Mom Tells It Like It Is

 Received an e-mail from ielgirl this am, horrendously disturbing upon first glance. My groggy eyes immediately leapt to a few phrases which jumped off the screen: ".....i had him shoot me.....i beheaded....."  - - -  What!?!?? My mind barely grasped the meaning of these phrases, leaving my heart paralyzed as my eyes automatically continued skimming along: "....and i posted it to my blog." Aaah! Someone's posted her first outfit of the day!  Whew! I did pause to wonder how she was managing to send an e-mail after all that brutality. Ya got me on that one, P!

Continuing with my 'e-mailbag' theme, mom had some remarks on my recent tule fog post. Mom was born and reared in Fresno, CA, smack dab in the center of the California Central Valley, birthplace of tule fog. Take it away, mom!


"Hahahahahaha! I know why you used the tule fog picture you did, but THAT's not REAL tule fog (see, old lady here).  This is tule fog:

(i can't find the pic she attached to her e-mail - it's just a bunch of fog anyway with one foot of road visible in the foreground)

and it's not real bad in this photo.  Pictures of real tule fog have to have a 'no fog' before picture and the tule fog picture as a referent because in real tule fog you see nothing but the grey.  In this picture, you can actually see the line in the road and some other object(s); in really bad tule fog, you have to drive with the passenger car door OPEN, not just the window, and have the passenger keep their eye on the side of the road as you creep along at 5 mph.  And when the road intersects - oh, hell, that's why I love living outside the Central Valley.  Of course, if you don't stay out late and drive home before 2 am, then it's not such a problem - more cars on the road, however.  Like most of life, it's a crapshoot. 8-)"

We stand corrected!

(Note to Readers: looks like the text formatting went haywire around this point and i can't figure how to fix it. Please accept my apologies! It seems to be just this post.)

I was getting into the top half of these outfits there for a while. Looks like Gracey has been into this dolman sleeve thing too - check out how great she looks when she's "not putting in any effort".  I guess yard-long legs make any outfit pop!!  Anyways, I liked the shape the wrap cardi made over slim-sleeved tees or light sweaters, and played it out with two different skirts, both with dramatic lines. I kept the accessories and other styling to a minimum in order to accent the silhouettes.  I think that the denim skirt look would've been better with a bit of a heel and my hair up or in a low ponytail. Next time.

I've taken so much inspiration from Elsita's blog The Hidden Seed. It seems she no longer posts there, but the archives are up and completely worth your time. I tried duplicating one of her trademark poses with this outfit, seeing as the skirt design was sparked by one she wore, but i've got a ways to go. Elsita's slips don't show unless she wants them to.

Wrap Cardi: Nine West

Grey and Black Sweaters: Target Merona
Denim Skirt: repurposed from J. Peterman wide-legged denim trousers
Beige Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed

Slip: own design
Legwear: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Maine Woods
Belt: ???
Bracelet: Justina Leigh

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: Days Fourteen & Fifteen

 So i bucked up and dealt with my clothing capsule boredom by making a species of suit (see above) and using accessories to bring color into a neutral look (see below).

For me, combining any type of blue with greys always brings out the blue in the grey, instead of toning down the blue.  So my outfit yesterday felt very 'blue' to me, even though only the legwarmers and scarf are blue. (And of course, the blues looked more blue in real life.....) Does it seem that way to any of you? Maybe it's because there's a blue briolette in the earrings, and i did wear a blue stone ring.

Photography conditions have been very trying recently. I actually woke up this morning, got into my clohtes from the day before, and re-shot this 'blue' outfit, because the shots from yesterday afternoon were so atrocious. Even so, dappled sunshine isn't the greatest for detailed depiction of costume.  But it's the best i could come up with!

This look was fun because it felt like i used the bare minimum of accessories in order to get the look across and make it interesting, without crossing the 'boring barrier'. I've had a good time skating towards the minimalistic end of my style spectrum, and i've been getting a lot of compliments, too. I think it makes my style more understandable without people needing to study it in depth beforehand.

So i finally get a decent pic of these earrings and my ear is blazing red. Just think of it as a festive holiday tribute to our favorite little reindeer. From top down that's a sterling acorn, a sterling and marcasite salamander, and my regular bird filigree and pearl (half of a pair - the others have become single over the years).

