Sailor Sam

Day 5 of the 21-Day Challenge was to put a belt on it, and so I belted one out:

And the jailer man and Sailor Sam were searching every one

                                                                                     — Paul McCartney Band on the Run

This song came out in 1973, when I was a sophomore in high school — I didn't realize it was that old. My how time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, this line kept popping into my head when I wore this outfit, so I figured why fight it?

shirt — Lizwear by Liz Claiborne (thrifted)

dress — Ralph by Ralph Lauren (Marshalls)

boots — Haley by Faded Glory (thrifted)

This jumper has been hanging in my closet for years and years — the tags were even still on it! It's a ribbed sweater knit (you can't really tell from the picture), so I was probably uncomfortable with how curve hugging it was. It also seems so simple now, but I may not have thought to wear a belt before, and it really changes the look of the outfit.

Black belt or Red belt?  

My black-and-white striped shirt inspired my ear worm (I hope it's not contagious though). In retrospect, however, my shirt was probably more like the costume of a traditional mime than prison stripes or the Breton stripes that Coco Chanel popularized after a visit to the French Riviera in the 1930s.

It's probably no surprise that Marcel Marceau, the legendary mime actor, wore the striped top along with the other items of the mime costume, but what may come as a surprise is that the man who became world famous for silent performances was fluent in three languages. Born as Marcel Mangel in 1923 in Strasbourg, France, Marcel, and his older brother, adopted the name "Marceau" during the Nazi occupation of France. The two brothers were members of the French resistance and helped many children escape to freedom into Switzerland. Marcel started miming as way of keeping children quiet, as they were escaping.

I'm really enjoying these challenges.
It's like playing dress up in my own clothes. 

In addition to the 21-Day Challenge, I'm also linking up to Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style, because well — I thought that I was pretty visible in this outfit, especially with the red belt, and also because I have a bit of a silly pose.

Which color belt goes best?