Daisies and the Deep Blue Sea, the Pirate's Life is Not for Me

Top: Delia's, Dolls Kill

Fish Kitsch Necklace

Black and white bracelet: Mixit, JCPenney; Lime bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily; Bag: Mix No. 6, DSW; Purple bracelet: Etsy; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Rainbow bracelet: So, Kohl's; Barrettes: So, Kohl's

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Jeans: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Necklace: The Tote Trove; Bag: SHEIN; Rainbow bracelet: Zulily; Clip: SHEIN; Purple ring: Claire's; Blue bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Dragonfly ring: Miami accessories cart

Top: Rebellious One, Macy's

Flip flops: Rocket Dog, Marshalls

Twee If By Sea Necklace

Dress: Rewind, Kohl's

Barrettes: SHEIN; Bag: Wild Fable, Target; Yellow and lime bangles: B Fabulous; Blue bangle: So, Kohl's; Coral bangle: Silver Lining, Ocean City

Shoes: Not Rated, Journeys

Today's outfits are all about daisies and sea life.  Because whether wedded to water or grown in the ground, both natural wonders bring the wow.  The fabrics are rooted in florals; the necklaces hang at the aquarium.  It's a real "Octopus's Garden" situation, only with fish and dolphins instead of octopi.  And landlubber flowers instead of seaweed.  

Still, my favorite item isn't anchored to any of it.  Because it's this pair of kind-of-'60s-kind-of-'90s, black and yellow plaid pants!  

Pants: Almost Famous, Macy's

Although not super low rise (no whale tails here), they were a super low price, just $6.96.  Unfortunately, they're also super long, swallowing my five-foot self even in four-inch heels.  Now, as you know, I'm no seamstress.  So I turned to my packing tape.  Not just for Tote Trove packages anymore, this very sticky adhesive did the trick, holding up my insta-cuffs -- at least until after the picture. 

That said, I'd rather deal with daisies and the deep blue sea than the devil.  Somehow I don't think that  packing tape would stand up to a peg leg.

Musical Muse Clues: Mix Tape of the Mind

Clockwise: The Beatles, 1; Beck, Odelay; Better Than Ezra, Greatest Hits; The Black Keys, El Camino

One of my favorite new(ish) TV shows is Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.  Not to be confused with the movie Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, this NBC hour-long dramedy is in its sophomore season and is about an endearingly dorky coder named Zoey (Jane Levy) who goes into an MRI machine and emerges being able to hear people's feelings as songs.  As if having an MRI weren't traumatic enough without that added emotional baggage!  

This is probably a good time to mention that when it comes to musicals, I'm usually like, what, people randomly bursting into song?  Pass!  But instead of coming off as a gimmicky Broadway device, the songs in Zoey are real cries for help that add depth to the characters -- and underscore Zoey's responsibility to them.  Zoey's powers are all the more meaningful because they help her connect with her dad (Peter Gallagher), who's dying of a disease that prevents him from speaking, and empathize with her mom (Mary Steenburgen).  Her powers also become valuable as she steps up to boss lady status in male-dominated Silicon Valley, a gig that's fraught with stress and challenges.  Finally, being a mind reader is uber important as Zoey navigates the sometimes-murky-sometimes-rose-colored waters of dealing with love interests Max (Skylar Astin, who was made for this show) and Simon (John Clarence-Stewart).  Max is an earnest and sweet fellow coder that Zoey's known for years, and Simon is a suave yet brooding marketing whiz who understands the pain of losing a father.  When it all gets to be too much, Zoey confides in her annoying neighbor-turned-bestie Mo (Alex Newell), a no-nonsense trans woman with wigs for days.  

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist appeals to me because it's very much like a book.  Layered and character-driven, it opens a window into people's heads and hearts that usually remains firmly closed.  Fortunately, the heaviness of the revelations is offset by the jazziness of the dance numbers.  

Needless to say, I was psyched when I heard that Jane Levy is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Musical Series or Comedy.  In a world where streaming services reign supreme, that's a rare feat for an actor from a network show.  Which means that this nom is -- yes -- something to sing about!  Award category notwithstanding, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is still more dramedy than comedy (because you have to be jump-off-a-cliff depressing to qualify as a drama for any award).  It hits all the high notes of the genre, including colorful sets and costumes, romance, heartache, and a sometimes-lighthearted-sometimes-stirring spotlight on self discovery and personal growth.

Zoey doesn't always get it right.  She's as mixed-up as any of us, or indeed as any mix tape made from a radio top ten list circa 1995.  But she's trying and she's learning, and her journey shows us that it's always worth it to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

Or, at the very least, to listen to a song on someone else's playlist.

The Chenille Deal and an Homage to Abbey

 

Sweaters: So, Kohls; Floral dress: Trixxi, Kohl's; Houndstooth dress: Rewind, Kohl's

This morning, I was surprised to see a dusting of sugar-white frost on the lawn.  Why the surprise, I don't know.  It is the middle of November.  But isn't that the way every year?  The seasons change as they always do, and yet we watch, slack-jawed, as if the sky's spewing seaweed.   

One good thing about the chill in the air is that it means it's time for sweaters.  The chenille ones pictured here were seven dollars each, which was quite a bargain considering that there's nary an acrylic thread between them.  I love how toasty and homey they are, like gingerbread and strawberry cakes just waiting to be decorated with gumdrops.

