Friday, March 30, 2012

woolly mammoth leggings








the look:

turtleneck - old gap
leggings - old hue
hand warmers - h&m
belt - old uo
beret - old american apparel
vest - old h&m
jacket - old danier
boots - old

the tale:

this evening in my home city we are all on tenterhooks, waiting to see if it will indeed snow as forecast.  if it does snow overnight, it will be messy tomorrow.  tomorrow is supposed to be mild, so there will be lots of slush and puddles.  wellie weather!  you may recall that, once upon a time, i was wellie obsessed.  not so much so nowadays, but they still occupy a special place in my heart.  so not a bad thing if i have to wear wellies tomorrow.  it was chilly today, giving me an opportunity to wear some wool -- woolly leggings and a wool turtleneck.  i have to admit that i have enjoyed the up and downs in temperature that my home city has been experiencing this month, only because of the opportunities to wear some last pure winter outfits ... along with some spring outfits.  variety is indeed the spice of a wardrobe life.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

not willing to let go dress








the look:

dress and top - old h&m
skirt - old gap
beret - old american apparel
arm warmers - h&m
boots - marsell
scarf - old lululemon
jacket - old danier

the tale:

i like umbrellas.  particularly big umbrellas.  and bubble umbrellas are at the top of my umbrella hierarchy.  but as much as i like umbrellas, i don't always like dragging them around with me.  mostly because i am dragging them around with me, waiting for rain, instead of using them to shelter me from the rain.  there are very few full days of rain where i live.  when rain is forecast, it usually lasts for no longer than an hour tops, but the hour can happen at any time.  hence the dragging around of the umbrella, waiting for the rain to fall.  recently, and purely for the sake of convenience, i have taken to wearing raincoats when rain is forecast instead of dragging around an umbrella.  Of course, not all "raincoats" are true raincoats, that is, waterproof, capable of repelling rain and keeping one dry.  A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that i don't possess a black raincoat.  a gap in my wardrobe that is somewhat important, given my preference for raincoats over umbrellas and my recent shift to wearing mostly black clothing.  i didn't really mean to get a black raincoat any time soon, but i just happened to run across the cutest black raincoat (and i mean true raincoat, waterproof, capable of repelling rain and keeping one dry) at lululemon the other day.  the next day, i went and snapped it up.  lululemon is one of those stores where if you wait too long to get something, you won't be getting it at all.  items, particularly unique items, are produced in limited quantities, sell quickly and rarely, if ever, return.  the company does this deliberately.  it used to suck me in, when i first got into yoga.  i used to go to lululemon on a weekly basis (if not more frequently).  then i adopted some resistance techniques.  i let my guard down this past week.  but it was for a good cause -- a black raincoat.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

internet blackout jumper dress







the look:

polo top - old eddie bauer
jumper dress - old (from a local arts and crafts import shop)
sweater - old jacob
jacket - old anthropologie
beret - old american apparel
boots - marsell
coat - h&m

the tale:

argh.  it hasn't been an easy week.  the weather has been glorious: sunny and above-average warm.  very much like late summer/early fall, my favourite time of year.  unfortunately, the glorious weather has made it hot inside my home.  and, try as i might to cool it down, naturally (not enough windows in my place) and artificially (something about a cooling tower not working), i haven't been very successful to date.  so sleep has been elusive.  and, then, there have been the migraines.  wicked beasts.  but, until yesterday, i was managing.  for i had my passion for fashion to take my weary and sore mind off the heat, my fatigue and my pain.  on wednesday, my internet went down.  print media was all that there was available to me.  sadly, i have let that side of things go a little, in favour of the internet, so there wasn't that much to inspire and feed my hunger for fashion.  (and to take my weary and sore mind off the heat, my fatigue and my pain.)  argh.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

too cold, too warm: waiting for just right


the look:

long sleeve tshirt - old gap
short sleeve tshirt - lululemon
hoodie and beanie - roots
pants - anthropologie
jacket - old danier
boots - old

the tale:

at this time of year, when no one seems to be able to predict the weather accurately from day to day, i find myself being under-dressed one day and over-dressed another day and longing for the day when i get it just right.  a bit of a wardrobe fairy tale.

