Wardrobe Resolution

 (cue sound of angels singing) Yesterday we broke 50 degrees F! I was able to take a walk and remove my gloves by the end of it!It's been about a week and a half since we climbed out of the 40's, so you can imagine my excitement. Mr. E took my picture in Carmel, CA last Saturday - we drove down a couple of hours the coast to see if we could escape the cold, wind, and rain. Many weather systems that come down from the north blow out by the time you get to Monterey Bay, so it's a strategy that's paid off for us in the past. But not this time. We wimped out and came back Saturday nite, instead of finding a cheap room and staying over. But i did get a nice remark from a lady winding up her day on Cannery Row who deemed my outfit 'the best i've seen all day!' (I'm wearing my grey ruffle skirt and Bass Lamont Boots).

Sunday had important wardrobe ramifications. I put my resolutions from this post into action, and bought material for three new bottoms at Joann's. They're having a great sale until January 26, if at all possible i plan to stock up on some more linen and linen blends before it ends (60% off). I'm halfway through a black linen/rayon blend full knee-length skirt, and have material for a slim silhouette tobacco linen skirt, and some cotton/poly interlock to copy these pants.

In the comments to my 'resolution' post Terri shared with us that she has dupes for four of her wardrobe basics: "You are absolutely right about the mainstays--which is why I have two black pencil skirts, two pair of black slacks, two pair of greys, two denim skirts." I appreciated her being so specific. It helps me to see a general idea along with a concrete plan someone uses to put that plan into action. I could juggle her selections around in my mind to see how they would work in my wardrobe and typical week, what would be involved in acquiring these items (or my equivalents), and how much of a 'buffer' they would offer me in terms of flexibility - for different types of occasions, in case of accidents, those busy times where it's hard to keep up with laundry, etc. I'm working on coming up with a similar list for my own use. Thank you Terri!

Just a knock-around-the-house, layer 'em up so you can stay warm, throw some stuff on kind of outfit. The beauty of this outfit for me is how easy it was to put together, because of the thought i've put into what gets into my wardrobe to begin with. It's comfy, warm, me, and has a certain amount of funk and style. It's days like this one, where i've made it so much easier for myself to dress how i want and like to, that give me the inspiration to make my mainstay's list and create the clothes on the list.

And you know where i get so many of the ideas for how to make my clothes work better for me - the finger's pointing right back at you! I hope i return the favor at least every now and then. Thank you!

No Repeats W & W: Day Nineteen

pretty cute, if i do say so myself.

Well, i wanted to end this 'workaday capsule' series with a bang - nice outfits, somewhat creative pictures in fun settings....and Day Nineteen went pretty much to plan. See above.

However, Day Twenty (the grand finale) was a bust.  I planned to wear the beige dirndl with my palm tree jacket and red clogs. I had to wake up early early to drive with Mr. E to work so i could use the car to get the oil changed, do a blood draw, etc. I'd struggled into my bra, cami, sweater, tights, slip, skirt and clogs when Mr. E commented (from his rightful place on his throne) that i had a big stain right on the middle of my skirt back.  Even i had to admit it was too gross to wear in public, once i inspected it. (I've been known to play fast and loose with bitsy stains, little tears, and so on. I mean, who can tell that it didn't happen since you left the house?)

Overnight, the weather got vewy vewy foggy as well as a good ten degrees colder than it's been. Even with expert layering my chances of pulling off my cotton canvas palm tree jacket without risking hypothermia were nil. At that point, i put my whole closet up fro grabs in order to pull together whatever clothes would keep me warm, be comfy, and preserve public decency.  My choices, as it turned out, were pretty darn slim. See result below.

Frankly, I was skeptical about learning much from taking on this challenge. But i was wrong wrong wrong. Limiting myself in this way has showed me just how low i can go in terms of the number of basic, everyday workhorse pieces i need in my wardrobe. I can get away with a pretty small number.......for a while.

But, trouble ensues when you're relying on one piece to fill a central wardrobe role and that piece gets a naughty stain. Or that piece is realistically too uncomfortable for your leg to tolerate thirteen days out of fourteen. Or that one item is your go-to piece for cold weather, but the cold weather drags out for twice or three times as long as usual. Or that skirt just plumb wears out before you can make or find a replacement.

In other words, i could stand to be more honest with myself about a) what i truly feel comfortable wearing comfort-wise and b) building some buffer pieces in my wardrobe, especially with my workhorses. I'm certain i wouldn't have found that out (or believed it enough to act on it) without participating in this challenge.

Thank You Cynthia and Anne!

No Repeats W & W: Days Seventeen & Eighteen

Not much to say about this outfit other than sometimes the pictures look a lot cuter than you felt when you were wearing the clothes.  I'm pretty sure i'm still stuck on 'too comfy = sloppy looking'. But that equation is false.

