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: Day Sixteen & Bonus Look

In the 'No Repeats' spirit, i incorporated a neglected coat and pair of boots into this workaday combo. The waffle weave crew neck is Mr. Es' - i've been on the lookout for 2-3 warmer henleys since September, but haven't found any worth buying yet. I just don't have enough warmer long-sleeved tops to make it through, so my husband granted me use of his waffle-weaves as long as i don't 'stretch them out in the bust'.  I also realized that i've neglected my perching poses, and thought the toyon berries in the background would look particularly festive with the red boots.

With the parka, the fluffy over the knee socks (new from Sock Dreams), the petticoat and touch of red this whole look made me feel quite 'holiday in the snow'. At least what i imagine 'holiday in the snow' would feel like - i've never experienced one.

Below you see my look from last Sunday.  I spent quite a while putting together this look. Not that it was difficult or ground-breaking (hello), it was just fun to have all my closet at my disposal, in addition to a bunch of new leg-wear choices.  So i dragged it out for fun.

This is how i looked as we walked the neighborhoods in Berkeley. It was quite the rainy weekend, with plenty of mud moving down the hillsides, but we only ran into a few sprinkles during our hours 'on the streets'.

 Earlier in the day i looked like this. With one exception - i wore my new brown fishnets in the house, then switched them out for brown wool-blend tights when we ventured into the weather.

This seems like my best photo showing the detail on this blouse so far.  I finished it this last fall, and figured i'd be waiting until April or May to get much use of it - the fabric is voile-weight cotton. I'm happy to report i've found it quite wearable in the winter.

My new Sock Dreams lace anklets cuffed over the top of my boots.  Aaaahh..........

Developments

As is true with everybody starting an outfit diary blog, one of my main motivations was to expand my style vocabulary.  I've got a good handle on how to project certain style - dressy, festive, feminine, artsy, bohemian, romantic -  in way that feels comfortable to me and flatters my form.

But in other arenas - casual, tough, rocker, edgy, pared-down, serious, grown-up - i've never felt as if i had a solid grasp on how to inhabit these styles. I'd love to be able to be able to pull off some of Nubby Twiglet's or Style Underdog's or Vahni's (from grit and glamour) looks, and feel they could suit my form and personality (with some attention to fit and style tweakings). I've just been having trouble figuring it out for me, my wardrobe, my body (aesthetically and practically). It's partly vanity, but also has to do with expanding and challenging yourself in a creative way. I hate to feel i'm stuck in a rut.

I truly believe in the small wardrobe for me. I also believe in projecting a cohesive, identifiable personal style. At the same time, i literally crave variety in my day to day dressing.  I've always fantasized and planned about my perfect wardrobe - one which contained the few, amazing pieces which can combine into an infinite variety of looks - the french gamine, the Italian widow, 1920's Hollywood  vamp, Wild West can can girl, Calamity Jane, tough-edged Cockney rocker girl, simple 1930's farm girl, Miss Blixen on safari.....

I love to pile on the clothes and accessories, layering to the beyond of beyond. And i have a knack for it!  But after a while of layers on layers i start to crave a severe, minimalist look for a while, to cleanse the palette.  However, there's a fine line between minimalist perfection and sheer boredom - how do you add in just enough to signal your particular style? Terri at RAGS against the MACHINE makes (jewelry) and wears (clothes) wonderful pieces which have shown me another very interesting way in which to wear a minimal and anything but boring look. All of this has been on my mind the past couple of months, even more so because of the blogging i do.

I've been forced to try some very different clothing combos the last few weeks due to our prolonged cold spell.  I only have about three 'obvious' cold-weather outfits, and as our cold spell lengthened into a second and third week my creative faculties were truly taxed in trying not to repeat. (Not to mention, you have to wear something clean after a few days......)

Then, the other day i stumbled upon an outfit which actually garnered comments from passing cars ('Great Outfit!') and which i really enjoyed. The lines were clean and the look was much more spare than my usual, but it felt truly 'me' and was interesting and flattering. I made sure to photograph the look, even though circumstances were not auspicious, and set to figuring out how this look could be used to spark a new direction.

detail of headgear

 The outfit in this post is my second take on this look, inspired by my 'accidental outfit'. Both outfits felt very 'new' to me, but were created strictly through shopping in my closet. In my next post i'll show you the first look, and tell you what i took away from it in order to be able to use it as a basis for making new outfits in the same vein. You'll also find out what all of this has to do with cake and frosting (though a few of you may already know). Happy Monday!!

