fishtail skirt

last autumn/winter, i think that my boot of choice was the trippen rectangle boot (or maybe the trippen cylinder boot). while it may be a tad too early to name my boot of choice for this autumn/winter (after all, winter has only just begun ... officially), i am going to take a leap of faith and name it: the trippen noon boot.

i am wearing the alpen top, the studio tunic, the getaway jacket and the enoteca skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

not enough talk shirt

new shirt. and, new scarf (peaking out from under my most voluminous coat). same pattern on both.

i am wearing the outside shirt, the scarf sweater and the delphi scarf by kaliyana. i am also wearing trousers by grizas via kaliyana. my coat is by rundholz (black label). i am wearing the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

the anti-suit: wardrobetales' version

as promised a few posts ago, here is "my" version of the (kaliyana) anti-suit: the outside shirt and the getaway jacket, from the (kaliyana) anti-suit, and the around pant, by kaliyana but not from the (kaliyana) anti-suit. now here is the sad part of the debut of "my" version of the (kaliyana) anti-suit: it may very well be the last time that i don it. why? because i made the mistake of wearing it to an "event" that i knew would be unpleasant and i think (nay, i pretty much know) that the unpleasantness of the "event" transferred to my clothes. after the "event", i couldn't get home fast enough so as to change clothes. out of "my" version of the (kaliyana) anti-suit lickety-split and into some comfort clothes, which since august has been anything from my rundholz wardrobe.

this, that or the other pullover

a few weeks ago, on the kaliyana facebook page, a way to change up the look of the anti-suit was suggested: substituting the bell tunic for the outside shirt. i wanted to give this a go, but i didn't have the bell tunic. so i had to use something else. i used something that i did have: the studio tunic. the top swap motivated a pant swap. instead of wearing the anti-suit trouser (the palazzo pant), i decided to wear another of the designer's trousers, namely, the around pant.* unfortunately, the resulting outfit wasn't warm enough for this time of year. (the top and pant swaps had nothing to do with this. for me, the original anti-suit would have been just as insufficiently warm.) so i threw the short cowl neck top over the whole thing.

*putting on the around pant made me realize that, while i like the idea of the anti-suit, it really isn't me and if i wanted to continue wearing it, i would have to make it truly mine. i think that the pant swap will make it much more me. stay tuned for a peek at "my" anti-suit.

i am wearing the studio tunic, the getaway jacket (from the anti-suit), the short cowl neck top, the around pant and the tokyo hat by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

a more streamlined silhouette than usual sweater vest/tunic

i am wearing the alpen top, the mi-nu tank, the mi-nu skirt, the delphi scarf and the tokyo hat by kaliyana. i am also wearing a long sweater vest by moyuru via kaliyana. my boots are the rider boot (closed collection) by trippen.

oliver twist trousers

my preference is for skirts and dresses ... over trousers. if you glance to the right, at the "about me" blurb, you will see my preference declared. i wrote the "about me" blurb when i started the blog a little over four years ago. much has changed about me since then, but the "about me" blurb, and my declared preference for skirts and dresses, is as true today and it was then. all that said, i do wear trousers. over the past four (or so) years, i think that i have settled on what kind of trousers i really like. the "no rise", "drop crotch" or "harem style" (call it what you wish) trouser comes out on top. and, skinny trousers, so long as they are worn "leggings style" under a skirt or dress, come in in second (even though i rarely wear this type of outfit now). interestingly shaped trousers (like the balloon pant that i wore in the summer) come in in third. the trousers that i am wearing here are a combination of the no rise trouser and the interestingly shaped trouser. they make me think of oliver twist (perhaps because of their colour and the fabric from which they are made -- it is very corduroy like). and, although many would beg to differ with me, i think that they are the most masculine looking trousers that i wear. when i don't wear a dress overtop them!

i am wearing the outside shirt, the scarf sweater and the tokyo hat by kaliyana. i am also wearing trousers by grizas via kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

what's that expression again outfit

i hate it when i forget a colloquialism. i am not in the least bit surprised that i can forget a colloquialism -- i don't use colloquialisms that often and i usually use them incorrectly. but i do hate it that when i want to use a colloquialism i can't remember it. the particular colloquialism that i am searching for at the moment is the one that describes the situation of a person who stays in a bar until closing. i think it might be "closing the bar down", but i could be wrong. in any event, whatever the colloquialism is, i wanted to remember it so that i could use it to say that while i have never (insert colloquialism here), i have often "closed a shopping event down".