Here you can get a glimpse of some aquamarine beads i bought on Telegraph for six bucks. Everytime i string beads, the string stretches out after i wear them a few times and it looks bad. So i'm trying wearing these ones before i finish the necklace with findings, clasp, etc. to see if i can avoid the problem. Any input/feedback on this issue is avidly anticipated!

I wouldn't consider this outfit completely successful as an outfit - but it has some elements i'm very glad i stumbled upon. Angie at fashion me blog, Serene at The Elegant Bohemian, Katie of Interrobangs Anonymous, and others i can't recall at the moment have all been really rockin' the 'scarf as blouse' trick.  I've been attempting it myself a few times recently, and this time i finally got the hang of it!

I also really like lacey anklets with these boots.  With skirts, with skinny cargoes, or with fishnets in nude or brown......it really expands the range of these booties.  And using just a couple of lacey touches (scarf and socks) on a neutral base to lend a romantic air to the whole outfit is a nice strategy. But those black leggings under the skirt got under my skin as well.  It's too blunt. But i was too busy, too cold  and too tender to change them out for, say, nude fishnets or my gray lace Betsey Johnson tights. 

That's the beauty of a daily outfit blog - you can stash these elements away for future use.  In real life, i'd remember how much i liked these details but most likely forget precisely how i pulled them off....

I've had this rutilated quartz bead for three or four years now. I tried wearing it a number of ways, but none really felt right. Terri has featured acorns in a number of her DIY projects, and it finally occurred to me to go see if i could find one for this bead. I found one and burnt a hole in it for the wire. I also bought a couple of strings of iolite beads on Telegraph from the same vendor as the aquamarine ones. That's an iolite bead at the base of the 'acorn', and i've strung iolite beads to make a necklace for this 'acorn' pendant. Here i used a black ribbon, as the iolite string is in 'the stretching process'.

I can see the end of the workaday capsule challenge!  I'm doing my best to 'go out with a bang', but the weather and random evil stains conspire against me.  Wish me luck!

No Repeats W & W: Day Nine

Yesterday i started feeling better and felt like wearing a little snazzier type of look.  So i paired the grey ruffle skirt with the crop pinstripe jacket and heels. Done!

So many of you commented on the helpful aspect of dressing up when you're feeling down, that i wanted to post this link to a New York Times interview with Tim Gunn (hat tip to mom!). The pertinent part:

"Q. Some people view fashion as frivolous. Do you see a connection between fashion and health?

A. I was part of Dr. Oz’s team last year. I was his fashion guy. My first assignment was a mother and daughter, each of whom had been diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. They were in recovery, and my job was to take them shopping. I sat, and we talked for two hours. I heard about their journey, the cancer treatment, the resulting side effects. I was thinking how courageous these two individuals are, and what strength and tenacity they had. I told them, “I’m here to take you shopping. After everything you’ve been through, why would you care about this?” They said, “Are you kidding? When we look good, we feel better.’’ It was really an epiphany for me.

I’m always talking about the semiotics of clothes, how the clothes we wear send a message about who we are and how the world perceives us. When we look good, it shores up our confidence. We navigate the world with a sense of ownership. I don’t think of fashion as being something inconsequential or ephemeral, I think of it as being critically important."

New York Times, December 17, 2010 "Tim Gunn’s Advice for Making It Work" by Tara Parker-Pope

How you dress influences how other people see you - but it also influences how you see yourself.

I love this pendant - it's a working cuckoo clock which used to be my mother-in-law's. The detail is wonderful, with hanging pine cone weights and edelweiss flowers. Sometimes i have trouble getting this beret to stay in one place on my head, especially with 'small hair'. You can get a glimpse of my solution - i roll up a black bandanna and tie it on around my hairline. This adds enough bulk to my head (!) so the beret stays in place. This trick works with most hats - choose a bandanna that blends in with your hair or hat if you don't want to call attention to it.

Now, the last of the accessory sets!  I put these together using multiple strategies, which i've noted under the pictures. This post addresses how to 'match mismatching' earrings, but the principles apply to creating new combinations of accessories as well.

Bows with rounded danglers.  The roses on the chain belt are also a rounded shape, and the rhinestones echo the quartz of the hearts and the crystal of the watch.

This group is all about swirling lines - keeping the colors to gold tones, ivory, and soft pearl grey helps tie these items together.

The belt, metal bracelet, and pearl bracelet (worn as a necklace) all have a chunky, wide feel. The pearls in the necklace made simple pearl studs a good choice for the ears.

Here the pearl bracelet is worn on the wrist.  The earrings and necklace/pendant in this group put the focus on the chains.

Silver metal with pearl accent.  The earrings combine silver and pearl, thus helping to pull the whole group together. ( i put the earrings in the clothespins so they'd stay in place and you could see them - no, i'm not suggesting wooden clothespins as accessories, at least as part of this group!)

