Auntie Mame Returns

 
Lasers have brought extraordinary advances to the inhabitants of our little planet. Lasers have given us:

Medical advances
Medical advances: laser surgery
 
 
Industrial advances
Industrial advances: lasers that can achieve precision in manufacturing, surveying, and data-scanning
Communication advances: fiber optic cable (cross section)
Communication advances: fiber optic cable hustling The Directrice to your laptop in the blink of an eye

But the most extraordinary application of laser technology, in the context of this blog, is laser-printing, which in turn has given us this:

Busy
Busy, but elegant
A little too busy, but I'm still with you
A little too busy, but I’m still with you
Hold the phone! What hot mess is this?
Hold the phone! What hot mess is this?

 
 
 
It’s my hideo-marvelous™ Clover Canyon tunic.
 
 
Hideo-marvelous means “hideous yet marvelous.” Though trade-marked, I hereby give you the right to use the expression freely as much as you need to. Hopefully you won’t need it often.
This blouse has everything: classical motifs, architectural friezes, foliage, leopard spots
This blouse has everything: classical motifs, architectural friezes, foliage, leopard spots, bursts of light

Don’t be afraid. Come a little closer to see.

Holding my arms in this unnatural pose to show you the belled sleeves and floating lines
Affected Directrice; what must the neighbors be thinking
 
I am holding my arms in this unnatural, affected pose to show you how graceful this blouse is . . . if you can overlook the print(s).
 
The fabric is very fluid, so the full sleeves, which end in a tight cuff, bell a little bit; the uneven, split hem has movement. The back closes very loosely; four buttons with looped button-holes leave significant gaps, so a full coverage camisole is necessary.
 
The back is less intense
Blouse is less intense from behind; model remains affected

Behold
Behold

 
 
Behold a little more
Behold a little more
Continue beholding
Continue beholding

A blouse like this needs some neutralizing to be worn in an office setting; a black cardigan comes is very handy at times like this.

All's quiet now
All’s quiet now
 
Shhhhhhhhhhhh shhhhhhh
 
Nothing to see here
Nothing to see here

Fabulous fringe
Nothing, except this fabulous fringe

This blouse has to be the most unlikely thing in my closet, but I really love it. It’s good to occasionally wear something out of character to work. [N.B. It’s also good to occasionally wear something that makes you look pregnant.] You want to keep your co-workers on their toes and you certainly don’t want them to take you for granted.

For those of you curious about my previous turn as Auntie Mame, you might want to check out this earlier post, as well as my thoughts on the fatal allure of prints.

Blouse: Clover Canyon; Cardigan: Nanette Lepore; Pants: JCrew; Bag: Coach Gramercy Satchel; Shoes: French Sole New York

8 thoughts on “Auntie Mame Returns”

  1. “Hideo-marvelous”: that is the best neologism of the year so far (and with only three months to go, I dare say it will have little competition for the top title). I’m calling Merriam-Webster right now to propose it for inclusion in the dictionary. (The blouse is great, too, but in the grand scheme of things merely a means to a lexicographical end.)

    Reply
    • Sue, you spoil me. I was chuckling as I wrote this post. Thank you for taking up my cause with Merriam-Webster. Surely it’s just a hop from there to Stockholm in December? Actually, I have accepted that I am never going to win one of the “hard” Nobels. The peace prize is my best bet — so, Oslo.

      Reply
  2. I must say I was shocked at first glance, but as I continued to look at the different views, I actually began adjusting to it. I love the asymmetrical cut, the pattern on the cuffs, the back view, Though I do wish a camisole were not needed. BTW, when I looked at the sweater (which I love) in close-up it appears to be Navy, not black. Is it just my iPad?
    Susan

    Reply
    • Hi Susan — You are to be commended for not just closing your browser after that first disturbing glimpse! Perhaps you’re just a few more looks and adjustments away from scouring the Internet for your own hideo-marvelous blouse . . . The sweater is black. I sometimes find that colors do look different on my monitor than they look in real life.

      Reply
  3. But what do I think? I still don’t know quite what to think of the blouse by itself, but I like it very much with the sweater!

    Reply

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