W.W.S.W.? Part II: Molly Harrington Channels Stevie!

In celebration of tonight's Fleetwood Magic: A Tribute to the Mac, we are doing something super unprecedented on Operation Sparkle—having our second guest blog post a mere three days after the first one! Considering how many of Molly's finds were Stevie-appropriate, it just made sense. Sometimes you need to listen to that intuition and post when it feels right! Plus, nothing gets me more in the mood to do some much rewarded thrifting (TODAY! WITH MARY W.! IN LINDSTROM!) and get ready for the best night of 2011 than to ask W.W.S.W?!

You CAN Find Things At the Goodwill

Sure, maybe I talked Holly’s ear off about the Stillwater Goodwill for weeks, so by the time we got there it turned out to be a strange and pricey waste of gas. I blame Quiznos for not having coffee. Months ago, I went in there searching frantically for my mother’s vintage handmade dress from the 70’s that I had envisioned wearing to a wedding. Mom, of course, cleaned the
closet again after the shorts incident and got rid of “lots of stuff no one was going to wear.” I tore apart the whole house and went on to the Goodwill to keep searching for that dress. I never did find it, but that same day I came home with a few great costume-y, stevie nicksish goldmines. The thrifting gods definitely wanted to see me home happy, though Mom’s handmade
long, gauzy cotton yellow dress with the embroidered flowers is gone forever.



Long sleeved sheer blue dress with red flowers on it (If you want to see it in person, come see Fleetwood Magic: A tribute to the Mac at the Turf Club tonight!)



I also found this 70’s dress with a sort of rainbow tribute and a sash. I love it.



Velour gypsy style cropped jacket with puffed shoulders and red trim



Let’s not forget Joni California and her turquoise dolman sleeve silk top with buttons down the wrists.

Other Mystical Clothing for a Fleetwood Mac devotee




Found at NE Mpls most unknown and random thrift store (Eastside Thrift Store on Central and 20th ave ne) is this little black velvet dress with witchy medieval buttons down the front. Oh so flattering and magical to wear.



Found during Black Friday Thrifting with my mentors, this little number found me when we were at our fourth or fifth store and I was about to give up. Gauzy, fringy, Stevie style top!



And every mystic child of the Mac needs a turban! Found this with Holly at the world’s most Christian thrift store. They were laying it on thick, so we didn’t stay long. Holly got a good deal on a Mexican blanket, I came home with a turban made from old silk neck ties.

Stevie Footwear



I have always been extremely jealous of Holly's white lace up Stevie boots. One of those reasons I always felt I'd never have the thrifting luck that she has been blessed with. We were toting around Ironwood, MI during a blizzard when we were supposed to be driving home, (ended up taking 12 hours, including lunch at Black Cat Cafe in Ashland and dinner at Fitger's in Duluth). We stopped in a little antique-ish store and in the back room there was a wall of boxes filled with old shoes. Holly pulled these out, and they were a 6.5 size, so she didn't bother telling me about them because they were too small. I stumbled on them later, and they slid on like an old pair of ballet shoes - a little tight but ready to rock! Not technically thrifted, but totally awesome.



Somewhere between Emmylou Harris and Stevie Nicks, these clog style high heels are an inspiration. Not easy to walk in when every puddle turns into an ice rink at night, but I am still able to feel like a cowgirl slash rocker with the stitched emblem on the toe...Found during the Black Friday outing (I was so delirious at the end of the day, I can't even remember where I found them!)



Sure the brand is Lower East Side, and sure they were on a random shelf at Unique in NE Mpls. But when I put them on I feel like Farrah Fawcett is smiling down upon me from above while riding a unicorn and singing "Just like the one winged dove".



Found off the interstate in South Dakota. Still not sure what kind of store it was, but it was somewhere between an open air bazaar, thrift store, and movie set for the old west turned into an antique shop. Either way, I found these in a dusty corner with no laces and it was fate. I'm pretty sure I heard "Gypsy" by the Mac in my head as I brought them to the counter and dizzly realized they were mine forever.

W.W.S.W.? (What Would Stevie Wear?)

It seems as though all things Fleetwood Mac keep popping up into my life recently. Don't get me wrong, there is always a healthy dose of the Mac present in my day-to-day life, but lately there has been an increase, no doubt in part to the up coming Fleetwood Mac cover night at the Turf Club this Saturday. Not only is Chris' band, Vampire Hands, doing a set, they are including the very lovely Sara Bischoff of Gold and Braid and our very own guest blogger, Molly Harrington, in mix! CAN'T WAIT!