Speaking of which, this Lipstick Love Barrette Brooch may look familiar because it started life as a headband.

Lipstick Love Barrette Brooch

I have a cannister full of failed projects that I reinvent into stuff that's (hopefully) better.  The Checkerboard Core Barrette Brooch is brand new, though.  Even if it does echo an album cover art project I made in sixth grade.  The album was called The Sour Apples.  My dad thought it had something to do with the Beatles' Abbey Road.  It didn't.  But maybe I should have said it did.

Checkerboard Core Barrette Brooch

Or maybe I should have made something reminiscent of "Octopus's Garden."  To fit in with Abbey Road.  

And to make some sense of that seaweed.  

Drumroll/Jellyroll Please . . .

 Fruit Fete Necklace

 Great Scottie Dog Necklace

Top: Bongo, Sears

Skirt (a dress!): JCPenney

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Jacket: BCBG, Macy's

Sunglasses: JCPenney

Red Bow Rainbow Barrettes

Top: Bongo, Sears

Skirt: Modcloth

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Jacket: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: JCPenney

 Sally Starfish Bow Barrettes

Top: Bongo, Sears

Skirt: Material Girl, Macy's

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Jacket: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Sunglasses: Target

 Abbie Apple Bow Barrettes

Top: Lily White, Alloy

Jeans: Bongo, Sears

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Marshalls

Jacket: Hot Kiss, Marshalls

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

 Haute Tropics Gumball Necklace

 Polly Pink Hearts Necklace

Top: Bongo, Sears

Skirt (a dress!): Kohl's

Shoes: City Streets, JCPenney

Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Jacket: Abbey Dawn, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Candie's, Kohl's

 Too Hot Teapot Necklace

Top: Bongo, Sears

Skirt: Forever 21

Shoes: Chinese Laundry, DSW

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Jacket: Decree, JCPenney

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: Candie's, Kohl's

Because on New Year's Eve we're still in pa-rum-pum-pum-pum territory, which means a bounty of drumsticks -- chicken, ice cream, and anything else hanging by the buffet.  (Also, candy, as represented by the above bargain basement tree garland.)  On the subject of drums, every outfit in this week's post includes a Bongo item from Sears.  Because I've had the pleasure of rediscovering Bongo lately.  If you were a child of the 1990s, then you may have picked out a pair of Bongo jeans for the first day of school.  Back then you could find them at JCPenney, sometimes in a funky pattern befitting their namesake, that most exotic of the percussion instruments.  Then it all disappeared for awhile, only to reemerge as a fashion phoenix at the retailer best known for wrenches.  New and improved, the brand has moved beyond denim to infiltrate every nook and cranny of the wardrobe spectrum.  It's good stuff, fun and affordable with just a hint of rockabilly retro, and I'm so excited about it that I think that "The Walker" by Fitz and the Tantrums  ("I walk to the sound of my own drum . . .") should be its theme song, a comeback anthem that boldly proclaims so what if it's cousins with Kmart?  Which is fitting, what with drummers being known for their off-beat behavior.  You know.  Animal from the Muppets, Travis Barker from Blink-182, Ringo Starr from the Beatles --  also, that other, lesser-known Ringo from Los Lonely Boys.

So let's have a listen, shall we?  I'll provide the lyrics if you hum along in your head, or, if your head isn't earworm friendly, then if you zip on over to iTunes.  Fitz and the Tantrums' drummer, by the way, is John Wicks.  Not to be confused with the title character in that Keanu Reeves movie.  Which, now that I think of it, was John Wick.  Still close enough for the poor guy to get some weird fan mail, though, don't you think?

"Ooh, crazy's what they think about me
Ain't gonna stop cause they tell me so
Cause 99 miles per hour baby,
Is how fast that I like to go.

Can't keep up with my rhythm
Though they keep trying.
Too quick for the lines they throw.
I walk to the sound of my own drum,
It goes, they go, we go, hey yeah yeah yeah"

Prose like that deserves some pastry (figuratively speaking, of course, as I'm certainly not going to box up a pie for Mr. Wicks after that bit about fan mail).  Indeed, dessert and drums: no sweeter way to roll.

Creature Feature

 Fabulous Felt Antique Owl Necklace

Dress: Marshalls

Shoes: Frederick's of Hollywood

Bag: DSW

 Petunia the Peaceful Elephant Necklace

Top: Venus

Skirt: So, Kohl's

Shoes: Chaps, Kohl's

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Fabulous Felt Our Pal Owl Necklace

Top: Kohl's

Jeans: Vanilla Star, Target

Shoes: Madeleine, DSW

Bag: Gifted

Belt: Wet Seal

This week's trio features two more pieces that are part of what I've come to think of as my cool collars series because the felt "wings" flanking the pendants look like little peter pan collars about to take flight.  A mixed-media marriage of hardware and felt, these sassy hybrids open the door to ever more eccentric themes.  Take the Fabulous Felt Antique Octopus Necklace.  After finishing it, it occurred to me that our tentacled title character should've been surrounded by seashells instead of flowers.  But then, I kind of liked the incongruity.  Not to mention the "Octopus's Garden" connection that, for all I know, subconsciously fueled the entire enterprise.  Now, that's what I call strange serendipity.