A Discourse on Love

 Top: Party Ponte Peplum Top by Kiyonna via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Skirt: Lane Bryant

Sandals: Dansko

Necklace: Babil & Bijou

Earring: etXarte

Photography: Kate & Me (iPhone)

I wore this ensemble to work, out to lunch with Super Boo, & to attend an art opening with Kate & Daniel. I normally LOVE Kiyonna clothing, but I was not an admirer of this top. They got the leopard print just right, but the fabric was incredibly thick & heavy...more suited for winter, but even then...it just didn't feel nice. I really liked these 2 prints together & I feel like I made this a fun one time wear look. 

I felt I needed to go to this art show opening because it would be the last one at Absolutely Art, who closed after 9 years of bringing lovely art to the neighborhood, as well as always having the perfect gift. These photos were taken in their backyard, which I will truly miss. I love all the fun creatures! 

 A kiss of love, a discourse on love...

 Some of the pieces I liked...

My favorite piece ended up being by the only person I knew in the show, Enid...fantastic...

On this day, something wonderful happened that was very much about love...a judge ruled that Wisconsin's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional & for a short while...everyone that loved each other could tie the knot. It was amazing to see. Unfortunately, marriage licenses have now been put on hold, pending appeals. Some day soon...

15th Girlieversary

 Dress: Flirt The Issue Lace Dress by Poppy & Bloom via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Lace Leggings: Torrid

Shoes: Born

Necklace: A Luscious Thing

Bracelet: Vintage

Earring: etXarte

Photography: Super Boo, Kate, & Me (Canon Rebel & iPhone)

Kate & I wore these matching dresses out to dinner to celebrate the day we met 15 years ago on June 4th. I loved the gorgeous color of the coral-y pink lace pattern with the black background. I'd say it fit true to size as I wore a 22/24 & it was a bit snug on me as I normally wear a 26/28. I thought this was a fun dress to have at the same time...I really liked it. This is my first Poppy & Bloom dress...the design & fabric were great. My only complaint is that it snagged really easily, but anything lace & lace-like will do that. I should have worn black shoes...what was I thinking?!

Cute girlies! Kate & I met in an online group called Plus Goths. We were smitten with each other & arranged to meet in person in Chicago where she lived at the time. I thought she was the prettiest girlie I'd ever seen. We dated for a while, but are now best girlies for life & I love her with all my girlie heart. We get along better now than we ever did way back then. It was soooo long ago that our first photos together were taken with a non-digital camera & I don't have them scanned it, so here are some pictures of pictures... 

The top photo is Halloween 1999 & we were dressed for a wake at a friend of a friend's house. The bottom picture is New Year's Eve 1999. 

Dinner at Restaurant Muramoto. First course...Rainbow Roll & Dragon Roll, Ceviche, & Seaweed Salad...

Followed by Poke & Scallop...

After dinner we were going to drink a bottle of wine Kate got us from 1999, but she wasn't feeling well, so we have to drink that at a later date. 

Each of our views at dinner, close-ups of our necklaces. 

Kate got me this necklace as a New Year's Eve present several years ago from a seller on etsy, love, I need to find more dresses to wear it with! 

Dotty

 Top: Deep V-Neck Tunic by tbagslosangeles via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Skirt: Enwrapture Vintage Silk Sari Wrap Skirt

Dot Skirt: Lane Bryant 

Sandals: Born

Necklace: Antique Gold Locket

Earring: Babil & Bijou

Nail Polish: Orange You Going to the Game? by OPI

Photography: Super Boo & Me (Canon Rebel)

I wore this outfit to work & Tai Chi. This tunic hugged my belly way too much for me, so I floofed it up & wore it as a top. This is the first item of clothing I've gotten from tbags that has *all* the edges finished. It's usually their thing to leave edges unfinished, which I think looks sloppy, especially for garments that cost over $200. I loved the pattern on this, being a big fan of dots, & I was giddy over the surprise hints of orange (my favorite color!) that hadn't shown up on the GB photos. They are not kidding when they call this a deep v-neck...it went down lower than my bra, but I hate wearing camisoles, so I didn't. The fabric on this was nice & I really enjoyed wearing it, but it was not something I would buy. 

After having a 3 week break from Tai Chi between semesters, it was nice to get back to. The place & especially the people there have a wonderful positive energy that I missed. I'm still awkward at it, but I find Tai Chi relaxing. 

 Do you like the top better with the sari skirt or the dotty skirt?

Years ago I did a large group order for these sari skirts, I just LOVE them...so many patterns & colors in the same skirt...& reversible! They are so lovely to wear, especially in the summer. I have a bunch left & I've been thinking about having a contest here to give one away, as well as perhaps taking photos to sell if anyone is interested. I want to share the wrap skirt love. 

