Full Disclosure

A while back we had an interesting comments-based discussion here on TDE. I was wondering what to show on a 'daily outfit' style blog - is it ethical to only show one iteration of an outfit, when actually you wore it that day with and without socks, and with and without the bunny pin? Turns out there are varying opinions and practices out there in the blogosphere, but the discussion got me thinking it would be fun to 'tell all' now and again (i tend to change what i'm wearing many times a day, little by little).

So here's what i ended up in yesterday. The hecticness that was my Friday started Thursday evening, when i found out a prescription i need was accidentally incorrectly written. As i was almost out of the medicine, and the weekend was coming up, i would have to drive half an hour to the doc's office to get it straightened out. As most of you know, i have nerve damage which is especially bad in my left leg. Any activity (walking, sitting, standing, driving) REALLY aggravates the pain and leads to limping and even temporary paralysis if i really push it. We only have one car and share it, so any of my weekday driving involves Mr. E driving to work, me heading out from there, and then me driving back to pick Mr. E up at the end of his workday. So i usually end up driving an hour more than would be the case if i just left from the house. I'd already driven once this week, so i wasn't looking forward to more. In fact, i was dreading it and so started out the day in a bad mood. But i had to, so.

My first mistake, clothes-wise, was to plan ahead. I'm especially pain-ridden and gimpy first thing in the am, so i checked out the weather forecast to pick out an appropriate set of clothes for the day. I was headed through the Caldecott Tunnel toward the bay to Albany. I thought, after i hit the doc's, why not drive a couple of miles to Stone Mountain and Daughter to check things out in the fabric world, seeing as it's on the way home anyway. That means i'll be next to the bay all morning. So i checked the 94706 zip code at NOAA. Let's see, 64 degrees F, heavy fog - yay! i can wear a sweater and fuzzy over the knee socks!

Ah, a nice fall feel, what we've all been looking forward to the last few weeks.......of course, the next morning, on the way to drop off Mr. E at work, the forecast was mid seventies, with no fog visible anywhere over the entire bay area. I opened my car window to keep from sweating. It was only 7:10 AM.

So the jacket lasted until i got out of the doctor's office. It took only ten minutes to get things squared away, with apologies from the doc for me having to make a special trip. But it was fun at Stone Mountain! I even got a compliment on my outfit (the one above, with the scarf). They still have a couple of yards of the skirt material, and a bunch of new fall fabrics. For any sewers in the area - head on down and check it out!


For the drive home i lost the scarf and turned on the ac. When i got home it was 81 F and climbing, so i changed into:

AAhhhh.....bare feet, my favorite accessory. I come by it honestly - my feet are almost a carbon-copy of my paternal grandfather's. I know this because bare feet was his default fashion statement as well. I have no idea what my paternal grandma's feet look like!


Time to pick up Mr. E. It's now 84 F, not so hot, but i will be waiting for him in the car outside his office.....or, as it turned out, on the steps outside his office. It was too hot sitting in the car, cooking away. I threw the jacket over my shoulders for a little coverage, and wore the heels in case we went shopping on the way home. Also, i was craving a little change of look...

The scarf is a piece of 'distressed pleather' i picked up at Joannes to test how i like it. I've been throwing it on as a scarf or belt, carrying it around in my purse or tote to see how it wears before i commit to getting some to make into a scarf (backed with silk or rayon crepe), a belt, or to use as trim on cargo pants or a skirt. So far (~ four days) it's holding up well and is also comfy against the skin. Hopefully i can get some to have 'on hand' as well as enough for current projects. It comes in darker and lighter versions as well.

Flash pictures taken after i got back from my evening walk. Back into the clogs with different socks, added a hat. Wore the brim turned down.....

.....and turned up.

In sum, the commitment, dedication, and loyalty shown by all the style bloggers who wear one, and only one, outfit all day long is just - - - it's an inspiration. That's what it is.

The More Things Change...

This was such a fun outfit to wear! It's simple but not boring, and the lines are sleek enough to feel frisky. I've talked before about my rule of thumb on value in an outfit - a lite outfit needs a dash of dark and a dark outfit can use a beam of light. So i grabbed this black bandanna to add the black here, but i don't recall how i hit on making a floppy base of the neck bow....maybe i was jut tired of wearing it around my head and my waist? But i got a kick out of how it reminds me of the fashion in the 1910's for big bows at the back and front of the neck.

