Getting in the mood for Halloween ...and a nomination .

The weather is STILL hot here in Big D,but the local weather peeps promise cooler days ahead. That is enough for me to plunge head first into the holiday decorating pool,because you do know ,Halloween marks a collision course with the December holidays!!! Please don't get me wrong. I am a crazed Christmas junkie,you have but to glance at the number of posts in my December archives,to glean that little morsel about me....but in the here and now ,its all about the Samhain season! So without further adieu.... its time to get OOKIFIED !!!!
In my Youtube travels I found this version of one of my favorite songs,coincidentally done by a couple of my favorite Broadway stars! Why yes,as a matter of fact Carol Burnett was a Broadway star before her iconic television show. ...and Miss Chita Rivera...well she IS the original Spiderwoman after all! As a bonus we even get to see The Sultan of Samhain himself....Boris Karloff !! Heavens to Halloween I love Youtube!!!!


Time for another round of Fantasy Google Image Fashion Stylist!
I do wish to remind everyone I own none of these fabulous items. Even my magic closet cannot contain the wealth of the entire web ,its merely ,all about the google!!! I invite you to play along on your own site!
This time I began with a vintage dress from the 1930's covered in a Jac-O-Lantern print.
Cloaked myself in an amazing fringed shawl.
Added a DEE-lite-ful necklace from the DEE-licious Etsy shop Doll Disaster Design,
...slung a bat wing purse over my shoulder....
...and finished the ensem with these DEE-lectable shoes from the fall collection at Irregular Choice.
I am in the process of ookie-i-fying up The Pagoda,results to follow shortly. I bid on and naturally lost both the above die cut of the saucy little witch...
...and this rather atomic cutie. Dang!!! Those die cuts go for the price of an exotic but wacky vacation!


A Nomination

This week I was nominated for a Leon Rabin Award(the Dallas equivalent of the Tony's) for best supporting actress in a musical,for my work in the tribal rock musical Hair.I was quit DEE-lightfully surprised and quite honored.

My Own Vintage Clothing Fashion Magazine,September ,Fall Inspiration

Okay so I am a day late on my September issue of MOVCFM...but with the temperatures still reaching 90 and above here in Texas,it is quite difficult for me to even think about Fall clothing,but then again FANTASIZING about the weather that will actually PUT me in those clothes,puts me in the mood for some vintage clothing fashion styling!
If you believe in the whole "I'm a spring,summer ,winter et al,lets get dressed around these seasonal colors type of gal",I am CLEARLY an Autumn,with my pale skin and red hair.Which makes Fall dressing especially fun for me!!!
The above ensemble would be typical for me.I have started with my long vintage brown slip from the 60's,and topped it off with an Autumn leaf colored satin jacket from the 70's,bought at one of my fave vintage establishments, Screaming Mimi's in NYC. I then added fabulous thrifted (yes, thrifted!)cowboy boots,probably from the 50's. I accessorized with a long gold and pearl chain,and then layered a gold and silver locket necklace,finishing off with my pagoda purse,all of these last items inherited from my Grandma(you may click to enlarge any image).
...but you see I have also been in this tweedy sort of mood.So I pulled out this herring bone mini suit,given to me from my sister.I added a lace blouse and a bow tie and pearls.
This burning desire to get all tweed-i-fied comes from sitting by the pool this summer and reading vintage, e-bayed, Seventeen Magazines.This look is from the big back to school ,Fall fashion issue of 1978.
I am loving all the tweed and borrowed menswear touches.
It was reminding me of the "Annie Hall" look,so I checked the dates and sure enough the film Annie Hall debuted in 1977.I was pretty sure I had heard that Diane Keaton(a fellow thrift store fan and a personal favorite style icon) wore her own clothes in the film ,and I found this quote from Norma Kamali ,when I googled "Annie Hall look"The look was so successful that everyone wanted to take credit for it. According to Michael Gross' new biography of Ralph Lauren, Genuine Authentic: The Real Life of Ralph Lauren, a Lauren associate called a fashion reporter to claim he deserved credit for all the clothes in the film. This was news to the movie's costume designer, the late Ruth Morley—who contemplated suing Lauren, says her filmmaker daughter, Melissa Hacker. Although Keaton wore at least one Lauren-designed piece in the film (Hacker remembers the tuxedo in the cabaret scene as being his), the overall look was "a collaboration" between Keaton and Morley, who "went to Diane's apartment and looked at the kinds of clothes she had." Director Woody Allen told Gross that the credit belongs to Keaton: "The Annie Hall look was the exact way Keaton dressed in life," he said. Whoever was responsible, the look's influence was undeniable. "It was the first powerful influence of American fashion in a commercial sense in Europe," says Kamali.■:
I decided to put together an "Annie Hall" look,but... Pagoda style.I felt a need to create a little "comfort food" for the body. I began with my favorite pair of overalls.Beneath them ,I added my favorite sheer vintage caramel blouse ,inherited from my Great Aunt Margaret.I clipped on a thrifted little brown bow tie with tiny flowers scattered across the print.I finished the look off with a beaded cardigan from the 50's,and a thrifted little pearl-like junk purse.Though I did not pull any shoes for the outfit ,I am pretty sure I will grab vintage cowboy boots!
It is not often when I set out to find something at the thrift store that I come away empty handed.My search for the perfect tweedy,plaid-ish,circle skirt,has for the moment left me unfulfilled. I have left a few candidates behind,as they were the wrong color,shape ,or size. Ah....,but I persevere!
...and in preparation for that perfect skirt ,I have prepared the perfect topping.
A nubby ,tweedy, 50's, peplummed,yummy-osity of a jacket!Do you see the tassled buttons?I have paired a sheer white vintage blouse(also from my saucy aunts ,inheritance)with a silk tie from the 50's and a thrifted floral brooch in the perfect Autumnal shades.
A little smattering of other Fall inspirations. Oops,left out the ropes and ropes of pearls I will be wearing!
I have to say,I am CRAZY for Diane Keaton's personal style.I am aware that she is often on the worse dressed list,but so what!?! Those individuals who dare to march to the beat of their own personal style aesthetic,are bound to take a misstep now and again. I for one would rather see a point of view,a peek into the artists/human being's pschye ,whatever you would like to call it,rather than an idea,crafted SOLELY from a stylist.The homogenization of personal style is a subject I could truly get on a soap box about(I know ,theres a war going on,and I get my knickers in a knot over fashion!),but I will merely leave it at this....
Et tu Tim Gunn ????
Perfection!! Break it down now....nuuuh nuh nuh na,nuh nuh,nuh nuh...,"Annie Hall" look!
As for me,well...this is what passes for Fall dressing until the temperatures drop!
****Edited for my own fickle whimsy*****...and just to put me in a fall kind of mood,I changed up my background colors to a pumkin-y haze,though I am sure the Pagoda Red will be back for Christmas!

