I Spy

Groupon offers: my guilty time-waster. Normally I bite only for deeply-discounted massages or tapas, but recently they offered a novel accessory, a spy watch!




Yes! The copy says, "Film or take a picture of any event, while performing everyday activities like watching TV or drinking coffee".

Not since I was eleven, when I sent away for X-Ray Glasses (disappointing) did such a gadget grab my imagination. (I no longer have an iterest in seeing through people's clothes; must have been nascent puberty.)

Who isn't at least a little titillated by the notion of secretly filming? Never mind that I rarely see anything that would merit being covertly recorded, unless it's Le Duc maintaining that he "always remembers to put away the butter". Ha! I could prove differently.

I'd photograph the many fascinating people who pass by on the street without disturbing them or pleading for permission. (A photographer acquaintance reminds me that an iPhone works just as well, but is there not an added frisson doing it while ostensibly drinking coffee?)

But then of course I'd need more spy gear!

A private-eye trench, top of list. I'd choose the Thakoon Addition leather and fabric trench coat, full of drop-dead details, $750:





Ohh, look at the back!




And glasses–you can never be too disguised. The Row's cats' eyes ($400), please.


Skulking can be drafty work. Maybe a hat? I like this beanie's shearling pom-pom, which might also be used as a discreet lens-duster. Price, $195.




I see that it's quite costly to be a well-dressed spy, and never mind the "specialty dry cleaning" required for that coat. But our friend Natty (aka "Nancy Drew") just found a crisp black trench coat in a secondhand store for $9! 




 

Now that's sleuthing!



Comments

Susan said…
We once gave our younger son a watch which had an ability to remotely change the channel of any TV. He enjoyed going to restaurants with the tv on an annoying channel and being able to change it to a channel of his liking.

I like the trench coat and the sunglasses. I think it is time for new sunglasses (prescription) for me, but I am too thrifty to replace the ones I have as they are still in good condition, though going on ten years old. Can we say I look date?
Susan B said…
When I was growing up, the spy genre was very popular entertainment. I wanted to be Girl From UNCLE. My friends and I used to pretend to spy on our schoolmates on the playground. Which may be one of the reasons I achieved an early reputation as a nerd. ;-) But in that coat and those glasses, I would look so cool.
Anonymous said…
It was sea monkeys that enthralled me, all nude and lithe and lovely with their own TV 's, alas they were only for American children and so I would gaze wistfully at the advert for them on the back of my imported comic.

I only found out what they really were last year - quite vile!

The coat, glasses and hat are winter perfection.
Wendy said…
This is what I love about reading your blog! I never know what type of post I'll find. The last one was serious and thought-provoking and today's is fashion and a good chuckle! Thanks.
Darla said…
Great spy wear. Nice catch on the thrifted coat too.

Darla
I just read une femme's comment...I ALSO WANTED TO BE THE GIRL FROM UNCLE and I had a massive crush on Illya Kuryakin!! I also have a crush on that first trench...it is divine! You just gave me a Christmas gift idea for my son!!
materfamilias said…
Oh, what fun! What a clever way of putting a post on fashion choices together. As Wendy says, above, you always surprise and entertain us across a wide, wide range. Thank you!
I always loved Emma Peel's style.
This is a fun theme for a fashion post...well crafted Duchesse!
barbara said…
Such a witty and amusing post on a rainy day, thank you.
I only can echo, you never know what's in Duchess' giftbox till you've opened.
Love it.
LPC said…
Ha! Makes me think of Harriet the Spy, a classic of children's literature...
Anonymous said…
Lovely! I see I'm not the only Emma Peel/Girl from UNCLE fan either. I love the trenchcoat & shades, not to mention Mrs Peel's slinky catsuits & boots. Circling back to the last post on bag lady symdrome and female independence, I'll venture to say that for many of us who were young in the 60s when these shows came out, it wasn't just the secret agent glamour that appealed to us so. In a world of TV housewives, how exciting for a bright young girl to see images of independent, brilliant, kick-ass women!

---Jill Ann
Duchesse said…
Susan: I would love that gadget, and might deliberately seek sports bars to switch to TLC! Some sunglasses date faster than others, and the vintage sunglasses market is soaring, so perhaps you are fine.

une femme: I used to follow middle-aged women as they shopped. I was ten or so, and now I am sure they knew what was up.

Bourbon: Ewwww, sea monkeys. Might as well culture maggots.

Wendy: Actually I have quite serious spy impulses ;)

Darla: Natty is a thrift/consignment queen- that coat was found in a little thrift shop in New Brunswick!

Pam: No, no he was mine! Much sexier than Robert Vaughan, no?

mater: I have always loved trench coats even if the double breasted style does not really suit me... but there are "trench-ish" options out there.

hostess and barbara: Thank you and do not worry, I never window-peep!

LPC: Oh yes, Harriet! Though she was smart, I eventually decamped for Emma Peel.

Jill Ann: This made me think of that legacy of 'almost independent' from Emma Peel to Charlie's Angels to Mary Richards. It seems TV could only show 'so much' independence.






Antonia said…
I love the leather and fabric trench coat. And I am going thrifting with a friend this weekend. She is a master at this and I am a complete novice. Maybe I'll snag a great trench coat!
Duchesse said…
Antonia: You are lucky to learn from her. Everyone talks about the "good old days" when you "could find a Gucci coat for 20 bucks", but there are always turnover and treasures. Have fun and tell us what you found!
I loved Emma Peel. As for thrifting,you just never know. I saw some beautiful things at Le Chaînon, a charity shop in the Plateau district south of here that supports a shelter (and other help) for women in crisis. Did buy a very nice merino fringed scarf for $2. Last year I found new ankle boots of good quality - and took them many items this summer.

Lovely trench, and such cute shoes!
Tiffany said…
What a delightful post - I giggled ... and now I REALLY want that trench. It's divine.
Northmoon said…
Emma Peel for me, wear a sexy black outfit and drive around in that sports car. Fun post!
Mardel said…
What a fun post! I so wanted to be Emma Peel but then she was the more grown up and modern version of the "princess-who-rescues-the-hapless-prince" I always dreamed about as a child.

Still love trench coats, especially double-breasted ones.
Beth said…
Now, we can't ALL be Emma Peel! Very amused by this post, snd I'm definitely getting out my knitting needles if that beanie is worth $195!

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