Cashmere Cardi: L.L. Bean
Top: Missoni for Target
Skirt, Earrings: own design
Belt: Coach, very old
Socks, Bandana: Target
Hat Trim (worn as fascinator): Renaissance Faire vendor
Boots: Bass Lamont

The Enchanted Woods

ON EDIT: a couple of readers have had their comments Eaten By Blogger recently....i have changed posting settings to "no word verify" and hope this will correct the trouble.
If you do suspect an eaten comment, please take a minute and e-mail me at pygmyowl@sbcglobal.net or thedashingeccentric@yahoo.com. Just a quick note would be perfect. I hate to think people are taking the trouble to post and then *poof* nothing.  And your letting me know may be the only way i can ever find out! I sincerely hope this takes care of it and that you have a great rest of the weekend!  steph

I took these pics in late afternoon before Mr. E and i headed out to see The Negro Problem for the second time in a week. I loved the way the trees looked in these pictures but had no idea what caused it. After a day or two of obsessing about it, i realized what had happened. I'd been particularly still while posing (ususally i squirm around some). But the sun had moved to behind the trees, and there was a nice breeze blowing the branches around...... the light was low enough to require a little longer exposure, which traced the movement.....

We'll see if i'm smart/disciplined enough to try to duplicate this effect in future - i love the way it conveys the enchanted feeling that these trees always have for me.

The outfit reminds me a bit of 1950's style 'bod con' dressing, especially the New Look with it's small, fitted jackets. So i decided to try some stylized posing reminiscent of that time. That gorgeous jacket is via Peruvian Connections - can you believe i got it for only $35-40? Their list prices are truly sumptuous, but they do have some extremely worthwhile sales. If the Peruvian Connection aesthetic appeals to you, i urge you to keep an eye out - you can find some very reasonable prices in their sale section.

Strictly speaking, there are about one million* ways i could work this jacket into my everyday wardrobe. But. Firstly it's a tiny bit tight in the shoulders, and i've ripped the shoulders out of many garments in the past. I want to keep this one!  And there's really no way to cover ripped out shoulders, barring marching band-style gold-rope-embellished epaulets.

Secondly, i do like to keep one or two items as 'strictly dress up'.  It just helps me get in the mood for going out on the town, and makes the occasion more special. It's all psychological, but it works for me.  It also helps the 'dress up' pieces stay fresher longer (i'm hard on clothes. In case you didn't twig to that with the 'ripping out shoulders' remark.)

Do you have items you like to keep as 'strictly ballroom', or do you like to mix it all up? Any particular reasons or experiences why?

secret message for S: *numbers may be estimated

Jacket: Peruvian Connection (~ three years old)
Top: Ann Ferriday
Skirt: own design
Belt: vintage Coach
Shoes: Clark's Passion

Praise Be To J. Peterman!

 Firstly, Hello! to all of you who arrived here from The House Of Underdog!  I really appreciate your taking the time to stop by - if you have a second to leave a comment, i'd love to take a look at your place, too  : )    I've been a big admirer of Ms. Underdog for a few months now - her style is just phenomenal, she is hilarious beyond measure, and i have found her to be very generous even in the face of her many responsibilities. Somehow, the Gods of Blog smiled upon me and she started following me pretty early on in my blog, which was so fantastic. No matter how slow things got, i'd think, 'But The Underdog follows!!' *** and i'd be so blown away i'd get fired up all over again! Lucky me!!  Thank you, Style U.

Okay, the clothes. The tee is from Peterman, unchanged from the original.  I did whip up this skirt from a pair of his wide-legged denim pants... BUT. I was inspired in this skirt's shape by my favorite Peterman classic, the Out Of Africa skirt (no longer sold). So it's fair enough to call this a Peterman-based getup, don't you think?

Here you can see a couple of my 'trade secrets'.  I love wearing a pin on my neckline that has some sort of chain, necklace or ribbon strung through it (with the chain worn around my neck). Here the gold rope chain is threaded through the butterfly's wire antenna. It changes the way the chain falls and adds more interest than the pin and chain worn 'together but separately', as it were.

You can also spot the way i've corralled the scarf. I've threaded it through the holes in the crochet sweater (you can just see the 'bump' it makes right under my chin).  The silk floats around, this way and that, but won't fall off or slip all down one side. You can also safety pin a scarf to a shirt or jacket at the back of the neck for a similar effect. Just fold the scarf longways a number of times, then pin it in the middle of one of the folds.  That way the fabric of the scarf will fall over the pin, hiding it.  I enjoy the look of a floating scarf so much, but i don't want them floating away from me entirely! So i use this trick pretty frequently.  Another idea is using a brooch to pin your scarf at the nape of your neck - an unexpected detail with short or pinned-up hair.

