Aww, Fiddle!

Condolences to Sarah of Misfits Vintage on the loss of  Dame Elizabeth Taylor. Stop by to read her excellent tribute to Ms. Taylor (with a wonderful picture of Liz driving her convertible and flippin' the bird), and give Sarah some love!

Well, we're in that 'winter is over, but it's not really spring yet' phase of the year. Around these parts, we're getting mucho precipitation - hail and rain. Over the weekend i was woken out of a sound sleep two nights in a row by dreadful wind, hail, and rain. Today Sacramento is under a flood watch - take care Bella! Nothing like living on a delta. Of course, this brings us to 'what to wear?'

I've been wearing variations on this look a lot recently, on 'around the house' days where we see the sun. It's too cool to wear just a tank, but layering a cami-top over a knit cotton tank while covering my legs hits just the right temp. I love the ease of having a 'uniform', but looking the same all the time drives me nuts. These looks may give you some ideas for adding variety to any 'uniforms' you wear and like.

The biggest difference between these two looks is in the silhouette. The top look is boxy and straight - i chose straight leg pants and buttoned only the top button on the cami-top, surrendering the waist as Angie puts it. I brought the knit top hem down over the pants' waistband to the hip, so there's no indication of the waist. The boots have a lower heel and a sturdy shape, and i wore no belt. The length of the pants contributes to the boxy effect - the straight hem cuts across the calf, shortening the leg a bit.

The second look emphasizes my curves. I buttoned the cami-top at the waist, and chose curvy boot-cut jeans.  The booties have a higher heel and sleeker lines. I wore a belt to 'pull in' the waist of the jeans, and as a bonus you can see the little bit of chain hanging down. The addition of small sleeves and changing the shape and size of the head - an 'updo' here versus wearing it down with a hat above - also contributes to a different feel, even though the earrings and necklaces remain the same. I've really appreciated having the 'brainless dressing' aspect of a uniform, while ending up with different looks. Angie at You Look Fab comes up with a lot of these formulas or templates - she calls them 'mom on the go' of 'flop proof outfits' - take a look to see which might work for you, and to get more ideas on how to come up with your own if you're drawn to the idea.

Another way to change up any 'uniform' is to vary the color scheme. You could just vary the color of one item (like the knit tank), go from a light to a dark color scheme in neutrals, or go from a low to a high contrast scheme. The first look here is light newt/low contrast, while the second is a higher-contrast look. If you wear an outfit with one dominant color, especially a bold or bright one, people tend to identify that outfit with the dominant color. So if you wear the same look again but replace the bold color with a neutral or a different bold color most people will 'read' it as a very different look.

I've actually started to get in the 'taking outfit pictures' habit again, but somehow i lost a bunch of photos! That was aggravating. And if i look a little 'tomato colored' in the top detail pic, it's not your imagination. I was having a reaction to a sulfa antibiotic, since resolved. Pardon my french, but what a pain in my @ss. Signs are decent that the infection is receding into the past, which would thrill me immensely. Mr. E has a couple of days off and i'd hoped to spend them tearing about town and behaving scandalously - which is harder to pull off if you're too pooped to pop! Here's hoping you are full of piss and vinegar!!

Cami-tops: own design
Tanks: Old Navy
Capris: Royal Robbons
Blue Heans: Levis
Boots: Bass Lamont
Booties: Maine Woods
Belt: Betsey Johnson

No Repeats W & W: Day Ten

This is what i wore yesterday.

Today it's Christmas Eve - i'm off to the races, hopefully i'll start posting again on Monday.

Thank you so much to ALL of you for reading, commenting, and following - and of course a huge Thank You! to all of you who maintain your own fascinating and inspirating blogs! I enjoy taking the photos, putting together the outfits and writing just for the doing of them, but the conversation that develops online is a HUGE bonus, always thought-provoking and lots of fun!

focus on sock layering - warm!

