Hello, hello I'm back again!!

Did you miss me? I've been MIA but have a good excuse as of late! I, along with my friend Danielle rescued a two week old kitten! We were at the Stockton flea market last week and there he was, laying in a cardboard box in desperate need of mother's milk. We sped off on a mission of mercy, buying kitten formula and stopping at the spca for guidance. A foster effort quickly became an adoption as my husband and I welcome the wee tabby boy into our home where Garloo will have two big brothers and a big sister too! He's a pound of fun and got in on the action for my latest outfit post!! The Mod Male himself requested a photo of my scalloped jacket as he posted a similar outfit on his blog recently. So here it is, and if you wanna git down with some killer mod men style, you know where to click!
60s Penelope of Carmel suede jacket, thrifted many years ago $3
60s wet look mini dress, ebay many years ago $25
60s-70s thigh high suede boots, ebay many years ago $40
60s Pucci velvet purse, ebay two years ago, $200
60s Italian sunglasses, ebay last year, $40
Bakelite ring, a few weeks ago at the Sacramento Antique Fair, $45

Pucci Forever!

Found fit to wear for all eternity, Marilyn Monroe was buried in her 60s green silk Emilio Pucci dress. I recently treated myself to a similar dress in pink, and it is indeed very comfortable to wear. The spanx pantyhose I'm wearing underneath it is another story however! Fortunately not all of Marilyn's beautiful Puccis followed her to the grave, and in fact many were auctioned at Christie's in 1999. The rack photograph (with several Pucci gowns shown) was taken prior to the auction of Marilyn's wardrobe. My dress is very similar to the one hanging on the far right, minus the exceptional provenance of course!!

60s Pucci pink silk dress, $120 ebay a few weeks ago
60s faux Pucci purse, $15 etsy last month
60s pink metallic stiletto heels, $30 ebay several years ago
60s cool ray sunglasses, thrifted a long time ago

Outfit inspiration: The Abominable Snow Monster

Our region's semblance of a cold winter is upon us, so I have been wearing this fuzzy jacket to keep toasty warm. In doing this, I was fondly reminded of the Abominable Snow Monster from the classic 1964 stop motion animation Christmas special, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. I always had a soft spot for the Abominable Snow Monster, he's just lonely and hungry out there in the bitter cold ass North Pole! In the true spirit of the holiday season, I like to overlook the Abominable Snow Monster's ferocious flaws and focus on what a cute beast he really is!

May your holidays be filled with loveliness warmth and cheer, thanks so much for visiting Annimal House this year!

Love,
Annimal and Stanimal


70s furry beast coat, $15 thrifted 5 years ago
Vintage 70s mini dress, $30 ebay a few weeks ago, also worn here
Cheapo vinyl gray shoes with carbon fiber look, $16 ebay last month
Vintage Furry purse, $15 ebay last month
60s sunglasses, $5 Sacramento antique fair a few years ago

Bonjour! Gucci, est que vraiment vous?!?

Found a fall 2008 Gucci at Thrift Town for 6 bux yesterday! Really loving this dress, it pairs well with some fancy sandals I got at Crimson and Clover a few months ago. My furry olive hat and tapestry purse round out the outfit, and multiple bracelets, rings and necklace top it all off. This is only the second Gucci I have ever thrifted! Have you thrifted much designer lately?

It takes a village...

to raise a drunk! Here’s an example of buying someone else something you really want to keep working out really well! I bought this Roach deadstock iron on for my husband several years ago. I was going to have it put on a t shirt for him but he could tell I really wanted it so he said I should put it on a shirt for myself. I’m glad I got to keep it cuz I think the village drunk is really cool, and people always tell me how much they like him when I wear it. Plus, since my husband doesn’t drink too much it would be false advertising, but when I wear it fair warning!

Repro lace up suede boots, $80 Urban Outfitter’s clearance a few years ago
Orange leather belt, $25 bought in Florence 6 years ago
70s orange Baruffaldi racer sunglasses, $1 thrifted several years ago
80s children’s acid wash jacket, $.50 thrifted
Contemporary corduroy skirt, $4 thrifted
Repro ringer tshirt with vintage 70s village drunk t shirt iron on $30

Top Ten!

