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Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

Rediscovering Life after Retirement

Categories: My Fashion Haus

My Fashion Haus: Style Imitating Art, “Monkey”

My Fashion Haus: Style Imitating Art, "Monkey"

Sweet fashionistas,

Curled up in my daughter’s guest bedroom tonight listening to the rain outside my window.  PC reports we had rain and quarter-sized hail at home tonight, too.   I’m sure our plants and our yard are delighting in the rain as much as we are.

Joining some librarian friends for their Style Imitating Art or SIA post.  It’s been awhile since I last participated in a Style Imitating Art round up.  In fact, almost a year ago when I put together this outfit interpretation of the curated piece, a GIF called “On the Road”.  These posts are always fun and encourage me to be more creative.

Style Imitating Art, “Monkey”

This month’s art was curated by my friend Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks.  This color lithograph print is entitled “Monkey”, from the “Quadrupeds” series (N41).  And was used for an advertisement for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes in 1890.

Would never have guessed that this print was from a set of cards used to advertised cigarettes.  Nothing about the art screams ‘smoking’ or tobacco to me!  Unless, somehow, they are suggesting that smoking their product makes you feel like you are on a rain forest holiday.  Or makes you feel like a monkey, bird or coconut.  I can be dense at times.  Like all of those wonderful Super Bowl ads?  Half the time, I can’t figure out what they are selling, either.

My SIA Interpretation Outfit

My Fashion Haus: Style Imitating Art, "Monkey"

The colors of this piece are what caught my attention first. And then maybe the laid back feel of setting.  I remembered my years in Panama, weekends at the beach, snuggled up with the girls in a hammock.  The sounds of the rain forest animals, the smell of incredible humidity and impending rain.  The coco and fried fish vendors setting up make shift booths to sell their wares on the beach.

My soft yellow brushed twill pants seemed like the perfect piece to build my outfit around.  With them, I paired a floral sleeveless blouse in olive, dark green, white and that same duckling color and olive loafers.  Chose some chandelier earrings that reminded me of a wind chime in their shape.  And for kicks, grabbed my Curious George or maybe more appropriately, my Jorge Curioso and a banana to complete the look.

My Fashion Haus: Style Imitating Art, "Monkey"

My pants and top are from Loft Outlet.  The shoes are Limelight loafers from Rack Room.  Had fun putting together some similar pieces below.  I love that tunic from Lily.  It has an English garden feel to me.  And those banana earrings would have been a fun accessory for my outfit.

Somehow I managed to set a timer for this next photo and completely cut off ole Jorge monkey and most of my head.  But my neck looks pretty good so decided to go with it.  You know what my face looks like already, right?

My Fashion Haus: Style Imitating Art, "Monkey"

Maybe I could photoshop the photo below onto the photo above?

My Fashion Haus: Style Imitating Art, "Monkey"

Nah, proportion doesn’t seem quite right for that. Oh, well.  Now that you’ve seen my Style Imitating Art-inspired outfit, won’t you swing over to Daenel’s to see what she came up with?

Your Turn

If you’ve been moved to put together your own look for today’s prompt, be sure to tell me about it below and then send a photo of your outfit to Daenel at livingoutsidethestacks@gmail.com by 10 pm EST, 05.22, to be featured with everyone else for Wednesday’s round up post.  Hope to see you there!!

You know, I was thinking that I didn’t incorporate the turquoise blue or the berry red colors of the lithograph into my look.  Think I focused on the green because…well, green is the best color in the world.  So can we just say that my eye color and LipSense shade represent the turquoise and berry?  Quite by accident!  Linking up this bit of silliness with my seriously fashionable friends, Laura at I do deClaire, Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom and Jennie at A Pocketful of Polka Dots.

Thank you, sugar plums, for stopping by and indulging my monkey-ing around!

Hugs and kisses,

leslie

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About Leslie Roberts Clingan

I am an aspiring blogger and children's author, wife, mother, daughter, sister, - in-law, responsible pet owner and recently retired elementary school librarian. I hope to figure out the next chapter of my life as I transition from crazy, busy work world onto totally idle retirement and now to something in-between.

Comments

  1. Dara

    May 22, 2018 at 7:03 am

    Very cute!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      June 1, 2018 at 9:13 am

      Thank you! A few years ago, actually just as I retired, I signed up for something called a Get Your Pretty On style challenge. It was actually the creator, Alison’s first challenge. And it has blossomed into a business for her. I really have enjoyed the challenges, although I don’t do every single one these days but did sign up for summer. I would never have worn colored pants like these yellow ones before I ‘met’ Alison. And she has taught me little ways to make outfits look more together. Thank you for your sweet comment.

      Reply
  2. Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom

    May 22, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    I really need to get to a Loft soon! Everyone keeps raving about what they’ve gotten at Loft. I was just at the outlet mall yesterday, but there are two different ones and I bet the larger one has a Loft Outlet… I’ll have to look online at their directory to see. Beautiful colors in your outfit, makes me think of a safari… just the colors, not an actual safari outfit. Ha.

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      June 1, 2018 at 9:24 am

      Thank you, sweets! I just got an email saying our Loft Outlet has brand new summer pieces. I am scared to go. I am so poor right now. Wish I had a way of making just a little extra money for my Loft Outlet, Target and Dollar Tree splurges and my trips to visit my girls.

      Reply
  3. Confuzzled Bev

    May 23, 2018 at 6:27 am

    I LOVE the inclusion of the monkey. When I was doing mine I actually thought “I wish I had a stuffed monkey since none of my clothes have monkeys on…”.
    I really like your top.

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      June 1, 2018 at 9:30 am

      Ha! Thank you. I have had Curious George (from Kohl’s when they have the plush storybook characters) in my closet for years. Guess I was saving him for just the right outfit. Who knew!!

      Reply
  4. Daenel T.

    May 23, 2018 at 8:40 am

    This was such a fun post! I wish I’d thought to add my Curious George {or any number of the monkeys that I have hanging about my house} to my picture. That tank and the pants are super cute and comfy looking.

    Also Panama?! How fun was that!

    Reply
    • Leslie Roberts Clingan

      June 1, 2018 at 9:34 am

      Thank you! I was comfy and cool in my banana yellow pants and palm green top!! Panama was fun at times but pretty stressful, too. We were there toward the end of the Noriega regime. And that was scary. A couple of times we had real scares, and even had to make a list of all of our household belongings with photos in case we would have to jump on a plane to evacuate (with two babies under three years) and leave it all behind. Great beaches, though!!

      I meant to get my act together for the poppy SIA prompt but alas, it didn’t happen. Saw Confuzzled Bev’s cute ensemble today. Maybe I can get it together for the next one. Are you home again? How is the house selling going?

      Reply
  5. Jodie

    May 23, 2018 at 9:00 am

    You are adorable. Using a monkey in the photos—made me giggle and laugh!!
    XOXO
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    Reply
  6. Jen @ Librarian for Life and Style

    May 23, 2018 at 7:59 pm

    I love your floral tank — and OMG how perfect is your monkey prop?!!! That is next-level SIA awesomeness, and I’m so glad you joined in this round! I’m up next to curate the next challenge, which goes live on Monday 🙂

    Reply

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In what felt like the blink of an eye, I have gone from full-time wife to my sweet husband, hands-on mom to my two beautiful daughters and elementary school librarian to a retired, empty nester with lots of time on my hands. Join me on my journey to rediscover who I am. Glad you are here...
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