80s + Plaid = Love

This sweater is one of those fabled plaid pieces I thrifted this summer in anticipation of cooler weather:

Sweater: vintage, similar   Scarf: DIY   Jeans: Banana Republic   Boots: Nine West "Darsy"

 Well, cooler weather has arrived, and I finally (finally!) got to wear my beloved plaid cardigan.  And it was a delight.

Except that the super-low-v neckline gave me a bit of trouble.  It's not as though the girls popped out and waved at folks, but I could feel them thinking about it.  I tried to mitigate their overwhelming friendliness with a scarf, and I think that worked, but I was awfully warm all day.

I tell you, Friends, it's a rough day when a gal has to choose between sweating and flashing people.

Happy Wednesday, All!

Gracey

Literary Stylings # 5: The Blind Assassin

Damn it, I just realized I completely missed the opportunity to dress like an assassin.  And, alternatively a peach woman, a lizard man or a mute slave girl; man, this was a great book.  Instead, I'm wearing an outfit based on what the narrator and her sister wore before the narrator married rich and was outfitted in silks and furs and silk-lined furs (and probably fur-lined silks):

This look is an amalgamation of an outfit that plays a pretty prevalent role and of a pond that also gets a lot of mention in the book.  The outfit in the book is a modestly cut velvet dress with a white collar. The pond has lily pads, statuary and, in my mind, swans.  So, of course, I layered my jeweled Peter Pan-collar sweater over my swan print dress:

Basically this outfit is meant to represent pre-wedded-Iris (the narrator), as the pond was at her ancestral home (she was given a rock garden at her new one) and she wore the dress prior to her marriage but never after.  Also, before she married money, she came from a family that used to be wealthy but had fallen on hard times; for me, the jeweled collar on this sweater represents a little money, but not much:

Again, if you haven't read The Blind Assassin, I strongly recommend it.

And now it's your turn; please to add your link below!

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!  And thanks, as always, for playing along!

Gracey

Abstract Animal

As much as I love animal print (and I do love animal print), one of my favorite things about this Phillip Lim 3.1 for Target skirt is that it's not straight animal but, rather, abstract animal:

It's been blown up so that it's still recognizable as an animal print, but is still unique.

The other thing I love about this skirt is that it's mustard and therefore awesome:

Skirt: Target   Sweater: Jones New York  Tights: Spanx  Necklace: BaubleBar*  Boots: Born "Mabel"

I don't know why I love mustard so much.  I admit that it's a hard color to wear, but it just makes me so happy.

What about you, Reader Friends?  Are you a fan of mustard?

Happy Monday, All!

Gracey

*BaubleBar Invitation Code: 20210652

eShakti Fall

If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed that I spent part of last night Pinning the heck out of eShakti's new Fall line.  Because it is gorgeous.  Seriously, have you seen it?  I want everything!

But, as I don't have the money for everything, here's a few of my very favorite pieces.

Cowl Neck Sweater

The color of this sweater just slays me.


Gradient Houndstooth

This is dress combines a very cool, very modern gradient houndstooth print with a vintage style dress.  I love that.



Plaid Perfection

I told you I was mad for plaid and this skirt is plaid perfection.


More Houndstooth

Because you can never have enough.


Giraffes

Okay, this one isn't from their Fall line, but I think we can all agree that giraffes are great all year round.

If you're in the mood for some giraffes, or houndstooth, or plaid, head on over to eShakti.  This weekend you can get free shipping.  And, if you're a new customer, you can get a $30 new customer gift coupon by using the code GRACEY53PH.  That code is valid through November 30th.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Gracey

**All images via eShakti.com**

October’s Books

Hello, Party Peoples!

This is your better-late-than-never reminder that my always exciting Literary Stylings Link Party is coming up on Tuesday the 5^th.  If you want more information on this rockin' good time, you can find it here.

So, October was a very strange and stressful month for me and I’m afraid I didn’t get around to reading many books.  In fact, I only read two.  But, I figure this will allow me some room to talk more about them. 

Let me start by saying that, happily, this time around I enjoyed both of the books that I read.  More or less. 

Please to allow me to explain that last bit.

The first book I read is The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan:

According to Wikipedia, “a panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. The concept of the design is to allow a watchman to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether they are being watched or not.  (Wikipedia goes on to say that Bentham thought the panopticon design would be great for all matter of institutions, including daycare facilities!  Seriously.)

If that definition and daycare suggestion doesn't quite help you picture what we're talking about, this is a panopticon:

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the book.  As I said, I enjoyed this book.  It was heartbreaking at times, but I think that just means the author did a good job.

The novel is about a troubled youth named Anais, who is sent to a panopticon institution.  Anais believes that her life is not really her life but is part of an experiment where she is under constant surveillance by the watchers.  As you can imagine, being sent to an institution designed to keep you under constant surveillance is not easy to handle for someone who already suffers from the sort of paranoia Anais suffers from. 

The author did a good job with this concept and with Anais’ voice.  Really, my only complaint about this novel is that it is written in the Scottish (I think) vernacular and I have the hardest time reading things in vernacular without saying them aloud.  Fagan wasn’t as difficult to read as Irvine Welsh, but I did a LOT of mumbling to myself as I read all the “cannae” and dinnae” statements in this book. 

Also, just as a warning, in case you’re thinking a book about a 15-year old heroine would be a great book for the young reader in your life, this is NOT a YA novel.  At all. 

The other book I read is Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin:

Yes, more Atwood.  What can I say; she’s one of my favorites.  Although, having read both her futuristic fiction (The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood) and her historical fiction (Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin), I think I prefer the futuristic fiction.  Don’t get me wrong, The Blind Assassin is a lovely novel, just as Alias Grace was, but I prefer the others more.

That’s just a personal preference though; The Blind Assassin is really very good.  It’s sort of two books in one and it’s a mystery as well as historical fiction and I highly recommend it.  This was a book that I couldn't stop reading because of how well it was written.  Atwood’s device of setting a novel-within-a-novel added to the mystery and worked very well.

So, why do I prefer the futuristic fiction?  Because I’m afraid of the future.  I don’t mean the future as in tomorrow, or next week or even next year.  No, I mean the future as in 2033 when things get all dystopian and stuff.  And, like anyone else who watches/reads scary stuff, I like that little frisson of fear.   For example, Oryx and Crake?  Just the ChickieNobs Nubbins alone scare the crap out of me.

And don’t get me started on The Handmaid’s Tale; seriously terrifying stuff.  Speaking of which, I guess there is a new cover for it now?  Have you guys seen this?

Isn't that both horrible and perfect for the book? 

Anyway, read The Blind Assassin, it’s good.  And if you like dyslit (dystopian literature), read Atwood’s futuristic fiction; there are frissons galore.

And don’t forget to join in on Tuesday!

Happy Saturday, All!

Gracey