Thises and Thats

 I grabbed Mr. E a couple of nights ago when he got home from work to take these pictures. It's a great outfit, but he sure doesn't like to get his picture taken!  However, i think you can see why i wanted to get his looks on this site - he's not headed anywhere special, just off to work, and boy he looks sharp.

(Sharp? I look like I've just been embalmed for god's sake....A face lift, a face lift...my kingdom for a face lift! Oh, and by the way I don't have a beer belly, that's just the un-tucked shirt, hanging a tad too jauntily. No seriously, it's true. And just for the record, I loved the shirt pattern when it was merely a piece of fabric, but as an actual item of clothing I think it may be a little "busy". In all honesty, I don't think I'm very good with fashion. Johnny Depp on the other hand....)--Mr E.

The shirt is his own design, which i sewed up. It's a Japanese cotton print he spotted at Stone Mountain and Daughter. I drafted a pattern based on a couple of his ready to wear shirts which fitted well, and then modified the muslin based on fittings. His hat showcases one of my ideas about trends. The 'slim-brimmed-fedora' is a big trend in hats right now, and as a rule i'm not big at all on snapping up much in the way of trends.  But occasionally, a trend shows up which fits quite neatly into your own personal style, and if it's hard to find it makes sense to stock up while you can. Mr. E isn't tall and he has a slight build, so a lot of hats made for 'regular people' look oversized on him. These sleeker hats work well with his build, and he's wisely acquired some really nice ones.

The main highlight of this outfit is that i'm wearing the dupes i made of these pants, which were plumb worn out.  I'm making decent progress on my 'resolution', and it's fun to have a public venue in which to engage in a wee bit of auto-horn-tootage. The light was not cooperating, so you have these weird photos which look really strange but actually show off the salient outfit details. I'm wearing my Justina Leigh bracelet as a necklace (by clipping it into a 16" snake chain). I liked it as a necklace just as much as a bracelet. I generally like to wear super-drapey looks with a higher, chunky heel. But i was walking around a lot, and staying around the house, and my feet preferred these lower heels. So.

I've written before about my preference for air-drying most of my clothes - i think they last longer, and look better, than when they're tumble dried. Most of the drying takes place on this collapsible, portable air-dryer. It folds up accordion-style to 29" x 5", where it lives in my closet.

I ended up discussing this in the comments on one of Terri's posts, and she'd not heard of these type of dryers before. Behold, photographic proof! I like to dry most of my blouses, shirts, and structured knit tops on appropriate hangers, in order to keep them 'on grain'. Kind of a mini-blocking. on edit: these dryers more commonly are made of wood, which works very well and holds slippery items well.

Here's a paradox - the cat loves to sleep underneath this dryer when it's full of clothes outside. But if he sees it changing shape (un- or folding), it terrifies him and he runs away to hide. It's possible to really load up these dryers - my mom is amazing at it, loading up queen-sized sheet sets, bath sheets, socks, tees, and on and on. I leave mine out on the deck when it's warm and or sunny, and when it's cold i put it in the computer room next to a heater vent. Make sure to angle the dryer so that no large articles are blocking the flow of air, and your house-heater will do double duty and dry your clothes. Don't put the dryer ON TOP of a heater vent, no one wants fried clothes or a burned-up house!

 Hat: Goorin Bros.
Shirt: Mr. E's design, made by me
Trousers: ?
Jacket: Alfani
Shoes: Sandro Moscoloni

Tunic: Converse One for Target
Wrap Cardi: Nine West
Tee: Merona Target
Belt: vintage Coach
Pants: dupe of Carushka Posh Pants, made by me
Shoes: Bass Lacey oxfords
Bracelet Worn as Necklace: Justina Leigh on etsy
Earrings: Benitez Jewelers

No Repeats W & W: Day Twelve

talking to mom's dog

 I wore this look last Sunday, the day after Christmas. We went up to Napa to spend the day with my mother and take her out to dinner. Mr. E came up with the idea of going out for the holiday dinner on the day AFTER the holiday.  It worked out pretty brilliantly, too - no crowds, no need for reservations, no weird 'holiday fare'. We went to Grace's Table in downtown Napa (a few doors down from Pleasures Unlimited, the adult supplies store). A wee bit pricey, but not outrageous. Delicious food. My only regret is that mom and i shared a piece of Devil's Food cake, instead of getting two pieces.

here's Jack!

