Blue Gold Red

by angeliska on July 9, 2010

I don’t know about you, but sometimes in the midst of these
strange and shifting times I have to shift my focus away from
the horrors and tragedies of this world and cheer myself up
with a little frivolity and frippery. I’ve been far too busy for the
longest time to ever document any ensembles, and I missed it.
I’ve been spending a lot of time at home brooding in a tattered
old slip, and while there is a time and place for that, sometimes
you gotta get it together, slap on some red lipstick and towering
heels and go meet the world head on. I believe I’ve written about the
mystical powers of the perfect red lipstick before
, but I’ve got to say
it again: if you feel blue, cloudy-headed, or lacking in clarity (and
you are a wearer of lipstuffs, of course)
then hie yourself to the
nearest MAC counter and grab a tube of the most shocking,
scintillating red you can find. Ruby Woo is the ultimate red
for me, but I know there are other good ones out there too.
blue red gold
Afternoon light and shadow-lace veils. Dressing up is a balm
for my soul. It’s still my favorite game, and I’m going to endeavor
to do it much more often – even when I’m only stepping out for
a little while. I feel like it makes a difference in other people’s
lives too. Also, I feel that those of us that enjoy it owe the rest
of the world an example of how not to succumb to the perpetual
casual Friday that has sadly become the norm. Dress to inspire!
new boot(s)
We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants the other night,
the Eastside Show Room, and had fabulous cocktails and tempura-okra
and little quails stuffed with figs and talked of exciting plans,
and of cabbages and kings. I found this 70’s wrap dress at
Feathers, (one of my favorite vintage shops here) and wore
it over a black slip (yes, the same one I’d been living in for days!)
fancy stockings and a pair of suede foldover boots from ASH
that I’m wearing as much as possible despite the rainy days
we’ve been having. The sequin headband was made by my
sweet Miss Nina Carolina, and the golden leaf necklace is
from Ren at Lux Revival. I love wearing things from my friends!
July Buttercream
Speaking of, I borrowed this dress from my BFF Pandora. It’s a very special
dress, and has magical powers. It’s the most comforting, happy-making
thing to wear, ever. As if it were cotton spun from buttercream and sunshine.
I hope you’ll forgive the outfit and vanitas heavy post, but it’s been quite a
spell, so I’m cramming a few into one! Are you down with the fripperies?
The brown wedges are also from ASH, and I adore them. They are so well
made and comfortable, and obviously I like being artificially tall. Plus, it’s
nice to be able to throw on a summery frock but then take it up a notch
with some serious footwear. Dressing for heat like this with any modicum
of elegance is definitely an art. My advice? Always carry a hand-fan.
Angeliska + Chadling
My darling friend Chad Merritt (of St. Mary’s and Mon Petit Fantome)
came to town, and did much to lift my spirits from the doldrums!
Angeliska + Chadling
Sweetness! I don’t know how I never realized before that the horse mural
on Milton St. (off South Congress) is a superb backdrop for picture-taking!
Angeliska + Chadling
If you aren’t familiar with his beautiful music, or his wonderful
artwork
, I suggest you get yourself acquainted! Not only that,
but he is one of the funniest, sweetest and most thoughtful
people I have ever known. I only wish he could be here all
the time! Chad lives on the Gulf Coast, near the Texas/Louisiana
border, and has been through several vicious hurricanes that
basically destroyed his hometown (as well as his home and
belongings). I’ve never met anyone more resilient and open-
hearted. We talked about our sorrow about what BP has done
to the Gulf, to our oceans and to the lives of everyone in the
region. He’s been a real inspiration to me to not get mired
in the swamp of despair. We’re both Capricorns, and our
saturnine natures make us a little pre-disposed towards
gloom – but you just have to pick yourself up and take
care of business, and then make art or writing or music
from what’s in your heart. My concepts of justice and
fairness have really been tampered with lately. I’ve
been feeling like a little kid, stomping and screaming
about how unfair various situations are – these huge
corporations that get away with destroying our world,
these cops that get away with shooting unarmed young
men in the back, and all the little dramas that we perpetuate.
I’m starting to wonder if justice really even exists – or it it’s
just an outdated concept, a mythical beast. I had a vivid
dream recently that I’d thrown a big party at my house
where the guests got drunk and rowdy. I found a card
from my mother’s tarot deck torn in half. Can you guess it?
Yep – JUSTICE. I fixed it with cellotape and kicked the
hooligans out of the garden. Pretty clear symbolism there.
What do you think? Is there any justice left in our world?
Was there ever? I try to think of it more like a wheel –
sometimes the wheel takes a long, long time to get
back around to even things out, but I like to think
that it does eventually. I do believe in karma, but
I don’t think it’s always as instant as we would like
it to be, and there’s always run-off. See what happens
when I try to make a frivolous post about outfits? Ha!