I've clasped two silver 16" chains end-to-end to make one chain that's closer to the length of the pearls. I felt that one or two silver chains so much shorter than the pearls wouldn't relate. As it happens, the pearl clasp makes it easy to shorten their length, so i could also wear this as two silver chains and one pearl strand at a 16" length, if that worked better with the neckline.

Pearls vs. silver/black metal. The heart and bow earrings snuck in there to emphasize the black tones.

I hope these posts have sparked some ideas for how you can get more use out of your own accessories through new combinations.

Anyone able to spot the x-rated item?

Beret: ???
Jacket: own design
Black Sweater: Royal Robbins (i'm still wearing it at this moment!)
Belt: vintage Coach
Skirt: own design
Over The Knee Socks: Target
Shoes: Clark's Passion

No Repeats W & W: Day Three

 Well, not too much to say today.....busy, holidays coming up, days shorter and shorter.....you can take pictures outside but the sky drools on you, inside during broad daylight you need a flash....

On my legs i'm wearing.......i don't know what you would call them.  They have stirrups, i made them out of one of my mom's old turtlenecks, they go up to mid-thigh and i put little loops on them so i can wear them with a garter belt - otherwise they don't stay up (no spandex, no elastic in the tops).  They keep my legs warm, and i love the way they look. I had to do some piecing to eek the length out of the available fabric, and it gives an edgier look to them.

The detail photos are from another outfit - Terri should appreciate the peek at the grey ruffle skirt ; )  I did wear the same half-slip yesterday.

It was one of those days where you keep throwing the sweater on, then working up a sweat vacuuming and having to rip it off.  No happy medium.

Any ideas on what the leg coverings should be called?

Cardigan: Tweeds

Henley: Aeropostale

Skirt, Half-slip: own design

Mystery Leg Coverings: own creation

Shoes: Maine Woods

How Did You Spend YOUR Weekend?

This last weekend, we got a bunch of rain. Buckets, all over the place. Which is great, we can always use it here in the Meditarranean climate of the Bay Area. So i spent all Saturday in bed, after which i felt re-invigorated and refreshed.

As you may guess from these photos, Mr. E has succumbed to a friend's pleas for him to join his Fantasy Football league this season.  So all day Sundays and on Monday nights the computer is reserved for Fantasy Football use exclusively.  A similar situation pertains next door - i was joking with D. that we are a new variety of 'Football Widows' (widowed from computer access).  Between the deluge outdoors and someone being glued to the computer, my options for outfit photos on Sunday were limited.  (You can see how enthralled my husband is with my self-portraiture.  I'm guessing over-exposure. And his fantasy team is doing much better than his expression would suggest.)

I had to venture out in the rain to do the weekly grocery shopping.  After the 'Can Clothes Be Too Comfy?' discussion, that grey ruffled skirt was on my brain.  I wanted to try this skirt at a shorter length and see how i liked it.....but without taking the irreversible step of chopping it up. I took a clue from Audi's penchant for hiking skirts up to below (and sometimes over) her bust.  I safety-pinned the skirt's waistband to the bottom elastic band of my bra at four places -  et voila! a perfect just below the knee length skirt!

These shenanigans yielded an unexpected benefit - my bra stayed perfectly in place all day. The weight of the skirt balanced out the weight of the bust, so no hourly pulling down the back of the bra. Funny how something that seems so fussy to put together ends up being much less fuss to wear. Counter-intuitive.

At this point my thinking is to just keep the skirt as is, and pin it up when i want to wear it shorter.  Let us bow down to the goddess that is the safety pin!  According to this site, Penelope received over a dozen safety pins from those pesky suitors when her man Odysseus was lashing himself to the mast, blinding Cyclops, and generally remaining AWOL.  Penelope has always been held up as an example of stunning faithfulness, spending sleepless nights unpicking her own work, but if all those suitors could come up with was a bunch of safety pins....well.  Sometimes life just isn't chock-full of tempting options.

In other outfit news, i have pictures of a

*** NEW SKIRT *** 

to post tomorrow.  Don't Touch That Dial!

Jacket: made by me, McCall's Pattern #5594
Top, OTK Socks: Target
Skirt: own design
Shoes: antique Maine Woods
Scarf: Echo

Can Clothes Be Too Comfortable?

Everyone loves comfortable clothes. But can clothes be TOO comfortable?  In fact, most of my readers (except mom : ) will agree that today's emphasis on comfort above all else isn't doing much for the looks of the public at large.  But i'm not talking about dressing for comfort alone in bagged out, stained and faded sweats and cracked Crocs. I'm talking about clothes that look stylish, flattering and appropriate. They just feel much more soft, unconfining, and unconstricting than those we are used to wearing.