The belt is an amazing hand-embroidered Central American piece. I found it about a year ago at a private sale up in Mendocino which we stumbled upon while staying in town for our tenth anniversary. I'd been on the lookout for a similar belt for years. This one is almost 1/4" thick, it's got that much work on it, and was $35.00. I've never seen anything remotely similar for under $100.00. The sale is run by an older lady who's been living/traveling in Mayan country since the 1960's, and importing various handwoven articles.

The only trouble with this belt, as far as wearing it goes, is the pink dye. It's not fast at all and wears off on whatever comes into prolonged contact with it (jeans, purse, etc.). So i've been wearing it with black. It really looks stunning with jeans. I haven't worn it with jeans that much because of the dye trouble - but frankly it washes out very easily.  Looks like i've just shot down that reason - prepare to see more of this belt in future!

In this close up you can get a better look at the jewelry. The beautiful garnet and marcasite necklace is from my mother, who i think bought it at an antique shop. The garnets have a really nice color, and are set high to catch plenty of light. The earring is the Thomas Mann piece my mom and i discussed a couple of days ago, in the post and the comments. Both the arrow and the striped piece are moveable.

And here's my outfit from Monday. I realized sometime over the weekend that i've been keeping track of my No Repeats Workdays and Weekends outfits in a misleading manner - i've only been 'numbering' the workday outfits. So this last outfit in this post is 'Day Twelve', while the first outfit is kind of a 'bonus' look. Well, folks, i suppose it would be possible to go back and re-count, re-number, and re-name all this to make it make sense. But with this brain, it would take a ridiculous amount of blood, sweat and tears. Those posts are going to stand as they are - i'll be numbering outfits #1-20 in my 'workaday capsule' as part of the No Repeats challenge, and i'll be showing the weekend outfits without numbers.

 Just goes to show what happens when you try to organize the human brain.

Boxing Day Outfit:
Hat: The Berkeley Hat Co.
Tunic: Converse One for Target
Skirt: gift
Over The Knees: Target
Boots: Bass Lamont

Day Twelve Outfit:
Black Wrap Cardi: Nine West
Henley: Aeropostale
Skirt: own design
Belt: Betsey Johnson
Wool Blend Tights: Hanna Andersson
Shoes: Maine Woods

Stormy Skies

So, as promised, a view of my new skirt -

It's the 'mlle. pointy hem' skirt with some alterations.  I got this fabric months ago, intending to make a top of it.  But then, as i pondered on it, i realized it's a little heavy for a blouse.  Then, i thought i'd make a skirt - but couldn't decide on the cut. Finally, i noticed how often i was reaching for the mlle pointy hem and it occurred to me that the same cut in a darker fabric would be just the ticket. Especially with winter coming on..... (Honestly, it's a wonder i ever accomplish a flippin' thing, as long as it takes me to get a move on.)  

I took these pictures on a day with scattered showers. We had clouds scudding across the sky, and strong sunlight moving in and out of the clouds, with showers now and then (and here and there). I've found the best lighting for showing off the colors and details of clothes is a uniformly overcast sky, so these pictures have some 'blasted out', overexposed areas. But i like the way the weather mirrored the look of the skirt's print - it shows some of how i feel about this skirt, not just how it would look to any old passerby.

Eeek!  The sun snuck up on me on that one! 

A couple of weeks ago, I got three yards of this velvet-striped black ribbon, planning to use most of it to make roses for a neckpiece. I whipped up this bow on the spur of the moment and like the general idea of how this bow turned out. After wearing it i've decided to tweak it to get a better shape. & i loved the way the two necklaces look draped together! However, it was a total pain in the ass to keep looking the way i wanted it to. I need to come up with a better system - do any of you have any words of wisdom?