19 comments

You are a true beauty, Angleliska …
Your sense of style is unique and utterly gorgeous.
And Chad is absolutely dapper on these pics, too !
I love dressing up, too ! It lifts my spirits. Sometimes, I dress up for no special occasion. Just for me … It makes me smile. And I usually love to add a lovely meal, prettily displayed, to the moment. With tea, cakes, homemade flower cordial … And flowers ! Flowers always make a huge difference !
Oh ! And tarot, too !
x x x
___m___

by mathyld ▲under the pyramids▲ on July 9, 2010 at 2:27 am. Reply #

I meant Angeliska …

by mathyld ▲under the pyramids▲ on July 9, 2010 at 2:30 am. Reply #

OH, what a wonderful post. I will take your advice about lipstick as I think it’s just the ticket. However , dressing up is such a commitment! Much closet space has to be devoted to so many outfit parts and it’s HOt. But , like so many things you do, you pull it off beatifully and with a lavish heart. So good at it, you are. Thanks for being you.

by lauren on July 9, 2010 at 4:46 am. Reply #

I was thinking about how I would like some personal justice from my childhood recently.. and how if I were to do something it could really just end up blowing up in my face. It’s frustrating, but I suppose sometimes you just have to let the universe straighten itself out.

by Gabriel on July 9, 2010 at 4:49 am. Reply #

ooh, lovely! I feel just the same about perpetual casual Fridays. I need more opportunities for fanciness! I love that black slip – where do you find nice underthings that aren’t $$$$?

by rachel on July 9, 2010 at 5:58 am. Reply #

Oh, what a fantastic pairing – that fairy frosting dress and those punky semi-gladiator sandals! And I declare…those are the best stockings I have ever seen.
I am absolutely down with the fripperies and fineries, as I think anyone who knows me can attest!
I’ve never been able to pull off a red lipstick; maybe I just haven’t found the right one. I’m more comfortable in nudes and browns, which is weird, because you would think a brown lip is kind of gross.
Ah well, no accounting for taste, I suppose! 😉

by mlle ghoul on July 9, 2010 at 6:32 am. Reply #

I’m the guy who always but *always* wears a jacket at my California casual office. I think my lipstick equivalent is The Hat (because lipstick does not go well with my beard), though I occasionally do what I can with discreet mascara and Bare Minerals. So yes: I am down with the fripperies, lovely.

by Ian Wood on July 9, 2010 at 9:52 am. Reply #

Gold leaf, buttercream & sunshine, tattered slips – your blog entries are my touchstone. Magical magical. 🙂
Dressing with style in the heat is definitely an art form. My rather prosaic hidden secret – always have a change of underthings on hand(that is, if you wear them at all – some friends here give up & go commando, understandably.)
Would love to go the dramatic red lipstick route, but alas my lips are modest (read small) & dramatic lipstick just doesn’t look like it should on me. Could try the silent film approach of redrawing them sweetheart style, but in summer I want to slink away in sweaty obscurity, not stand out dramatically. Cowardice, I guess.
A nice tattered slip, though… gothy heaven in high noon light.

by OdetteO on July 9, 2010 at 12:48 pm. Reply #

PERFECT wrap dress!!- you look so lovely, as usual!
I do believe that Justice exists. The problem is, I think, it’s such a complex energy that we don’t often understand it. There is so much involved in karma- years, sometimes centuries, and to make it even more complex- we are all involved in every action. I guess the idea that truly showed me about this energy and karma was Kahlil Gibran’s inspirational on crime and punishment, most specifically: And as a single leaf turns not yellow but with the silent knowledge of the whole tree,
So the wrong-doer cannot do wrong without the hidden will of you all.
Like a procession you walk together towards your god-self.

