The Awful Truth

 It all started when i saw a fantastic dress Sheila posted on her blog......i left a comment to that effect, and Sheila let me know it was not an LBD but actually separates.  Hmmmm.  I was completely taken with the idea and figured i should be able to create my own 'separates based Little Black Dress' from stuff around the house.  Specifically, from clothes.

That led to this getup.    

 Which i was not too thrilled with at the time (can you tell?)  Looking back i don't know what my problem was - i hope to revisit this look soon using a crewneck black tee.

So when i was fiddling with that pic in preparation for blog posting, i became re-interested in the 'all one color dress from separates' idea.  It was hot then - it's still hot now.  Today we are supposed to get darn close to one hundred degrees F.  I've lived in the SF Bay Area all my life, and while we have the most reliable hot temperatures of the year during September, by mid-October crispness is in the air. Leaves turn, we get a few showers, there are clouds and fog and the crickets stop singing (i don't like to think about WHY they stop singing......poor crickets!). 

The last four weeks my refrain while dressing has been, 'well i should really wear this (cami-top, petticoat as skirt) now, since i won't have another chance until spring....'  Pfft! I wish. I wore knee socks on Saturday and that was reallllly pushing it. (Sweaty ankles? i had no idea ankles could sweat!) What i wouldn't give to wear a pair of wool-blend tights!  As i write, i'm wearing a cami-top and a petticoat as skirt......again. 

My landlord really liked this outfit. He's about eighty years old, and still in great shape - golf, skiing, lots of maintenance around his house and coastal property. I was sweeping out front after the sun got a little lower - but it was still hot enough that i switched the bandanna from belt to headband (to keep the sweat out of my eyes!). J. came out to see how i was doing and complimented me on my looks - he's probably my biggest fan around here, clothes-wise. My general look is more old-fashioned, and a lot of older gentlemen compliment me.  I think i remind them of the girls when they were growing up, how their wives looked when they were married.

That's me with no makeup, if anyone's interested.  About 20% of the pics here are no-makeup. I like makeup and wear it most days.  For a particularly 'done' or dramatic getup i'll feel like makeup makes a difference in the photo, but mostly i don't care one way or the other. The really alarming confession for me is the number of times i don't take my outfit photo the day i'm wearing it, go to bed wearing my 'face', get up and swipe the smeared mascara off from beneath my eyes, then go out back and take the outfit pics wearing the same clothes and makeup i did the day before. I know, i know - Y * U * C * K * !

Now you know the awful truth!

Top: own design
Necklaces, Bracelet: own design
Skirt: own design, inspired by Alisa Burke

Out of Martinez

This turned out to be a great 'bombing around town' outfit. Comfy, you can take the jacket on or off, belt or no according to the weather or whim. Hats provide sun protection and you don't have to worry how your hairdo is holding up in the face of wind, etc. - perfect when you're rushing around in the morning trying to get ready while half awake!

I've been feeling a little 'oogy' recently. A bunch of on- and off-line style advice gurus recommend that you identify a number of 'style icons' whom you can call upon for inspiration (if only in your imagination). I've picked my brain for an icon to call my own for years, with no success. But recently, for some reason i was thinking about Isak Dinesen's first collection of short stories when it hit me - Ms. Karen Blixen herself! of course! The love of art and nature, the twenties and thirties styles mixed with practical/safari pieces, the sense of being made for an earlier age, even the love of antique costume (Ms. Blixen had several Victorian/Edwardian style ballgowns custom made for herself before she left to live in Africa. She wore them while entertaining on her plantation in the bush). Here's a couple of links about Isak Dinesen. If you're interested in finding more about Isak Dinesen, Judith Thurmans' Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller is an exquisitely researched and beautifully told biography of Ms. Blixen's life.

So this look reminded me of the costumes created for the movie Out of Africa. But seeing as i've never been to Africa.......

.......Out of Martinez will have to do. And seeing as i've spent the last two and a half hours catching up with S. on the phone - i have to go!!

Jacket: Royal Robbins
Cami-top, Skirt, Denim Camellia: own design
Bandanna: Target
Shoes: Clark's Passion
Belt: vintage Coach
Hat ???

Shoppin' On The Noggin

Here's a little better look at the umbrella skirt. I love that frog, i couldn't bear to crop him out of the picture. Mr. E picked him up to hold up the umbrella in the middle of our outdoor table. Capturing him in a photo with the umbrella skirt was only a matter of time.

Here's a look at the details on this top. It turns out that the light in our shower is just right for catching these hard-to-photograph details. This is the original cami-top. My good friend, BZ, sent me a similar style of top which she'd found at a yard sale. It solved my problem of what to wear when it's boiling out but you feel like a schmuck wearing a black sports bra like ever other woman in this town. Fortunately it was a snap to copy the style, it takes less than a yard of fabric, and the possibilities for embellishment are just about endless.


Tomorrow morning Mr. E and i plan to get up at the veritable crack of dawn to queue up for the semi-annual REI used gear sale. REI stocks all variety of outdoor gear, from kayaks to bikes to tents, backpacks, shoes, and clothing and on and on. The used gear sales are famous for incredible bargains on barely-touched items (REI has a liberal return policy). This will be our first time attending one of these events - it looks to be pretty intense. From the website:

"Get your membership card ready, so you can check out the rock bottom prices on our used gear and clothing...... Due to the popularity of the first day of this event, we will issue reservation tickets for Saturday shoppers. These tickets will be given out Saturday morning, every half-hour, beginning at 8 am, and will allow 15-minute access to the sale. Twenty tickets will be issued for each 15-minute shopping interval. Only one ticket will be given to each person, and each person must be present to receive one."

Yee-haw! I can really use some new cargo pants (my best have recently develop a 6 inch long tear in the upper thigh). REI also carries Smartwool socks and Dansko clogs. A safari vest would be a lot of fun, i only have four belts so i'm always on the lookout there, you know me and hats.....but all will depend on who has returned what. I'm very happy to be attending with Mr. E - the most outstanding shopper i've ever met.
Sad news. A month or so ago i saw this Raccoon Rumpus blouse in an Anthropologie store. It's been on my mind ever since, but has sold out. I had entertained a fantasy that such an exceptional garment (yes, those are realistic racoons cavorting on 100% cotton swiss dot) would be a complete commercial flop and subject to drastic markdowns, at which point i'd swoop in and claim my rightful bounty. Alas, it was not to be........(swelling violins in the background).

The chances of finding similar fabric anywhere also suck. However, a nice swiss dot with strategic raccoon embroidery? Distinctly possible!

Hat: gift
Top: own design
Skirt: own design
Sandals: Naturalizers

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