Write On: Girl Flower Power

Dazzling Daisies Necklace

Top: XOXO, Macy's

Skirt (a dress!): JCPenney

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's

 Funky Flowers Necklace

Top: Rebellious One, Macy's

Skirt (another dress!): Modcloth

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Marshalls

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Belt: Marshalls

Crazy Daisy Necklace

Top: Wet Seal

Skirt (another dress!): Monteau, Marshalls

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Nordstrom

Belt: Marshalls

Sunglasses: Michaels

Flowers are pretty amazing.  Despite looking delicate, they weather wind, rain, and scorching heat, many of them coming up, all by themselves, year after year.  Tough and resilient, they can withstand anything -- and also are lovely to look at.  Which is why I decided to use some retro-licious ones in my latest necklaces, two of which feature funky fresh daisies.

Flower power is also feted in the recent Amazon original series "Good Girls Revolt."  Not to be confused with the movie Youth in Revolt, in which Michael Cera plays his usual beta boy as well as an evil twin alter ego (dude, he blew stuff up.)  But this post isn't about Michael Cera's identity crisis.  It's about three young women fighting to find their way in a 1969 newsroom.  Relegated to the roles of "researchers," Patti Robinson (Genevieve Angelson), Cindy Reston (Erin Darke), and Jane Hollander (Anna Camp) do all the legwork -- and in many cases, the writing -- for the articles for "News of the Week" while the male reporters get all the bylines -- and all the credit.     

"Good Girls Revolt" is about men -- husbands, boyfriends, and bosses -- keeping women down, a sobering theme softened by its showcase of swinging 1960s style.  Minis, boots, and long hair war for attention with circle pins and bouffants.  Each of the three main characters has her own signature look: Patti goes for boots and boho pieces in flowy florals and earth tones; Cindy opts for hand-knit vests, quirky jewelry, and playful minis and overalls; and Jane favors ladylike dresses, bowtie blouses, classic jewelry, and kitten heels.  Indeed, Patti wears a simple strand of love beads in each episode, subtly reminding us that she is the rebel.  She challenges both her boss and her boyfriend (who, however informally, is her boss of sorts, too) to give her more demanding assignments and see her as more than a prospective wife or handmaiden.  Nothing changes, so she enlists the help of a civil rights lawyer (an indomitable Joy Bryant), eventually motivating the entire researcher staff to file a class action lawsuit against "News of the Week."  But as her heart is tested and alliances shift, her moxie falters, revealing her vulnerabilities and the cost of change.

Although a tale of ambition and social consciousness, "Good Girls Revolt" is also a good old-fashioned drama ripe with romance and the complexity of female friendships.  Each episode opens with a groovy montage of feminine -- and feminist -- images, and the music is always kick-ass.  If the show sometimes seems a bit earnest, then it's because it's about young people who care about something in a time when politics and passions run high.  Because youthful indignation, however entitled, can remind us of what is important.      

Sounds like more than a beehive in a bonnet to me.

Some Bunny Loves Peeps . . .

Fabulous Felt Pink Honey Bunny Brooch 

Fabulous Felt Blue Honey Bunny Brooch 

Fabulous Felt Yellow Honey Bunny Brooch

Jeepers Creepers Where'd You Get Those Peeps Peepers Sunglasses 

Top: DKNY, Macy's

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: BCBG, Macy's

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

. . . and that some bunny is me.  I didn't color eggs this year, but I have been, ahem, dyeing to show off my growing plush Peeps collection.  A couple years back I bought the pink, yellow, and blue bunnies, and this year I added the green, purple, and orange ones.  I couldn't help myself.  They're cute, they're sweet . . . not to mention tasty (or at least the candies that came with them were).  Hey, if it's wrong to collect stuffed animals of stuff that you love to eat, then I don't want to be right.

That said, I sprang them from their hermetically sealed baggies, where they live, ironically, in an old Tote Trove business card-filled Easter basket the rest of the year, and had a little photo shoot.

First up, the classic Warhol:  

Next, my kind of Easter bonnet:

And finally, an adorable Peeps in Pajamas Little Golden Book and baby plush Peeps for my even more adorable new nephew.  Because I insist on introducing the marshmallow magic of Peeps to the next generation:

In non-Peeps (but still Easter-y) news, I was in Kohl's last week when I saw a pair of suits that give the ones from Dumb and Dumber a run for their funny:

They're polyester, which is, as you know, my own personal miracle fabric.  Why the world insists on turning its nose up at something that never wrinkles or fades will forever remain a mystery to me.  Also, it's affordable!  The jacket, pants, and tie are just $79.99, and if you have a coupon (and come on, who doesn't?), it's even cheaper.  Splashy and flashy, these suits were made for the grand marshal of the Easter parade. 

That said, I hope your bunny trail leads to greatness.  By which I mean kick-ass outfits, drama-free family dinners, and seconds on banana cream pie.

Hoppy Easter :)    

Pastel Belle: Or Should I Say Cinderella?

