Daffodil Coach Company Mystery Tour Romper

Yesterday, I was trawling the web and came across Orla Kiely's F/W 2011 RTW collection.  Love, love, love.  You can see it here.  Since it has been hot and steamy pretty much nonstop since the beginning of July and, if the meteorologists are correct, hot and steamy is pretty much all there is on the menu for August, it is very difficult to think about wearing (or even trying on) Fall/Winter clothing.  But when the clothing is as pretty as Orla Kiely's, well, it is possible to think about Fall/Winter clothing.  Like I said:  Love, love, love.  I would love to own something from the collection, but not in the cards, I am afraid.

P.S. One more yellow dress, suitable for hot weather, and then I will be done with the orange, yellow and cream clothing obsession that has haunted me since about two weeks ago.  At least for the next little while.  I am starting to feel very blue.

A Guided Walk In The Woods Shorts

I am always astounded when a clerk in a shop remembers me, even if our previous interaction was unremarkable.  Case in point:  Today, I visited the shop where, last Fall, I bought the Cydwoqs that I wore today.  I don't think that I have been in the shop since last Fall.  The clerk who had assisted me with my purchase last year remembered me.  What I had bought and what I had tried on.  Astounding.  I didn't buy any new Cydwoqs today, although I think I would like to have the pair that I wore today in brown.  Perhaps in the Fall.  While I didn't buy any shoes today, I did buy the most perfect black skirt for the Fall.  The perfect length, the perfect style, the perfect weight of fabric.  And on sale.  Just perfect.  It will work splendidly with one of the Dear Creatures blouses that I bought online this past week.  I must admit that I am getting more and more excited to receive my Dear Creatures package.  Hopefully, it won't be too long before it arrives.

Sunshine Dress

For reasons unknown (at least to me), since the middle of last week, I have been determined to exhaust my supply of yellow, orange and cream clothing.  As near as I can figure, the supply should last until the end of this week.  Then I think that I will be moving on to blue.  Or maybe a sortie into black clothing land and then on to blue clothing land?  Hmmmm ...

Orange Soda Pop Dress

You have seen this dress very recently, in a cream (Iced Coffee Dress).  Now, you are seeing it in bright orange.  These dresses are a few years old and from a time when, if I liked a piece of clothing, I would buy it in every colour in which it was available.  I don't do that so much anymore.  Consciously.  I would rather have a greater variety of styles of clothing than a few styles, each in a multitude of colours.  Although, on occasion, I still do buy "one in every colour".  Some old habits die hard.  Oh, I just remembered.  I would be remiss if I didn't direct you to look at my feet.  There are my new Rachel Comey boots.  They need some wearing in, but, overall, I am pleased with them.

P.S.  If you are wondering why I decided to label this dress the "Orange Soda Pop Dress", it is because it brings back memories of childhood.  Summers spent at the family cottage, when I was allowed to drink pop.  My favourite was orange.  It is no longer a favourite.  Although, I do like San Pellegrino Aranciata and Orangina, neither of which is technically pop and the latter of which doesn't contain solely oranges.

Saturday Morning Errands Shorts (And Shoes)

I am not sure why it is that whenever JCrew decides to set the stage for an outfit by referring to the outfit as something that might be worn while running weekend errands the time when these errands are run inevitably turns out to be Saturday morning.  Or maybe I do know why this is the case.  In any event, and notwithstanding that my weekend errands were run today, Sunday, in a nod to JCrew, I decided to label my cut-off sweats and my Laurentian Chiefs (not Minnetonkas) as "Saturday Morning Errands" shorts and shoes.  Today I realized how nice it is to dress down (and I mean down) when one's day consists of nothing but errands.  I think that I will do more of this dressing down.  But don't worry, I won't always (if ever again) post these very casual, completely un-noteworthy outfits.

The Owl And The Pussycat Dress

Dreaming about buying two pairs of Rachel Comey boots set me searching for a bricks and mortar store in my home city that carries Rachel Comey boots.  There have got to be more than just the one that I found.  But it doesn't matter now, because the one that I did find carried one of the styles that I liked.  Soooooo, I got them.  A little over a year ago, I wrote about a favoured pair of Aldo boots that were nearing their last days and my struggle to find a pair of new boots to take their place.  I ended up getting a few pairs of possible successor boots and, while I have loved each pair, there still hasn't been a single pair that I could say could take the place of the Aldo boots.  Yesterday, as I was trying on my new Rachel Comey boots, I started thinking that they may very well be the successor boots to the Aldo boots.  Stay tuned.

The Citrus Harvest Skirt

I learned something today.  I learned that there is something called a monk shoe.  A man's shoe with no lacing, closed by a buckle and strap.  I had no idea.  This new found knowledge was probably the most exciting thing that happened today.  In other news, while I am still going with the orange, yellow and cream love that first hit me on Wednesday, I must confess that the love is beginning to fade and I am growing somewhat bored with orange, yellow and cream (blue is starting to look very attractive to me).  I could probably talk myself into hanging in there, but why?  Just because it's easier, because all my orange, yellow and cream clothing is presently to hand?  Because it is hot outside and I don't really want to spend too much time thinking about clothing.  Maybe.