Best wishes to you and yours for a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Steph

Gorgeous Red Berries in the Background: Toyon bushes, a California Native plant
Jacket, Sweater, Capris: Royal Robbins
Lace-edged cami: Old Navy
Lace Scarf: gift
Necklace, Leopard scarf: own design
Belt: Betsey Johnson
Boots: Bass Lamont
Pink OTK Socks: Target
Black Wool Socks: Smartwool

Olive Drab and Aubergine

Two outfits today. The first one i wore yesterday, with my new Bass Lamont Distressed Boots!  So very very nice (even thought they have a 2" heel, not 5" like some other bloggers wear). I also feel like i am getting better at creating outfits that read as casual and in which i feel truly comfortable. I wouldn't say i'm completely there yet. But i'm getting much closer!

 I love olive drab, and it's close enough to a neutral to 'sneak into' my typical palette with no commotion whatsoever.  Aubergine, burgundy, etc. seems to be more of a 'color' color to me, and i feel it's a little too much for me to wear it on it's own. I prefer it worn with it's complementary hue of green.

here's a peak at my 'granpa's union suit' red socks

As a rule, when you put two 'opposite' colors (as in opposite each other on the color wheel) next to each other, they spark each other and the colors appear more intense and richer. In this outfit, the opposing colors don't 'pop' much because they are shades. A shade is made from a pure color which has been mixed with black.  This 'steps down' the color intensity of any given hue, and can also help meld together different colors (as it does here with the olive drab and aubergine).

 I came across Tiger Color recently (i'm pretty sure it was on Paula's site Fashion Over Fifty, but i don't recall) and it is a fantastic resource for all the basics of color theory. Poke around there a little to familiarize yourself with the concepts, then start picking apart all of your fave color combos to discover how and why they work. Soon you too will be a mistress of the color tiger!

no luck mastering this tiger

I was lucky enough to be able to take a number of undergraduate level art history and practice courses in my twenties. Combined with my life long practice  of sewing, photography, and drawing, my professional experience in sign making, and love of all arts and crafts, i've managed to get a pretty comprehensive grounding in color theory.

But i have no idea why this second outfit (worn 3-4 weeks ago) seems to work, really. There's no burgundy or olive drab in that skirt. It is based, way in the way back, on a red/green oppositional color scheme, as is the olive drab/aubergine top and cardi combo. But......who knows. Theory can only take you so far, is the moral of this story. Either that, or this second oufit belongs in the realm of the 'fashion don'ts'! I mean, "Honestly, Dad - socks and sandals??!?!?!" (exasperated sigh)

Cardi: Macy's (several years ago)
Aubergine top: Anne Klein for Vogue Patterns V2987, altered & made by me
Floral Corduroy Shirt: L. L. Bean (several years ago)
Capris: Royal Robbins
Red Socks: gift
Umbrella Skirt: own design
Petticoat: own design
Boots: Bass Lamont
Sandals: Naturalizer
Belt: old
OTK Socks: Target

I Been Holdin' Out On You All!

I been holdin' out on you all!  I was immediately taken with this silk blouse, worn as a vest, on Style Underdog a couple of months ago. I love Bev's style - it's the style i aspire to when i grow up.  (I'm pretty sure i'm older than Ms. Underdog, but she has kids and i don't. On the other hand, we do both have husbands, and.....hmm. In case mine reads this, best to stop now!)  I kept my eye out for suitable fabric, pounced on this coral peacock cotton lawn the minute i had cash in hand, and got to work.  I finished the blouse a couple of weeks ago and have worn it happily a few times since - but no blog pictures until now!!  Bad, bad blogger!

I wore this outfit for a day of dental fillings and errands (after a nap - that medicine just knocked me out!)

I got a little cotton lawn blouse at Target a few months ago, and it's reminded me of how much i love blouses, and how useful they are in my wardrobe. A flattering blouse brightens your face and can make a whole outfit - all the rest, the hair, makeup, jewelry, etc. can be simple while the style of the blouse kicks everything up a level.  It also provides a 'finish' that i generally rely on a jacket to provide.  But even a lightweight jacket can be too hot or fussy on some days, so a blouse fits the bill.

I had some really beautiful blouses in my early twenties that i made myself.  But when we opened trade with China, the wonderful cottons and silks from Egypt, Italy, and France were no longer 'working' from the finanacial angle.  Chinese fabrics, while nowhere as nice, were much much cheaper. Home apparel sewing fell out of fashion for a while there as well, and it was next to impossible to find any nice blouse fabrics.  Jackets, skirts, and pants can all be 'pulled off' when using quilting or decorating fabrics....but nice cotton blouses really only blossom when made of specific fabrics intended for that purpose.

