25 August 2008

What I'm Wearing

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jean: vintage
tank: H&M
suspenders: H&M
hat: vintage
shoes you can't see: my trusty Chucks

Sometimes I run across an item of clothing that regardless of its obvious ugliness captures my heart for some inexplicable reason. Case in point, these bleached-out, high waisted 70's Jordache jeans. Despite the fact that they give me what my boyfriend likes to jokingly refer to as "long-butt" and the fact that I feel a bit like a cross between Lou Doillon and Gallagher I've grown quite fond of them. I've gotten so accustomed to wearing skinny jeans that putting these on felt a bit like wearing bell-bottoms so I'll have to get used to them but I've already got plans to wear them with little cropped sweaters once the weather turns cooler.

Now on to the question I'm sure all of you will want to ask... What is that smeared all over your fingers? It's poke salad! Ever hear the song Poke Salad Annie? This is what Elvis is singing about. I'm sure anyone who grew up in the South knows about these. The berries have a dark pink juice that Native Americans used as a dye and cosmetic. I remember playing with the berries as a little girl, smearing them on my cheeks as make-up. It was once used as an ink as well. The Constitution of the United States was written in poke salad ink! They are also used as a folk remedy and people eat the leaves of the plant despite the fact that they are poisonous. I wouldn't recommend it!

26 comments:

thetinylittlegirl said...

well i find your long-butt charming ;-) i think you look really great!
and i adore your hat.

did you rub the poke salad on your cheeks after these pics were taken? i know i would have!

Leigh said...

I love those jeans!

AlicePleasance said...

I miss so much the late August "berries hunt" in the country! Love the braces :-)

Anonymous said...

i love the whole grunge look with these jeans, its refreshing to see you in denim, you look great!

Sara said...

haha, that's so funny. my boyfriend calls jeans like that "70s butt". further evidence that sometimes a great outfit is lost on guys.

you look adorable as always!

Ashleigh said...

Cool bit of info....i've never heard of poke salad before you just mentioned it!

Anna said...

I personally like this kind of bleached-out, high waisted jeans and they look so great on you. Never mind the "long-butt", think about the long-legs effect.

Unknown said...

i love those jeans, suits you so well! great and fabulous chilling out look

Fashion Serial Killer said...

great jeans! i have a pair of levis that are similiar. The only prob with these old jeans is they have NO elastic-i can hardly bend down to put on my shoes in them hehe

Outi said...

I like this outfit a lot! I might have to agree with you on the borderline ugliness though... But they work well, regardless! And I think I like the delicate masculinity above all.

Also, as I've started wearing other than just skinny jeans recently, and it indeed feels odd at first - like there is a sea of denim at your ankles and you're certain of people looking at you and going "that girl has a sea of denim at her ankles". Oh, and about high-waisted jeans - I like this thing you call a long-butt when I wear them. It is actually quite refreshing after having worn low-waisted jeans with an apple-butt effect for so long! ;)

Adiel | Rose Gold Lining said...

I love that shot with the berries on your hand.

I don't think I'll ever be convinced to wear high waisted denim, no matter how well you pull it off.

Louise said...

I love how something that looks ugly on it's own just needs to be worn with confidence in a great outfit and you never look back. You have done a perfect job of that! What's more, your photos are just lovely, timer and tripod? I'm impressed!!!

AsianCajuns said...

Yep, we know all about Poke Salad. It's definitely a southern thing (although not much of atlanta thing). I always get freaked out when I see a poke weed because all I can think of is "poisonous!"

I love, love, love the cut and the wash of your jeans. Great find!

Unknown said...

Funny, a few days ago I just posted a blog in which I wrote both about that morning's awesome thrift scores and the poke patch near my house, which was destroyed before I got to eat one berry. Bummer.
I love my ugly jeans too :-)

Unknown said...

I love high waisted jeans but feel much the same about the long-butt syndrome! Hasn't stopped me from getting a pair though :)

Anonymous said...

Aren't those called blackberries? I love your style so much! And I think you're so pretty plus I love your haircut, yeah so I basically love everything. (Those jeans are too cool by the way!)

Lavender said...

Some of the best thrifted gear walks the line between ugly and sublime. These definitely come down on the right side.

Love your work. Hope you don't mind that I've linked to you from my blog at
http://lavenderandyolk.blogspot.com

Closet Shots said...

i'm coveting classic jeans like tat right now... lovely pictures as always!!!

xo
Emma

IRIS and PIETER said...

what a lovely outfit and photographs!
your hat is so sweet! i want it hihi
looks great (:

allison said...

don't let your boyfriend tell you that those jeans give you "long-butt!" My boyfriend teases me about classic high-waisted jeans too, but they are just so cute! I think you need to remind him how long your legs look in them...

Sally Jane Vintage said...

Thanks everyone! I'll be sporting these jeans and my "long butt" proudly.

skinnyglassegirl: I know what you mean! I have jeans like that too but luckily these are nice and broken in.

thumbelina: Thanks! I'll be sure to check out the tag but be warned I'm terrible at ever returning them! :)

jolie papillion: No, these are very different from blackberries. They're poisonous so let's not get the two confused. :)

lavender: Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to check out your blog.

Anonymous said...

You definitely rock the jeans. And your tattoo is fabulous.

Ms. Smith said...

Love this look, the hat is awesome. The song is Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White. He does sound a bit like Elvis though. The story goes...he was in Nashville, walked into a recording studio and apparently he was so good looking, the A&R guy said, "Son, if you can whistle, you got a deal." Anyway, it's a ripper of a song and I always wanted to know its origins. So thanks. Keep the good looks coming.

Sally Jane Vintage said...

Thanks again for all of your comments!

bec: Thanks for the trivia. Actually, Elvis did a cover of the song and that's my favorite version. If you follow the link from my blog post, you can see a kick ass performance of the song by Elvis.

Victoria E said...

Do you know of any good sources for vintage jeans? I love how they fit! :D

Sally Jane Vintage said...

victoria: Yikes! Vintage jeans are like the holy grail of vintage shopping. It tooks me years of looking before I happened across this pair. My only advice is keep looking and don't give up. I found these at a local thrift store. Good luck!