 A couple of close-ups so you can see the fabric, the lace on my half slip, and my 'sanctified' tights ; )  The hole is far enough above the knee that the G.P. has no idea, and the tights keep me just as warm as before the hole.

Jacket: Yak Magic (thanks, mom!)
Tunic (worn as Blouse): Converse One at Target
Tank: Jockey
Skirt: own design
Tights: Hanna Andersson (thanks, mom!)
Belt: vintage Coach
Shoes: Maine Woods
Necklace, Earrings: own design

A Quiet Day

 I was trying to call our local turkeys in this pic. We have a group of a baker's dozen scratching up and down the road, leaving cultivated areas in their wake. I've had the most fun watching them settle down to roost at nite, about 18-20' tall in a grove of eucalyptus up the street. Apparently they have a lot to take care of last thing!  Maybe they also believe in the old axiom, 'Don't go to bed mad'. It's fun to listen to the ruckus and watch those big birds flopping around in the branches.

 Well, i've never had much luck calling birds, and i didn't have any this nite, either - this turkey feather is a present from my brother and husband. Talking to critters is more Mr. E's department - he has a wonderful voice, i love to listen to him sing, and animals always come when he talks to them (mostly about the prospect of feeding them. It's not all talk, either).

I was having a 'blah' day, partly because of the migraine cluster i was going through. Now that i'm having less periods, i'm having migraines only 2-3 times a year - hooray! I thought i didn't show it much, but when i looked at the pics i took i could see it on my face. Thankfully, the headaches are on the wane. And the blog helped, too - i didn't need to think about this outfit, just switched the ivory tunic for black, and bob's your uncle. The idea of using an outfit blog as a 'dressing resource' was part of my original motivation for this blog, but i've only begun using this blog that way very recently.  Do any of you find yourselves using your blog this way?

Making the small switch from the previous look to this one, it was brought home to me again that color has such an impact! The ivory look is so ethereal, but this one seems so earthy to me.  I was also tickled at the 'turkey influence' on this outfit.  The colors, the patterns, the 'fancy tail feathers', even the naja, created by the southwestern native peoples.

So if anyone asks what you did this weekend, you can respond, 'I read this lady's blog who dresses like a turkey'.  Have a great weekend, everybody!

Tunic: Converse One Star for Target
Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
Petticoat: own design, inspired by Alisa Burke
Belt: Betsey Johnson
Earrings: very very old (Madonna had just hit the scene!)
Necklaces: own design
Naja: Gathering Tribes

A Selfish Post

As i'm sure any of you with 'OOTD' blogs of your own have discovered, a style blog is a simply mahvelous wardrobe documentation/development/organization tool.  Very possibly the best there is. Outfits that rocked, outfits that flopped, how you have and have not worn various pieces, the accessories you wore, the flippin' weather on that day (okay, sometimes) - it's all right there for a girl to review, organize, use for brainstorming, obsess over.........especially since i've begun tagging my individual pieces it's just so easy to use.  If i'm thinking of wearing the palm tree jacket? Let's see how i've styled it in the past........conversely, when i'm feeling in a rut, i can see which items i haven't worn much at all, or ones i've neglected recently.  Truthfully, it's a lot more useful and fun for just getting dressed and making new clothes than i ever thought it would be when i started out.

Today i'm going to do a selfish post. I've had a couple of outfits the past month that kinda...started out, and were going somewhere that seemed worthwhile, but never quite ARRIVED. So i'm posting these 'demi-looks' in order to keep them in mind. I'd like to develop them into actual looks.  Definitely possible, but to do that i'll have to remember them......

Yesterday I started a project based on this post.  I duct-taped and drafted a pattern for a wide, pleather belt - i just feel like a 'real belt' would work better on the plaid sundress and tee/silk skirt looks.  Other than that.....i don't have a lot of ideas.  Maybe i just wore these on the wrong day.....you know how that goes!