My Fantasy trip to the Bloglandia Ball as the Resident Fashion Atelier

Deep in the inner sanctum of the Pagoda,while consumed in her "Magic Closet",JDP is in a quandary over what to wear to The Bloglandia Ball.
"At least dancing under the full moon does not require one to pick out shoes ,too!"
"...but honestly,does this Emilio Pucci dress wear me or do I wear it?"
Someone else appears in the room. Is it Tim Gunn?
Why no,its JDP's very own Fairy Blog Mother*!

"...but Fairy Blog Mother,I'm just not sure if this dress is soul stirring!"
The Fairy Blog Mother,grants JDP the power to design all the dresses at the Bloglandia Ball.
Meanwhile at the ball ,the guests are already arriving.
Stephanie wears a beautiful marigold laden fiesta frock.
Eb's dress is laden with melody for the music she gives our eyes,with each visit to her place!
Vanessa's dress has a solid gold artist palette with precious jewels as the paint. Amanda's dress has real fairy wings ,for her soul to take flight!
...but where is JDP ?

JDP arrives (rather conveniently located next to the donuts!). Her dress is a blank canvas,an unwritten destiny of endless possibilities!
Time for wine and donuts everyone! Yum,virtual calories!

Even the Fairy Blog Mother* gets some virtual deep fried,and sugary frosted goodness!

*with much thanx to Vallen for the coining of the term "Fairy Blog Mother".

...and now ,let the dancing under the full moon commence!!

One last round before...and a Pagoda update.

I couldn't resist one last round of my Fantasy Google Image Fashion Stylist Game before making a final decision on what to wear for The Bloglandia Ball.This time I started with a vintage brown and ecru giant flower print dress from the 60's.
I added a beautiful ivory rose neclace.
How about a wide brimmed picture hat ? I am sure all the concentrated girl power will make the moonbeams blinding!
...and I love these perfect brown vintage stilletos! Oh,but wait,are we not supposed to dance barefoot 'neath the moon? Everyone is invited and its this Wednesday September 26th!Please go to Eb's place for details! See you there!


...and lastly I wanted to let you know I might be scarce around the internet till Wednesday. My baby has some dental work to be done today that is fairly serious.This is actually part one and the "heavy lifting" will be done in the next visit.She has something called dental hypoplasia,where the enamel does not completely develop over the dentin.It is her molars that are affected and we caught this fairly early,so hopefully there will be no issue with her permanent teeth. This weekend we created a little motivational poster for her. I let her cut out and glue on little pictures and I wrote the categories,such as ,"I make my bed,I pick up my toys,I brush my teeth,and I listen to Mommy". She gets to add a little sticker to each completed task at night,and after a certain amount of stickers she will earn,play dates,and small goodies,and privileges.
I have already seen improvement on the pick up her toys and make her bed areas.
There have been no earned stickers in the "I listen to Mommy " area yet!She's an independent one that Little Petal!

Goodbye ,Miyoshi

On August 28th 2007,the world lost Miyoshi Umeki.You might wonder who this Japanese born actress was.
She was the 1st Asian actor to ever win an Academy Award back in 1958.Shown here with her costar and co-supporting actor winner,Red buttons for Sayonara...
...but it is this piece that will forever put her in my heart.Playing the adorable Mei Li,in Rodgers and Hammerstein's beautiful Chinese musical Flower Drum Song
She played it first on Broadway alongside Pat Suzuki(the ponytail girl)as costar Linda Low.
When she played it on film the movie immediately became a classic,and a childhood favorite film,you know the kind,the ones where you were allowed to stay up late to watch.
In the film the Linda Low role was taken over by Nancy Kwan ,shown here singing "I enjoy being a girl". I love,love,love this song,and sang it along with a tap solo in my 8th grade dance recital.
Here is darling Miyoshi singing "A Hundred Million Miracles"from the film.
In the world of pop culture her most recognizable role ,however ,is probably that of Mrs. Livingston,from ,The Courtship of Eddies Father. She retired from acting altogether after this nostalgic television role.

My littlest Petal needed a fall jacket. I decided to create a little tribute to Miyoshi and her special film,one of my favorite movies.I love the colors and that the little person is playing music,almost like my little blossom has an accompanist that serenades her wherever she goes.
The front is simple,with a little Gibson Girl and a collar of crocheted pansies(you may click image to enlarge). Oh,and a little butterfly.
Miyoshi was a delicate butterfly. Goodbye Miyoshi.