i am wearing the alpen top, delphi scarf, folio vest, long tight pant and tokyo hat by kaliyana. i am also wearing (over the alpen top and underneath the folio vest) a cardi by lauren vidal via kaliyana. my boots are the onion boot (closed collection) by trippen.

feeling a bit elfish (but whatever) sweater vest

i am wearing trousers, a sweater vest and a coat by grizas via kaliyana. i am also wearing the alpen top, delphi scarf and tokyo hat by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (closed collection) by trippen.

from now on i will take one moment at a time tunic

i am wearing the alpen top, the studio tunic, the modena top and the cool pant by kaliyana. my boots are the noon boot (box collection) by trippen.

slang dress

the other day, for the first time, i heard the expression/phrase "friday junior". i quickly learned that it meant "thursday". how long has thursday been referred to as friday junior? when i looked up the expression/phrase "friday junior" in the urban dictionary on the interwebs, i learned a new expression/phrase: "hump day", meaning "wednesday". now, for a long time, i have been referring to wednesday as "the hump". but all the time that i have been doing so, i had no idea that "hump day" was official slang. it never ceases to amaze me how truly out of touch i am at times.

i am wearing the alpen top, the ono dress, the tunnel skirt, the delphi scarf and the left bank jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the rider boot (closed collection) by trippen.

a dress by many names dress

recently, i went to see wicked ... for the third time. the second time that i saw wicked was about two years ago. oddly, on my third occasion seeing wicked, i was able to recall exactly what i wore on that second time seeing wicked. i don't always remember what i wear at particular times, but sometimes i do. sometimes they are happy recollections. other times, they are cringe-when-i-remember recollections. i once told a male boss of mine (while discussing the upcoming nuptials of his daughter) that i might find it difficult to have a traditional wedding, with the traditional white wedding dress, because i would be unable to settle on the dress. upon seeing his puzzled expression, i explained further. given all the mistakes i make with everyday clothes, the odds would be pretty good that i would make a mistake with the wedding dress (which would be so beyond what i am used to shopping for). if that occurred, i would forever have to live with having been married in a dress that was just wrong. not to mention having to look at pictures of myself in that just wrong dress. no, i just couldn't do it. i did not want a cringe-when-i-remember-it recollection of my wedding. his response to this explanation was ... probably predictable. "It's just a dress," he said. Years later, reflecting on this conversation, I thought, "How strange. I can easily commit to an individual. But committing to "the dress", well, that I still find a challenge." (p.s. i still like what i wore to see wicked the second time.)

i am wearing the alpen top, the ono dress, the tunnel skirt and the delphi scarf by kaliyana. my boots are the rider boot (closed collection) by trippen.

let's get comfortable dress

i am wearing the alpen top, the modena dress, the milan skirt and the delphi scarf by kaliyana. my boots are the rider boot (closed collection) by trippen. 

a black, black day top

there are situations that i have to face that i know (or suspect) will be unpleasant. i give more thought to what i will wear when facing those situations than i give to what i will wear at any other time. why? because i feel i have to allow for the possibility that i will associate the clothes that i wear with the feeling of unpleasantness (should it manifest itself) and that i will never want to wear the clothes again for fear of triggering a memory of the situation and its unpleasantness. so the clothes have to be disposable ones. sometimes, i will choose old clothes that i no longer care for to wear to face an unpleasant (or potentially unpleasant) situation. other times, i will actually buy new clothes that are inexpensive to wear to face an unpleasant (or potentially unpleasant) situation -- h & m serves me well for this purpose. i am happy when the situation that i have to face that i suspect will be unpleasant turns out not to be so unpleasant and i come to love the clothes that i wore to face the situation (maybe there is some association going on there). i am unhappy when unpleasantness is unexpected, i don't prepare for it and i come to hate previously liked clothes.

i am wearing the alpen top, the pelican top, the ball skirt, the long tight pant and the aha jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the onion boot (closed collection) by trippen.

whenever i wear dots i think of morse code dress, top and leggings

when i change my style, the last thing to fall into place is outerwear. i think that i am entering my third year of sporting a lagenlook-inspired-by-japanese-minimalist-fashion style. i started working on the outerwear part of my look last year. this year, i really want to nail it down.

i am wearing the alpen top, the l/s honolulu dress, the pelican top, the aha jacket and the long tight pant by kaliyana. my boots are the onion boot (closed collection) by trippen.

