I very much enjoy the Throwback Thursday (#TBT) photos on social media, but I forget to participate. However, I rediscovered this photo of my mom recently and I just love it. Later in life, she always insisted that she didn't care about fashion and that she was just a plain person, but in this 1960s-era photo, her Chanel-esque suit, well-coiffed hair, strong brows, and bright red lip bely that claim.
So, while it's not a #TBT of me, it's a photo that speaks to me and makes me remember the strong and beautiful woman who raised me.
As we already know, I love wearingwhite in the spring and summer. I've also been pretty intrigued by panel pants and capris, so when I found these white and black panel ankle pants on major sale at Bloomingdales, I couldn't pass them up. Paired with a vintage-y red top with a black & white polka dot bib, it's a fun outfit for a cooler just-before-summer-solstice day. I'd also love to do these pants with other summer brights such as yellow, orange, and fuschia, or go more subtle with a black top.
Pants: Calvin Klein Plus, via Bloomingdales.com Top: SWAK Designs (also available in black) Shoes: Anne Klein, via 6PM.com (YES, I AM CHEATING AND WEARING FLATS. They DO fit my orthotics, so...) Necklace: Etsy Earrings: Aqua, via Bloomingdales.com Bracelet: Igigi
The jacket is kind of fun - the zipper is fully functional, so you can turn this peplum-ish jacket into a cropped jacket just by zipping off the bottom! For my part, I managed to get the zipper pull caught in the dryer (DOH!), which pulled it right off, but a bit of surgery with pliers and a hammer and it's all good.
For whatever reason, I frequently forget about the existence of this cardigan. I don't know why - it's a great weight, 50/50 cotton & linen, with a flattering shape and a pretty floral pattern. I rediscovered it in the closet this morning while trying to find something spring-like to wear with our delightful high of 58 degrees today. What doesn't show in the picture below is that in addition to the coral and olive in the cardigan's pattern, there's also a bit of yellow.
Cardigan: Lane Bryant Tie-neck Blouse: Kohl's Knit jeans: Coldwater Creek
None of my jewelry is pictured here, but I went very simple with it today - my gold graduation watch from my dad, my wedding, engagement, & anniversary rings, and the gold & diamond hoop earrings that were my 40th birthday gift to myself on St. Thomas.
I LOVE these Coldwater Creek knit jeans; they are ridiculously comfortable, and wash and wear quite well (no pilling or fading!). I scoffed at them a bit before I bought them - KNIT jeans? Really? - but they were a godsend with the boot on my leg, and continue to be a great option for work and weekend wear.
Speaking of The Foot, I'm slowing regaining strength through physical therapy. I've been able to wear sandals and flats on occasion, but I still need the stability and support of lace-up shoes most of the time. Hopefully with more hard work on my part, I'll be able to transition to a more balanced array of shoes soon. I do miss my dresses.
Really, "bad ass" isn't a word I would apply to myself (nor, probably, would anyone who knows me...), but there's something about a moto jacket that feels a little bit dangerous.
I first tried this jacket in a Gwynnie Bee shipment and loved it so much, I stalked it until it went on sale enough for me to justify its cost. Since it's faux leather, it is much lighter-weight than a leather version would be, and can be worn as a blazer instead of outerwear.
I'm just not going to talk about the shoes, since right now I own 3 pairs of shoes (aside from athletic shoes) that I can wear, and they're really not particularly exciting. However, I did buy a cute pair of Dansko lace-up shoes yesterday (in mocha) at my favorite local shoe store, Stan's. They're lighter than my other 2 pairs of lace-up shoes, which feels a bit more spring-like.
