An Unchained Medley and Two Hippie Crashers

 Blue Bauble Chain Necklace

Top: Alloy

Tank: Express

Skirt: Denizen by Levis, Target

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Jacket: Decree, JCPenney

Scarf: Express

 Neon Cameo Chain Necklace

Tee: Alloy

Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's

Camisole: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Denizen by Levi's, Target

Jeans: Marshalls

Gold pumps: Aubrey Brooke, DSW

Olive pumps: Nine West, DSW

Chartreuse coat: XOXO

Navy jacket: Wilsons Leather

Teal clutch: Steve Madden, Macy's

Sunset clutch: Apt. 9, Kohl's

 Magenta Madness Chain Necklace

Tee: JCPenney

Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's

Skirt: Boscov's

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Eleven Peacocks, Etsy

Totally Toadstool Necklace

Dress: Wet Seal

Camisole: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Shoes: Call it Spring, JCPenney

Key to the Kingdom Necklace

Caftan: Allen B, JCPenney

Camisole: Free People

Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Gifted

Scarf: Kohl's

I was all set to post this trio of righteously rhinestoned chain necklaces when a duo of hippie dippy doodads came along and messed up the configuration.  Kind of like how those free-wheeling folk singers of the 1960s muscled in on the classic crooners of the 1950s.  But then, it's the interplay of establishment and counterculture that makes things interesting.  Like a sleek shift dress paired with a fringed hobo bag, a structured button-down teamed with embroidered boots, or a commune sprawling on the lawn of a corporation.  If I squint, I can almost make out the mushrooms and daisies all wrapped up in pinstripes and the spritely alfalfa sprouts festooned with paisley.  Did I mention that the corporation in question manufactures haute couture muumuus?  Style while you sit, my friends, all wrapped up in a fresh contradiction.      

The Venerable Bead

 Hooray for Hoopla Necklace

 Amazon Adventure Necklace

Top: JCPenney

Cardigan: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Denizen by Levi's, Target

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Delia's

 Great Balls of Gum Necklace

Top: Marshalls

Skirt: Forever 21

Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Coat: Gap

 Purple Parrot Paradise Necklace

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Camisole: Marshalls

Jeans: So, Kohl's

Shoes: Betseyville, JCPenney

Bag: Marshalls

Magenta scarf: Express

Print scarf: A.C. Moore

 United Unicorns Necklace

Tank: Xhilaration, Target

Cardigan: So, Kohl's
Jeans: So, Kohl's
Boots: Impo, Marshalls
Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

 Right on Retro Necklace

Dress: Rampage, Amazon

Shoes: BCBG, Marshalls

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Belt: Tournier Everything's $10

Bangle: B Fabulous

Stretch bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City

Ring: Claire's 

Three Cheers for Cherries Necklace

Top: JCPenney
Cardigan: So, Kohl's
Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney
Shoes: Barefeet Shoes
Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's

This week's post title presents a conundrum when it comes to penning puns.  Although its homonymic historical figure fits in nicely with this week's bead-heavy baubles (nearly no glue used this time, except for in Hooray for Hoopla.  But then it would be like one of the swinging sixties-style numbers to do something rebellious), he's a religious dude, a condition that puts the kibosh on all kinds of wordplay.  When blogging, I try to avoid the unholy triumvirate of cringe-inducing topics, namely, religion, politics, and money.  As well as anything else that sounds suspect.  For example, my first impulse was to christen the Amazon Adventure (necklace) the snappier and more menacing Fangs and Faces.  But that seemed wrong.  Especially when the faces in question are so cute.

Brooch Brigade

 Dragonfly Charming Chain Necklace

Blouse: Candie's, Kohl's

Crop top: Delia's

Skirt: Ellen Tracy, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Betsey Johnson, ROSS Dress for Less

Scarf: A.C. Moore

Belt: Wet Seal

Sparkling Scorpion Necklace

Camisole: So, Kohl's

Cardigan: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Decree, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Belt: Wet Seal

Elephant Charming Chain Necklace

Top: Xhilaration, Target
Skirt: Denizen by Levi's, Target
Shoes: Ami Clubwear
Bag: Betsey Johnson, ROSS Dress for Less
Jacket: Wilsons Leather
Scarf: Express

Sure, the alliteration is there in the buzzy repetition of the bold letter "b".  But it seems incongruous to pair a frivolous adornment with a no-nonsense military group.  Or does it?  Both have shiny metal things, both provide light (well, at least, the Tennyson brand of brigade does), and both make a much-needed contribution to our modern world (i.e., sparkliness [in the case of the brooches] and protection [in the case of the brigade]).  