Becka of Smashingbird fame has bestowed upon me the top ten blog award! I am paying this award forward to 10 bloggers who are stylish and inspiring (and I wanna know what stuff they use to look so gorgeous!).
Desiree
Pull Your Socks Up!
Sarah
Misfits Vintage
Jennie
Frocktasia
Carrie
Carried Away with Vintage Gourmet
Bella
Citizen Rosebud
Helga
Helga Von Trollop
Kerry
Fashion Farms and Freedom
Anika
By Anika
Dusk
The Dusk Zone
Nikki
Little Bits of NikkNakk
I am asked to divulge my top ten beauty products, so here goes:
T3 tourmaline flat iron, great coarse mane wrestler.
Coco Mademoiselle perfume, I tried the rest, it's still the best.
Mac foundation brush (I used cheapo drugstore foundation but the brush is the best tool to apply it with).
Mac eyeliner brush with Mac fluidline eyeliner.
Maybelline stiletto mascara.
Hask pure shine hair grease.
Kms molding paste.
Neutrogena 90 spf sunscreen.
Olay definity face lotion.
Revlon nail hardener.
Outfit details:
70s cotton flower dress, $12 Kerry via Crimson and Clover
60s beaded crochet bag, $20 Smashingbird Vintage via Etsy
Modern new bcbg sandals, $25 Citizen Rosebud sale
80s Express belt, thrifted cheaply many years ago

Bitch Switch (Flipped!)

I’m doin a don’t and you know I will even though some won’t!! I’m defiantly wearing these sandals again after I received unsolicited advice that they were all wrong in my last outfit post via a stranger in a facebook group. Stranger sez: “Love the dress and the price you eventually got it for, but the shoes seem too heavy for the fabric and dress style. I'd try dusty purple or olive green green or light brown pumps, ballet slippers, or sandals with very thin straps and beading. The dress is boho style so think boho shoes. A look is not just about the garment, it's also the accessories. hugz”. The fallacy of this person's argument is her assumption that I’m hoping to approximate a trendy nuevo boho look or to please strangers. I’m a personal style blogger cuz I want to share my personal style, not because I seek sartorial critique. So to this person’s comment I responded: “I like the shoes with the outfit, but to each their own.” So here’s to owning your look, whether or not it rings someone else’s bell!
Clod hopper sandals, MIA seen in previous post
70s dress $25, ebay several years ago
70s Avon pendant, $6 thrifted a few years ago

A little less conversation…

...a little more action!! This is my homage to the King, as Elvis rocked the jumpsuit like no other! I wish I had a custom tailored Nudie like rock royalty, but my 70s wet look jumpsuit will have to do. I’m a sucker for studs so I added this studded belt and my 70s studded jacket. Of course I needed to top it all off with my 70s Cool Ray Polaroid sunglasses! These are perennial favorites of mine, the frame style is called fastback. And when I wear them old ladies always like to tell me Elvis wore sunglasses like those, like I don't know that already!!  
70s wet look jumpsuit and 70s Cool Ray Polaroid sunglasses, thrifted cheaply a long time ago
70s studded jacket, last seen here
60s gold stiletto boots, $50 ebay several years ago
studded brass and plastic belt, free with purchase at a vintage clothing sale last year
Sally Hansen gold glitter nail decals, $7 at the drugstore, these rock!

A closer look…

at, what else?, one of my favorite vintage dresses! Mrs. Bossa did a killer blog post recently highlighting me and fellow fashion bloggers discussing our thoughts on dressing for our body shape. In response to her query, “Should we dress to flatter our shapes?” I wore this, an empire waist maxi dress. I am quoted as saying that if I like something I’ll wear it anyway. I am a pear shape, and when I don’t emphasize my waist I look heavier. But I don’t care, I wear shifts and tent shape dresses all the time. They are comfortable and easy to move in. And I like to be able to overindulge on food and drinks and not squish my swollen food baby in the process! I did want to show a close up of the print of the dress. I love these botanical novelty prints, and they are especially suited to a garden setting such as mine! So what do you think? Should you only wear figure flattering clothes or whatever the hell you want? It’s obvious what side I’m on!
70s botanical print maxi dress, $35 ebay a few years ago
60s glass cabochon necklace, $3 thrifted about 10 years ago
70s american optical sunglasses, $10 Sacramento antique fair a few years ago

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon...