In News Of The Foot, however, I had my 10 week post-op check up yesterday and my surgeon is happy with the way everything is progressing. I now have orders to start physical therapy, and I'm very much looking forward to that. Surgeon assures me that I will not have to wear lace-up shoes forever, which is an enormous relief, though I will need to continue to wear my orthotics. So, my shoe options in the future will be somewhat limited, but still better than what I've been able to wear in the last few months. I suppose I will continue to pine for all of those amazing high heels, but I won't have to wear only old lady shoes while doing it. At any rate, I can see some light at the end of the tunnel, which is a great feeling.
One of the things I'm passionate about in dressing myself is playing with trends in a way that works with my life. Generally, this means office-appropriate, budget-friendly, easy-care, and pairs well with pieces I already own. I want trendy items to be of good enough quality that they don't look cheap or out of place in my wardrobe, but because they're trends, I don't expect them to last for the next decade. Keeping this in mind, I've been on a quest for a black & white striped blazer - I've seen them all over the place, wanted to try out the look myself, but I didn't want to spend a lot. Target came through for me, with a ponte knit poly/rayon/spandex blend with -- wait for it -- REAL POCKETS. That was just a a bonus, but YAY.
Jacket: Target (Matching skirt here) Trousers: NYDJ, Chaplin style, via Boutique Larrieux (Similar here) Tee: Eloquii (Sadly, they are shutting down, but you can score this same tee for $6.49 right now if you're a 14/16!) Scarf (which I have wrapped around my neck, not worn as a shawl): I purchased mine at the China pavilion at EPCOT, but the same design is available from this eBay seller (no endorsement of this seller implied - I've never purchased from them)
Now, about those investments. These black trousers are, in my opinion, pretty much the best black trousers I've ever owned. The fit, the style, I love everything about them. But they will take a chunk out of your budget, especially if you're normally a deep-sale and discount shopper accustomed to spending a quarter of the price on your trousers. I still maintain one should invest in classic basics like this AND one should patronize local boutiques, but if you can't swing it, I strongly suggest using eBay and sales at high-end department stores or outlet stores to add pieces like this to your wardrobe without resorting to ramen for months.
You'll note that I did not mention shoes in my collage. Well, I have some news on that front:
Yep, those are my feet, both in shoes! I'm officially 10 weeks post-op today, and seem to have transitioned fully to a shoe! Not my top choice of shoes, but this is what I can wear right now on Day 2 of Full Time Shoe Wearing. Those, by the way, are Wolky Moira lace-up shoes, which are discontinued. So I'm hobbling around in actual shoes, though I still need a crutch to get going when I first get out of a chair because of stiffness and soreness in my ankle and foot, and to get up and down stairs. I've been doing various foot exercises -- the same things I did in physical therapy last summer -- to improve my strength and range of motion, so I hope to be wearing something other than lace-up shoes in the not-too-distant future.
Something that's been on my mind a lot lately is The Star Thrower, or Starfish Story as many people know it. The original Loren Eiseley version is not as accessible as the adapted version, which can be found all over the interwebs:
An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the
beach. One day, as he looked along the
shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he came closer he saw that it was a young
woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down to the sand, picking up
starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean.
"Young lady," he asked, "Why are you throwing
starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do
not throw them in they will die."
"But young lady, do you not realise that there are
miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference."
The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent
down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking
waves, saying: "It made a big difference to that one."
Anyway, as I said, this particular tale has been on my mind a lot, to the point that I pulled out my vintage starfish brooch -- a family heirloom, if you will -- last Thursday.
In light of what occurred on Friday, I've been thinking about this little fable even more. It's overwhelming, to say the least, to think about the enormous losses and the grief and heartbreak, and to feel as if there is absolutely no difference to be made for anyone. The Big Issues get political and productive discussion grinds to a halt as each side retreats to their corner of extremism. But while it's true that the terrible events in Newtown, CT cannot be taken back, I can still make a difference in the world. I can reach out to people in my community who need a helping hand. I can commit random acts of kindness. Simply saying "please" and "thank you" and giving a smile to a stranger are things that make the world a little bit kinder. I realize that sounds trite, platitude-like, but I feel as if I need to remind myself of these things; that even in the face of unimaginable tragedy, small things can and do make a difference to someone.