I loved the colors of this tee the minute i saw it and was so happy when it went on extreme sale (less than $20!).  I've also used the print as inspiration - all of the colors work so well together, and when i looked more closely and experimented it turns out they are great colors on me individually as well. Violet, coral/cerise, a greyed-out dark olive....stare deeply into your own flattering prints for color inspiration......

Happy Weekend everybody, and have a Spooktacular Halloween!

*** frankly ALL of my followers rock! and i've had that same thought about every one of you! heaven only knows how i got such a crop of stellar bloggers so early on............i'm just rollin' with it  : )

Cardi: vintage April Cornell
Top: Shanghai Tee from J. Peterman
Skirt: made by me from J. Peterman Wide Legged Denim Pants
Scarf, Pin, Chain: gifts
Earrings: Gathering Tribes
Sandals: Naturalizer

You Feel Just Like An Ice Cream Cone

Well, the weather has cooled down enough that i brought this skirt out again.  It started out life as a pair of J. Peterman Denim Wide Legged Pants.  Which were fine, but the fit was always a little short on the crotch height....which was related to the fact that they were just a little short overall.  So instead of fixing the crotch trouble, i just went all-out and turned them into a skirt (not too difficult, since the wide legs had plenty of fabric to play with).

I've always loved the line of a long, sightly tapered skirt. You can put a fancy blouse on top and feel just like a yummy ice cream cone -with sprinkles! But my legs need room to move.  A lot of room.

There's no way i'd wear a skirt as short as this slit is long (does that make sense?) in public.  But we were just headed out to Target for dental floss (hey! stop snickering! you know you do the same thing on Saturday nights. Admit it!) So i decided to give it a whirl. Okay, maybe i was just feeling too lazy to change.  One way or the other, i went out the door in this skirt.

No one fainted, or had to call the cops to quell a riot.  No one even gave me gams a second glance. It looks like my naturally prudish tendencies have been shown to be out of step with current cultural mores, once again.  Which i'm plenty happy about - i like a long denim skirt that's made for walking!

It's just occurred to me that, as much as i discuss sewing on this blog, i've yet to post any pictures of my workspace. We live in a fairly small mother-in-law apartment. Mr. E had been living here as a bachelor for a few years, and when we married i moved in.  Sadly, in all this time i have been unable to convince him to relinquish the 'office/second teeny bedroom' to me as a craft/sewing/dressing room.  (    boo-hoo   ) But since we never sit down to eat a meal together, the dining table and area are fair game (if you click on these pictures, you'll get a much better view, for those of you who're interested.  This particular blog design cuts off the sides of wide pics.):

You can spot where i take a lot of my outfit photos (i just love interacting with that chiminea - it seems to have it's own personality, like a fairytale cottage in the forest).  I put the ironing board or the chair in the doorway as a tripod and set the camera on that. This dining table is very sturdy, so it doesn't shake when the machine gets going.  It's big enough for me to lay and cut out most pattern pieces. But for pants or longer jackets i usually do that on the floor, or sometimes our queen-sized bed. It's a case by case deal. When the weather is nice, i open the back door all the way and put the ironing board across the doorway, so i can work and look out the back for any passing raccoons, deer, or turkeys.

Here you get a feel for how i am in relation to the kitchen.  Our landlord next door designed and built this house himself, and it shows all over - especially in all the windows and in this well laid out kitchen.  I listen to the radio or music when i'm sewing or cooking - you can spot the radio/CD player underneath the tiger lamp waaaay back in the corner.

My trusty Bernina machine, Ginghers, and rotary cutter with mat and ruler. I was a long time purchasing a rotary cutter .... i broke down and got the tools when i started on this quilt.  To my surprise, it turns out the rotary cutter has a million uses in garment sewing - cutting ruffles, ruches, straight facings, bias facings, material for ties, casings..... And the blades last a long time, as long as you only cut on the mat. Even if you sew strictly garments, you'll find you end up using them all the time.

When i'm not working on a project, the ironing board goes in my clothes closet, various 'accoutrements' go into my sewing storage cabinet in the kitchen, and the machine site on the floor next to the wall where no one will kick it.  It seems like it would be great to have a dedicated studio space for sewing, but i can't say since i've never had one myself. But it hasn't stopped me.  Just come up with a system that's easy to set up and then clean up when you want to use the space for another purpose. To me, the main thing is to do what you want - not having some fabulous space to do it in.

Blouse: own design
Skirt: re-purposed J. Peterman Wide-Legged Denim Pants
Shoes: Clark's Passion
Belt: vintage mystery