Fleetwood Mac has shown its witchy ways in other aspects of my life as well. Laurie's boyfriend recently likened our blogging personalities to Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie (whoa, whoa, WHOA! I just googled "Christine McVee" to not only find out that I had her name spelled incorrectly, but that "Her future in music was literally written in the stars given the fact that her Dad Cyril was a concert violinist and Mom Beatrice was a faith healing psychic."* How this translates to a extraterrestrial fate, I am not sure. But I am sure that I am going to start reading up extensively on the all the members of Fleetwood Mac). I have also been starting every day at work with a spin (or two) of Rumours. In fact, my new thing is listening to the album as many times as possible before someone comes in the store. It truly is the best way to start the day.

As I have explored here, last fall I was ready for a switch from the preppy neutral look I had been channeling in the summer and went to the obvious source of inspiration—Stevie Nicks (of course.). Even though I love looking to Stevie whenever I need a kick in my style-pants, every time I see an article in Vogue or one of those other fashion rags about how BoHo is back in (again!), and they mention Stevie, I get a bit upset. Because Stevie cannot be tied down by some corporate mass media conglomerate. She can't even be tied down by the internet (see here). She can't be tied down by you or me, but she can be someone that we look to until the end of time as a shining beacon of style glory in this drab world of ours.

So, in choosing an outfit for Fleetwood Magic: A Tribute to the Mac, I think it is very important to assess the age old question of "What Would Stevie Wear?" Now, since it is sort of a metaphysical mindpuzzle to ask yourself what Stevie Nicks would wear to an event that is celebrating, come on, let's be real here people, mostly her, instead of limiting myself to picking out my outfit for this one evening, I thought it would be appropriate to examine which of my thrifted treasures may be the answer to that question.



The quintessential "Stevie Dress." I wore this at Halloween last year for part of my Stevie Nicks costume, so I hope Stevie would approve.



Fanny pack aside, this hat is totally something Stevie would adorn with a bunch of feathers (hell, she'd probably stick a whole bird on there), and wear out to brunch. Ohmygod, can you even imagine Stevie Nicks at brunch!? That is like, the best thing ever.



Stevie loves birds, so I am sure she would dig this huge swan necklace.



TUSK!!!!!!!! Get it?!?!?!



This is Stevie's version of a hoodie.



The Fleetwood Magic facebook invite specifically asks people to "doth your finest capes and geekiest vests and join us." So, yeah, crushed velvet purple vest= the geekiest vest I own=perfect for Stevie (Geeks rule. Not that Stevie is a geek. Stevie is above geeks and all other superficial categories humans attempt to put each other in.).



I feel like this is what Stevie would wear when she was at her most causal (if that was such a thing!) and didn't feel like wearing some sort of gauzy robe. You know, I could see her wearing this when she runs to the co-op or to get her oil changed.



Deep blue cropped velvet top. Sure, the croppedness of this shirt may be a little modern for our 70's muse, but the color and the velvet are surely something Stevie would go for. And the flower pattern. All very Pyramid Collection.



I am pretty sure Stevie would be into this most amazing kimono dress I picked up on Laurie and my first Black Friday Thrifting escape. My only fear is that it would be too earth-toned, and not jewel-toned enough for her.




Like this two-toned purple and magenta floor-length dress. Not really the knock out piece, but this is what the base-layer of Stevie Nick's outfits looks like. And yes, this is totally an "All That Jazz" piece from the past.



A long vintage flowy dress. Why not?



Also wore these with this year's Stevie Costume (I say "this year's" because I was also her back in 2007). On my wish-list: vintage crazy platforms. Stevie would approve.



For Stevie's darker days.

As I sadly will not make it to NYC in time for its annual Night of 1,000 Stevies, I will have to limit my Stevie-appropriate look to this Saturday. Wait. What am I saying? You can dress like Stevie Nicks anytime! It will make lovin' fun, for sure!

Stay tuned for Ms. Molly Harrington's sharing of her own Stevie-inspired thrifted pieces tomorrow—just in time for the Fleetwood Mac night!

*Quote courtesy of http://www.fmlegacy.com/Bios/biochristine.html