Stay Inside The Lines Dress

In all honesty, I think that it is great to recycle, not only clothes, but also entire outfits.  Sometimes a girl just needs to take a break from thinking up outfits and I can only think of two ways to do so.  Don't get dressed at all or recycle an outfit.  Now I am sure that some would prefer the first option, but for the most part, I go with the second option.  And, today, I definitely went with the second option.  I do wish to point out, however, that the last time that I wore today's outfit, I had a different hairstyle and I didn't wear any glasses.  I was also about a year younger.  So, maybe, it isn't entirely the same outfit?

The Butterfly Garden Dress

First things first:  Here are the Top Shop Western oxford booties.  While I mentioned that they are white, I did not mention all the fringe adorning them (I don't think).  I won't deny that they are a little bit drum majorette looking, but I like them just the same.  Okay, now on to other things.  Almost immediately after I got dressed today, I knew that I would get hooked on orange, yellow and cream.  Right now, I want to wear everything in my closet that is orange, yellow or cream or some combination of these colours.  Of course, this desire may not last long enough to see me through all the orange, yellow and cream clothes that I have and all the combinations of these clothes that I might put together.  I guess only time will tell what will happen.  Not exciting, but such is the story of my wardrobe life.

The Picking Cherries Dress

This morning, I remembered the shoes that I had bought at the Top Shop in May.  The white oxford booties with fringe trim.  In my opinion (at the time of purchase ... and still) the perfect white Western style bootie.  Something that I had been looking for for a while.  A white boot, regardless of style, really isn't very popular, is it?  I wanted to wear the Top Shop white booties today, but two things stood in the way.  One: rain was forecast for today, and I hadn't waterproofed the booties yet.  Two: the booties were wrongly laced up and I didn't have the time to re-lace them.  (I have been told that the way that the booties were laced up is actually correct, proper, what have you, but I don't like this correct, proper, what have you way of lacing up shoes/boots.  Too difficult to handle, in my opinion.)  So, at the end of the day (colloquially speaking, of course, in reality, at the end of the start of the day), I went with the black Western boots ... again.  Now, at the (actual) end of the day, the Top Shop white booties are all re-laced and otherwise ready to go.  For later in the week.

The Accordion Pleat Sleeveless Blouse

I adore the style of the blouse that I wore on Saturday -- the high neck with the bare shoulder.  I love this style for dresses as well.  I am surprised that I don't have more blouses and dresses of this style, but I have (I believe) only the one blouse and two dresses.  In any event, the blouse was the perfect blouse for the hot day on Saturday (way better than my choice for an even hotter day on Sunday).  There was a bit of a breeze, and the breeze would whoosh up underneath the blouse and cool off my body.  I have said this before, but clothes that move with the breeze really are cooler than clothes that hug the body.

The Flouncy Cabbage Roses Dress

I wore a denim jacket today for inside.  Outside, it was hot and no jacket was required.  Inside, with the air conditioning working at maximum capacity (not in my house, mind), it was chilly, and a jacket was required to take the edge off the cold (a jacket and a space heater actually).  Having to carry a jacket (or sweater) around with me in the Summer heat used to annoy me a lot more than it seems to be annoying me this Summer.  This Summer, I am just accepting the situation.  I see no point in letting the situation annoy me.  Nothing changes.  Inside it remains cold, while outside it is hot.  So why bother getting annoyed?  Maybe as I get older, I am getting wiser, choosing my battles more wisely, etc.

The Cabbage Roses Dress

As I was beginning to write this post, I started to wonder whether it had been exactly a year ago today that I last wore the cabbage roses dress.  So I checked (the ability to do so being one advantage of maintaining a personal style blog).  I couldn't believe it when I discovered that I did wear the cabbage roses dress almost exactly a year ago today (I last wore it on July 16, 2010).  Cue the Twilight Zone music.  I feel a bit odd at the moment, but I am sure that I will be able to get past this feeling (maybe when I finally stop clutching the clutch purse).

The Clutch Purse

A clutch purse was the perfect choice today.  Ordinarily I prefer a cross-body bag, but had I worn a cross-body bag, because I can only wear it one way (one of my minor flaws), it would have covered the floral belt that I decided to use to accessorize my dress.  I love the floral belt and I wanted it to show, not be covered up by a bag.  So I clutched a clutch (tee hee -- bad humour I know, but I couldn't help myself).

The Bumble Bee Romper

Yesterday, while trying on a dress that I had just altered, I starting missing my Western ankle boots.  And that was the beginning of the end -- the end of this period of wearing all black or all white with my Docs.  Not for ever.  I am sure that I will come back to my Docs.  But for the next little while, I think I will be wearing my Western boots.

The Fluttering White Butterfly Blouse

Today, as I was walking home from yoga practice, a white butterfly fluttered beside me, almost landing on me.  It made me think, momentarily, that the white butterfly saw in me a kindred spirit.  It was a neat experience.

The Every Which Way But Straight Striped Dress

A wardrobe drama!  Yesterday, as I was getting ready to try on a flapper dress in a store fitting room, removing the clothes that I was wearing, I happened to notice that there was a gash in what has become, over the past week or so, a beloved black cardigan.  Huge downer.  Now how on earth did that happen?