Tuesday, December 28, 2010

No Repeats W & W: Day Eleven


 Whew! Not exactly a whilrlwind of a weekend, but pretty active nonetheless.  Movies, shopping, eating out, making salads, visiting, catching up......I hope all of you had a great time with your friends and families as well!


Lotta pictures in this post, and two outfits.  This first outfit is what i wore on Saturday, Christmas Day. (My No Repeats Workaday outfit is further on down the post.) I tend to dress for a special function at the beginning of the day, especially on holidays. It makes the whole day feel more festive. It's also one less thing to do (get 'dressed up').


This wonderful coat is April Cornell from a few years back. It was a Christmas present from my husband, with no input from me. Husbands have a reputation for being the last person you'd want to involve in fashion decisions. Completely not the case in this household! And i would never have bought this coat for myself, as the black jacquard tends to catch and pull threads out. I'm very glad that Mr. E isn't practical that way! At some point in future i'll use the black fabric as a pattern for a new outer layer, when i find the right fabric. I plan to extend the life of this piece for as long as i can.


I love the shape of this coat, and the faux fur is warm and soft and lends it a wonderful weight. It's one of those pieces that makes you long for cold, frosty weather. Not every woman can say so, but my husband has better taste than i do! Lucky me.


Click on the above picture for a better look at the detailing on the alpaca blend sweater and the swiss dot blouse with pintucks.


This Christmas Eve outfit was a lot of fun and worked well for running around doing last minute shopping, walking around generally, and taking in a movie. Our landlord and next-door neighbor has a huge, fun family and he invites all of them on Christmas Eve for a spectacular party and feast. There's plenty of kids having the time of their life as well, so our Christmas Eve tradition has been to make ourselves scarce on that night. Usually we've spent the night at bed and breakfasts' or at my Dad and his wife's traditional 'eve soup' dinner. But this year we took in a movie instead. We saw The Social Network, and it was very well done and enjoyable. I liked it more than i expected and would recommend it.

This look was comfy and warm and didn't have fussy parts to get in my way. And with a snazzy hat, no worries about your hairdo!


I love the way the back of this sweater looks like a sailor top's collar. It gives it an old fashioned, romantic vibe.   I made the little heart pin on this hat to showcase a piece of embroidery that i saved off of a worn-out cami top.


It's funny how sometimes i get an idea for accessorizing or putting together a couple of pieces just 'from the gut', and then later it turns out there is a very sound aesthetic principle behind the choice. Afterwards i can see how it could be put together by 'thinking it through' using established rules, but at the time it just came to me.


In this outfit i wanted a necklace, and my hand just went for this naja and pearls. I had no idea why, but it looked great. Later i realized that the naja and the 'leggers' both feature a stirrup or upside down horseshoe shape.


First Look:
Hat: Ren Faire vendor, own trim
Coat: April Cornell
Sweater: Peruvian Connection
Blouse: own design, inspired by The Style Underdog
Skirt: own design
Belt, Tights: Betsey Johnson
Shoes: Clark's Passion

Second Look:
Hat: gift, own trim
Sweater: Charter Club by Macy's
Tee: Target
Skirt, Pearl Bracelet: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
'Leggers': own design, the term 'leggers' is courtesy Misfit Vintage
Belt: vintage Coach
Naja: Gathering Tribes
(pearl necklace is own design)
Shoes: Bass Lacey

7 comments:

  1. Great looks both. I am glad you had good holidays!

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  2. Your Christmas Day outfit is just lovely! I love the patterned tights/stockings - they really add a bit of "special" to it.

    Also, wow, your hubby has great taste! What a cool jacket!

    Your layers in the second outfit are perfect - I love the fullness of the sweater combined with the sleekness around the waist. Very pretty.

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  3. Both looks are great! I love the coat. Yay for husbands with good taste!! And I also love your shoes in that first outfit!

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  4. I love the first skirt so much and the tights are a perfect compliment...I also agree with you on the back of the sweater so cool. Your designs are ususally may favorites!

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  5. Hi Cynthia! thank you - & there's still the new year coming up!

    Thank you Sheila! yes, i'm lucky. on the second outfit i'm glad you noticed - i belted & folded the sweater in a different way just to keep it a little 'neater' around the waist. it's nice when things work out, isn't it?

    Thank you Joy! those shoes are really comfortable, too - this has been a banner year for me shoe-wise. Hooray!

    Hi Pam! actually, my husband spotted the material for the first skirt, too. That guy's batting a thousand! & thank you! that's really nice to hear : )

    steph

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  6. Props to your husband on the selection of that coat. I am impressed.

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  7. Hi Terri! now if he could only drill holes in acorns like your does.... ; )

    happy day!! stpeh

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