My Weird Hobby

Okay, I promised my sister I'd post pics. Specifically, pics of my Weird Hobby, which is collecting and wearing clothing and accessories from roughly the mid-Depression era through the tail end of WWII. Some of you who already know me know I went through a tremendous infatuation with the 60's during my adolescence, and it's not like I've given up on all that, but the 60's and 70's were absolutely strip-mined in the 90's, and I have discovered that my new hobby-era is relatively undervalued, to the point where I can buy original, non-repro pieces for less than brand new mall clothing.

So here I am. The dress I am wearing has a body from the 30's, re-worked with a peplum and some beads during the 40's so a sailor's girlfriend could celebrate his shore leave in style. The handbag is corde from the early 30's, used by a college student at a co-ed school from 1932-38. The glasses are handmade "zyl" acetate from France, produced circa 1930 by Barbe Freres factory. The cockatoo is only 14 and I am 35, which puts me mid-life as I figure it. My hair is just pinned back, I like to do pincurls and victory rolls but I just didn't have the energy tonight.

I dress pretty much like this all the time; my good court suits are especially obvioulsly circa 1940s. I have found that dressing like I am getting ready to go out into 1943 makes people treat me with a lot more respect, and also makes them swear less around me, even the teenagers. It's a great visual shorthand for telling the world in general that I am not playing the conventional power-games or the conventional flirting-games, and I demand to be treated well.