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With no outfits to blog, what's a girl to do? Chop off her hair, of course!
I kid. I've been kind of obsessing over doing this for the past five months, and last week, my friend librarysarie and her awesome new cut gave me the necessary kick in the pants to go for it. I love it, and I'm so glad I did it!
One of the things I love most about this time of year is the music. While the constant drone of Christmas carols in every store between Halloween and Christmas can get a bit wearing, hearing my favorite hymns nearly always leaves me with a feeling of peace and joy. I have the Candlelight Processional from Epcot loaded on my device and love to listen to the choir sing.
Some of my favorite Christmas memories are around music; specifically, Polish koledy. My favorite of those is Dzisiaj w Betlejem -- Today in Bethlehem -- which figured heavily into my childhood Christmases, as my mom and aunts would sing this around the table. (Translation of the lyrics here.)
And no Christmas is complete without Johnny Mathis' Christmas albums playing. Those, along with Nat King Cole, were the tree-decorating soundtrack of my youth. So I leave you with my favorite Johnny Mathis Christmas tune, which never fails to make me smile:
I love this method of transitioning pieces to more seasons than originally intended. It makes your wardrobe go further!
In other news, WIWW - in its current format - will be taking a bit of a hiatus. The place where my fabulous bathroom mirror was now looks like this:
So, until I decide where I want to take full-length photos, I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of my smiling face. In preparation for my ankle surgery (and just because I hated them), The Husband and I spent a few hours engaging in a bit of DIY shower door removal this past weekend. Surprisingly, the entire project took only one trip to the hardware store before we started (go, us!), and did not result in a single injury!
Hopefully this post has inspired you to think about ways to bring more of your warm weather wardrobe into winter rotation. Go forth and winterize!
In the past month or so, I'd seen some buzz surrounding the launch of Gwynnie Bee, a subscription site for clothing -- the Netflix of clothes, if you will. Currently, they are only carrying sizes 10 and up, so when I had the opportunity for a free trial, I jumped at the chance. My first three pieces arrived within a few days of filling my virtual closet with options from the site. Today, I'm rocking a Michael Michael Korsanimal print dress:
I LOVE the chain lace-up detail on the bodice of this dress. It's tremendously comfortable as well. My biggest complaint is that, as poly/spandex knit, it's terribly static-y. At this point, I'm not sure that I love it enough to purchase it (elsewhere; Gwynnie Bee is not currently selling clothing), but if I did, it is currently available at Zappos.
I also can't rave enough about these tights. They're just the right weight, just the right opacity, with just a tiny bit of sheen. Gorgeous. Riding boots would generally not be my first choice with this dress, but my continuing battle with the ruptured tendon in my ankle tends to limit my shoe choices these days. I chose bold gold earrings and a bangle to play up the chain detail a bit more, and this is one of the easiest outfits I've ever put together.
Keep an eye out this week for more on the rest of my first Gwynnie Bee shipment!
Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to wear a sword to work, so I have to make do with this outfit instead.
When I woke up this morning, it was 43F. Brr! It's supposed to be around 70F sometime today, so it seems that my favorite fall weather is finally here. I'm so happy to finally break out this dress - a summer purchase from one of my Boutique Larrieux trips. Normally, dolman sleeves are not a good look for me, but the sharp narrowing of the elbow-length sleeve cuts down on the bulk around the bust.
This dress, like the other SWAK Designs pieces I own*, is SO comfortable. I love the rich colors in this particular pattern (Seville) as well. I kept the jewelry fairly simple to keep the attention on the dress.
Keep a weather eye on the horizon, me hearties! (And thus concludes my ability to talk like a pirate.)
*Here's where I beg SWAK Designs to bring back the Polly top! It is the perfect weight to wear on its own, or as a layering piece. Pleeeeeeease, more colors!
