My New Coat of Many Colors:
















Sunday the temperature plunged from mid 60's to mid 30’s within the space of four hours. Let me just explain that yes it’s almost always sunny and pretty here but we suffer from the most unbearable humidity The evil humidity can make a temperature of 30 feel like 21 degrees. It is also bone chilling!

There is not enough heat or clothing or flames to warm a body consumed by bone chilling frozen humidity as it permeates your very soul. With that said my freezing cold bony fingers are slowly tapping away at a keyboard typing this desperate message; one of my frozen fingers just cracked and snapped in two. Wiping that visual from your ambivalent and uncaring memories let me tell you what I did yesterday to keep warm and be creative at the same time.

Earlier this year I went to the annual Hospice rummage sale which is like an antique store with bargain prices and all for a good cause. While browsing the men’s clothing racks I stumbled on a lightweight white cotton jacket with a now defunct but prominent local men’s store (Don Allen’s Men’s Furnishings) label sewn inside. I picked it up for a dollar and thought nothing of it except that I wanted to dye it. It’s a straight cut button up from the 60’s or 70’s that really did not interest me except that it was white.

During the holidays I received a gift card from my brother (thanks Scott) to be used at Hobby Lobby. I bought a basket full of dye with exotic names like Evening Blue, Tangerine and Fuchsia. I covered the kitchen table in plastic wrap, boiled up some dye in squeeze bottles and began to ruin my pristine white jacket with stains. Rubber gloves, rubber bands and an hour-long dye bath of 3 packages of black resulted in my new coat with splashes of red, green, tangerine and yellow flower explosions.





















Also there is nothing quite like stirring a boiling pot of black dye to keep you warm and for the ultimate facial.

UPDATE: Just finished a shirt.



15 comments:

  1. oh dear! was this the desired result???

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  2. this takes tie dye to a whole new level...

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  3. Sort of the desired result. As with tie dye the results are always unexpected but yes I like the overall effect. Actually it's less vivid in person but still loud. I could've covered the whole thing in color but wanted it to have large spaces of black. It's loud and tacky the way I wanted it to be but not everyday tie dye.

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  4. Dolly would be proud!

    I love how it almost looks like flowers.

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  5. I see a career at Tommy Bahama in your future!

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  6. Please Lord not Tommy Bahama.

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  7. I'm thinking more like Grateful Dead swapping for acid...

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  8. I'd like to see this outfit modeled please. Both of them. At the same time if you dare!

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  9. I better hadn't dare as the results might sear your retinas to your brain. It's really cool actually in a tie dye tacky kinda way but a little different tacky. Oh why am I bothering to defend it. I like it and shall wear it to the beach. My nails are stained.

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  10. Wait till I finish the pants!

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  11. I only wear solids bot i love the black one!

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  12. Mid 30s! That's shorts and t-shirt weather here.

    The bottom shirt reminds me of a tulip garden in spring. I bet Vivienne Westwood is shitting herself at the competition. Eat your gusset out Viv, Ayem8y is the new fashionista on 2009.

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  13. Love the jacket! I think you should wear it a la Judy with simple black trousers and Chinese slippers.

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  14. Turn the collar inside out and stitch it in place, then you will have a mandarin collar to match TJB's Chinese slippers. It'll look fab!

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