Do any of you have rules or guidelines for how you tell if a look is 'done'?  In my twenties, after things had gotten a wee bit 'out there' and i was working on dressing in a more pulled together fashion, i had a couple of general rules - always throw on a belt and earrings, that type of thing.  But over the last years, i've been going more by feel. Partly because of the super hot temperatures we get out here, partly because i'm at home most of them time, partly just because my aesthetics have expanded. If any of you have any ideas or philosophies, about your approach to dressing or any of these pics, i'd love to hear about them.  There's nothing i love more than hearing about how people organize their clothing life!

Building A Small Wardrobe: Color

Oh, this was nice outfit! Comfy, cotton, just two easy pieces, a really fun shape and easy to accessorize. I threw it on because i wanted something simple for the day which we planned to spend packing up for leaving to go camping the next day. Mr. E asked where i was headed - he thought i looked a little fancy bumming about the homestead!

Below you see how i generally feel when i'm taking pictures by this tree - i have to run down a ramp, go down a step, more ramp, step over a wooden border, clamber onto the base of the tree....all in eight seconds. It's a wonder i ever look decently composed in these photos.

I think in this pic you can see the detailing on the tunic for once. I've had a hard time capturing the ruffles and plackets that are a big part of the appeal for me of this garment. Here it seems to come across.

Now, on to the title topic: color in the small wardrobe. For decades now i've been using a method but i can't remember where i learned about it - possibly in the 'four seasons' color theory books. Anyways, it's a simple system but for it to work you have to be very strict, especially in the beginning. To start, choose two colors that you like, flatter you, and can easily be worn together. It is also recommended to choose one dark and one light color. I chose black and beige. Other pair choices could be navy and grey, chocolate brown and teal, indigo and pale yellow, etc. As a rule, neutrals or less outrageous colors are preferable because they are more flexible, but it depends upon your individual situation. If you're a beginning lawyer, coral and sage green may be lovely on you as well as with one another, but might be tricky in your profession. If you're an artist or stay at home spouse, on the other hand, go for it!

From this point every piece of clothing you buy will be one of your two 'base' colors (white/ivory is a wild card you may also purchase as long as it flatters you). Stick with your two base colors until you have put together a 'core' wardrobe sufficient for your needs (maybe 5-12 pieces?). This will vary depending on your needs and the purpose of this part of your wardrobe (business, travel, casual). Staying within certain style parameters is a big bonus to the versatility of this strategy, but you'd be surprised how many seemingly stylistically opposing pieces come together when they are the same color. Also, keep in mind that classically-fitting, simple, well made pieces will last longer and be more versatile for mixing with other pieces. Solid colors are also more versatile for mixing, but prints consisting of primarily your base colors can add a lot of life to your look. Prints are also quicker to 'date' than solids, something to keep in mind if you are buying investment clothing.

Once you've got your 'bases' covered, add in one more color. This color can be dark or light, which ever you prefer and makes more sense (what is the dominant season in your area? do you do a lot of messy activities in this wardrobe?). The third color needs to 'go' with both base colors and, again, be flattering to you. I chose grey. Proceed as above, purchasing only items in one of your three colors until you have enough for your wardrobe's purpose. At this point you may want to concentrate on finding pieces in your third color, but don't pass up anything really great or useful in your two other colors.

As i'm certain you've realized, this scheme can be carried out with as few or as many colors as you can think of as long as they all can be worn together successfully. I started with black and beige, added grey, realized i had a couple of blue pieces and added a few more. I have two orange pieces from years ago and just now have added the predominantly orange 'umbrella skirt'.

This scheme sounds tremendously limiting because it does limit the items you can add to your wardrobe. But if you stick to your plan, once you go to get dressed suddenly everything you own can be worn with everything else, meaning you have literally HUNDREDS or even THOUSANDS of possible outfits. Once i'd seriously committed to this plan i found i started never repeating outfits, though the number of clothing items i had stayed about the same or even a little less. My creativity in creating outfits took a leap forward as well, since i had so many options and possibilities.

I hope this has been helpful to anyone interested in a planning a smaller wardrobe. This concept is also worthwhile when packing for travel, as well as developing 'clothing capsules' for specialized areas of your life (sports, weekends, hobbies, severely hot/cold weather, etc.).