 Thankfully, the past couple of years, and even more so this season, manufacturers are responding to the increasing popularity of home apparel sewing by producing some gorgeous blouse materials. I 

found this out by talking to the lady who helped me at Stone Mountain and Daughter when i was buying this fabric.I had noticed the difference in what was available, and i was very excited to learn manufacturers are focusing more on products for home apparel sewing. I guess it turns out i owe something of my style to Project Runway!

This pose reminded me so much of Sal at Already Pretty that i had to throw it in. The outfit with the capris was just a knocking around the house kind of day. I've had the sweater for years and loved the color and texture too much to throw it out, yet i never wore it. Then, i ran across a blogger (unfortunately i've forgotten who) who made a cardigan by just slicing up the front of a pullover.  I did the same thing and ta-da! I wear it open or belted, it's a lot of fun either way and nice and warm in the chilly days of winter.....if we ever have winter again.

So, my fellow bloggers, what are YOU holding out on us?

Blouse: own pattern, inspired by Style Underdog
Skirt: own design, inspired by some girls wander
Petticoat, Jacket, Ribbon Flower: own design
Earrings: liliswan on etsy
Necklace: Tail of the Yak, Berkeley, CA
Shoes: Ancient Maine Woods

sorry about the weird spaces - they've improved blogger again and it takes me a while to adjust....

How I Got The Hat Habit

Anyone reading this blog for any length of time should have tumbled to my reliance on the hat. Hats shield you from sun, protect from wind, keep you warm.......give your face a great frame on even the worst of bad hair days, add color, design detail, an antique or vintage flavor to your outfit......and, given the waning popularity of hat-wearing over the past decades, donning a chapeau is the easiest way to stand out in a crowd.

Hats have become one of my style 'trademarks'. People i don't even know, who i just see regularly on my walks, know me as 'the hat lady'. But for my formative years, all through elementary, junior high, and high school i never really wore hats. The truth is, not many hats are that flattering to me - i have to try on dozens to find 'the one' that works. Of course, if you only wear 'the one', people will think you automatically look great in hats (or high heels, belts, dresses, etc.). And truth to tell, many are uncomfortable or scratchy. And we all have heard of the dreaded 'hat hair'. So, given all these drawbacks, what drew my attention to hats and eventually turned hats into an integral part of my personal style?


Well, i got in a car accident at age twenty one or two* (stoner kid turned in front of my VW bug) and split open my forehead. The ER called a plastic surgeon in to stitch me up (he stopped counting at 150 stitches). In order to get the least-noticeable scar, i had to keep the sun off of my forehead for a year. That meant sunscreen (in the early days of sunscreen, with SPF 15 and a mucous-like consistency) and wide-brimmed hats every day. My family felt bad for me, and i was able to shop for some great hats. Two extra-nice ones were a dove-grey felt fedora style, and a dark teal felt 'boater-shaped' hat with black grosgrain ribbon.

I've always been fair and had sensitive skin. The first thing i noticed on the 'sunscreeen and hat' regime was that my skin calmed down a lot when shielded from the sun, and sunblock and sun protection in general became my best friend. I also found that great hats that fit me and expressed my style WERE out there, and that i loved wearing them. Other people liked them on me, too - i got a lot of compliments and smiles. A habit i'd been forced into by unlucky circumstance turned out to be something i really loved and have stuck with for decades since.

So many 'fashion/style advice' resources focus on how you can achieve the most flattering or up-to-date look, or how to make 'the' style (that's all the rage) work on you (even though it's a color you hate and the cut is designed for someone twenty pounds lighter in a completely different climate and life circumstance). There's a lot of advice on how you can fit in and look decent in the styles and colors that 'everyone fashionable' is wearing, how you can look like everybody else, in a lot of cases......and i suppose it sells magazines and clothes.

