Friday, March 16, 2012

Add A Little Color


 More walking looks, this time with color! These were for walking in pretty cold weather, for here anyways. I'm using my new(er) lounging sweats for warmth. These came about when the You Look Fab crowd was talking about the fun styles available at great sale prices at American Eagle. A couple of years ago i bought a couple of hoodie-type doodads at the Aeropostale outlet in Petaluma. They were so cheap i decided to buy my first sweatshirt-type item in a decade. One is so warm and comfy that it's become a lounging staple. The only drawback is it's a boring grey color....on the plus side it blends in, on the minus side it doesn't contribute much in the way of style.


The AE sweats came in such delicious colors, and the discounts were so enticing, that i dragged my better half down to the mall. How nice to find the colors even greater in person. And really nice cuts - a slimmer sleeve really reduces the bag-out factor. I have been enjoying wearing these hot and sour colors even more than i expected. It's funny how it slakes my thirst for color even though i'm just wearing them around the house and in bed, not in an 'official' capacity. 



That said, i think i like the way the lime top works in 'streetwear' better than the hot pink one. I'm showing you the look of the pink one on it's own so you can see the great tangerine lettering - yowie zimbowie!  Before i tried it as part of my 'walking' experiments, i'd have NEVER considered wearing any real clothing or accessories in this color. But, you say, what about your new dress in these self same colors? Well, i got the guts to buy it after i'd been hanging out in this sweatshirt. Who'da thought of using pajamas to stretch your style spectrum? I didn't even realize that i'd done this until i sat down and started writing this post! Now that i've tumbled to this, it sounds like a great method - hmmm, what should i choose for my next wing-stretching project?


 I've also noticed how much i prefer hot colors 'balanced' by another of their kind in the same look. In the first pic's look, adding the coral tones of the scarf really makes it for me. The same with the tangerine lettering on the pink hoodie - it adds a depth to the color story; without it these colors feel a bit flat. I also love roughing these colors up with some real textures - the fiber embroidery on the belt of the first look, for example, or the crinkly gauze of the olive scarf next to the coral shell. Getting some experience with these 'low risk' walking looks has emboldened me to pursue items in these colors for my wardrobe. I know that i'll enjoy wearing them and have precise ideas on how to style them to my liking.



On to the plain and simple practicality of color. We're in a rain cycle here - some weather watchers predict it will stick around through the end of the month (!). Anytime i leave my house on foot i traverse a couple of busy intersections. One would think that bright orange and vivid blue would stand out in even the gloomiest of days ..... but i've had at least one incident recently where i had trouble attracting a driver's attention.

This aggravates me even more as there is an assisted living facility just around the corner, and a lot of the residents have trouble walking (though they still keep at it!).  As you would suspect, many of these drivers have their cell phones stuck to their ears. If you see me yelling at cars out on the highways and byways, that's the reason. Oy!


Since we've switched from landline to smartphone, i've been taking my phone along on walks. I'm not worried about needing to call emergency services, or engaged in long soulful discussions with friends......no, i'm listening to my paranormal podcasts. I'd imagined that my daily walks would be a great time for talking to friends and family (i'm notorious for my inability to simply talk on the phone, i'm constantly ironing or dusting or eating or pacing or). But there's just too much distracting noise from cars, wind, leaf blowers, and so on. I've been especially enjoying Anything Ghost. Host Lex Wahl reads listener-submitted stories of the high strange and sets the whole thing to his original compositions. He's been at this for years, so i'm working my way through his voluminous archives.

If you enjoy spooky stories and old-timey, spooky-movie-type music give Anything Ghost a try! Do any of you listen to podcasts? What are your favorites? I'd love to find a good podcast with a focus on style - spill the beans if you know of any! Happy Weekend and be sure to take a nice walk.

10 comments:

  1. I love outfit number 3.Such a different you but it suits you all the same.I also like the way you tied those scarves.

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  2. You look incredible in that mix of saturated midtones (the orange windbreaker one).

    My husband is an enthusiastic podcast listener - mostly history and British humor. He keeps trying to talk me into entering the world of podcast. I like the world of ambient sound. :) I'll be very interested to hear whether there are excellent style podcasts since most style information focuses so heavily on illustration. Having to visualize the concepts for oneself sounds intriguing and much more involving. Makes me wonder if there were ever fashion shows on radio.

    I'm 180 degrees away from a taste for the supernatural. I don't even read fiction anymore. Grew up with all kinds of family ghost stories, though. People in my family took this for granted as factual. Me, OTOH, I used to be charmed the way Art Bell would interview everyone with such a matter-of-fact, respectful and "as if" believing tone.

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  3. You've got me thinking now about the relation between trying out new clothing ideas "at home" and trying out new worldview ideas at home/in one's practical life.

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  4. Thanks for the listening recommendation! I usually listen to mystery novels when I walk or garden (I just finished all the Sherlock Holmes). I really like the bright tops on you, esp the hot pink.

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  5. It's amazing what the pink sweatshirt and orange jacket with green scarf do for your face! I don't yet have a smartphone, although I've been known to listen to podcasts on my computer. This American Life is a good one, but you can hear that on the radio as well.

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  6. Thank you angie - i've been thinking how these drill-down-to-minimal-casual challenges really refresh my style. i did that one Cynthia organized a year ago and that one really sparked my creativity too. You have quite a few great scarves and brilliant ways to tie them as well!

    Hi Vildy! thank you, that's the way i love to wear color, yum! your hubby's podcasts sound great - mr.e would love brit humor too! i've googled style podcasts but not much so far. old timey style radio would be awe-some beyond words!

    i loved weird stuff since i was a girl, but didn't experience anything until i had a hear death experience when i was around 21....since then i've had a whole smorgasbord of high to medium strange events. i am very interested in what is the structure in back of all of this, so i listen to stories just for the fun of it but also to look for clues about what's generating all this.

    "You've got me thinking now about the relation between trying out new clothing ideas "at home" and trying out new worldview ideas at home/in one's practical life." you are a woman after my own heart! feel free to report back :)

    Hi Patti! i can't recall seeing you in hot pink, i think it would be really great! Sherlock Holmes - WOW! that sounds like funfunfun.

    Hi Terri! yep, that's why they talk about 'your colors'. i've listened to podcasts on the puter for years now, the thrill of the smartphone is the mobility :) i'll even take it down to the kitchen and listen down there.

    i'm a radio-lover as well - TAL has some really heart-stopping stories in the archives.

    Happy Saturday! steph

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  7. "Near death" not "Hear death".

    my wayward digits! steph

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  8. i LOVE THESE LOOKS SO RIGHT ON FOR THE ACTIVITY. I TOO AM A DAILY WALKER. MY DOGS THANK ME. THE HAT IS VERY NICE ON YOU BY THE WAY.

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  9. I love your choice of hat in the first photo. This is my favourite look, although you look great in all your pics. The orange in the jacket makes your complexion so peaches and cream.

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  10. Hi Adrienne! ah, nothing beats walking with a poochie!! Dogs are awesome for keeping a person motivated to walk, as well.

    heehee, nice to get a positive on the hat from a ProFessional!!

    Thank you Melanie! you have some truly inspirational hats yourself, and i love the way you repeat your beret! if something looks that flat out great it's criminal NOT to wear it to death! oh, i am always on the lookout for more oranges like that one. they're not all that common, imagine my joy when i found it in outerwear :)

    Happy Sunday! steph

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