help wanted dress

i will admit that, at each beginning of a wardrobe season, i need help getting dressed. so, yes, i wear outfits created by others, usually designers' stylists. not very creative, i will grant. but better this crutch than standing paralysed in my skivvies in front of my closets knowing not what to wear for days on end (or, more realistically, minutes on end). i do what i have to do. besides, i know that creativity will catch up to me eventually.

i am wearing the alpen top, the positano skirt and the aha jacket by kaliyana. my dress and pullover are by grizas via kaliyana. i am wearing the rider boot (closed collection) by trippen.

i can't believe my eyes trousers

a year after i first tried them i decided that they would work for me. i am talking about the trousers. maybe it was the jacket that helped. i wanted the jacket last year but it didn't seem to exist, other than in the virtual world, where it was paired with the trousers. it seems this year it all came together. the jacket. the trousers. wow!

i am wearing the odyssey pant, the tina top and the nina jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the cylinder boot (box collection) by trippen.

gargoyles and grotesques dress

it's beginning to look a lot like ... hallowe'en. my new favourite holiday.

i am wearing the abstract dress and the veronica jacket by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

ready to commit jacket

i am most definitely an autumn* girl. if push came to shove, i would even say that i am a winter* girl. when the temperature dips into the autumn spectrum, i embrace it immediately. i don't hang on to summer. i look forward to autumn and all its pleasures. most especially the thrill of layers, layers and more layers of clothes. so when i wake up in the morning and hear the host of the particular radio show that happens to be playing at that moment announce with glee that the day is going to be unseasonably warm, a return to summer, i don't jump out of bed and join in the joyous celebration. no, i groan, crawl out of bed and hope that i can find something to wear that doesn't look too foolish. i pine for the autumn outfit that i had hoped to wear and now can't. i also quickly check the long range forecast to know how many days of this "suffering" i will have to endure.

i am wearing the alpen top, the square jacket, the crinkle scarf and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the onion boot (closed collection) by trippen.

*i am not talking "colours" here. i am talking actual seasons.

in a holding pattern dress: take 2

let me set the stage for you. think of the movie groundhog day. now read the following: the beauty of some of the clothes that i wear is that they are so amenable to having an extra layer added to them (when i need more warmth) without any real impact on the resulting outfit. exhibit "b" above: i am wearing one more layer than the number of layers that i wore here. while i certainly felt warmer with the extra layer, from an observer's perspective, i don't think the two outfits look that dissimilar.

i am wearing the cloud dress, the forever jacket and the escape skirt by kaliyana. i am also wearing (for warmth) a cardi by lauren vidal via kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

a wish come true leggings: take 2

the beauty of some of the clothes that i wear is that they are so amenable to having an extra layer added to them (when i need more warmth) without any real impact on the resulting outfit. exhibit "a" above: i am wearing one more layer than the number of layers that i wore a few days ago. while i certainly felt warmer with the extra layer, from an observer's perspective, i don't think the two outfits look that dissimilar.

i am wearing the alpen top, the folio top and the long tight pant by kaliyana. i am also wearing (for warmth) a cardi by lauren vidal via kaliyana. my boots are the onion boot (closed collection) by trippen.

in a holding pattern dress

i can't tell you the ecstasy i feel when i manage to snag some wish list clothes on sale. another lesson learned: waiting is (sometimes) worth it.

i am wearing the forever jacket, the cloud dress and the escape skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

a wish come true leggings

i have learned that sometimes all i have to do is ask for something to make it appear.

i am wearing the alpen top, the folio top and the long tight pant by kaliyana. my boots are the onion boot (closed collection) by trippen.

the shift (meaning change) dress

here is what signifies that i have made the move from summer dressing to fall dressing: the return of long-sleeve dresses and tops, the return of clothes in heavy(ish) cotton jersey and the return of woollen stockings. and so it begins, another descent (ascent?) to the long, dark, cold days of winter.

i am wearing the l/s manifold dress, the string jacket and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

me likey outfit

okay, i know that it is a bit "crazy" to ask to be this "woman". this "woman" is not any woman. "she" is someone's creation: a surreal depiction of a woman. just the same, could i please, pretty please, be "her". i love the outfit and i could wear it (but for the scarf, i have all the pieces that make up the outfit). but something tells me that, even if i wore "her" outfit, i would not be "her". sigh.

photo source: kaliyana facebook page.

