I’m coming out of a busy few days — house guest Thursday/Friday; rigorous gym workout Friday morning; our Italian class Saturday morning, extended through lunch these days for conversation in English and rudimentary Italian with fellow students; dinner Saturday night at the home of a former student (a wonderful story there, actually, and perhaps I’ll tell you someday); getting home from said dinner by public transit and foot because we didn’t see the sign about the parking lot being locked after 8 pm; walking 3 kilometres to and from yesterday’s Stretch Class; hours in between spent on preparing a ten-minute presentation for my French class this evening. . .
and last night I went to bed with the chickens. . . Do you all know this expression? My French IG friend Sylvie (who also speaks Italian) sent me a cute cartoon she’d seen on another IG account illustrating the Italian version: “andare a letto con le galline” . . . To go to bed with the chickens. . .
Paul’s headed off to retrieve our car (the lot was locked all day yesterday as well, and I’ve used the parking app on my phone to buy parking until 9 o’clock. Cross your fingers it hasn’t been towed. . . .
While he’s gone, I thought I’d show you what I’ve been wearing to Italian class. . . and then share a few of the garments currently featured in Il Museo at the Italian Cultural Centre here in Vancouver. . .
If my outfit was being curated for an exposition (hahahaha!), you would learn that my sweatshirt (All-Saints, also seen here) is three or four years old, the jeans (Madewell) about the same, and the Acne Pistol boots (seen here,when I wore them for my last day teaching), are over eight years old. The heel on the boots is higher than I’ve been wearing lately, but I still love them and since we drive to our Italian class, it seemed the perfect opportunity. Neither have I been wearing skinny jeans much the last year or so, but there’s still lots of wear left in these. And thinking of our recent conversation about Fast vs. Slow Fashion, about sustainability, shopping our closet, buying less — a conversation I’m going to try to renew a bit, later this week — I’m working them into the mix a bit more.
Made them the base of my outfit, such as it was, for heading to class this past Saturday as well. The sweater is Eileen Fisher from last year, the scarf (tied after watching Sue/Une Femme’s video on scarf-tying for a casual look)
and my eight-year-old Fluevogs (this post features them in their very early days, worn with a navy-white T-dress)
But enough about me. . . .
How’s this for contrast. . . . A “hostess outfit” c. 1963-1968, wool, Gino Paoli, made in Italy, from the collection of Vancouver fashion historian Ivan Sayers. . . .
How fabulous is that?!
And what about this little number? A silk “cocktail suit,” circa 1970, and made in Vancouver by Roma Custom Tailors for Ladies and Gentlemen.
As the accompanying plaque explains, “Italian immigrants [who] sought their fortunes in other parts of the world. . . took their aesthetics and skills with them. This suit was made in Vancouver, of quality fabric and superlative sewing techniques, in the finest Italian tradition.”
More to come. . . .and, as I say, I’m hoping to revive and extend the conversation we began about wardrobe consumerism. . . . I have a few more thoughts on that, and a few readers’ comments I’d like to emphasize, and I suspect you might have thought a bit more about this in the weeks since.
Breaking News: Paul has just texted to say that he’s retrieved our car without problem and is driving it home (about 30 kilometres away, it was parked very near a Skytrain station, convenietnly, so that we were able to get home easily on Saturday, and he got there quickly this morning to retrieve).
And now, back to fretting over my French. At least the subject I chose for my presentation is one I’m keen to talk about. In fact, I’ll share it with you (en anglais) later this week. Meanwhile, your comments below are always welcome, especially on days when the motivation for blogging is flagging. Open mic time, people š
what a busy weekend! In Germany we go to bed with the chickens, too.
Can't you post your presentation in both languages? that would be some French practice for this reader of yours.
I could do that, maybe a condensed version…
Oh, I forgot to add: I love the colour of that cocktais suit!
COCKTAIL SUIT.
Itās such a good colour!
Sometimes I wonder "what in the world" I am going to do for my French class oral presentation, but then somehow, a subject pops up in the nick of time! It does cause me some stress until I figure out what that topic is going to be.
slf
You do the same thing? How long do yours have to be? And just one per term? Iām so pleased mineās done this early and I can relax for the next six weeksš
I admire your commitment to seriously learning not just one but two languages. I'm hoping after Doug retires in March, we can find a local class or teacher to improve our French.
Love the scarf! Doing those videos has inspired me to start wearing more of my scarves again. More Slow Fashion in Action…
The scarf video was so helpful!
As for the two languages, Iām actually loving the two stages Iām at. My French is so well established that it seems to stay put while I learn the Italian. Paul has more trouble, his hard-won French pronunciation infecting his Italian but heās getting there.
Oh, and that Hostess Outfit…how fabulous is that???
Right?! Can you imagine?!
How are you finding learning two languages at the same time? I have a decent amount of Spanish and a bit of French, and I discovered they both wanted to come out to play while I was in Portugal as I fumbled for the right words in Portuguese (of the little bit I know thus far!). Any mix-ups on your end?
See above, my response to Sue B… someday Iād love to revive my two years of university Spanish, which pops up occasionally in my Italianš¤£ and I do sometimes find myself saying Si, si in French, instead of Oui, ouiš
Good luck with the PortugueseāI thought that would be easier to pick up (bd abuse I have that Spanish base, and Latin), but the Arabic influence gives it a different flavour than Iād expected. Iāll be curious to see how you doāso fun!
