in black, or grey, or a brown and color plaid--that's the shape that will look best with this jacket when I am trying to bring out the most Steampunk from it.

So, hit or miss?  I still have not decided.  I'll show you all one more attempt at pseudo-Steampunk with the skinny jeans in my next post--the update on the casual look I linked above--and would so appreciate feedback!

Real World Steampunk Wardrobe Fail No. 2

So here is my second installment in this series, of Real World Steampunk gone wrong.

This particular Sunday, sometime back in 2013, I was aiming for a kind of Adventuress look. . .

Blouse by Apt 9 at Kohl's

Silk cashmere fine-gauge sweater vest from Goodwill*

Earrings by Elaina Louise on Etsy

Corset belt by Cabi

Black knit skirt by Garnet Hill

Tights I don't remember--GAP clearance perhaps?

Boots by La Canadienne

*if the vest looks swirly, it's just your monitor flipping out over the ribbed texture.  Click on the photo to enlarge and it should look fine. 

 . . . and as you can see, pieces that seemed like potential friends just ended up not playing together nicely.

Some individual parts of the look I like, and some I don't; but unlike my previous Real World Steampunk Wardrobe fail, which at least had a certain cohesive retro flair, this is just too. . . incohesive.  I'm finding it hard to choose the right words for what exactly is wrong with this ensemble, but it's all just a little. . . off.

And I wore it in public, taking the photos after I was back home.

Ah, well, these are the realizations that keep me humble.    

So, let's see if we can't disscect this look and figure out where it went awry. . . .  I think the vest over the blouse is the first problem, for two reasons: first, stylistically I thought the sweater vest could be a comfortable, practical way to get a very subtle corset look.  While I think this is still true in theory, this particular vest is just ending up looking more 1960's mod than anything else--esp. when taken together with the belt and boot height and skirt length.  I do like the belt over the vest--but just not when I'm trying to channel Steampunk.  The other problem with the vest over the blouse is that the blouse has a kind of ruffle placket down the front, and it was way too lumpy under this fine-gauge of a sweater.

The hem of the blouse and the hem of the sweater vest were also pulling up as I moved, and not even nicely in unison, so I ended up with even more bunching, and unevenness, and overall awkwardness.   I don't think tucking the blouse in would have worked either, as it does not have that long of a tail.

I do like the skirt and tights together. . . and the tights and boots together. . . but the three are not just working.  See, I'd really like a fun short bustle skirt, but am afraid a) it would look too costumey and not enough "real world," and b) I am too old to get away with it.  So I love this skirt, as a subtle nod to that kind of skirt, and have worn it with other steampunky things with success--just not on this day.

In fact, now that I think about it, a different colored skirt would have made a huge impact on the success of this particular look.  If I changed only that and the bunching of the blouse, this would be a fine look--just perhaps not as pseudo-Steampunk as it was in my mind's eye.

Comments?  Suggestions?  I'd love to hear them.

In Which Minnie Zephie Demonstrates Her Success at Failure

So, it seems like a very long time since I posted any pseudo-Steampunk Sunday looks.

It's not for lack of trying.

Over the past year and a half I have been slowly acquiring new clothing items, mostly secondhand, and then trying them out in various combinations, looking to create outfits that are comfortable, practical, weather-appropriate, and just Steampunky enough to satisfy my style hankerings.

It's been easy enough to find clothing pieces that might work in a Real World Steampunk Wardrobe, like the things I find and share with you here often enough from Ebay and other places--but it is much harder to then put those gathered odds and ends into combinations with the other things I have, and get them to turn out on my body the way they look in my imagination.

Let's just say, my imagination is not the issue.  Some of the pseudo-Steampunk ensembles I have put together have made my heart sing, like this one, and especially this one. Even this one keeps turning up on Pinterest, so I know there are others besides me who can see the outfit through rose-tinted goggles.  Those are my best Real World Steampunk successes thus far--imperfect as they are--and they have only whetted my appetite for more.

But for every one outfit that has made me happy, there are likely several more that were total pseudo-Steampunk fails.

The camera is the ultimate mirror, and it does not lie.

So I thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the outfits I have tried putting together this past year that did not work.  It's a little embarrassing to show you these outfits that I tried--and, much as I hate to admit, actually wore in public. To church, no less.  But, it's all part of the learning curve, right?  Maybe you'll see in these outfits a glimpse of what I was going for, and can even offer helpful suggestions on improvements in the comments.  Or maybe you'll just think What the. . ?! and get a good chuckle at my expense.  Either way, thanks for stopping by to share in my failure.

Real World Steampunk Wardrobe Fail #1, December 2013:

Linen dress by Land's End. I realize now this might have been a red flag.

Leather belt by Cabi

Scarf I've had so long I don't remember

Earrings by Elaina Louise on Etsy

Boots by Miz Mooz

Okay then.  This would be one of those times when I tried to stretch pieces past what they were able--although they did admirably work together in a completely unintended way.  Here I was going for a steampunky "Citizen/Adventurer" kind of look, and thought I could start with a dress that was close enough and then elevate it to pseudo-Steampunk with accessories.

Well.  As you can see, the accessories were not enough.  Even my oh-so-Steampunky hot air balloon earrings could not save me.  The overall look was quite cohesive and even attractive, but much less Steampunk and way more late 70's Lady Stetson.  I had pictured the scarf wrapped around my neck as a kind of Victorian cravat, but I think it turned out to be the wrong shape for that.  I may also have been running late to church and thus may have haphazardly flung it around my neck, mistakenly assuming it's a scarf, what could go wrong.

Also, I was so excited when I found this really nice quality, like-new dress on Ebay for a reasonable price, because it is linen, which is a fabric authentic to the Victorian times. I am a texture girl, and absolutely love fabrics that lend the heft and drape and visual appeal of older times.

Well.  As you can see, the main issue with the linen is the extensive wrinkling.  I was prepared for that when I purchased it--but that particular Sunday I ended up holding my young son in my lap for quite some time, and the warmth from our bodies together practically ironed a huge mark there across the front of the dress where the belt rode up under my ribcage while I was sitting.  Quite unattractive. 

Still, the look was not completely a loss. . . but I am also a little unsure how to salvage it.  The belt might work fine next time if I'm not planning on holding kids in my lap. . . and I could get a different scarf and tie it better next time. . . .  But maybe the cut of the collar will never quite look right, even if I get the scarf right. . . and maybe the hem length is just too modern. . .

At least that Sunday I had a hip and artistic young college woman compliment me on my outfit; she said the whole thing made her happy.  But I think she was clearly enjoying me being playful in a  retro kind of way--and that's just not the vibe I was after.

So there you have it--when good ideas go awry!  Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, links to your own favorite Real World Steampunk clothes, or personal tales of fashion fails.  I'd love to hear from you.