Thursday, December 23, 2010

Holiday Hankerings


 Yes indeedy, the holidays are rapidly approaching, possibly even already here.  Our neighbors had a neighborhood get-together last night, which was really nice! I had two glasses of eggnog (virgin) and some fudge. I also learned a huge amount of neighborhood history from our hostess, who has lived in the same place since 1972. I've lived here eleven years, a veritable newcomer in comparison, so it was fascinating to hear all the dirt. Things are much quieter now, thank heavens!


 I bugged out on the No Repeats challenge (as per my 'rules') for the evening and added this festive embroidered velvet jacket on top of my other (challenge-approved) pieces. Not much more to say about this look, except that my white crochet socks kept falling down into my boots, so i kept pulling them up. And i wore my white petticoat under my skirt, you can just see it peeking out from under the hem.


In the spirit of our major festival of consumer consumption, here are a few drool-worthy items which i've recently run across, for your delectation.

image from official Doc Marten site

Bella from the Citizen Rosebud was gifted these boots in black - how perfect for our favorite blushing blossom! Kudos to her gift-giver, for excellence in taste and in generosity!

Diamond Rose necklace at Thomas Mann jewelry


I mentioned the jeweler Thomas Mann in the comments to my last post. I've been lucky enough to be gifted and to buy a few of his pieces over the years. The first was a gift from my mom when i was around 20 (?). It was kind of pricey, especially for one (?!?!?) lone earring.....yet i still get compliments every time i wear it!

Bird's Nest necklace at Thomas Mann jewelry

Back then i only knew of one shop that carried any of his work, and for several years i couldn't find any of his pieces anywhere. What a world where you can browse his catalog online....progress has indeed taken place.

Plymouth by Ariat

I've been poking around online and in the real world for 'tall boots' (ones that go to up around the knee somewhere). I've only had one pair, some secondhand Fryes when i was in high school, long gone. The boots above are Plymouth, by Ariat (the same company that made my beloved paddock boots shown below).

my 12 year old Ariat paddock boots.

I am very reluctant to shell out the type of cash needed for ANY decent pair of shoes, much less what they charge for tall boots, without a feel for the quality and 'foot compatibility' of the company's shoes. These boots pass that test, and the basketweave detail is phenomenally classic. An intriguing development. Ariat has a nice line of paddock boots these days, as well.

Enough day dreaming (for now)! As a dear friend used to say, 'We've got places to go and people to scare.' Happy day, everybody!

Jacket: Yak Magic
Grey Sweater: Mossimo at Target
Skirt, Necklace, Petticoat: own design
Boots: Bass Lamont

8 comments:

  1. I love the Doc Martens!! You look fabulous.

    http://southerncomfortga.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-am-happy-to-ride-in-coach.html

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  2. Love the Doc Martens and the Ariats! Your enemble looks fabulous as always.

    Happy Holidays!!

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  3. I love that they make Doc Martens especially for your aesthetic "subculture".

    If you're willing to order/try/return/wait a couple of days for the refund, Endless and Zappos are your friends. I have done some boot trying on lately due to my obsession with cognac boots, and other than the Gentle Souls boots I actually bought (which are fantastically comfortable and well-padded) I tried a pair of beautiful Born Picketts. So soft and lovely and well made. If foot cushioning is your issue, those might be friendly to your feet and they are just astoundingly gorgeous (and I think they might fit the Steph-aesthetic, being a sort of creamy tan with brown trim).

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  4. As I recall, you and I looked at that earring in Tail of the Yak a few times before I got it for you. What was perplexing and astounding to me was that it was one earring - not a mistake, just one earring. This was early '80's, so I think I wasn't too far behind, but it was hard to get my head wrapped around one earring. It is beautiful and always will be. So worth it.

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  5. what a lovely blazer! adore the floral doc martens! =)

    http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

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  6. hi Lisa Marie! thank you! and i hope you and your family have a great holiday!!

    Bonjour Mme. Pesu! i can't wait to see what Bella does with those shoes, can you? thank you. Happy Holidays to you too!

    Hi Cynthia! yeah, they make a # of different 'specialty Docs', it turns out. fun!

    thank you so much for all the shoe-related info - i really appreciate your taking the time. no doubt this will be 'a process' (if i even manage to pull it off), so every bit of info is very welcome. Wow,those borns are really beautiful, too! take care!

    Aw, mom, thanks for sharing your memories (i knew you'd remember better than i). i'll have to fire up the macro and get a good pic of that earring now!

    Welcome Hope! i popped on over to your place - you would rock those Docs! very nice to see a fellow 'petticoat fan', that boa-trimmed crinoline is outta site! have a great end of the year!

    steph

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  7. steph--the embroidered jacket is lovely. And I want that bird's nest necklace.

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  8. ah, Terri, i think you could make some outfits that would really set off that bird's nest necklace perfectly! i'm keeping my eyes and ears open for any way i can think of to do a similar piece.....i've seen very nice bird charms, the key is to construct the nest......

    if i make any progress you'll be the first person i contact!!! steph

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