But enough about puns and poets.  All of this hoopla was hatched when I ordered this stunning necklace from Fred Flare:  

Now, as a rule, I try not to buy too many necklaces.  My collection is already huge, a thriving, colorful hybrid of handmade and store-bought strands that threaten to strangle each other in the crowded quiet of their quaint hatbox homes.  But this one was too eclectic and edgy and cheap ($9.99 down from $39.99) to resist.  Also, it will dwell within the sterile and strangle-free confines of a plastic baggie.  (Which will then, of course, be deposited within one of the aforesaid hatboxes.)  Once it arrived, I wore it immediately, an experience so lovely that it only heightened my hankering for hardware-harnessed pieces.  There was nothing for it but to make my own!  So I forsook my signature soft stuff (i.e., felt) and delved into my brooch collection for inspiration in the form of ornate and unusual accents.  I'd bought most of them about ten or so years ago when brooches were having a moment, and I wore them a lot, either singly or in messy clusters.  I still loved the designs - the patterns, the flowers, the elephants! - if not the wardrobe-warping pins, so giving them new life as necklaces killed two birds with one (rhine)stone.  In some ways these projects were easier and less tedious than my felt or collage necklaces - no cutting or gluing required! - but in other ways they were harder because they were more exacting, and being exacting is not exactly my strong suit.  Working exclusively with chains and jump rings was uncharted territory for me.  Those materials required balance, as did the cumbersome (and often stubborn!) brooches, so that everything would lie just so.  Physics, you were always my foe. 

It was a fun experiment, but at the end of the day, I liked the Fred Flare version better than any of my own (that combination of neon pink gem cluster and rhinestone-encrusted horse is, I'm certain, unparalleled in all of the costume jewelry kingdom).  Which was just as well, because I get more of a kick out of making felt, collage, and even simply beaded necklaces.  There are more opportunities for kitsch there, I think, and for me, kitsch will always be king.  Or maybe queen.

So I suppose I've lost this bauble battle, brigades notwithstanding.  But that doesn't mean that I can't be a contender in the wardrobe war.

Snarky sweaters, I've got my eye on you.           

September is for Sapphire

 Neon Snazzy Circles Necklace

Dress: Modcloth

Print wedges: Bucco, Kohl's

Metallic pumps: Paris Hilton, Marshalls

Sunset clutch: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Metallic shoulder bag: Gap

 Happy Cloud Necklace

Tee: JCPenney

Skirt: Marshalls

Shoes: Barefeet Shoes

Hello Kitty Tote: Amazon

White shoulder bag: Nine West, Boscov's

 Seashells in Space Necklace

Top: Mossimo, Target

Skirt: Denizen by Levi's, Target

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Gap

Scarf: Express

Pastel Snazzy Circles Necklace

Top: Marshalls

Jeans: Earl Jeans, Macy's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Shoe Dept.

And turquoise.  And sky blue.  And navy.  (But never ever cornflower or Wedgwood.)  Equal parts no-nonsense and regal, these shades make for a nice jewel box of a post-summer palette.  I've always loved blue, much more so than pink.  (I know I've blogged about that before, but sometimes it just bears repeating.  I considered saying, "I've always loved the cool kiss of cobalt," "blue just blows me away," or something else silly-and-or-pompous, but thought better of sacrificing my street cred.)  The whole blue-vs.-pink thing takes me back to that last scene in "Sleeping Beauty" when Princess Aurora is dancing with the prince with the fairies hovering overhead, arguing over which color is better and changing the shade of Aurora's gown in the crossfire.  The result is an ever-changing, Technicolor dream of a dress drenched in Disney movie magic.  (So much for avoiding bombastic writing.)  

Team blue fairy, this post is for you.