2 Saturday Outfits

 Black Dress: Scoop Neck A-Line Dress from Karen Kane via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Lace Dress: Sweet Leah Lace Dress in Navy & Plum from Kiyonna via GB

Red Teggings: Re/Dress

Sandals: Dansko

Both Necklaces: Vintage

Red Earring: ebay

Rhinestone Earring: etXarte

Photography: Kate, Super Boo, & Me (iPhone)

I wore the black dress to farmers' market (same dress I wore the night before) in the morning & the lace dress to a wine tasting party in the evening. I reviewed the black dress yesterday...like I said, blank canvas. The lace dress ran a bit big. I got this in my normal Kiyonna size 4, & I could have sized down. This is actually 2 separate pieces. The blue was a pretty shade & that lace was thee softest lace I have ever felt...not a bit scratchy. I didn't feel that the berry underdress complemented the blue as well as another color would have...for example, green...wouldn't that be the most gorgeous peacock dress?! And it would have matched my necklace.  Also, I did not have appropriate shoes to wear with the lace dress, but I spent the night barefoot, so it didn't really matter. 

 Girlies on a train.

I was trying to capture Kate in her cute hat while she was buying cheese, but there were too many people in my way. 

Kate belongs to a wine group, Wasted. That night she was hosting & invited me. Riesling, my favorite white wine, was the theme. 

I adore this sparkling wine from my home state, Michigan. 

Breaking out 2 more necklace that haven't seen the light of day since the 90s.

Little Black Dress

 Dress: Scoop Neck A-Line Dress from Karen Kane via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Shoes: Fidji 

Necklace & Bracelet: Vintage

Earring: etXarte

Photography: Kate & Me (iPhone)

I wore this outfit out to see a band with the girlie. This is the tightest dress I've ever worn out in public. I don't own any shapewear, but I might have worn some with this dress. Karen Kane only goes up to 3x, so this is a size smaller than I need. This dress was comfortable & the scoop neck was a nice change from plunging v-necks on a little black dress. It was so plain, like a blank canvas...you could wear this all the time with different accessories & no one would notice. In fact, I'll be wearing it a different way in my next post. 

Kate looking adorable, like she does...

After going to The Reptile Palace Orchestra's 20th Anniversary Show...I had to look up what Anna Purnell was doing musically...because she is what we really enjoyed most about RPO. She has a wonderful presence & energy...& terrific fashion sense. Turns out one of the things she's doing is singing in The Velvet Smash. They are a "lounge-a-licious band...who embrace sybaritic 60s classics, but fearlessly lounge-ify a wild mix of other tunes as well." They did a Tom Waits song this particular evening. Accordion! Upright Bass! Theremin! All my favorite instruments in one band. Awesome. And front row seats. 

This couple was the cherry on top. Other people danced...but there was something about these 2...

A close-up of the shoes Kate got me. There was a wedding party in the back room of where we were seeing the band, The Brink Lounge, & I overheard one of the guests tell her friend she loved my shoes. I love them too.

Jewels. I hadn't worn that green necklace since the early 90s...I love digging out old stuff & taking it out on the town...

A Play in the Woods

 Dress: Mini Paisley Fit & Flare Dress by Spruce & Sage via Gwynnie Bee (click link to get a free month & help me earn a free garment for a month)

Cardigan: Lands' End

Sandals: Dansko

Earring: etXarte

Photography: Kate & Me (iPhone)

I wore this outfit to see a free concert on the lake & on another day to see a play in the woods with Kate and Super Boo. I adored the pattern of this dress, like a peacock feather paisley pattern, I also liked the blue sash & matching neck & sleeve trim. I disliked the shape of this dress, it stated it had an empire waist, but the waist was at the natural waistline...however, I tied the belt higher & pulled the elastic waist up...but that kept slipping down as you can see in these photos. Also, the armholes on this dress were out of control...there was no way I could wear this without a cardigan over it because my entire bra showed from the sides. 

I had seen Kishi Bashi's Tiny Desk Concert on NPR, so when I heard he was playing out on the Memorial Union Terrace for free, I was eager to go. I sat behind the stage, on the lake, away from the crowd. It was a lovely evening, but he sounded completely different at this venue & I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. 

The day of our first play of the season at American Players Theatre (APT), The Importance of Being Earnest, was rainy...but we decided to chance it & not reschedule. We buy our tickets the minute they go on sale & I did not want to sacrifice our front row seats. Siri took us a different route than we usually go...at first I was nervous...change!...but it ended up being much more scenic. So, yay, Siri! 

I made us a tuna orzo salad with kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, & some farmers' market additions of spinach, pea vine, asparagus, & sungold tomatoes. It was delicious. Kate provided the sparkling wine. We picnicked in Super Boo's truck rather than get rained on outside. 

Kate bought us rain ponchos so we wouldn't get soaked. It drizzled for about the first 30 minutes of the play. They had to come out & wipe the stage before they set up...

This was the best performance I've ever seen of The Importance of Being Earnest & I believe this was my 6th time seeing it. It is one of my favorite plays...worth sitting in the rain for.