But what about YOU? What about YOUR body, hair, face, skin, likes and dislikes, history, interests, lifestyle, hobbies, background? What if lime green is the 'IT' color this season and you can't stand that color to begin with, and that bitchy high school popular girl had a lime green key chain and you just fume inside thinking about it? Being in fashion is fine. But if you want to develop your own personal style, it's going to be as much about what you DON'T do as what you DO do. What you don't like, what you can't stand, your fallen arches or mohair allergy or dowager's hump or.......these limitations are crucial to editing and developing your own personal style.

My love of neutrals? 95% of mass produced 'colors' are completely unflattering on me and i don't like to look at them either. My love of vintage/old-fashioned clothes? I could afford the (then) cheap vintage clothes during college and as a result found that those styles actually fit and flattered much more than up-to-date clothing. My dependence on natural fibers? Polyester and nylon make me sweat and itch. Plus i'm one of those 'electric' girls who gives everyone shocks - plastic clothes make it even worse. All those wonderful skirts and dresses i wear? It's because of incurable nerve damage to my legs that makes most pants painful or worse. Why do i design/make so many of my own clothes? I can spend days shopping and never find anything that flatters or fits properly. Hats? see above.

Personal style is defined as much by what you don't choose to wear as what you do. Think of any two people known for their strong sense of style and try switching their wardrobes on them to see what i mean. Katherine Hepburn dressed as Coco Chanel, with turban and cigarette holder? Or Audrey Hepburn in casual Kate Moss style (flip flops no less)? Or Kate Moss pulling off Princess Diana's diamond tiara and beaded white bolero? This is a fun game to play, and there are people who would come across believable and relaxed in someone else's style - usually because of an overlap or similarity of said style. But i hope you get my gist.

So next time you come across some limitation in what you can or want to wear, look in the opposite direction. Over there, can you see it? It's the refined essence of your personal style, trying to catch your attention..........


* yep, i'm also REALLY BAD at remembering dates.

p.s. and yet no hat in this outfit! i just liked my hair that day, and it was cool enough to go without. i'm glad i did - we were in Berkeley and i saw about twenty college-age kids rockin' the hat thing. don't want to blend in with the crowd and all that! : )

Jacket: Donna Karan for Vogue Patterns #2862, made by me
Capris: Royal Robbins
Blouse: own design, inspired by some girls wander
Shoes: Clark's Passion
Scarf, Ribbon Flower: own design
Necklace, Earrings: Tail of the Yak, Berkeley, CA

The Alders

I love alders in any case, but this group just knocked my socks off. Talk about elegance and presence. These driftwood logs have formed a little dam and made a pond behind them. This is a perfect 'migrant trap' - a spot providing water, food and shelter which attracts birds and insects on the move. These trees are so cool they even have their own groupies!

My third outfit, featuring my new cargo pants. I ripped apart the old pair to use as a pattern, modifying the waist/hi hip to conform more to these capris. I also trimmed down the legs to give a skinnier vibe, inspired by the one and only style underdog. My thighs/aka appetite aren't getting with the 'skinny cargoes' program so much.....but que sera, sera, i suppose. There's just too much 'yum' out there.

For whatever reason, i was just really into the 'gibson girl blouse knotted right under the bust' this trip, so i did it until i got it out of my system! (okay, almost out of my system...) But the three tops i wore could be worn a number of ways and would make a nice capsule for a trip where you'd be going different places and not necessarily seeing the same people. Two button-down-the-front blouses and a long sleeved sweater or tee. Let's see:

Each item can be worn alone.
Each blouse can be worn over the tee with a couple buttons undone.
Each blouse can be worn over the tee or over the other blouse
open and belted (belt or scarf).
Each blouse can be worn over the tee or over the other blouse open and knotted.

That's thirteen different looks right there, without even considering accessories (using different belts, scarves as belts, tying/belting scarves so as to cover much of what's underneath.....). If you choose a thin cardi instead of a tee/sweater, your choices only increase. Thinner pieces will layer better and dry reliably overnite. And if you only wear two pieces each day, the other piece can be drying/in the wash.