by K on July 9, 2010 at 5:42 pm. Reply #

Back again! To mention that thanks to this post, I did actually try a red lipstick that I’d squirreled away some time ago, and it actually looked fabulous. I mean, really! The colour (Nars) Fire Down Below..it’s a warm, velvety red that doesn’t end up looking all fuschia on me, it’s gorgeous! So thanks again, for making me rethink this.

by mlle ghoul on July 10, 2010 at 3:30 pm. Reply #

Dear Mathyld,
Thank you sweetheart! Right back atcha!
Yes and yes to tea and cakes and cordials and flowers – all those things tend to make everything better. Tarot, too! I’m glad you’ve been reading the cards – and thank you for recommending that interesting tarot site. I’ll have to show you what it came up with for me. I’ve translated most of it, and think I have the gist.
baises,
A.

by Angeliska on July 10, 2010 at 11:43 pm. Reply #

Dear Lauren,
Thank YOU! Sundresses are the ticket, I think…
Though we’ve been so lucky this summer. I hope it keeps raining!
love,
A.

by Angeliska on July 10, 2010 at 11:44 pm. Reply #

Dear Gabriel,
It’s so tempting to try and sway the hand of fate sometimes,
especially when you feel like you could really affect some real and potent change. Usually, it’s better if we just stay out of it.
I don’t believe in revenge, really. Don’t worry – it will come to them. Remember that living well and being happy is the best revenge. They didn’t win!

by Angeliska on July 10, 2010 at 11:47 pm. Reply #

Dear Rachel,
For nice underthings, I always make a beeline to the lingerie rack at thrift-stores. I never pay a lot of old slips and bloomers. I refuse! You can still find decent ones occasionally, but I miss the days of $1 shivery rayon lace-trimmed loveliness!
oxox,
A.

by Angeliska on July 10, 2010 at 11:49 pm. Reply #

Dear Ian,
Hooray for The Hat! It wasn’t that long ago that
it was terribly uncivilized to exit your home with an
uncovered head. I wish hats would make a real comeback,
but not gloves. Or girdles. Or pointy shoes.
What kind of hat do you wear?
best,
A.

by Angeliska on July 10, 2010 at 11:52 pm. Reply #

Dear Bella-Ghoul,
Yay! I’m so glad you found a red that works for you. The Nars red makes me think of that film with Tilda Swinton in it – Female Perversions. She becomes obsessed with this shade of Nars lipstick called “Red Pussycat”. I wish it was a real color! I’ll have to check out “Fire Down Below”!
xoxo,
A.

by Angeliska on July 11, 2010 at 12:16 am. Reply #

These days, I’m wearing a stingy-brimmed straw fedora, porkpie, or sometimes my Panama (summer you know), but there’s also the full-brimmed felt fedora for cooler months and a bowler if I’m feeling fancy and not overly round. Plus the Homburg! That’s more of a wedding hat (in cream-colored straw), but I haven’t any of those to go to for awhile. And yes, hats need to come back…I was so happy to discover an honest hat shop here in town after I moved here (as opposed to a shop that happens to carry some hats).

by Ian Wood on July 11, 2010 at 7:23 pm. Reply #

aw the one of you and chad kisssinggg gave me a little pitter patter. CUTEST EVER.
here is my MAC red of choice:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SOJPBZpMg8M/SmEGhxJaF7I/AAAAAAAADE4/udXH5p9BC9Q/s400/Lady+Danger.png
hot hot hot. i just did my nails bright red for the first time in YEARS and i keep getting fascinated by them. cheery!

by verhext on July 12, 2010 at 6:24 pm. Reply #

Purdy lady! I miss your face.
I have come under similar conclusions about justice. I realize now that there’s only so much you can do about the ways of the world. It’s so frustrating! And sometimes unintended consequences come from good intentions, too.

by April Violet on July 14, 2010 at 7:26 pm. Reply #

Leave your comment

Required.

Required. Not published.

If you have one.

ERROR: si-captcha.php plugin says GD image support not detected in PHP!

Contact your web host and ask them why GD image support is not enabled for PHP.

ERROR: si-captcha.php plugin says imagepng function not detected in PHP!

Contact your web host and ask them why imagepng function is not enabled for PHP.