there then gone dress

it occurred to me that if i don't buy some woollen gloves soon, notwithstanding that there probably won't be any need for them for some time yet (at least two months i would say), it may be difficult to get what i want when there will be need for them. how sad is that? as much as i might like shopping for woollen sweaters at this time of year, i have never developed a hankering for shopping for woollen gloves, mitts, scarves and hats at this time of year.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the l/s akiko top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

melt-down tunic/jacket

every person needs an innocent, non-damaging, non-harmful melt-down every now and again. it releases a lot of toxins -- at least that has been my experience -- enabling one to get on with it.

i am wearing the horizon jacket, the l/s akiko top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

wordless* ... without words* ... jacket

*the writer's version of being rendered speechless ... without speech.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the string jacket and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

it's time dress and skirt

i am wearing the honolulu dress, the l/s akiko top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

survival of the fittest dress

i am wearing the neck-tie dress, the akiko top and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

carry on, carry on skirt

i was contemplating going to a shopping event -- a "curated shopping marketplace featuring 80+ independent [local] designers of apparel and accessories for men and women". mostly because one of my favourite designers was going to be there. then i read about what one could expect to encounter at the event, including a communal fitting room. i think my days of communal fitting rooms may be over*. i ended up not going to the event.

*i have never "liked" those fitting rooms with no mirror, requiring me to step out of the fitting room into a "communal" space to see how the clothing that i am trying looks on me. some things are very personal to me and how untested clothing looks on me is one of those things. a communal fitting room, where i have to, not only see how clothing that i am trying looks on me, but also put it on, in front of complete strangers, well, that's just going a bit too far. yes, i spent much time in communal fitting rooms in my uni days. back then, warehouse sales, with their communal fitting rooms, kept me fully clothed. but that was then, this is now. but i never say never.

i am wearing the manifold dress, the amazing skirt and the pleat jacket by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

long time no see jacket

this is the first time this summer season that i have pulled on this jacket. imagine that! oh, and since it is almost fall, better late than never!

i am wearing the manifold dress, the akiko top, the brilliant jacket and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my shoes are the sisters shoe (box collection) by trippen.

giving new life to an old top (top)

ever since i heard the term "normcore", i have been struggling with this idea that, in fashion, there is a principal culture and subcultures. i have also been struggling with the definition of trends. trends seem to be defined by reference to the principal culture. subcultures seem to be discussed only when they contribute to a trend in the principal culture. here's a thought: maybe there is no principal culture. maybe there are just subcultures. so if a trend is identified in the "principal subculture", does it appear in other subcultures? and, if it does, how does it manifest itself in those subcultures.*

*i should probably confess that, recently, i have been questioning labels and categorizations of all types. i am starting to believe that there are no definite categories of anything. instead, there are spectrums. of course, it is easier to exist with definite categories. or is it?

i am wearing the manifold dress, the balloon pant and the l/s akiko top by kaliyana. my shoes are the till boot (cup collection) by trippen.

my attempt to be normal top

i am wearing the mykonos top, the l/s akiko top and the cool pant by kaliyana. my boots are the rectangle boot (closed collection) by trippen.

fashion fairy godmothers do exist pants

one of my clothing wishes has been granted (more about which wish at some later point). the effect of this miracle isn't what i had expected. i had expected to be over-the-moon happy, thrilled, ecstatic. (and grateful, of course.) instead, i have become insolently demanding. fashion fairy godmother: if you can grant me this one wish, why can't you grant me the others? it is not like there are lots of them. there aren't even a handful of them. if you would just explain why the other wishes can't be granted, i promise that i would understand. or at least try to understand.

i am wearing the mykonos top, the hood jacket and the cool pant by kaliyana. my boots (some clothing, like the cargo pant, call for a rugged boot) are the rectangle boot (closed collection) by trippen.

in anticipation of fall jacket

just when i thought i knew what to wear, something happens. the weather changes dramatically. or, i start feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. and i no longer know what to wear.

i am wearing the neck tie dress, the folio jacket and the amazing skirt by kaliyana. my boots are the pluto boot (closed collection) by trippen.

where has the summer gone scarf

many around me have remarked on the chill in the air: it feels like the start of fall, but it is too far away from the start of fall (okay, maybe not so far away, but it should be far away) for the feeling to be right. i agree. and fall is my favourite season!

i am wearing the tahiti top, the biarritz top, the odyssey pant, the focus jacket and the delphi scarf by kaliyana. i am wearing the cylinder boot (box collection) by trippen.