You could choose two oxford style shirts and a cashmere crewneck; a dot patterned blouse, a striped blouse and a solid tee; a floral blouse and a lace-trimmed blouse with a waffle long-sleeved tee..... you could have all pieces in the same color; or choose three colors that go together (coral, sap green and navy); or go with three versions of one color (light coral, canteloupe and tangerine). My pieces here are all very similar in color and style, so they are easy to mix but there isn't much variety in the resulting looks. If you want more variety, then choose pieces with different colors or different patterns, or take a lot of accessories. Just make sure that each piece will 'work' with both the others. I stumbled on this formula by accident, but it's a great way to travel super-light.

Here's a couple of pictures to give you a feel for why anyone would want to live at Sea Ranch. It's also possible to rent a house at Sea Ranch. It's really affordable if you go as a group, and a lot more fun than staying at a hotel. (Full disclosure: i can't recommend any of the rental agencies i linked to , i just wanted to give you a feel for how many there are. Only about 10% of the homes are lived in year round by the owners. Also, i don't care for the 'Sea Ranch' style of architecture, though it could be worse.)

Click on the pictures to get a larger view.




And here's a sunset view from Gualala Point park - that gorgeous misty seaside air....

A New Kind Of Diamond

Another look with the ivory ruffle tunic. We've been having an unusually cool summer her in the San Francisco Bay Area, which means a lot of days in the 80's here instead of the high 90's to low 100's. And also some cooling breezes! When i wore this outfit i had fun feeling it float and whip about in the air on my walk. Nothing i love more than looking different from instant to instant.

The breeze cooperated when i took these pictures - all i had to do was face into the wind.

And it also ties up nicely when you need to get down to business.

Recently i spent some time in Barnes and Noble snooping around the 'style' section. I came across some interesting information on finding your flattering hemlines but neglected to write down the name of the book or the author. I was certain i'd be able to look it up on the B & N website later, but no luck. If anyone out there knows this info, please leave a comment!

Here's the method. Stand with your heels together and your toes pointing out in a '10 and 2 o'clock' position (both toes pointing out equally so they make a right angle between them). There will be some gaps between your two legs that the author calls 'diamonds' (they will be in a four-sided diamond shape). Your most flattering hemlines will hit anywhere in your 'diamonds'. This holds for skirts, shorts, pants, capris, leggings, etc.

I liked this idea because in my experience it holds true, and it's a lot easier to explain than most systems. It's also easy to see where these areas are on your own legs in the mirror. Have any of you heard of or used this system?

Getting A Grip On This Blogging Thing

So i've been blogging for a bit over a month now - this should be my 31st post so around a month of blog posts. It's the kind of milestone that puts a gal in a reflective type of mood. What have i garnered so far?

1. I have more clothing flexibility than i thought. I figured i'd be scrambling for new outfits by the end of the month, but there's a few summer thing that i haven't even worn yet. There are a few more items i would like, and that would be useful, but i'm closer to where i'd like to be than i realized.

2. I'd like more color in my outfits. Not TOO much more - say, a colorful necklace and scarf in an outfit will do me (no one panic, i'm not giving up my life-long allegiance to beige). I've been seriously scarf shopping, but i can't find what i want out there. So after i make a couple more skirts and tops, i plan to focus on scarves, ribbon pins, necklaces in colors.

3. I like the idea of 'sets' of accessories that i can rely on to 'pump up' an outfit. Hey! A blog would be a great place to keep track of those sets!

4. I plan to 'focus' (ouch!) on taking clearer pictures of the clothes. So i'm paying more attention to conducive lighting, distance from camera, etc. At least i can post a clear detail pic when the outfit pic isn't so clear. I am sans tripod, so the camera is always set up in landscape format when i take my timer pix. But i think i can come up with a cradle to keep it on end so i can get closer to the camera and still get a full-length shot.

5. One or two more pair of pants would be nice. I've found some on blue collar catwalk that look like a promising idea - lightweight, fuller leg but flat-front pants made of patterned fabric. They should go with my general style and be comfortable enough that i'd wear them.

6. I think i have enough of a feel for what i'm up to that i can start usefully labeling blog posts soon.

So, opinions anyone?
(That includes you, Mr. Eccentric - i know you read this when i'm not looking.)


Now the important stuff - that's our family's newest member, Sophie the Swedish Vallhund! I puppy-sit her occasionally when her parents will be away all day, since she is still only a few months old. She is just a sweetie. They are herding dogs, everything from cows to sheep to ducks.