The past several years, Mr. E and i have made a tradition of going out to a swanky eatery around 5 or 6pm on New Year's Eve. That way we don't need to worry about reservations or getting a great seat, and if you keep ordering they don't kick you out. We tend to go to Cesar's on Shattuck in Berkeley, but tonite the hubby has scoped out a new tapas place in the Temescal neighborhood in Oakland. Yum!  I hope you all have a great, safe, non-hangover-inducing evening!  Best wishes to you and yours for the coming year!


Species of Suit:
Jacket, Skirt: own design
Black Sweater: Target
Leggings: Carushka
Shoes: Ariat
Belt: vintage Coach
Tiger-Stripe Socks, Lace Scarf, Jewelry: gifts


Blue or Grey?:
Grey Sweater: Tweeds
Ivory Sweater: Royal Robbins
Lace-trimmed Cami: Old Navy
Jeggings: Target
Legwarmers: gift from mom
Scarf, Earrings: own design
Boots: Bass Lamont

No Repeats W & W: Day Eleven

 Whew! Not exactly a whilrlwind of a weekend, but pretty active nonetheless.  Movies, shopping, eating out, making salads, visiting, catching up......I hope all of you had a great time with your friends and families as well!

Lotta pictures in this post, and two outfits.  This first outfit is what i wore on Saturday, Christmas Day. (My No Repeats Workaday outfit is further on down the post.) I tend to dress for a special function at the beginning of the day, especially on holidays. It makes the whole day feel more festive. It's also one less thing to do (get 'dressed up').

This wonderful coat is April Cornell from a few years back. It was a Christmas present from my husband, with no input from me. Husbands have a reputation for being the last person you'd want to involve in fashion decisions. Completely not the case in this household! And i would never have bought this coat for myself, as the black jacquard tends to catch and pull threads out. I'm very glad that Mr. E isn't practical that way! At some point in future i'll use the black fabric as a pattern for a new outer layer, when i find the right fabric. I plan to extend the life of this piece for as long as i can.

I love the shape of this coat, and the faux fur is warm and soft and lends it a wonderful weight. It's one of those pieces that makes you long for cold, frosty weather. Not every woman can say so, but my husband has better taste than i do! Lucky me.

Click on the above picture for a better look at the detailing on the alpaca blend sweater and the swiss dot blouse with pintucks.

This Christmas Eve outfit was a lot of fun and worked well for running around doing last minute shopping, walking around generally, and taking in a movie. Our landlord and next-door neighbor has a huge, fun family and he invites all of them on Christmas Eve for a spectacular party and feast. There's plenty of kids having the time of their life as well, so our Christmas Eve tradition has been to make ourselves scarce on that night. Usually we've spent the night at bed and breakfasts' or at my Dad and his wife's traditional 'eve soup' dinner. But this year we took in a movie instead. We saw The Social Network, and it was very well done and enjoyable. I liked it more than i expected and would recommend it.

This look was comfy and warm and didn't have fussy parts to get in my way. And with a snazzy hat, no worries about your hairdo!

I love the way the back of this sweater looks like a sailor top's collar. It gives it an old fashioned, romantic vibe.   I made the little heart pin on this hat to showcase a piece of embroidery that i saved off of a worn-out cami top.

It's funny how sometimes i get an idea for accessorizing or putting together a couple of pieces just 'from the gut', and then later it turns out there is a very sound aesthetic principle behind the choice. Afterwards i can see how it could be put together by 'thinking it through' using established rules, but at the time it just came to me.

In this outfit i wanted a necklace, and my hand just went for this naja and pearls. I had no idea why, but it looked great. Later i realized that the naja and the 'leggers' both feature a stirrup or upside down horseshoe shape.


First Look:
Hat: Ren Faire vendor, own trim
Coat: April Cornell
Sweater: Peruvian Connection
Blouse: own design, inspired by The Style Underdog
Skirt: own design
Belt, Tights: Betsey Johnson
Shoes: Clark's Passion

Second Look:
Hat: gift, own trim
Sweater: Charter Club by Macy's
Tee: Target
Skirt, Pearl Bracelet: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
'Leggers': own design, the term 'leggers' is courtesy Misfit Vintage
Belt: vintage Coach
Naja: Gathering Tribes
(pearl necklace is own design)
Shoes: Bass Lacey

No Repeats W & W: Day Five

What i wore most of the day around the house. Beautifeel shoes. It got this dark by around 2 in the afternoon. Dramatic weather, for sure!

