Cocooning Cardi

I had a strange experience this morning.  As I was putting on the finishing touches on my outfit, I said to myself, "Oh well.  It will be an experiment."  I guess I wasn't entirely sold on the outfit.  Not an unusual occurrence.  But it was definitely unusual to just go with the outfit and accept it as an experiment.  It amounted to taking the pressure off ... my self-imposed need to always be satisfied with my outfits.  I don't recall ever doing this.  It was a strange experience.  And a pleasant one.  In any event, my mind was later taken off my clothes because we had our first snowfall of the season today.  No lasting accumulation.  But the flakes were big and fluffy.  My kind of snowfall.

I am wearing an old Lands End Canvas plaid shirt dress, an old UO open cardi, an old wool beret and old Fluevog booties.

Watercolour Square Scarf

It used to be said about me that if I was looking for something chances were great that it would be either before or after its heyday and that I wouldn't be able to find it, at least not new.  This may be the case with what I am currently looking for: silk or faux silk square scarves.  I have discovered that some clothes that I wasn't liking wearing -- like turtlenecks -- I like wearing a lot more if I tie a square scarf around my neck.  I have about five square scarves.  Enough, I suppose.  But as most of them are very similar in pattern and colour (mostly grey, camel and black), I would like to expand my square scarf wardrobe.  Of course, I could find some new silk scarves at Hermes, but those would be a little (cough, cough) beyond my means.   I am getting lots of tips for where I might find some vintage silk scarves (in bricks and mortar shops).  I am looking forward to the hunt!

I am wearing a wool turtleneck from The Embellished Room, a uniform skirt from Lands End, an old faux silk square scarf and an old wool beret.  My boots are Fluevogs.

My First Hunters

I wore my very first pair of Hunters today.  I got these a few years ago ... at an end of season sale.  I wore them almost every day for about three months after that.  Lucky for me, it was Spring and a particularly wet Spring.  Since that first pair of Hunters, I have acquired a few more, mostly during the year that I had a wellies obsession.  The obsession has passed, but I still have all the Hunters.  Funny.  My first pair of Hunters were green and my last pair of Hunters were green.  (In between, there were black, brown and red Hunters.)  I think that I am pretty much set for wellies.

I am wearing an old Urban Renewal flannel blouse, an old Zara sweater tunic, old Lululemon leggings and knit shorts, an old Lands End barn jacket, an old wool beret and texting gloves from H&M.  My wellies are old Hunters.

Grey Skies Puffer Jacket Number One

It was cold today.  Hence why, in the morning, I reached for this puffer jacket.  Little did I know that it was going to rain (nay, pour down rain) this evening when I was making my way home.  I got drenched.  I hope that the faux fur trim on the hood of my puffer jacket survives.  When I got home, I said something that I am sure might have caused some (perhaps even many) to groan.  I said, "It being so cold, I would much rather it had snowed than rained."  Soon enough, I am sure.  Then I will be saying that I would much rather it rained, notwithstanding the cold.

I am wearing an old Gap shirt with an old Gap tie, a cropped wool sweater from H&M, an old uniform skirt from Lands End, an old puffer jacket, an old wool beret and gloves from H&M.  My chelsea boots are Fluevogs.  I am carrying a bag by Roots.

Juliet Velvet Shorts

Every once in a while, I will stop by a shop that carries high end fashion.  I like to get up close and personal with some of my favourite high end designers.  I love them but recognize that they will probably always be beyond my reach.  Today, I saw one very pretty black dress that retailed for over $2,000.  Now if I were to purchase this dress, it would have to be my single, solitary purchase for at least one year and I would have to wear it every day for at least one year (but probably longer) for it to earn its keep.  I often wonder if high end fashion and I would ever get on.  I say this because I once tried on a high end designer dress that I really loved only to discover that I didn't have the body for it.  Of course that was just one designer and one dress.  So who knows.  In the meantime, I will continue exploring within my means.

I am wearing a bow blouse from Joe Fresh, an old Zara vest, an open cardigan from JCrew Factory, velvet shorts from Top Shop, an old H&M coat, an old wool beret and gloves from H&M.  My boots are Fluevogs.  I am carrying a Roots bag.