But the title of the post refers to how similar this look is to one i wore in high school. I had a pull-on tunic with a collar band neckline that opened about as far as this one does - it was also ivory, but with stripes instead of ruffles. The hem was a wee bit shorter, but similar shape, and the sleeves were the same length. The pants would've been denim or olive drab 'utility' type......and the clogs a lite caramel.

I had an inkling these pieces were a bit familiar, but it only really struck me looking at these pictures. I don't know what to think about this, i'll have to let it sink in.....do any of you find yourself in similar outfits/styles/colors to ones you wore decades ago?

And here's some close-ups of my blouses and accessories from the past three days. As usual with me, it's all about the details!


I made the blue camellia before the early August camping trip - i thought it would be a hoot to have a Chanel-style flower, but in beat-up denim and calico because it's 'casual'. I'd like to make more in other colors/fabrics.


I used three different types of buttons on this blouse - they used to be the ones that are now on the windy flapper blouse below. I think the pearl domed ones look better closer together than previously - they have more impact. And i think the grey overdye on the gibson girl blouse helps 'anchor' the darker buttons.



I went back to get more of this rose lace and it was SOLD OUT!!! ah, the nerve!! well, there was plenty in a daintier, zig zag edged lace of the same cotton-rayon blend and a similar 'feel' or 'weave', so i got that and i'm making a long, slender scarf of cotton swiss dot with the lace as a trim down both sides. I've dyed a scrap as a test and it's a nice dusky mid-blue. I'm adding more color, though at an excruciatingly slow pace.....!

Ruffle Tunic: Converse at Target
Cargo Pant: own design, inspired by style underdog
Clogs: Dansko Marcelle
Gibson Girl Blouse: Folkwear # 205
Windy Flapper Blouse: own design, inspired by some girls wander

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....

Driftwood Huts

So, we happened upon another driftwood 'hut' on this trip, but on a different part of the coast - at Schooner Gulch. This one has pretty easy, obvious access to the building location and materials.

This is the beach end of Salal Trail, one of the public access trails which Sea Ranch was forced to develop and maintain due to litigation. According to California law, a certain amount of all coastline (everything below high tide) is open to the public. Private entities may own coastal property, but the beach proper is open to the hoi polloi. Most small owners aren't required to develop trails, etc. to allow access through their property (people can and do access these parts of the coastline by boat). But Sea Ranch proposed to develop such a large part of the coast that they were successfully sued to provide access trails. The whole hoopla led to the development of the California Coastal Commission, which oversees the public interest on issues impacting our incredible coastline.


I like how the builders used seaweed for 'netting' as well as to tie joints together. The 'roof' is canvas. The tire seems to be placed there on purpose - it reminded me of a beanbag chair for some reason...

hmmm.....that's the same Gibson Girl blouse, the same jeggings, the same hoodie.....the top two photos are from two different days, i confess. I did change my shoes and socks, though! The blouse closer to my skin is the spruced-up Windy Flapper blouse. I'd intended to add lace trim to this blouse all along (to match the inspiration) but only ran across lace i liked for the purpose a couple of weeks ago. So i stitched it on the day before we left. It's a pretty rose pattern of rayon/cotton fiber. I'm planning on picking up some more to make into a scarf, and dyeing it a mid-blue color. The natural fiber should take the dye well.

Jean Jacket: Royal Robbins
Blouse: own design, inspired by some girls wander
Necklace, Grey Floral Scarf: gifts
All Else: see yesterday's post

Schooner Gulch

doo de doo.....bah bah bah bumP! deedle dee, doo de doo...

(aimless whistling)

bah bah deedeedoo..... -!! Oh! Hi There! i'm just cleaning up after our vacation, getting ready to jump back on the wheel of blogging. Nice to see you!

We went camping to Gualala Point again and explored more of the coast on up to Mendocino (our favorite town). I didn't forget my blog, as you can see. I collected a nice perching picture while at Schooner Gulch. And i took a number of outfit and detail photos. The only trouble, from the 'personal style' aspect of things, is that i used the opportunity of camping to indulge one of my favorite 'eccentricities'. To come clean, as it were, i wore pretty much the same outfit all four days.

Since i was a little tiny girl (about two or three?) my family would take us camping several times a year. Living in California we had more places to go within a day or two's drive than we could ever take advantage of. So i have plenty of experience in car camping. One of the parts i loved most was the relaxation of normal hygiene/appearance rules. No baths, just a soak in a creek. Braid up your hair and forget about it, until the last day when you have a head full of waves. Throw on the same darn clothes every single day - you'll have to out-stink an outraged skunk before anyone will say a word about it. Ah, paradise.......