Grocery shopping means you have to leave the house - into 40 degree F temps and a nice, steady rain. I'd just sprayed my Bass Lamont boots with waterproofing spray two days ago. Perfect time to get 'em wet!

I also needed easily accessible pockets and more warmth. Thus, Royal Robbins jean style jacket and Nine West wrap cardi. Gloves via The Berkeley Hat Company. I'm wearing Smartwool socks under those boots.

I've had this necklace since i was around 22 - but instead of that great lemon quartz bead, it had a square, kitchsy clump of milky semi-opaque stones, base metal flowers, and rhinestones. It was pretty great how it was, and my friend Shawn (a guy) still brings it up on a regular basis, but i'm not feeling so 'ironic' these days (in my manner of dress). I'd been looking for the perfect way to showcase this quartz bead for a couple of years - who knows why it finally hit me now!  I love how it turned out, especially as i've been on the hunt for more statement pieces.

You can just make out the stars at the ends of the chains at the center. That chain tassel is so fun to fidget with! Plus, chain tassels are very 'in' these days......groovy.

I hope you all have a great weekend, the last before Christmas! We're headed to The Dickens Fair and also plan to do some gift shopping.  I hope it doesn't get too crazy for any of you out there.....

Ivory Cotton Sweater: Royal Robbins
Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
Jean Style Jacket: Royal Robbins
Black Wrap Cardi: Nine West
Gloves: The Berkeley Hat Company
Pumps: Beautifeel
Boots: Bass Lamont
Wool-Blend Tights: Hanna Andersson

What I Really Wear (An Ongoing Series)

hi guys.

 Maybe it's the anthropologist in me. More likely it's just the stubborn contrarian. But i'm still going through a spell of having trouble 'toeing the style blogger line'.  You know - put together the most beautiful outfit you can manage, go out to some gorgeous or edgy location about 37 minutes prior to local sunset, your photographer spouse/boyfriend whips out his DSLR camera to take the most flattering and arty photos in his power.....you are unruffled, at one with the gorgeous surroundings, no practical concerns ripple your mirror-polished surface.....

Okay, i'm being kinda facetious.  And i love getting a gussied up and taking a nice pic in front of a bunch of trees - even up in a tree! But recently i'm compelled to show the everyday stuff, the stuff that doesn't quite work, the outfit that REALLY worked but the photo aspect was not happening. In the end, all any blogger can do is beg the reader's indulgence, and hope to offer some speck of interest to their audience.

I'm in this 'hoodie without a hood' most days.  I put it on when i get up on a chilly morning, when the evening is cooling off and i don't want to turn on the heater. I bought it at the Aeropostale outlet in Petaluma for around fifteen bucks because it fits perfectly, the zipper is very sturdy and smooth (when this garment bites the dust i will cannibalize the zipper - they can run from nine up to seventeen dollars new, when you can find them), and it's 100% soft cotton. The color is unobjectionable.

However i was mildly grossed out by the front.

I'm not an aqua-fan (except for nail polish and lipstick). And ever since the fad for wearing logos on clothes hit, hard, when i was about 14 or so, i've felt like an idiot wearing any visible logo. "I'm such a smarty-pants that i paid them to do their advertising for them!" Oy.  But i figured i'd just wear it around the house, anyways.   So.

However, while sifting through the archives, i saw this tutorial on Beckerman Bite Plate. Aha!  I have old jeans, and can lighten things up with scraps from my blue shirtwaist dress, the button skirt, leftover lace from my half slips. It came out fine - no real fashion breakthrough, but i didn't feel like such an @$$h0L3 wearing some corporation's advertising. That just really gets my goat.

I made these earrings recently and like them a lot.  I bought the quartz hearts from a Ren Faire vendor, and cannibalized the blue briolettes, pearls, and chain from other jewelry. 

Now i'm going to 'conform' to traditional blogger guidelines and ask a question to spark discussion. How do you all feel about wearing logos?  Does it get up your nose as much as it does mine?

& to conclude, a question because i'm desperate for information. Do any of you know any place that sells a nice variety of decent chain suitable for jewelry making? As far as i can tell it's a desert out there and i'm itching to make some new, chain-based pieces. So far it looks like my best best is to get cheap jewelry and cannibalize it.......any sources you all know about?