I wore this Donna Karan for Vogue Patterns jacket unbuttoned here. The pockets are perfect for leashes, extra treats, plastic bags, and so on. The E's really need to get up to eccentric's north and get some pictures of the other four-footed family members in residence there.

Jacket: Donna Karan for Vogue Patterns 2862, made by me
Capris: Royal Robbins
Shoes: old Borns

Passing for Normal

I put together this look on a day when i planned to walk down the street and talk to the owner of the local florist shop about temporary holiday work. I went with something very simple because every once in a while that type of look is refreshing to me, after so many baroque outfits. As it happened, the day got away from me and got a lot hotter than the weather-people predicted (pretty early in the day, too). I didn't want to make my first entrance in a pile of sweat. So i went the next day and wore the outfit below.

Both looks worked for me and my purpose because i chose elements that overlapped between my regular style and a standard business casual style - between the style i feel comfortable with and the style i wanted to project. My palette is neutral, which is the classic 'business' look, so i didn't have to make any changes there. I paid attention to grooming (wore makeup and gel in my hair), wore my classic jewelry pieces and traditional style, low heeled shoes. I didn't show too much skin and kept the silhouette neutral. Since this is a production job, working on your feet all day, a suit or office-type wear would have been inappropriate. And the flowing skirt, old-fashioned details on the blouse and hat, neutral palette and natural fibers made the outfit enough' me' that i wasn't distracted by my clothing and could concentrate on the conversation. The owner took my information, we'll see what happens - it's just to help out during busy times. But it would be fun to see behind the scenes in the floral industry.

If you have an occasion coming up where the image you would like to project differs greatly from what you usually wear and you're feeling stuck, try the method i used above. Sketch out a list of adjectives and attributes of the look you'd like to project - colors, shapes, fabrics, type of metals in the accessories, textures, even particular articles of clothing. Then, take this list with you to your closet and pull out any pieces which match any items on the list. See if you can make any outfits from this group. You will then have a much better idea of what outfits are possible using your current wardrobe and if you need to do any shopping. Also, any shopping you do will be much more focused, since you will know what you need in order to complete your look. You will also feel more comfortable basing a look for an unfamiliar situation on pieces which you know reflect your style and flatter your body.

Tee: Target
Skirt: own design
Sandals: Naturalizer
Blouse: own design, based on some girls wander
Capris: Royal Robbins
Flats: old Borns
Belt: vintage Coach
Hat: ?

Toodling up Highway One

My brother came into town for the holiday weekend, and proposed a little road trip. I thought it would be the perfect time to wear this outfit, with which i experienced technical difficulties a couple of weeks ago.

For the return part of the trip we drove up Highway One between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. Any part of this highway, which follows the Pacific coastline from the top to bottom of California, is absolutely worth traveling. The especial charms of this segment are the gentle slopes down to the sea interspersed with small farms, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, and the mating grounds of the elephant seal - Ano Neuvo State Park. From October through March every year these eccentrics of the sea congregate to battle it out with other males in hopes of accumulating a harem of the alluring, rotund female beasts. What can i say to begin to describe these creatures - they fight each other with grotesquely overgrown noses, they can stay under water for over one hundred minutes, their calls are eerily reminiscent of whale song. The baby seals, overgrown sausages just learning to feed on their own, are called 'weaners'. During mating season you may visit Ano Neuvo, but only as part of a guided tour arranged by reservation. I can't recommend it enough.


My brother took these pictures near Pescadero. The last pic shows the fullness at the bottom of the jacket nicely. This outfit worked out well for the day. It's comfy, flat shoes can take all the walking you want, it's pulled together but not fussy or overly formal, the jacket goes on or off to cope with varying temperatures.

The day was mild, we saw many windsurfers and kite surfers (the latter is a new one on me). But we didn't surf or ogle wild animals, just visited an old friend and gazed out at the beautiful ocean. I hope some of you get to spend some time at the seashore this summer as well.

Jacket: made myself from McCall's M5594
Blouse: Target
Capris: Royal Robbins
Shoes: old Borns
Belt: Betsey Johnson