It Turns Out It's All True!

 What they say about accessories, that is. I tossed on this dress and jacket a week ago to cope with a fairly hot day. The dress is a sundress, with just straps at the shoulders, and the jacket fabric is quite thin, providing sun protection without additional heat. For my morning walk i wore my flat riding booties (great for walking as well!) and a little hat. I ended up with a 'Depression-era country farm girl makes a little extra cash by moonlighting as a private detective in town' look - a vintage feel with a dash of kookiness.

When i got home i washed my hair, kicked off my shoes and jacket. When it was time to go grocery shopping, i decided on my nude sandals, along with the same jacket. This second look is much more up to date, almost 'Smart Casual' to use Angie's term.

The idea of using one rather 'clean', solid color dress (usually black) as a background to express various fashion personalities through prudent deployment of accessories is a hoary old canard. Many suspect it's not even true. But i was very struck by the difference a hat and different shoes made in this outfit.  Especially as this look is hardly equivalent to a 'little black dress' (plaid, big buttons, turn back cuffs and a studded belt, for goodness sake!).

I have to say that after this experience, concerning the power of accessories i'm convinced!  (time to go shoe-shopping.....)

Skunk Skirt!

So last weekend i finished the skirt i bought the fabric for in this post. The next day i wore it out to Point Reyes Station and Point Reyes National Seashore for some hiking, birding, and basking in less than infernal temperatures. This skirt got it's name when i smelled our fragrant friends as i was clipping the last stray threads from it's gathers. Combined with the black and white colors, i could not resist.

This outfit is interesting to me from the 'color' perspective. I focus almost exclusively on neutrals in my clothing for a lot of reasons. Especially when i was younger, i had no luck finding any colors that were actually flattering and which i felt comfortable wearing. Neutrals are much more flexible to match with each other, crucial when you have a small amount of clothes. I like to wear a lot of unusual silhouettes and outrageous details, and a neutral palette keeps these elements from going completely over the top. And my romantic, eccentric, old fashioned style lends itself to a muted color scheme.

But i love color! i love visual variety! This particular outfit has enough color and variety to satisfy me, without my feeling overwhelmed or garish. So, i'd like to look at it to see what works so i can duplicate it in future. (Question - is it ethical to copy yourself?)

While the outfit is totally composed of neutrals, none match in color and all have varying degrees of pattern. These patterns include stripe, straw braid, floral, and animal. Even the ivory blouse has a very subtle 'white-on-white' print, along with eyelet trim and lace applique. In addition, there's a large light to dark tonal range. The only traditional 'colors' are the two rose pins and some red in the skirt (scroll down for a fabric detail). Though physically small, for me the rose pins' color stands out a lot more because they are set off by the surrounding neutrals.

It looks like i should be able to quench my thirst for more color and variety fairly easily using the formula found in this outfit. I can add colorful accessories to any of my neutral 'ensembles'. Also, scarves, ribbons, etc. are much easier to dye a color pleasing to me. I can make sure to up my patterns in outfits and in new neutral pieces, as well as adding a punch of light or dark to monotone outfits.

I'd mentioned the idea of 'accessory sets' in a previous post, then came up with one here by mistake. The pink (or rose) rose pin was on the jacket and i left it on out of inertia. When i saw it next to the purple rose, which i'd pinned on my blouse on purpose, i really liked the effect it created along with the two necklaces. I'll try it again on a tee shirt, my black dress, and long-sleeved sweaters in winter.

Do any of you name your clothes?

Jacket, Blouse, Skirt, Scarf, Rose Pins: own design
Earrings: liliswan
Hat: from Berkeley Hat Company
Shoes: Clark's Passion