Ok, more like collapsing! Stanimal and I spent the better part of this weekend working on our 5 year old canvas gazebo. We bought it for $200 and it was 50% off for an end of season sale. That gazebo has been through a lot, most notably flying over the fence a few years ago when we had 80 mph winds. It was bent and looked like it was trashed, but we straightened out the frame and reinforced a few spots with metal straps. The roof was all stained and gross so I proposed we paint it a dark earthy color. Stanimal was concerned it would be too dark on the deck so I decided to build a skylight for the center canopy topper. With heavy duty vinyl from the upholstery shop I used the existing topper as a pattern and made a replacement. We are very pleased with the paint and skylight, that old gazebo is ready to rock for at least a few more seasons!
Rejuvenated gazebo, $200 Save Mart grocery store over 5 years ago
60s caftan, $15 ebay a few months ago
60s jeweled sandals, $3 thrift store a few years ago

Jumping on a Jumpsuit Challenge!

Sometimes the stupidest comments can get me riled up! For instance, my husband’s friend was talking about jumpsuits several months back, stating that they were hard to pull off so most people shouldn’t try. Well, if you want me to do something just say it’s next to impossible and I’ll be all over it like a fly on you know what! Plus, I quickly pointed out that I wear jumpsuits frequently and have for years, but he didn’t believe me.  So here is one of said jumpsuits, a vintage nightie which I have seen fit to wear out of the house.  The added bonus of being super comfy doesn’t hurt one bit either!   So don’t hold back, please tell me if you would do this particular don’t!!
60s leopard print jumpsuit nightie, $10 ebay several years ago
70s shrunken fit child’s Lee jean jacket, $5 thrifted several years ago
Diba pointed toe flats, $5 thrifted in Seattle when our friends got married 4 years ago
Vintage chain belt, $1 thrifted several years ago
70s sunglasses, $1 thrifted several years ago
70s Sarah Coventry necklace, $10 ebay last week
killer chain earrings, $8 porkchop rules via Crimson and Clover

Swinginest Secretary, Moi?

Stanimal and I were delighted to attend the book signing party for our friend and thrice published author Lynn Peril! Her latest book is titled: Swimming in the Steno Pool, and I was enthusiastically awaiting it’s availability as her writing is always so witty and fun! Plus, she was hosting said event at the Smuggler’s Cove, a tiki bar in San Francisco I had yet to visit but was eager to! And not that I needed even more motivation, but she also presented an opportunity to enter a retro secretary contest!! Well, as you can probably imagine, that was right up my alley so I wore a recently acquired vintage dress, some old favorite 60s heels and a vintage purse that Stanimal found for me when he was out thrifting many years ago! I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and my expertly mixed sloe gin fizzes, the bartender was a stunning mixologist if I ever saw one! Then after visiting with our killer bay area peeps the contest began and we strutted our stuff down the stairs for the approval of the crowd and Lynn’s friends acting as judges! Well, a few lucky ladies including yours truly got gift bags and won in separate categories such as, most swinginest (me!), most reliable and a few others (my memory is obviously not so reliable, did I mention the amazing cocktails??). But the grand prize went to Carrie Swing for her 70s secretary rendition!  A killer time was had by all! Whatta way to commemorate Lynn’s latest in a long line of stunning achievements!

Proud to be stylish and feminist!!

