It's a Wrap

Black But Not Grim--Tuesday, 9/29/15

The emanations of my outfit caught a particularly cute, quirky quality as they entered Whitney's head.  That scarf is so fun--it's like cartoon panes of different cities of the world.

My outfit was a little less fun, but I was glad to find that a cropped jacket works well with this dress--it has has straps that you tie in the back, defining the waist, and a full skirt (and pockets, for even more volume), so a longer cardigan or blazer looks really weird.  I can't even think about the bow tied at the back of the dress without thinking of Alice's pinafore, so I have to admit that this dress is a bit iffy for wearing to work.  I'm not sure whether adding a structured jacket "professionalized" it enough or just made the outfit sort of contradictory.  Serendipitously (or is it?), I wore this dress with shoes in "Alice's dress" blue.

As you can see from the mirror selfie, this is an outfit I put together a while back but was waiting for the temperatures to cool down a bit before wearing.  The rest of the week, we are expecting highs in the low to mid 60s, which makes bare legs a bit of a dicey proposition.  But I'm pushing through!  I refuse to accept that it is Fall (i.e., tights-wearing season).  Today, I felt I had dressed just right (and even had the fan on in my office on a low setting).

*Black faux wrap dress with full skirt (thrifted, Walmart), $5.00/wear+
Short black jacket (JNY), $14.70/wear+
*Black/blue/orange infinity scarf (Kohls), $11.17/wear+
Medium blue flats by Sofft, $6.35/wear

Outfit total: $37.22/wear

My scarf looks pretty professional...if the profession in question is "artist."  I don't know why I end up with these prints that look like the rag a painter has wiped his brushes on.  

But the craziness of this scarf is nothing compared to the zaniness of the Marx Brothers Shrine Part 2 in my living room.  (I have already shown you Part 1--the left side--of this shrine, featuring Groucho.)  I like how the cardboard Harpo and Chico are checking out the Marx Brothers print by Al Hirschfeld hanging next to them.  As for the Kandinsky print, it just seemed to work with manic energy of that corner of the room.
 

And by total accident, I also dressed to fit this month's Style Imitating Art challenge.  Here is the inspiration piece, a poster created for the WPA Illinois Art Project (1936-1940).  Black with orange, white, and blue?  Done and done.
 

In other news...Today I busted my last ghosts of the year.  Now on to less haunted projects!