eBaying at the moon

Hooray, I just perfected a new & absolutely unexpected skill. You know when you have to write blurb for a festival or a book release and it is so so painful to describe Oneself, One’s Own Work, argh, and you end up with something stilted, awkward, embarrassed & bland…. Well I just listed some old fur coats & suede jackets on eBay for the first time, cos I’m living in the tropics and will never get to wear their sweet soft savoury selves again. Wahh. I put it off and put it off and put it off again. Then tonight I opened an account and did them all in a rush & I’m so proud! Turns out I have a flair for cheery & honest descriptions of old clothes. How bizarre. Check em out:

* This inimitable jacket saw me through a freezing February in New York City. Recording my album I felt I was channeling Janice Joplin. People came up to me in the street to talk about the jacket! New York men adored it. Wild and hairy, from real sheepskin, unlined, undyed, hand sewn, raw and untamed. It is open down the front and in great condition. Hip length on me and I’m 6 foot tall.

* I love this little cape. It fastens snugly round your neck and hangs free over the shoulders. Lovingly hand sewn by some 1960s fashionista and aspiring superhero who just loved sequins. Splashed across the lower back is a spray of gleaming flowers in crimson and cream sequins. It is dashing. And no matter how far you look, you’ll never find one like it. Ooh la la!

* Probably made for a man but it looks ravishing on cool girls, this suede jacket in rich cinnamon was styled by the then no doubt famous Simon Kessel Australian Design Collection. Gorgeous labels in good condition still stitched into the nutmeg satin lining. Handstitched pockets with a faintly cowboy feel are perfect for slouching about it. This baby will take you places. Grab your fedora and shine up your Cuban heels: when you slip this on it’s gonna feel like you’ve worn it forever.

I had put off dealing with this pile of clothes for I dunno, maybe two months. To have done them, and to feel I have done right by them, gives me the most luminescent feeling.