Retro Rack

I suppose I knew they must have felted hats in the Victorian era but I don't often encounter elaborate folded versions in my fashion wanderings. So you can imagine my delight when I saw this little beauty at a recent exhibit!

Image taken by Gail Carriger, do not share without attribution

Image taken by Gail Carriger, do not share without attribution

My dear Fashionable Readers, I have two local events celebrating the launch of Heartless coming up which means there is a style decision to make!


I simply can't decide between three dresses. One will be for an event this Friday in San Francisco and the other for a Thursday night reading/signing down on the Peninsula next week. Here are the candidates . . .

A salmon pink number, made of cool twilled raw silk with a funky edgy neckline. It's deceptively simple but a nice summery color and I haven't worn it much so I'd like to give it an airing.

Light jersey teal dress that I bought for the Changeless book tour. I haven't worn it since then. It has a bias cut swingy skirt and a diminutive pussycat bow.

An old favorite I've worn a number of times, the check black and white suit. The sheath dress underneath has a sleeveless cap boat neck. This one travels well and is one of the first vintages pieces I ever owned, so it shows up a lot.

 I wore this check when I first attended a WorldCon as a professional author. I met my publisher and my agent face to face in this suit. I took my very first head shots wearing it. It went down to Australia with me. Ah, good times.


So what do you think? Perhaps the salmon for SF this Friday and the teal for suburbia next Thursday?  Then again the salmon is cooler, so perhaps the teal is better for foggy San Francisco. But the salmon has a bit more SF edge to it. Or should I substitute in the check for old time's sake? It has the little jacket in case it's too air conditioned, but I have worn it a lot. If I do substitute, which event does it suit better (pun intended)? Oh, decisions, decisions!

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Heartless book launch party at Books Inc, Opera Plaza at 7 pm on Friday July 8, 2011 in San Francisco, CA.

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Heartless book launch signing at Kepler's Books at 7 pm on Thursday July 14, 2011 in Menlo Park, CA.

I know I know I should rightly be wearign purple. But all my purple outfits are very much cold weather centric. I should have timed everything more seasonally!

I have returned from New Orleans, Fashionable Reader, I what I lost in water weight due to the heat I regained in fat from all the fried food. Orbit put me up at the Sheraton on Canal Street and here's the view from the bedroom window, such a  beautiful city!


On Friday evening, after recovering from a rather hectic plane ride, the AB and I headed out for nibbles. Following instructions from a fan, we sourced Maspero's fried calamari, which was indeed delicious. The AB was also favorably impressed with the draft beer.


New Orleans if full of the nicest people! I often get compliments on this red dress, which suits well enough but I feel is rather basic. However, never before have so many lovely ladies said how much they liked it. The AB suggested this was the Marilyn effect, as the top is quite boobilicious.


On Saturday for speeches, panels, and a publisher dinner I chose something a bit more conservative. It turned out to be a fortuitous choice for that was the "coolest day" and it was the warmest of my three dresses.


 I did learn, however, that stilettos and humidity are mutually exclusive with blisters popping up instantaneously. Sadly, I consigned my peep toes back into the suitcase.


I ended up wearing my oxfords the entire rest of the trip. For these first two outfits, which involved a lot of walking around in the sun I also wore a white straw hat as well. I had alternating flowers for the hat to match each outfit (expect immanent blog on the subject).


I know, I know, white and cream, but sometimes a girl's just gotta protect her skin. For Sunday, however, I was inside all day, so I switched hats to a cream mini topper. It was the hottest day and luckily I wore my lightest dress. Still, because of the AC, I regretted not packing a light shawl.


Note that the bra straps are invisible? Success! Although, the hat kept falling off (when I talk I get very animated and gesticulate wildly and wiggle around a lot). I had a nice hat pin but it broke, time to invest in another stronger one.


I paired all three outfits with crocheted gloves (from Bon Mar Thrift Store Sonoma, CA ~ $2) and a vintage cream purse (from Moon Zoon in Santa Cruz, CA ~ $20) with added octopus bling (gift).


So, coping with humidity and avoiding sweat blisters. Any advice or thoughts, ladies?

I've been wanting to wear this dress for a while. It's a bit vavavoom for book events, in a Marilyn Munroe on the beach kind of way. But it is very light, cool, and pink, so it was the first one I chose for the New Orleans trip. I'll be wearing it Sunday for a signing at the ALA Hachette booth from 11 AM ~ noon and for my Books A Million in Baton Rouge event at 3 PM (Facebook event page).


This 1950s dress is very lightweight cotton with a faux wrap look to the bottom that ties to one side. I purchased it at Bon Mar Thriftstore for $5. I added the lace to the spaghetti straps to hide bra straps, as I am not one of those girls who can go anywhere without a bra. Before you ask, no one over a certain size can wear a strapless bra, period. They simply don't work. Even if I managed, through some miracle, to find one in 30H, and it managed to stay up, I'd spend the whole day selfconsciously tugging because I'd feel like it shouldn't!


That said, I do have a nice corset I could wear under it, but who buys a beach dress and wears it with a corset? I haven't seen any dresses of this type on the runway or in urban snapshots, but that won't stop me from wearing it this summer. Perhaps I will do a blog on how to make it street chic.

Look at it this way, Fashionable Reader, at least we aren't confined to wearing something like this in this in the summer heat!


Nevertheless, I am curious. What's your solution to the bra problem paired with lightweight summer clothing? Do you end up widening all your straps like me, or opt primarily for short sleeves? How about the fated white muslin peasant top? Or do you sweat it out with a cardigan?