Polka Polish

Winter hasn’t quite kicked in yet, and we still haven’t had a real freeze yet this fall, but things are definitely starting to look a bit November-y. Sure, there’s still some lingering fall color, but we’re well on our way to drab and brown for a month or so until the snow decides to show up.

I haven’t been doing a great job at taking and posting pictures in a timely or organized manner, so I’ve still got a bit of fall in the backlog! And I’m not too terribly eager for winter to come, since it’s all I can do now to avoid spending all day hiding under a blanket and drinking tea.

These pictures are actually from the very beginning of the month, when I went out after work to hear Doug’s choir sing the Fauré requiem for All Souls Day. Somber colors for somber music.

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It’s election day! The polls have just closed in my state, but if you live further west and happen to be a registered voter who hasn’t gotten to the polls yet, I urge you to do so! For those of us who have already voted, it looks like it’s shaping up to be a long night of results-watching and nail biting as we wait to see who won.

I of course had to get all dressed up to vote if only on principle… I just got the red skirt in the mail in the last few weeks, so it was the perfect opportunity to wear it out!

Some of the ensemble was a bit make-do-and-mend, though, like the Erstwilder “Brahminy Bryan” brooch, because if you squint hard enough a brahminy kite almost looks like a bald eagle, right?

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Happy November! It’s amazing how quickly this year has gone. The weather is starting to dip below freezing and the fall colors are at their brightest blaze.

Of course, I managed to take these pictures in an evergreen grove where there is no fall color to be found. In my defense, I had no idea that Minute Man park would be so busy at noon on a Friday, and I had quite a bit of trouble finding a place to park my tripod to get pictures.

I’m also a bit out of practice with the tripod selfie (especially with my new 85mm lens… I think the next tripod outing will need to be done with a shorter lens) and so I had some trouble getting myself properly in the frame. It’s okay though, there will be more opportunities for this outfit to be photographed. I was really pleased with this combination, but I forgot to bring my gloves along and my new hat (which I am SO happy with!) will need some repair work in the near future. So I have every intention of wearing and photographing it again when I have all the pieces in place.

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As much as I like the decreased humidity of autumn, it does come with its fair share of rainy days. I just happen to own the perfect novelty print dress for soggy weather, though, and since I do love a good thematic outfit it isn’t all bad.

I let this dress sit in my Etsy favorites for a good long while before deciding to buy it because it was a bit as-is, and I’ve been slowly working on fixing it up. The worst of the issues are a few stains on the back of the skirt, and I finally gave it a good long soak to see if those would come out. Washing did lighten them considerably, but the largest one is still visible. Since the discoloration is centered on a seam, I’m hoping I can just take it in by a half inch and hide the flaw entirely.

After washing, I realized that the dress probably would benefit from a good ironing. The fabric wrinkles fairly easily, and it had a weird springy feel that one does not usually associate with woven fabrics. Sure enough, one aggressive ironing later (avoiding the persistent stain, naturally) the dress was smooth, shiny, and a good several inches longer. Seriously. I’ve photographed it for the blog before here, and you can see that both the waist and skirt hit much lower now!

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I feel like all I talk about on this blog is the weather, but since it plays such a major part in deciding what to wear, I suppose it makes sense! It was all cool and autumny for quite a while and then boom, two days of 80 degree weather. Totally uncalled for and very confusing.

Now, as much as I’d like to keep things upbeat (or just moderately whiny) I do have to take a moment to talk about heavier matters.

If you haven’t already heard, one of the pillars of the online vintage community, Jessica of Chronically Vintage and her husband lost their home and all of their belongings (and, quite possibly, their dear kitty Stella) in a terrible house fire late last week. Fortunately, they themselves (and their dog) came out unharmed and they’re able to stay with family while they rebuild, but replacing a lifetime’s worth of clothing, tools, and technology is a daunting task, especially when paired with chronic illness.

A crowdfunding page has been set up for the Cangianos on YouCaring here and if you happen to be able to pitch in anything, I am sure that it would be an enormous help as they get themselves turned rightways up again and prepare for winter.

Anyway, today’s silly pictures brought to you by chasing the fading light up a hill after work to try to get some pictures. Not the best chasing up the hill shoes but I think the photos turned out okay so it was worth it!

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