A Shot In The Arm Sweater

A couple of days ago, I had the thought that there was something missing from my Winter coat collection, namely, a camel coloured classic coat (pea coat, duffle coat, etc.).  A couple of days later, I opened up the wardrobe where I keep some of my Winter coats and, lo and behold, there was a camel coloured pea coat that I had gotten some years ago and have not worn yet.  And nearby a camel coloured cropped duffle coat.  Okay, truth be told, they are more taupe-y than they are camel coloured, which may explain why I had forgotten that I had them.  Even so, they are close enough to being camel coloured that scouting around for a new (or even a new old) camel coloured classic coat would be extravagant and inexcusable.  I must remember to wear my camel coloured coats.

I am wearing an old JCrew sweater, an old Zara skirt (from last Winter's end of season sale), an old H&M wool jacket, an old H&M puffer jacket, an old wool beret, an old H&M circle scarf, H&M gloves and old JCrew ankle boots (from last Winter's end of season sale).  I am carrying a bag by Roots.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat Bow Blouse

With this outfit, and the onset of colder, Wintery weather, the layering on top of layering begins.  To be clear, I mean jackets on top of sweaters on top of blouses/shirts, to begin, followed, eventually, by vests on top of jackets on top of sweaters on top of blouses/shirts.  Of course, given how the weather has been behaving lately, I can't say that I won't be back to bare legs next week.  Certainly keeps one on one's toes!  (And didn't I say last week that I would wear this outfit?)

I am wearing a faux silk bow blouse and wool pleated skirt from Joe Fresh, a cardigan and long black jacket from H&M, an old H&M coat and an old wool beret.  My boots are by Cydwoq.  I am carrying a Roots bag.

Beanstock Shoes

I was more than a little bit excited to wear these shoes.  For one thing, the shoes have the highest heels that I have worn in a long while:  They are four inches slanted.  I am not sure how much height that actually gives me.  For another thing, the shoes were designed for men.  No doubt I am not the only woman to have purchased the shoes, but, nevertheless, they are men's shoes.  They have a sturdy heel and were very comfortable when I tried them on in the store.  I was curious to find out whether men's high heels would be any more (or less) comfortable than women's high heels.  So what is the verdict?  I felt very tall.  I towered over many people.  I wished that I stood so high without four inch slanted heels.  And men's high heels (at least these ones) are no different than women's high heels.

I am wearing an old H&M sheer blouse underneath a drop waist jumper dress from Zara, an open jacket from Zara, an old Kensie coat and an old wool beret.  My shoes are Fluevogs.  I am carrying a Roots bag.

Ecru After Labour Day Is Okay Dress

I did it again.  I waited too long to order something from JCrew and missed getting it altogether.  I think the item going on sale at some point between when I last checked the JCrew website (not that long ago) and today didn't help matters.  Obviously, a lot of other JCrew aficianados were doing what I was doing -- waiting for the item to go on sale -- but were luckier than I or more industrious in checking the website than I and got to the dress before I could.  Anyways, another one gets away.  A friend from long ago used to say that if some piece of clothing that she wanted got away it wasn't meant to be and something better was waiting for her around the corner.

I am wearing a dress by Dear Creatures (from the Fall/Winter 2010/2011 collection), an open cardigan from JCrew Factory, an old Kensie coat and an old wool beret.  My shoes are old Fluevogs.  I am carrying a bag by Roots.

Soothing Taupe Cardi

I discovered something about myself today.  I discovered that when I have a migraine, my inclination is to reach for a monochromatic outfit.  It is almost as if I don't want cause myself any more pain by subjecting myself to too many colours.  A migraine makes me super-sensitive to scent and light.  Dealing with more than one colour would be too much.  Usually my monochromatic outfit is a black outfit.  Today, it was a beige outfit.

I am wearing an old Gap shirt, an old JCrew wool cardigan, wool shorts from H&M, an old Old Navy wool zip jacket, an old American Apparel wool beret and old Aldo boots.  I am carrying a Roots bag.