Spectacular Adornments

Good Morning, Dear Readers,
    Yes I know it's the ass-crack of dawn. Yes, I know it's chilly out and my bed and the Piratical Boyfriend sleeping in it are very warm. What am I doing up? It is something called insomnia. When your eyes pop open at 4 am and you can't get back to sleep, and your only 2 options are either staying in bed and asking your significant other really weird questions and not letting him sleep or getting up and doing something productive, well, my dears, the only solution is to get up, put on a fleece bathrobe and post in your blog.

   As most of you know from a few blogs ago, I am moving soon. I am a creature of habit and dislike change very much, even though I know change is good and healthy. This move sets off all sorts of anxieties. How will everything fit? Can I afford all of this? What if I hear a noise that I can't explain? What if the gleaming and brand new hardwood floors in this place get scratched? (No wonder I cant sleep at night!) This (and other) impending changes have been making me think of who I used to be/what I was like in years past. In the previous blog, I gave you a dissertation on my hair. Naturally, that made me start thinking about the jewelry and accessories of my past. 

Tall Dr. Martens

   When I was in High School, I almost exclusively wore Dr. Martens. I wore them all year round and even did the Walk for Hunger while wearing them. It was an obsession that turned into a collection. I think at one point I had about 40 pairs. I still wear Dr. Martens although, I have whittled down my collection over the years and now generally only wear them in Autumn and Winter. I now have very vast collection of heels. I don't need to wear heels (I am 5'9") but I NEED to wear heels. There is something about them that just changes everything about an outfit (and makes me tower over just about everyone). You wont believe what heels go great with. Mode Merr, of course! I have this fantastic pair of Tahari, black patent leather, peep toe heels. They look fantastically retro and go with everything. I have a great pair of nude, platform, stiletto Guess heels. Also perfect, as nude goes with everything and also elongates your leg. Perhaps not the most comfortable pair of shoes I own, but damn, do they look good! I have yet to try wearing Dr. Martens with Mode Merr. Have you done it? Has it worked? I do pair Dr. Martens with dresses and skirts (how 1990 of me!). I just cant bring myself to wear them with Mode Merr. I suppose that I think they wont look right, or that maybe beat up boots have no place with a satin skirt or slinky dress.

Nude Platform Heels by Guess

    Another thing I have been thinking of has been my choice of jewelry over the years. I had always worn rings, but starting in High School, I started wearing MANY rings. I think by the time I got to college I wore 8 rings all the time. Those rings (the same ones) stuck with me all through Graduate School, Student Teaching, and finally when I started teaching my own classroom, 8 rings some how turned into 12. They were  great hit with my students, some of my friends and especially with fussy babies. If you ever have a fussy baby, wear a ton of rings. Tap them on the table. Open and close your hands so the rings clink together or just let them look at them. Trust me, no more fussy baby. When I moved back to Boston, both my parents begged me to take off the rings. To make them happy, I relented. All the rings were gone. I didn't even wear one. Well, they didn't like that either. One was fine. Two were okay. I think it took about a year or so to even put on one ring. When the second appeared, my father, very characteristically said, "Don tell me you gonna put all those rings again?" (For full effect, say that with a Greek accent.) No, I did not put all those rings again. I have a skull ring on one finger and a Celtic band on another, that belonged to the Piratical Boyfriend ages ago. I have lots of rings, but like I said, I dislike change. 

   While in High School I also wore 4-5 necklaces at a time. This also lasted until I came back to Boston. I now wear a mere 3. I have a labradorite pendant given to me by my mom on a previous birthday and 2 skulls, also given to my by my mom, just because, which she regrets giving me. All three stay on all the time. (Unless I am going to a job interview, then the 2 skulls come off.)

Owie Face. Getting keloids removed by my dear friend Jae.

   Then there are my ears. My ears were pierced when I was 2 and a half. I remember the piercing gun and that the earrings I was pierced with were little gold hearts. Yet again in High School, I was desperate for more holes in my ears and was not allowed to have them. I took matters into my own hands with a thumb tack. Please, please, please, I beg of you. Do not pierce your ears with a thumb tack. I gave myself terrible keloids that have been cut out numerous times. I am currently suffering from quite a large one that has decided to have a growth spurt in the last 2 years. It is disgusting and it hurts, so please go to a professional piercer. 

  I digress. The keloids having been cut out the first time, I decided to start stretching those 2 holes. My right ear has 3 holes, the second 2 are stretched to a size 12 gauge. My left ear used to have 7 holes, but now only has 6. The family dislikes this as well. My dad asks why I put plastic through my ears. I patiently explain each time that it is not plastic, but bone. My aunts in Greece watch me put in my larger earrings and get grossed out each time I do it. However they cant look away. It's like a car wreck for them. 

   When accessorizing with jewelry, it doesn't matter what I am wearing as far as clothing. I wear what I like. I don't match my jewelry to what I am wearing (just like my make up). Some of my friends do. Which is all a matter of taste and preference.

Vertebra Cuff Bracelet by Martha Rotten

Bone Stretch Bracelet by Martha Rotten

I know that generally when I blog about Mode Merr, I talk up the retro aspect of the fashion. But really, there are 2 (maybe more) themes there. Mode Merr is hugely Rockabilly and Psychobilly. Jewelry and accessories should (but don't have to) reflect this. Have you heard of Martha Rotten? Go to the Mode Merr website (www.modemerr.com) and check her out. She is a great jeweler with really cool things. I have never seen Angela without a Martha Rotten piece on. 

Swarovski Cherries

Maybe Martha Rotten is too much for you? How about some cherry accessories? I have a great Swarovski cherry pendant. Can't go wrong with that. Or what about just some more classic pieces? Pile it on like I used to (and still sometimes do) or go a little more subtle. What is right is whatever holds your fancy my dears. 


   Until next time. <3