Dust Bowl Dress

I often wonder if any of the people in 1930's Dust Bowl photos might have been relatives of mine. I have had family in the Oklahoma area for generations, so it's possible... Here is a lovely one from 1937 by Dorothea Lange:



I just had to show off my new purchase from the Gap -- there is something a little bit 1920's Depression/Dust Bowl about this dress, and I couldn't resist the soft, comfy plaid-ness of it (not to make light of the Dust Bowl...I just tend to make strange connections in my mind). As I mentioned in my last post, the weather has suddenly become chilly and wet, so to battle my grumpy mood and the weather transition, I decided to treat myself to a perfect summer--> fall transition piece. It also gave me the excuse to wear my new (vintage) ankle boots and some cozy knit tights. There are several different versions of this dress at the Gap right now... in various versions of black, brown, or cream. While I'm not usually a HUGE fan of the Gap, I do find that once or twice a year they will have a great dress I can't seem to get out of my head. This was one of those!







Gap Popover Dress, $58.

BTW, I still haven't decided on a leather jacket!! I'll continue my hunt this weekend...

The Cranky Women of Frederick Sandys

I'm so sorry for the spotty posting over the past week! I have been getting back in the school/studying routine. Also, my little pug Olive has been sick with a heart problem, and I have been obsessing over her day and night...I will keep you posted on that.
Today we are getting the remnants of the hurricane here -- it is dreary, windy, and wet. I don't feel at all like chatting about clothes (especially since I plan on staying in my PJ's and reading most of the day). So, I thought I would post a few pictures that reflect my cranky and slightly frustrated state of mind the past few days. Some of these images appear in a book I have been reading entitled "Idols of Perversity" by Bram Dijkstra. He dicusses art from the Victorian period through the turn of the twentieth century, particularly images of women in art. He argues that most of the images of women we see in this art reflect a fear and hatred of women by male artists during this time -- it is really quite shocking and eye-opening. I'm not sure I agree with him on every point, but it has certainly given me a more critical eye! The artist Frederick Sandys is particularly interesting because he painted so many pictures of angry, mean, cranky-looking mythological women...I think he was just a tad intimidated by the ladies, what do you think?


Frederick Sandys, Helen of Troy.


Frederick Sandys, Medea.


Frederick Sandys. Medusa.


Frederick Sandys. Cassandra, c. 1895.

Gojane.com: Where Have You Been all My Life?

I pride myself on being somewhat "in the know" when it comes bargain shopping. So when I discover a new shop or online store that has been around for a while (and I have somehow managed to miss it) I feel like there is some kind of secret conspiracy to keep me out of the loop. I had one of these "conspiracy theory" moments yesterday while browsing through Sara Millionaire's great blog, "Ain't No Fun Waiting Around to be a Millionaire." She was wearing an amazingly sexy pair of lace-up heels and was kind enough to mention that she bought them from a site called Gojane.com. I had never heard of gojane, so I hustled on over there to see what they had to offer. I quickly discovered that the site is similar to a Delia's-type store (mostly clothing geared toward a teen clientele), and while their clothing isn't at all my cup-o-tea, they have a great selection of super-cheap, crazy-cool heels and sandals. Since heels are not a daily essential for me, I rarely splurge on them (unless they are truly comfortable), so the $20-$30 price range on this site really caught my eye. Of course, on the flip-side, if you are the kind of gal that wears heels almost every day, this site is a dream come true. Needless to say, I quickly forgot my conspiracy concerns, became very grateful for the tip, and added the site to my bookmarks for very-near-future reference. Here are just a few of the options I am lusting after:

Stud shield sling-back heel, $24.99 (available in black, brown, and camel)

Strappy lace-up platform, $20.99 (available in white).

Slouchy leatherette platform, $22.99 (available in black, bronze, and pewter)

Leatherette shield peep toe heel, $25.99 (available in black, brown, grey, purple, and red)


Lace-front peep toe bootie, $31.99 (available in black, chocolate, and navy).




Platform snake gladiator heel, $24.99 (available in black, bronze, and gold)