Ever since E posted her flâneuse brown velvet jacket, I've been dying to break out this blue velvet ruffled blazer. However it's a bit snug, and so I've had to wait for a day where it could be worn over a very lightweight 1st layer. Now I've always thought of this a very feminine and romantic piece and have tended to wear it with dresses, but E inspired me to give it more masculine styling. And then in one of her posts awhile back Diana mentioned how vests are the perfect layering piece as they don't add bulk to the arms. I'm quite sure a literal light bulb exploded above my head.

I started with my most boyish jeans and a long sleeved navy T, then added this grey wool vest (yes I stole it from husband). You can't see them, but my black booties have little Edwardian-ish buttons and totally fit the dandy theme. I wanted a severe yet girly hair style, so I slicked it back into a pony and added the silver holder (which is actually rather ornate, but doesn't show up). For a girly touch I finished it all off with bright lipstick and pearl/fan earrings. I left off a necklace because I thought there were enough vertical lines going on, but now I wish I'd added a small pendant. OOHH - on a velvet ribbon!

So I felt quite the dandy in this and really enjoyed wearing it. I'm looking forward to remixing all these pieces and exploring this whole romantic dandy bit along with the east meets wild wild west on the 19th century prairie thing.

As a side note, I got rather more attention than I usually do in both this and yesterday's get up, and was reminded why I often purposely dress to blend into the background. Hmmm. After two days of it, tomorrow I'll probably post a WIW with something resembling a burka.

Thanks for looking, and I love hearing your comments and suggestions.