Grey Sweater: Tweeds
Hoodless Hoodie: Aeropostale
Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
Tights: gift
Shoes: Bass Lacey Oxfords

When Fantasy Becomes Reality

New shoes! ah, the bliss of it all......when down in Pacific Grove, i spent some time in the myriad 'outlet stores' trying on shoes. I had no hope of finding any shoes to buy (and i didn't). But i thought i might be able to find some brands and sizes that my feet could tolerate. And then i could focus my online shopping on these brands.

As it turned out, my feet were quite enamored with some shoes in the Bass outlet store. I didn't care for the style, but when i saw these Bass Lacey Oxfords online i fell instantly in love.   Mr. E went to work and managed to find them for about $25 off retail, and so my oxfords began the trek across the country to their new home.

Firm support, sturdy lug soles, 2" heel, yet lightweight......my fantasy shoe! The top hits at an unflattering place for many legs, but my tiny ankles make it possible for me to pull these off with skirts as well as trousers. To most minds, 'comfort' in a shoe means cushy squishiness. For me it means a very stable, supportive shoe that holds my foot in one place and lets my nerves get a good feel for the surface on which i stand.  Unfortunately, that's much harder to find, though not impossible. The Clark's Indigo and Artisan lines are really beautifully made. The Bass line is great and even more affordable than the Clark's. I've only purchased one pair of sandals, but Naturalizer shoes seem to be made along these lines.

this pic shows neck area detail - but see below

Imagine my delight to find these Bass Lamont tailored lace up boots built on the same sole and heel as my wonderful Lacey oxfords!  Mr. E again performed his shopping wizardry and these lovely lace-ups are wending their way towards the Pacific.....and not a minute too soon! My lovely Maine Woods shoe-boots, with the best stacked heel in existence, have developed 2" long cracks in the leather. Aw, fiddle.  I love to re-sole, but once cracks develop in the upper leather even i have to admit it's 'that time'.

 the 'vee-neck' way i wore the blouse

So, dear readers, with our major capitalist holiday a mere month away, what is your fantasy shoe? Have you been lucky enough to possess a pair, or is that happy event still in your future? Does comfort factor into it, or is it all about the aesthetics?

Crochet Sweater: April Cornell
Blouse: own design, inspired by some girls wander
Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
Shoes: Bass Lacey Oxfords

p.s. today's outfit is just this previous one with a cardigan thrown on top and the shoe/sock story switched out.  This time of year you may be able to 'recycle' any number of summer outfits in this manner.

p. p.s. now that my fantasy shoes are reality, new fantasies include Clark Lyme Grass Boot and Clarks Lyme Regis ankle boot.  Yow Mma!  And to think there have been whole years in which i had the money to buy shoes, but none i cared to buy......

Short & Sweet

 Busy couple of days starting today, so i'll be terse - here's something new for you to look at anyways.

(if you want something to read, just scroll around the archives, there's plenty available.........once i start typing, i can't stop!)

Those turkeys (13!) had been 'cultivating' this spot a couple of days before and i had a devil of a time keeping my balance. The air was mighty blue by the end of this shoot....

Blouse: own pattern, inspired by Style Underdog
Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed
Petticoat: own design
Socks: Little Miss Matched
Earrings: Liliswan on etsy
Necklace: gift (the chain on the rose necklace is very delicate - for this look i wore it entwined with a gold rope chain for a different look)
Shoes: archaeologically ancient Maine Woods
Hat: The Berkeley Hat Company

The People Who Open Your Eyes

I threw a tantrum on the blog a couple of weeks ago.  (Just so you know, i'll do my best to limit them to an annual occurrence). I was feeling crappy, sure, but the main reason i was so mad was because i couldn't find Luis Baptista on the web.  It frustrated me now end, and bothered me all nite. Luckily, i found him on my first search the next morning.