Dusk is an absolute force of nature, and one of the most positive, fearless and creative women I have had the pleasure to meet in blogland. I am floored she has chosen me to be a recipient of the Stylish Blogger Award!! I am very happy to accept this accolade and pass the torch forward to the following bloggers who all bring it with style in their own special way: Nikki of Little Bits of Nikk Nak, Kara of Porkchop Does Rule, Nicole of Flaming Hag Folkwear, Joanna of Mrs. Bossa Does the Do, Rebecca of Smashingbird, Shy Biker, Dhee-Ghee of Dear Girl, confessions of a wallflower, Annalise and Jennifer of Hummingbird Girls, Dolly the bird of The Knack and How to get it, and Dash of The French Sampler!!
And per the guidelines for award recipients, I would like to share some things about me I have not yet divulged on this blog! As a member of the Feminist Fashion Blogger group, we are blogging in concert today on the topic: finance, feminism and the fashion blogger. This relates well to the introduction of my background as a construction worker. For many years I was very proud of the fact that I worked as hard as any of my (almost all) male peers for equal pay. I am a journey-level electrician, heavy equipment operator, and a gradesetter. I spent eight years working for union companies building soul less subdivision McMansion tract housing neighborhoods that I loathe! I then was self employed for almost three years as a General Contractor, specializing in remodeling homes built prior to 1950. After the economy started to tank in 2007 I got an entry level office worker job for the State of California. I was sick of dealing with deadbeat clients too, I won’t lie. It was a pay cut and a morale bruiser but my paychecks don’t bounce! I would cringe when people asked me what I do for a living when before I was proud to exceed their expectations of what women are capable of. But I’m small boned and I have since been diagnosed with early onset osteoarthritis in my spine, a result of having worked like a dog building everything I could get paid well to for almost 15 years. So now I’m grateful I’m not beating my body up just to prove that I can do what men can do, only better! And I was also fortunate to have purchased my house by myself when I was just 24 years old, having saved up some of the good pay I used to shovel in!! My little bungalow was built in 1920 and is located in an urban area near downtown Sacramento with huge trees and a killer park. So I don’t want for much, and I don’t need to abuse myself to make a decent living anymore! In contrast, fashion blogging has been purely a pleasure. I am new at this, having only seriously started blogging a few months ago, and if I never make any money doing it that would be fine! But as I have been collecting vintage clothing for over 20 years I’d love to be able to sell some of that to other vintage lovers out there too! You can’t put a price on the value of the connections and camaraderie I experience by sharing what I love most: building, restoring and celebrating life through my vintage style filter!  
  
70s Midi Dress, Joseph Magnin, $4 Sacramento Antique fair last week
Contemporary fake fur capelet, $15 Citizen Rosebud a few weeks ago
70s plastic cameo choker, $8 Sacramento Antique fair fair last week
Fake pearl and ab rings, $1 each Sacramento Antique fair fair last week
Bakelite dome ring, $20 ebay a few years ago
70s pull on boots, $4 thrift town, last seen here
         

Take that, player hater!

A few days ago I was merrily visiting other blogs and had several tabs open on my browser when the facebook tab showed activity. Could it be a message, a party invite, something cool? Not even, as I was greeted with a comparison to a senior citizen in obnoxious clothing:

My friend says: Check out Ann throwing down for a $75 Thrift Town shopping spree. Maybe you should enter the contest too!

Anonymous Player Hater Says: I'm sure she's really nice and the outfit does have some appeal, but she kinda looks like Mrs. Howell from Giligan's Island. I'd like to see something that looks more like fashion and less like a costume. IMHO, of course.

Annimal says: I take that as a major compliment!! Even if you didn't mean it as one!!! I live my life like one big costume party, and I dress up every day!!!

My friend says: Fashion IS costume.

Annimal says: Thanks!! I know I scorch some retinas but I'll keep dressing loud!! I think I just got inspired for my next next blog post!!!

Anonymous Player Hater Says: Go for it! It's like polka dots. I appreciate them on other people, but they're a bit much for me. No insults intended. I love bright colors. MY PERSONAL taste is to just use a splash here and there. Sorry if my smart-assedness ruffled any boa feathers. :-)

Boy I’m sure glad I got this anonymous person’s input! But no matter, as I have been selected to win the $75 Thrift Town Gift Certificate!! Here’s to not playing it safe, eh?!!!

My niece Ronda and I are wearing matching dresses that we both thrifted at different Thrift Town locations unbeknownst to each other!! When Ronda arrived at my house wearing her twin dress I quickly produced mine and we posed for photos to submit to the Thrift Town contest along with my original entry!! As this entry “took it over the top” according to Kari, the gift certificate is Ronda’s to keep!