Tunic: Converse for Target
Skirt, Earrings, Necklace: own design
Shoes: Dansko Marcelle
Hat: ???

Success!

First, blog news. My brother is flying in tonite for the Fourth of July festivities, so i'm not planning on posting for the next few days. I do plan on taking pix, and catching up on posting after the weekend. So stay tuned!

Now - Success! My main goal with this blog was to document what i'm wearing, day to day, to get a practical idea of what i have in my closet, what i'm wearing, and how it works out. Then i can use that information to better come up with new pieces, also to create a 'library' of documented looks that work for low energy/low inspiration days. I generally get dressed in a really unconscious/subliminal way. So it's hard for me to duplicate outfits that work, since i wasn't really paying attention when i put them together.

This outfit would never have come about if i wasn't 'diary blogging'. I was tired and had no ideas yesterday, but i knew i would feel like a knucklehead if i didn't make any effort. So i started with this skirt, because i hadn't worn it in a while. Then i thought 'ah, how about some black to toughen it up - plus it's supposed to be cooler today, so black won't make me broil in the sun'. I rolled up the tunic sleeves to free up the movement in the shoulders, the flats were a no-brainer. When i got ready to go out and about, i wanted a statement necklace (to play off the detailing at the top of the tunic), but the strong enough ones were all a little fancy. So i went multiple. I added the link bracelet to balance out the necklaces. And.........Tada! Outfit!

At the last minute i threw on the jacket to deal with a mighty wind outside, and i loved the outfit even more. It's definitely casual, but quirky and comfortable. I can switch out the accessories, hair, shoes and stockings to change up the look. (For example, put my hair up, add dangly earrings and sparkly necklace, wear heels and fishnets with a petticoat under the skirt - fun going out to dinner and a movie, no?)

Plus, the skirt and tunic both billow and swirl in the wind most fetchingly. Really, this is one time i wish i had a photographer following me around! Maybe sometime in future.....And the sad face? I was commiserating with a certain hairy someone who needed something warm and delicious in his tummy. See if you can spot the hairs at the bottom of the photograph.

How nice when you have an idea, follow it through, and get the results you wanted! And frankly, how unusual.

Tunic: Converse One Star at Target
Skirt: own design
Jacket: Royal Robbins (altered)
Belt: vintage Coach
Sox: Target
Jewelry: gifts or own design

Fresh as a Daisy?

Thursday was a typical day - morning walk, gardening, sneaking past the Sedum oxypetalum, all in the toasty 85 degrees of the East Bay......until a cool breeze picked up and it was time to get gussied up! We were taking a trip through the Caldecott Tunnel to the New Parish Club in Oakland to see Pegi Young and Bert Jansch.

Not only did i need to put on the dog, but that twenty minute drive means twenty five degrees less heat, plus wind and fog. Putting on stockings and a velvet jacket in the heat is weird, trying to get the makeup on your face faster than your face is sweating it off - is gross. But i appreciated that extra warmth by evening's end. tomorrow i'll make some notes on the concert and the surprisingly varied audience (hopefully i can convince mr. e to contribute). in the meantime, how about some clothes?

the first pic is with jacket, the second without, since i liked both. i didn't get pix last nite (poor planning) so crawled into the outfit again this morning to get the photos. so, no, i was not feeling fresh as a daisy.

and yes, it is only my ninth post and i'm already repeating articles of clothing - maybe there's a prize?

what can i say, they're my clothes because i like 'em.
Daytime
Hat: unknown
Jacket: Royal Robbins
Cami-top: own design
Cargo pants: Columbia (5 or so years old)
Shoes: Converse Jack Purcell

Nighttime
Hat: Down Under Enterprises
Scarf: wedding gift
Tunic: Converse
Skirt: made myself
Petticoat: made from scraps, inspired by Alisa Burke
Necklace: collaged from Marin City Flea Market finds (watch & bow), pearls restrung by me
Earrings: liliswan
Chain Belt: Betsey Johnson
Stockings: ?
Shoes: Clark's Passion