 Who the heck is Luis Baptista? Dr. Baptista was a bird scientist who made wonderful discoveries about how birds learn their songs, how birdsong is like human music, how the songs vary geographically. Which is wonderful enough....but Dr. Baptista didn't stop there.  He was known for haunting Golden Gate Park, watching and feeding birds at all hours, and engaging any people who stopped by.  He pointed out different types of birds, knew many birds personally, could and did imitate the dozens of different white crowned sparrow neighborhood songs for scientists, children, birdwatchers, and the occasional TV reporter.  He discovered all types of wonderful things about birds but he never kept them to himself.  He constantly shared his discoveries and enthusiasm with others.  Here he is talking about a lady white crowned sparrow of his acquaintance:

"''This is where a white crowned sparrow I used to know once lived,'' Dr. Baptista said, pointing to an ornamental African aloe tree. ''She was very dominant to her husband, whom she beat up on all the time. However, one day, she divorced him, moved to a different tree a few hundred feet away and married another guy who then beat up on her. I couldn't understand what she saw in him. But they raised more white crowned babies than anyone else in the park. She must have realized there was something special about the new guy, in terms of evolution.''" 
 from A Conversation With Luis F. Baptista; 'Revolutionary Etude,' Rendered by a Wren by Claudia Dreifus, The New York Times, May 16, 2000

 Dr. Baptista died at age 59 in June, 2000. He was tending a barn owl who'd decided to roost at his home in Sebastapol when he collapsed.  I never got to meet him.  But i've known other generous birders. Dr. Bill studied the Wilson's Warblers at Jewel Lake. He always beat me there, no matter how early it got going, and was easy to spot with his hand-held parabolic dish, tape recorder, and earphones. He taught me to identify kinglets, and told me so much about how to spot orange crowned warbler nests that i was able to point a nest out to my husband before i'd ever seen one myself.





orange crowned warbler on nest by robbbinestridge. visit robbinestridge's flickr photostream to see more of robbin's wonderful photographs

Some birders just tally up the birds they've seen, competing with others for huge life or year lists.  You can't help but be amazed by their skill and dedication.  But you can't learn anything from them - they don't share. How to tell a Bufflehead from a Goldeneye by how the way they land in a pond, or a Sharpie from a Cooper's hawk by wing beats, where's the best places to see a Least Tern - they keep it all to themselves.  But other people open your eyes to a whole new world. Suddenly you divide your neighborhood up into towhee territories, and you can tell if a mockingbird is squawking about a cat or a hawk by call alone. You take your mom to a spot in the bug-ridden, swampy brush and say, 'Okay. Within ten minutes a Swainson's Thrush will show up there, worm in mouth.'  About seven minutes later, bird and bug appear.  Mom is amazed.

Some people are amazing. Some people show others amazing things. Other people show you how you can be amazing, too. Those last people are the ones who knock my socks off, the people who change how you see the world around you and even how you see yourself.  For me, that's the big difference between traditional 'style media' and bloggers. Vogue, etc. are full of pretty illusions and lovely pictures - but half the time they don't even reference the makeup or accessories in a shoot (not that the average person could afford it). 

 But bloggers!  Every item is lovingly sourced. Sheila shows you how to pin, use belts as bracelets, layer, and double up your stockings so you can incorporate these ideas into your own great looks. She also answers every single reader question.  And Sheila is far from alone in her generosity.  Academichic has a great variety of series on color theory, proportion, layering, and pattern mixing (among others). They go way beyond 'Here's a cute outfit, mow try to copy it' - they give you the concepts you can use to create your own original looks. V of Grit and Glamour just did a reader survey and came up with some very interesting results on what reader's look for and appreciate in style blogs.  Did she just keep all that juicy information to herself, so she could stomp on the competition? No! She went to the trouble to analyze it, summarize it, and publish it all on the web so everyone who wanted to could read it and benefit from all of her work and thought.

on edit: And of course Mrs. Underdog has been incredibly generous in providing me with information on clothing details. In addition to scoping out some truly hardcore jewelry resources previously unknown to us mere plebes.

I could go on and on. I'm sure all of you have been stunned at the generosity of style bloggers, not just with one-off or trifling questions, but with the effort they will put into big projects addressing key concepts and style secrets. I haven't seen any 'Here's my trademark recipe (except i secretly left out the key ingredient)' around this part of the web.


So today, if you have a minute, think about the people in your life who've opened your eyes. If they're still around, let them know you appreciate them! And if you're feeling particularly bold, allow yourself to contemplate how you might open someone else's eyes.....


Blouse: Merona at Target
Skirt: own design, inspired by The Hidden Seed


p.s. as many of you know, i take my own pics using a camera with a timer.  the bouch showed up for this shoot, and posed patiently while i walked back and forth to the camera, setting the timer for each of six shots....i especially like the one where we are both lying down. very Isadora Duncan. it's fun to have someone to photograph besides myself!