That cocktail suit reminds me of the gorgeous two piece my mum wore to my brother's wedding in 1971. I wonder where it went? And I am currently looking for balcony trousers – I have invented these, by the way – to wear on the balcony of a friend's house when she moves. So I can catch the Cornish sun and look elegant. There will be no bobbles. Nice jeans.
Balcony trousersāI think I hear Vogue UK calling you… although elegance without bobbles? Is that possible?
What a weekend! Full of adventures!
You know how I love italian fashion,IRL as well as in all the other spaces š
Dottoressa
It was fun, and I do know that about you! But what about the bobblesšš¤£
And,yes,we go to bed with chickens in Croatia as well
D.
Come lo dici?
"IÄi u krevet s kokoÅ”ima"
Well,it's with hens actually,not chickens
Maybe it's a little later indeed:-),no?
As you know Martini Monday features in our home. While, in my head, I am wearing a cocktail outfit such as the one with the pom poms-I can assure you I am NOT. Ah, bring back the days when people dressed to have a cocktail!
P.S. Your olive green boots are still looking good. Such a wonderful color for footwear.
A. in London
Isnāt it elegant? Honestly, I love the pompoms and can imagine them bouncing gently above a stiletto or, equally, over a gorgeous pointed mule. Still trying to decide if the mule could be feathered (after all, itās a Hostess Outfit, so an āat-homeā) or is that just an ornamentation too farš¤Ŗ
You look stylish and comfy at the same time.
I am laughing a bit at the hostess outfit. While it is indeed fabulous, I'm just imagining me trying to walk around the house wearing it with the dog at my heels removing pink and turquoise balls of fluff–just for fun. Also a bit curious as to why the cocktail suit was so wrinkled. Assume it was made of silk shantung; just could have used a touch of an iron for the display.
Oh, it would be a well-trained dog indeed that could resist nipping at those Pom-poms….
And, dāyou know, I thought exactly the same thing of the silk. On the other hand, I suspect there are some conservation and insurance questions. . .
Just saw another view of your living room posted on Instagram. Gorgeous! The wall color, the lemons, the cushions, the shock of red in the tulips. Absolutely stunning.
A. in London
Oh, thank you! Coming from you, a designer and decorator, thatās lovely to hear… My own decorating is very haphazard, and all those elements (except the tulips) have grown together comfortably with years of use..
I'm so pleased you regained your car without incident! I've had a car towed from a lot, it was almost unbearable to retrieve, and extremely expensive.
Your outfits are wonderful. I still love that AllSaints sweatshirt and I think navy suits you wonderfully.
I love that navy sweater and jeans with your green Fluevog boots and scarf. That looks so chic. Do you still have that navy pea coat?
Re: the pom poms. They must look interesting swirling around as the hostess moves among her guests refilling glasses and looking soignƩe.
No specific time requirements for our oral presentations. They generally run about 5-10 minutes person followed by questions from the teacher or the other students so that it becomes a conversation. The class is once a week so we do our presentations every week. You'd think I would be a lot more fluent by now with so much practice!
slf
5-10 minutes "per" person
slf
Oh, I like these outfits for both how you look and their longevity!
The French also go to bed with the chickens (se coucher avec les poules). I remember my Dutch friends getting a laugh over an ad in Flemish in Brussels, something about dawn, which used the very old-fashioned terminology of "when the cock crows." Chickens for any time of the day.
The pompons aside (and even with, but a bit smaller), that hostess outfit is still stylish, and so is the blue silk dress.
I think my mum used to use a Greek expression about going to bed with chickens so it seems to be common around the Mediterranean;). Well done to Paul on retrieving the car and to you for getting on with your speech. I like your outfits very much, especially the one with the Eileen Fisher sweater and scarf a la Sue. You look relaxed and smart. I still prefer skinny jeans to other cuts – they just look better on me than wide legged ones but I still have some wide legged jeans from years ago when they were last in fashion so when it cools down here and I can face jeans again in a couple of months, I might shop my closet and see if I would be happy to wear them again. Love the blue cocktail suit. Oh how I miss the days when it was easier to find clothes that were better made from lovely fabrics.
My husband tends to like to get up with the chickens, actually he may get up before the chickens. Ugh!! Always enjoy reading about your activities. You are always pursuing your interests, always learning.
Dottoressa: ha! Yes, we hens might stay up a bit later to catch something on Netflix š
Lisa: We were glad too — we've done the retrieval two or three times and it's beyond inconvenient and quite costly! Thanks re the outfits. I need to wear the sweatshirt more often . . .
Sue Burpee: Sadly, the navy peacoat began to look its age, and I haven't been able to find another — will snap one up when I do!
And I'm with you on the pompoms — I'd love to live that life in a daydream. . . š
SLF: That's a lot! Every week! But then you presumably get more comfortable with the process and perhaps don't feel you need to put a couple of hours into the prep?
Duchesse: Exactly what I like about them, thanks!
Taste of France: I can also imagine both hostess outfit (maybe even with the pompoms — they're pretty fab!) and the cocktail suit being worn now and looking appropriate if very distinctive. Personally, I'm smitten by the colour combo of the hostess outfit. . .
Maria: I think my skinny jeans are more flattering on me, but I like the attitude of my wider-legged pair, if that makes sense. And the skinny ones all depend on some kind of spandex, which compromises the denim for recycling or composting, if I understand correctly. Plus they seem to need to be laundered more often to correct the bagging out, which doesn't happen with the raw denim — dressing didn't used to be so complicated! š
Smithposts: I tend to get up before those chickens as well. And my husband says "Ugh!" . . . .and thanks, I do like learning. . .