 True Blue Bauble Necklace

Blue Enchanted Bird Barrette

Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Belt: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

Big Red Bow Barrette

Dress: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Shoes: Dolce by Mojo Moxy, DSW

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Hat: Sea Star, Brigantine

Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's

Spring Swag Barrette

Pink Enchanted Bird Barrette 

Dress: Modcloth

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Michaels

Assorted flower brooches: Kohl's, A.C. Moore

Big Peach Bow Barrette

Top (a dress!): Modcloth

Skirt: Necessary Objects, Annie Sez

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Modcloth

Belt: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Party City

With Beauty and the Beast on the big screen, I've got Disney damsels on the brain.  Not, mind you, that their modern-day incarnations are the old-school kind famous for flailing in distress.  Always a markedly brave soul of the Disney canon, Belle (Emma Watson) does battle with the beast like never before in this live action version.  Watson brings just the right blend of grit and tenderness as she teaches that tale as old as time lesson, namely that being different is nothing to be afraid of and that letting your freak flag fly can make dreams come true.

In honor of all that, I'm going to attempt to do that Disney princess outfit association thing so popular on Pinterest (yep, from now on I'll be referencing old Pinny out the wazoo).  The blue outfit is Cinderella, the yellow one is a cross between Belle and Snow White, the pink one is Sleeping Beauty, and the green one is a cross between The Little Mermaid and no one (hey, I did say "attempt).  So, it's no surprise that my enchanted bird barrettes are channeling Cinderella, too, their pink and blue plumage the same colors as her first homespun, off-to-the-ball dress (which, by the way, I've always preferred to the austere ice blue one conjured up by her fairy godmother).  These feathered friends are also reminiscent of the birds that helped make Cindy's dress.  Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder, indeed!  Still, if I'm being honest, then I'd have to say that my favorite fairy tale gown is Snow White's.  Her story may be the weirdest (I've never cottoned to those dwarfs, or to Snow slaving away for them), but her red, blue, and yellow dress is unparalleled primary color perfection.

'Cause to me, Crayola is always queen.

Pinning Plays: Shoe Montage Collage Flashback

Clockwise from top: Ami Clubwear; Charles Albert, Alloy; Ami Clubwear; Worthington, JCPenney; (center) Not Rated, Journeys

Left to right: ELLE, Kohl's; Bucco, Kohl's; Madden Girl, Macy's

Left to right: Guess, DSW; Ami Clubwear; Guess, DSW

Big news, I'm being pinned!  No, I haven't become a gorgeous lady of wrestling or joined a sorority.  The Tote Trove is finally on Pinterest!  I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I'm finally pinning as opposed to being pinned, which could also be a pun for winning, but the sorority-wrestler thing was so much more fun, don't you think?  Anyway, I got "pinning" in in the post title.  So, I guess that's two wins. Er, pins.

For years, people have been telling me to get on Pinterest.  "You'd love it!"  they'd say.  "You can find anything!"  For those not in the know, Pinterest, "the world's catalog of ideas," is kind of like Facebook, only with just pictures.  All kinds of pictures of everything, uploaded by users and copied from all over the web.  So, instead of reading an update on Aunt Enid's bunion surgery (no disrespect to Aunt Enid, as I'm sure my wild shoe-wearing ways will land me in the podiatrist's office sooner than later), you get new pics of wedges.  And booties.  And stilettos.  All sailing past in dizzying Technicolor.  (See what I did there?)  Anyway, at first I resisted.  Not because I didn't think I would like it.  Oh, no.  Because I knew just how much I would like it, that once I started, my collector's nature would take over, and I'd be pinning anything and everything with abandon.  There's no doubt about it; Pinterest is the Pringles of the social media world.  Part of its lure, I think, is the whole FOMO (i.e. fear of missing out) thing.  Because if you find one fantastic hat/skirt/bag/necklace, then there's no telling just how many more are a mere scroll away, waiting to light up one of your already bursting boards.  (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that that's where you put your pins -- on boards.  I have about twenty, with have names like Nifty Necklaces, Bright Bags, Awesome Outfits . . . you get the idea.)  It's inspiring and exhilarating, a fabulous fantasy land of fashion at my fingertips -- if only I never leave my computer!  Indeed, more than once the husband has resorted to wheeling me away from the screen, usually at dinnertime.  I can't say I blame him.  It's a sad day when mac n' cheese can't compete with (for all intents and purposes) imaginary stilettos.  I've been at it for a month, and so far I've amassed more than five thousand pins.  Which, now that I say it, sounds like too many.  Still, although this technological trend has fueled one obsession, it's curbed another, perhaps more deleterious one, namely shopping.  Instead of going out and buying two new shirts, I can pin dozens of them from the comfort of my own home without spending a dime.  What's more, when I do venture out to the stores (or, as they so quaintly say in Britain, "the shops"), most of what I find looks oh so tragically basic.  Just one more example of how the internet skews our expectations.

Anyhoo, yesterday I decided to take some of my own shoe pics to add to the photo fracas.  One wouldn't upload to my Show-stopping Shoes board because Pinterest can sometimes be a finicky priss.  But no worries, because they're all here!  That's right, I'm embracing my shoe montage roots for a cute reboot (there's a line I'm sure I've used before).  If these punchy pumps and wacky wedges look familiar, then it's because . . . you've seen them before.  But never in such colorful configurations, or against such brilliant backdrops!  Here at the Trove, I've learned some things over the years.  Like, there's no such thing as too much color.  Really, sometimes I marvel at the way posterboard has changed my life. 

Speaking of which, gotta jet.  A fresh pair of Ferragamos is waiting.