I wore this outfit without the jacket (with the belt) for most of the day.  I liked the look - a long column of grey with textural details at hem and neckline, waist defined in the middle - but it just felt like i was wearing pajamas or a floppy nightgown all day. It never felt like i actually 'got dressed', though i was demonstrably not naked. It was all just too floppy and 'comfy'. There's no way i would have worn this outfit without the jacket out of the house. I just couldn't convince myself i was actually 'dressed', no matter what i saw in the mirror.

I tried to figure it out.  I know that i tend towards a degree of structure in my clothes - woven materials, leather belts, waist and shoulder definition, stiff-brimmed hats and skirts with bulk.  I was born in 1962 and graduated high school in 1980, and i've seen many purely technological changes in clothing materials since then. I cast back to what clothes were like growing up - the only knits were bulky polyester double knits (which i think i never wore, i found them that hideous from the beginning) or stiff, scratchy men's underwear (tee shirts and waffleweave long johns).  No fabrics approached the sheer buttery deliciousness of today's rayon/lycra blends, for example, until i was in my late twenties.  The only fabrics which had that wonderful soft, smooth feel were my flannel nightgowns that i wore until the shoulders busted through.

the fairy thorn bush along the walking trail by our house

Well, i never thought my outfit blog would take such a Freudian turn!  But what do you think? Can clothes be TOO comfortable, just on feel alone? Or is this another of my personal eccentricities?

Top: Aeropostale (from the Petaluma Outlet store)
Skirt: own design
Jacket: Issey Miyake for Vogue Patterns
Shoes: Dansko Marcelle

sapsucker holes on the fairy thorn bush. sapsucker drill holes in this characteristic pattern of lines, which is a good thing - sapsuckers are notoriously shy birds and otherwise i'd never know they are around! this tree is covered in sapsucker holes, with fresh ones all the time. but i've only seen the sapsucker once.

Grey & Yellow

I took advantage of a mildly foggy day to break out this skirt and tunic. The tunic started out as an April Cornell ankle-length dress. After i wore it as a special occasion type dress a few times, i thought it'd get more use as a tunic so i shortened it. I love the unusual acid yellow, and the different greys and black make it easy to pair with greys, denim, black. The 'base' of this outfit could easily work in winter - leggings, shoes, long-sleeved layering sweater and jacket.

Oof! We're in the middle of a heat wave here - Wednesday it got over 90 degrees by 11:00am and didn't dip below it again until almost nine that nite. Our local poo-bahs predict a return to cooler temps starting tomorrow. Let's hope they're right! This heat takes it out of me, so i'm signing off. Thanks to all for your thoughtful comments to my last post!

Hat: Tula
Tunic: Shortened April Cornell dress from many moons ago
Tank: Jockey
Belt: Betsey Johnson
Sandals: Naturalizer
Earrings: very old
Skirt: own design

Foggy Friday

I wore this outfit last Friday night to go grocery shopping. The checker at the next station was helping a 92 year old World War Two vet. This older gentleman took this opportunity to regale the other customers and checkers with stories of his exploits, opinions on letting the Russians take Berlin (bad idea), and how much he appreciated the leeway people gave him on account of being 92. He was a sweety and looking mighty fine for his age! And i was happy to see an elder being given the respect so many deserve and so few get these days.

After i bought my groceries, while i was waiting to use the DVD rental machine next to the exit, he told his assistant to stop while they were wheeling his groceries out. He wanted to complement 'this young lady' (me) on 'her outfit'. I said 'Back atcha!' His navy cap and violet and apple green color blocked windbreaker just jumped off his inky chocolate skin. Definitely a man with style sense. I would love to see some pictures of what he was putting together in the '40's and '50's!

As he moved on, a little creakily, i heard him telling his assistant 'That's one of the great things about being 92......you can stop and compliment young ladies....' Although, honestly, he seemed as if he's had plenty of practice at it!


Hat: ???
Tunic: Converse One Star at Target
Tank: Jockey
Belt: vintage Coach (does it count as vintage if it's vintage old but you bought it originally?)
Skirt: own design
Shoes: old Borns
Socks: Target (i made those pom-pom doo-dads to keep them from slipping down)

Hello, World!

or, more realistically, 'Hi Mom!'

as a person who designs and sews a lot of my own clothes, and who tends toward the 'small, highly edited' wardrobe style, it occurred to me that an outfit diary would come in handy. additionally, it would allow far-flung friends and family to reassure themselves that 'our girl' is dressing as kookily as ever.

this is yesterday's outfit. so far today, my bra has given up the ghost and my most reliable barrette exploded in the kitchen. it's barely 9:30am. please excuse me while i scramble to get presentable for today's photo!

Hat: Made In China (that narrows it down....)
Tee: Target Merona the ULTIMATE tee
Sox: Target
Shoes: Clark's Passion
Skirt: own design