Melissa Green Flats: Three Looks

A few weeks ago, my older daughter sent me a message that went something like: “Mom, I found a pair of Melissa shoes on sale and really want them but need a little more to get free shipping. Could you find a pair to throw in so I can have free shipping?”

I ask you, what is a Mother to do?

Support my child, of course. I just HAD to include a green pair of Melissa flats for me.

Melissa shoes are made in Brazil and claim to be sustainable. There are some questions as to the earth friendliness of the type of plastic they use. Overall I feel good about the company and this is my second pair of Melissas. They attract high profile designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jason Wu and Vivian Westwood (who designed my first pair).

I went to my closet, and discovered it was hard to just pick one way to style these shoes and so I have three different look to share. Here goes………………

The White Skirt, Green Silk Top, Vintage Chain Belt and Vintage Wicker Rodo Bag

I purchased this green silk Liz Claiborne top eons ago (back in the 90s). I have always hand washed and air dried it. After all these years, there is just one little pin hole in it (I bet from some pin I wore with it, once upon a time).

The white cotton skirt was thrifted from Joplin’s Goodwill. My vintage chain belt is something I hunted down on eBay about six years ago. I kept remembering a chain belt that I had in the 60s and became obsessed in owning one again and kept at it until I found this one. It was worth the hunt and patience. I love it and its ten times cooler than that dinky one I had when I was twenty.

I decided that I would show case some of my vintage collection of bags with this post. The first one is an off-white wicker Rodo with a multi-corded leather bow and strap. I do carry these bags and have a small wallet that I use just for them. My everyday wallet is just to large.

Black Linen Pants, Green /Black Refashioned Blouse With Sash, and Vintage Koret Bag

I made my green and black print blouse back in the late 80s. Its from Butterick 6640 and I still have the pattern. Can you believe it, I also found it on sale on the Internet. I also made version B in the early 80s and still have it too.

About every five years, I would try this top on and just didn’t like how it fit. There was to much gape in the front. Finally, this year I decided to do something about it. I took out the bottom pleat seam. This left the hip line really large. Rather than take in the sides, I ran elastic through the bottom.

I have no idea why I made the 10″ x 54″ sash and certainly can’t remember how I wore it. But now, I am tying it around my hips and with the blouson look that the elastic gives the top, it just seems to be an extension of the top itself.

The linen pants, made a couple of years ago, have been here before. You may read about them HERE.

And the pattern

A close up of my vintage Koret black leather bag. Looks like a take on Chanel, doesn’t it. I started out thinking I was going to collect Koret but then found Rodo and that is now my vintage bag of choice.

I even bought earrings to match the blouse all those years ago. They came from Smithsonian and are Black Onyx and Malachite. Unfortunately, the were clip and have always been uncomfortable. I think they are too heavy to make for pierce years and have never figured out how to re-purpose them.

White on White With Embroidered Linen Blouse, White Pants, Green Silk Top and Vintage Rodo Bag

It didn’t seem right not to show my green silk top without the blouse that I have always worn over it. My daughter Michelle (the very same who talked me into my shoes) gave me this top years ago because when she saw it, she thought of me. It’s 100% Linen with sleeve embroidery.

Any faithful reader will recognize these pants. They have been on here enough.

This is one of my favorite Rodos and I just got it this Spring from eBay in a hard fought auction.

I guess you could say, this is my version of pattern mixing!

The Shoe That Started It All

The Polish Accessory

I am currently wearing Desert Rose by Emily de Molly, an Indie from Australia but she now has a USA shop. This particular color was a custom color made for a Holo group that I belong to on Facebook. My two photos demonstrates how differently a holographic can look in sun and indoors. Either way, it is gorgeous.

Bright Sun

Shade

And The Dress Doctors Return.

If you remember last week, I mentioned that I was very interested in a color chart that was in The Lost Art of Dress. I reproduced it in an Excel file and then started looking up some of the colors names that I wasn’t familiar with.

Some of the names I just couldn’t fine and I just had to go with my gut feelings (with the help of some of my Designers Guide To Color books). Some of the harder ones for me to figure out were names like Leaf Mold, Weigelia and Pablo. Hopefully, I got close enough. These charts will have their own page with a reference tab at the top of the blog. I know this is crazy to do but I love this stuff. Needless to say, I am a Josef Albers fan and love the effect one color has on another.

Each main color will have three charts. Green is last on the list, but because I was doing Green today, it gets to go first.

This is enough for today, I think, so I will bid adieu until next week. In the meantime, Happy Styling!

This week, I am linking up with Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, High Altitude Style’s Link-Up HERE, Elegance and Mommyhood’s Moda Linkup HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE, Shelbee’s Edge of the Week Link Up HERE, Nancy’s Fancy Friday HERE and Sydney’s Fashion Hunter.