But i took pictures on this trip, so you all can decide if i wore different 'outfits' or just did the equivalent of changing out socks and knickers. By Wednesday i'll have posted all of it and you can reach your verdict.


I thought that when you 'shortened' your legs they looked fatter? So why do my thighs look skinnier in the detail photo than in the full-length one? At least they look trim in one photo!

Here's a view of the perch on Schooner Gulch. What a beach! It's a short walk from the highway, three miles south of Point Arena. No hair-raising cliffs to scramble down. There are numerous caves, a spring on the bluffs, a pond formed by a driftwood dam with towering alders growing alongside, what looks like sulphur crystals precipitating on the rocks.

Here's the view from the perch looking south. Look for the person for a sense of scale.

Look at the right side of the group of trees atop the bluffs, then follow down to see the crack in the rock and get a peek at the perch. If you're in the area this is a beautiful, unusual, easy to get to spot to spend some time at. Plenty of places to curl up with a good book, eat a picnic, or just nap and soak up the vibes. Over the next couple of days i'll post a few more pictures of places we visited.

Hat: ???
Bomber: vintage L. L. Bean
Hoodie, Henley: Aeropostale
Gibson Girl Blouse: Folkwear Pattern #205 (altered for front opening)
Jeggings, Bandanna: Target
Socks: Smartwool
Sneaks: Converse
Pearls, Lace Scarf, Flower Pins: gifts or made by me
Clothespin: indispensable for carrying washcloths to camp restroom while keeping hands free

Just Some Lady And A Toad

Mr. E has some vacation days coming up and we're taking the opportunity to go soak up some seashore. That incessant 'clackety-clackety-clackety' in the background is me trying to finish my cargo pants in time for some hiking.....

Gotta go insert the zipper! I will say i enjoyed wearing this sundress as a top in this look. The same trick should work with the lady pilot skirt and the beige dirndl.....

Ach! the treadle calls and i must answer. Have a wonderful weekend!

Jacket, Skirt,Flower Pin: own design
Sundress: Liz Claiborne (spotted by Mr. E, i would've never noticed it myself)
Butterfly Pin: gift
Shoes: Clark's Passion
Belt: vintage Coach
Hat, Earrings: mystery origin

Your Half-Bird Blogger

Looking at this pick, i'm getting the feeling that i have a recurring need to 'perch' in outfit photos. Let's go back in time.....yep, this was a definite perch. Taking this one i almost knocked down both bookcases and the sideboard. Not strictly perching here, just hanging around in the trees. I did have to hop on up to get on level with Rasputin.

Humph. I thought there'd be more. Apparently increased perching is in order. (Seeing as i'm an eccentric birdwatcher and all.)

This was my brilliant 'guerilla shopping' outfit for the REI sale - the ideas was i could try pants on under the skirt with no 'modesty issues' (ie. flashing fellow shoppers and being escorted out by security). But REI is more radical than i anticipated in it's guerilla sales techniques, and there wasn't time to do ought but grab. Ah well, it was comfy, with my arms free for maximum grabbability.


And my fellow shoppers liked the socks.

Here's a better pic of the detail on this dress bodice. I realize i'm 'off' on the whole calendrical approach to outfit blogging here...like camping and the camping series (i just had to get that off my chest!!!) got me around one and three-eighths of a week behind. More or less. Next week i'll be taking off another few days from blogging, which will set me back even further. However, i plan to do some 'double outfit posts' when i get back from that break and get more caught up. I don't care a lot about being really strict on posting within 24 hours of wearing an outfit, but i don't want to be posting stuff weeks later, either. I started this blog with NO PLAN WHATSOEVER, so i'm still on a learning curve. At this point i do have a better feel for what daily posting is like for me, and what a series involves, how to stay organized and what type of planning is really necessary. Just enough to feel like i can start to plan ahead a little re: my blog.

Which is a roundabout way of saying - thank you for your indulgence, i should be on a more up-to-date posting schedule in mid-late September, and if you have any brilliant advice and or requests, lay it on me! I am working on an idea for another series on 'taking inspiration'. How do you translate visual inspiration to an outfit that works for you? If you have any questions concerns, or examples related to the issue of inspiration let me know!

Dress: Peruvian Connection
Hat: vintage ???
Shoes: old Borns
Belt: vintage Coach
Flower Pin: own design
Mismatched Socks: Little Miss Matched