Big Fish Tale, or Seems Kinda Fishy...

It all started when Jean BADGERED Valerie (yes, badgered!) into going to a thrift shop to see a felt octopus on a felt bag. To fulfill her obligation, Valerie reluctantly went to the thrift shop to see what Jean was fussing about. Three days after the badgering began, the bag, unsurprisingly, was still there. Not too much call for an octopus bag these days. But Jean had Valerie pegged, and Valerie took the bag home, amazed that someone had figured out her - um - unorthodox tastes. Having no need for yet another tiny bag that would fit little more than a wallet, Valerie tenderly removed the near-anatomically correct blue ringed octopus (the internet says they're small, poisonous, and native to Australia), and sewed it to a hat, the way one is wont to do. The artist even included a little crease in his head, in a nod (pun intended) to the octopus's shapelessness/bagginess.

After that it was only a matter of time before Valerie began a collection. Above are the fighting giant squid earrings. (You can tell they're fighting squid because they've each lost two tentacles. Well, how else would they lose them except by fighting?)

Then there was the fish (eel?) scarf.

Above is how it looks on, in bad light.

There is a lot of precedent for fishy fashion.

Above, Anna Wintour makes a historical reference to the Duchess of Windsor, wearing a Prada lobster dress to the Met Gala.

Above, the prescient Duchess of Windsor makes a prediction about Anna Wintour, wearing a dress made by Schiaparelli, and painted by Salvador Dali. Was Dali perhaps making a reference to the Duchess's relationship to the Duke?

In this picture, The Idiosyncratic Fashionistas do Anna Wintour and Wallis Simpson one better, having a lobster not only at the thighs but at the bosom and at the ears. Note also the blue shell ring from Frankly Scarlett, aka Becky and Lloyd, at the Columbus Avenue flea market. (The fighting squid are from Olya [Nepinka]; the felt eel is by Irena Rudman, both at Etsy.)

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 BONUS PHOTO:

How could this fail to inspire someone?!


Some of you will point out, rightly, that lobsters are not fish - they are crustaceans. And some of you will point out, rightly, that squid and octopi are not fish, they are cephalopods. But how could we call this posting Seems Kinda Cephalopody? (If you look up cephalopod, you'll find that cephalo is from the Greek for head, and pod is from the Greek for foot, so they are 'heads and feet', or 'heads with feet' or 'footed heads'.)
P.S.

Since Valerie accused her of badgering, Jean would like to point out that badgers are one of her favorite creatures. She thinks the short-legged members of the weasel family are just adorable. Shown is a Colorado badger. How cute!