Olive Inclinations

Fashions wags caution that only one vintage piece of clothing should be worn with any particular outfit, but today I chose to go retro all the way. I’ve never been much of a trend-follower, anyway.

These olive trousers are by Inclinations for JCPenney, a purchase I made when I worked for the giant retailer in northern California in the 1970s. I love their tapered legs and the unusual belt loops which allow a fairly wide belt to pass through. I chose an equally vintage cotton top by Fashion Force with batwing sleeves and delicate black and gold scrollwork across the fabric.

My mother bought me this top (and three others in similar patterns but different colors) when I was only a teenager. I believe she bought them at Kmart, so they were not expensive pieces. I still have all four tops. Interesting that the labels in all these vintage clothes say "Made in the USA" and that after regular launderings for over thirty years, none of these tops is the least bit frayed or threadbare. They just don’t make department store clothing like this anymore! But I digress.

I wound a lovely and unique belt featuring a large gold-metal medallion with olive and purple cording through the triangular belt loops and donned a cuff of olive and purple beads that was a lovely hostess gift from my dear friend, Judy, when she came to visit me in Baltimore from Dallas several years ago. I added a carved jade pendant necklace and matching earrings that my parents purchased on their honeymoon to Mexico in 1953, a gold-metal bracelet watch from Chico's, a fashion ring of green glass stones which was a gift from my best friend’s mother, Joyce, last May, and a sage and black hair accessory by Thea Osato of Baltimore (http://deadreads.etsy.com/). Gosh, except for the jewelry and the Dea Dread in my hair, only my platform loafers by Studio Paolo for JCPenney were recent purchases. Everything else is pure vintage.

Guess I’m hopelessly out of step with the wags, although I can’t say I mind dressing to the beat of my own drum.

Cheers,

Lynell