at long last sweats









the look:

long sleeve tshirt - old gap
short sleeve tshirt - lululemon
sweat pants - anthropologie
open hoodie and beanie - roots
boots - old
coat - h&m

the tale:

on a number of occasions now, i have resolved to never wear sweat pants again.  i have tried all sorts of sweat pants:  regular ones, cut off ones, ones that look like pants and skinny ones.  i thought i liked them at the time i was trying them out, but it was never too long before i started disliking the way i looked in them and resolved to never wear sweat pants again.  last week, i found these sweat pants ... on sale at anthropologie.  i am convinced that these ones are the ones and that they will last.  i like their wide legs, the loose elasticized bottoms and the side zips at the bottom.  of course, i think that i have said "these are the ones" before.  we shall see what happens.  (and, yes, i do look a little like an elf.)

Thursday, March 15, 2012

not a windbreaker (or any other kind of breaker) coat







the look:

dress - jcrew factory
vest - old h&m
coat - h&m
beret - old american apparel
boots - john fluevog
bag - old lululemon

the tale:

some outfits remind me of the beauty of simplicity.  this outfit is one of them.  it hails from the days before i returned to wearing black clothing head to toe.  i tried wearing the dress with many other layers atop it, but i think i like wearing it in this simple manner the best.

p.s. i suppose since i mentioned the coat in the title of the post i should say something about it in the post.  it is incredibly light.  and i don't mean light just in the sense of its weight.  i also mean light in the sense of offering very little insulation and other protection from the elements.  today, i decided to believe the meteorologists when they said that it was going to be twenty-one degrees celsius and wore this light coat.  boy was i sorry.  i ended up being completely under-dressed and cold on my way home from work.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

black leather jacket





the look:

jacket - old danier

the tale:

lately, i have taken to wearing the same one outfit on the weekend (although not the same outfit every weekend).  as another blogger, who recently confessed to wearing the same thing on more than two consecutive days, said: "not to worry, i do change my underwear, i bathe everyday and i don't sleep in the outfit."  although i wore the same thing yesterday and today, this sameness didn't extend to outerwear.  yesterday was a parka day -- it was really cold.  today was not a parka day -- it was mild, some thirty degrees (celsius) warmer than yesterday.  today, i wore my one and only black leather jacket, purchased a few years ago.  putting it on, i decided that i like the way it looks on me when it is unzipped.  this lead me to thinking how some coats and jackets just look better on one undone rather than done up.  sadly, it isn't always possible to wear a coat or jacket undone, particularly when one never does one's daily travels by car.  lucky for me, the black leather jacket has a snap placed in exactly the right spot, so i can sort of do it up and leave it undone at the same time.  i wonder if the snap was deliberately placed with that in mind?

Saturday, March 10, 2012

casual day hoodie






the look:

blouse and vest - american apparel
dress - old h&m
wrap open cardi - old lululemon
hoodie and beanie - roots
hand warmers - h&m
socks - old ck
boots - john fluevog

the tale:

sometimes, sweats look like sweats.  sometimes, sweats don't look like sweats.  i like both kinds of sweats.  unfortunately, the first kind of sweats -- those that look like sweats -- don't like me.  lucky for me there are now many more sweats that don't look like sweats.  for they like me, as much as i like them.

p.s. today, winter persisted.  so i wore my parka (although i spared the blog another photo of me wearing the parka).  tomorrow, spring is supposed to be putting in an appearance.  and hanging around for a couple of days.  for me, winter is way easier to dress for.  i expect the next couple of days will be clothing chaos for me.  this too shall pass.  i don't seem to be comfortable with any kind of transition.

Friday, March 9, 2012

the versatile dress











the look:

pullover - old jacob
dress, skirt and hand warmers - h&m
jacket - from a local arts and crafts import shop
leggings - american apparel
hat - lillie & cohoe
boots - john fluevog
coat - old uo
scarf - old

the tale:

marc jacobs was the inspiration behind today's look.  specifically his signature line for autumn/winter 2012 and his line for louis vuitton autumn/winter 2012.  i know what i see in these lines, but it doesn't seem to be what the fashion press is seeing.  no matter.  i think we would agree on liking the lines.